Day 662 – South America – Argentina [Desaguadero to Alto Pencoso]


12/02/22

40km

  From Desaguadero (Argentina) to Alto Pencoso (Argentina)

South America


Crossing from Mendoza to San Luis region on a long straight running day

The arch separating Mendoza to San Luis regions

We left the region of Mendoza behind today. Our first stretch of running was along the big road, all the way until the regional crossing. This was marked by a big arch and materialised by a major sanitary control, Covid related. The fruits that we kept at the back of the campervan were confiscated when James drove across the border. As we made our way to the San Luis region, a lot of boards warned us against the danger of mosquitos (denguem zika, chikungunya) – and surprisingly, a board reminding everyone that “The Malvines are Argentinian”!

An historical reminder

We took a long break midway through, ice cream and fresh drinks – then resumed our running towards Alto Pencoso. There is nothing in Alto Pencoso really, other than the van that was there, symbolising again the end of the day’s run. We ran along the long ruban of asphalt. The only event worth noting was the snake on which I almost stepped on. I jumped up in fear and Franck collided with me as he was right behind me (sheltering from the wind probably!). It was a small snake – but sometimes they can be the nastier too.

It’s hot… but still worth a smile!

All good in the end and we get to stay in a the thermal town of Balde. Franck’s fluency in Spanish was helpful as we got to learn about the history of the place and the benefits of the thermal water. The town is a bit of a let-down, with many abandoned and derelict buildings. But the hotel we are in, family-run, has a lot of history. The owner, a former geography teacher, used to bring his own mother here for baths, to treat her arthitis. Later in life, he built this hotel to run it with his son who qualified in tourism and hospitality. The hotel is a great place – each bathroom has a bath that has thermal water. Recommandation is to immerse for 15 minutes, then lay down to sweat for 30 minutes, and finish off with a cold shower (of thermal water). The water has been classified 3rd best in the country by the World Health Organisation.

Enjoy the video of today’s run: https://www.relive.cc/view/vE6JpQxYAgv



Check my daily run GPS data on or

Here is the map of today’s run: