|
1 March 2017
T - Best sleep last night. No stress, no borders coming up, nothing. Made for a very easy sleep.
I was up with the sun this morning and keen to be on the road before the heat got into the day. So we packed our gear, started the bikes and soon we were heading down the road. The highway we are on has been fairly busy with trucks, and as a result the road surface has taken an absolute pounding! It is rippled and buckled and our little bikes bounce around in the tyre ruts. But it was certainly fun to ride it. Kind of like a rollercoaster. https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....9864.jpg?w=640 We cruised along, both of us commenting on how dry it is here. We thought Colombia was totally made up of rainforest! But it reminds us a little of home. Big farmlands, dry hills, and a blazing heat. Lovely! We found a little truck stop area that had a few restaurants scattered through it and we stopped for some comida tipico. Rice, eggs and a slab of beef. Yum yum! The meat here is amazing. A beautiful smokey flavour permeates the stuff. So good. https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....9861.jpg?w=640 https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....9860.jpg?w=640 https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0722.jpg?w=640 https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....9863.jpg?w=640 Eventually we wound up in the town of Magangue where we knew we would need to sort out our ferry crossing. We had to get ferried up a river, and then down a side creek to get to a road where we could ride to the town of Mompos. We didn't know anything about the ferry. Where it went from, when it went, how much etc etc. We are getting good at these water crossing debacles though! As soon as we pulled up to look at our google maps we were surrounded by gentlemen who all seemed to know exactly where we wanted to go and told us the ferry had gone but that we should ride quickly up a dirt road where we would find a way to Mompos. One guy walked us to the start of the road and then said ‘Go go!’ and so go we did! We found a barge that was preparing to load and cross to Mompos so we parked up and lounged about trying to find some respite from the sun. We watched as a large number of trucks reversed down a sandy bank onto the old barge and then cars squeezed themselves into the remaining gaps. I couldn't believe how many vehicles they fitted onto this thing. Then a guy came up and told us to come along and put our bikes on too. https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....9865.jpg?w=640 https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....9867.jpg?w=640 https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....9868.jpg?w=640 https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....9869.jpg?w=640 https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....9870.jpg?w=640 We parked between hot trucks. One of them full of huge bulls. We were a little worried about them pooing on our bikes but another man told us that we should move them over to avoid just that happening! We paid our $2 for the bikes and then spent the next 10 minutes chatting to all the men who came to see the two touristas on the barge. Chantelle seems to be a real hit here in Colombia with many people doing a double take when they see its a woman under that helmet. https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....9872.jpg?w=427 https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....9874.jpg?w=640 C - Everyone has been really friendly and super helpful whenever we have looked like we might be lost! The men on the barge just wanted to talk about our bikes, where we are from, what are doing and it was a fun conversation. T - We then sat on the boiling hot steel deck and tried to avoid the sun by scooting under a truck. Finally the barge bumped onto land and we were off. https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....9873.jpg?w=640 The road from here to Mompos was about 40kms in length and it was in a right state! Massive sections were torn up, fallen over, and covered in pea gravel. It was a hoot and the gravelly bumpy sections gave us a chance to pass the slow trucks and cars. We pulled into the gorgeous little town of Mompos. Narrow streets, colonial architecture and gorgeous churches and parks. We were already falling in love with Colombia. We found our hotel for the night and the super friendly owners soon had us tucked away into a huge room and told us that we could park our bikes in the lobby tonight. Then it was time to have a wander through the town. https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....9877.jpg?w=427 https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....9878.jpg?w=640 https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....9879.jpg?w=640 https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....9880.jpg?w=640 C - Thanks so much to our Aussie buddies (who we are yet to meet!!!) Monica and Simon who recently travelled through these parts and recommended this gorgeous little town to us! The hotel was lovely and set up a possie in the back courtyard where we could do our washing - Mum, you will be proud, I actually handwashed my clothes! T - And we ended up lost. The maze of side roads and alleyways was brilliant. All the buildings were painted in bright colours and the were quite a few lovely murals scattered around the place. After a while we saw something we recognised and realised we were only a block away from the hotel. https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....9876.jpg?w=640 https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....9881.jpg?w=427 https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....9882.jpg?w=427 https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....9885.jpg?w=640 Mompos is a delightful little place and very welcoming. We saw a few other tourists and it looks like this is one of those places where the secret of its charm is out. If you want to see a lovely untouched little place get in quick before the tourist buses find a way here. C - As we were wandering around, a little girl getting her hair brushed by her grandmother on the pavement in front of their house, yelled to us ‘Turistas! Turistas!’ in a cheeky voice and then promptly buried herself into her grandmother whilst we all laughed. She was very cute!! https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....9889.jpg?w=640 https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....9890.jpg?w=427 https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....9891.jpg?w=640 T - Tomorrow we are going to make our way to another hidden secret called Zapatoca. Probably a good two days ride away for us. We have also learnt of Colombias most dangerous road down south so that may be something to ride even the name alone makes us want to ride it. The Devils Trampoline, or as the locals call it “Adios mi vida” (Goodbye my life). Sound fun right?! |
2 March 2017
T - What a beautiful little place is Mompos. Chances are that we would have stayed a little longer but the road is ours for the taking, and take it we shall! We started off the morning with a coffee from a street vendor right outside our hotel. He must have known we were coming because he greeted us with a big smile and a booming hello while pointing at the two different sized coffee cups. Which do we want?
Well we went for the larger size, obviously! He poured some steaming black coffee out for us and we sat at a table and sipped at it. OMG. OMFG. It was liquid heaven. It had an amazing rich earthy taste and the sugar in it gave it a nice little sweet kick. Even Chantelle, who doesn't have sugar in anything if she can help it, said it was frigging amazing. Cost of the coffee, around 40 cents each. Incredible. C - I seriously can not describe how simply amazing that little shot of espresso was. A little cup of freakin’ sunshine!!! The sugar complemented the coffee perfectly and it was muy deliciosa! T - It wasn't long after and I could feel the caffeine and sugar racing through me. My hands shook and I felt like I could run a marathon. What concoction is this? Is there a dash of cocaine in each delicious cup? I need more! I need it NOW! http://overyondaonahonda.com/wp-cont.../GOPR04671.jpg After we packed up we headed out of town and set the GPS to avoid as many toll roads and major highways as possible. Not that the toll roads bother us too much as bikes go through for free! We ended up taking some dirt roads, some sand roads, and some clay roads. It was great! And the people here are super friendly. Waving to us and chatting to us whenever we stop. Colombia is incredible already. http://overyondaonahonda.com/wp-cont...3/DSC09901.jpg http://overyondaonahonda.com/wp-cont...3/DSC09893.jpg Then the kicker. Up on the horizon flashed some….mountains! It was the start of the Colombian Andes! From here on south we should see lots of mountains! http://overyondaonahonda.com/wp-cont...3/DSC09903.jpg http://overyondaonahonda.com/wp-cont...3/DSC09902.jpg C - It has been quite hot the last few days and we were hoping to dive straight into the mountains to reach a cooler altitude, but alas, it was not meant to be! At the last minute, the road turned away from the mountains and we rode through a spectacular valley between two branches of the Andes mountain range. http://overyondaonahonda.com/wp-cont...3/DSC09897.jpg http://overyondaonahonda.com/wp-cont...3/DSC09896.jpg T - We zipped along through busy little towns. Motorcycles buzzing all around us. There was an abundance of bird life and we even saw a heap of vulture looking things chewing on an alligator carcass. What??? Weird. http://overyondaonahonda.com/wp-cont...3/DSC09900.jpg http://overyondaonahonda.com/wp-cont...3/DSC09899.jpg Then we were stuck on a major highway which took us south south south. By the time we reached our destination we had seen enough trucks and cars to last us a lifetime! http://overyondaonahonda.com/wp-cont...3/DSC09905.jpg We checked into a nice hotel that gave us the best secure parking ever. Behind a huge locked gate and right near our room. We chucked our stuff down and went off for a wander. The streets of this town, San Martin, were covered in shade cloths right across the street. It was a busy colourful little town and there was an abundance of hardware stores. http://overyondaonahonda.com/wp-cont...3/DSC00732.jpg http://overyondaonahonda.com/wp-cont...3/DSC00735.jpg http://overyondaonahonda.com/wp-cont...3/DSC00736.jpg http://overyondaonahonda.com/wp-cont...3/DSC00739.jpg http://overyondaonahonda.com/wp-cont...3/DSC00738.jpg We had a little slice of yummy cake and then retired back to our room while we waited for the street stalls to open up for food. http://overyondaonahonda.com/wp-cont...3/DSC09911.jpg http://overyondaonahonda.com/wp-cont...3/DSC09915.jpg http://overyondaonahonda.com/wp-cont...3/DSC09917.jpg Tomorrow we should reach Zapatoca. Its about 200 kms south. |
Quote:
Loving your travels & pics guys :thumbup1::scooter: |
Quote:
:oops2: |
3 March 2017
T - We set our sights on Zapatoca this morning. It was a tad over 200kms away, and a big chunk of it would be off road. We figured we might make it but if we didn’t there was another town along the way where we could find a hotel.
But first we wanted, nay we needed, some more of that damn Colombian coffee! There was a little place just across the street from our hotel and soon we had a cup of steaming hot cafe con leche sitting in front of us. It was divine! Todays coffee came with sweetened condensed milk, so with the sugar and the caffeine there was enough power there to make my hair stand straight up. C - Oh seriously, that coffee. How will I leave here? T - We were on the road soon after and we made great time down the highway. In fact we made such good time that we decided we should stop and have some food. We ordered the breakfast meal deal which came with a bowl of soup with chunks of beef in it, plus then a huge serve of fried eggs, bread and a thick tortilla type thing. Both of us were stuffed after just the soup. Our breakfast came to about $4 each. And we were stuffed full to burst. https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....9919.jpg?w=640 https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....9920.jpg?w=640 https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....9921.jpg?w=640 We had to slog out a little more highway to get to where we were going. But then as we scooted along I spied a sign for the town of San Vincente. That was a town near to Zapatoca. So ignoring the pitiful beepings of the GPS we peeled off and took this back road instead. And boy am I glad we did! The bitumen soon deteriorated into crates and broken bits of tarmac before it finally gave up the pretense of being a road altogether and ruse became a rock strewn track. We loved it! https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....9923.jpg?w=640 https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....9927.jpg?w=640 https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....9926.jpg?w=640 https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....9929.jpg?w=640 Our pace was reduced to a crawl, with 30 kph being about the fastest we could get to before we had to slow down and crash through another set of ruts. We twisted and climbed, ducked and weaved and then we found ourselves on some immaculate concrete roading. This led us into the very pretty but insanely confusing streets of San Vincente. https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....9931.jpg?w=427 https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....9934.jpg?w=640 https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....9936.jpg?w=640 C - The ride was stunningly beautiful, passing through mostly agricultural lands with many cows, sheep and horses to be admired. We also saw many cowboys, going about their farming work and it was all so peaceful and so lovely. It was so lovely to finally be off of the highways and be able to enjoy the countryside instead. The road was sensational as well and it felt so good to be tackling the slow speed control riding again, rather than just slogging along a fast paced highway full of trucks. https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....9939.jpg?w=640 https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....9938.jpg?w=640 T - There was a heap of one way roads and lanes here, but none of them were signed or marked in any such way as to tell us which direction was the right one. Locals kept waving us over and pointing us in the right direction. In the end a very kind man led us up a million streets, all one ways, and then pointed us the right way towards Zapatoca. C - It was so lovely of this random gentlemen to help us out. The town of San Vincente appeared on our GPS maps as a one road town which saw us sticking to that road in and out of the town. But in reality, it is a big town with many, many roads. GPS fail! T - We zoomed along another smooth concreted road that zipped around bends and left us wanting for more! Then we had to turn off the smooth road and onto a small nondescript track. The track ran along the side of a mountain and climbed and climbed. It was as rough as all buggery but it was so much fun. We certainly have been missing these types of roads for some time. https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....9950.jpg?w=640 https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....9949.jpg?w=640 We laughed and giggled over the headset as we bounced and bumped in and out of ruts and over rocks. There was mud, sand, gravel and clay. And the scenery was simply mind blowing! The mountains rolled off in all directions with the bigger ones in the background covered in a blue haze. So beautiful. Colombia is just incredible! https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....9955.jpg?w=640 https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....9954.jpg?w=427 https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....9958.jpg?w=640 C - The scenery changed as we climbed through the elevations. Slowly, the agricultural vegetation turned to vibrant green tropical plants with their massive leaves and brilliant colours. As we reached over 1500mtrs, this gave way to pine trees and more alpine style vegetation. The road continued to bump and grind us along and we soaked up every bum bouncing moment. T - We stopped for a lot of photos! Chantelle even managed to throw Rosie on the ground such was her excitement! I didn't want this ride to end. But the kilometers slowly but surely ticked down and soon we were high up on a hill and on the other side of the valley we could see Zapatoca. https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....9942.jpg?w=640 C - I should clarify, that I jumped off of Rosie to check out the view on the other side of the road. Unfortunately, in my excitement, I didn’t realise we were actually on quite a hill and Rosie promptly rolled forward off her stand to have a little lie down. Of course, this all happened just as a bus full of passengers leering out of the windows went past. Oh well! https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....9940.jpg?w=640 T - A short while later we pulled up out the front of a hostal called Hostal de la Prada. For 50 000 COP we ended up with a huge room, and hot showers! They even made space out in the back courtyard for our little bikes. https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....9970.jpg?w=640 https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....9973.jpg?w=640 C - HOT showers! I should explain here that since we left America, hot showers have become a luxury. We only get them every now and then, and much less than now and then since we left Guatemala. In Mexico we learnt that toilet seats are superfluous and since El Salvador we have learnt that shower heads are also superfluous to life. But this shower has hot, hot water - I even had to put some cold water in it. It also has fantastic pressure and a shower head. Talk about winning at life!!!! How I love a hot shower and it actually broke my heart a little bit when I had to turn it off and surrender the blissfulness to Todd. T - We showered and wandered off in search of some cold beers to wash down the dust of todays travels. This town is damn gorgeous and we have already decided to stay here at least another night. Chantelle was over the moon when we found food as she managed to get some meat on a stick! https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....9978.jpg?w=427 https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....9982.jpg?w=640 https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....9989.jpg?w=640 https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....9998.jpg?w=640 C - Now, I am a foodie. I love good fresh food, cooked with quality ingredients. But still, there seriously is no better invention than meat, on a stick, cooked over a fire. This one had carne (beef), pollo (chicken) and salchicha (pork sausage). https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0001.jpg?w=427 Today I was in heaven, from that first coffee, to the off road riding, to the beautiful scenery, to the many locals who smiled and waved to us and all the way to the beer and meat on a stick! T - Tomorrow we are going to visit the Don Quixote museum and wander around the steep streets of this town. |
4 March 2017
T - Oh hot showers! I had another long one this morning. I'll never take a hot water tap for granted again.
We wanted to have a nice wander today and then check out the art gallery that uses Don Quijote as an expression of the artist views on the world. But first we had to go and have a coffee. There is a little tent in the main square with numerous coffee machines stacked on a counter. So we went there and the guy behind the counter rattled of a dozen ways we could have our coffee with 4 different types of alcohol infused in them if we wanted! We thought it was a bit early for alcohol coffee so opted for the locally grown plain black espresso instead. Holy cow. It was so strong that my toes tingled right from the first sip. We, and by we I mean Chantelle, chatted to the owner for a few minutes and he said we must return in the evening and try the alcohol infused variety. Ok then, if we must! https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0007.jpg?w=640 C - The traditional Colombian coffee this morning was again, absolutely freakin’ amazing. We had it ‘sin azucar’ (without sugar) today and it was completely amazing. I was very keen to try the alcohol infused version, but thought it was better to save this for at least after midday! https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0008.jpg?w=640 https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0009.jpg?w=640 T - We wandered up some of the steep roads and managed to get some glimpses out over the town. Every angle that we viewed this little place from just looked more amazing than the last. Not since Merida in Mexico have we both felt so comfortable and happy in a place. We have already decided to spend a third night here. This town is spotlessly clean, there are flower boxes under most windows and a huge amount of the houses have little painted murals on all their meter boxes. So lovely. https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0010.jpg?w=427 https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0011.jpg?w=640 https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0012.jpg?w=640 https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0015.jpg?w=640 https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0016.jpg?w=640 https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0017.jpg?w=427 We wandered to La Casa del Quijote. A local artist and sculptor has put this magnificent little display together using Don Quijote and his side kick Sancho to show his view of the social goings on and politics of the world. It was bloody fantastic! I really enjoyed the message that each piece presented. Normally I am not into art but this was superb! I can not recommend Zapatoca and this museum enough! Hopefully the masses of western tourists stay at bay for a while longer but eventually someone will discover this magical place. https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0024.jpg?w=640 https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0025.jpg?w=427 https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0026.jpg?w=640 We had a guide in the art gallery who spoke mainly in Spanish but could also speak English very well too, even though she was a little shy about it. Then it was time for us to have some lunch and I really wanted a siesta for a few hours. https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0021.jpg?w=640 https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0020.jpg?w=640 C - Again, a massive thankfully to Monica and Simon who recommended the Don Quijote experience to us. It was really impressive and lovely to delve into some intellectual thought about the imagery of the pieces. The representation of sociological and political issues that have been experienced through time was just superb! My brain was almost dead by the end of the tour, as I tried to get the explanations all in Spanish and then translate for Todd. After about an hour, I was starting to fade and then it became apparent that our lovely guide’s English was about as good as my Spanish! We were both in need of some lunch after our visit and we visited a little cafe which offered a set lunch of soup followed by a plate of meat, rice, lentils, salad and potato. After overeating yet again, we retired for a little siesta! T - The rest of the afternoon and evening was spent sitting in the square, drinking coffee laced with aguardiente (Colombian made spirit), and coffee with Baileys, eating arepas cooked in butter and filled with cheese (amazing), drinking beers, and eating humungous slices of pizza. Life is hard. https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0034.jpg?w=640 https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0035.jpg?w=640 https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0032.jpg?w=640 https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0029.jpg?w=640 https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0028.jpg?w=640 https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0476.jpg?w=640 After which we felt like retiring to our room and watching a movie before hitting the sack. Tomorrow we shall spend another day here just relaxing and enjoying Colombian life. |
March 5 2017
T - Chantelle has a little article that she needs to write up today. So that meant we would have some down time just hanging about in our hotel. But before we got too lazy we had to go get some more coffee.
This morning we both opted for black coffee laced with whiskey. Hooooo boy. That was like a flying kick to the brain! We sat in the park and patted the local stray dogs and watched Colombians get on with life. https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0045.jpg?w=640 https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0038.jpg?w=640 https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0039.jpg?w=640 Everything in this town moves at such a nice sedate pace. Even though it appears most people wander in and stop at the coffee guy, even the kids! People lounge around the square chatting to their mates and letting their kids play games. It is such a great atmosphere. We spent the next few hours locked away while Chantelle typed like mad. I put on Jurassic World to watch as I have just finished reading the Jurassic Park books by Micheal Crichton. Not a bad movie. I do like the throw back to the original Jurassic Park though. After which we wandered back to the square where we had another coffee, with brandy this time, and then sat in a pub and had a few cold beers. What a life hey? We stuffed ourselves full of pizza, arepas, meat on a stick and some type of wafer dessert thing before calling it a day. https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0042.jpg?w=640 https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0043.jpg?w=640 https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0044.jpg?w=640 https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0047.jpg?w=640 Tomorrow we shall leave. It will be a sad moment but the road calls and there are so many places in Colombia to visit. Our destination is a town called Barichara which is only about 60 kms or so away. But we have found an alternative road/track to the main one between here and there. Lots of curves and a few rivers to cross. It should be fun! Famous last words right? |
6 March 2017
T - I was a bit sad to pack up and say goodbye to Zapatoca. I could easily have spent another week here, but I want to visit another heap of cool sounding places yet. So I packed up and wheeled the bikes out into the street and soon we were off, to the coffee guy.
I had an amazing iced coffee. It is easily hands down the singular best iced coffee I have ever had. Loved it and it wasn't long before I drank the whole thing. C - I tried the cappuccino this morning and again, it was amazingly delicious! I am going to miss this little bar in the middle of the square here - great coffee, friendly staff and a wonderful place to sit and watch the world go by. But, the show must go on! https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0048.jpg?w=640 T - We wanted to visit the big lookout that was just out of town and overlooked a huge valley with views that went on until next week. So we set the GPS and within 10 minutes we were there and looking out at…...clouds. The whole thing was a white out and we could only see a few spots as the cloud rolled back occasionally. Oh well. We set our GPS to take us to Barichara the back way which as luck would have it actually went down the mountain from the lookout and was only 50 kms away. C - Despite the clouds, it was actually quite lovely at the viewpoint, and the fleeting glimpses we got of the valley between clouds was pretty special. https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0059.jpg?w=640 https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0051.jpg?w=640 https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0054.jpg?w=640 https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0056.jpg?w=640 T - We followed the bumpy hard packed clay road along for a few kilometers before we were accosted by a barbed wire gate with a sign that said please leave closed. Now this should have been a clue for us to turn back right? Nah. We went through and shut the gate behind us and continued on. https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0061.jpg?w=640 https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0064.jpg?w=640 https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0065.jpg?w=640 The road got steeper and rougher as we descended. But the views. Oh the views! Every new twist in the road opened up the valley below us. The road snaked back and forth with super tight hairpin bends. The mountain was sure steep here. We bounced down postie bike deep ruts and climbed up rocks. Cliffs loomed over us and we saw many area where there had been rock falls. The more we descended the hotter the air became until we were riding in what felt like a furnace. https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0066.jpg?w=640 https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0067.jpg?w=640 https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0071.jpg?w=640 https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0071.jpg?w=640 https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0074.jpg?w=640 https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0745.jpg?w=640 Both the bikes were boiling hot. The heat coming off them was super intense and I started to worry about them a little. However we were just plodding along downhill so they didn't have to work too hard. https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0077.jpg?w=427 https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0078.jpg?w=640 https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0087.jpg?w=640 We could see a mine in the distance but saw a few tracks crisscrossing under it so we figured we wouldn't have to get in the way. Eventually the track turned nasty. There was fresh rock falls every 2 meters and the road was severely undercut. Neither of us felt comfortable here and we rushed onwards. C - This was definitely the most uncomfortable I have been on a track. There had been some significant landslides both above and the below the track, and in places, the undercutting had left the track less than 2mtrs wide. It was certainly not somewhere we wanted to hang about! Then, just in the right place, I obviously hit a patch of loose rocks at the wrong angle and Rosie slid out. Whoops. Thankfully, I was left standing, as quite often happens on these bikes when on slippery surfaces! I had her up in no time (record time I think) and was back on the way to get off this very dangerous section of road! https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0089.jpg?w=640 T - Finally the track dumped us out onto what appeared to be a haul road for the mining trucks. One way led towards the river and away from our destination some 20 kilometers away now. We turned right and then we saw a massive sign. Mining area ahead. But it didn't say we couldn't go through so we thought we would follow it along for a while and hope we could go through. https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0090.jpg?w=640 https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0088.jpg?w=640 https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0091.jpg?w=640 As we approached a front end loader the driver told us very clearly that we could not pass and would have to turn around and go back. Noooooo. There was another town a little way away that we figured we could get to and then head east and maybe hit the main south bound highway. But we were looking at 54kms to maybe get through. Ah what the hell. We went for it. We cruised along the nicely graded haul road back past the track back to Zapatoca and down to the river. We passed a huge sign that said in big red letters Unauthorised Entry PROHIBITED. Whoopsy. We followed the road along for a bit and soon we were parked in a line along with about 5 mining trucks. The only way across the river was a barge. Owned and operated by the mine. And they were only taking one truck across at a time. We looked to be here for a good hour or more and that's if they would let us on the barge. So we decided to go back the way we came. C - I really did not want to ride that section of road again, and I too was feeling for the girls, having to climb up from 800mtrs to 1700mtrs in a mere 20kms. It was really hot and we were both feeling the heat, given the physical nature of the riding. T - It was a hard decision and one that neither of us was happy about. But we seemed to have run out of options. So back past the no entry sign and back up the haul road to our track. Sigh. Uphill we went. First and second gear only as it was that steep and rough. The bikes screaming and howling. Mabel was very unimpressed and soon she had developed some nasty sounding rattle in the valves anytime I put her under load. It was hot. The bikes smelt so badly of burning oil and metal. I felt we might kill them. Still we pushed on. Working harder and harder as the track became its steepest. The heat coming off of Mabel was insane! Then Rosie decided to have a nap. It was a tense moment as both of us were frustrated and our tempers boiled over and we snapped at each other. We rode in silence for a while after that. Finally we made it to the top. We had a quick chat and put our spat behind us. Both bikes were at the point of boiling. They sat there and stank and let off heat like small suns. Our poor bikes. C - Not one our finer moments on this trip so far!! T - We pulled back into Zapatoca where we filled up on cold drinks and some of the locals came over for a friendly chat. That helped lift the mood some and then we were back on our way to Barichara. The normal way this time. https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0092.jpg?w=640 https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0093.jpg?w=427 The road was rough and bouncy but to us it felt like the smoothest tarmac in the world after this mornings track. We zipped along and even managed to get up into 4th gear for some of it. The rough track today had taken its toll on Mabel though. She had oil down her front left hand fork boot. Poor thing. And Rosie had burnt out her rear brakes. Chantelle now basically just relying on her front one. We are hoping that we can find some replacements in Medellin in a few days. C - My rear brakes recently started squealing with every use and after the long, steep descent this morning, where my rear brakes were very important, they seemed to have decided they are worn out! Thankfully there we no more steep, rocky descents ahead! T - The ride to Barichara was a dusty one. We bumped over rotten old bridges where the concrete had fallen away leaving big holes that could swallow an unsuspecting postie whole, through to rivers that flowed over the road. https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0100.jpg?w=427 https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0095.jpg?w=640 https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0094.jpg?w=640 https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0102.jpg?w=640 Then we popped out onto a bitumised road. Oh it was blissful. And it was as curvy as you could ever hope. We screamed along and Mabels pegs managed to scrape around some of the sharp bends. It was fun. We pulled into Barichara and found a hotel where we could park the bikes away behind closed gates. They offered us an upstairs room saying that no downstairs ones were available. We were the only guests in a thirty room hotel…..weird. C - The girl at the reception desk was adamant that we could not be married, because we shared the same last name. In her eyes, only birth relatives share a surname. I explained to her than in Australia, and some other countries, it is traditional that the wife takes on their husbands surname. She was absolutely horrified by this and then launched into a speech about the inappropriateness of this tradition. I was happy to hear her point of view - which was very valid - but I could have done without the reproachful glares!! T - She really took an instant dislike to me and I was the recipient of many stares through narrowed angry eyes. I felt very uncomfortable and had I been more energetic I would have looked for another place to stay. We had a short wander into town which has a gorgeous little square with an old church dominating the skyline. We were both buggered and after a short walk and after some food that was it for us. https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0109.jpg?w=640 https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0110.jpg?w=640 https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0113.jpg?w=427 Tomorrow we shall start the trek towards a place called El Penon which is near to Medellin. It will probably take us a good two or three days to get there. |
7 March 2017
T - We planned on taking some back roads today but we just couldn't verify if they existed. Our GPS said something different to our maps.me which said something different to Google Maps. So we decided to slog down the main highway to a town called Chiquinquira. About 4 hours riding to do 186 kms.
We made good time out of Barichara and soon we were cruising down the highway, stuck behind slow moving trucks on steep hills and sharp bends. It made overtaking a bit scary at times as we scooted past trucks on our underpowered bikes. https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0116.jpg?w=626 https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0117.jpg?w=640 C - It was extremely disappointing to be stuck behind the slow, slow trucks on this twisty highway. We were both cursing the trucks for ruining our cornering fun!! On the plus side, getting stuck in long, long lines of traffic is not as frustrating on a bike, as we were able to zip up the line or one or two cars at a time! https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0118.jpg?w=640 T - We had a quick stop for some more amazing Colombian food and then it was back into the traffic for some more highway miles. The riding was quite nice and the scenery was certainly beautiful. However we didn't really stop along the way because we didn't want to have to get stuck behind trucks we had just past. https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0748.jpg?w=640 Eventually we pulled into the town of Chiquinquira. First impressions were that it was a bit dreary. We were quite high up and it was very grey and gloomy looking and all the shops and buildings looked bare and rough around the edges. We found a nice little love motel and soon had our bikes hidden away inside. Then we decided to go for a walk. C - Todd stayed on the street with the bikes whilst I went into the hotel. The lady was adamant we had bring the bikes in quickly, as she stated that bikes regularly get stolen off of the streets in broad daylight here. We got the bikes inside the lobby with the very secure, automatically locking front gate very quickly! Our girls need to be safe! https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0753.jpg?w=640 https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0751.jpg?w=640 https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0752.jpg?w=640 T - The town centre was gorgeous. We wandered up and down pedestrian dedicated alley ways, had coffee in a cafe, and enjoyed some incredible street food. This town was an unexpected delight! We must have spent a good 2-3 hours just walking around and poking about in some of the shops. C - After we strolled around the city centre in all directions and chatted to some lovely locals, our view on the town was lifted. The centre was not dreary and industrial, but wide pedestrian streets set around a beautiful, but bare, central plaza and a grand cathedral. Given it was quite chilly at the altitude, we opted for some liquor in our coffee, just to warm up our tummies, and they were so strong! A full shot in each cup.. I think we may have wobbled out of the cafe. https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0754.jpg?w=640 https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0755.jpg?w=640 T - By the time we made it back to the hotel we were both exhausted so we lay in bed and watched The Secret LIfe of Walter Mitty before crashing out. Our plan tomorrow is to head the majority of the way to Guatape and El Penon. |
8 March 2017
T - Coffee late in the afternoon is a bad idea. Neither of us managed to get a decent nights sleep last night. Bloody amazing Colombian coffee, its all your fault!
