America 2013

Author: admin

  • Changes

    Changes

    Album

    16.02. – 22.02.

    We / I spent one week in Santiago. Santiago is a huge metropolis with about 6 1/2 million people.
    There is not much time for sightseeing. I was more than once at the BMW dealer and another mechanic to get my bike repaired. But I don’t want to bore you with that. Only that, it is almost unbelievable, when you see what BMW charges for a plastic replacement part.

    My first way in Santiago leads to Marco and Silvia. They are friends of Günther, whom I met in Valdivia.
    They have lived in Austria for about 6 years more than 20 years ago. There they met Günther. Silvia and Marco are two very nice people. I was immediately welcomed warmly, I got food and they drove me around a bit in the area.
    Marco helped me in advance with the organization of the radiator.

    Andi and I spent the last days “socialising”, in other words, having a nice time with the other people in the hostel.

    On Thursday, 20.02. Andi left me .. without saying a word .. in the middle of the night. Just joking.. 🙂
    Andi has to be at home in mid-March to take care of a few important things.
    It would not have made much sense to drive further north. Valparaiso is the best place in this area to send a motorcycle home. The next option would be Lima. But Lima is too far away.
    Andi has a one week stopover in Jamaica, before returning to Austria.

    It was a good time. We could not make it to Colombia as planned, but it was fun, adventurous, tiring, relaxing and much more. We had no problems getting along with each other ..  at least not from my point of view. I think I have gained at least two kilos during these two months we have traveled together. Probably even more. You eat and drink more when you are together with other people.

    Taylor and Mike had their bikes fixed too and moved on after three days in Santiago. If everything goes well, I will see Taylor in about four months in Seattle again.

    The day before my departure, I went to another mechanic. My bike was getting a new chain set and also a new side cover. Incredibly, Carlos even had an original side cover from my BMW Dakar. But 450 USD is too much money for a piece of plastic. He has another one in a different color from an older model for around 200 USD.

    When I watched him installing the part I started to think about my journey. I have been traveling for more than 7 months now. Half time. I want to be back at the end of September.

    Especially on my bike you can see the trip.
    I took a picture of it cleaned and shiny before I left. Almost no scratches .. and now .. it has totally changed, looks different, a scratch here, a scratch there, a different skin on the left side, the boxes are damaged .. the signs of wear are big. But I like it .. it gets character.
    I’m not the person who is clinged emotionally on material things. But the bike has become a part of me, I do not want to sell it. It will probably be cheaper to buy a new one than to repair it, when I am back home. But it’s the thing that sticks permanently under my ass and takes me to all the adventures, the experiences and to the people.

    Did I change too? Externally for sure, I am getting older too. But did I also change inside? I can – yet – not tell. The character of a person is formed at a young age. The older you get the more you are strengthened in your opinions and values. I’ll probably can tell when I’m back home.

    23.04. – 24.04.

    I have spent my last Chilean Pesos and therefore go back to Argentina. Due to the inflation, Argentina is cheaper again to live. I get 11 pesos for 1 USD at the gray market. When I first came here, about two months ago, it was 8 pesos.
    Now, here I sit in Mendoza, waiting that the rain stops and that I can continue my plan heading north.

    Thank you for reading, Jürgen.

  • Bolivia

    Bolivia

    Album

    06.02.

    A new country on my trip. We crossed the border at Villazón. At the border, crowds of people are spilled out of a lot of big buses. Long lines are at the counters. People who are traveling with their own vehicle have their own counter, so it does not take too long.

    We are on the road for a long time and it is already late afternoon. In Villazón we are trying to get money at an ATM, which does not really work. So we decided to drive on to Tupiza and try it there. A few miles beyond the town, we had to stop at a toll booth. USD is not accepted. So back to the village. No Bolivian money in your pocket, we may have to go back to Argentina. Finally we were able to get Bolivian Bolivar on an ATM and it also spits out USD.

    07.02.

    In Tupiza we meet Steve (Stephen) again in the hotel. This time not from the States but from Canada. He is traveling for a few months in South America. Well, we do not have to remember many different names.
    From Steve, we learn that the route from Tupiza to Uyuni is not very good. The last few days it rained a lot. Steve was told by someone who had taken the route by bus, that they were traveling 14 hours instead of 6 hours and that the people had to push the bus from time to time. Because of my problem with the radiator we stay on safe roads from now on and decide to go to Potosi with Steve and then to take the paved road to Uyuni from there.

    The route to Potosi is quite well developed and we had a good ride. We are traveling at about 3,500 m above sea level. It is surprisingly warm and the weather is with us. Only on the mountains there are often big black clouds. About 40km before Potosi I see on my GPS device that we are going right into one of the black spots. I was just hoping that we would arrive dry. 25km before Potosi, we are suddenly in the cold rainy weather. Within a few seconds there is a temperature drop from about 25 degrees C, to about 5C. It hails, the fingers are freezing, the visor fogs up. I am counting down every single kilometer.
    It is a strange spectacle to drive into the city .. dark and depressing. Only a few kilometers before Potosí is the Cerro Rico. They predominantly mine silver there. The big heavy loaded trucks of the mining companies mess up the road and drive slowly on the winding road down the mountain. Through a maze of streets we enter the city center, they are clogged with cars and people, everything that has legs seems to be on the road.

    In the evening we go out for dinner. On the main square, the kids are throwing water balloons. We were told this has to do with the carnival and seems to be a tradition. The groups of children do attacks and counter-attacks. A woman is making a good business in selling the balloons out of a barrel to the children.

    08.02.

    In the morning Andi and I are walking through the streets. We got into a huge market, which stretches over several city blocks, north – south, east – west. You can find everything. Over a distance of several hundred meters people sell their fruits, vegetables, meat, … . There is food in abundance. In between there are always stalls where they cook meals. We have lunch .. chicken, beans something, pasta, tomato salad.
    We did not dare to try tongue .. of whatever animal it was.

    Potosi has a long history of silver mining. The Casa Real de la Moneda, the Coin Museum, is one of the most interesting museums I have visited. There you can learn much about the history of coinage in America. From embossing coins with hammer and seal on to electrically operated machines. There are various devices that have been used for the production of coins. In the museum are three huge wooden machines, made in France, for the printing of silver that were driven by donkeys or slaves (but that was not told).
    In South America, the Spaniards have produced the same coins in different countries. To distinguish them they engraved the year and a sign of the place the coins were produced. In the case of Potosi, it was the letters PTSi, placed over each other on the coin.
    We were told by the tour guide that the $, Dollar or Peso sign, is the result of the letters S and i.

