Villa Union

It really does look like Mars around here sometimes.....here being the rugged west side of La Rioja (Ree Oh Ha) province. Not that I´ve ever been to Mars but you must have seen the video footage from those little rover space craft that landed there a couple of years ago rolling around on the red crusted soil with the sun beating down .... rocks and bolder strewn everywhere. Well this area looks like it with the occasional scrub plant or two. Amazing country side but too hot for habitation though.

Two days ago one of those great unexpected things when you travel occurred.....soo tired from the heat and long days and expecting another rough night in the bush when we happened upon this modern air conditioned lodge with a huge swimming pool in a town where we only expected mud huts and dust. So nice to take a break, get cleaned, eat a steak or two and sit by the pool with cold beer. Riding later we find that this area is being promoted by the government to foreign tourists as a Destination to see the amazing geological land formations of Talampaya http://www.talampaya.gov.ar/ and Ischigualasto national parks. Have not seen any other foreign tourists here though which is kind of nice.

Later in town found a poster in a window offering a reward for the whereabouts of a female Swiss cyclist that went missing here in 2004. I think she must have run out of water and was lost in the desert..locals say they think she was killed. Either way bad for foreign tourism.