We packed up and pushed the bikes outside and went through the usual pre start checks, oil, keys, clothes, stares, etc. Rosie bellowed into life on her first kick and sat there idling away happily. Then it was Mabels turn. She fired right up but then started misfiring and making a hell of a horrid racket. She backfired and rattled, spat and farted and died. Hmm. Weird. Maybe she was just cold. I kicked her again and again she fired right up, but any use of the throttle at all result in nasty noises from her engine and massive farts and hiccups. Plus she smelt very fuelly. I couldnt and didnt want to pull her apart right here in the middle of the main street, with the cities occupants standing around staring at us, so we rode about 400 meters to where we could pull down a little side road and I could have a look at her. The whole ride she bucked and groaned, rattled and backfired and I couldnt get about 5km/hr. There was something seriously amiss here. I suspected either a blocked jet in the carby or maybe a jet had rattled out and fallen into the bottom of the fuel bowl. We stripped her down and found that her carby was fine and clean looking and had a healthy flow of fuel. We swapped CDI units between the bikes, swapped sparkplugs out, did a valve adjustment, all to no avail. I was stumped. I wanted to swap out the coil and lead but it looked like a major operation so we put her back together and did the unthinkable. We took her to a mechanic. C - A lovely gentleman passing by told there was a mechanic only three blocks away, so we ventured off to find him. We didn't find a bike mechanic in three blocks, but we did find plenty of auto and truck mechanics. One nice guy came out and told us that there were two mechanics, just around the previous right hand corner. Just in the nick of time too, as Mabel was getting adamant she was soon not going to run at all! We were greeted out the front by mechanics from both shops, as they checked our bikes. https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0120.jpg?w=427 T - The mechanic was super enthusiastic about working on her and soon he had checked her cam and cam chain, stripped her carby down, gave her a new spark plug, checked the CDI, and then went and got his mechanic mate from over the road. They both concluded that Mabel was having and electrical mishap and after prodding and probing her bits with a multimeter declared that yes she definitely had some electrical issue. He ended up swapping the stators between the bikes, swapped the carbies, swapped the CDI unit the lot. And still Mabel ran like a hairy dog. I asked him if he was enjoying this challenge of working on a bike he had never seen before, to which he replied “YES! It is very good!” https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0121.jpg?w=427 https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0122.jpg?w=640 Finally he kicked her again and she started up and sat there…..running terribly. Nothing had changed. The guy had worked on her constantly for about 4.5 hours and still he was no closer to her running better than before. Then he tapped his head and while she was running and backfiring and filling his workshop with fumes he reached into her battery box and gave her a tickle and VROOOOOOOOOM. Her revs came right up, she idled smoothly and then I had to stop listening as the mechanic tested out her rev limiter for what felt like a month. He was very pleased. He fiddled a little more and pronounced her fixed. What he did I don't know. But she ran the best I have heard her run in quite some time. He put her back together and then gave her another handful of throttle just to make sure she was still fixed. Oh Mabel. I am sorry! We have never revved our bikes hard like this! Ever. He took her outside and then waving and beeping at all his mates on the street he proceeded to race her around the place. I didn't mind. He did a good job on her, fixed some other broken bits and tidied up her wiring. He came back grinning and saying he liked her and that she was a very good bike and would take me to Argentina no problems at all. https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0123.jpg?w=640 https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0124.jpg?w=427 C - After pillaging bits of Rosie to try on Mabel, the mechanic put Rosie back together, tidying up her wiring too. We were both prepared for a largish bill, but were both ok with this. The staff were all lovely and he certainly worked not stop on her all day. T - So it came time to settle the bill. I waited nervously while he calculated how much to charge us. It came to a grand total of $18 USD. Oh my. I was very happy with that! In fact if I had to replace her whole motor I would have still been happy. This engine cost $300 and has carted my fat bum and all my luggage from Alaska to the middle of Colombia. About 37 000 kms with nothing more than oil changes and a new clutch. Go Mabel! Go Lifan! Go Rosie! We then checked into a nearby hotel and called it a day. We hadn't eaten all day and both of us were a tad peckish. So after some chicken and rice we went to bed. Tomorrow we shall try to get toward Guatape again! |
9 March 2017
T - Ok. Here we go. Second try to get out of Chiquinquira. Not that we minded spending more time here at all.
It had been raining a fair bit last night so a small part of me was hoping that the dirt road we planned to ride today would be a swampy muddy mess! It has been ages since we had a good muddy ride. It didn't take us long to pack up, grab a coffee and a bite to eat, say hello to Mr Plod who wanted to know where we were from and what our bikes were, and head on out of town. Both bikes were running like clocks and in no time at all we were turning off of the main highway and onto highway 60. This was the most direct route from where we were through to El Penon and Medellin. But about 3 kms up the road that bucking jerking jumping motion came back. Mabel was again kicking up a storm. Sigh. I pulled over just as she did a huge backfire and cut out. I didn't know what the mechanic had done to her but I knew it was something in the battery box. As I started to open her up I noticed that the lead for the sparkplug was off. I popped it back on and Mabel fired straight up and sat there purring like the little kitten she pretends to be. https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....3/DSC00125.jpg https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0127.jpg?w=640 We climbed a little ways up an incredibly curvy road. It wound back and forth and then we were over the crest and on the downhill run. The views were sensational. The road, even though it was beat up and broken in spots, was just insanely amazing. The corners just came one after another. The bikes constantly leaning over one way and then bang, straight back over to the other side. The curves wound back so tightly on themselves that even at 30 km/hr we were scraping our footpegs on the road. Wow. Possibly the best riding I have had on the bitumen, ever. https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0128.jpg?w=640 https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0130.jpg?w=640 https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0133.jpg?w=640 C - I have never scraped my pegs before and I can honestly say that it scared the #$%@ out of me the first time!! The riding was amazingly fun, throwing the little bikes around one corner, then the next. T - There was one section which had me stopped on the side of the road and staring in amazement. I could see across the valley where the road continued on. The hill side was so steep that the road builders had constructed a concrete road that sat on huge horizontal pylons that were buried into the hillside. An engineering marvel! https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0137.jpg?w=640 https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0134.jpg?w=427 https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0142.jpg?w=640 Eventually the bitumen ran out and we were soon back to dirt. Narrow, rutted, rough, rocky dirt. Oh it was joyful! We bounced along with immense views spreading out on either side of us. There was not one part of todays ride where we couldn't see for days in at least one direction. https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0145.jpg?w=640 https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0147.jpg?w=640 https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0149.jpg?w=640 https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0151.jpg?w=640 We rode through mud holes, slid and skidded up slimy muddy slopes, bounced from one washout to another, rode through streams that cut across the road from waterfalls in the forest, we skirted a huge landslide that felt as if it would slip out from under us at any second and still we couldn't stop grinning. This was one of those roads that I could have ridden forever. But eventually all these things come to an end and soon the dirt was replaced with silky smooth tarmac and we rejoined a major highway. https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0153.jpg?w=427 https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0154.jpg?w=640 https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0155.jpg?w=640 https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0157.jpg?w=640 https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0158.jpg?w=640 https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0161.jpg?w=640 C - We began the day wearing our thermals, nearly at 3000mtrs in altitude, and as we began the long, downhill run, the vegetation changed until we spent most of the day listening to the beautiful jungle creatures and enjoying the beauty of the jungle. What a day! What a ride! https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0163.jpg?w=640 https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0164.jpg?w=640 https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0757.jpg?w=640 T - Both of us were pretty buggered after todays ride so we found a truckers hotel on the highway and checked in. https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0760.jpg?w=640 https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0761.jpg?w=640 We have another section of highway 60 to ride tomorrow and I hope its just as much fun as todays section! |
10 March 2017
C - We only had a short ride today, about 130km, but we were sure there would be more dirt ‘highway’! It rained quite a bit last night so we were both excited about this - maybe there would be mud!
https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0165.jpg?w=640 We turned off of Highway 45 and back onto highway 60 and immediately approached a toll gate. Thankfully, motos are free on toll roads here, so we just rode down the little moto lane and whizzed through. Coffee was calling us as we approached the first town, so we stopped for some Caldo (soup) and coffee. The highway was actually quite a nice ride, with beautiful views as we wound up, up, up. Yesterday, we started at nearly 3000mtrs and ended up at nearly sea level. Today, we knew our destination was back over 2000mtrs, so the girls had to climb today. https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0174.jpg?w=640 https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0173.jpg?w=640 Each corner we rounded had us both exclaiming ‘wow’ and ‘is this even possible?’ as the views just got better and better. https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0166.jpg?w=640 https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0167.jpg?w=640 https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0169.jpg?w=640 After about an hour, we took the ‘short cut’ route through a town called San Luis. Along the way, we saw quite a few waterfalls, the most impressive being La Cascada Cuba. Beautiful! The town was bustling and lively and upon our exit, we discovered the road became nasty, nasty cobblestone. The cobblestone was wet, and it apparently often is, as there was plenty of slippery slime for the girls to slide around on. https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0171.jpg?w=427 https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0176.jpg?w=640 Eventually, the cobblestones petered out and we were presented with the now familiar one lane wide, gravel/dirt/rock/mud secondary highway. The riding was sensational and we even got to play in some puddles! https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0178.jpg?w=640 https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0179.jpg?w=640 https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0179.jpg?w=640 Rosie has had some electrical issues lately. We knew that it was just a broken wire, as all my accessory power was gone - indicators, horn, neutral light. So we found a little gravel pit with an extraordinary view and pulled over to do some maintenance. Mabel also needed a broken wire fixing, as since her visit to the mechanic, her key has become defunct! Obviously a broken, or loosened, ignition wire. T - We had been making pretty good time along this track today and when I saw the little cleared area with amazing views I thought “Why not fix them here”. It didnt take too long to find Rosies broken wires and patch them back up. Rosie lost her headlight and taillight yesterday and she was constantly winking at me as over each jolt the wire or connection would join up and then cut out again. I thought I had fixed that too. https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0762.jpg?w=640 https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0764.jpg?w=640 Mabel was a little harder to fix. I went straight to where the ignition wires had been lengthened to allow for her ignition to be moved from its original position to a more convenient one. No broken wires there. Eventually by pure luck I found where an old Australia Post repair on her had fallen apart. I replaced the wire and then declared her fixed. Even though I had blown her main fuse accidentally and she now has no indicators, horn, or dash lights, except when she is running. Once we hit the track again I saw Rosie go down a rut and over a rock and her tail light blinked off. Damn it! So finding that broken wire is a job for another day.We also need to do some fuel tank repairs to Rosie as she managed to melt hers a little when she last laid down. Ahh postie bikes. https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0763.jpg?w=640 https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0767.jpg?w=640 C - Soon enough, we were back on the track and then back onto bitumen. We ended up in the town of Granada, quite by accident! We knew we had missed a right hand turn, but neither of us saw this turn anywhere. We stopped for a snack in Granada and checked our maps. We were soon heading back a few kilometres to see if we could find the right hand turn. We found it! We turned off the smooth bitumen back onto a single lane track which quickly deteriorated into a mud pit. Oh the fun!!! We were both squealing with delight as us, and our girls, got completely filthy and covered in mud! This went on for quite some kilometres, before we came to a suspension bridge over the river. I went first and was not happy to learn the bridge moved. Also, the railing drops way down low, about the bike seat height and it was rather terrifying! https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0182.jpg?w=640 https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0184.jpg?w=640 https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0183.jpg?w=640 T - The little suspension bridge was brilliant! I stopped partway across to try to film it and Mabel and I were sat there rocking and bouncing up and down and back and forth. Brilliant! https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0191.jpg?w=640 https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0194.jpg?w=640 C - We had some more thick mud to battle through, but then we were back on the bitumen and enjoying the views of the monolith - El Penol, where we would visit tomorrow. https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0196.jpg?w=640 https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0190.jpg?w=640 It took some time to find a hotel that was not a complete rip off, as Guatape is a very touristed town. Most hotels were trying to charge extra for moto parking and they were asking way above the normal rates for lower quality rooms. Eventually, I found a little place above a local family house. We settled in and then ventured out to look around. https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0198.jpg?w=640 https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0200.jpg?w=427 We found some chicharon to snack on and then found a locals bar to enjoy a beer or two. All the restaurants on the malecon were expectedly pricey, but as we hadnt eaten since breakfast, we decided a nice meal was in order. We found one willing to give us a discount and tucked into some fresh fish, salad and chips. Accompanied by a dark beer! https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0205.jpg?w=640 https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0206.jpg?w=640 https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0208.jpg?w=427 Tomorrow, we want to climb El Penol! Then we will head to Medellin. |
11 March 2017
T - We wanted to try to beat the tourist hordes out at the rock this morning, so that meant an early rise and a quick pack up. It wasn't long before we were out of town and parking our bikes in the parking lot of El Penol.
https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0213.jpg?w=640 https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0215.jpg?w=640 https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0214.jpg?w=640 The rock was huge! The stairs jammed into the crack of the rock looked a little steep and there looked to be a lot of them! We paid our entrance fee and started to climb. https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0217.jpg?w=640 https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0219.jpg?w=427 https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0239.jpg?w=427 Wow what a climb. It was hard work and soon we were both drenched in sweat and had to have several rests where we sat on a step and gasped air into our burning lungs. But every time we stopped we were presented with bigger and bigger views over the surrounding countryside. We could see forever! C - It was a fantastic climb and I really enjoyed the exercise, after really not doing much at all. We both noticed the difference though, exerting yourself at some altitude and we did have to stop a few times along the first 650 steps. https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0222.jpg?w=427 https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0220.jpg?w=640 https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0224.jpg?w=640 https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0225.jpg?w=427 T - Finally we passed the 650 step mark and walked out onto the concreted top of the rock. It has become quite the tourist drawcard and there were a few shops up here selling water and tourist tat. We had a squiz at the views and sat down to enjoy a cold water and a coke. We still had another 100 odd stairs to climb up a tower but first we needed to get our breaths back. https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0228.jpg?w=640 https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0230.jpg?w=640 We trundled up to the very top. 740 steps up from ground level. The views were breath taking, if we had any breath left. We spent a few minutes enjoying it and then started the climb down. We could see the carpark below us slowly filling with tourists and thought we should move out of there before it became too crowded. https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0234.jpg?w=640 https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0233.jpg?w=640 https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0237.jpg?w=640 The climb down was just as hard as the one up. My calf muscles were not happy and protested loudly and painfully all the way. There is a second staircase hidden behind the main one and is used by people descending only. It has tight spirals and very narrow steps. C - After my last job, I take an unusual interest in land slips/rockfall risks and we were both pleased to notice that at several times on the way down, we were walking directly under large boulders which had the look that they may wish to dislodge themselves, given the right situation! I would not like to be climbing that during an earthquake! https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0238.jpg?w=427 T - From there it was time for us to head into the city of Medellin. It wasn't a far ride but we did end up on a major highway full of buses and trucks. It was awful! But it was nothing compared to when we finally made it into the city proper. The traffic was mental. We saw bikes lock up and nearly collide with other bikes, cars drifting in and out of lanes as their drivers texted, trucks cut us off and forced us out of the way, oh it sucked big time and it wasn't long before Chantelle told me that she was scared shitless. C - We came into town on the autopista and honestly, it was the most terrified I have been on my bike this trip. Everyone was moving at around 70km/hr and nobody actually seemed to be paying attention to where they were driving. I can not describe in any other way other than seriously terrifying! T - We decided right then that we would avoid any more cities for the time being as we have heard they only get crazier the further south we go. We ended up being sent to a hostel in the nice part of town and once we were unpacked we wandered off to have a look at the nearby square and to buy a few items. The hostel next door had a couple of other overlanders staying there and we caught up with one of them for a few beers and a chat before calling it a night. https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0773.jpg?w=640 https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0774.jpg?w=640 https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0775.jpg?w=480 Both of us are getting a little tired of the hotel scene and can't wait to get back into camping. First though we need to find a new sleeping mat for me! Tomorrow we are going to go look at Pablo Escobars old mansion in the city near to us and take a trip out to the favelas (shanty towns) to have a look. |
Quote:
Engine cost $300? I've not read ALL your report ... did you change out your Honda Motor at some point earlier on? Lifan? Is it a Lifan motor in there? ... Honda copy? ... or what? Love to hear about any bike rentals places out of Medellin. Just curious what you might happen to see walking around. Sounds like your little Hondas will make Argentina. High quality synthetic motorcycle oil should help in HIGH HEAT. Use the best you can afford but NOT the super slippery energy saving synthetic oil for cars. All the best, stay safe! Are they really stealing bikes right off the street in broad daylight? Cheeky! bier |
12 March 2017
T - We were going to be tourists today. Which meant our bikes would get a days rest! But first we had to move to another hostel as this one was full. Once we had moved everything and parked the bikes behind bars we wandered off through the streets of Medellin.
Chantelle was keen to go and see Pablo Escobars 1980’s mansion in the city. This guy was a real bad ass. He basically was the major guy exporting cocaine from Colombia and was just rolling in money. He was making around 60 million US dollars a day for a while there and he couldn't launder his money as fast as he made it. Anyone who stood in his way or spoke out against him was murdered. Finally though the Colombian government had enough and chased him down. Eventually Escobar lost all his properties, some 800 of them, and finally his life. So this building has sat empty and abandoned for quite some years now. There is footage on the net showing cavities in the walls of the building where Escobar hid bundles of cash. Very interesting. We wandered along one of the lanes of a major highway, yes that is right, as it was totally closed off from traffic and opened up to Colombians who were walking, running, and cycling. Medellin has some great social policies and making the city more community focussed vs car focussed is part of that. There was thousands of people out and about and we walked along and did a touch of people watching. https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0240.jpg?w=640 C - I have read quite a lot about the work the city has done to try to rebuild itself after Pablo Escobars reign. A key strategy was to try to rebuild a sense of community, and it was wonderful to see the effects of this nearly 15 years on. One particular initiative included building two cable car lines to extend the metrorail system into the favelas (shanty towns) allowing the poorer residents in the area easier access to the services in the city, in an effort to increase social inclusion. These social programs have made Medellin into an extremely lovely city and it certainly appears to be very ‘liveable’ now. I was also however, very excited to see one of Pablo Escobars mansions, Edificio Monaco, where I can only imagine the sorts of conversations and business dealings happened! It is difficult to comprehend being able to earn US$60million a DAY in the late 1980’s. He was clearly feared by many, and had a lot of power, both in Colombia and the USA. He was definitely known for his ruthlessness, and it is believed he is responsible for the death of well over a thousand Colombian police, judges and journalists. Interestingly, he did spend money on the favelas, including building 800 houses and investing in community services in these poor suburbs. By these people, he was viewed as a modern day Robin Hood and a hero. T - We eventually stood outside of a very tall very square and very dilapidated looking building. There was a security guard eyeballing us from the gatehouse so we took some pics of Escobars house and then carried on our way. https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0241.jpg?w=640 https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0242.jpg?w=640 Next on the list was a train trip and a cable car ride to one of Medellins Favelas. Tightly packed housing that ran up the sides of the valley where the city is built. Mainly consisting of the poorer inhabitants of the city. We had read that it was safe enough to wander the streets of this particular suburb but to avoid other favelas as they could be quite dangerous for outsiders. https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0245.jpg?w=640 The train ride and cable car came to a grand total of $1 each. So long as we didnt exit the stations we could ride the trains all day. We hopped into a cable car and began the climb up over the favela. The Medellin government had several of these cable cars installed so that the people of the favelas could have easy and cheap access to the train lines into the city. The theory being that it would allow families easier and cost effective access to work. The view from up there was impressive. The favela was like nothing I had seen before except on TV. Houses were stacked on top of each other with stairs leading from rooftop to rooftop. There was graffiti everywhere and some of it was gorgeous. There was some very talented artists around. We decided to just sit in the car and enjoy the ride up and the views on the way back down. https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0252.jpg?w=640 https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0251.jpg?w=640 C - The further the car moved up the hill, the more the housing and streets deteriorated. It was interesting to see the contrasts between the suburbs, from the city out to these areas. In 30 minutes we had gone from large shopping malls and modern apartment buildings with streets filled with new and expensive cars to homes that barely looked like they should be standing. Sure, the views back over the city where beautiful from the top cable car station, but really, it was witnessing the favelas that made the trip for me. https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0248.jpg?w=640 T - We took a train back to the city and just hung out for the remainder of the day with another overlander. https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0253.jpg?w=640 https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0254.jpg?w=640 We have decided that we will head out of the city tomorrow and make our way down towards the coffee growing region south of here. C - Oh delicious Colombian coffee, I am coming for you! |
Quote:
Oh yes they are cheeky buggers alright! The lady at that hotel was most adamant that we get them off of the street ASAP. I didnt take much notice of bike rentals in Medellin but for the amount of tourists that are there I am sure there would be heaps of rental places. For the oil we have to use mineral only in these bikes. Synthetic oil of any kind glazes up the clutch plates within 500km and then we have nothing but slip! So we just use local sourced oil, usually 20/50 and change it out every 1000kms(600 miles). |
13 March 2017
T - We had a few errands to run this morning before we buggered off out of the city. We needed a few bibs and bobs for the bikes. Mabel has lost 2 of her three engine mount bolts thanks to the very rough tracks we have been doing, we are using an engine mount adapter for the Lifans, and the motor is basically held in place by the exhaust header at the moment.
On the way back from shopping, where we also found some new camping mats, we stopped in at a Royal Enfield bike shop. Lucky for Mabel she wasn't there or else I may have traded her in on one. We have both been thinking we might do our trip again but in reverse next time on some Enfields. The new Himalaya was on display and I quite liked it but there's no beating the looks of the Classic. https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....size=600%2C463 https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....size=768%2C494 Pictures taken from royalenfield.com After the new bolts went in and we packed up we said goodbye to our overlander friends Dave and Chris and headed out of the city. For us that meant a trip down the autopista through crazy traffic before we finally found a quiet little back road. https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0255.jpg?w=427 https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0256.jpg?w=427 C - Thankfully, the autopista was a little less crazy than it was on Friday when we rode in. There was much less traffic on the road and therefore I did fear death the entire time we were on it! Soon enough, we were climbing out of the valley that hugs the city. T - It was a nice ride, again offering us incredible mountain views and the road soon became a one lane affair with sparse sections of bitumen, a few rocks and a bucket load of fun! https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0257.jpg?w=640 https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0258.jpg?w=640 https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0259.jpg?w=640 We made good time and eventually the sealed stuff was upon us again and as we climbed another mountain mother nature unleashed a little fury on us. The heavens opened up and soon there was water running down the road in streams. Lightning flashed and crackled all around us and the thunder echoed off way down into the valley. It was brilliant! We had donned our wet weather gear but within 5 secs they gave up the ghost and we were soon drenched through. I love heavy rain like this and it is always nice when the rain is warm. https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0260.jpg?w=640 C - The downpour was amazing! A true tropical rain that even managed to fill my gloves with water and start to soak through my wet weather jacket (which has never leaked before!). And, as always, it was lovely to then ride along for the rest of the afternoon with a pool of water gathered in my crotch region. T - We eventually crossed another mountain and began following a very wet, very slippery clay track. It went on and on and both of us were battling to keep the bikes upright. Eventually Chantelle took a spill and a lovely man walking by helped her pick her bike up. https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0263.jpg?w=640 https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0264.jpg?w=640 C - The track was not particularly long, only about 30km, but the condition of the track meant that this took us well over an hour. It was exhausting riding. The track continually climbed up and down going over 2000mtrs then back down to 1700mtrs, and it was difficult navigating the ruts, streams, bog holes and large slippery loose rocks. Despite this, I actually dropped the bike on a straight section of track, when I was not particularly accelerating or braking. I was not going fast, so it didn't hurt, but I was riding straight then I sliding sideways on the clay! Poor Rosie! https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0267.jpg?w=640 https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0265.jpg?w=626 https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0268.jpg?w=640 T - After a very exhausting ride we found a bitumen road. We could have kissed it such was our delight to find it. The roads are starting to make their marks on our bikes with Rosies wiring again failing and leaving Chantelle without indicators, a horn, or any types of lights. I will fix it in the next day or so as I know exactly where the issue lies. The town of Jardin was our stop for the night. It appeared to be another stunning little place and we had a short wander around the square as darkness fell. C - Again, we had not ventured near food since breakfast (which was just a pastry) and so we were both starving and keen to find a decent sized plate of food. We found a wonderful little restaurant, upstairs with a balcony overlooking the square. We subsequently dined on chicken and vegetable soup and then pork with rice, salad, beans, fried banana and a beer! Divine! T - Then it time for bed. We are going to spend another day here in Jardin before we head towards Bogota. |
14 March 2017
T - We had a couple of things we wanted to do around town today. Mainly look for parts for our bikes. Chantelle needs some new foot pegs as the rubber on one of hers has vanished somewhere along the way. I needed a fuse for Mabel and I have been on the hunt for some time now for a Colombia sticker for my bike.
We started the day with coffee, of course, before we began wandering the streets. After having been in a few motorcycle shops we were soon pointed to a little auto electrical store where I found a fuse. We found some footpegs but they looked very weak and plasticy so we passed on them. Rosies electrics have decided to give up the ghost altogether now and I am not sure where to look next. Maybe she needs to go to a doctor. http://overyondaonahonda.com/wp-cont...3/DSC00271.jpg http://overyondaonahonda.com/wp-cont...3/DSC00273.jpg http://overyondaonahonda.com/wp-cont...3/DSC00269.jpg http://overyondaonahonda.com/wp-cont...3/DSC00275.jpg We enjoyed hanging out in the square for most of the day, alternating between coffee and beer and just watching the world go by until it was dinner time. I found a little street vendor who was selling the Colombian version of fish and chips. It was damn fine too! http://overyondaonahonda.com/wp-cont...3/DSC00280.jpg http://overyondaonahonda.com/wp-cont...3/DSC00279.jpg http://overyondaonahonda.com/wp-cont...3/DSC00276.jpg http://overyondaonahonda.com/wp-cont...3/DSC00285.jpg Then it was off to bed. Tomorrow we are going to ride to Salento, a town at the start of some gorgeous looking valley and we are going to have a day on the bitumen, just for something different. http://overyondaonahonda.com/wp-cont...3/DSC00293.jpg http://overyondaonahonda.com/wp-cont...3/DSC00292.jpg http://overyondaonahonda.com/wp-cont...3/DSC00290.jpg http://overyondaonahonda.com/wp-cont...3/DSC00287.jpg |
15 March 2017
T - Chantelle was very tired last night, so I let her sleep in until 830, at which point I thought we should probably get up and get a wriggle on. We packed up, grabbed a coffee from the nearby bakery and set our GPS to take us to Salento, along the bitumen.
We rode out of the town and started to climb immediately. We were soon above the town and looking out over the valley in which it nestled. Low wispy clouds clung to the dark forested mountains in the background. Such a beautiful place. https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0307.jpg?w=640 The road curved back and forth and we enjoyed the novelty of the smooth tar, right up to the point where it vanished and was replaced by muddy rocky track. Sorry Rosie and Mabel, no rest for you today. https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0310.jpg?w=640 https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0311.jpg?w=640 C - We had visions of giving the girls an easy ride today, but sticking to the black stuff. However, what we didnt realise, was that there was no way out of Jardin on the bitumen. Oh well, back to muddy, rocky, steep tracks for us! https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0313.jpg?w=640 https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0314.jpg?w=640 T - We climbed ever higher on the very wet and bumpy track until we were in the clouds. It was constantly drizzling now and soon we were both quite damp. But neither of us cared because the scenery was just outstanding! And to be fair the riding was a bit of fun too. Slipping and sliding into ruts, crossing streams and negotiating land slides. Colombia, you are beautiful! https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0320.jpg?w=640 C - As it turned out, the track was not that bad. I think we both had visions of the track being as terrible as the one into Jardin had been. Thankfully, it turned out to be fun riding, not hard riding! https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0317.jpg?w=640 https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0318.jpg?w=427 https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0316.jpg?w=640 T - We eventually wound out of the hills and back onto the main highway which was clogged with traffic. It turns out that we move faster in the off road bits than we do on the highways! There were a lot of road works, which works out for us because everytime there is a stop go person we get to scoot right to the front, usually passing 10-15 trucks along the way. We turned off of the highway after a while and twisted and curved our way into Salento. A little touristy town tucked away in a valley. We found a place to stay, camping here was as much for the two of us as a hotel room, and went for a wander through the town. https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0321.jpg?w=640 https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0322.jpg?w=640 C - Neither of us were particularly taken with Salento, but we did find a super lovely hotel, run by an even lovelier family. We were both keen to check out the Valle de Cocora tomorrow! T - We plan to leave tomorrow and head along a dirt road through some valleys. We have heard its a lovely track and we are both looking forward to it. If I get the chance I will even have another look at Rosies wires. |
16 March 2017
T - I was keen to get on the road early today. The road we want to take doesnt show up on Google Maps at all. Not even in Google Earth mode! Based on our past travels on some of these back roads in Colombia I knew that we would possibly only manage around 20 km/hr on average.
We were out of town nice and smartly just after 9. The sealed road ended about 3 meters out of town and then the climb began. The road was in pretty good nick compared to the last few days roads and we made steady progress in 2nd gear at 15 km/hr. Up up up we went. Steadily climbing. 2000 mts, 2500 mts, 2800 mts, 3000 mts, finally topping out at 3327 mts. Poor Mabel was gasping for breath. But she chugged on. I kept telling her to get used to it as we would probably ride a lot higher once we got further south! https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0324.jpg?w=640 https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0325.jpg?w=640 https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0326.jpg?w=640 We followed the single lane road along the ridges of mountain tops and dropped in and out of the clouds. Valleys spread out on either side of us as we motored along. I'm really loving the mountains of this place. https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0329.jpg?w=640 https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0331.jpg?w=640 C - The riding was sensational and I was very excited to see the Wax Palms, Colombia’s national tree! The green of the valley was vivid and with the beautiful white drifting clouds it made for an awesome view. T - We passed a few cattle farms and enjoyed the very slippery, very poo and pee filled mud that the cows had left behind on the road. No way was I going to face plant into that stuff! It was super slippery for our little machines and at one point Mabels front tyre was up on the centre ridge and her rear in the right hand rut leaving me hanging on for dear life as we slid sideways down the hill. https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0335.jpg?w=640 https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0336.jpg?w=640 https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....5271.jpg?w=640 We passed through a very sleepy little town called Toche and crossed a roaring river before beginning another ascent. Up went our little trains that could. Up up up. Back to first gear for some of the steeper sections before we levelled out again at over 2000 meters. We splashed through puddles and Mabel and I took a ride up a creek until we came to a waterfall. It was tons of fun! https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0337.jpg?w=640 https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0340.jpg?w=519 https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0342.jpg?w=640 https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0355.jpg?w=640 We found a flat spot on a hill overlooking the city of Cajamarca and I proceed to rip Rosie apart in order to find this damn electrical fault. Rosie has no blinkers, no horn, no tail light and no headlight, and her battery is dead flat and wont charge up. I found nothing. Wondering if it could be a regulator, I swapped Rosies out for Mabels. No change. I pulled the wiring looms apart as much as I dared. Still nothing. So now I am down to an issue with the stator perhaps, or a wire I haven't yet found to be broken. We have decided that she will be best left in the hands of a mechanic when we get to near Bogota. https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0353.jpg?w=640 https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0356.jpg?w=640 After we put Rosie back together again we headed down the hill and rejoined the highway. This highway was chocka block full of trucks and buses. We took a few chances with overtaking some of them but mostly we were stuck between trucks. Eventually though the ever useful roadworks came up and we zipped to the front of the line. We passed through a few towns and soon we ended up at the town of Venadillo where we decided to call it quits for the day. https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0360.jpg?w=640 What a fantastic day! I really enjoyed it! I will be glad when we have Rosies electrics fixed as I do worry about Chantelle having no brake lights or horn, not that any of the local bikes seem to have any working electrics either. https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0362.jpg?w=427 https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0364.jpg?w=640 Tomorrow we head to Zipquira which is a tad over 200kms away. We plan to be there a few days while we do some maintenance and washing. |
17 March 2017
T - Zipaquira here we come! Reading up about this underground salt church place seems quite interesting. We are both looking forward to it as it is quite an unusual thing. But first we had to get there. We intended to use the highways so we could make good time, and here in Colombia we are not the slowest thing on the road anymore!
