...and down again

Kathryn >> Following a night punctuated by the bellows of the donkeys and howls of something carnivorous sounding, we gathered the washing up (spread a little further than it had been the night before) and readied ourselves for more hill climbing. Azulita resisted our attempts to hit the road, the engine failing to start, James drained the battery in his attempts. Azulita had played this game with us occasionally before, but had always given in and carried us on. High in the mountains however she had decided to make a real stand. With a bit of pushing, we manoeuvred her back to the road and thankfully to the slope on which James roll started her, not without several failed attempts involving me trailing along behind for about a

kilometer and pushing. A u-turn saw us headed up the mountains again. Although apparently not worth mentioning, the day before it had felt like Azulita had become more sluggish on the hills, something that continued today. With more black smoke billowing in our wake, and snow capped peaks appearing before us, the decision to head back down the mountains to Copapio was made. Coasting down hills, Azulita's spirits seemed to have lifted, never the less we headed back to the biggest town for 500km. The cause for the all roadworks on the tiny mountain roads became apparent as we were able to survey the areas of road that were disappearing into the valleys. Driving laps of Copapio, we found a diesel mechanic, who when approached said they couldn't fix her, instead directing us around the corner to an english-speaking mechanic. In turn he decided he couldn't fix it either, so called another man over, who was apparently a diesel specialist. Diagnosing a stuck valve, we were directed to drive the car back around the corner to the original mechanic. Leaving Azulita, we were instructed to return at 12 for a full analysis of Azulita's ailment. Abandoning the van life we headed for a hotel a few blocks away.