    09.02.

    Mike from the states joined us the evening before. He is almost 30 years old and spent a couple of years in the Army, including a year in Afghanistan. Steve, Mike, Andy and I continue together to Uyuni.
    You approach Uyuni from a mountain. The valley is endless. In the great plain, the city Uyuni looks really tiny. Clouds empty themselves in huge curtains of water in the vast plain. From time to time flashes are striking down to the ground. And again, I’m standing there and I can not get enough from the spectacle that is offered by nature.

    In Uyuni, our group is getting larger again. In front of our hotel, we meet Taylor from Seattle, who is traveling with his 650 GS. He has been traveling for about 5 months now and just has about three weeks left.

    10.02.

    A ride on the salt lake with the motorcycles is not possible – it would be possible, but we decided not to do it – because it is rainy season and the lake is covered with water at the moment, usually it is only a few centimeters deep. We rented a Jeep in the morning at a tour organization and went out to the lake. It is a special kind of experience. Further out on the lake, sky and lake seem to merge. The reflections give the impression as if you were floating in the air.
    From Wikipedia we know that there is a lake under the salt crust, but we were not aware that the salt crust is barely thicker than 10 cm. We are far from the shore, when we notice a hole and then the thickness of the salt crust. And after we have seen the first hole, we recognize all the other countless smaller and larger holes. Our driver told us that every now and then a vehicle collapses, but it has not happened to him yet.

    Steve leaves us and moves on further north in Bolivia. Taylor, Mike, Andi and I go to Chile on the Ruta 5. Our destination is the border town. The road is very rough. Somewhere I lost my side panel that I fixed, apparently not good enough on my bag. I did not install it, because I constantly have to fill water in my cooler. I go back and find it. I must have dragged the side panel probably a while after me. It is no longer usable and I left it where it was. Last but not least the BMW emblem on the other side panel falls off too..
    I had no problems with my bike until I came to Patagonia. It is truly a rough area. It seems my bike is falling apart.
    Just before the border to Chile, Taylor was crashing hard on a sandy spot. I did not notice it, because I had the leadership and Taylor was third. I was a bit ahead and thought at first that they had stopped to take pictures of the beautiful landscape. When I saw them running around wild, I became aware that something was wrong. Taylor was really lucky, he did not get hurt. But the left side of his motorcycle was badly damaged. His pannier was completely torn. The instrument panel, indicator, windshield, mirrors … all damaged. But the motorcycle is running. What a luck.

    We stay in the border city in Chile. It is like an outpost, an old western town. At some point trains stopped here, but the train station looks like a graveyard. The buildings look very run down. Surprisingly, inside they are very nice. We have only Bolivian money. Late in the evening and far from the nearest ATM, the lady in the hostel knows how to make a business.

    11.02. / 12.02.

    Border – Antofagasta – Caldera – La Serena
    Again many many kilometers through the Atacama. In a way I like it and at the same time „hate“ it, this desert.

    13.02. – 15.02.A stopover in La Serena. The weekend is approaching, concerning my radiator, we cannot do very much. We decided to stay until Sunday and to drive the last few kilometers to Santiago. My radiator is leaking very much now. Every day I have to fill in more and more water, it is almost 1/2 liter now.
    After a boozy evening with Mike and Taylor, Andi and I sat together in the hostel for a long time with other guests.
    I said it before, sometimes there are hostels where you feel extremely comfortable. This one here is a residential house with a large garden. I think they have a maximum capacity of 20 beds. A few beds in the house, the rest in bungalows. There are large palm trees in the garden, friendly owners .. a place to hang around for a while. It is as if you are „at home” .

    Thank you for reading, Jürgen.

  • I fell in love

    I fell in love

    whatever day – 06.02.

    I fell in love .. with a country, with the people, with the women. Of all the countries that I went through, I most liked Argentina. The warmth of the people, the scenery, the pretty girls with her dark eyes. I love dark eyes. And here they are as deep as an ocean .. I could spend hours getting lost in them.

    A small update in between.

    After six months on the road, the break of one week in Salta felt good. But now we feel like moving on again. We made a day trip to “Gigante del Diablo”, a canyon that was washed out by water. My radiator loses at least 1/4 liter of water at 250km, but the engine is not running hot.

    Thanks to Guenther and Marco, they could organize a new radiator in Santiago de Chile.

    I met Guenther many many weeks ago in Valdivia. Actually, we just walked past each other. Guenther and his friend, from Austria, arrived late in the evening at the hostel and I was going to bed early, because I moved on the next day. We just said „Hello“ in the hallway.

    The next day, Günther wrote me an e-mail, saying that he was sorry that we could not chat. They are also motorcyclists.
    Günther had motorcycles many years ago in Colombia, where he spent a lot of time driving around until the guerrillas thought that they needed his motorcycles.

    He then “moved” to Panama, where he has two motorbikes. In the European winter months, he often spends time in South and Central America.
    The brief encounter should prove to be extremely helpful now. Günther has a good friend, named Marco, in Santiago de Chile, a mechanic I guess. The network Günther, Marco and beyond works better than the BMW network. Because both BMW in Chile and in Bolivia, I did not get an answer.
    Guenther’s friend Marco can organize a new radiator within a short time. I hope it will work out fine.

    Meanwhile Andi and I go to Bolivia for a couple of days. We left Salta .. a very nice city, we left the nice hostel and the cross eyed crazy cat. We left the very nice man, who owned the parking lot, where we put our motorcycles. We thought he just cashes in the fees for parking. But in a talk with the hostel people, it turned out that he owned the parking lot and  the building in the front, where he rented shops and offices. Businessman as it’s best, just minutes before we left, he wanted to sell us honey from the area. Andi took one.

    After a long day riding we arrived in Tupiza in Bolivia, about 100km after the border. A new country on my journey. Let’s see how it is.

    Thank you for reading, Jürgen

  • interruption

    interruption

    Album

    24.01. – 02.02.

    Unfortunately, our attempts to seal the damaged radiator had no success. The water always finds a way and dribbles. This solution is not an option for my journey. My radiator must be replaced.

    In the BMW workshop in Salta, they told me it takes 4 to 5 weeks. There is no radiator in stock in the country. The shipping would be the smallest problem. With parcel service, a new radiator would be here in a few days. The problem is customs. The things are in customs for weeks until they are reviewed and forwarded.