We struck out from Venadillo nice and early and cruised along the road. We were back down in elevation and the weather was perfect. Not too cold and not too warm. Just right! C - I had picked this route to Zipaquira because the highway goes straight through the town of Armero, where in 1985 the entire town was devastated by a volcanic eruption. T - Along the way way came to an old town called Armero. There were broken buildings and buried houses lining the highway. We had read about this place. On November 13 1985 a volcano nearby erupted after 69 years of dormancy. The Colombian government had some advance warning of this but basically did nothing to get residents out of the area. As the eruption occurred the glaciers on top of the volcano melted and a fury of water, mud and debris raced down the mountain and straight into the town of Armero. 20000 people died. A very sad event. https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0365.jpg?w=640 https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0366.jpg?w=427 We had a look around the old townsite. There were hundreds of headstones amongst the trees at sites where houses had once been. It was very sobering. https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0368.jpg?w=640 C - This event was broadcast around the world by the media, with particular focus on one small girl. She was trapped under debris, but there was no equipment available for anyone to attempt to extract her from the rubble. Rescue workers talked with her for three days before she passed away. It was very sad to see the impact on the town and the image I found most profound, was that of the place of the cathedral, where half the dome still sits. https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0370.jpg?w=427 https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0371.jpg?w=640 https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0405.jpg?w=640 T - We continued on from there and soon began to climb the mountains again as we neared Bogota and our turnoff to Zipaquira. https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0406.jpg?w=640 https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0407.jpg?w=427 The traffic began to build up very fast and soon we were at a standstill. We passed when we could on either side of the traffic, right up until the police pulled us over. We had been passing the traffic on the verge side and they told us in no certain terms that this was illegal in Colombia. We knew it was and played dumb tourists. They let us off with just a telling off which was quite lucky as we had heard of other bikers being fined up to $300USD and having their bikes impounded. So it was back to overtaking on double lines, around bends, and over crests for us! C - Besides our dumb tourist act and being over the top apologetic, I think what really helped us was that in this particular instance, we were following a local rider. https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0409.jpg?w=640 T - We eventually made it into town just as the heavens threatened to open up and drench us. Tomorrow we shall go to a mechanic for Rosie and visit the salt church. |
March 18 2017
T - We found a small section of motorcycle shops today where we could get Chantelle some new footpegs and bits and pieces and one of the stores directed us to a mechanic. With Rosie running he grabbed his test light and poked about a bit before declaring her stator to be dead. We knew we could get one in Bogota and even though we didn't really want to go there we now had to.
C - We really need to sort Rosie out, as I refuse to head further into the Andes and into higher elevations, whilst approaching winter, without heated grips! Despite our strong desire to not experience Bogata traffic, it appears we will do just that! On a plus side, another traveller we know is currently in Bogata and he invited us to stay in his apartment with him - we are super excited to catch up with Dave again! T - We then wandered up to the salt mine where the church was and joined a tour. We walked down until we were about 180 meters underground. The carvings down here were really well done. https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0410.jpg?w=640 https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0411.jpg?w=640 https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0416.jpg?w=427 It took 120 miners a ton of time to carve out the crosses, columns and other bits and pieces. The guide was super passionate about it and we learnt quite a few things. It was cool to see the way the salt formed on the granite walls. https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0413.jpg?w=640 https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0421.jpg?w=640 https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0441.jpg?w=640 https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0442.jpg?w=427 C - The underground cathedral was beautiful and the walk down was interesting, as they have carved the 14 stations of the cross along the route. The representations were interesting and the salt carvings were beautiful. However, the whole place lacked the atmosphere you normally expect in a cathedral. The place was ridiculously crowded, it felt as though there were about 10,000 tourists down there, all making a lot of noise. It did take away from the feel of the place. https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0459.jpg?w=640 https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0470.jpg?w=640 https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0476.jpg?w=640 https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0448.jpg?w=427 https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0430.jpg?w=640 T - Then it was time to just lay about and we ended up watching a movie, drinking some wine and eating cake. Not a bad way to end the day. Tomorrow we head into Bogota |
All about Bogota
This post is for the few days we spent in Bogota. There isnt too many pics though.
19 March 2017 C - Today, we were heading to Bogota to meet up with a fellow traveller, Dave, and hopefully get Rosie’s electrical problems sorted. After a yummo breakfast of soup, eggs, bread and coffee, we hit the road to tackle the 47km into Bogota. Dave had mentioned it could take one and half hours, but that the traffic should be ok. I was a little worried about the traffic after our experience in Medellin, but I need not have been. Being a Sunday morning, the traffic was relatively quiet and sedate and we made pretty good time. When we arrived, we were warmly greeted by Dave and his beautiful mother. After settling in, we devoured a lovely lunch and then set out with Dave for coffee and an explore of a Sunday craft market. https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0484.jpg?w=640 https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0485.jpg?w=640 https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0486.jpg?w=640 T - Dave and his mum, who I am also calling Mum, are such lovely people and we are so lucky to be here with them. C - After eating too much cake and drinking too much coffee, we retired to Dave’s place where we proceeded to solve the future problems of the world before collapsing into bed, still full on cake and coffee! Tomorrow is a holiday here, so we won't be taking Rosie into the mechanic until Tuesday, so we will do some relaxing and exploring. https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0499.jpg?w=640 https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0500.jpg?w=427 https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0501.jpg?w=427 20 March 2017 C - Well, we have spent some wonderful exploring the city of Bogota and enjoying the wonderful hospitality of Dave and his beautiful mother. Today is a public holiday here, so we will have to wait until tomorrow to get Rosie to the doctor. Instead, we ventured up to Monserrate, a church high up on a hill above Bogota. We caught the ‘funicular’ up to the top, which was amazingly steep! Sitting at a height of 3150mtrs, the air was definitely cooler and us three sea level bunnies were soon puffing away, climbing up the steps. We knew that coca tea was said to be helpful for altitude, so it wasn’t too long before we found a vendor and were sipping on the sweet, delicious tea. Interestingly, all three of us felt that it was much easier to breathe after the tea. https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0496.jpg?w=640 https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0504.jpg?w=427 https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0489.jpg?w=640 Dave shared some history of the area with us, and it was interesting to hear that the church directly across the next hill was frequented by Pablo Escobar and his crew. Colombia has such a fascinating (albeit dark at times) history. After descending from the mountain, we wandered through the old city and visited the birthplace of Bogota - a small plaza where it is rumoured that the city founders sat around discussing the development and governing policies of the city to be. https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0503.jpg?w=427 https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0505.jpg?w=427 https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0517.jpg?w=640 After wandering further to Bogota’s main plaza (Plaza de Bolivar), we went past the parliamentary building and then took a sneak peak at the Presidents residence. After taking us unsuspecting tourists down Bogota’s ‘most dangerous street’, Dave took us to a craft brewery where we celebrated our one year on the road anniversary with some fantastic local beers! 21 March 2017 C - After a loooong sleep in, we awoke to yet more magnificent smells coming from Madre’s kitchen. As dutiful guests, we devoured a delicious breakfast before heading out with Dave to visit Bogota’s ‘motorcycle alley’. We jumped on the bus and headed into a much grungier looking suburb - there seemed to be more rubbish and more faeces on the sidewalk and it didn't take long before we started to spot prostitution. We rounded a corner and boom - there it was! The most amazing amount of motorcycle accessory stores I have ever seen. There were bikes everywhere! We hunted for some warm, waterproof gloves for our journey into the Andes and then we, and by we I mean Dave and Todd, started scouring for LED lights. After buying numerous un-needed items and meandering through tons of stores, it was time to head back and take Rosie to the mechanic. T - It was bike bling heaven! I could have bought so many things for Mabel here and it took all my strength to not buy a set of blue and white police LEDs for my bike. Maybe when we come back here. Every item you could want for your bike was here. It was incredible! C - The guys at the mechanics were all lovely and we learned that they all have day jobs, and then open the shop in the afternoon, sometimes working through past midnight! I definitely felt that Rosie was in good hands. Dave took us to a wonderful little hotdog and burger joint near his place for dinner and Todd enjoyed the most monstrous hotdog I have ever seen! I had a burger which was pretty damn good too. As we were eating dinner, the mechanics sent Dave through some pics, showing us the inside of Rosie’s stator. What was once copper is now black… so tomorrows plan is to find a new stator, or new parts for the stator, and take it back to the mechanic fit tomorrow evening. Hopefully, Rosie will be as good as new and we will once again have our heated grips to get us through the Patagonian winter! 22 March 2017 T - I do apologise for the lack of photos. Dave who has been our chaperone has advised us against taking the camera out to the places we have been going. And when a local says don't, we don't. We have been in some of the rougher spots of Bogota, and it really has shown. Rubbish piled high in the streets, and shady characters lurking about everywhere. One of these shady areas is where the motorcycle stuff is and today we went back there. We needed to find a stator part for Rosie. We knew we would find one but it required us to go to several shops. Eventually we found two stators. One was a 6 pole stator but no fly wheel and we hoped Rosies old flywheel would fit. We also found the parts to fix her old stator. Woohoo. Total cost for both stators was about $30. Then we went on the hunt for some LED globes to replace ours. We found good quality tail lights, that flashed brightly when braking, super bright headlight globes that only drew 6w vs the 35w of the old ones and we also had a pile of custom stickers made for us. We were missing a few flags from central america. We ended up getting 30 stickers between the 3 of us at a cost of 40 cents each. Bonus! As we were walking towards the exit Dave suggested we get into a nearby shop for a few minutes. Which was a handy stop as Chantelle and I found some new wet weather pants in there. Dave had spied three men who were casing us out and had overheard them say they were going to get a closer look at us around the corner. Not a good thing in these parts. Soon enough though he had an Uber pulling up outside and whisked us away. We took the parts to the mechanic and headed back to Daves place. Hopefully Rosie will be ready tomorrow. 23 March 2017 T - Rosie is ready to be picked up! The nice 6 pole stator wouldn’t fit with the old fly wheel unfortunately, so the mechanic replaced the black copper things with the new shiny ones and away she went. Woohoo! We had to go into another suburb of the city where we renewed our insurance for another month, ours runs out in a few days, and then wandered to another Royal Enfield dealer to drool over the bikes. In Australia they are about $6500, here they are $3700, Cheap! https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0502.jpg?w=640 Then we pretty well chilled out for the rest of the day. Chantelle went and picked her bike up and then the three of us put our stickers on and went out for beers. And so ends our Bogota adventure. Tomorrow we will begin our southward journey again. https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0518.jpg?w=427 https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0523.jpg?w=640 https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0515.jpg?w=640 C - We have been so fortunate to see Bogota with Dave. We definitely saw parts of the city we would not have seen without him and tried local delicacies we would not have otherwise tried. But, it is time to keep moving and we are excited to continue exploring Colombia. So, tomorrow, the journey continues with a fully repaired Rosie who has new stickers, new mirrors, new footpegs, new lights, new stator and her forever plucky attitude!! |
24 March 2017
T - Time to head out of the city. Dave and his mum have been amazing hosts and it was sad to say goodbye. Daves family is truly beautiful and we look forward to meeting them all again in the future! Thanks guys for looking after us!
https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0526.jpg?w=640 C - We left with a firm plan to see Dave again in September and Madre is keen to visit us to Australia one day! Very exciting! https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0537.jpg?w=640 https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0529.jpg?w=640 https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0530.jpg?w=640 T - As we left Daves place the rain was falling. Luckily we had our new waterproof pants and gloves on so we stayed nice and warm and dry. I was loving my new gloves. Ever since we were in Arizona all I had was some $2 gardening gloves that I had bought in Walmart, so these ones seemed like pure luxury in comparison! We had to get onto a major highway to head south and as soon as we did we were stuck in standstill traffic. Trucks and buses sat there all idling away. We snuck our way along through the jam, squeezing up between trucks and buses for kilometre after kilometre. No word of a lie we rode about 7 km of stopped traffic before we reached the end. Then suddenly we were clear. Neither of us sure as to what had caused the blockage. C - The traffic jam was incredible. A lot of people were standing outside their vehicles, chatting away, and vendors were walking up and down the lanes of vehicles selling food and drink. It felt like a lot of these people had been here for hours. This is certainly the bonus of bikes, as we filtered between the standstill traffic for kilometres and kilometres, ducking and weaving our way between the two lanes. Which sometime became three because a vehicle had decided they deserved to squeeze in and create their own lane. It opened up just as we caught sight of a toll booth - the only logic explanation would be that maybe the toll gates were not working for a bit? T - We whizzed along in the pouring rain, climbing higher and higher and then we crested a mountain and began the downhill run. We descended from 2700mts right down to 700mt and then Mabel got a flat. We haven't had flats for a while until recently. Rosie had one the other day and Mabel must have felt left out! We had a spare tube, so Mabels rim came off and I belted the bent bit from Honduras back into shape, found a few loose spokes, and fitted the new tube. I also noticed that the rim had some nasty looking cracks around a lot of the spoke holes. Hopefully it lasts until the bottom. Then it was back on the road. https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0539.jpg?w=640 https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0538.jpg?w=640 https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0542.jpg?w=427 https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0541.jpg?w=640 https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0540.jpg?w=640 We found a hotel in a rather large town and as we were checking in a local stopped in to chat to the receptionist. They definitely had a little spark between them. He, Oscar, invited us out later if we wanted too see the town as both he and the receptionist told us this was a bad bit of town and we shouldn't be out on the street past 7pm. C - Oscar seemed like a nice guy and it was lovely of him to offer to take us out. The hotel receptionist encouraged us to take him up on his offer, saying that she would love to come too, it she didnt have to work. Oscar made a vague plan of coming back to the hotel around 8pm and I do not think either of us thought he would. However, both made it very clear that there were bad men around these parts and we should not wander around on our own after it got dark. We decided that food and bed was good enough for us tonight! T - We had a quick clean up and went out for some food. The town didn't seem to have anything of note in it and was really just a highway town. While we were sitting eating our dinner, Oscar came in the door. He had been out looking for us and the receptionist had told him where we were. He was off to play soccer and wanted us to come with him and his friends. We agreed. The receptionist at our hotel had told Chantelle that Oscar was a good guy and could be trusted. Well, after a crazy drive, Colombian style, we arrived at the town of Chicoral, where the game was to be held. I was promptly given a soccer uniform and told that I was to be the guest player tonight. Errrrr. Hang on. So hurry up and get dressed and get out on the field and warm up. Oh crap. I have never played soccer in my life. Next thing I know I'm standing on the field and the ball is heading my way. I managed to get away with only two kicks even though both teams tried their hardest to get the ball to me. I was always running the wrong way or standing behind someone else. Not on purpose mind you….. C - It was so much fun to watch the game. It was a little local league game, but I have never actually watched soccer in my life. I love watching any kind of sport and got to spend some time cracking up laughing at Todds situation. As you know, team sports has never been high on his interest list! It was great to see him get a couple of kicks and have some fun - both teams were super into it! T - I'm glad we went. It was fun to play a game I don't know, with people yelling at me in a language I can't understand! Thanks guys for the fun night out! Unfortunately we hadn't taken the camera with us so there is no photos of my amazing bend it like Beckham moments. After the game there was lots of handshakes with everyone and then we went back to town and bed. They guys were all very lovely. C - The receptionist warmly greeted us when we arrived, and before she left for the evening, came and gave us her personal number in case we needed anything during our time here. So lovely!!! T - Tomorrow we will head for a little desert south of us, and I promise I will take more pictures. |
25 March 2017
C - We were eager to hit the road today as we were both looking forward to seeing Desierto de la Tatacoa and its little red canyon. But first, Todd wanted to pick up a new cam chain for Mabel as we had spotted a Honda dealer on the way in.
T - Mabes has a little rattle up in the head under load or high RPM. So I will do for her what I can otherwise she will have to wait a while for an overhaul! Im going to try the new cam chain and maybe I will even run her on premium for a bit! She has 40 000 very hard kms on this engine so I am happy to give her a little love. And seeing as it was a Honda dealer I figured they would have a suitable part. C - The Honda dealer was super friendly and we soon had what we needed. Time to hit the highway! https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0545.jpg?w=640 https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0548.jpg?w=640 The best way for us to get to the desert, was to suck it up and spend a day on the highway. So we trudged along and spent the morning sharing the road with lots of trucks and buses. In no time though, we had only 40kms to go and we turned onto a lovely dirt road. This proved to be such fun! The road started out as a fairly good, one lane dirt road and we were soon passing through a very small village where everyone seemed to be out sitting on the pavements chilling out. After the town, the road deteriorated somewhat and we rounded a corner to be confronted with…. A tunnel! T - Not any old tunnel though. This thing was narrow and very tall. Train tunnel! It was all Mabel and I could do to not make woo woo noises as we chugged our way into the darkness. Woo woo Mabel, woo woo! https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0549.jpg?w=427 https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0553.jpg?w=640 https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0555.jpg?w=640 C - The road must follow an old train line and Todd was very excited to be able to ride through the tunnel. As we entered the tunnel, we saw that the whole length of the tunnel was a massive puddle. We dived straight into and the girls were soon creating bow waves to our hoots and laughter. T - The floor of the tunnel was churned up mud and about a foot of water. I couldnt resist giving Mabel a bit of throttle and we screamed through, spraying mud and water every where. If Mabel could have I am sure she would have giggled her red bottom off. https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0556.jpg?w=640 https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....7772.jpg?w=640 https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0563.jpg?w=640 C - After another, longer tunnel, we came across a very unsafe, very long bridge spanning across a river than was angry and raging. Of course, Todd suggested I should go first… It was as little scary as the whole bridge clunked and moved as I rode across. Rosie was a little nervous, with her little eye spying the raging, muddy waters below. T - I felt it was my duty to take a photo of Chantelle as we needed it for our records. It had nothing to do with the fact that the steel plates of the bridge were loose and very thin. As Rosie trundled across I could hear the banging and clattering of the steel as they wobbled and buckled. It was cool and Mabel and I raced across, again making train noises. https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0558.jpg?w=640 https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0560.jpg?w=640 C - Many water crossings later, we were reached a little village and turned back onto bitumen, for the final few kilometres to the desert. https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0564.jpg?w=640 https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0565.jpg?w=640 https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0571.jpg?w=640 https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0572.jpg?w=640 https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0573.jpg?w=427 https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0574.jpg?w=640 We could see the red canyon for a few kilometres, as the road wound down to the rim. The canyon was beautiful, and extremely small. Its amazing that this little red desert exists among the grazing land around it. We took some pics, had a walk and then decided to venture a bit further along the road. Unfortunately, the rest of the desert area was hidden from view by entrepreneurial types who had built large fences and buildings. You can pull into these camps and restaurants to see the desert. For a small fee of course. https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0576.jpg?w=640 https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0579.jpg?w=640 https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0586.jpg?w=640 https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0578.jpg?w=640 Naturally, we did not stop! As it was still only lunchtime, we decided to push on further to the town of Neiva before we stopped for the evening. https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0588.jpg?w=640 https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0786.jpg?w=640 https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0787.jpg?w=640 As we approached Neiva, we realised it was a big and very busy city. Nope! Not for us! We pushed on, with the GPS navigating us to San Agustin. It was not long before we spotted a cheerful little truckers hotel with a restaurant attached. We pulled in and after checking out the rooms, I decided it was the place for us tonight. T - These bigger cities are crazy! There is way more bikes in them and the riders just swerve in and out of fast moving buses while texting, looking at us, or chatting to their pillion passengers. Its nuts! At one point a bus shot past me and then immediately decided he needed to pull over to the curb and just swerved straight in towards me. I was very much unimpressed and gave him a good dose of Mabels horn. Not that he noticed because he was texting away madly. https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0592.jpg?w=640 C - After Todd had started unpacking the bikes, he asked how much it cost. When I told him, he made me go and double check with the girl that the cost was for a whole night, and not just a few hours (a lot of hotels here rent rooms for a few hours at a time - I am sure you can imagine why!). After buying a few drinks and ‘casually’ bringing it up, she definitely confirmed that it was a whole night. Guess how much? Precisely $6.21US. Seriously! And more, the room was super duper clean, the bed comfy and it had a working fan. We ate a huge and delicious meal in their restaurant, where we each had a meat and cheese stuffed arepa, soup, a full plate of pork, veges and rice, a beer, juice and waters for the same price as the room!! Truckers stops are certainly great value in Colombia. Tomorrow, we are hoping to reach San Agustin to visit the Parque Arqueologica. |
26 March 2017
T - The trucker stop was brilliant! Cheap, warm, quiet and comfortable. The added bonus was that there was a great coffee stop right next door too.
https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0593.jpg?w=427 Today we were off to the town of San Agustin where there is a pile of old carved statues dating back to times before the Spanish came. Our route today was all highway. But it wasn't too bad. By the time we were settled into our ride the heavens had opened up and the rain was falling steadily. We chugged along, passing tons and tons of landslides and crossing massive raging rivers. The rain was certainly doing some damage! A few smaller towns we passed through had recently built massive levees around the towns so Im guessing they were expecting a lot of water at some point. https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0595.jpg?w=640 https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0597.jpg?w=640 https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0598.jpg?w=640 https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0600.jpg?w=427 C - It was quite amazing to see the sheer number of landslides and the size of these slides. Most of the them coming down straight down on the highway, or in some cases behind peoples houses. Yet, the traffic was left to continue through, dodging the debris along the way. A number of times, Todd and I both decided to zip a little quicker past them as it certainly looked like there was possibility for more slides - particularly with the ongoing rain. T - We eventually turned off the main highway and headed west towards San Agustin. Then Mabel went and got herself another flat tyre. Weird. I couldn't find anything in the tyre as to what may have made it go down. We had no spare tubes left so Chantelle went up the road a little and found one. The mechanic she bought it from charged a ridiculous amount for the tube, but needs must and soon Mabel was back together and we were off again. The town of San Agustin was a busy and pretty little place and we had a wander around while we stuffed ourselves with meat on a stick and some coca tea before retiring for the night. A pretty uneventful day today. https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0788.jpg?w=640 https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0789.jpg?w=640 https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0791.jpg?w=640 https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0790.jpg?w=640 https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0792.jpg?w=640 Tomorrow we will go to the nearby museum and check out the old statues. |
27 March 2017
T - Off to the statues today! Some of them are over 2000 years old! We had a wander through the museum and then out into the jungle where the statues are standing. Not much is known about the people who carved them or dug the tombs here. By the time the Spaniards arrived and began exploring the area the people who created them had already gone.
C - I enjoyed the park and find it fascinating that so little is known about the culture who left them here. Some of the statues are near tombs, but some are just distributed throughout the jungle. It was cool! https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0803.jpg?w=640 https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0605.jpg?w=640 https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0796.jpg?w=640 https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0801.jpg?w=640 https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0806.jpg?w=640 https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0608.jpg?w=640 T - Then it was time to head out. We wanted to get to the town of Mocoa today. It is near the start of Colombias own Death Road. A 63km section of dirt road high in the mountains that has claimed a few lives over the years. Again our only option was down the highway. We made good time as we pretty much had the road to ourselves. Towards the end we climbed a fair way up some mountains and then zipped down the other side along a mostly deserted road. It was a blast! https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0610.jpg?w=640 https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0613.jpg?w=640 https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0613.jpg?w=640 The road deteriorated in parts and again we saw massive landslides and water damage everywhere. The scenery though was incredible! https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0611.jpg?w=640 https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0612.jpg?w=427 The town of Mocoa had nothing to offer us so we bunkered down in our room with some biscuits and some TV. Tomorrow we are going to ride the Devils Trampoline and hope to make it through to Ipiales, which is the point at which we will cross into Ecuador. |
28 March 2017
T - The Devils Trampoline. Death Road. Goodbye My Life. These are the three common names for todays ride. How could we not be excited by that?! We were up early as we weren't sure as to how long the gravel section might take us. We had heard of anything from 3 hours to 8 hours.
C - I have read a little bit about this road and was somewhat nervous about the traffic conditions. What I have read seemed to indicated that it was a super busy road - knowing how the traffic behaves on highways here, I thought for sure the traffic on this road would be no different. Except it was reportedly a mostly single lane road, in poor condition, with few barriers and a VERY big straight drop to certain death if one makes a mistake on a small, red Honda motorbike. Adios, mi vida!!! https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0614.jpg?w=640 https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0615.jpg?w=640 https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0616.jpg?w=640 T - We rode out of town and soon the bitumen ended and the rough rough gravel road started. It was damn rough. Massive rocks poked up through the surface of the loose gravel and dirt. The road began to wind back and forth and climbed and climbed. At some points the road narrowed to just one lane and we had a few heart stopping meetups with other vehicles on some of these. Generally we were able to squeeze up against the cliff face so the car could pass. The taxi buses though drove like maniacs. Never slowing down, never giving an inch of space. Many of our encounters with them on this road left us shaking our heads. https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0617.jpg?w=640 https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0618.jpg?w=640 https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0619.jpg?w=640 C - The road started out super rough, our little bikes bouncing, slamming and jamming across the rocks. But after some time, it smoothed out a little. I was also pleasantly surprised at the behaviour of the traffic. Firstly, there wasn’t nearly as much as I expected - there was occasional traffic, not the constant stream I expected. Secondly, all but the taxis and buses were very well behaved. Waiting patiently for others in the single lane bits and allowing plenty of room for others to pass. The road too was in far better condition than I expected - far better than most of the gravel/dirt roads we have done in Colombia so far. It was such an enjoyable experiences and the scenery… my, oh my.. Colombia sure knows how to make your heart ache. The beauty is indescribable. https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0622.jpg?w=640 https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0624.jpg?w=640 https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0623.jpg?w=640 T - The road was gorgeous. The views were endless and the scenery to die for! We splashed through river crossings, saw countless waterfalls and rode into gigantic valleys like I have never seen. A truly remarkable experience! We had been expecting the worse on this road as it has quite the reputation of being dangerous. Even the Australian Government has put a “Do not travel warning” on this whole area, bandits, drugs, the FARC etc. Which meant we had to be extra careful as our travel insurance didn't cover us for a while today. https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0625.jpg?w=640 https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0627.jpg?w=640 https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0629.jpg?w=640 https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0630.jpg?w=640 https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0633.jpg?w=640 It was totally worth it though. There was a heap of police checkpoints on the road and we saw 4 ambulances travelling back and forth, presumably business is good at times here. Definitely a drive worth doing! https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0636.jpg?w=640 https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0637.jpg?w=640 https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0640.jpg?w=640 https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0638.jpg?w=640 https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0645.jpg?w=427 C - It was an adventure bikers dream! Enough risk to to meet the adventure component, a great dirt road complete with mandatory water crossings and scenery to die for. What more can two incompetent wanderers ask for! https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0807.jpg?w=640 We hit bitumen in the small pueblo of San Francisco where our tummies told us it was definitely lunch time. It took us nearly three and half hours to ride the 70km from Mocoa and we spotted a little cafe where we gorged on the famous Comida Corriente, today it was vege and pasta soup followed by fried chicken, rice, salad, yukka and tomate de arbol juice. Yummo! T - Once we returned to bitumen we resumed our march towards Ipiales. The road here was every bikers dream. Sharp twists back and forth. Alot of heavy use of the front brakes, even on our little posties, as some of the corners came fast and sharp. There wasn't a straight section for about 10 kms and Mabel and I raced along having a blast! C - Todd and I were laughing at the nature of todays ride. Such a wonderful dirt section, followed by every bikers dream bitumen road. Amazing. The only down side for us, is we climbed, climbed, climbed. We reached well above 3000mtrs before we started our descent. https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0646.jpg?w=640 T - Then the rain came down. Hard. We could barely see out of our visors and then to add to that we had a light hammering of hail. Nice. It was at this time that Mabel again got a flat tyre. Again Mabel? So after dismantling the whole thing, patching the tube and putting her back together we rode on. Again I was unable to find anything that had pierced the tube. Nothing. There was no jagged bits on the rim, nothing. 20 kms up the road and it was Rosies turn to have a flat tyre. Sigh. So we pulled her apart where I fould a slim sliver of steel poking through the tyre and into her tube, plus the tyre valve had snapped in half. I went to pump the tube up so we could find the leak to patch it but our 12volt pump suddenly would not pump any air. Luckily we have a backup manual pump but it is almost useless and takes about an hour to get air into the tyre. We had just passed through a town about 5 kms back though so we figured that maybe we could strap Rosies flat tyre onto Mabel and Chantelle would ride back to the town and get it fixed. As Chantelle got onto Mabel we noticed Mabels rim was flat on the ground. She too had another flat. What the hell! So we had two bikes with flats, no pump that would enable us to fix the leaks and we were 5kms from a town. In the end we put about 20psi into each tyre with our very shit hand pump and rapidly rode the 5ks back to town where we had new tubes put into each wheel and our holed tubes patched up. It was starting to get late by now, 6pm, and we really wanted to get to Ipiales which was only 40kms away. C - It was getting dark and cold (we were still at 3000mtrs) and we had been riding for 10hrs. We were hungry and ready for a hot shower!! We just couldn't believe having 3 flats in the space of an hour! We figured we must of run through a patch of something on the road? T - Finally we were back on the road as the sun went down. But we were again making forward progress. Yay! That was until Mabels rear went flat again. We had travelled a mere 20 kms. This was a brand new tube and the tyre guy had checked her over. Something really seemed amiss here. We crouched on the side of the road in the dark, using a head torch between us we pulled her tyre off and put one of the patched tubes back in and pumped it up to around 20psi with our pump. Oh I was so over this. I had a really good look at her tyre and rim and again could find no reason for the flat. I was at the end of my patience with this now. We limped our way into Ipiales in the dark and to our hotel. It was the longest ride of my life. C - We arrived at the hotel at 7.30pm and thankfully they had a room and secure parking. We both noticed the elevation when walking our gear up what felt like a million sets of stairs! We finished checking in and asked about where to get food. The hotel told us under no circumstances should we leave the hotel now, it was too dangerous outside, so they ordered us food to the room. What arrived was delicious vege soup, roast chicken, rice, salad and chips. We downed the food and drifted off to sleep after a day filled with extreme delight and extreme frustration! T - Tomorrow I will be taking Mabel to a tyre place and having them try to find what is wrong. I taped the inside of the rim up with silver “Go Fast” tape just in case there was a sliver of rust or steel that was slicing the tubes up. Hopefully they can fix whatever it is. Also her rattle in the top end is getting worse but it is only there when she is really warm. Anyone have any thoughts on what that might be? |
29 March 2017
Not a single photo today!
