A Slow Weekend

We planned a couple of days of Italian food and wine.

We tasted nine wines and bought three bottles. 

They are pet friendly if you can believe it, and Rusty reciprocated the kindness by being his usual perfect self.  

I’ve never tasted so much wine at a sitting and we had also been led to believe we might get some cold cuts. As a result we tasted on an empty stomach which required a nap in their parking lot afterwards. 

Happily our solar panels combined with a little daily driving have amply supplied us with electricity to sleep comfortably air conditioned at night. The weather has been unseasonably scorching hot. 

Sylvia our English speaking hostess. She moved to the area to enjoy the Italian culture. Who can blame her? 

On our way out Rusty made some new admirers as I paid the bill. I can’t imagine Napa valley wineries encouraging dogs in their tasting rooms. I think South America may be spoiling Rusty. 

Saturday night is right for …laundry downtown. My dog is a lush:

Air conditioned do it yourself as usual with soap dispensed by the washing machine. Rusty approved. 

Back at the campground I watched a trucker cooking dinner in the kitchen he keeps in a locker on  his trailer. 

Not a bad place to camp for a quiet weekend.  

We spent Saturday and Sunday in the $10 a night social club for Garibaldi motorists. Yes I know it sounds weird and we are only the second people to check in on iOverlander but it’s an excellent camping spot with all facilities. It’s got lots of room for trucks but also fits in some motorhomes too though we were as usual alone.  So we decided to take advantage while we toured the area eating and drinking. It is as Richard pointed out in a comment the proper way to grasp the local culture, so we did.

No wine this time but refreshing Italian lime sodas washed down our abstemious lunch. 

Olive oil tasting and bruschetta appetizers. 

Lamb risotto:

Pork spare ribs with barbecue sauce: 

The owner, a nice guy with about as much English as we have Portuguese. 

I had an apple strudel for dessert:

While Layne had a brownie.

Back at the campground we plotted our departure heading for Uruguay on the coast road. We’ll have to stop at the border a couple of days to get Rusty’s permit to enter Uruguay, a job we haven’t done since Guyana. Back we get into the flow of mainstream South American overland travel.