withered sunflowers

we woke this morning next to a field of withered sunflowers as far as the eye can see. the sky was a pleasant rich blue with cloud formations so varied and spectacular that, if given a whole morning of idleness and blessed with the imagination of a child, one could easily spot a whole menagerie of animals. the nights have been chilly and filled with strange supernatural sounds that neither one of us could tell from what beast or fowl it comes.. camping out in the wild has become normal after a while, with routines like brushing of teeth, answering nature´s call, eating breakfast etc adapted to the limitations of our conditions..

last night, we found an inflatable globelike ball in the jeep with a (fairly accurate) mapping of the numerous constellations that are in the sky. we managed to identify Orion, the Southern Cross, Sirius, Cornopus and a couple of other more obvious constellations. however, notably absent were northern hemisphere constellations like Ursa Major and Minor, which i saw on my previous trips to Morocco and Europe..

with a bit of help in driving from me (i have finally completed driving in four continents!), we have finally reached the start of our great southward journey! the great range of the Andes looms clearly in the foreground but unfortunately, due to time constraints, we will probably have to give visiting Aconcagua (the highest mountain in the Western hemisphere a miss :( ).. the town of Mendoza is bustling with life.. some carnival is going on and roads are closed, music is playing and crowds are gathered.. we are here for just a short while to top up our rations..

till the next time, hasta luego!