    This is obviously bad news. Waiting 4 to 5 weeks? My/our journey gets completely messed up and means a complete change of the route. How it will look like, I do not know yet.

    I try my luck at a BMW dealer in Chile and Bolivia and write e-mails. Perhaps a fitting part is in stock in Chile or Bolivia and it is possible to repair my bike faster. I will have an answer tomorrow Monday. With enough coolant liquid in the luggage I can do it either to Chile or Bolivia.

    So we’re stuck until Wednesday in Salta. That’s not a big problem, as Salta is a very nice city with a lot of nice places and a lot of things to do.
    For me, the long stay would be less of a problem. I’m still a few months on the road, could remain in one place and plunge deeper into the life here.
    I have already crossed almost all the countries I wanted to cross in Central and South America. So I don’t really mind changing the route. To get back on track I could circumnavigate a few countries in Central America. But let’s see. For Andi, waiting 4 to 5 weeks is not an option. He has to go back at the end of March.
    The positive news is, the rest is doing Andis’ foot very well. It is getting better day by day.

    The days are quiet here. I spend them going to the BMW dealer and sightseeing .. finally I can visit museums again. In the “Museum for high altitudes” a very well-preserved mummy of a child is displayed. It is one of three children, which were found in 1999 on the highest peak here, about 6.700m, in a tomb. It is in court now. Descendants of the Incas want the children to be returned.

    So there is not too much to report, except a special encounter.

    Street dogs I saw a lot on my ride. Often they were wild mixtures and they had different characters. Most of them are peaceful and hungry for affection. Some seemed tired of life and stood with empty eyes at the roadside. They chase cars and bikes and bite into tires, sometimes lose a leg or are smashed on the road.
    Here in Salta we should meet a special one.
    We were sitting outside on the street in a restaurant on the central square “Plaza 9 de Julio”. A short time later, one of these dogs joined us and laid down next to our table. We were joking: Why did the dog join tourists? Did it recognize it? It seemed like.

    Salta is quite touristy, especially on the central square “Plaza 9 de Julio“. In the evening shoeshine boys and poor street vendors were running around, trying to make business, selling their little things, such as jewelry, figurines and sweets. Among them, there are a lot of young children too, not older than 5 to 10 years.

    When one of the shoeshine boys approached our table with his stool and shoe polish, “our” street dog was growling very aggressively and barking at him. We wondered. Maybe the shoeshine boys treated him badly and he therefore did not like them? But it was not just the shoeshine boys, he barked very aggressively and once almost bit one. He acted very aggressively against the whole subclass and only against them. Whether they wanted to sell jewelry or sweets or if they wanted to put a note on the table – “I’m deaf and dumb …”, regardless of age. No aggression against waiters, other customers in the restaurant or other people passing by.

    After a while I felt really uncomfortable, because we had drawn attention to us and it made the impression that it is our dog, keeping these people away trying to earn a bit of money.
    When we were finished eating and the table was empty, he began to stray to other tables. It was the tables of noticeable foreign guests. He did not go to the tables of what seemed to be local people.
    A strange encounter.

    So I will see if I am lucky with my bike or if I have to stay here for a while.

    Thank you for reading, Jürgen.

  • Ruta 3, road to perdition

    Ruta 3, road to perdition

    Album

    19.01. – 23.01.

    On the curvy Ruta 7 we ignore the solid lines, overtaking long lines of cars, stuck behind trucks. We wanted to take a different route, but it was closed because of an event. So we had to go all the way through Mendoza again. So we were fed up going slowly behind a column of cars. On a road like this, it seems pretty clear that the police are waiting somewhere. I wondered why everyone was driving slowly behind the trucks. All of a sudden I realized why. A female and a male officer were waving at us to stop.
    For me it’s not the first time. I have only one copy of my driving license left, but that one does not look very good, so I gave them the original one.
    Here in Argentina they keep the driving license as well. The police officer showed us on a ticket that it will cost something from 200 to 400 USD per person. Ridiculous. The “usual” discussion in very broken Spanish: It’s Sunday, we have to continue, where can we get our driver’s license back, blah blah blah.
    After a short time it was clear that the police officer was not interested in issuing a ticket. For 100 USD – 50 per person – we could continue.
    Andi has contact with a local person via his blog/forum. From him we learned later that 100 USD was pretty cheap. Looks like the penalties are really that high here.

    The next few days we drive on the Ruta 40 and often smaller roads north. We stay in Barreal, San Jose de Jachal, Villa Union, San Augustin de Valle Fertil.

    I was thinking that I can not get impressed very easy anymore, that I have seen „everything“ after more than 6 months on the road. I was wrong.
    Nature surprises me again, that I sometimes get goose bumps. We are moving forward at an altitude between 1,000 and 2,000 meters on a vast plain close to the Andes. Left of us the mountains stand out dark, growing high with their snow-capped peaks. On the right we are accompanied by lower mountain ranges. The landscape shimmers in all colors, red, brown, light gray, green. Some parts are called “the painted desert”.

    Shortly before Barreal we visited an observatory. The view reaches far into the vast country. Rarely have I experienced such a silence like here. Sometimes it is the soft wind that gives a gentle sound. Every now and then the buzzing of a fly disturbs the silence. I dare only to whisper, because I fear disturbing the peace and quietness.

    When we arrive in the villages in the early afternoon, it seems like we are entering ghost towns. The temperatures are close or above 40 degrees C. All the shops are closed.

    In San Jose de Jachal we sit at around 8pm at a kiosk and have a beer. They told us in the hotel that the restaurants open at 9pm. The streets are still swept empty but life slowly comes back. We sit there and watch. All the shops and restaurants open again between 9 to 10pm. The restaurant put the tables and chairs on the street. From the ghost town it changed to an anthill.
    The restaurants are full and at midnight 2 to 3 year-old children drive around with their tricycles.

    In Villa Union, we are looking for accommodation. I stop and ask a woman where to go. Soon, the whole family is with us, giving us direction. The lady then takes her bike and takes us to a hostel. While I ask at the hostel for room and prices, Andi lets a boy sit on his bike, who passed by with his grandfather. We met the grandfather again when we ate at a restaurant at a gas station, where he worked as a waiter.

