Laboulaye – Rufino – 71 km
The route between Laboulaye and Rufino came with a headwind and heavy traffic.
The narrow road left virtually no space to ride and the grassy verge was too rocky
and uneven even to attempt riding off-road. On reaching Rufino, I pulled in to
purchase a mirror that would at least allow me to see what was coming up behind
me, but Rufino was like a ghost town due to siesta. After enquiring, we were
police-escorted to the central park.
Argentinians took their siesta seriously and only emerged around 17h00. However,
no sooner had they woken from their nap than the entire village was at the park
which doubled as a sports ground. People were out playing football and hockey.
Others were jogging and even the marching band was out practising. What a
delight to observe a small Argentinean country town in full swing!
Rufino – Vedia – 119 km
The following day was marred by wind and 18-wheelers roaring past, causing
diving off the road now and then. The mirror bought the previous day at least
helped spot them in advance.
This was the Pampas and home to Gauchos and vast cattle ranches. To me, the
Gauchos of Argentina conjured up romantic images of horsemen freely roaming
the vast plains of Argentina. I wasn’t far off as I witnessed riders herding cattle,
looking amazingly comfortable on horseback. Watching these Gauchos on a horse,
sipping mate from a gourd through a silver straw, and with at least four dogs at
their heels, was indeed an iconic sight.