“Choose your own Adventure”
It’s a chilly, dark morning here at Johnny’s campsite, situated on the side of the highway in the Malargue region. I woke up to the sound of roosters, being their usual loud selves, announcing the start of the day. Emi, always prepared with earplugs, slept through it all. I can’t blame the roosters entirely, though—my bladder only lasts about seven hours these days.
After rolling out of our last-minute bed setup in the back of the truck, I started the day as I always do: with a cup of coffee (Nescafé Gold is my go-to instant espresso), some kind of plant milk, and a banana. Occasionally, I add a probiotic or greens mix (like AG1 or similar) or take these little capsules when I’m traveling light. It’s just insurance. A supplement is exactly what the name implies—I try to get all my nutrients from food, but it’s nice to have a backup. Right now, my immune system is a bit compromised after catching something in Las Leñas, which we’ve now realized was probably just the flu, given the night sweats. Apparently, altitude sickness doesn’t cause that… but hey, same s&^% different pile.
Now, let me tell you about our day yesterday! After a quick flow and a great coffee at a super cute spot called “Quererse Bien Coffee Shop” in Malargue (they also serve waffles and a selection of pastries). Emi grabbed a croissant, which he said was amazing. We then wandered around the charming town of Malargue, looking for something to do nearby. We learned that we’d missed the Volcano tour, so we decided to visit “Caverna de Las Brujas” (Witches’ Cave) instead. The photos on Google Maps don’t do it justice—it was an incredible experience, even though I only understood about 25% of what the fast-talking tour guide said. Still, I couldn’t resist testing the cave’s acoustics with a little rendition of “At Last” by Etta James. The cave was filled with stalactites—those icicle-shaped formations that hang from the ceiling, formed by minerals dripping down from above.
After crawling out of the cave, it was time to hit the road. And what a road it was! The different soil compositions starting to emerge are absolutely stunning, and the sky is following suit. We’re traveling through Argentina at the end of the summer season, heading into winter, so it’s starting to get a little chilly. Thankfully, we’re well-prepared thanks to the generosity of Emi’s close family and friends, who lent us plenty of supplies.
We pulled into Johnny’s campsite along Ruta 40. We found this cute, slightly rundown spot on iOverlander. If you haven’t heard of this magical app and you’re a fellow traveler, I highly recommend it. It’s a treasure trove of great spots. That said, some good (free) spots can get too busy because of it, leading to closures or “no camping” signs. Because of this, we don’t share some of the local spots we hear about, to help preserve them. My favorite thing about iOverlander is that it tells you if a spot is an actual campsite, how much they charge (at the time), and whether they have water, Wi-Fi, and so on. Johnny, a rough-around-the-edges but super nice older man, pointed us to the spot where we’d camp in our truck for the night. It was already dark, and we had an early morning planned. After greeting all the ducks, roosters, and dogs, we set up camp and cooked a delicious pasta dinner paired with a can of Goose Island—one of my favorite beers. After a long day of traveling, it was just what we needed: a hearty pasta full of veggies, complex carbs, and protein. I cooked with a headlamp, a camp stove, a spoon, a can opener/knife, and a pot. It was so good! Check out the recipe for https://roadcasa.com/johnnys-camp-pasta/.
Today, we’re excited to head to a friend of Johnny’s for a three-hour horseback ride. I woke up early to make coffee and prepare some food for us before we leave. Emi has an amazing curiosity and knack for asking questions, which is one of the things I appreciate most about him. Last night, he came running back to our camp after chatting with Johnny, thrilled that we could spend the morning on horseback.
It’s 8 a.m., and we’re off to spend the day horseback riding in Argentina. What a great sentence to write.
Have a great day! Cheers to saying yes to cool experiences and no to the crappy ones.
L+E