Bahia Inglesa to Mejillones 7:29 AM

The tour from Santiago to Cusco is on it's 3rd day now. The first few days we have been covering a lot of distance to get away from Santiago. Today will be the longest day 600km. Yesterday we arrived to Bahia Inglesa and entered the beginning of the Atacama desert, the driest desert in the world.

Last night we stayed in a small oceanside town called Bahia Inglesa and stayed at a lovely hotel with an amazing view of the sunset.

A few mobile shots 12:50 AM

Enetering the Atacama Desert.

On the way to La Serena 1:43 PM

Quick stop for lunch at a Copec gas station.

Hello From Santiago 11:36 PM

Hello from the Capital of Chile. Tomorrow we continue the journey to Cusco.

Dinner in 'Hey Chalten' 10:56 PM

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Drinks in Santiago 9:07 PM

Quick drinks in Santiago. Having dinner shortly with the new group!

"One cruciate ligament please!" 9:10 AM

This is what Steve would say at a ligament store after Wednesday's

event.

No big accident, just a torn knee ligament which unfortunately

ended Steve's riding, three days short of the end of the trip.

This is him making a booboo face at the ER in Bariloche.

Pucón, Chile 8:13 AM

Last night we made to Pucón, after a long 12 hour day. We went through the beautiful twisties of Seven Lake drive, and crossed the border into Chile. Goodbye Argentina for now. Tomorrow we arrive to Santiago.

View Ushuaia - Santiago in a larger map

A month later... 7:57 AM

Just about a month after the earthquake in Concepción, today and tomorrow we will be riding up to Santiago and not far from the disaster area. Should be interesting to see what's going on. We've read about some cracked roads and fallen bridges on our way, hopefully we'll be able to get through smoothly.

A few pictures here and there 9:56 PM

We're finally making some progress in this trip (distance-wise). It took us a while but we're finally in Bariloche, a small touristy town by the Nahuel Huapi Lake in Argentina in the foothills of Los Andes. It is famous for sightseeing, trekking, water sports, skiing and other activities. During the summer, the town is also famous for being swarmed by Brazilians which is why it is commonly referred to as "Brasiloche".

We have basically conquered the Patagonia for it has been almost two weeks of flatlands, guanacos and steppe scenery. However, it was not until yesterday afternoon that we experienced the first real mountain-riding in this trip. Yesterday's ride into Bariloche was quite spectacular and a nice change for the guys who were starting become thirsty for some real curves.

We are staying in the Cumelén Cabins, 14km outside of town. The place is quite and ideal for a non-riding day (today). The owners, Lucía and Manuel, are a young couple from Buenos Aires who decided to look for a better and more unperturbed way of life here in Bariloche. Along with their two gorgeous daughters (Mora 6 and Mayra 14) they're just one of those people you feel like hugging the moment you meet them. I'll try to get a picture of the family and put it up here later.

Today we stay here for a non-riding day and while the guys are out shopping and sightseeing, Leo, Micho and I will stay here working on some cleaning, organizing and basic maintenance.

In the meantime, here are a few pictures from the past couple of days.

Cooking Dinner 7:49 PM

Leo is making a killer beef tenderloin for the crew. This is our last night in Bariloche. Tomorrow we head towards Pucón. 3 more riding days and we will be in Santiago, where we will say goodbye to the first group and meet the new group that will ride to Cusco.

Cumelen 7:07 PM

Oil changes in Cumelen (Bariloche)

- mobile update

Esquel, Argentina 11:16 PM

This afternoon we rolled into Esquel, Argentina. After the longest ride day so far, 550 km. Doesn't seem like a long distance but with strong head winds all the way it can become quite a tough and tiring ride. The weather was a bit cold and the sunshine wasn't always there.

The Troopy struggled today with a failing alternator that we're hoping to get fixed in Bariloche tomorrow. A failing alternator meant no spare juice to power the radio therefore we found ourselves trying to get entertained in different ways. We tried to name as many things we saw on the road from A to Z, but barely made it to the C. The landscape in Patagonia is barren, due to the constant strong winds not much vegetation grows around these parts.

Tomorrow we follow Ruta 40 straight into Bariloche, it should be a short day.


View Esquel - Bariloche in a larger map

In Perito Moreno 8:28 PM

Hello from Perito Moreno!

We made it today to Perito Moreno, Argentina. We had a long stretch of gravel with strong winds. It was a tough day for the riders. The troopy on flat stretches fought against head winds and struggled to go above 60 km/h. Patience was key. Internet connection is super slow here and uploading pictures is proving a difficult task.

Dinner 7:56 AM

Cooking some dinner outside the hotel with Leo and Micho. Trying to
mix it up a bit.

The last six days... 8:12 PM

Ever since our last post, six days ago, we've had some good fun in this trip. Although we ran into some very cold, wet and windy weather from Ushuaia to Torres del Paine, things seem to have gotten better as we head up North.

So what's been going on? We spent two full days in the Torres del Paine National Park in Chile where we camped for three cold and windy nights. Winds here go well over 80km/h, which is why nothing ever grows on the ground (except for guanacos). During the first day in the Park, Micho, Leo and I worked on some basic maintenance for the Troopy, trailer and bikes. The next day we took a seven hour hike up to the top of the mountain in an attempt to get a glance at the famous Torres del Paine (see pictures). Although it was rainy and cloudy, we managed to see the enormous towers standing at almost 1000m high. At around 4pm we started walking down with our legs pretty much flat from the steep slopes that took us up there (they still hurt btw).