C - We decided to spend two nights in Ipiales so we could get Mabels rear tyre sorted. Neither of us were keen to repeat the three flats in 60km again! Unfortunately, Ipiales is a standard border town and a little uninspiring, but there were tons and tons of motorcycle accessory and repair stores here, so we knew we would find the right tyre guy. T - Poor Mabes. She is miserable with her rear tyre going flat all the time. C - As we were leaving the hotel to go and find Mr Right Tyre Guy, we bumped into Dylan, a fellow Aussie who is riding around the world with his brother Lawson, both on DR650’s. Obviously, we had to chat to these guys, who have come from Australia, through Europe, south through Africa and are now working their way north from Argentina. Its always nice to meet other bikers, but particularly Aussies! After lunch, we found Mr Right and in no time had diagnosed Mabels problem. A small, strange wear mark in the sidewall of the tyre. The small patch is very coarse to touch and obviously with the right friction, it has been wearing holes in the tubes. After putting in a new tube, lining the inside of the tyre with an old tube and repairing a tube, Mabel was ready to go. This cost us $2! A quick visit to another shop for a new battery for Mabel and then a bicycle store to get a new manual pump for any future flats and we were ready for our next country - Ecuador! T - I have really loved Colombia and I know the minute we stamp out that I am going to miss it terribly. Definately we will be coming back here. I hear houses are reasonably cheap to buy……. C - It was quite late by the time we returned to the hotel, so we stopped by the supermarket and picked up some beer and snacks for dinner, then spent the remainder of the evening warm and tucked up in the hotel room. Tomorrow, we head to Las Lajas and then onto Ecuador. |
30 March 2017
C - Today, we were both sad and excited to be leaving Colombia and entering Ecuador. We are getting closer to the equator, which is exciting, but leaving Colombia was going to be difficult.
https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0648.jpg?w=640 First though, we rode out to Las Lajas, a gothic revival style basilica built above a river. It was really beautiful and thankfully we beat the hordes to tourists! After wandering around, we enjoyed a yummy breakfast and then set ourselves on course to the frontera. https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0649.jpg?w=640 https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0650.jpg?w=640 https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0653.jpg?w=427 https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0654.jpg?w=640 https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0658.jpg?w=640 T - The church was pretty spectacular. Built right into the ravine where the river flowed. It had a million bloody steps to get to it though and at 2800mt above sea level it made my lungs scream! Colombia has made me fat and unfit with its kindness and amazing food. Well I guess its now time to say goodbye Colombia. I will miss you! https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0662.jpg?w=640 https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0659.jpg?w=640 https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0664.jpg?w=640 C - We were processed out from Colombia in a matter of minutes and then joined the queue to enter Ecuador. We had to wait about a half an hour to get our immigration stamps, then what felt like forever to get our bikes imported. The border had a far less chaotic feel it since we left the USA and it was all very orderly and calm. T - The border was so very chilled out. It was also strange for us to not have to make 17 000 copies of every document we had like in Central America! C - Our plan today was reach Otavalo, 155km from the border, straight down the PanAm Highway. The highway was in great condition and the views were stunning! It wasnt long before we were stopping to put on our wet weather gear, but thankfully we seemed to stay out of the worse of the black, black clouds. https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0668.jpg?w=640 https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0676.jpg?w=640 https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0672.jpg?w=640 https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0671.jpg?w=640 The scenery along the ride was completely stunning. Breathtaking. Deep valleys, moody clouds draping themselves over high mountain peaks and the sides of the mountains were different shades of agricultural green. B-e-a-utiful! T - Oh wow. Ecuador! The mountains here seemed bare of any vegetation and I liked it! There was a real rawness to the beauty. Its looking promising for sure! Mabel isnt really enjoying the long slow 3rd gear marches up the mountains though. They are pretty damn steep. https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0675.jpg?w=640 https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0677.jpg?w=640 https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0679.jpg?w=640 https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0674.jpg?w=640 C - We reached Otavalo and after some meandering, found a nice little hotel near the main square. https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0809.jpg?w=640 https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0812.jpg?w=640 https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0813.jpg?w=640 https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0816.jpg?w=480 https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0817.jpg?w=640 Tomorrow, we plan to head into Quito and will perhaps reach Mitad del Mundo - the middle of the world! |
31 March 2017
T - The middle of the world beckoned us! A monument set up just north of Quito marked the equator where it ran through Ecuador. That was our first place on the list to visit. So we packed our gear and donned our wet weather clothes. It had been raining all night and it was still drizzling out.
https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0698.jpg?w=427 https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0696.jpg?w=640 We sat on the Pan Am again as we climbed up over 3000mts. The rain started to come down quite hard and there was water flowing everywhere! The road was pretty, well we assume it was as we couldn't see very much thanks to low clouds, and we made decent time even though our average speed was hovering around the 40km/hr mark. C - It was only 90km to Mitad del Mundo and despite sitting on the PanAm, it was not a bad ride. The road was quite busy with trucks and buses though and the views obscured with low cloud. The day did not warm up for us, as we climbed from 2500mt up to over 3000mt. The entire ride was spent in the rain, and we were both starting to feel a little chilled by the time we got to Mitad del Mundo. Luckily, we have a few more layers yet to add to the riding gear, as it is going to get much colder yet. T - I was surprised to see we had entered Quito, the nation's capital, quite some time before we got to the equator. The city was sprawled out quite some distance from its centre. Wetly we pulled into a drenched carpark and wandered into the Centre of the World City that had been built around the equator monument. https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0689.jpg?w=640 https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0692.jpg?w=640 https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0693.jpg?w=640 We took a few photos of the yellow painted line that marked the equator and had a short wander round the place. We were wet and cold and really keen to find a place with a hot shower where we could dry off and warm up. So off into the city we went. C - It was exciting to reach the Equator! We are officially now in the Southern Hemisphere for the first time since we left Sydney a year ago. The Ciudad Mitad del Mundo is a really a tourist gimmick, and actually not really on the equator line (its slightly off at 0.002 something), but we took some shots of the monument and enjoyed the moment. We have now reached the Top of the World (Alaska) and the Middle of the World - now to reach our goal of End of the World at Ushuaia in Argentina. https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0685.jpg?w=427 https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0684.jpg?w=427 https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0690.jpg?w=640 T - We had decided to stay in the old town part of the city as we had heard that Quito is a bit of a dodgy place to be. The old town was quite pretty and we had a nice wander around before calling it a day. Our hostel comes equipped with a kitchen so Chantelle was very excited to cook our dinner tonight! https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0823.jpg?w=640 https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0824.jpg?w=640 https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0825.jpg?w=640 https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0826.jpg?w=640 With full bellies and a few glasses of our leftover Panama rum we were soon struggling to stay awake. https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0704.jpg?w=640 https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0705.jpg?w=640 https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0707.jpg?w=640 https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0706.jpg?w=640 Tomorrow we head further south. |
You two have a lucky sense of timing. The town of Mocoa, which you visited few days ago, was hit heavilly with floods and avalanches last night. More than 120 ppl died.
Colombia president declares state of emergency as flood claims 127 |
Quote:
|
1 April 2017
T - We were up before anyone else it seemed today. Ecuadorians seem to be late risers with nothing much happening until 10am and later. We were hoping to do around 250kms of riding today as Chantelle found a little loop just south of here that would take us to see a lake in an old volcano.
We had to do a little Pan Am to get there though but it didn't seem to take us long before we were on a quite narrow road threading our way into the hills. The scenery out here was incredible! We were already quite high up, around 3000mts above sea level, and numerous mountain peaks loomed up in front of us, many of them with a patchwork of greens and browns on them from farming plots. How the hell do the people farm on such steep slopes here? https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0708.jpg?w=640 https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0710.jpg?w=640 https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0709.jpg?w=640 C - Ecuador is definitely up there as one of the most scenic countries we have been through. The endless green mountains and valleys, with the clouds moodily hanging off of the mountain tops - it has been beautiful. And the riding today proved to be wonderful as well, as we wound up and down mountains and into valleys with every type of corner imaginable! https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0711.jpg?w=427 https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0712.jpg?w=640 https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0716.jpg?w=640 https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0713.jpg?w=640 https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0717.jpg?w=640 T - The road was quite a bit of fun for us, the start of it seemed to be brand new bitumen, covered in recent landslides, washed out sections, and fast cornering fun! Well right up until Mabel got herself another….yep, flat tyre. This is really getting on my tits now. I know there is something in the tyre that is causing these flats. I mark the tyre and the tube before removing them from the rim but I can never find what it is that is causing the flats. Until today. https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0722.jpg?w=427 We sat on the side of the road and had a really good long look at the tyre. I found several very thin, barely discernable slivers of staples hidden in the tread blocks. None seemed to stick through to the tube but they hinted at the fact that there could be more in the tyre. In the end we removed 5 staple pieces and one chunk of broken glass. Hopefully that's it! https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0724.jpg?w=640 The road turned to mud in a few places where the bitumen was yet to be poured. One of these spots had a stream that flowed over the road. With the recent rains it had gouged a small dip in the road which was deep enough to cover our engines as we rode through! It was fun but I wasn't fast enough to get the camera out before Chantelle splashed through. https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0715.jpg?w=640 https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0718.jpg?w=640 https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0720.jpg?w=640 https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0721.jpg?w=640 https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0726.jpg?w=640 C - I noticed the water was nearly up to Mabels panniers at one point, but did not think too much about it before I plunged into the freezing cold stream. I was a little surprised when Rosies front end dipped down into a hole and the water came well above my feet. Rosie plugged on forward and climbed out and back onto the muddy road! It was a little bit fun! T - The road wound up and up and soon we we standing at the edge of the lake. It was very pretty up there. But the wind was damn cold! The bikes did well but poor Mabes was back to 2nd and 1st gear for quite a while on some of the climbs. We topped out at just under 3900mts! https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0729.jpg?w=640 https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0727.jpg?w=640 https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0732.jpg?w=640 We continued on riding until we made it to a small town near the highway for the night. It was a quiet little place with a beautiful little square and some great food! https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0736.jpg?w=640 https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0739.jpg?w=640 https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0746.jpg?w=640 https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0747.jpg?w=640 https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0748.jpg?w=640 https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0832.jpg?w=640 https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0830.jpg?w=640 https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0828.jpg?w=640 Tomorrow we head down into the Amazon Basin for a while as we head south. We are making up a plan to tackle Peru and think we will likely drive through most of it as quickly as we can. The flooding there has caused some major damage and we don't want to be those tourists who rock up and take photos of people's lives in ruins. |
2 April 2017
T - The Amazon. Just hearing that word conjures up images of thick green jungle, unique wildlife, and undiscovered tribes. And we were going to ride our postie there! Ambassadors for the little red bikes!
We donned our wet weather gear as the skies were grey and threatening and headed out. To Mabels relief much of the going was down hill. We started at 3000mts and just kept on dropping. The highway took us down the sides of mountains, through long, long unventilated tunnels and deposited us into a much warmer and delightfully humid jungle. https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....5271.jpg?w=640 https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....5251.jpg?w=640 C - The downhill run all morning was very welcoming for the poor posties and we descended over 2000mtrs before reaching the upper level of the Ecuadorian Amazon Basin. T - The plants were so vividly green and even though the clouds hung low and ominous, the rain held off. We pretty well had this road to ourselves, which was quite nice. It was smooth bitumen with nice long sweeping corners and as we dropped below 1000mts both bikes got back to their full bone crunching 7 or 8 hp. https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0752.jpg?w=640 https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0753.jpg?w=640 https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0754.jpg?w=640 We whizzed along, enjoying the jungle, though we couldn't see much as it was super thick right up to the edge of the road. I quite like the jungle. I like the fact that it hides so many secrets just meters in from its edge. As I admired the greenery and wetness of it all old mate Mabel decided that air in her rear tyre was just too much, and she let it all out. Again. That's it. Time for a new tyre. I have had a guts full Mabel! We took the tyre off and checked it in the hopes of finding a shard of something sticking through. Nope. The hole was in the same spot as all the other tubes that had gone flat, and again we checked the tyre over carefully. We found yet another piece of staple in the area where the tube keeps getting holed. Maybe this was the one, but I don't care. I'm getting a new tyre. Rosies flat the other day also was caused by a shard of staple so we have both run through a patch of them at some point. C - After threatening Mabel with a one way trip into the jungle should she feel the need to deflate one more tyre today, we packed up our bits and pieces and prepared to hit the road again. I am not entirely sure Mabel, or Todd, was convinced of this threat. https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0756.jpg?w=640 T - Tyre inflated, we headed on. We planned on stopping in the town of Macas today and I hoped Mabels tyre would stay up for the 95kms we had to cover to get there. Being a Sunday most places are closed here in Ecuador so our chances of buying and fitting a new tyre today are slim to none. https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0755.jpg?w=640 https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0741.jpg?w=640 In the end we made it with no more flats. Every time the tyre goes down it has been after some fairly nice corners and I suspect the tyre gets warm and soft and allows the piece of whatever to squeeze out of the tyre a little and pierce the tubes. Bloody thing! So Mabel and I now have to corner like adults which leaves both of us sulking as it is mine and Mabels favourite thing to do. Tomorrow we get a tyre and start making our way towards the border crossing into Peru. |
You would be getting that fast at changing a tyre now Todd, you could get a job on a Formula One team when you retire from travelling :scooter::innocent:
|
Quote:
|
2 April 2017
T - Maybe we were being a little ambitious today, but we planned on a long riding day. Our destination was just inside the Andes mountains 390 kms away. It doesnt sound like much but since the US we have struggled to do much over 250kms. The traffic, the roads or the hills have always slowed us down.
This area of Ecuador in the Amazon Basin was fairly low down in altitude, under 1000 meters, and the road seemed to stay fairly level. So after grabbing a new tyre for Mabel and fitting it up we were off. We wound through the jungle which petered out and became farmland. It was pretty enough and we has some nice views ut for some reason both of us felt the ride today was not as exciting as it had been. https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....4/DSC00836.jpg https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....4/DSC00757.jpg The road seemed to go on forever and the kms ticked by so slowly. Then Chantelle started to feel like Rosies front end was sliding around under braking and all sorts of weird vibrations were coming up through the handlebars. We had a look and found two loose engine mounts, and loose crash bar bolts. After tightening these up the vibrations seemed to dissipate some but Rosies front end was all weird. Again we stopped and checked the spokes, tyre pressures, etc. It was by pure chance that I happened to notice that Rosie was missing a crucial nut on her steering. The top nut that holds the bars down to the triple clamp that everything attached to was gone. No wonder the front end was moving around everywhere. With just two skinny bolts holding the bars to her shocks we limped along for 20kms until we found a bike mechanic. For $2 he fitted and torqued down a brand new nut and we were back on the road. https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....4/DSC00763.jpg https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....4/DSC00762.jpg https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....4/DSC00761.jpg https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....4/DSC00760.jpg https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....4/DSC00838.jpg Finally we started to climb back into the mountains, much to Mabels disgust. We had 60kms to go to the town of Loja and it was all uphill. 2nd and 3rd gear for km after km. The road was pretty amazing but it was frigging steep! With 20 kms to go we were at 2800mt and the road still went up. https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....4/DSC00762.jpg https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....4/DSC00766.jpg https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....4/DSC00764.jpg https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....4/DSC00771.jpg https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....4/DSC00769.jpg Eventually though the bikes got some respite and we sailed downhill the last 10kms and into town. https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....4/DSC00841.jpg https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....4/DSC00844.jpg https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....4/DSC00845.jpg Tomorrow we plan to head to the Peruvian border and will cross the day after. |
4 April 2017
C - Our room included breakfast today, so after a feast of bread, cheese, eggs, juice, coffee and some weird but delicious peanut bread type thing, we packed up and jumped on the road!
We were heading to the Ecuadorian border town of Huaquillas with a plan of crossing into Peru tomorrow. Our only task today was sit on the highway, E50, all the way to the border town. The ride was pleasant with fun, twisty roads through the mountains for the first 100km. Again, the views were stunning and before we knew it, it was lunch time and we were beginning the long descent to sea level. https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....4/DSC00774.jpg https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....4/DSC00775.jpg The girls thoroughly enjoyed their lengthy downhill run! At one point, we came across a LONG line of cars on the highway. Thank goodness for motos! We zip in and out of the parked cars, making our way all the way to the front of the line, where we witnessed an excavator cleaning a large pile of debris from the road. The line of traffic in both directions was about a kilometer long and boy, did they start to get a bit antsy. Lots of hooting and yelling going on! https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....4/DSC00778.jpg https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....4/DSC00777.jpg https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....4/DSC00772.jpg After a few minutes, the excavator driver began to maneuver the machine off of the road, obviously to allow some traffic to go through. The car in front of us began to aggressively try to push past the digger. I have no idea why - it was really obvious the digger was moving out of the way and then they would let traffic through. But this dude just couldn't wait. The excavator driver was understandably unhappy and the two spent the next five minutes, parked dead still, screaming at each other. What a tool! We passed through the debris zone and then past all the cars parked in the opposite direction. We rounded a bend to find a large truck parked awkwardly across the entire road, with the smell of locked up brakes hanging in the air. Because there were zero safety signs anywhere, this poor trucky has come around the corner, most likely at or above the 60km/hr speed limit, and then packed himself (I am just guessing this) at seeing the rear end of a big bus stopped dead in the road! Once the trucky had cleaned himself up and moved his truck, we were back on our way! The air temperature slowly increased and Todd and I were both struck by the contrast of the blue, blue sky and the green, green landscape. Pretty well our entire week in Ecuador has been spent under cloud, so this was the first time we had witnessed this. Just beautiful! The humidity increased too, much to our delight and we eventually rolled into town at the very reasonable hour of 2pm. We checked into a hotel and then went for a wander! https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....4/DSC00849.jpg https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....4/DSC00850.jpg Tomorrow, comes Peru. This is something we are both uncertain about. The feeling of being a ‘tourist’ in a country which is recovering from a large scale emergency does not sit well with me. I guess we will only know once we cross how we will approach the country. If we feel it is not the right time to travel Peru as a tourist, we will stick to the main highway and march on through, with a view to returning in the future sometime. Wait and see game I guess! |
Street dogs of Latin America
T - Those of you who have been following Chantelle and I along on our blog will no doubt have seen the odd picture of street dogs show up. Ever since we crossed the border from the USA into Mexico we have seen many of these little souls, and more often than not they have had the potential to break our hearts.
https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....3/DSC00662.jpg Every day we are confronted with tens of animals wandering the street, sniffing for food or just some love and a scratch. Or sometimes they come out of the bush snarling with teeth bared and chase us down the road their only reward a few shrieks from us and the occasional piece of boot leather of postie bike footpeg. https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....3/DSC00213.jpg I love sitting in a cafe and scratching the dogs as they come over, I know they are hoping for food and on occasion I will sneak them a little piece of whatever it I am eating. Most of the time though the staff will whistle at them and shoo them away. https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....3/DSC00211.jpg We have fallen in love with so many of the street dogs, from Lola in Mexico who refused to leave Chantelles side in Mexico and actually slept against her through the tent, to the ones we didn't name. The ugly ones with bits of fur missing and the tiny little fluffy puppies. All of them we have wanted to take home and give them an easy life. https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....1/DSC08008.jpg The ones that break us though are the ones who themselves are broken. Twisted legs from being hit by cars, trucks or bikes, the super skinny ones with every rib and vertebrae showing, the ones missing eyes, or covered in fat sores. They are the ones that make us feel sad. https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....1/DSC07970.jpg One time Chantelle and I saw a dog laying in a drain in Guatemala. It had been hit by a car and was in a really bad way. There was no way it could have survived, but as we rode past we saw it laying there, still moving, life slowly ebbing away, its face full of fear and confusion and there was nothing either of us could do but to cry silently into our helmets as it died. Life is so cruel at times. Just today we could barely watch as a very skinny greyhound walked past, every second or third step she would break out into a strange convulsion that ran from her swollen back hips right to the tip of her nose. We could count every bone in her body, she was that skinny. Yet when I clicked at her with my tounge hoping she might come over, she gave me a wag and a grin before she twitched and flicked on down the road. Oh my heart. It hurt. https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0/DSC06670.jpg Chantelle and I were discussing this and how we feel this way towards these poor stray dogs, we want to feed them and hold them, show them some love and give them a safe place to be. And yet, when we are confronted by a beggar or a homeless person we don’t show them the same empathy. Instead we feel annoyed and “targeted” as the white tourist. And that makes me feel ashamed. I don’t know what this says about us. Some people may think we are bad, others maybe not so much. To me a life is a life. I can only think that the animals get to me more because they can’t ask for help in words, when they are hurt they can’t get help, an ambulance doesn’t show up and bandage them. They just have to get on with it or they die. https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0/DSC06635.jpg I tried to prepare myself mentally for the street dogs way before we crossed into Mexico, and so far I have dealt with it ok, except for the few times when I feel that hurt blossom in my heart and I struggle to get it locked down before it spills over. Chantelle on the other hand never thought too much about it before Mexico and it hits her hard every time. I can tell by the silence on the communicator when she feels her pain, or the gasps through the earphones in my helmet when she spies a savagely skinny dog, or the swearing when she sees a car driver swerve in the direction of a puppy on the side of the road. Personally, I’ll never forget the day we had to ride away from a lonely cold beach in Baja Mexico and I listened to Chantelle weep as we left Lola behind. https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....0/DSC06708.jpg While we know how lucky we are to be able to do this ride, and every day we say to each other just how thankful we are, we do feel for those less fortunate than us, including the animals. Animals have souls too and they deserve better than some of them get. What is the answer to this problem? I don’t know. Instead I shall ride on, take photos of these stray souls and sneak them tidbits from my plate when I can. |
5 April 2017
T - Peru!! We tried to research the border crossing last night, but there is very little solid information on it. It appears that Ecuador and Peru have combined some border stations but we weren't sure. All we could tell was that we might be in for a bit of a wait.
First we had to cancel the Temporary Imports for our bikes. This was done at the incoming part of the border on the Ecuador side. But only this and only in one spot. We over shot this place and ended up in Peru without any stamps or exits. So back to Ecuador we went. https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....4/DSC00779.jpg C - It was ridiculously confusing! After asking a security guard and a cleaner we ended up in the wrong Aduana office and finally got shown the right window to go to. I am sure what the three employees did with our import papers, but it took about 20 mins to get them back with one additional stamp on each one. This set the tone for the day! T - Then it was into the border station inside Peru where we had to get our exit stamp for Ecuador and our entry stamp for Peru, plus our TIP for the bikes. Ugh. This was by far the crappiest border crossing for us. Worse than any of the Central American ones, simply because it took so bloody long. We stood in line at the immigration section for over 2.5 hours just to get stamped out of Ecuador. The process was so long. Then we were stamped into Peru and 20 minutes later we had the import permits for our bikes. Normally Customs takes the longest not immigration. https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....4/DSC00780.jpg https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....4/DSC00781.jpg C - The waiting in line actually got painful! There was a security guard and a police woman who had very different ideas how the line should work. We would obey what the security guard would say, just to have to do the very opposite when the police woman came back. I was a little frustrated! T - We had to purchase insurance and being as we weren't sure how long it would take us to do Peru we opted for two months at a whopping $55 each bike! Holy crap that's expensive. Cars are only $70 for three months. We were free to go after that and soon we were heading to a camping spot for the night just 70 odd kms up the road and right near a beach. Lovely! https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....4/DSC00789.jpg https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....4/DSC00788.jpg At the camp ground we met another couple with their kids who are coming up from the south. They told us that the inland roads are bad and the further we go into the mountains the worse they get. Some roads are deep mud for days with many trucks making the roads worse and worse. Apparently the Pan Am is the best way south and that may even fall apart if Peru gets more rain. So we have made the sad decision to make tracks south. Apparently once we get to Lima there is almost no flood damage on the coast or in the mountains. So that is our focus for the next week or two. We need to cover around 2500kms to Cusco and Machu Pichu which is way down in the south. Luckily we are returning to this section of the world otherwise we would be sorely disappointed. https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....4/DSC00790.jpg https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....4/DSC00791.jpg https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....4/DSC00795.jpg https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....4/DSC00796.jpg C - Driving from the border, we saw some evidence of the flooding, but it obviously wasnt so bad up this way. https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....DSC00836-1.jpg Once we arrived at the camp site, we met a very lovely Peruvian Hairless dog called ‘Oso’ (Bear). He came and hung out with us whilst we set the tent up and then we played fetch with him, before we watched him attempt to dig to the centre of the earth! https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....4/DSC00803.jpg https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....4/DSC00799.jpg https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....4/DSC00798.jpg https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....4/DSC00797.jpg https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....4/DSC00819.jpg https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....DSC00832-1.jpg T - Tomorrow we are going to try to knock out 300 plus kms, maybe even 400 if the going is easy. |
6 April 2017
C - After talking with some overlanders who came from the south of Peru last night, we decided we would miss the northern highlands and head straight down the PanAm Highway towards Lima, where we will, hopefully, be able to enter the mountains.
Neither of us were particularly inspired by this. We whinge about it enough for everyone to know we do not like sitting on highways, day in and day out. Our mission so far has been to ride as little of the PanAmerican Highway as possible! We were not particularly excited about this, but realise that it is really the most sensible option at this time. With a lot of kilometres to do before Lima, we decided to push through as far as we could today. Our going this morning was pretty easy where the PanAm was straight, relatively smooth (there was more tarmac than potholes) and little traffic early in the morning. https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....DSC00844-1.jpg By the time we stopped for lunch, we only had 60km to go to Piura (250km from our starting point) and thought it might be possible to push on further. But, we said the magic words “we have been maintaining a pretty good speed this morning”. https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....DSC00845-1.jpg After lunch, you can guess what happened! We knew that Piura had suffered in the floods, and within a few kilometres of leaving our lunch spot, the road became more potholes than bitumen and was extremely bumpy, slow going and VERY dusty. Needless to say, the next 20km took us nearly 40mins and we knew we were not going to make it any further than Piura today. We pushed on and by 3pm, we were checked into a nice little hotel in the centre of Piura. The ride in revealed the flood damage, with some of the city streets covered in mud which is VERY stinky. Pity we could not save some that stink to share with you all!!! https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....DSC00847-1.jpg All the shops in the centre of town still have their sandbags at the ready and the ones around the town square seemed to be all shut and without power. Tomorrow, we shall push on southwards and see where we get to. Another big day (well, for us!) is on the cards it seems! |
7 April 2017
T -My camera has started to show spots all over my pictures and I cant see where from. The lens is clean as is the sensor. I hope a good clean makes it better. I apologise for the crap quality of the photos.
Look out highway, here we come to be a nuisance. We are both glad we made the decision to zoom south. There is quite a bit of flood damage here and there is still water flowing down a few streets in Piura. Smelly, skanky water. We really didn't want to get into the mountains and get blocked in by new mudslides, washed out roads, and collapsed villages. Of which we had been assured there was plenty! The highway today was straight, very straight and very flat. The landscape was a nice desert once we got out of town. But we did pass a lot of white tents set up as temporary shelters and we saw quite a few families with their meager possessions stacked up under tarps. It was a very sobering section of riding today and made us realise how lucky we are. It also reaffirmed to us that we had made the right decision to not get in the way of the rebuilding and clean up here. https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....DSC00851-1.jpg The desert rolled on by and we passed through a few washed out sections of road which had been temporarily fixed. We could really start to see some of the damage done by the flooding. There was still a lot of water laying around and some of the rivers were still running hard and fast with muddy water, though they were not as swollen as they had been a week or two ago. https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....4/DSC00852.jpg https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....4/DSC00853.jpg https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....4/DSC00855.jpg https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....DSC00856-1.jpg We cruised through some larger towns today with crazy chaotic traffic. Two lanes of road would always contain 3 and 4 lanes of traffic, all beeping and jostling for position. It was fun on the bikes as we filtered through and pushed and shoved our way to the front. I wouldnt like to do it in a car! https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....4/DSC00858.jpg https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....4/DSC00859.jpg https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....4/DSC00860.jpg https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....4/DSC00862.jpg One thing we have noticed in Peru so far is the incredible amount of litter. Maybe some has washed in from the floods but I suspect a fair bit hasn't. It is everywhere. Piled high in the streets, in the drains, and dumped in piles anywhere that there is a vacant lot. The majority of it is plastic and it made me really sad to see it all. In some places there was an awful constant stench of rotting garbage that went on and on. I have been shocked here as I had visions of Peru being so different. https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....4/DSC00865.jpg https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....4/DSC00866.jpg https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....4/DSC00867.jpg We met another rider along the way who has had a string of bad luck on his big BMW, a nasty crash in Costa Rica nearly destroyed the front of his bike, and then just recently his fancy electronic braking package failed and locked up his front wheel, while he was travelling at 80km/hr and NOT touching any of the brake levers. He suffered some nasty looking road rash and he is pretty unimpressed with the big Beemer. https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....4/DSC00868.jpg We stopped in a nondescript town and plan on an early start in the morning. We hope to cover at least half of the distance between here and Lima tomorrow. |
8 April 2017
T - Up and early today meant we would cover a bit of ground nice and early before the traffic started. Or so we thought. The buses and trucks were flying thick and fast southwards when we hit the road. So we sat over near the shoulder and stayed out of their way!
https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....4/DSC00889.jpg https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....4/DSC00893.jpg https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....4/DSC00894.jpg We passed through more desert and saw much more flood damage in the small towns as we went. Some of the rivers still had water raging through them. Crazy! Then we got to the back of a line of trucks. So we pulled out into the centre of the road and kept riding past them. And kept going. Past more and more trucks and buses. Eventually there was three lanes of them parked up on the highway with people everywhere. They looked as though they had been there a little while and there was a tone of takeaway food and drinks containers littered all over the place. Plus the smell of urine was strong enough to make my eyes water. People had been peeing everywhere and we dodged around all the suspect stains and puddles as we kept passing the traffic. At times the now cars, buses and trucks were so badly parked that there was no road at all and we resorted to riding in the drains to keep pushing to the front. We started to see a lot of police with riot gear after a while. Standing behind huge shields and staring at the crowds of people milling around. There was a very tense feeling in the air and as we rode through both of us started to feel very nervous. Probably at this point is the most nervous we have felt on this whole trip. https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....4/DSC00903.jpg https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....4/DSC00895.jpg https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....4/DSC00900.jpg https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....4/DSC00896.jpg C - There was kilometres of the PanAm completely blocked up. We suspected this was due to a bridge failure, as some other overlanders had told us that we would reach a traffic jam of about 25km long. We assumed this was it and the feeling in the air was not pleasant. I could not believe the litter everywhere, but mostly, I could not believe that people were using the road as a toilet like that. There was plenty of desert on either side of the highway, but people were urinating all over the vehicles and the road, even as we rode past. I was already feeling a little nervous about the whole situation before we saw the riot police and that just cemented for me that we needed to keep pushing and finding a way through the hordes. T - We didn't want to get stuck here as it felt like something was about to kick off at any minute. So we squeezed through crowds, and sucked our bellies in as we slipped between vehicles. We didn't slow down and just revved our bikes as bodies blocked us in, eventually they would move just far enough so we could pass. We could feel the eyes of thousands of people on us. C - At one point, Todd slipped through a gap in the criss cross of cars blocking a whole intersection. As I attempted to follow him, a van tried to close the gap, staring at me - it definitely felt very deliberate. With Todd telling me just to go through the communicator, I squeezed through holding my breath. Accidently hitting a vehicle here was definitely not an experience I wanted. T - We followed another couple of bikes as they cut through a farmers paddock of sugar cane and we swung past what we could only assume was a blown out bridge and then arrived back onto the PanAm and were faced with more parked up vehicles. This time all facing north and waiting to get through. Again there was heaps of people around and many police officers. The air was thick with tension so we hurried forwards. This time riding against the traffic. Ducking in and out of any spare space as we raced to get away from there. At one point we were hemmed in by trucks and they parked nose to tail so we had no way out. I started to think about taking the mirrors off the bikes so we could squeeze under one of the trucks trailers, I was by now feeling very nervous and just wanted out of here. One truck driver came to our rescue and got us out and back on the shoulder and off we went again. Eventually we tore free and went sailing on down the road, keen to put some distance between us and the mess on the road. Without any exaggeration, there must have been 30 kms worth of standstill traffic, nose to tail. Trucks with trailers had driven sideways across the road at each end blocking other traffic from driving away in what we assumed was some form of protest at the lack of progress on getting the main bridges fixed. C - It was nice to be out of there and experiencing some fresh air. We were both feeling a little ill from the intense smells of the traffic jams. It reinforced to us that we had made the right decision by staying away from the areas that suffered the most damage in the floods. https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....4/DSC00911.jpg https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....4/DSC00914.jpg https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....4/DSC00907.jpg https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....4/DSC00918.jpg T - We passed through some more stunning desert and had to skip through a few other traffic jams at collapsed bridges, but nothing compared to that original jam. We rode hard and we rode long. Topping off the bikes tanks to ride more. We wanted out of here now. Peru is in a bad way at the moment and we just feel its best for us to keep moving. C - As we were crossing the last makeshift bridge of the day, the water was still tumbling down the river at speed. We saw a truck, laying awkwardly across the river with just the roof the cab and trailer sticking out of the water. Next to it, lay someones house, slowly being torn about by the raging waters. We were both full of compassion for the whole country, whilst at the same time observing a distinct lack of order in the management of the emergency. https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....4/DSC00915.jpg https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....4/DSC00921.jpg T - We made it to a small town with a small hotel and checked in. We planned on another early start tomorrow to try to get past the capital of Lima and on our way toward Nasca. We feel bad for Peru as it looks like Peruvians have a lot of clean up to do over the next few months. |
Still catching up with you two! More wonderful stuff! The Dogs and Cats always break our hearts. I often buy food for them. Most times you won't find pet food so we buy Tuna or whatever is in a can. Friend for life!