    We visit the Talampaya National Park, a canyon, which is shaped bizarre by wind and water and the Valle de Luna in Ischigualasto National Park. A desolate landscape. At 46 degrees C, we die a thousand deaths, when we follow a convoy at a speed of 15 to 20 km/h through the 40km round trip. In addition to the 5 sights in the park, Andi and I are the 6 one. If we would get 1$ per photo that was made of us, it would be a lot of money.

    24.01.

    Overnight it rained. From about 40 degrees C, it cooled down to 18-20 degrees C.
    As we see in the news this evening in Chilecito, a landslide, about 300 km west of us, has devastated a village and caused nine deaths and a couple of missing people.

    25.01.

    Ruta 3, “our personal Dakar” or “road to perdition”
    When we left Chilecito in the morning, we did not know what we had to expect today. Today should be so far the biggest challenge on my/our trip.
    The ride starts good, the weather is with us. Our goal was Fiambala in 200 km distance – a short, nice tour. Somewhere my GPS device says, we have to take another road. Unfortunately, it does not know the new road yet. It is a dirt road. The road is very sandy and often destroyed by rivers, which are dry at the moment, sometimes a bit muddy. Very slowly we move forward. We each fall more than once. Andi buries his motorcycle half in the sand, I pinch my leg under my motorcycle one time. It is a painful tour. After about 4 km there is a turnoff, but where my GPS device shows a track, there is none anymore, only a landscape destroyed by water. So we take the other track. After another 3 km we stop in the middle of a huge river bed, no track can be seen. We turn around. For the 14 km we needed about 1 1/2 hours. Exhausted, we are glad, that we are back on paved roads. A strenuous adventure in between.

    We arrive in Tinogasta around 2pm. For us it is too early to stop, 80 km to Belén, of which 60km is a dirt road. That can’t take longer than 2 hours. That`s what we thought.

    At the intersection to Ruta 3, a sign says “Cuesta de Zapata on Ruta 3 is not passable.“ We can understand that. Perhaps there is a village on the track that can not be reached. We ask locals if the road leads to Belén and if the track is OK. We were sent to perdition.

    In the beginning we had to cross two, three rivers, a few muddy parts, then a gravel road but the track was not too bad – still passable. Eventually it got a very curvy and rocky single track in the mountains. Here the trail was more of a challenge, but still passable. We hadabout 35km to 40km behind us and still about 25km in front of us, when we got into hell. Stones big as soccer balls were on the road, in some places the road was half washed away by water. The next 4 km should be an ordeal. Slowly we move ahead. We already crossed the point of no return. There is only one way – forward. With every turn, we hope that the worst is over. We’re falling, we are lifting the heavy bikes up again. We put stones away. Andi pinches his foot, which swells pretty much later.

    At two points we must lend a hand to get ahead. One time we had to excavate earth and to fill a small ditch, the other time we need to fill a ditch about 1 meter deep and 1 meter wide with stones. We are tired and exhausted. For five hours we were on the track .. alone for the last 4 km we needed nearly two hours.

    Just behind the ditch that we have filled with stones, it was necessary to steer to the right. Andi did the part. But when you are exhausted, mistakes happen, especially on a track that exceeds our capabilities. I was not able to turn right in time and hit a large stone with the left side of my motorcycle. Part of my water cooling system was damaged, the motor protector prevented worse.
    It is 7pm, I am close to not going any further, when we started to seal the cracks with super glue. This helped, that we can move on. Fortunately for us, the road got better from now on. A few difficult passages later, we came back to a civilized area, where the local people were driving with their cars – it can not be that bad now.
    Andi, the poor guy, has again a flat tire, this time in the front. We are still 23 km from our destination Belén. We worked into the darkness to change the tire, needed a headlamp and the light of my motorcycle.

    Towards Belén we had to stop one time, because my engine was running hot. At slow speed, we did it to Belén at 10pm.
    Completely done, but happy, that we have arrived.

    26.01.

    We are thinking about what to do. Our motivation is very low, Andis foot is extremely swollen. I urge him to go to the doctor. He does not want to. From the people at the hotel he gets an ointment. I get him ice.
    We notice that Andis rear tire is flat too. 7 Flat tires in a month. Andi is completely on the ground, thinking about stopping the journey and going home. I tell him to wait a day. He writes e-mails to transport his bike back. I too think of where and how I can take a break. Yesterday and yesterday’s track was too much .. too strenuous .. too much damage to man and machine .. it was not worth it.

    27.01.

    We feel better. Andis foot looks much better than yesterday. He got his tires fixed. I’m trying to get everything necessary for my motorcycle to move onward. A super glue to seal the cracks and cooling liquid. It is about 400km to San Miguel de Tucuman, there is a BMW mechanic.

    In the afternoon, an Argentine couple came to the hotel, we started chatting. They were from San Miguel de Tucumán and with the car on vacation. A tube of their cooling system broke in the middle of nowhere. They did not have water with them, but he was able to fix it. He is specialized in things like that and has a workshop in Tucumán, as far as I understood. Later that evening he brought some adhesive to seal the damaged area of my cooling system. We take pictures of us with him on our motorcycles.

    28.01. / 29.01.

    We chose to go to Salta. It is only a few miles more than San Miguel de Tucumán and many other travelers have told us that we should make a stop there.
    My cooling system does not make any problems, you can see only a few drops of water. After about 200km I want to refill at a gas station. It lacks almost no water, apparently the cracks are very well sealed with the adhesive.

    In Salta I pass by the BMW dealer. They say, it would be necessary to replace the whole radiator, but it would take 30 days to get the part. I don’t have 30 days. They have a look at the temporary solution and they say, it is OK. Looks like the temporary solution is the final solution .. for now.

    We stay until 2. February in Salta. Andis foot needs a rest, even I need a break. Salta looks nice, has about 450,000 inhabitants, old historical buildings, culture. How I’ve missed that. It feels good to be in a bigger city again, after so long a time in the pampa and so many problems on the way during the last two months.

    Thanks for reading, Jürgen.

  • Mendoza with Renate and Bart

    Mendoza with Renate and Bart

    Album

    15.01. – 18.01.

    In Mendoza we meet Renate and Bart from Holland again. For new readers: I met Renate and Bart in Guatemala close to the border of Honduras. We then traveled a week through Honduras and Nicaragua together and had various adventures.

    Our paths crossed again in Bogota for one evening. Now we should meet again in Mendoza for the third time. The two are heading south, Andi and I go north.