Beagle Channel 10:12 PM

Today we had the first day with the passengers. The guys seemed pretty excited about the trip (hope so). We went on a short catamaran tour around the Beagle Channel, saw some sea lions and flying penguins, struggled against some pretty hard winds and came back into town.

After a much needed haircut, Micho and I had some lunch and came back to the hotel for the first bike ride into the Tierra del Fuego National Park. The guys rode in the rain the entire time as Micho, Pamela, Dorothy and I listened to some music in the comfort of the Troopy (support vehicle).

Agh, it's been a long day, sorry, not in the mood for writing today. Tomorrow we actually start the trip riding North towards El Calafate (Torres del Paine National Park) spending one night in Cerro Sombrero, some 400km from Ushuaia. Check out today's pictures bellow. Cheers.

First ride preparations! 3:40 PM

Leo gives a short speech before the first ride into Tierra del Fuego
National Park. Overcast outside, light drizzle.

Quick lunch 12:18 PM

Quick bite to eat before the clients arrive.

Also, regarding Micho's last post, the iPhone proves to be the best phone ever! Twice submerged in water and it still lives. 

Almost Ready 11:01 PM

Yes, we know we haven't been updating the blog as frequently as us and you would like. We're guilty of online absence, but we have been pretty busy the last couple of days. The customers arrive tomorrow and we still have a few things to get ready before they get here. The lack of time and working around grease and water all day has made carrying a camera around a difficult task. But don't worry, as we finish all the last minute cleaning and maintenance, the updates and pictures will once again become a frequent thing around here.

We've been in Ushuaia for the last 12 days, that's quite a generous amount of time to spend at the southernmost city in the world. We've had a pretty good mix of weather as the summer days are almost over in this austral city and the winter is slowly seeping through the cracks. Today was particularly cold and both Daniel and I suffered from freezing toes as we washed the GS1150. Something particularly sad happened as we scrubbed mud and dirt off of the motorcycle, Daniel's phone fell from his pocket straight into a bucket of water and soap... the iPhone proved tough and tried to fight this unsuspecting attack for some time, flickering on and off, showing signs of life, hanging by a thread but the laws of physics proved stronger than the iWill and the iPhone finally gave it's last breath never to function again. Sad indeed...

Besides the iPhone's demise we had a few unexpected repairs on the Land Cruiser this afternoon, we had to replace an alternator belt and the power steering belt. We're lucky we caught this today instead of somewhere along the road. Daniel had to run some errands into town as we got closer to wrapping up all the preparations. The day just came to an end with a delicious meal cooked here in with Leo and Daniel.

We're looking forward to the arrival of the customers tomorrow! This means our trip north will begin shortly!

Shot of the day 10:45 PM

Micho and I washing the trailer.

Micho works on the trailer... 7:58 PM

Micho spent all day working on the trailer. This is the trailer that will carry all the tools, spare parts and luggage during the trip. 

Friday updates... 9:10 PM

Not much happened today except some more mechanical work on the bikes. On this picture you can see Leo under the 1150GS which needed some maintenance done. The 'Troopy' (support vehicle Land Cruiser) was in the shop getting some work done as well. On the way back from the dealership, I stumbled upon a beautiful sunset over the Ushuaia. I pulled over to get some pictures with my phone and this is what came up...

Mecaniqueando 9:05 PM

The routine for the last couple of days has been breakfast, work on bikes, lunch, work on bikes, dinner. The last group rode the bikes from Pucón to Ushuaia which is about 2500 km. The bikes arrived to Ushuaia ready for some fresh tires, oil, filters and other small fixes. The idea is to have the bikes in tip top shape for the customers arriving here on March 10th. That means we have from now 'til then to replace anything that needs replacement. Yesterday we started with cleaning air filters, air boxes and chains. Today we replaced, worn out tires, the steering head bearings on one of the bikes and we flushed out brake fluid and put in fresh brake pads on another bike. Tomorrow we will be doing oil changes and taking the support vehicle to the shop for a brake job and tuning.

We are hoping the weather continues to be as amazing as yesterday and today, the locals say it is very unusual to have such sunny days this time of the year. So if the weather trend continues, tomorrow we will be lucky enough to keep working under clear and sunny skies.

Still working on the bikes... 6:48 PM

Working on the bikes 6:33 PM

Vive Colombia, viaja por ella!

"querés un recibo de caja con el sandwich y la factura?"

Micho no puede ver a alguien descansando...

Ushuaia - Puerto Natales 8:23 AM

Yesterday our job was simple enough: riding 2 BMW F650GS from Ushuaia (Argentina) to Puerto Natales (Chile). Total distance: approximately 850km.

We were ready to leave Ushuaia at 7am but our departure was delayed by a minor battery problem on my bike which was 'quickly' resolved. We ended up starting engines at around 9am-ish and were planning on spending the night somewhere in the middle of the way.

Everything was going well, except for the very low temperatures and a malfunctioning heating grip on Micho's bike. We crossed a series of mountain ranges outside of Ushuaia riding through 100 kilometers of twisty roads and suddenly found ourselves trapped in the infinite vastness of the Patagonia. The word flat does not begin to describe how flat this place is. The one detail we missed was the lack of gas stations in the area. At one point, as we crossed the border between Chile and Argentina, the gas station where we were supposed to fill up at was out of order. I thought we could just fuel up in the next 50kms or so.