I'm sure you've heard of SLIME ? Or Ride-On? both are tire sealant products you put in tube BEFORE you get a puncture. Often, they can prevent or slow down a leak. I've used SLIME since 1998. It's especially good for very tiny objects like Staples, Cactus spines, thorns and tiny nail. It can work on larger things too but nearly always works on Staples and Cactus. I'm not sure if it's sold down South, but maybe worth a look. Has saved me many times over years of use. Patching tube with Slime is a challenge ... but CAN BE DONE! (It's water soluble) OK, back to trying to catch up on your report. Keep it up, rubber side down! Stay Healthy! :thumbup1: |
Quote:
|
9 April 2017
T - This town looked as though it had been hit hard by the flood. And someone obviously thought it might rain a little more yet as they stole our umbrella in the night, from inside a secure parking lot. Bastards!
C - It was such a great umbrella too! A little momento from Colombia. Oh well! The hotel we stayed in last night obviously had been affected by the flood and even though they had cleaned the rooms, there was still the dark stain on the walls, curtains and floor where it had ingressed. The town did not look in much better shape. T - As we rode out of town we saw people shovelling out their homes which were knee deep in mud. Their mattresses and furniture piled up in the street, covered in black mud. We saw a few cars that had been swept along in the floods and they had tyres tore off, windows pushed out and panels crushed. Mother natures fury is an incredible thing to see. We rode through more amazing desert, but today it was covered in dense fog with visibility down to just 30 odd meters. It was very pretty though. We stopped for a quick bite to eat and to buy some fresh oil for the bikes. The service centre we bought the oil from also did oil changes, but they just dumped the oil straight onto the ground out of the engines and there was old oily filters and massive oil puddles everywhere in the dirt. They offered to do our bikes for us but we said “no thanks.” We prefer to do ours the earth friendly way. https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....DSC00863-1.jpg https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....DSC00860-1.jpg C - After this, we noticed all of the service centres doing the same thing. Cars, trucks and moto oil being dumped straight onto the ground outside the workshops. We were both a little bewildered by this. T - Again we rode and rode and rode and soon we were into the outskirts of Lima. The traffic started to build up slowly at first and then BAM, we were in the thick of the stupidest, most insane world of driving we have ever seen. We watched countless near misses as cars cut lanes without looking, taxis stopped in the highway, and buses careened out of pullouts. A one point I found myself within inches of slamming into a parked black taxi car that was in the third lane of a multilane highway. He had stopped because a bus had pulled out from the shoulder which had caused another bus and 17 taxis to all swerve out to miss the original bus, but then everyone had to stop for the other umpteen buses that had also stopped in the highway *because of the next 4 taxis who were picking up a few thousand people who had just alighted from 34 other buses that had parked around 65 cars who were trying to squeeze through the next 12 buses while motorcycles passed through the middle of them because another bus was trying to cut across all the lanes because he had missed his turn off, but 15473 people were in his way because they were all standing on the road and trying to flag down the 300 million buses that were all screaming towards me at warp speed that hadn't seen me stopped behind a black taxi car and so on it went for the next 70 kms. Wow. I will never complain about traffic again after this. Crazy. C - Seriously. Wow. Normally, you drive on the road and expect to make it to your destination. You know there is a slim chance that you could be involved in an accident, but really, the odds are not that high. Well, that is unless you drive in Lima. In Lima, you expect to die and are a little astonished if you arrive at your destination unscathed. The traffic was completely insane and I really do not know how we did not see a pile up. I wish we had some footage, but unfortunately the GoPro was flat. T - We made it out in one piece in the end, my spidey senses tingling like mad as adrenaline raced through my body. What a rush. Scary and crazy and kinda fun all at once. But once was enough. I have no desire to ride an underpowered, underbraked, postie bike through that crap again. Well maybe just one more time. https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....DSC00864-1.jpg https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....DSC00869-1.jpg https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....DSC00859-1.jpg We started to look for somewhere to call home for the night. There were no campgrounds in sight so we opted to hotel it again. We needed wifi though as Chantelle has been writing an article that she needs to send off. We rode further south, no wifi at this hotel, no answer at that one, this one was just too expensive looking, and then finally we settled on one. It was way out of our budget but we were so tired that we stopped caring for the minute. What a day. Tomorrow we shall ride into Nazca and we hope to do something exciting to go and see the famous Nazca Lines! |
10 April 2017
T - Another big ride today. We were looking at a good 350kms to get us to Nazca. But it was all on the highway again so we knew we could slog along at our usual 65km/h all day. In theory it should take us 5-6 hours, but distances like this always take us 8 or more. We have a lot of bum breaks.
https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....DSC00870-1.jpg Not far down the road we decided to stop and check our maps as we were no longer on the GPS. Turns out that we were on a new section of road! While we were stopped I happened to glance at Mabels front sprocket. It had a snapped tooth showing. I wheeled her forward to see if it was just one and found 6 had snapped off out of the 16 it had. Luckily we had some spares but they were 17 tooth ones. So after a quick swap we were back on our way again. For about 20 meters. There was a nasty rasping noise coming up from the sprocket at speed. I figured Mabes had a stretched chain and the stretched bit was flinging itself off the sprocket and hitting the case. https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....DSC00871-1.jpg https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....DSC00873-1.jpg https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....DSC00877-1.jpg https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....DSC00874-1.jpg After pulling it all apart again I saw that it was indeed just that. There was some fresh gouge marks in the case. I put on an old very worn smaller sprocket and we will try to find some new ones or a new chain along the way. We passed through some more very nice desert scenery. The sand dunes were really cool and some of the empty plains stretched away into forever. It was very pretty. https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....DSC00881-1.jpg https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....DSC00882-1.jpg https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....DSC00887-1.jpg https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....DSC00886-1.jpg Just before Nazca we cruised through some nice bendy canyons and then we were on the desert plain where the Nazca lines were drawn! Very exciting stuff. It didn't take us long and we were soon into the town and hunting for our accommodation. https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....DSC00889-1.jpg https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....DSC00893-1.jpg https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....DSC00896-1.jpg Tomorrow we are going to see the lines and stay another night before we head to Machu Picchu and then Bolivia. |
11 April 2017
T - We decided to treat ourselves. We had booked a seat each on a small Cessna and we were off to fly over the Nazca lines today! Woohoo! Our bus arrived on time and whisked us away to the airport where we were checked in and shoehorned into a tiny little aircraft.
https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....DSC00899-1.jpg The Nazca lines are made up of animals and geometric shapes dug into the desert sand and some of them are huge. The lines look like they go on for kilometers and the animals are really well done. C - I was really excited about this. I believe that the Nazca culture died out many years ago and the language is now extinct. Archeologists do not really know the exact purpose of the lines and drawings, other than believing that they were completed for religious purposes. We were going in a six seater Cessna, which is a pretty tiny little plane. I was excited! T - We shook and wobbled our way up into the air and began to circle over each of the more prominent shapes. There was a whale, dog, hummingbird, condor and even an astronaut. It was a very exciting thing to do. I especially loved that the pilot had a Garmin Street GPS tacked onto his steering. A nice touch. https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....DSC00900-1.jpg https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....DSC00902-1.jpg https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....DSC00903-1.jpg C - The pilots do two swings past each prominent shape, one curving to the right and one to the left, so all the passengers get a good view. Really, I thought the price ($80US) was pretty reasonable for the trip. https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....DSC00908-1.jpg https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....4/DSC00929.jpg https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....4/DSC00933.jpg https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....4/DSC00935.jpg T - We spent about 35 mins in the air and then it was back to our room where we both zonked out. The last few days of go go go have caught up to us. https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....4/DSC00941.jpg https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....4/DSC00936.jpg https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....4/DSC00948.jpg https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....4/DSC00958.jpg https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....4/DSC00963.jpg https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....4/DSC00968.jpg We have a few more long days ahead of us yet as its about 700kms or so to Machu Picchu and we would like to knock it out in two days. So tomorrow we get up and going nice and early. |
12 April 2017
C - During the night, poor Todd suffered from a short lived, violent emergency bowel evacuation sessions. We thought we may stay another night in Nazca, but he woke up feeling fine so it was back to the road!
T - It just came out of nowhere! Better out than in right? I was feeling pretty off for a while before my trip to the toilet, but once the nastiness was out I began to feel better straight away. C - We were both feeling a lot more buoyant today, knowing that we would finally be off the dreaded PanAm Highway and heading into the Andes. The ride up to Cusco will take us a few days, so today we aimed to get to Puquio, just 150km away. But, we knew we were in for mountain climbing, as I had read that Puquio was close to 3000mtrs and Nazca at only 600mtrs. The morning started well, with us finding perfect front sprockets for our little girls for a mere $2.15 each. Score!! https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....DSC00969-1.jpg https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....DSC00970-1.jpg The ascent started straight away, with us climbing up with amazing views of the desert plains below. The hills gradually changed from void of vegetation, to snippets of green, to completely green with stock and llamas grazing the high plains. https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....4/DSC00971.jpg https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....DSC00972-1.jpg It wasn't long before we reached 3000mtrs and were stopping on the roadside for some layer adding. Shortly after this, we were at a shivering 4139mtrs, the highest for the trip so far. We were both keen for more layers but too scared to stop up hill at this height lest the bikes not want to get going again. They were both having some power issues at this height and neither of us felt like pushing! T - The poor bikes. They were really struggling up here. Puffing and wheezing like the little old ladies they are. Both of us felt pretty bad for them! But true to form they kept on chugging along. It was quite chilly up there and at the coldest point my heated grips decided to bite the dust. https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....2346185703.jpg https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....DSC00980-1.jpg https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....DSC00981-1.jpg C - We began the long, windy descent and the views over the farming land was completely breathtaking. We stopped to add those extra layers now we were facing downhill and decided to have some lunch. Sitting on the green grass, overlooking one of the spectacular views I have seen this trip, and sipping hot, fresh Peruvian coffee was certainly a highlight for me. A moment that I will not forget. https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....DSC00982-1.jpg https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....DSC00986-1.jpg https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....DSC00988-1.jpg After shedding some more height and getting down to a now warm 3300mtrs, with 10km to go to our destination, I came around a corner and felt Rosie suddenly swing sideways. I straightened her up and let her run on the other side of the road to take the corner wide, realising I obviously had a flat rear tyre. WHAT? We had such a good run from Baja in Mexico until near the Colombian/Ecuadorian border and now we are back to the old chestnut of regular rear flat tyres. Immediately, we found the cause. And yep. You guessed it! Remember the problem we had with Mabel a few weeks ago? Same staples in my tyre, except it has taken weeks for it to become problem. Todd picked out six bits of staples and we found two holes in my tube which perfectly lined up with two of them. https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....DSC00989-1.jpg We cruised into Puquio at 3pm and found a perfect little hotel on the square. We wandered the town and enjoyed the cool, clear mountain air. https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....4/DSC00991.jpg |
13 April 2017
C - We went looking for a tyre for Rosie this morning, as her tyre is pretty well bald and we wanted to make sure that we would not get any more flats from staples. Grrrrr! Unfortunately, we couldn’t find a tyre in Puquio, so we just had to hope we got all the staples out and she would be a good girl today.
Last night though, Todd’s laptop charger cable finally died, after Todd fixing it a million times since Guatemala. We did manage to find one of those before we hit the road. As soon as we left town, we found a pretty little spot to stop and have some breakfast. We sat, overlooking green valleys and the little town of Puquio whilst enjoying tea, coffee and porridge in the morning sun. https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....4/DSC00992.jpg https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....4/DSC00994.jpg https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....4/DSC00993.jpg We started climbing straight after breakfast and did not stop for the entire morning. We only had 180km to cover today, but it was shaping up to be slow going. Every time we came to another hairpin bend, we would comment that surely there was no way we could go any higher. The mountain must end! But sure enough, the road would continue to climb and Rosie and Mable continued to gasp and splutter all the way up to 4551mtrs. https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....4/DSC00995.jpg https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....4/DSC00997.jpg https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....4/DSC00998.jpg https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....4/DSC01000.jpg T - It's odd to ride these roads and see the top of the mountain as you get to it, only to be confronted with an extra top of the mountain. And so it goes until eventually we would reach the actual top of the mountain! We loved it! This was so much better than the Pan Am. C - We had to be careful where we stopped, as we were worried about the girls being able to get going again, so strategically timed our breaks with small downhill sections of the road. https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....4/DSC01001.jpg https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....4/DSC01004.jpg https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....4/DSC01007.jpg The road sat consistently between 4400mtrs and 4500mtrs all morning and the views were painfully breathtaking. We crawled past lakes, endless plains and snow covered mountains and saw millions of llamas grazing away. It was bitingly cold with a super cold relatively strong wind blowing, but the beauty and constant awe of where we were made it a little easier to deal with. We started to descend around 12.30pm and found a lovely little spot by a raging river for lunch. By this time, it was only 40km to our stop for the night, so we took our time and enjoyed the views whilst we watched a local family fishing in the river. https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....4/DSC01009.jpg https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....4/DSC01011.jpg https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....4/DSC01013.jpg https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....4/DSC01016.jpg Eventually, we arrived at Chalhuanca and found a nice little hotel on the square. We browsed around town and finally splurged on a beautiful rug - I have been looking ever since Guatemala! https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....4/DSC01018.jpg https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....4/DSC01021.jpg Now to find somewhere safe to stow the rug for the rest of the journey! |
Quote:
But most times all you will see are a few Green Dots ... where the Slime has come through and has sealed the punctures (small). Also, remember, it's water soluble. Just wash any mess away with water. If your tube has been ridden on FLAT with an object in there, it's likely that tube is torn up and may not be repairable. :( I've pulled tires off (worn out) tires and found 4 or 5 places where the SLIME was doing it's job ... most I got was a slow leak. Much better than a full out flat. So I know it can ... and has ... worked. One of the MAIN reasons I use Slime is to prevent sudden air loss at speed, which can cause a crash. My DR650 (as you know) can power through the corners at 80 to 100 km. Without Slime, a puncture can sometimes cause sudden air loss ... which can cause a crash (especially front tire). SLime will most always slow if not stop sudden air loss. On your little Hondas not such a concern, but I'm fairly sure it would stop those tiny punctures you get from those staples and such. bier |
Haven't finished your last few posts, but I did notice a pic of a front sprocket. Bad! So easy to head this problem off. When front sprocket gets worn (It's FIRST element in drive line to wear) it then effects both chain and rear sprocket. Premature wear occurs.
Since the front sprocket is the cheapest bit ... it's always a good idea to swap them out early ... and to NEVER EVER let them get to the state of the one shown in your pic. On long trips I carry at least TWO spares. I prefer OEM but JT are OK too. With front sprockets, I prefer OEM if possible. Next best would be Thai made JT sprockets. After that, you are on your own regards quality and longevity. Always Steel, never Aluminum. On my DR650 I change front sprocket every 6,000 miles. (9k km) This extends chain life by 20% or so (rear sprocket too). Your front sprocket is like a Canary In The Coal mine of your drive line. Take care of it and everything else will last longer. bier |
sprokets
Hi there,
agree what Mollydog said about front sprokets, i normaly use two front sprokets to a set and change around 10 tkm the first front sproket. But on the other hand for your bikes it should be easy and cheap down here in SA to find chains and sprokets (not in good quality). Enjoy your ride. And if you come to Samaipata Bolivia, I would like to invite you for a beer and if my guest bedroom is free you can use it. bier saludos mika |
Quote:
|
Quote:
I haven't been able to find decent quality front sprockets for our bikes, but we still seem to get around 20 000kms out of the front one before they are ready to be changed out. I know have some spares that I picked up in Santiago! |
Quote:
|
14 April 2017
T - Today we were heading to Cusco. The jump off point for most people who want to visit Machu Pichu. Now I will be honest and say Chantelle and I have been umming and ahhing about going to Machu Pichu. I know its the thing to do in Peru but we are sure it is going to be hideously expensive. We will see how we go when we get there.
Again we climbed mountains. The swtichbacks so sharp and piled on top of one another. The mountains here are crazy steep! The scenery continued to be amazing. https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....4/DSC01022.jpg https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....4/DSC01023.jpg We met a few other overlanders on the road today, all heading for Cusco too. In fact since we have been in Peru we have seen more overlanders than on the rest of our trip combined. https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....4/DSC01032.jpg https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....4/DSC01031.jpg https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....4/DSC01028.jpg https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....4/DSC01029.jpg Eventually we wound down to a measly 3300mts at Cusco. Both bikes have worked overtime to get us here. We fumbled around town trying to find somewhere cheap to stay for a couple of days. No such luck. One place told Chantelle that Cusco is Perus most expensive town. And we could see why. https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....4/DSC01024.jpg https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....4/DSC01027.jpg https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....4/DSC01026.jpg https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....4/DSC01027.jpg Throngs of tourists wandered up and down the roads, buying trinkets and alpaca wool products. The tourist train had been coming here for some time now and understandably businesses were making the most of it. Eventually we found a little place that would do us for two nights. We had a wander around the old Inca built part of town and chatted about Machu Pichu. Both of us still unsure about it. We both said that if we didn't do it we wouldn't be disappointed. We saw a tour place that was open that sold tickets for Machu Pichu. Yikes. We could pay $70 each for a ticket and then make our own way there, $100 each for a 10 hour bus trip and 4 hour walk, or $250 to take a train from Cusco. I nearly laughed out loud. Surely thats just taking the mickey right? Both the train trip and the bus trip would only give us a total of two hours at the site before we had to start to make our way back out again. Sorry Peru, too expensive for us right now. C - The problem with making our own way there, and buying the cheaper option, is the bikes. The closest place to leave them means a 9hr return hike, limiting the amount of time you can spend at the site. Alternatively, you can drive within a 4hr hike, but need to leave the bikes at the start of the trail. We decided that Machu Picchu is something we will do another day, when we have hiking gear and can enjoy the hike up without worrying about our bikes. T - So we scrapped that idea and started to look at some other ruins that we could see for much cheaper. It appears that there is a heap of old forts around the area so that will be us! We are going to have a day off tomorrow. Rosie needs a new tyre and both bikes need a new chain so that will probably be all we do. |
T - We both woke up feeling a little under the weather today. It was a real effort to just get out of bed and heave ourselves over to the kitchen for a free breakfast. We have put it down to being a culmination of a few things. We have been on the go for 8 days or so straight with some of those days being over 10 hours of riding, we also think we had some bad food or water last night, and the altitude here is probably affecting us too.
Chantelle basically spent the first half of the day i n bed sleeping and I spent the second half in bed sleeping. Ugh. We both felt like death. We went to get the bike parts we needed but after a lady at a bike shop messed us around with a part, which really annoyed Chantelle no end, we gave up and went back to our room. Unfortunately we have found quite a bit of dishonesty here in Peru and it really hasn't sat well with us. C - I was probably feeling a little irritated anyway, but I was really annoyed with her. I felt she was outright lying to us about the part. Anyway, let it wash you over Chantelle... T - Tomorrow we are going to head to some ruins around the place and then we are out of here. Bolivia is only two or three days ride away and we will visit Lake Titicaca on our way out. |
Do you guys like videos? We are making an effort to do short ones more often. Heres our latest.
|
16 April 2017
C - We both woke up feeling a bit better yesterday, after sleeping from about 6pm right through 6am this morning. We decided to head out of Cusco and head into the Sacred Valley for a poke around.
T - Whatever it was that we had certainly gave us a good swift kick up the bum. Only one way to go now though, and thats up, well actually south.. https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....4/DSC01033.jpg https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....4/DSC01034.jpg C - We headed out towards Urubamba and the views were spectacular as we climbed out of Cusco and then into the Valley. The road wound past Inca sites and we were able to see some ruins as we rode along. Neither of us felt up to hiking yet, so we just enjoyed what we could see as we travelled along. https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....4/DSC01035.jpg https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....4/DSC01037.jpg https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....4/DSC01038.jpg https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....4/DSC01040.jpg T - One of the sites we wanted to visit was a 4km walk up a path that crossed some mountains and ridges. I could barely get myself on and off the bike, I was so weak and energyless. There was no way I could have walked 4kms, let alone up a mountain at altitude. C - Feeling in need of a cup of tea, we stopped just outside of Urubamba next to a raging river and enjoyed a nice cup of mate de coca. https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....4/DSC01041.jpg https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....4/DSC01043.jpg https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....4/GOPR0105.jpg https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....4/GOPR0109.jpg https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....4/GOPR0108.jpg Back on the road, we meandered our way to Pisac, where we had thought we might stop for the night. However, it was still only lunchtime and we were both keen to ride a little further. Our route took us towards Lake Titicaca and provided us with more of the same gorgeous Andean vistas. When we reached Sicuani, we decided it was time to stop for the day. After finding a lovely hostal, we stuffed ourselves on rotisserie chicken and chips and then had another very, very early night. T - It was only 6pm and I was struggling to NOT get into bed and go to sleep. I managed to stay awake until 8. Tomorrow we plan to get to Puno which is the main city on the edge of Lake Titicaca. From there we will probably head straight to Bolivia. |
17 April 2017
C - Oh, what a joy to wake up feeling awake and refreshed! We were both ready and raring to go this morning. We were also both starving and as it was very cold, decided to buy a nice, hot breakfast.
T - I had woken up and sworn it was daylight, and because I felt so alive it must have been breakfast time right? Wrong. It was only 3am. So I forced myself back into a world of weird dreams. C - We found a little cafe serving breakfast for just under $1.. Perfecto! I finally bought a tyre for Rosie after breakfast and then we were on our way. https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....4/DSC01050.jpg https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....4/DSC01053.jpg Our plan today was to reach Lake Titicaca and I was super excited about this! Sicuani sits at about 3800mtrs and so we started the ride in a very chilly morning. As we rode out of town, we saw dark, ominous rain clouds all around us. https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....4/DSC01055.jpg https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....4/DSC01056.jpg We climbed initially and started to glimpse some amazing snow covered peaks as we climbed over 4000mtrs. Fresh snow littered the mountains nearly all the way down to the road - it was breathtakingly beautiful. Todd and I kept thinking it didnt look real, but like a beautifully painted backdrop. T - The scenery was achingly gorgeous. The snow thick and white up on the peaks and tapering off to a light dusting not far above the roadside. Stunning! Unfortunately it was only for a short section of our ride. https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....4/DSC01060.jpg C - Our elevation remained pretty steady all day and it wasnt long until we had left the snow covered peaks behind and we riding along a massive plain. Is this the start of the antiplano?? https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....4/DSC01064.jpg https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....4/DSC01065.jpg https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....4/DSC01063.jpg The day remained pretty chilly and we were ready to pull into a hotel by the time we reached Puno. We saw the lake as we drifted into town, along with the darkest sky I have seen in a long time. We could hear thunder and see lightning cracking around us. https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....4/DSC01066.jpg https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....4/GOPR0117.jpg https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....4/GOPR0120.jpg We made it into the hotel carpark just in the nick of time. The rain started to come down just as we were unpacking the bikes. Tomorrow - Bolivia! |
18 April 2017
T - Well here we come Bolivia! We are excited to come and see you! Peru has had some incredible scenery but we have to keep moving. But first, we need to say goodbye to a long time traveller friend of Mabels. Squirt was attacked and beheaded by a naughty little dog last night. I found his head outside the dining room door of the hotel this morning. RIP dear Squirt. You will be missed. He has been with me for about 100 000 kms of riding. Bye old mate.
https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....4/DSC01068.jpg We had about 150kms to ride today to reach the border. So no rush really, even for us! We cruised along the lake side, the brisk wind cutting through every gap in our clothing and stabbing into our cores. It was quite the chilly day! We made some decent time straight away and we decided to stop for a break and grab a few pics of Lake Titicaca. https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....4/DSC01069.jpg https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....4/DSC01070.jpg https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....4/DSC01072.jpg C - The lake is really quite beautiful and the views improved as we got closer to the Bolivian border, as the grey clouds parted and left us with a clear, crisp blue sky. Beautiful! https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....4/DSC01073.jpg https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....4/DSC01071.jpg T - As we went to clamber back onto the bikes Mabel decided to fall over in the wind and slammed into the side of Rosie. Whoops! Or maybe they were having a fight and Mabes bought out the fisticuffs! Either way we had her standing back up quickly and we hopped on and started to ride off. As we did so Chantelle said she could smell fuel quite strongly. When I glanced over at Rosie I could see fuel pouring down the side of the engine! Oh that's not a good thing. I suspected that maybe Mabel had torn a hole in Rosie's fuel line when they clashed just now. Closer inspection revealed that fuel was coming from somewhere on the actual tank. After taking the tank off we discovered a rather nasty looking pair of cracks in the plastic tank where it bolted onto the bike. One crack was leaking heaps of fuel. Dammit. We had just filled the long range tanks up on the bikes too. So with 10 litres of fuel about to be returned to the earth we managed to get half of it into Rosie's empty underseat tank. C - This is the second tank leak we have experienced, with Mabel dropping 10ltrs of petrol into the ground in the USA. It is never a good thing - firstly, we feel terrible about possible environmental effects of this and secondly, it such a waste of money!!! Thankfully we could get five litres of it out and then lay the tank on its side on the ground so we didn't lose the other five litres too! T - We had no glue or tank repair kit so we weren't sure what to do at this point. And we need this tank to hold fuel for Bolivia as it is notoriously hard to get fuel as foreigner there. All we had on hand was a Leatherman (thanks Dave), a stove and some rubber cement. So we did the only thing we could. We lit the stove, I shaved some slivers of plastic off of the tank with my knife, the heated the knife up and proceeded to melt the tank back together. And yes it still had 5 litres of fuel in it at this point. In the end it seemed to work! We put the tank back on and no fuel leaked out. Fingers crossed it's fixed. https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....4/DSC01075.jpg C - I was so impressed with Todds creativity! This was such a great solution to our issue and one I definitely would not of thought of!!! Just then poor Chantelle had to scramble for a nearby bush as her bottom threatened to explode. Peru is really trying to make it hard for us to leave! C - Never a fun experience. I felt completely fine one minute and the next minute… well, not so much. I am grateful there was something to hide behind, otherwise I would've had to do it exposed to the road. Thankfully we did have plenty of toilet paper on hand! T - We raced for the border as Chantelle began to feel sicker and sicker. We had to make another emergency pitstop at a restaurant and then after topping up all our fuel tanks we hit the Peru-Bolivia border. https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....4/DSC01076.jpg https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....4/DSC01077.jpg There was no one else around and we were processed out of Peru and into Bolivia fairly smartly. We had read and heard about people having to pay bribes at the Bolivian side as the police there are terribly corrupt and will do anything they can to extract a few dollars from travellers. But we were onto them and played dumb non Spanish speaking tourists and they only gave a half hearted attempt at gaining some extra cash from us, then we were free to roam Bolivia. https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....4/DSC01079.jpg https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....4/DSC01078.jpg https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....4/DSC01080.jpg https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....4/DSC01081.jpg We rode to the nearby town of Copacabana for the night. There is another dodgy set of cops here that lay in wait for travellers as they exit the town and demand a "donation". But we will be clever and take the roads and tracks around town to bypass these crooked bastards. C - I felt really quite ill for a little while, but with no options for hotels in the border town on the Peruvian side, we decided to keep on. I am glad we did, as it was not too long before I was feeling a lot better. Copacabana turned out to be a completely beautiful little town on the lakeshore of Titicaca. Except for the all the rubbish - we were very disappointed to see that people had attempted to use the rubbish bins, but the bins obviously do not get emptied. It was sad to see so much litter on the edge of the beautiful lake. T - Tomorrow we head for La Paz and the famous Death Road. |
19 April 2017
T - I had been scheming all night with our maps to get past the crooked cops on the edge of town. And we found a way which would take us behind them and bring us out onto the road out of town about two blocks past them.
