The cold and my motorcycle simply do not get along. This morning I had to poor three buckets of hot water on the engine before it would start - but at least it did start I guess.

The Argentine border was only just a few blocks away. I drove straight through to the Argentine side and didn't bother to stop to ‘checkout' of Bolivia - or so I thought. Everything was going smooth at first. I passed over all of my documents and got the 90 day stamp to Argentina on my passport. Then the official told me to present my papers to the automotive people across the street.

But, oops, I walked into the wrong door. The Bolivian lady asked for my entry papers, which I didn't have since I never stopped to ‘check in' to Bolivia from Peru. I had told the lady I lost my papers - she never bothered to check my passport for the entry stamp.  The lady would simply not let me slide and she sent me to a building on the Bolivian side to talk with the person in charge.

I spent a good two and a half hours arguing in Spanish for these guys that are ‘in charge' to let me out of their country. They bought my story about losing my papers and didn't mention anything about the one hundred dollar entry visa - although I think they were expecting me to bribe them. Finally a person who was even more ‘in charge' came into the room, shook my hand, and asked what type of bike I was riding. I said it was a BMW and we had a chat about bike for a few minutes while the guys I was arguing with looked on. The nice guy told all the other guys to just make copies of my passport, title and other documents and to let me go.

Then he asked to see my passport and looked for the entry stamp. And when he didn't find it he winked at me and handed back my passport. He knew I didn't lose my papers and I never paid for the hundred dollar visa. But he still let me off. William (the guy in charge) was his name. William and I walked back to the border and he offered me a cigarette. We smoked and talked and talked about bikes and girls. When we got back to the border he handed the copies to the lady and told me I was free to go.

 I thanked him and went over to the Argentine side to get the motorcycle papers for Argentina. It is an hour later in Argentina so I was finally set by about 1pm.

Seventy miles down the road I was excited to find Ruta 40. Then I found out it was a dirt road (so much for doing my research). My bike is not an off road bike nor is it a duel sport and I wont pretend that it is. I don't even have proper tires for dirt. I nearly crashed several times on the dirt road from Potosi to Villazon the day before. Sad as it was I continued on the main highway south.

I looked back at my map and it seems like Ruta 40 turns into a ‘real' paved highway near Mendoza. So I guess in September I will take Ruta 40 all the way south.

When I continued on the highway south the wind started to pick up and was blowing me all over the road. But I still had a chance to look around at the beautiful scenery. Some of the coolest rock formations and mountains I have ever seen - as well as some of the most beautiful farmland. It's weird, once I crossed that border things were suddenly fifty times nicer; air, scenery, buildings, cars, roads. Some countries just have it together - most don't. I would have stopped off to take pictures but the wind was horrendous. 

When I pulled into Salta I stopped at the first hotel I saw. Its $50 a night but by far one of the best I've been to. It is not near as good as the five-star $350 a night hotel in Costa Rica, but still up there.

It was five pm when I got here, pretty good time. Now it's nine-fifty pm and I'm just chillin at the hotel restaurant admiring the view while the waiter, doubling as the chef, keeps bringing out delicious food for me to try. Drinking wine from Mendoza, listening to ‘Red Red Wine' on the music overhead - doesn't get much better than this.

Tomorrow I'll try to hit Cordoba. It's about five hundred miles away but the next major city between here and Buenos Aires. Might spend the weekend there and then it's an easy day to Buenos Aires.

Looks like I have a homestay all worked out but they are not expecting me until the first week of July. Wonder if I can show up early?

Would like to go out tonight here in Salta but have to get some sleep before I do that. This wine is kicking my ass.