That’s what friends are for, right?

Tuesday morning, we were supposed to leave Puerto Madryn for Buenos Aires. A quick rinse at the city’s municipal showers, three loads of laundry, and we’d be on our way. It’s Friday now. We’re still here. The Iveco is in the shop, the alternator fried, and we’re waiting. Waiting and wondering—how did we get here?

by Akis Temperidis
Photography: AT, Vula Netou

It started Monday night. Rain. The kind of rain that seeps into your bones and turns the earth into a chocolate milkshake of mud. At dawn, during my routine half-asleep stumble to the bathroom (damn you, aging prostate), my mind immediately went to our German friends: Steve, Martina, and little Amelie. They were still out at Punta Ninfas in their Fiat Ducato, likely perched on the cliff edge where we’d all been watching orcas a few days prior.

At 8 a.m., Steve called me via WhatsApp. His voice was tight, anxious;

“We’re still here. It’s raining sideways, 90 km/h winds. The mud is pulling us closer to the edge. A couple in a Jeep is trying to help us, but we’re terrified we’re going to lose the vehicle. Can you call someone? Police? Rescue?”

Vula and I sprung into action. Emergency mode. A quick coffee, a stop at La Segunda to finalize the long-overdue insurance for our Iveco, and then straight to the police. The officer shrugged. “Call Civil Defense. Or maybe your insurance.”

Civil Defense was a dead end. Steve’s insurance didn’t cover roadside assistance. Ours didn’t either. Punta Ninfas was 80 kilometers of dirt road away—two hours in perfect conditions.

– “Should we go, Vula?”
– “Of course. We can’t leave them out there.”

The road was a mess. Lakes of water stretched across the straights, and the mud deepened with every kilometer. The Iveco’s alternator started to whine, the tachometer flickered, and then the battery light glowed red. I stopped. Checked the belt. Everything looked fine, but the alternator wasn’t charging.

Turn back? Call it quits? No. Onward.

The last twenty kilometers were pure chaos. Mud thick as wet cement sucked at our tyres. At one point, the road tilted, gravity took hold, and we slipped sideways into a ditch. Stuck.

It took locked differentials, a pendulum-like back-and-forth motion, and sheer stubbornness to claw our way out. Anastasia was in tears—half fear, half relief. mFinally, lights appeared ahead. The Germans. Or so we thought. It was a Jeep Wrangler. Behind it, the Ducato—tilted, wheels spinning, mud-sprayed and defeated.

What followed was a mud-soaked, rain-drenched battle. Winches failed. Batteries drained. Straps snapped. But eventually, we dragged the Ducato out. By nightfall, we collapsed where we stood, too tired to care that we were sleeping in the middle of the road.

Morning brought sun, wind, and hope. The ground firmed up, the lakes shallowed. Martina made peach cake on their gas stove. Coffee flowed freely. Spirits lifted.

By afternoon, we hit the road. Iveco towing Ducato, inching our way back toward civilization. But as dusk fell, the mud claimed one last victory. The Ducato sunk deep into an invisible pit. The recovery straps gave up. We spent another night under the stars, eight kilometers from Puerto Madryn.

Day three. A local in a pickup truck appeared like an Argentinian deus ex machina. With a rope—not even a proper strap—he yanked the Ducato free. But our Iveco was dead. Battery flat. Noco charger drained.

Another local, in a Citroën Partner of all things, stopped to help. A push. A spark. The Iveco roared to life.

Ten kilometers later, the Iveco sputtered and died again.

Out of fuel.

We flagged down another car—a surly man who seemed annoyed to stop but did so anyway. Jumper cables. A brief prayer to the gods of diesel engines. The Iveco roared to life once more.

We limped into Puerto Madryn at sunset, covered in mud, running on fumes, and held together by hope, zip ties, and sheer willpower.

Sometimes, adventure isn’t a postcard. It’s not a perfect Instagram shot of a sunset over the Andes. Sometimes, it’s mud in your boots, grease on your hands, and the knowledge that turning back was never an option.

And sometimes, you just want pizza.