    When they read my last post about the encounters, they seemed a bit disappointed that I did not tell in detail about them – there was a purpose. Our days in Mendoza were meant to get an own article. 😉

    Bart is a firefighter and Renate has worked in a bank. They are enthusiastic motorcyclists and are riding on BMW F800 GS for about 8 to 9 months through North and South America. Renate’s motorcycle, as it should be for a girl, has a few pieces of equipment in pink. 😉
    Except for Andi, who travels with me now, I spent the most time with them on my trip. They are among the nicest people I’ve met on my journey.

    In Mendoza, we spent four nights together. Steaks are devoured – it must have been a whole cow, and beer and wine flowed down our throats.

    On one of the days in Mendoza we booked a full day wine tour. In a minibus with 10-12 other people we drive through the area and visit three vineyards, a factory that produces olive oil and a shop “de dulces”, which also manufactures various alcoholic drinks.
    We were told that there are about 1,000 vineyards around Mendoza in various sizes. We were visiting a big traditional winery, a young company and a family owned business, where everything is done by hand and without pesticides.
    The visit of the first winery, Bodega Lopez, was pretty impressive. They produce 50 million liters annually, we were told. Huge wooden barrels on the ground floor and in the basement a huge space with metal containers. The barrels are only partly in use, old and worn out and too expensive to continue to use them.
    The small company that produces olive oil was interesting too. We learned a trick, how you can see whether olive oil was produced naturally. As far as I understand, you have to put the olive oil in the fridge and after some time water components and oil should separate. Tell me if I’m wrong.

    You can see how the people are getting more and more tired during the heat of the day. At the third vineyard people are acting just like they are interested in what the guide is talking about.
    Malbec is the most famous wine around Mendoza. Malbec for breakfast, Malbec for lunch and Malbec for dinner. Malbec at any time. We are constantly reminded to drink as much wine as possible.

    The temperatures are between 38 to 40 degrees. Between 1pm and 2pm most shops close and then open again at 5 to 6 pm or later. On the last evening we celebrate Andis birthday too.

    On Sunday the 19th January Renate and Barts and our ways separate again. It was a warm farewell. Some meetings evolve into friendships. I count the two to my friends now and see them in the Netherlands again.

    Thank you for reading, Jürgen.

    Andis Video Don’t worry be happy

    P.S. And here comes the cliffhanger for the next article, where I write, how it came to our first bribe.

  • encounters

    encounters

    Album

    Meeting other people is an important part of this journey. So in this article I will write about the people we met during the last days.

    07.01. – 09.01.

    When we arrived in Bariloche we had significant difficulties finding accommodation. It is high season. After we asked ourselves through around 10 hostels, we found a pearl – Bariloche Inn. The view over the Lake Nahuel Huapi is stunning. And it was because of the weather, why we booked in for two nights. We can walk around in shorts! I can not remember when I wore shorts the last time.

    We were sitting on the terrace relaxing in the early afternoon on our second day in Bariloche, communicating with home over the internet. We get into a conversation with Eli from the States. He sits on the terrace reading a book from Stephen King. I try to tell his story as good as possible.

    Eli comes from a poor background. When he was 18, 19 years old, his best friend committed suicide. Too young to handle it, he buried himself into computer games, in particular in strategy games.

    Eli then got a job at Microsoft. There he was involved in the development of the game “Ages of Empire”. Ages of Empire is a so-called real-time strategy game in which the objective is to build an economy and to conquer other countries and nations. At Microsoft he mainly played. His task was to test the artificial intelligence of the game, so that the different opponents and nations with their different qualities are about equally strong. As he says, he was one of the best in the world. After about a year he was exhausted. It was not uncommon to work 80-100 hours a week.

    He also always played a little bit of poker. For five years Eli has been living from playing poker. When he talks about it, he calls it Work. He is not rich, but can get along from his job. At some point in his life he had rented a house with a business partner and they were running an illegal poker casino. Once they got robbed, so they installed security doors and hired sheriffs, who wanted to earn some money, as security guards.
    Someone squealed on them and the house was stormed by a SWAT team. Due to the security doors, it took a while until they got in. Eli said he had his arms folded behind his head, waiting and watching on a monitor how the forces needed a good 15 minutes to break the security doors. As a result, he spent three days in jail and is not allowed to vote in the states anymore.

    In the United States, professional poker players, who earn their money at online casinos don’t get a bank account at a local bank. I can not remember whether this is regulated by law, or if just the banks do not allow it. Many professional players have therefore left the country. Eli has lived somewhere in Asia for a year, at the moment he calls Mexico City as his principal residence. He is currently traveling in South America for a while before going back to work.

    When we met Eli, we started with beer early in the afternoon. We drink slowly into the evening and clear the fridge. Sometime later the evening hunger makes us walk to the city center, where we had a steak.

    Along the main street in Bariloche there is an indoor ice skating rink.
    For Eli it is the first time since his childhood that he is on skates again, but he is doing pretty well. I have not been on the ice for years, but I did Inline skating, so I am very secure on the skates. Andi played ice hockey for a long time, but had to stop due to a knee injury. He is the king on the ice, running forward, backward, jumping into the sky, … . A few people were waving him to the edge of the ice rink, asking him to give their children a little help. Half an hour on the ice can be pretty exhausting. Back at the hostel we know that we can’t leave tomorrow. It is about 3 in the morning, at home people already started working.
    Today was a good day.

    The next day, we woke up late, had breakfast, went back to bed for a couple more hours and then fell from one corner to the other on the couch. Andi cut his videos, I dedicated myself to the “Readheaded League” and other stories.

    10.01.

    For a long time we ride along on a beautiful stretch of the Rio Negro.
    I’m sure the story gets pretty boring now. 40km from Neuquen Andi stopped again with a flat tire. We are so close to our destination. The tire dealers in Neuquen already waited to do business with us.
    Andi tried to make it to a nearby village called Senillosa. But only 1 1/2 km before the village the tire was completely destroyed and is only partly on the rim.
    I go from A to Z in the village until I finally find someone who has a trailer. We brought the bike to the only hotel in this village. At least Andi does not need to sleep in a tent.

    I buckle Andis tire, including the wheel on my bike and continue to Neuquen. All hostels I ask through are full. In one of the hostels I can camp in the garden. It is the first time on my trip that I have used the tent. The first time on my trip, that I unpack the tent at all. I’m curious what state it is, after it has been exposed to different weather conditions – rain, snow, dust, cold , heat, … . It looks good. Even in my sleeping bag, I also unpack it the first time, there have settled no mice or other animals.