Lo and behold it worked. The roads were more tracks than roads but buggered if we were paying any cops a bribe. Thanks to every other traveller who passes through and pays them every time. You make it harder for the next traveller. https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....4/DSC01083.jpg C - It was so fantastic to get past this checkpoint. Corruption is something that does not sit well with me and so I was pleased not to have an unpleasant encounter with the police. T - We started our morning with a climb into some amazing mountains. The road was smooth and it wound back and forth and gave us some incredible views back over Copacabana and Lake Titicaca. Spectacular! https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....4/DSC01085.jpg https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....4/DSC01086.jpg https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....4/DSC01087.jpg We had to cross a short section of the lake as we were stranded out on an isthmus. There was no bridge but luckily for us we had a selection of about 10 boats that moved vehicles across the 200 or so meters of water. The boat we were on was the worst thing I have ever seen. As the waves picked it up and flung it around it flexed so badly that we could see the joists beneath our feet actually separating from the hull by 2-3inches. We really thought we weren't going to make it across and figured there would be two permanent postie fixtures on the bottom of Lake Titicaca! https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....4/DSC01090.jpg https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....4/DSC01091.jpg https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....4/DSC01092.jpg C - I was terrified! The boat moved so much, and definitely not in the way it was supposed to! I can not imagine having to see my poor little girl sink to the bottom of any body of water! T - Many, many wide eyed, sphincter clenching minutes later and we were heaving the bikes backwards of the "boat" and onto firm stable ground. That was crazy! We continued our ride towards La Paz. C - As we rode closer to La Paz, we saw the beautiful, raw Andes mountains towering above us, covered in beautiful, clean white snow. We were completely in awe of the scenery. https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....4/DSC01098.jpg https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....4/DSC01099.jpg https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....4/DSC01101.jpg T - Bolivia is already proving to be quite a beautiful little place with smooth roads and happy people. We raced along and soon we were descending steeply into La Paz. The city from above looked huge! Crammed into a canyon and built right up the steep sides of it. Not a place either of us was keen to venture into. But as is usual we soon found ourselves on the main highway and we were flushed towards the centre. Being that it was quite early we made the decision to head towards Death Road. It was only about 80 kms away and we figured we could possibly ride it today. That turned out to be the best decision we made. But first the ride to get there. We climbed up out of the city, ever upwards. OUr bikes screaming in 3rd as they strained and gasped and rattled and groaned. More Mabel, harder Rosie, climb girls climb. We topped out at 4639 meters. The highest we had pushed the girls yet. https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....4/DSC01102.jpg https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....4/DSC01103.jpg We had views like you wouldn't believe. They were heart stopping and made me feel incredibly emotional. It was without a doubt the best thing I have ever seen. I stood there in silence. I had nothing to say because anything I could say or do just wouldn't matter. There was something about the scene I stood in front of. C - Amazing, amazing, amazing. Snow covered peaks surrounded us - raw, devoid of vegetation, rocky summits that dwarfed us. At the same time, clouds were drifting through the valley below, visibly dancing through the valley. What a beautiful spot! https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....4/DSC01105.jpg https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....4/DSC01106.jpg https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....4/DSC01108.jpg https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....4/GOPR0149.jpg T - We then raced down hill. Down down down. We found a gas station that would sell us fuel and after topping off our tanks we hit the start of Death Road. This is one of the places I had wanted to ride ever since we had decided to take on this trip. It has featured in TV shows like Top Gear and World's Deadliest roads. It was a doozy. A narrow, mostly one lane rough dirt road that clung to high cliff tops with no barriers to stop a wayward postie from plunging hundreds of meters to sure death below. https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....4/DSC01110.jpg https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....4/DSC01143.jpg https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....4/DSC01112.jpg https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....4/DSC01111.jpg C - This road has a lot of hype and we knew that it was now only used by tourists. The everyday traffic has a nice, proper highway to use, where the risk of death is reduced. We knew that the busiest times are from 10am to 2pm, when cycle tours descend on the road and we were so happy to be arriving late in the afternoon. T - Clouds hung low and we couldn't see much below us and it added to the spooky vibe of the road. Now because we had decided to get here a little later in the day it meant we had the road to ourselves. Being as it is a very touristy thing now we have been told it is inundated with cyclists, motorbikes, and tour buses every day. Not for us though. We had to share a narrow section of the road only once with an oncoming car, so we can say we had our little scary passing moment on Death Road. Woohoo! https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....4/DSC01109.jpg https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....4/DSC01113.jpg Waterfalls cascaded from above us and smashed down onto the road. We rode through them and bounced and slid our way over rocks and washouts. The road was gorgeous and we have both rated it as possibly the best riding we have done. So gorgeous. https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....4/DSC01115.jpg https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....4/DSC01121.jpg https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....4/DSC01125.jpg https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....4/DSC01131.jpg https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....4/DSC01132.jpg https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....4/DSC01136.jpg https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....4/DSC01137.jpg We rolled into the town of Corocio at the end of the road just as darkness descended and searched around for a while before finding a place to stay. Wow. We rode Death Road. Wow wow wow. I am so chuffed with our bikes and continously am impressed with everything they do and put up with. https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....4/GOPR0154.jpg C - Riding Death Road is definitely the best riding we have done this trip. The road is only short and only about 15km of it was truly spectacular. But part of the draw is the history of the road - seeing so many memorials and picturing what it must've been like for the locals using this road. It was a two lane road, with all traffic using it - buses, cars, trucks, motos. It must of been completely terrifying. T - Tomorrow we have to climb from 1300 meters back up to over 4600 and we will head southwards, back through La Paz, and on towards the huge salt flats of southern Bolivia. |
20 April 2017
T - We were up early today so we could get a good start. We knew that the next 90kms was going to be all uphill. So it would be a slow ride. We snuck out of Coroico and set our sights on the town of Oruro about 330 kms to the south of us.
https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....4/GOPR0152.jpg We were soon sitting in third and second gear as we climbed and climbed. The bikes again working hard for us. Flat out we were sitting at around 35km/hr. They just wouldn't go any faster. Up and up we went. Slowly slowly. https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....4/DSC01146.jpg https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....4/DSC01148.jpg We entered tunnels and still we climbed. Third gear all the way. C - As we reached the last of the uphill, we pulled into a mirador and actually got the girls up to 4654mtrs! It was amazing, and windy, and very cold. Neither of us can really believe that these little bikes have taken so much punishment, particularly lately with the massive climbs, where they are working so hard in third, or second gear. We are so proud of them! https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....4/DSC01144.jpg https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....4/DSC01149.jpg https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....4/DSC01151.jpg https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....4/DSC01152.jpg https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....4/DSC01159.jpg https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....2739773545.jpg https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....4/DSC01158.jpg T - Finally we crested over the top and shot our way down into the melee of La Paz, again. For some reason our GPS took us a weird 'shortcut' way across the city, which actually ended up with us having to scream our bikes in first gear for kilometer after kilometer up some insanely steep hills, with me even having to paddle with my feet to keep Mabel moving as she nearly stopped several times. Oh the poor bikes. They were hot, they were tired, they were rattly and they were very unhappy. We both know that these engines are getting tired now and we really dont enjoy treating them like this. https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....4/DSC01153.jpg C - These steep climbs in traffic are quite stressful. Not only is it difficult for the bikes, but we just can not stop. The postie brakes are not great and it is very difficult to get them to stop still on a steep incline, then tend to start to slide backwards and there is just nothing you can do to stop it. On top of that, once stopped, we would never get them going again. Being in a long line of traffic, where you can not control how fast the other traffic is going, or whether they will stop halfway up is terrifying. I was very pleased when we finally reached the top! T - Eventually we tore free of the city and we were then sat on the main highway, which was flatish and straightish for the next 200 kms. We knew it would be boring, but the bikes needed to take a breather from all the climbing. https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....4/DSC01161.jpg https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....4/DSC01162.jpg We cruised along for quite some time and many hours later we reached our destination for the night. What a last few days of riding. Next up is the salt flats at Uyuni. Cant bloody wait! Tomorrow the girls will get a fresh dose of oil and Rosie needs a new chain. We have some timing chains to fit over the next day or two and we will treat the girls to some new spark plugs. They deserve some pampering don't you think? |
21 April 2017
T - We were staring down the barrel of a long day of highway riding today. Luckily for us the scenery was quite nice.
We zipped along the main highway. Watching our odometers slowly tick down. There wasn't much of note today. We passed through a few small dusty villages as we plugged on. We had picked a cheap hostal to stay in that was right next to the salt flats, but as we rode along we spied some gorgeous boulder fields. https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....4/DSC01163.jpg https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....4/DSC01164.jpg C - Neither of us really wanted to stay in a hotel tonight. We have been paying for hotels with no wifi and generally not much hot water in Bolivia, so we decided it was better to save the money and camp! Which I was very excited about. We have both missed camping, but whilst the hotels were cheap and provided decent wifi, it seemed worth it. T - So we decided to see if we could find a little hidey spot in them and wallah, we found a lovely little wild camp spot up against an old stone wall. Much better than a hotel! https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....4/DSC01165.jpg https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....4/DSC01169.jpg https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....4/DSC01171.jpg C - The little spot was perfect! Out of the wind, in the sun, away from the road and nicely hidden from view. Perfecto! We were still up at 4000mtrs so figured it might get a bit chilly overnight, but surely it would be ok, right? https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....4/DSC01170.jpg https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....4/DSC01175.jpg https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....4/DSC01179.jpg T - We cooked up a great pot of camp food, pasta cooked in pumpkin soup, crawled into our sleeping bags and watched a few episodes of Friends while we scoffed through a packet of biscuits before calling it a night. Tomorrow we ride the Salar De Uyuni! |
22 April 2017
T - Holy crap. What a night. Both of us crashed out and slept quite soundly for a good chunk of time. Then it got really, really cold. In fact it got so cold that when we eventually ventured out of our tent this morning we were greeted by ice on everything! The bikes were frozen, the tent was frozen, my face was frozen and even our chairs had a layer of ice on them! Brr. That's what you get for camping at 4000 metres.
https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....4/GOPR0175.jpg https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....4/DSC01182.jpg https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....4/DSC01181.jpg C - It was the first time, even in all the camping in Alaska and Canada, that I could feel the cold through my sleeping bag and liner. Brrr! I definitely did not want to get up. But, the morning was absolutely beautiful and the ice did make everything look pretty! T - After everything thawed out we packed up and tried to warm the bikes up. Mabel roared into life on her first kick, but Rosie, she refused flat out. We kicked and kicked and kicked but to no avail. It felt like she had no compression. I had heard of a trick where people had pre-warmed their bike engine up by placing a camping stove under their engine. So that's what we did. And 5 minutes later Rosie was running too. C - Well, it seems Rosie is becoming a little precious in her old age. I did not even need the camp stove to get me up and going.. But then again, I did have a nice, hot coffee! T - As we rode along the highway we started to see a sliver of white shimmering on the horizon. The salt flats! Woohoo! https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....4/DSC01185.jpg https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....4/DSC01186.jpg https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....4/DSC01188.jpg We pulled into a dry dusty town where we managed to bargain for some fuel and after filling up our tanks we headed down the track that would lead us onto the flats proper. We carefully negotiated some muddy salty puddles and soon the mud gave way to hard white crusty salt. The white was so blindingly bright and it stretched away in front of us to some very distant mountains. Wow. I have never seen anything like it. https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....4/DSC01190.jpg https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....4/DSC01192.jpg https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....4/DSC01193.jpg C - The Salar de Uyuni was exactly what I expected! Blindingly white and nothing to see. It was extraordinarily beautiful and serene. Except for the wind, which absolutely howled across the flats, stealing all the warmth from the sun and giving us the chills. https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....4/GOPR0184.jpg T - We had a nice ride in a straight line for about 10 kms and nothing changed. It was quite disorientating really! The salt crunched under our wheels and sounded like we were riding on ice. Another guy on a bike pulled up and had a bit of a go about our bikes being so small and was generally being a smug smart ass, so we quickly said goodbye to him and headed back to town. https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....4/DSC01197.jpg https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....4/DSC01204.jpg https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....4/DSC01200.jpg We had wanted to camp on the salt flats but there was a freezing wind howling through so we decided to continue on our ride. But first we had to find a car wash to get the salt off of our bikes. https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....4/DSC01199.jpg https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....4/DSC01209.jpg C - It would have been lovely to camp, but with nowhere to get out of the wind, we decided it would not be so much fun. T - After Uyuni we started to head directly west towards our next destination. Chile. It was a fair hike away and we knew that we wouldn't get there until tomorrow. So we rode out of Uyuni for about 100kms and found another lovely free camp. Rosie has been a bit unwell lately so I decided to change out her cam chain, and set her valves. After an hour of dismantling her engine it turned out that the cam chains I had for the bikes were different to the one Rosie had. So I put her back together in the dark. Oh well! I shall do her valves in the morning, which is what I suspect is giving me the feeling of no compression. https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....4/DSC01210.jpg https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....4/DSC01211.jpg https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....4/GOPR0196.jpg https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....4/GOPR0198.jpg https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....4/DSC01212.jpg Tomorrow we head into Chile! |
T - Another great nights sleep in our tent. It was a little chilly this morning but nothing as cold as the night before. So I was up early and tearing into Rosie's valves.
https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....4/DSC01216.jpg Yep I was right. Her intake valve was very, very tight. I set it where it should be and closed her all back up. I had also pulled her cam chain tensioner out to give everything the once over so I made sure it was all back in properly. C - My poor little Rosie. She definitely seems to be having some issues lately. Her performance has dropped, some of which will be due to altitude, but she just seems a little unhappy at the moment. Hopefully the valve adjustment will do the trick?! T - She fired up first kick, and she had compression again! Yay! BUT, now she had a crazy annoying rattle and I couldn't place it. I had changed nothing but her valve settings. I let her run for 10 minutes and though the rattle quietened down it didn't go away. I thought about it while we had some brekky and decided it must be the cam chain tensioner. I pulled it out and compared it to the service manual I had. It was definitely in right. So I pulled Mabel's out and made sure that I hadn't maybe lost apart in the dirt. Nope. It was the same. Then, interestingly, when I put Mabel back together and started her up she too made the same rattle as Rosie. Now she hadn't made the rattle previously. So I knew it was something I was doing with the tensioner. In the end I was so frustrated with this rattle that I splashed some extra engine oil down the tube of the tensioner plunger, and the rattle went away. Huh?? I did the same for Rosie and she too went silent. Well there you go. You learn something new every day. So now with quiet bikes we rode away towards Chile. https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....4/DSC01218.jpg C - By the time we left camp, the sun was well and truly in the sky and was starting to warm us up nicely. It was such a pleasure to be pulling out of camp with Rosie having some oomph back in her! Yay!! T - The riding was stunning. The mountains reared up all around and were snow capped. Wow. It was gorgeous! Very cold but simply stunning. https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....7-11-35-58.jpg https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....7-11-12-52.jpg https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....7-11-36-10.jpg https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....7-11-36-37.jpg C - The road was dirt was the whole way from Uyuni to the border, but a well maintained, hard packed road that allowed us to keep up some speed. The riding was good and the scenery was just amazing. Bolivia has been such a treat for its amazing scenery. The whole country has been breathtaking. https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....7-12-08-18.jpg https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....7-12-08-36.jpg T - We turned up at the border and soon we were stamped out of Bolivia by some very grumpy officials and stamped into Chile by some very friendly ones! We needed to get about 200kms up the road to the first town where we could get fuel. There was just one road there and it was mostly smooth bitumen all the way through the most barren landscape I have ever seen. There was nothing out there. Just dirt and rocks and mountains. The different colours of the dirt was incredible! So beautiful! https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....7-13-42-44.jpg https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....7-15-06-36.jpg https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....7-15-06-40.jpg C - We were on the Ruta del Desierto and it certainly lived up to its name. There was not a scrap of vegetation anywhere. Just sand and rocks. It was stunning to ride through, with snow capped peaks running down the left side and the occasional puff of smoke from what I assume are volcanoes. Very cool! https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....7-15-06-39.jpg https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....7-16-43-20.jpg https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....7-13-42-48.jpg T - We eventually pulled in to Calama and we were blown away by the modernity of it. Office blocks, shopping malls, clean streets, traffic lights that people stopped at. It was really weird! We found ourselves a small hostal to stay in for the next two nights as we need to do a few errands in town. Chantelles camera has also died so now we are down to using iPhones and GoPros. I would like to sort that out before we get much further into Chile. So much to take photos of here! https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....7-17-44-04.jpg https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....7-17-46-09.jpg So tomorrow we do laundry, get Chantelle some new riding jeans, fit Rosies new drive chain and sprocket, and a few other bits and pieces. |
24 April 2017
C - The plan for today was to get some laundry done and take a walk to the big mall we spied on the way in. I was excited about visiting a big grocery store!
We dropped off our stinking clothes and wandered around Calama, stopping in at the Mall Plaza and being generally amazed by the westerness of it all. Todd really wanted to find a camera lense, or a new camera, so we called in to all the electronics store to learn that Sony lenses really are not easy to get hold of here. We decided we would try in the next big town. After picking up some yummy groceries, including camembert cheese and really delicious looking salami, ham, olives and french loaf for dinner, we wandered back to the hotel to try to figure out how to tackle Chile. Our first choice was to travel from Puerto Montt to Puerto Natales by ferry, however, we had received an email advising that the last ferry for the season leaves on 6 May 2017. No way we can make that. So we spent much time trying to work out where the ferries run in Chilean Patagonia to see if we can ride the Carretera Austral. We both gave up trying to do this on the laptops and decided to pick up a good map of Chile at the next opportunity. I do love a good paper map! Tomorrow, we will leave Calama and head straight down the PanAm through the Atacama Desert. I think this will take us quite a few days, it's quite the distance! |
25 - 28 April 2017
T - This entry covers a few days as we had no wifi to upload with and to be honest we didnt do much other than ride ride ride.
From Calama we had only one choice of paved road south. There was a ton of sandy tracks that disappeared out over the desert, but our bikes HATE sand and we didn't want to overheat their little clutches too much by bogging them down to the axles for hours on end. So we sat on the highway. https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....4/GOPR0660.jpg The scenery continued to be incredible. It really was just crazy how devoid a landscape could be of pretty well anything. Just massive mountains and sand everywhere with a ribbon of smooth tarmac cutting through it all. https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....4/GOPR0664.jpg After a while the kilometers seemed to tick by very slowly and both of us were moaning about how slow our bikes were. We rode and rode and rode. Camped and rode and rode and rode and still we were in the desert. On the plus side we were back to just camping wherever the hell we wanted too which was really nice! There's definately a freedom about laying down in any old place we choose. https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....4/GOPR0683.jpg https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....4/G0010679.jpg Each day we would rise with the sun, pack up and ride through more desert. At one point we decided to ride into the desert for something different to do. It was quite hard on top but if our skinny wheels broke through the 'crust' they bogged down. C - Back to the lands of free camping! What joy! There is something really lovely about camping for free in the wilderness. The desert here is certainly an amazing place to camp - enough hills to find shelter from the wind and the highway and beautiful desert sunsets. On our second day in the desert, the PanAm wound its way to the coast and we witnessed first hand the strange, low lying cloud that forms on the coast of Peru and Chile. It was thick and really cold, and engulfed the whole coastal area - definitely a different kind of beauty. https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....4/GOPR0688.jpg https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....4/GOPR0685.jpg https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....4/GOPR0684.jpg T - We stopped for the obligatory 'motorcycle in front of the hand sculpture' shot and continued on. South bound. https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....4/GOPR0694.jpg https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....7-10-19-00.jpg The camps in the desert yielded some amazing night time views of the stars and it seemed we could almost pluck them from the sky. They were so bright and seemed so close. The bonuses of being where there is no towns to spoil the night! https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....4/GOPR0674.jpg We had made plans to get off this god forsaken PanAm Highway once we reached the town of La Serena. The constant grind of flogging along the highway was wearing our spirits down and our bikes hated sitting on 65km for hour after hour with very few stops each day. C - Despite the beauty and rawness of the arid scenery, we were both getting very keen to get off the highway and see something different. We were counting down the kilometres to the town of La Serena, where we would have more road options, and had just packed up from a lunch stop. We knew would reach La Serena within an hour and a half, refill the food box, pick up a new camera for Todd and then get out of town to camp. https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....7-09-14-41.jpg https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....4/GOPR0692.jpg https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....4/GOPR0699.jpg https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....7-12-10-16.jpg T - Obviously our complaining about the ride being a little boring made Rosie sit up, take notice, and decide to throw a spanner in the works. Chantelle was cruising along when all of a sudden Rosie spluttered and coughed and cut out. Almost as though she ran out of fuel. Chantelle switched over to reserve and we kicked and kicked and swore and kicked some more. But Rosie would not go. We stripped her down to her bones trying to find the fault. She had fuel, she had air, but she had no spark. We swapped out spark plugs, CDI units and even pulled her wiring apart. Nothing worked. She still refused to go. https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....4/GOPR0214.jpg Finally we pulled her stator off and swapped it out with Mabels. And she started straight up while Mabel now sat there dead as a door nail. Damn these stators. This was number 4 that we had burnt out. Usually they just stop charging the battery but now there wasn't any power produced at all. I tried swapping out the old pulse generator for a new one, but that made no difference either. C - After four hours of investigating and swapping parts between the bikes, it was time to call it. We just could not fix this problem on the side of the road with what we had. Bugger! And so close to a big town too! T - Only thing for it now was to tow. So we tied Mabel to the back of Rosie and set off for La Serena. 85 kms up the road. We knew it was a biggish town and figured we could either get the part we needed there or order one from the States if need be. C - Neither of us have towed, or been towed, on a bike. It was the one thing I really hoped to avoid on this trip. Oh well, there was nothing for it but just to try. We decided Rosie had a better chance of towing Mabel than the other way round, and I figured it was probably easy to be the tow-er. https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....4/GOPR0704.jpg After just a few minutes, we figured out the gear changes and braking and it was not as bad as I thought it might be. My biggest concern though was the constant up and down hills we had been travelling. Sure enough, we had to climb quite a number of steep hills. Poor little Rosie worked her guts out dragging us and Mabel up those hills. Eventually though, we came down a long downhill, back to sea level and into the freezing cold, damp low lying cloud. I then realised we had to deal with traffic, uh oh. T - As we approached the city the traffic got worse and worse. Usually we can sort of zip around and fit in but with one underpowered and overloaded bike towing another it was mayhem, and it felt very dangerous. We couldn't easily swap lanes to get our exits due to the masses of traffic and ended up going through town to a spot where we could do a u-turn and head back. Cars flashed by us and beeped and swerved all around us. It sucked. Then we got stuck in our lane again and missed our turn again, which meant we ended up in a highly congested section of the main shopping area. It sucked. Finally though we made it to where we needed to be. Poor Rosie was cooking hot, her clutch had started slipping and Chantelle and I were both frazzled to within an inch of our lives. We found a nice cheap hostal within walking distance to some bike parts stores and decided to stay for a few nights here. C - We ended up right around the corner from the massive Mall Plaza and after the most amazing hot shower ever, we walked to the grocery store for a much needed bottle of wine and a cooked chook for dinner. T - Tomorrow we hopefully will be able to find a new stator and we need to buy a camera as our 3 Sonys we had have all now failed. All three with the same lens issues. One day they work, the next they just don't. No more Sony products for this black duck. |
29 April 2017
C - We laid in this morning, enjoying the fact that the shops do not open early here. We were hoping that we would fluke finding a stator here to avoid ordering one from the USA.
https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....4/DSCN0017.jpg Todd found a few motorcycles stores located a couple of kilometres away, so we rugged up and ventured out into the chilly, foggy morning. We found a Napa and picked up a couple of 12v fuses for the laptop charger (which we use on the motorbike) and eventually came across the Honda and Yamaha dealer. The guys were really friendly, but directed us to their other store, seven traffic lights back in the direction we came. We found the other store, basically on the corner of the road our hotel is on (doh!) and after a bit, they finally ventured out the back to see if they had something. It looked promising as they sold Chinese bikes and parts as well as Honda and Yamaha. After giving up on the idea, as one of the guys said they don't have the parts for our bikes, one of the other guys came back to the counter with the exact part we needed. We both nearly fell over when we heard the price, but what can you do! We forked over the cash and left feeling very happy. Next on the list was a camera. After confirming in a number of stores between Calama and here, we learnt again that purchasing a Sony lens in the country was likely to be impossible, we asked in the two department stores close to us to be told the same thing. But, we were in luck! They had the exact camera Todd wanted for about the price of a new lens anyway.Then we picked up the last of the bits and pieces we needed (zipties, electrical tape etc) and splurged on a delicious lunch of hamburgers and fries at a place called Johnny Rockets. https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....4/DSCN0008.jpg https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....4/DSCN0016.jpg We also found a wonderful map so have decided to spend tomorrow researching our Patagonia section and working out the ferry schedules to see where/how we can get as far as south in Chile before crossing into Argentina. |
30 April 2017
T - Well we were quite lazy today. We slept in and then lounged about in bed until 10am. We are getting a bit lazy these days. There wasnt too much on todays agenda. Fit the new stator to Mabel and make sure she ran again, do some shopping, and maybe drink some wine.
https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....5/DSCN0032.jpg It took me all of about 30 minutes to have the old stator out and the new one in. It was with some trepidation that i\I gave Mabel a good swift kick in the guts. But she fired right up and sat there purring away. Phew! Now we have two running bikes again. That means that tomorrow we can head on out of here. https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....5/DSCN0028.jpg https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....5/DSCN0029.jpg Chantelle made some plans for where we could ride and found a way for us to get off of the stinking Pan Am for a while. Also we are off to do a tour of a Pisco brewery. Its a locally made beverage that is similar to brandy. I have some foggy memories of our last alcoholic beverage tour in Tequila with Rick. I hope I dont end up that drunk! https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....5/DSCN0034.jpg https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....5/DSCN0036.jpg Then we just hung out, did some laundry and drank a little bit of red wine. A nice easy day! Tomorrow we head for Pisco Elqui. |
1 May 2017
T - Back on the road again! Its always nice to be riding again, even after only a short break from it. We packed our gear and warmed the bikes out and rode out the gate of the hostal. We made it about 50 meters before we had to stop again. Rosie was sporting a suddenly flat rear tyre and Mabels chain was dragging inside the sprocket cover. Bloody hell. Come on Mabel and Rosie, get your act together.
