I Can't WIn Anything

Puerto Madryn, Argentina

6:00 am We’re up and off heading south. I’m a little hung over and very thankful

Leigh sleeping off his hangover

that there are only 14 people on the truck at the moment, so I can sprawl out over the last row of seats and sleep.

That night we camp at a really dodgy little campsite north of the Rio Colorado. The Rio Colorado is the official start of Patagonia and we get stopped by officials for at a meat and veggie check. As we have fruit and veggies for that night’s dinner and hadn’t properly hid them, they took them. As a result, we end up having to find a campsite there.

The next morning (with the rest of our meat and veggies properly stowed) we take off for Puerto Madryn. It’s another long boring drive day. The landscape here is flat and featureless except for sage brush and the occasional rhea (like an ostrich) or guanaco (like a llama).

Puerto Madryn is one of Argentina’s few beach towns. As a result even though the beach isn’t really much to look at, it’s crowded in the summertime (which it is now down here). I have a little bit of a panic attack when I realize that it’s a summer weekend. The campground that we stay at is huge and I don’t bother making reservations there, but I realize that I should’ve. Luckily, there’s still room now, though it’ll be full later that evening.

That night we go out and play more pool. I’ve lost to just about everybody at this point and being the person I am, I suggest it every chance I get. I know that eventually the tables will turn and I’ll redeem myself. Not tonight. This time I try the “if you can’t beat ‘em join ‘em strategy” and team up with Claire to take on Andy and Leigh. Even though we have no business doing so, we lose 7 games to 1.

Maybe I’ll take up bowling.