    I drop off my motorbike at the BMW dealer in the evening. I am convinced that my bike is female now, it wants new shoes again. 😉 Nevertheless, I have 27,631km done with my front tire, that was a good deal. The sealing for the left front shock absorber is replaced as well.
    Andis tire got installed now by a professional – I hope that we don’t have any further problems.

    11.01.

    Around 1:30pm I am back at Andi. Meanwhile Andi has been offered help from Maximilian. Maximilian and his wife Alba live a few meters from the hotel. We got invited for a BBQ by them, Argentinian style on charcoal. Like in Valdivia, again a lot of meat.
    Maximilian is a policeman. He has two motorcycles and appreciates the quiet work here in the village and the surrounding area.

    Andi and I leave in the late afternoon. We go further north and stop at “25 de Mayo”, a small town situated along the road.

    Opposite the hotel there is a small grocery store, where we buy a few things. We then have a little chat with the shop owner in front of the shop. While we were talking, a policeman stopped and asked for the police station. The shop owner told him where to go. Then he asked, if we write a travel diary. Me: “Yes.” He: „I am sure that police in Austria does not ask where the police station is? But it happens here in ’25 de Mayo’. You can write that in your diary.”

    12.01. – 14.01.

    The district through which we travel was named after the landscape „La Pampa“.
    Somewhere on the road we stop. Again there is a Honda African Twin with a flat tire on the roadside. It is Andreas, from Cordoba. The tire is already from the bike. Andreas tells us that it is the fourth time that he is fixing his tire. Cordoba is a maximum of 1,000 km away. Andreas from Argentina does not have a tube that fits. Andi from Austria, gives him his patched tube. We helped him to install the tire and hope for him that the tube will be ok the next 300km to Neuquen.

    Do people with the name Andreas, traveling with an African Twin through South America, in general have problems with Air in the tire? Or does a ride over 400km, mostly straight, through pampa, in the glistening sun, lead to confused thoughts?

    Approximately 60km before San Rafael, believe it or not, we had to stop again. I’m not sure anymore if Andi has a vehicle for driving or for standing on the roadside. The fuel pump has failed. Since Andis motorcycle has a carburetor, he can bypass the problem. As long as the fuel in the tank is higher than the carburetor, gravity does it’s work and provides the engine with gasoline.

    We get a funny mail from Steve, like: “… If this continues that way, Jürgen will soon regret having invited you on his journey … I’ve been thinking of traveling with you for a while, but if I see your problems, I am happy to travel alone … I’m sure I’ll catch you again soon, but do not be surprised if I just drive past you, without stopping … “

    The center of San Rafael can be done in a short time. The city does not encourage to linger for several days, but it is clean here and green. High deciduous trees in the wide streets provide extra shade. The streets are laid out in grid form, but before noon it is always possible to stay in the shadows.
    Between 1pm and 5pm a lot of shops close. Siesta. Outside it is really warm now. We adapt to the local behavior.

    On the last day in San Rafael, Andi and I went on a day trip to the Canon Atuel. I will not write again about how nice the track was, but let the pictures speak for themselves, but I have to mention the bath in the river somewhere on the track.

    In the evening we passed by at a mechanic, who replaced Andis fuel pump the day before. My rack for the boxes got welded, which was broken and my motor oil got changed – with the help of the dachshund of the house.

    In the hostel Andi and I were the only foreigners among all the Argentines. I experienced one of the nicest evenings on my trip. I was “forced” to talk in Spanish, they taught me “Truco”, a fun card game and I was drinking Mate, a typical South American beverage. Many thanks to all the people in the hostel for an unforgettable evening.

    Muchas gracias a todos en la hostal, por una noche inolvidable.

    We got an e-mail from Andreas from Cordoba, that he could do it to Neuqen with our patched tube.

    Meanwhile, we are in Mendoza, where we met again with Renate and Bart – loyal readers know who they are. But I will write about that more in the next article.

    Thank you for reading, Jürgen

  • good bye Chile

    good bye Chile

    Album

    30.12. – 01.01.

    On the last day of the year we make a trip to the Perito Moreno Glacier.
    A very impressive sight. The glacier is about 100 meters high from the bottom of the lake to the top. Above sea level it has a height between 55 and 77m. The entire width of the glacier wall is about 5km. The glacier is moving forward around 750 meters a year. The ice gleams white and blue in the sunlight. Near the bottom the ice must be incredibly dense. It has partially a unique blue color, as it would be a gem. You often hear loud cracks. Again and again large pieces break off the wall and fall into the water. When people hear it cracking they jump around with their cameras, but mostly too late.

    At the glacier we meet Hitch and Lee again, two New Zealanders, we already met in Punta Arenas. With them and a few Argentines, we had a great New Years Eve. New Year’s Day we mostly hung out on the couch in the hostel.

    02.01. – 05.01.

    On 2nd January, we made a giant leap north, from El Calafate to Perito Moreno. Again, we go through strong wind, rain and sometimes through light snow. As on my way south, Perito Moreno is only a stop-over. Our goal is the Carretera Austral. We want to go a bit north there.

    In Chile Chico we cross the border. The world is small, or, down here you run into the same people from time to time. At the border we met two Germans, Rosi and Alfred again, who stayed in the same hostel in Ushuaia as we. We decided to travel together.

    Andi and I are a bit ahead. After not too many kilometers Andis rear tube broke again. We had already dismantled the rear tire when Rosi and Alf arrived.
    Each time you learn something new. Alfred shows us how to get the tire of the rim within seconds with the side stand of the motorcycle. We get faster and faster each time we change a tire. A few more times and we can compete with Formula 1.

    We are driving amazed with an open mouth through beautiful landscape and spend the night in Puerto Rio Tranquillo. Puerto Rio Tranquillo is a small village, a few houses, a couple of hostels and a gas station. The big attraction here are the Marble Caves, a cave formation that is somewhat bizarrely shaped by wind and weather and is shimmering in the turquoise waters of Lago Buenos Aires, accessible only by boat.

    Before we move on the next day, we make a trip to the Marble Caves. It’s a real hell of a ride on the rough sea. You would not believe how high the wind whips up the waves. They are 1 to 1 1/2 meters high. We are 8 people in a small boat, which hits hard on the high waves. The cold water is splashing into the boat. We were happy when we were back on land again.