C - After getting all our gear on it was very disappointing to have to pull straight over and take it all off again! Talk about first world problems!!! T - Tyre aired and chain un-dragged and we set off again. Both bikes are feeling a little more worn these days and neither one has felt up to scratch in quite some time. Maybe it's thanks to the absolutely crap fuel we had been running in them all through Peru and Bolivia, who knows. I chugged a bit of carby and fuel system cleaner into our tanks to help remove any gunk that may be lurking in the works. We zipped out into a lush valley. Vineyards sprung up all around us and with a gorgeous bright blue sky and a scattering of mountains thrown into the mix for good measure, it made for a lovely bit of riding. https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....5/DSCN0037.jpg https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....5/DSCN0039.jpg https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....5/DSCN0043.jpg We were heading to a distillery that made Pisco. Chantelle was pretty keen to try it out and had found a great little place where we could do a tour of the whole process too. Unfortunately, and totally unknown to us, today was a public holiday and all the distillery tours were shut for the day. https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....5/DSCN0046.jpg https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....5/DSCN0048.jpg We rode around the Valle del Elqui area for a while looking for somewhere to camp. But after finding nothing that excited us we decided to just move on down the road. We would find another Pisco place along the way, surely. https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....5/DSCN0049.jpg https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....5/DSCN0050.jpg https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....5/DSCN0051.jpg C - It was a bit disappointing to discover it was a public holiday and no tours were running, but neither one of us were really keen on camping up so early and then doing a tour in the morning. Knowing these tours, we would not be able to ride afterwards and it would mean hanging out for a whole day again. My real motivation for this tour was tasting a pisco sour, the national drink of Chile, so I figured for the same price I will just buy one in a bar somewhere! The day was clear and warm and we were ready to ride! https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....5/DSCN0054.jpg https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....5/DSCN0052.jpg https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....5/DSCN0057.jpg https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....5/DSCN0055.jpg https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....5/DSCN0058.jpg T - We took a gorgeous back road that soon turned to dusty dirt. It swung us through a stunning landscape of cactus and desert hills which is where we found our perfect camp for the night. About 100 meters up a dried up river bed. It was nicely hidden and we managed to scrounge up some wood for a small but warm fire to help keep the late afternoon chills at bay. https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....5/DSCN0061.jpg https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....5/DSCN0059.jpg https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....5/DSCN0064.jpg https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....5/DSCN0071.jpg Tomorrow we shall continue on our southward journey towards the big city of Santiago. We want to buy some handlebar muffs to keep our hands warm when we hit Patagonia. |
2 May 2017
T - Today was more scenic back road riding. We had to make a quick pitstop in the near by town of Ovalle for some food supplies where I also managed to find a yoghurt cake. Oh. My. God. It was amazing! I forced myself to share it with Chantelle, but a part of me secretly hoped she would decline the offer.
https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....5/DSCN0074.jpg https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....5/DSCN0078.jpg https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....5/DSCN0079.jpg C - I normally only have a taste and let Todd at it, but this time, oh my.. That cake was so damn delicious I had to share it!!! Poor Totti! T - We set our GPS for some nice backroads again and meandered our way through more lovely desert landscape. It was changing a little now though and there was a scattering of trees amongst the cacti. https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....5/DSCN0084.jpg https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....5/DSCN0087.jpg https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....5/DSCN0088.jpg Our day consisted mainly of slow riding and enjoying the sights. We had picked a camp some distance down the road but figured we would just find something along the way. https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....5/DSCN0092.jpg https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....5/DSCN0093.jpg https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....5/DSCN0095.jpg https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....5/DSCN0089.jpg Which we did. We hid in amongst some scraggly dead bushes, set up our camp and cracked a bottle of wine as the sunset and the stars blossomed into life. Ahh, this is the life! https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....5/DSCN0098.jpg https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....5/DSCN0104.jpg https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....5/DSCN0108.jpg https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....5/DSCN0115.jpg Tomorrow we should get to Santiago! |
3 May 2017
T - It was a little chilly this morning, nothing near as cold as we had been in Bolivia though! Not that it mattered because our little friend Rosie had a way of warming me up this morning.
https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....5/DSCN0120.jpg https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....5/DSCN0121.jpg The little red cow just did not want to start. I kicked and kicked and fiddled with her carb. Nothing. Then I kicked and swore and screamed and ranted and kicked her some more. Nope didn't help. Her clutch seemed to be binding up and locking on even in neutral. This meant I couldn't actually get her to turn over freely at all. Grr. Eventually I volunteered Chantelle to push me down the hill on Rosie while I attempted to bump start her. With a cough and a spit she fired up and sat there like nothing weird had happened. I'm not sure what is causing this but her clutch is definitely shot. Luckily we are going to Santiago today and we should be able to find her a new one. C - We figured we would replace her clutch plates in Santiago. The reliable failure of clutch plates and stators in these Lifans. I am now at about 25,000km on this engine, and it seems to be about when are replacing these two parts on them. I will baby her clutch into Santiago and tomorrow, she can have some shiny new plates to keep her happy. T - We rode along some lovely winding dirt roads that popped in and out of old train tunnels. From the 70's. They were a hoot and one of the was quite long and also curved so we couldn't really see if another car was coming. Which was very important as they were barely one lane wide. https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....5/DSCN0123.jpg https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....5/DSCN0124.jpg https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....5/DSCN0129.jpg https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....5/DSCN0130.jpg We screamed out of a fourth tunnel and into a valley full of green. Citrus farms spread out in every direction and again those big desert mountains loomed all around. Very nice! https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....5/DSCN0133.jpg https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....5/DSCN0138.jpg https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....5/DSCN0139.jpg C - The riding was super fun, but the tunnels were actually a little scary! They are pitch black, with no lighting inside, and it takes some time for your eyes to adjust to the darkness. Just as they adjust, the tunnel exit appears and you are trying to see in the darkness with a bright light at the end. One tunnel suddenly turned into puddles and mud halfway a long and I was giggling at the sudden change in surface! T - We stopped for a top up of our tanks and to find a back way into the city. Neither of us keen on sitting on a toll road. When we went to leave Rosie flat out refused to start. She just sat their with her clutch all seized and refused to even fart. We tried kicking her and ended up pushing her all around the fuel station, much to the locals amusement, but still she stayed silent. Ugh. https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....5/DSCN0140.jpg https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....5/DSCN0141.jpg We let her sit while I tried to think of how to sort this out. In frustration I gave her another kick and vroooom. She fired into life. I think it's time for a carby strip down and a new clutch for our Rosie. I'm starting to wonder if putting fuel system cleaner in has dislodged something and blocked a passageway in her carb. As we cruised into Santiago proper I knew with a sinking feeling in my heart that Rosie was going to break down in the traffic. I don't know why but I just knew it was coming. And she didn't let me down. She stalled at the lights when Chantelle went to take off. Poor Channy had to push her out of the way and cross traffic to get her to the side of the road. Again we couldn't kick her because her clutch was locked on solid. I started to think the clutch was the issue. I had some second hand clutch plates in my panniers but had no want to fix her on the side of the busy road. While we sat there feeling sorry for ourselves a gentleman came over and asked if he could help. We told him what was going on and he told us he was a motorcycle mechanic! How much of a coincidence was that! He said the clutch wouldn't be stopping her from running but that it was a definite problem and he could help us replace it right here right now. https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....5/DSCN0143.jpg Aroldo and I raced to his house where he gathered up tools and various bibs and bobs and together we laid Rosie on her side, ripped her old clutch out, sanded the spare plates and put her all back together again. She took a few kicks around with the carb and with my limited spanish I thanked him profusely for his help. The kindness of strangers hey! We owed this man a huge debt of gratitude but he wouldn't accept anything from us but a friend request on Facebook. Aroldo if you are reading this thanks you so much my friend. You are our knight in shining armour! Thank you, thankyou, thankyou! Aroldo si estas leyendo esto gracias a tanto mi amigo. Eres el caballero de brillante armadura! ¡Gracias, gracias, muchas gracias! https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....5/DSCN0148.jpg C - It was so lovely of Aroldo and his wife to offer us assistance. It was just the spark we needed, as we were both feeling a little flat about Rosie being such a trouble maker this week! I was so pleased when she fired right up after Aroldo and Todd replaced her clutch plates and as it was getting late, I really just wanted to get to the hostel we picked, shower and sit down with a red wine. T - We then set off in search of somewhere to stay. Of course Rosie wasn't done yet and every time Chantelle tried to give her a quick burst of the throttle she would stall. At least now though she was easier to start. Time and again Rosie stalled at one set of lights much to Chantelles frustration. Add to that the fact that the hostal we had picked out was booked solid. So we went in search of another. I took over the reins of Rosie to give a very miserable Chantelle a break. I found that so long as I rolled on the throttle slowly she wouldn't stall. Clog jets? Definitely something fuel related anyways which makes fixing the problem much easier! Along the way a police car pulled alongside. As we sat there stopped in traffic one of the officers climbed out and donned his hat. He looked very official and I had a small "Uh oh. Please not now" moment. He came over, asked where we were from, shook our hands and gave us a book on the history of the police force of Chile and told us to make sure we took it back to Australia. Jody, we have a nice little present for you from another police officer! https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....5/DSCN0147.jpg We eventually got sick of searching for somewhere to stay and finally at 9pm we just went with our next option. It was out of our budget but we were both tired and frustrated and Channy was at the end of her tether. C - I was feeling really worried about Rosie. Particularly about the fact that we are now heading south - towards a relatively unpopulated and I am assuming harsh environment. I do not want to keep having these issues in the middle of cold, cold Patagonia, where we are not near a city which sells parts for her little motor. We had checked availability at the hostels this morning, as they were all fine, but obviously arriving so late, the rooms had just gone before we got there. In the end, I was going to take the last one regardless. Although out of our budget, it was a perfect one bedroom apartment where we could do some washing tomorrow and cook in a real kitchen. With a view of the city! We thought we would dig out the bread and cheese off of Rosie for dinner, but alas, the bread was completely mangled and not able to be separated. So, we ended up with amazing sushi from next door and red wine. Budget, what budget??? T - Tomorrow we will find some new clutch plates and various other bits for the bikes before we head further south to Patagonia. Come on Rosie, you can do it! C - Come on Rosie!! It's only the rest of the world to go!!! |
And here is another two videos we have done in amongst all that!
|
Brilliant photos and report as always. Thanks guys:thumbup1:, but I can't get the videos to work
Just looking up Lifan prices LOL Time to buy yourselves some new engines ? :D:scooter: |
Quote:
Anytime mate! Hmm. For some reason the HUBB doesn't post up the videos. Try clicking the links below maybe? We are getting close to needing a new motor for Rosie we think. Hopefully she can hold out just a few more weeks! Ok, the videos. Update #13 is HERE Number 14 is HERE Number 15 is HERE I'm just doing number 16 at the moment so that should be up tomorrow I hope. |
4 May 2016
C - Todays mission was to find the motorbike street in Santiago and go in search of bike supplies!
We ventured down to Lira street, which by pure chance was only a few blocks from our hotel, and were amazed at the number of motorbike stores. It so very cool to be able to go to one street to access all the motorbike stores - why do we not have this Aus?? There were a million shops selling every brand of parts you can think of, including all the Chinese brands of course! T - I love these moto store streets. You can find almost anything to suit most bikes, and here in Chile Chinese bikes rule the streets. There were so many pitbike stores and I was ogling all the new engines. How about 190cc in Mabel...hmmm... We saw a few handlebar muffs in some of the Chinese stores, but were recommend to visit the Honda store, who sell Givi gear. The guys were friendly and we were soon walking away with two sets of handlebar muffs to keep our little hands warm in Patagonia! Next - we visited the Pitbike Store. 2 new sets of clutch plates, check New stator (just incase!), check New sprockets, check https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....5/DSCN0146.jpg T - The pitbike store had everything Lifan. There was floor to ceiling shelving loaded with enough spares to keep us happy. They had huge plastic containers packed full of every type of conceivable spare part, stators, sprockets, kickstart rubbers, pod filters,carbs, and kill switches. C - So, now, hopefully, our girls to good to go! Todd cleaned Rosies out and found her main jet was completely blocked.. A likely cause of my issues lately. So, fingers crossed she is all good on that front tomorrow! https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....5/DSCN0151.jpg A relatively easy day and we retired to our accommodation to catch up the blog, wash the clothes and enjoy a red wine with a view! Tomorrow, we ride south! |
Quote:
Thanks Todd, the links worked to view the videos :thumbup1: |
Quote:
|
5 May 2017
T - We enjoyed Santiago, but as always it is great to continue on our journey south. Ushuaia seems so close now! I can almost feel the cold!
I gave Rosie a nice warm up while we packed the bikes and she sat there purring like a little kitten. Hopefully the blocked jet was causing her to run so badly. C - I was excited when Totti came back up to the room to say that Rosie had idled nicely, just like a little kitten, down in the car park. Ok! A nice, carby is just what she needed to hit the open road again! We packed up the bikes, left the carpark and ventured into the mid-morning Santiago traffic. T - Buuuuuuuut... Within 15 minutes of being on the road Rosie was back to stalling at every red light again. What the what Rosie! I didn't know what was going on. So I swapped places with Chantelle as Rosie needed kicking every 50 meters or so. This wasn't right. I had missed something. Luckily for us we stalled right outside of an auto parts store, so we ducked in and grabbed some carb cleaner. The way Rosie was spitting and stalling seemed to be totally fuel related. Twisting the throttle on made her stop running instantly, sitting idling for more than 30 secs made her stall, trying to take off without a huge amount of revs made her stall. Poor Rosie. She was very unhappy. C - Rosie started to stall, and whilst I was happy riding her, Todd felt awfully terrible watching me re-kick her to life at every traffic light. We swapped so he could really see what she was up to. T - We sat in the car park of the auto store and stripped her carby down and put our last rebuild kit into it. I gave everything a liberal dose of cleaner but it seemed really clean already. We reassembled her and rode off only to stall shortly after. Grr. We stopped about 50 kms out of Santiago. Rosie wouldn't run for more than a few meters unless she had a heap of revs. We knew we couldn't ride her like this for much longer. Something was clearly amiss. We swapped the carbies over between Rosie and Mabel, I was convinced it was a fuelling issue. No change. Rosie still ran terribly and still stalled at every stop. Mabel on the other hand was running sweet as a button, as she has ever since she got her new motor in Alaska. Our little rock she is. C - Once we had swapped the carbies over, I did not understand what was happening. How can she still be having fueling issues with Mabels carby? How!! Rosie's airbox was even filling up fuel. Everything pointed to a fuel issue. I just did not understand what was happening. I was feeling quite stressed about my girl.. I felt stressed about her when we first pulled into Santiago, and now I was feeling the same again. Something was definitely amiss. But what? T - While we were fixing Rosie a lovely gentleman came over to chat to us. He owned a nearby restaurant and soon he had us eating empanadas and drinking coffee. All on the house. Wow. People here are so lovely. C - The gentleman was so lovely. We did not get his name, but I can assure you, these empanadas were the best I have ever eaten! He even took me into his restaurant, and after showing me around, gave me a horseshoe for luck! https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....5/DSCN0156.jpg T - We decided the best thing for us was to try to return to Santiago. There was a heap of motorbike parts stores there and if worse came to the worse we could buy Rosie a new motor. We coughed and bucked and stalled all the way back into the city. Rosie ran worse and worse. Any slight incline and she would cut out and misfire and carry on. She was fine when she was cold, and crap when she warmed up. Finally we made it back to our hotel from last night, Rosie dying at every opportunity leaving me kicking her over and over again in peak hour city traffic. I felt bad for her. C - I do not know who I felt worse for - Todd having to kick Rosie over at every traffic light, or poor Rosie, who was clearly unhappy and unable to tell us how to fix her. It broke my heart. Honestly, I felt completely terrible. https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....5/DSCN0159.jpg https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....5/DSCN0161.jpg T - After some research and some advice from fellow postie bikers we had the issue narrowed down to a few potential problems. Rosie's coil was bad and when warm it would not produce enough spark to handle her fuel load. Or her stator was bad. Again. We had a spare stator and a spare coil, but we couldn't replace her lead. And if we wanted to solve this we wanted to put as many new bits into her as we could. So tomorrow we are off to find a new lead and probably buy a new coil too. Fingers crossed! C - Come on Rosie!! You can do it!!! |
6 May 2017
T - I know there is no photos from the last 2 days, but we have been so frustrated by our inability to fix this bike that the camera has taken a backseat. We just want Rosie to be happy again.
C - I know this might sound weird, but these bikes are just such a big part of our life. We say good morning, we say good night, we feel for them when they are not in the best shape. We both just feel so bad for Rosie - worse actually, because we just do not know what exactly is wrong. T - Today we went back to Lira St in Santiago where all the bike parts shop are. We found a coil, in fact we could have bought enough coils to fix every bike we ever came across again, but we just couldn't find a lead as long as the one we needed. Most of them came up about 3 inches too short. We eventually found an American made Spitfire lead which was a tad short but it had a weird connecter that meant we could make our own extension. So back to Rosie and put this thing in her. We started her up and immediately we could tell that there was no difference. With nothing left to do we swapped in a new stator and made plans to get her to Aroldo, the mechanic we had met the other day. C - We were both gutted when changing the coil and lead made no difference. We sat in the dark carpark, looking at each other, wondering what to do next. The only option left to us was the stator. But surely no? Not another stator. She did have Mabel's old stator in, but surely? T - However she went, and she went well. No more bogging down, no more spitting and farting. She smoked out the garage where she was parked before she settled down to a steady idle. Chantelle took her for a quick spin around the garage and we kept our fingers crossed that she was ok again. We are here for another night yet and tomorrow we will take her for a test ride through the city. If she survives then on Monday we will head across to the coast. If she still plays up, then we burn her.. C - And by burn her, Todd means we take her to a mechanic. My poor little girl... |
7 May 2017
C - Well, today would be the day of truth!! We would take Rosie on a proper run and see how she goes!
After lazy on the couch until almost midday, we got dressed and ventured down to the carpark. Rosie started on her first kick, a good sign? T - Righto Rosie, this is your chance to redeem yourself. Or I am selling you to the lowest bidder. But first I need a decent breakfast. Having access to a proper kitchen means we were able to make sausage, egg, toast and the best of all, bacon! Then it was time to go see the bikes. https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....5/DSCN0165.jpg https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....5/DSCN0167.jpg C - She warmed up nicely, sitting there, idling like a little kitten. She did manage to smoke out the entire carpark level, but whatever right? T - For some reason she smoked alot. This is yet another new thing. I can only put it down to ..I dont know what. I think she is wearing out though. Luckily we also have a new piston and ring kit, plus a new bore and head gasket in our panniers. C - Todd wanted to test her out, so I jumped on Mabel and out we went. We decided we would venture only around the two blocks near the apartment building, just in case. Thankfully, she ran perfectly!! And besides blowing some smoke until she warmed up, she performed perfectly. We ran her around the block for about 30 minutes without any issues, performing all sorts of tests, including her putting her through her paces at full throttle. T - Well that was a relief. She ran really well. She had power again and we whizzed around the blocks a few times to give her plenty of warm up time. Plus I may have given her a little bit of a flogging. I needed to know she could run under load you see... C - So, we are going to call her ready to tackle the southward journey at this stage. BUT, if we leave the city and she stalls even once, we are heading back to the hotel and not leaving until she sees a mechanic. We have decided we will buy another stator before we leave the city. The two that have failed us recently were both cheap ones from Colombia. Perhaps this is our problem? Both bikes have more expensive stators in them now from Chile. Fingers crossed. After this, we ventured out to see the city. We have yet to see much of Santiago, so decided to follow the Lonely Planet recommended walking route. It was wonderful! We saw so many wonderful sites, including the presidential palace. It was a great 3km route! https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....5/DSCN0175.jpg https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....5/DSCN0177.jpg https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....5/DSCN0179.jpg https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....5/DSCN0180.jpg https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....5/DSCN0184.jpg https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....5/DSCN0189.jpg https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....5/DSCN0196.jpg Todd was determined to get me a pisco sour, which I was soooo keen on trying. So, we stopped at a bar to try one. And I can honestly say! That I am glad we never did a tour. It was nice and lemony, nice and sour, but the alcohol just tasted like bad tequila to me! So, I have now enjoyed a pisco sour and am happy to leave it at that! https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....5/DSCN0210.jpg https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....5/DSCN0203.jpg https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....5/DSCN0206.jpg T - I bought myself a litre of Chilean beer, and after tasting Chantelles Pisco Sour, I was pretty damn glad I had! C - Tomorrow, we plan to head out - all going well! GO ROSIE!!!! T - She better. Or its off to the big motorcycle place in the sky for her. |
8 May 2017
T - Time to get out of the city. Santiago is a very nice little place and both Chantelle and myself found it a little hard to get going today. We kept giving each other a chance to stay for 'just one more night'. Both of us are getting a little tired now and even though we love being on the road a break from it is certainly on the cards.
C - The city was lovely, as was the little apartments we stayed in. Santiago felt like a really easy going city and it was an easy place to be. Definitely too easy to get comfortable and it was difficult to move on! http://overyondaonahonda.com/wp-cont...5/DSCN0211.jpg https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....5/DSCN0212.jpg T - We headed on out and I watched the kms tick down and not once did Rosie falter. We passed the point where we had turned around the other day, and still she kept going. I didn't want to celebrate too soon, but I started to feel like she was fixed! We had replaced her major electrical bits so hopefully that was that! She had a two broken wires on her somewhere but I couldn't find them. And they were only minor ones anyway. C - It was such a great milestone to get past where we turned back the other day. Rosie was running so sweetly, the sun was shining and new muffs were keeping my hands warm against the icy breeze. https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....5/DSCN0214.jpg https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....5/DSCN0213.jpg T - The traffic soon thinned out and we hit the back roads which took us out to the coast. It felt like we were riding through California again. The way the road curved along and the trees over the road. It was quite nice. Some parts also reminded us of Australia because there was alot of Bluegum tree plantations and Pine plantations through here. As darkness descended we found ourselves a little patch of dirt to camp on and after cooking some dinner it was time to retire to the tent. https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....5/DSCN0215.jpg https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....5/DSCN0216.jpg https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....5/DSCN0217.jpg https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....5/DSCN0218.jpg C - We intended to camp up a little earlier today, but we did not end up finding a camp we liked until rather late. But what we did find was a lovely area of wetlands on the edge of an estuary. It was a little muddy in some spots, but we found a nice high point to pitch the point out of sight of the highway. There were even three stunning horses grazing their way through the wetlands. A good day which ended with a beautiful sunset! T - Tomorrow we continue our path southwards towards Puerto Montt, |
9 May 2017
T - What a great sleep! We have some $3 inflatable mats that we bought in Colombia and they are fantastic! They take a while to pump up and deflate but they are worth it!
The girls got an oil change today and I was really surprised to see how black Rosies oil was. It was the blackest I have seen it yet. Oh well. She has nice fresh liquid gold in her now! https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....5/DSCN0227.jpg We wound along the coast again today. Through thick forest and up many steep hills. That's when Chantelle told me that Rosies clutch was slipping again. I couldn't believe it. Brand new clutch plates and they only lasted a day? I was fuming with frustration. Why Rosie whyyyyyy? https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....5/DSCN0229.jpg https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....5/DSCN0230.jpg https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....5/DSCN0232.jpg C - Yesterdays high quickly dissipated this morning. I mean really. Has Rosie been cursed or something? I felt so bad for my little bike. Perhaps there is some major mechanical failure? T - We decided to fix it in the nearby city of Concepcion and try to not let it bother us too much. Unfortunately this part of the road contained many, many steep hills that required first gear. So poor Channy became quite annoyed after a while with the slipping clutch. Oh Rosie you are a pain in my bottom lately. We figured that the new oil we had put in was causing havoc with Rosie's clutch as she had been running fine up until we changed it. https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....5/DSCN0233.jpg https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....5/DSCN0234.jpg https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....5/DSCN0236.jpg https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....5/DSCN0237.jpg https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....5/DSCN0238.jpg C - Despite the frustrations of Rosie's clutch situation, I could prevent her by slipping by taking it nice and slow up the hills. She was only slipping under load, so this just made the hill climbs very slow. On the plus side, this section of the Chilean coast is sensational. I enjoyed the scenery much better than the northern coast we saw. The sand is black, but there are also these massive, raw black rocks which jut out of the surf and give the coastline such a rugged beauty. It was also a pleasure to be back on dirt, back on the minor roads. Although I was now more than a little worried about my girl. We had agreed that one more issue and we would not go south until she was assessed by a mechanic. https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....5/DSCN0242.jpg https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....5/DSCN0241.jpg https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....5/DSCN0240.jpg T - Our road wound down into a nice little valley with a river flowing through it. So we set up camp there, lit a very smoky fire and shared a glass/cup of Chiles finest cheap wine before calling it a night. https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....5/DSCN0245.jpg https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....5/DSCN0251.jpg https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....5/DSCN0250.jpg https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....5/DSCN0249.jpg Tomorrow we get to Concepcion where we shall deal with Rosie. |
10 May 2017
T - We know we are getting south now. The nights have a chill to them and every morning our tent is drenched in dew. We think we are just a couple of days from the start of the Carratera Austral! So exciting!!!
C - Rosie started up well and I hoped that I had managed to control her slippage yesterday enough that today she would not be any worse. https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....5/DSCN0252.jpg But, the first hill proved me wrong. She was slipping worse than yesterday. Way worse. What the heck. We decided to head to Concepcion, a big city, and figure it out there. T - We plodded up the road and instantly the hills were steeeeeeep. Rosies clutch was slipping like mad and soon Mabel had bounded ahead. This wasn't fun anymore. I decided to enact a roadside repair. I had a spare litre of new oil, an empty two litre water bottle to catch the old oil in and we had a spare set of clutch plates. https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....5/DSCN0253.jpg https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....5/DSCN0254.jpg I found a spot off the road and soon we had Rosie draining her oil into the bottle. Again the oil was as black as tar. Something was amiss. We pulled her clutch basket out and disassembled it. Something was niggling into the back of my mind as we pulled the plates out. I couldn't put my finger on it. The clutch basket was full of clutch fibres. They blocked every oil passageway. We stripped it down to its separate pieces and we both sat there and scrubbed it clean. We poked out every hole until it looked like new. When I went to put the clutch plates in I had a moment where I couldn't remember how to do it. Something was really throwing me off. Clutch back in the bike and Rosie started up nicely. But as soon as she went into gear she squealed and stalled. Err... C - What the? This must be something we have done. She was not doing that this morning! T - Again we stripped her down. I checked and rechecked. Nothing seemed odd. We put her back together. Squeal and stall. This time when I pulled her clutch out again I was convinced that I had done something wrong. We checked on google about how the clutch plates go, and guess what, I had put them in backwards. I had this sneaking suspicion that I had put them in wrong originally which would explain why they had deteriorated so fast, and why Rosies oil was so black. With everything back together the right way she fired up and happily shifted through her gears. Lovely! A ride up the next hill showed that she was back to great riding condition again. Phew. I had taken a small video of me rebuilding the clutch in Santiago and I am willing to bet that I put her together wrong there too. I shall find out later. We didn't have far to go until we hit Concepcion but it was already heading on for 3pm. So we decided to call it a day and find somewhere to stay in the city once we had some new clutch plates and new oil. It took us a while to find what we wanted and by then it was pouring with rain. We seemed to get every single red light and had to sit there while the drivers around us looked at us pityingly. We found a nice hotel for the night where I watched the video of me assembling the clutch. Yep I had assembled it backwards there too. Sorry for calling you names Rosie. It was actually my fault! C - Thank goodness! I am glad it was something we did, not something Rosie did! So, dare I say it, we head further south tomorrow. Tomorrow we head on south! |
11 May 2017
T - It seemed like we had finally gotten Rosie up to scratch! She was running well, albeit a little smoky on her first startup in the mornings. Rings or valve seals or something. I can deal with that.
It had rained last night and both of us had left ALL of our gloves outside on the bikes. Not a very smart move! C - This is the second time I have done this.. And it is so depressing when you get up to a cold, rainy day and you have cold, wet gloves! At least know I have the handlebar muffs!! T - We were keen to get some trouble free riding done for a while and it was nice not to be worrying about Rosie. We scooted our way out of the city and made southwards. The scenery was changing again and we spent the day riding through farmland and tree plantations. Quite the change from the north! https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....5/DSCN0256.jpg https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....5/DSCN0255.jpg C - The vivid green of the vegetation was just so beautiful and the difference in rainfall was obvious. So beautiful! The blue gum plantation were so much like the southwest of Western Australia. It definitely reminded us of home! T - We ticked along quite happily and found a nice little camping spot by a river. It was a gorgeous little spot and one of my favourite so far in Chile. Mabel has been neglected over the past week or two with Rosies dramas and it was time for her to receive some love. So in went a new cam chain, new clutch plates and nice new oil. She should be good for the next 25000 kms. She is our little trooper that's for sure. https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....5/DSCN0257.jpg https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....5/DSCN0258.jpg https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....5/DSCN0259.jpg It was interesting to note the difference visually between the two Lifans. Mabels looked brand new inside where as Rosies looked like she had been run through the wringer. Rosie is up for a new motor I think when we get back to the US. Tomorrow we keep on keeping on! |
12 May 2017
T - We managed to get away at the super early hour of 11am today! We were just enjoying relaxing in camp this morning and felt no need to rush out.
C - It was lovely just hanging out in the camp, drinking tea. We were both a little shocked when we found out the time! https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....5/DSCN0268.jpg T - We were heading to the start of the lakes district which would lead us down and into the beginning of Patagonia! The riding was quite pretty and we zipped along through more green pastures. It was quite populated through this part of Chile and the traffic built up the closer we got to the lakes. It is fall here at the moment and we were both loving the fall colours of all the trees. Its starting to look alot like Canada now. https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....5/DSCN0313.jpg https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....5/DSCN0314.jpg Eventually we made it to the first of the lakes and we were quite disappointed that we couldn't get down to it. Houses were built all the way along it and the fences were high enough to block out our view of the lake. C - I was really keen to catch a glimpse of the volcano, but the clouds were determined that I wouldn't. The moody clouds clung to the mountains around the lakes, but the clouds and the greyness gave the lake a beautiful look too. We were a little concerned about getting a campsite, given how much populated the area is. Time to pull out iOverlander! T - We found a campsite on the internet and headed for it. We had to take a rough dirt road down and under a bridge and then suddenly we were on the beach! Apart from the big pile of used nappies that some idiot had dumped there, it was quite pretty and we pitched our tent just meters from the waters edge. https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....5/DSCN0272.jpg https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....5/DSCN0275.jpg https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....5/DSCN0279.jpg https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....5/DSCN0294.jpg Annnnnd, because there was no maintenance or repairs to do on the bikes it meant we could both sit down, relax and drink some red wine! https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....5/DSCN0298.jpg https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....5/DSCN0291.jpg https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....5/DSCN0301.jpg https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....5/DSCN0289.jpg C - I loved this campsite. Aside from the pile of dirty nappies of course. The sand was volcanic black and the lake was simply beautiful. We witnessed a beautiful sunset and sunrise and spent a very quiet night! https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....5/DSCN0311.jpg T - Tomorrow we are going to push on for Puerto Montt and the start of the Careterra Austral. |
13 May 2017
T - What a great place to sleep! I slept like a log and woke up to a nice cool morning. We planned our days ride and worked out that to get to Puerto Montt via the back roads we would need to do about 420 kms. Yikes. That's usually a good day and a half worth of riding. So we will see how we go.
The road wound through more pasture and the further we went south the greener and more lush it got. We started to pass down some gorgeous tree covered lanes where the trees towered over us. Some sections were just like riding through some parts of our old home town area in Western Australia. https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....5/DSCN0315.jpg https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....5/DSCN0316.jpg https://i0.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....5/DSCN0320.jpg C - I really enjoyed the riding today. We skirted around the seven lakes district, witnessing the lakes and cloud soaked mountains. So beautiful! T - Both bikes were purring along and they seemed quite happy. Rosie has lost some of her power over the last month but she keeps on ticking along. Mabel is as good as she always has been. https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....5/DSCN0328.jpg We wound around a few lakes and tried spotting the snow capped volcanoes that are around, but the cloud was thick and low and we didn't see anything even remotely resembling a volcano! https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....5/DSCN0322.jpg https://i2.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....5/DSCN0323.jpg https://i1.wp.com/overyondaonahonda....5/DSCN0321.jpg C - It was 4pm and we were still 140km out of Puerto Montt. But it seemed like such a shame to camp in the rain when we could ride another two hours and stay in a hotel. So, we decided to push on into the darkness to enjoy a hot shower and a warm bed. T - We kept at it and soon the lights of Puerto Montt were gleaming in front of us. We had made it! As we pulled into the city the rain thundered down and the wind picked up. We pulled out the phones to pick a hotel for a few nights only to find that both phones were flat. Plugging them into our chargers proved fruitless as it seemed that the charging cable was also broken. So we pulled into a nearby shopping mall only to find that Â*they had no cables in stock. The hilarity of the moment got to us and we sat in the wind and the rain and laughed loudly as our headset batteries gave out too. Seriously, we couldn't have made it up. We rode into the city not knowing where anything was and made for a hotel in the distance. It was expensive, very expensive, but we were exhausted and took it anyway. Tomorrow we will find a cheaper option as we will be here for a few days while we book ferry tickets and plan our southern route. |
Video update #17
Heres our next little rambling video. Episode #17!
HERE We have managed to wangle ourselves a ferry ride way, way down south and we will be boarding tonight! Woohoo!! |
14 May 2017
T - Oh my. There's nothing quite as nice as a massive king sized bed with views out over the city. You really do get what you pay for and this hotel was no exception! We slept like babies and decided we had to make the best of the HUGE free buffet breakfast and the late checkout time of 1200.
http://overyondaonahonda.com/wp-cont...5/DSCN0342.jpg C - It was so luxurious, staying in a fancy hotel! The towels and sheets were high quality and the bed was massive! The windows surrounded the huge room and gave us a 180 degree view of the city and the harbour. We were both excited about the ‘American’ buffet breakfast and feasted on sausages, eggs, hashbrowns and the all the expected accompaniments. We had already decided we were not checking out until 12pm on the dot! http://overyondaonahonda.com/wp-cont...5/DSCN0332.jpg http://overyondaonahonda.com/wp-cont...5/DSCN0334.jpg T - We found a cheaper option nearby and once we had moved in we decided to have a walk around the foreshore. Puerto Montt is really quite a pretty city and we enjoyed the breaks in the rain as we walked the streets. http://overyondaonahonda.com/wp-cont...5/DSCN0335.jpg http://overyondaonahonda.com/wp-cont...5/DSCN0340.jpg http://overyondaonahonda.com/wp-cont...5/DSCN0338.jpg We really didn't have too much to do today so we had a poke around a few malls and just enjoyed some people watching. http://overyondaonahonda.com/wp-cont...5/DSCN0343.jpg http://overyondaonahonda.com/wp-cont...5/DSCN0346.jpg http://overyondaonahonda.com/wp-cont...5/DSCN0345.jpg The ferry office isn't open today but we do plan to be there first thing tomorrow to see if we can get on next week's ferry. |
15 May 2017
T - We were both heading for the ferry offices nice and early today. We wanted to grab a ticket for the next available ferry and didn't want to chance missing out! If there was no ferry or no tickets then we would pack up tomorrow and head down the Carretera Austral.
