Santa Marta - Catamarca - Good friends on the road

From Chilicito we rode to Santa Maria, Catamarca. We were again on route 40 nicknamed the most lonely road in the world. Again, nothing to see but desert. Eventually we arrived into some lush valleys with a string of villages. The architecture and the people are now very South American, unlike Buenos Aries and Mendoza which is quite European.

There had been some down pours ahead of our travels. In one town we had to come to a stop because of the flooded road. As we waited with a group of people for the flood to subside, a motorcyclists began to talk with us. It turned out that Marcus just loves motorcycles and generously invited us to his house for a cup of coffee to wait for the flood to lower. We were joined by Marcus' long-time girlfriend Delores. Although I do not speak Spanish I simply loved their company.

They rode with us into Santa Maria, helped us find a great hotel, toured the evening market with us, and joined us with a fun dinner of pizza and empanadas. A great couple who we were fortunate to meet.