    On two wheels, we feel much more secure and we continue to Coyhaique, the largest city here on the Carretera Austral. The ride is a bit exhausting, sometimes loose gravel, lots of curves and lots of potholes. Nevertheless, nature was again overwhelming.

    In Coyhaique we take a day off riding.

    06.01.

    We separate again. Rosi and Alf decide to move on to the North by ferry. Andi and I are going overland. It was three very nice days with them. Have a good trip you two. Maybe we’ll meet again … at least at our next breakdown.

    The ride on the Ruta 7 is really fun. We are doing well on the road and drive around 450km through to Futaleufu, just before the border with Argentina. For the first 170km after Coyhaique the Ruta 7 is paved. Then it is mostly a one and a half lane track through the forest. Sometimes it’s raining lightly. Every now and then there is looser gravel. While the rain is not very pleasant, it binds the dust. It is a joy to ride on this route.

    Finding accommodation is very difficult at the moment, because it is high season. The first hostel in Futaleufu is full. A few meters further I see “Hostal” written in chalk on a blackboard at a restaurant. I ask for accommodation. We have in total 46k CLP left for the last night in Chile. From tomorrow on we are in Argentina. We pay 26k for the night, an excellent breakfast included, in a cabana with a large hall and a large bedroom … luxurious. In a supermarket I buy for 4k some water, biscuits and a couple of beers. The hostel / restaurant / gift shop „Sur Andes“ is run by a very nice young couple. She takes care of the organization, He is in the kitchen and they have a kitchen aid as well.

    We decided to have dinner in the restaurant. I tell them: „It is our last day in Chile, we have 16k CLP left. We will take two beers and for the rest of the money please cook us something.” The chef brings two large, well-tasting plates of pasta.
    Next morning, when we left, we got hugs and „Buen Viaje“, when saying good bye.

    I have experienced so much warmth from totally strange people here. I hope that I will take it home and keep a lot of that.

    Further north, in Rosario, the Rally Dakar has started. Due to the late arrival of Andis motorcycle, we unfortunately can not be there. But we try to drive one or two of the tracks when we are up there.

    Thank you for reading, Jürgen.

    See also Andis Video Highway to Hell

  • we did not get very far

    we did not get very far

    Photos Album
    Andis Video of the first days

    22.12.

    Day trip to Fort Bulnes, about 60km south-east of Punta Arenas. One of the first settlements in this inhospitable area to watch the Magellan Strait. After about 6 years, they moved a bit further north and founded Punta Arenas, because they could not bear the weather and other natural conditions down there.
    We met two guys and a girl in the hostel, who went a bit further south from Fort Bulnes, hiking four days to Cabo Froward. Cabo Froward is the southernmost point of the mainland. The told that they had to cross many rivers and streams. For them it seemed like the world is crying out all the water that runs through the continent.

    23.12.

    We run from A to Z and try to figure out where we need to go to get Andis motorcycle from the customs.
    In the early afternoon we saw on the Internet that the ship arrived in Punta Arenas. We drive to the cargo port and ask how long it will take to unload and whether it is possible to get the the motorcycle on 24. Dec in the morning. We get the answer that they don’t know. They do not lift the containers from the ship, if there is strong wind. You see, who controls when people work here.
    Thinking of it, I’m sure that the word “wind” occurs most often in my blog. Sometimes the wind shakes so strong on the parked bike, that the alarm goes off.

    In the evening we meet Steve and Judy for dinner. They are also waiting for an indefinite time in Punta Arenas for their spare parts.

    24.12.

    While I bring my bike to the mechanic, Andi is walking to the port and started one last attempt to get his motorcycle .

    I’m lucky. My sealing on the shock absorber is not broken. It was just really dirty and not tight and caused the oil spill.

    Andi had no luck. The container was unloaded, but the customs don’t open it today and tomorrow. At least he gets a date – 26.12.
    It makes no sense for him to go to Puerto Natales. We decided to separate. Andi remains in Punta Arenas, and I go to Puerto Natales.

    While I’m driving north with numb fingers and chattering teeth in the early afternoon, I think of you at home, sitting in a warm living room – perhaps in front of a fireplace – unwrapping your presents.

    In the hostel I spent a very nice evening with a few people, chatting until late into the night.

    25.12.
    Rainy weather. I spend the time with the stories from Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.

    26.12.
    Waiting for my buddy. Again, I’m just hanging out on the couch. In the afternoon I finally get a message that Andi and his bike are united and that he is on the way to Puerto Natales. The whole procedure took a little longer than expected.

    27.12 .
    “On the road again”, that was the original title of this article. The next two days were a big challenge again. In the morning we were happy that we finally could start our journey with two motorcycles, almost two weeks after Andis arrival. We did not get very far, just 200km. We drive towards the National Park Torres del Paine via the Ruta 9. A wonderful ride through nice landscape. We stopped a couple of times to take pictures. As we were able to see the cloud-covered three teeth from the distance, we did not pay the expensive fee to get into the park. From the village Torres Tel Paine we cross to Argentina with our destination El Calafate. There we want to stay 2 nights to make a day trip to the Perito Moreno Glacier.

    Shortly after the border, Andi stops. Something is wrong. I notice that his rear tire has no air. Andi has not driven 500km and already has a flat tire. Shit. It would be much easier to change the front tire. El Calafate is still 200km away. Andi has a spare tube and we disassemble the rear tire. When it was taken off, a motorcycle approaches. It’s Steve from America, with whom we were together on the ferry from Porvenir to Punta Arenas.
    We are not equipped with tire levers. Steve is. He offers us his help. He says that he has already changed many tires and tells us how it is the best to do it.

    Andis rear tire should have been completely new. We saw that the tube was too big for the tire and that it was messed inside. The tube was not new, but already patched twice. Also, the tire was mounted on the rim opposite to the running direction. His dealer in Austria fucked it up. We decided to take the whole tire of the rim and to correct the running direction as well. Taken from the rim we then see that the tire is damaged inside as well, rubber pieces fall out. Steve says that the new tube will be broken very quickly. We decided to install the replacement tube and try to drive as far as possible.