C - We had contemplated booking the tickets yesterday through an agent who was opened. But I had convinced Todd we should wait until we could speak with the ferry company direct as I felt there might a chance we could a discount as it is low season. Fingers crossed my theory would work!! T - Well, our luck was in. Not only could we get a ticket on the ferry, but there was one leaving tomorrow and we were on it if we wanted, plus, we could have it at half price, plus, we would get a free upgrade to a nicer room. Done and done! We handed over the money and soon we had us and the bikes booked for a cruise down to Puerto Natales. Woohoo! This was kind of exciting as it meant we would get to see some parts of Chile not accessible by road. Plus we could shave off the best part of 2000 kms of riding in cold rain! http://overyondaonahonda.com/wp-cont...5/DSCN0351.jpg We had to return to the ticket office at 5pm to pick up our tickets and we would board in the morning at 8am. Bloody ripper! So we went off in search of some shoes as our sandals are letting a tad to much cold air in these days. http://overyondaonahonda.com/wp-cont...5/DSCN0347.jpg When we returned to pick up the tickets we were informed that the plan had changed. We would now be boarding at 11pm TONIGHT! Yikes!!! C - It was such an incredibly exciting day! To score the tickets at such a discounted rate and then discover we have to board tonight. We were both just so excited! T - We raced back to our hotel and packed everything up and got ourselves ready to rumble. At 11pm we were at the weighbridge having our bikes weighed. Apparently 200kg each. I doubt that very muchly! We were told we would be boarding very shortly and to hang out in the warm waiting room while the staff supplied us with coffee. Such lovely people these Chileans. http://overyondaonahonda.com/wp-cont...5/DSCN0353.jpg http://overyondaonahonda.com/wp-cont...5/DSCN0358.jpg Well it was 3am when we finally got the call to board. And wouldn't you know it, Mabel wouldnt start. Her clutch bound up and her kickstart flopped up and down uselessly. Good timing Mabes. A nearby trucker we had been chatting to gave me a push start and soon we were flying up into the hold of the ferry in a blur of red death and slipping clutch plates. But we were on! We found our way up to our cabin and we were surprised to find that we had been upgraded to a AAA cabin! That meant heating, hot water and a window to the views outside. Bonus! Sometimes it pays to travel in the low season, even if you get told "It cant be done, and it certainly can't be done on those bikes". We were both absolutely buggered and just crashed out in bed. The ferry was due to leave around 10ish in the morning and would take 4 days to make its way to Puerto Natales. |
16 - 20 May 2017
T - We woke a little too early today. Both of us bleary eyed and very much not bushy tailed. We scoffed our breakfast and powered into some caffeine. We had a wander around the boat and it seemed that there was now about 20 other passengers on board with us. We figured there would be quite a few more yet.
http://overyondaonahonda.com/wp-cont...5/DSCN0360.jpg http://overyondaonahonda.com/wp-cont...5/DSCN0364.jpg But when we cast off and set sail there was still the same amount of people. Just a small group made up mostly of truck drivers. This suited us just fine! The wind picked up and the cold roared in forcing us to retreat to the confines of the ships lounge where we stretched out on sofas, wrapped our hands around hot cups of tea and our minds around a book or two. It was great! http://overyondaonahonda.com/wp-cont...5/DSCN0367.jpg http://overyondaonahonda.com/wp-cont...5/DSCN0370.jpg http://overyondaonahonda.com/wp-cont...5/DSCN0375.jpg C - We knew that on that day 2 we ventured out in open ocean for a while before entering the fjords. I had read that this stretch can get quite rough. So we were happy to pass the first two days inside the lounge, watching out of the windows and talking to the few other tourists on board. http://overyondaonahonda.com/wp-cont...5/DSCN0371.jpg http://overyondaonahonda.com/wp-cont...5/DSCN0382.jpg http://overyondaonahonda.com/wp-cont...5/DSCN0392.jpg T - We cruised along a nice steady rate and soon the swell started to come up. The ship rolled from side to side causing some tables and chairs to slide about. I sat there and hoped to anyone who might listen that our bikes had been firmly tied down. The cargo crew had told us that they would take care of the bikes and we had to put our trust in them. I had a sneak peak into the hold and saw that they had started to properly strap them down. Eventually we entered some of the fjords and the water smoothed out and the sailing was lovely. Until the next day. C - Day two was here and so was the swell. http://overyondaonahonda.com/wp-cont...5/DSCN0386.jpg T - We had to cross a bit of open ocean and holy hell did it get rough. The swell was coming in huge curls from the front of the boat made us plunge up and down and in some weird way also in circular motion. It was horrid. I ended up in my bunk sick as a scurvy old sea dog. I didn't vomit, but I couldn't stand up as every time I did so my stomach would roll and my head would go all fuzzy and spin like mad. I had taken some sea sickness tablets but after standing up the front of the boat to get some pictures of the swell I was done. Yuk. At one point I was sat in the shower washing in my own misery. Sea sickness sucks. C - I normally experience motion sickness - in cars, buses, trains, planes and definitely in boats - so always travel with motion sickness tablets at hand. I had been pleasantly surprised on our yacht trip from Panama to Colombia when I did not get sick and was hoping that this one would be the same. Imagine my surprise when poor Totti fell ill and I did not. My head felt a bit funny, but I had no nausea. We both took some tablets when Todd first started to feel ill, and thankfully, I did not experience any sickness at all. When dinner was called, Todd stayed in the room, feeling sorry for himself whilst I enjoyed a trip to dining room and a scrumptious dinner. Poor Totti. http://overyondaonahonda.com/wp-cont...5/DSCN0428.jpg T - The next day though we were back into the fjords and everyone was much happier. The sun came up and lit the islands and hills in a glorious gold colour as we cruised through narrow passages. Dolphins played of the side of the boat and we even spotted a few condors circling high up over a snow capped mountain. We saw a massive glacier glowing the most amazing blue off in the distance, easily the biggest glacier I have ever seen in my life! What scenery! http://overyondaonahonda.com/wp-cont...5/DSCN0404.jpg http://overyondaonahonda.com/wp-cont...5/DSCN0414.jpg http://overyondaonahonda.com/wp-cont...5/DSCN0442.jpg http://overyondaonahonda.com/wp-cont...5/DSCN0450.jpg The cold kept us running back into the ship to warm up with another cup of tea and we would venture outside whenever we saw another amazing view. http://overyondaonahonda.com/wp-cont...5/DSCN0467.jpg C - I was constantly amazed at the views on this trip through the Patagonian fjords. It is simply stunning country and despite the cold and lowering snow line, being outside on the ferry was a delight. The lounge area is well set up with large windows, so this did allow us to warm up a bit whilst still enjoying the views. http://overyondaonahonda.com/wp-cont...5/DSCN0459.jpg http://overyondaonahonda.com/wp-cont...5/DSCN0462.jpg http://overyondaonahonda.com/wp-cont...5/DSCN0462.jpg http://overyondaonahonda.com/wp-cont...5/DSCN0465.jpg http://overyondaonahonda.com/wp-cont...5/DSCN0478.jpg http://overyondaonahonda.com/wp-cont...5/DSCN0488.jpg T - All too soon for me and we were heading into the port of Puerto Natales. I had really enjoyed the ferry ride and it was nice to not have to pack up all our gear everyday. Sure the Carretera Austral would have been an amazing ride, but I had no regrets in taking this ferry instead. The food was great, the staff friendly and the beds warm and comfortable. http://overyondaonahonda.com/wp-cont...5/DSCN0498.jpg http://overyondaonahonda.com/wp-cont...5/DSCN0542.jpg http://overyondaonahonda.com/wp-cont...5/DSCN0562.jpg We had to wait until a heap of trucks and cars were moved off of the ferry before we could get our girls out and bloody Mabel wouldnt start. She doesn't like her new clutch plates at all! They are quite a bit meatier than the standard ones so we shall find a place along the way and take them out and put her old ones back in. Until then Chantelle and Rosie will have to push and/or pull start her. http://overyondaonahonda.com/wp-cont...5/DSCN0585.jpg http://overyondaonahonda.com/wp-cont...5/DSCN0591.jpg We are intending on spending a day in Puerto Natales as it is a very pretty little town and then we will head north a little to visit a national park before we begin the last of our journey south. Ushuaia is now less than 1000kms away. C - The last of our journey south, it's incredible isn't it? I cannot believe that I am sitting in southern Patagonia. I still cannot quite believe that I am on this amazing journey and everyday, without fail, I appreciate what a wonderful gift each and every experience is. How will it feel when we reach the Fin del Mundo sign? I wonder if the journey will change when we focus our attentions north? |
21 May 2017
C - Boy did it get windy during the night! I certainly heard some of those famous Patagonian winds blowing through the street last night.
We enjoyed a scrummo breakfast at the hostel and then headed out into the chilly, but sunny, morning to look around town. We wandered all around checking out the shopping area, the waterfront and the main plaza. http://overyondaonahonda.com/wp-cont...5/DSCN0608.jpg http://overyondaonahonda.com/wp-cont...5/DSCN0617.jpg http://overyondaonahonda.com/wp-cont...5/DSCN0610.jpg http://overyondaonahonda.com/wp-cont...5/DSCN0616.jpg After a time, we decided to get a coffee and chill out in the local park. As we approached the park, we noticed that a few lambs had been strung up next to a very large fire and there were a bunch of cooks preparing a lot of bready looking treats. http://overyondaonahonda.com/wp-cont...5/DSCN0620.jpg http://overyondaonahonda.com/wp-cont...5/DSCN0600.jpg http://overyondaonahonda.com/wp-cont...5/DSCN0603.jpg A gentleman who could speak english engaged with us and advised us that today is the anniversary of the founding of Puerto Natales. We enjoyed the festivities and were offered some samples of the deep fried, bready treats. I have no real idea what they were, but some were sweet and some were savoury. They were super yummy though! Todd decided that we should make the most of the sunny weather and so we took the girls down to a gravel carpark on the waterfront, where we could address Mabel's clutch issue. We believe the new clutch plates we put in were just too chunky for the clutch to be able to do what it needs to do to kick start the engine. (Very technical explanation hey!!!) We cleaned up the old clutch plates as we had been told to do by a lovely Honda C70 enthusiast and in no time at all Mabel was kicking over perfectly and changing gears perfectly. Perfecto! http://overyondaonahonda.com/wp-cont...5/DSCN0618.jpg http://overyondaonahonda.com/wp-cont...5/DSCN0624.jpg http://overyondaonahonda.com/wp-cont...5/DSCN0623.jpg http://overyondaonahonda.com/wp-cont...5/DSCN0625.jpg It was time to race back to the hostel as we could see very dark clouds quickly making their way from the mountains towards the town. The rain never eventuated though, instead hugging the mountains that surround the town. We walked back through town and happened upon a car show at the main plaza. After a stroll through the show, we picked up some groceries and headed back to the hostel for the evening. Tomorrow, we plan to ride out to Torres del Paine national park and have a poke around. The weather forecast seems ok at this stage, so we plan to camp in or near the park before venturing towards Punta Arenas the next day. |
21 May 2017
T - We were so warm and cosy in the hostal. We didn't want to feel the cold so the next few extra layers of clothing went on today in anticipation of the cold we would be riding in. We have been watching the very rapid advancing of the snow down the hills nearby lately so we know the cold is coming!
C - I was really excited about the Torres del Paine national park. It is meant to be one of the most beautiful in all of South America. I put on all of my clothes and looked outside - the sky was grey, but not raining so fingers crossed for a pleasant ride! T - We zipped out of Puerto Natales towards Torres Del Paine National Park to the north. We had planned out a 250 or so kilometer loop and thought we might even camp out for the night if the weather allowed. http://overyondaonahonda.com/wp-cont...5/DSCN0626.jpg http://overyondaonahonda.com/wp-cont...5/DSCN0627.jpg http://overyondaonahonda.com/wp-cont...5/DSCN0632.jpg Wow. The ride into the park was stunning! We cruised along some terrible dirt roads that shook the crap out of our bikes and we had a few stops so I could re-tighten some nuts and bits and pieces. Then the rain came down and the wind came up. We were cold. Then it snowed on us. Right then we decided that we didn't really want to camp in this weather at all and made a decision to head back into Puerto Natales after our ride. http://overyondaonahonda.com/wp-cont...5/DSCN0633.jpg http://overyondaonahonda.com/wp-cont...5/DSCN0635.jpg http://overyondaonahonda.com/wp-cont...5/DSCN0640.jpg http://overyondaonahonda.com/wp-cont...5/DSCN0637.jpg http://overyondaonahonda.com/wp-cont...5/DSCN0645.jpg C - I could not believe how beautiful the road out to the park was and then when we entered the park, it just got more beautiful. It was definitely one of the most beautiful sights I have ever seen. The snow added to the raw beauty of the place and the beauty did help us to somewhat ignore the fact that our fingers, toes and (strangely) our knees were now replaced with blocks of burning ice. http://overyondaonahonda.com/wp-cont...5/DSCN0647.jpg http://overyondaonahonda.com/wp-cont...5/DSCN0648.jpg T - We had a walk out to a lake and watched as a nice big iceberg floated past. Yeah, no camping for us thanks! http://overyondaonahonda.com/wp-cont...5/DSCN0650.jpg http://overyondaonahonda.com/wp-cont...5/DSCN0653.jpg http://overyondaonahonda.com/wp-cont...5/DSCN0655.jpg C - The walk out to Grey Lake was about 3km return and just enough time to get that warm, fuzzy feeling back into all of our extremities. I jumped around like an idiot and jogged a little on the walk to help get my blood warm and pumping again. http://overyondaonahonda.com/wp-cont...5/DSCN0667.jpg http://overyondaonahonda.com/wp-cont...5/DSCN0673.jpg http://overyondaonahonda.com/wp-cont...5/DSCN0672.jpg T - The park was absolutely beautiful and the very fresh snow on everything just added to that beauty. Even though we were cold it was worth every second out there. http://overyondaonahonda.com/wp-cont...5/DSCN0662.jpg http://overyondaonahonda.com/wp-cont...5/DSCN0663.jpg http://overyondaonahonda.com/wp-cont...5/DSCN0670.jpg http://overyondaonahonda.com/wp-cont...5/DSCN0669.jpg From the park it was a short 3 hour ride back to our hostal where we arrived in the dark in sub zero temperatures. We have decided that we won't hang about much over the next few days and will get down to Ushuaia as quickly as we can and then get back out of there. We just don't have the riding gear for the cold and we are warm weather people at heart! Plus riding in the dark when it's -9 with the wind chill is probably not very smart! C - It was such a pleasure to get inside the hostal and finally warm up completely. So, I think it is going to be a cold ride for a bit! We are going to try to avoid riding in the later part of the day, which just becomes so cold. The days are quite short here so we will limit our riding to make sure we can be inside and warm during the coldest times. T - Tomorrow we head south to Punta Arenas where we will catch another short ferry and ride into Argentina. We have both agreed that if the weather takes a turn for the worse then we shall just head north again. Ushuaia is so close though and we know we can be there in 3-4 days. |
22 May 2017
C - Oh what a warm nights sleep. I kept waking up and smiling to myself at how warm my toes were!
But, alas, Ushuaia is calling and despite the weather we are both keen to get there. It was a freezing cold morning, with the temperature gauge showing it was definitely below 0 degrees and we were therefore a little slow to actually climb out of bed. We finally growled at ourselves to get out of bed and then enjoyed the hostals breakfast before getting the bikes ready to leave. T - We had set ourselves a time of 930 to get on the road. Pfft. That came and went. We just wanted to sit in our warm beds and ignore the wind and chill battering at the windows. C - The ride started really cold and it was not long before the snow was thickening on the verge and patches of snow and ice were appearing on the road. Then we passed a snow plow and realised how much of this had been scraped off of the highway - what are we doing??? http://overyondaonahonda.com/wp-cont...DSCN0684-1.jpg T - I started to think that maybe, just maybe we picked the wrong time of year to do this...But then I realised we are so close now and why the hell not! Lets do it! C - It was cold, but the sun was shining and the landscape was stunning with its dusting, and sometimes slathering, of snow. http://overyondaonahonda.com/wp-cont...DSCN0680-1.jpg http://overyondaonahonda.com/wp-cont...DSCN0686-1.jpg We had done nearly 100km when the sky turned dark, the temperature dropped a significant amount and riding actually become uncomfortable. Then the snow started and at first we were all squeals and excitement at riding in a proper snow storm. But then we quickly got wet and very, very cold. Todd suggested a stop to try and warm up a little bit as we both starting to feel a little miserable. We pulled into a bus stop, complete with windows and doors and decided to make a cup of tea. Imagine our surprise when we opened the door to the bus stop and found a big pile of human crap in a cardboard box. WTF??? Who does this? http://overyondaonahonda.com/wp-cont...5504285654.jpg T - What a weird treasure to discover. Imagine the look on some poor kids face when he opens the bus stop door and sees that waiting for hi,. Some people are just disgusting. Suffice to say we threw the box a good distance away from the bus stop. C - After removing said box, it did not take long to warm up with a cup of hot tea and the stove on high next to our feet. I may have burnt my sock after assuring Todd I understand how close I can put my feet to fire without burning them. Turns out I don't.. http://overyondaonahonda.com/wp-cont...DSCN0689-1.jpg http://overyondaonahonda.com/wp-cont...DSCN0692-1.jpg T - I did tell Chantelle that her feet were way too close to the very hot flames but she told me off for telling her what to do. C - We missed the worst of the snow storm whilst sheltering in our 'toilet' stop and we pulled back out onto the highway in the sunshine. It was still cold, but nowhere near like it was before the stop. The weather turned again just outside of Punta Arenas and the last 30 minutes was again so cold it was uncomfortable. Of course, this is the time my bladder says it needs emptying, right now. I tried to hold on, but just couldn't. We pulled over and I managed to go get my pants down ok, it was getting them back up that was difficult!! I could not feel anything through my gloves but was hesitant to take them off. All in all, I ended up riding the rest of way with both pairs of pants undone, but safely hidden underneath my waterproof layer!!! T - The passing truckers and locals all managed to have a good stare at Chantelles bare bottom as she wrestled in the ditch with her pants. It was pretty funny really! C - We arrived at our hostal to find the most wonderful couple hosting us. We were greeted with a lovely, warm house and an even warmer cup of delicious earl grey tea! A quiet night in as we had everything we needed to make dinner. We are in desperate need of motorcycle oil before we venture any further, as Rosie is now using a few hundred millilitres a day. The ferry from here to Porvenir, Tierra del Fuego, leaves at 9am so we need to hang about another day here before catching Wednesday's ferry. On the positive side, our hostal is lovely and Punta Arenas looks like a beautiful town. Despite the cold, there are definitely worse places to be! |
23 May 2017
C - With squishy warm toes and fingers I awoke late with a smile on my face! Our room was so hot last night I slept without blankets and it was oh so blissful!!
After enjoying a scrumptious breakfast at the hotel, we ventured out into the cold to explore town and of course find some oil for Rosie. http://overyondaonahonda.com/wp-cont...5/DSCN0701.jpg http://overyondaonahonda.com/wp-cont...5/DSCN0710.jpg T - We originally were going to head on over to to Tierra Del Fuego today, but we wanted to buy some extra oil just in case Rosie needed another top up. She is a bit of an oil drinker these days! We knew that if we left without buying more that we would need it somewhere out in the middle of nowhere! Better to be safe than sorry right? C - It was surprising warm outside.. Well, compared to riding the motorcycles of course! I was wearing everything I owned essentially, including two scarves, but the sun was shining and the wind was relatively calm. We explored the centro area and wandered through the Plaza de Armas - the central plaza. It was very pretty and we noticed how much snow had disappeared overnight. Did it rain last night? http://overyondaonahonda.com/wp-cont...5/DSCN0702.jpg http://overyondaonahonda.com/wp-cont...5/DSCN0709.jpg http://overyondaonahonda.com/wp-cont...5/DSCN0708.jpg T - There is a statue of a guy in the main plaza and the story goes that it is good luck to kiss his big toe, and judging by how shiny it was alot of people have done just that! So I left that job to Chantelle! http://overyondaonahonda.com/wp-cont...5/DSCN0705.jpg http://overyondaonahonda.com/wp-cont...5/DSCN0703.jpg http://overyondaonahonda.com/wp-cont...5/DSCN0704.jpg http://overyondaonahonda.com/wp-cont...5/DSCN0707.jpg C - We strolled about 7km before heading back to the hostal for a little rest - everything shuts down between 12pm and 3pm, so it was rest for us too! http://overyondaonahonda.com/wp-cont...5/DSCN0712.jpg http://overyondaonahonda.com/wp-cont...5/DSCN0711.jpg It was wonderful to spend some time chatting with the hostal owners, who are super lovely people and even shared some scrumptious chillis with us. Todd kept his calm on the outside, but really, I am sure I saw steam coming out of his ears! After another short stroll in the afternoon sun, it was back to the hostal to escape the dark and the bitterly cold night air drifting in from the ocean. Tomorrow, we are booked on the 9am ferry from Punta Arenas to Porvenir. Unfortunately, by the time we arrive in Porvenir there will not be sufficient time to ride across the border and reach San Sebastian, so we will stay in Porvenir overnight overnight and then head to Rio Grande the next day. T - So we are still going to be a good 3 days ride for us from Ushuaia. Those on a bigger bike would blast it out in one day easily. But we are really taking it easy on our bikes for this last little bit. We want them to be able to carry us north a little ways and back into the warmth! C - So one ferry day and two riding days until we reach Fin del Mundo. How about that huh? |
24 May 2017
C - We have changed time zones so many times lately that neither of us had a clue what the real time was when we went to bed last night. As we had to get up early today to be at the ferry terminal at 8am, and all our devices showed a different time, we googled the current time, set an alarm and went to bed.
T - I barely know what year it is let alone what month, day or time! My whole world has blurred into one big "I dont care because I dont need to: kind of deal! C - Todd woke up super early this morning and woke me at 630. The hostel owners kindly offered to serve our breakfast at 7am, so we packed up and ventured out just before 7am. It quickly became apparent that Mr Google was very, very wrong. It was, in fact, already 8am. The host said she wasn't sure whether she should come and get us, and had decided if we werent out by 8am she would come and tell us. One thing I very much dislike is being rushed in the mornings. My pet dislike in fact! T - My pet hate is tardiness. I hate being late! C - So, rush we did - we gulped down breakfast, threw everything on the bikes as best we could in the pitch black and raced the wrong way down the one way street to skirt around a morning rush hour traffic jam. We had a reservation which expired at 0830am. We arrived at the terminal at 8.28! I jumped off Rosie, Todd shouting he would deal with the bikes whilst I raced in and got the tickets. In my haste, I nearly straight into the naval base office instead of the ferry office! Opppsss. http://overyondaonahonda.com/wp-cont...5/DSCN0722.jpg http://overyondaonahonda.com/wp-cont...5/DSCN0726.jpg http://overyondaonahonda.com/wp-cont...5/DSCN0729.jpg Thankfully, we got our tickets and loaded up on the ferry quickly. The ferry trip generally takes around 140 minutes and can get quite rough heading across the Strait of Magellan. I always have motion sickness tablets on me and today, I could not find them anywhere. I had them in the room this morning, but I think in our haste to get out of there, I left them behind. I have not been ill on the last few boats so fingers crossed I guess! T - We were just in time in fact. 10 Minutes after they told us to park our bikes in a corner and we were heading away from the port. Lucky or what! C - The crossing was very smooth and not rough at all, and actually, went very quickly. We were unloaded and riding off the ferry onto Tierra del Fuego in about 90 minutes. And with no sea sickness!! Yippee! http://overyondaonahonda.com/wp-cont...5/DSCN0730.jpg http://overyondaonahonda.com/wp-cont...5/DSCN0731.jpg http://overyondaonahonda.com/wp-cont...5/DSCN0732.jpg We had decided to camp up the night in Porvenir, as the next town is 150km away along a ripio (gravel) road and across a border. I had thought we would be arriving in town until about 11.30, just too late to tackle that much gravel and a border crossing. Despite the early arrival, we stuck with the plan and ventured to the hostel I had booked. http://overyondaonahonda.com/wp-cont...5/DSCN0746.jpg http://overyondaonahonda.com/wp-cont...5/DSCN0748.jpg Porvenir is a pretty and colourful small town and we had a walk around the main plaza and the waterfront before retreating from the icy cold winds. T - We also taped over the oil coolers on our bikes as they are running super cold at the moment and I feel like that is probably not a good thing! Poor girls have not even been getting up to a decent operating temperature down here. http://overyondaonahonda.com/wp-cont...5/DSCN0735.jpg http://overyondaonahonda.com/wp-cont...5/DSCN0737.jpg http://overyondaonahonda.com/wp-cont...5/DSCN0738.jpg http://overyondaonahonda.com/wp-cont...5/DSCN0749.jpg C - Tomorrow, we leave Chile and cross into Argentinian Patagonia. We plan to make Rio Grande, putting us within 200km of Ushuaia (D Day -1). Tomorrow's forecast does not look great though - 4 degrees with strong wind gusts, with an estimated "feels like" temperature of -5... Sounds like adventure right? |
25 May 2017
T - Well the weather forecast was pretty dismal for the next week or so. Snow, sleet and rain. Yuk!
We were up before dawn today to get an early start and get to the Argentina border to the east of us where we could then continue south for the last leg into Ushuaia. We were greeted by snow and ice covering the bikes outside and a world covered in a blanket of cold white. Snow had come over night. C - It was icy cold outside and we could hear sleet hitting the windows whilst we ate breakfast. After checking the forecasts, we figured there is no point hanging about waiting for a nice day. It just does not look like it is coming this way on Tierra del Fuego. The forecast all the way to Ushuaia is around 0 degrees with snow. Nothing for it but to get out there and get the miles done. http://overyondaonahonda.com/wp-cont...5/DSCN0750.jpg http://overyondaonahonda.com/wp-cont...5/DSCN0751.jpg T - We gave the bikes a warm up and then slowly slipped and slid down the icy street and headed on out of town. Once we hit the dirt road that we would have to take for the next 100kms the slippery stuff eased of a bit and we were able to cruise along at 50km/hr. There was a slight dusting of snow on the road and everything looked so so so pretty! While ahead of us dark clouds filled the sky from east to west with no break in the thundery looking mass at all. Looked a hell of a lot like we were going to get rained on very shortly. C - The ride started out quite ok. A bit slow because of the surface, but we knew we could get through it in 2 hours and although it was really cold, it was not the coldest we have ridden in since Puerto Natales. http://overyondaonahonda.com/wp-cont...5/DSCN0755.jpg T - Except we didn't get rained on. Not in the sense that we know anyway. Instead it started to snow. Fat white flakes drifted down around us. Then it got heavier and heavier and the wind soon picked up. Our bikes were being flung sideways across the dirt and soon our visibility dropped to nothing and our speed slowed to under 20 km/hr. It was crazy! The temperature had plummeted and we were working hard to keep our bikes running as the moisture in the air made our poor bikes carbys freeze up inside and caused our bikes to stall out constantly. http://overyondaonahonda.com/wp-cont...5/DSCN0757.jpg http://overyondaonahonda.com/wp-cont...5/DSCN0758.jpg http://overyondaonahonda.com/wp-cont...5/DSCN0759.jpg We stopped on the side of the road. Our helmets were balls of ice and snow, our bikes were slowly building up several inches of snow on the tops and sides. Within 10 minutes there was an inch of snow on the road and the storm showed no signs of slowing down. If anything the snow was falling thicker and thicker. C - I started to feel a little nervous, and a little bit stupid, for being out in this weather on a motorcycle. Visibility was getting so low that we could barely see the road surface at all and because it was so cold, our visors were constantly fogged up on the inside and layered in ice on the outside. T - Now we aren't from a place where we see snow. Ever. We could only assume this was a blizzard such as we have seen on TV. We could see maybe 10-15 mts before the world became a whiteout. Both of us started to feel a little nervous. http://overyondaonahonda.com/wp-cont...5/DSCN0760.jpg http://overyondaonahonda.com/wp-cont...5/DSCN0763.jpg We sat and had a very short chat about what the hell we were doing and was it worth trying to push on to Ushuaia for this. For what really? So we could maybe make it there? So we could say we had done it? We have nothing to prove and that is not why we are doing this trip. Neither of us feel it is worth risking death in a climate we don't understand for that. So we decided this is as far south as we go. We made it from Adelaide to Alaska and then all the way down through the Americas to Tierra Del Fuego. With just a tad over 60 000kms in 15 months and 17 countries to date, numerous crashes one of which involved a car, one bike that caught fire, bent rims, broken spokes, busted mirrors, twisted handlebars, a surgery, 15 tyres, 4 chain and sprocket sets, 115 oil changes, and uncountable amazing interactions with incredible people, we certainly aren't disappointed to end our southerly journey here and head back north. In fact there is some type of relief to be honest. C - We both could've pushed on through the cold, no problems at all. But through thick snow, with the famous Patagonian winds constantly pushing us across the road? The risk of pushing on far outweigh the rewards of reaching Ushuaia. Our trip has never really been about a specific destination, and while this brings us closer to the end of our South American journey, it definitely is not the end of the Over Yonda adventure! http://overyondaonahonda.com/wp-cont...5/DSCN0762.jpg T - We turned back to the town of Porvenir and our hostal from last night where we were greeted by the owner. We decided to stay another night here and then head back over to mainland Chile and then head north into Argentina. Our kind host informed us that had we made it the 100 kms along the dirt road to the border we would have had problems as that border crossing has just today been closed for the next two days due to bad weather. We could have potentially been stranded out there in a snow storm. We knew we had definitely made the right call when she told us that! On top of that the locals here are telling us its a bad idea to try to go further south on bikes. We listen to the locals. They know it better than us! http://overyondaonahonda.com/wp-cont...5/DSCN0764.jpg C - Thank goodness we turned back! http://overyondaonahonda.com/wp-cont...5/DSCN0765.jpg http://overyondaonahonda.com/wp-cont...5/DSCN0766.jpg T - So the rest of the day will be spent making a new plan and trying to sort out our shipping from Buenos Aires back into North America. Do we fly into Canada and ride south, thus avoiding the chances of a Canadian winter hampering us, or do we ship into Miami? |
| All times are GMT +1. The time now is 04:54. |