    After about 2 1/2 hours of painstaking work, we are ready to continue. Steve was right. Andi could do it only a few kilometers, before the rear tire went flat again. On my GPS, I see that there is a petrol station in about 30km along the road. Andi slowly moves on with his flat tire. Steve stays with us. His fuel is scarce. We reach the gas station Tapi Aike. It’s just an outpost. Two pumps, but they don’t sell petrol, only in emergency situations, a mini store where you can buy the most necessary things, a police station with additional buildings and a garage. In an open hall there are parked a few construction vehicles. There are only 4 people there. The attendant of the petrol station, who is not always there. 2 police officers and a construction worker, who is there temporarily, because he has some work to do on one of the ranches. There was no telephone, no mobile network and also via radio it was not possible to call El Calafate. Where are we?

    We make a plan and decided that Andi will camp in Tapi Aike, I go back 110km to Puerto Natales, tomorrow I will go 250 km to Punta Arenas to buy a tire and a tube. If I start at 7am, I will be in Punta Arenas in about 3 1/2 hours. I need about 2 to 2 1/2 hours to find a tire and tube and I am back at Andi around 4pm. He prepares everything, that we can immediately begin the work. We manage to mount the tire in around two hours and then reach El Calafate, which is still about 160km away, around 8pm. For me it will be a damn hard ride. 750km in one day, but it can be done. So our plan.

    I leave the two. Andi gives Steve about 2 liters of petrol, that he can make it to the next gas station. A police officer shows Andi, a place where he can pitch a tent. The night is icy and Andi has no sleeping bag. The next day, Andi wakes up next to a cat and a dog who have also sought refuge in his tent.
    Due to the many changes between Chile and Argentina, I am a bit confused in which country I’m right now and to which I want to go. The border officials wanted to know why I want to go back to Chile on the same day.

    At 9pm I reach Puerto Natales, I found a hostel and tried to find out via internet, where you can buy tires in Punta Arenas. The other Steve, with Judy, tells me some places. As mentioned, the two are still in Punta Arenas waiting for the parts for their Harley.

    28.12.
    Our plan from yesterday was well thought out. BUT … we have forgotten an important factor … weather! In the morning it is raining. When it is cold, it’s not so fine, but what I should do, I have to go. I start shortly after 7am. The gloves are wet after a few kilometers. I stop several times to warm my hands on the exhaust. I put on socks over my gloves, which does not help very much. For a short term it is snowing a little bit too. Approximately 50 km before Punta Arenas the weather is getting better. Due to the bad weather and the breaks, it is past 11am when I arrive in Punta Arenas.

    First I go to the BMW mechanic, who has repaired my shock absorbers a few days ago. It was closed. Then I go to a Honda dealer we have discovered during a walk. They do not have a suitable tire. I go to the duty free zone. There, I finally get a tire, that fits, at the third and last shop. They have no tubes. The dealer phoned around and tells me an address, where I could buy a tube. There I must draw a number. I have number 48, currently they are serving number 28. It is 12:10. On Saturdays the shops close at 12:30. I’m afraid that I will not be served and get ready to beg for help if it is necessary. When I got the tube, it was almost 12:45. I have no chance to buy tire levers.
    It was very warm and sunny in Punta Arenas. I just hoped that the weather got better in the north too, at least that it stopped raining. It will be much worse.

    As I approach the clouds, it gets icy cold. First, the raindrops freeze on my visor. Then it starts to snow. Large white wet snow flakes hit my helmet. After a few seconds my view is taken. Constantly I wipe with my left hand the snow from my visor. Sometimes I put my hand between my legs to warm it up a little bit. My right hand on the gas lever is exposed to the cold weather all the time. The landscape slowly turns white. Well, that’s what summer in Patagonia looks like? For about 100km I drive through a violent snowstorm. I do not think, I do not feel, I just cling on to my bike.

    In Puerto Natales I fill up and still trembling drink a hot mug of coffee. The coffee disappears without an effect in my cold throat. At the passport control to Argentina, a puddle forms around me, because water drips from the sleeves and pants.
    Shortly after 6pm I finally arrive at Tapi Aike. No time to chat, lets finish as fast as possible! Andi starts mounting the tire. I sit down briefly to the oven to warm up a little bit, then I help Andi. Sometimes we also get support from the construction worker. He got a fresh lamb and asks us if we want to join for dinner. I decline with thanks and say that we want to leave as soon as possible. After 2 hours, the tire is finally finished. When we wanted to pump it up, the air did not remain in the tire. Without the right tools, we may have punctured the tube when we put the tire on the rim.

    Desperation is coming up. Andi says, I should continue without him, that he is just a stone tied to my leg, he will get out of here somehow. Nobody will be left behind.
    After today’s ride, I do not want to and I can not stay out here.
    We take a new decision. Andi stays another night here. This time he was allowed to sleep indoors. I am going to El Calafate, organize a hostel there, look for a solution the other day and come back. Andis plan was to mount the flat tire and to drive the 160km to El Calafate. A crazy idea.

    At 10pm I arrive at the hostel, then I walk around looking for a place to change money at the “black market”. That means, asking  in small grocery stores or souvenir shops. The official rate is 6 pesos for 1USD. On the “black market” you get 8 to 9 pesos for 1USD.
    After that I buy something to eat. A sandwich, a 200ml bottle of whiskey and water. The seller speaks English and says: A strange combination. I went to bed soon, completely exhausted.

    29.12.
    I am far away from being rested. At 10 clock I drive off to Andi. My idea: Bringing Andi, his tire and rim to El Calafate. Having the tire repaired tomorrow – today is Sunday – and bring him back to the outpost to get the bike.
    When I arrived at Tapi Aike, I could not believe my eyes. Andi is ready to go – with his motorcycle, with the new tire and a patched tube. The bastard really managed to fix everything alone, to fix the tube and to put the tire on the rim. He worked until 11pm and finished in time before they turned off the power generator and everything got dark out there.
    After the two days he is exhausted too. On our way to El Calafate he simply falls over two times, including motorcycle when we stop for short breaks.
    10 km to El Calafate he runs out of gas. It is a drama.
    When we finally reach the hostel in the early afternoon, he takes only a shower and falls asleep within seconds.

    We stay until 2 January 2014 in El Calafate. We need a break .

    When we go out for dinner in the evening, we meet Steve again. Steve is 55 years old and has worked as a teacher in Africa for many years. He is 18 months on the road, in Africa, Asia and now in South America. The joy of reunion is great. We sit together in the evening in our hostel with two bottles of wine and tell stories.

    Thank you for reading and a Happy New Year, Juergen.

    Visit also Andis Article to read his version