This section is about 50 km south of Coyhaique going down into the Valle del Rio Ibáñez - you can see the river in the background.

The next settlement on the Carretera Austral would be Villa Cerro Castillo where the tarmac ends.

The section 100 km north of Coyhaique or 45 north of Mañihuales is probably the pass road over the Cordillera Queulat, which is still quite challenging to ride.

From the junction of Ruta 7 and SN 25 (to Puerto Cisnes/Piedra El Gato) the Carretera is almost completely paved now until Coyhaique. There is only a small stretch (22 km) of Ripio left, starting roughly 12 km after the Mirador Lago Las Torres.

Did you ride the Carretera Austral till the end?

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www.pumpernickelontour.com - Four months through South America on a DRZ

We were two-up on a heavily laden R1150GS, and that section, as I said, was all road works and I found it extremely tough, given my crappy off-road skills!! Deep, loose earth and sand for the most part.

Regrettably no, we did not go to the end.
Time for us was running a little short by then. Early on in our trip (the second day) we had ditched our planned route and travelling style.

We had started staying for a few days in places we liked and so we did not do big miles everyday. The good side to this was that we got more of a taste of some parts we visited, but the bad is that we had to scrap some destinations.

We had heard that the conditions were even more challenging South of Lago Cabrera/Buenos Aires. If I am brutally honest, it was partly the fact that the long 45km section of road works had really worn me out, and I guess I did not fancy another rushed 500km round trip to O'Higgins!

Part of me regrets it, but I also know it was supposed to be an amazing trip (and it was) rather than a test of our mettle and endurance! So in that respect I think we made the right choice to head East from Coyhiaque.

Our two days travelling the Carretera Austral remain one of the road going highlights of our trip

To do more of what we wanted, another 6 weeks would have been ideal, then we would not have felt any need to rush either.

Glad you did it and enjoyed it: the pictures do give me very itchy feet!!!

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Adventure: it's an experience, not a style!
(so ride what you like, but ride it somewhere new!)

Fantastic, thanks for sharing this!

Pictures are really wonderful, congratulations!!!

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Nick and his 2010 Yamaha XT1200Z Super Ténéré

For all of you who know John 'The Bede' it won't come as a surprise that he is also a fabulous tour guide who is more than happy to share his wealth of local knowledge.

First we went into the city centre to sort out the insurance for my DRZ. John had recommended ATM (Asociación Mutual para Conductores y Asistencia Total de Motovehiculos – Base Sarmiento 930 2º ”A”, Buenos Aires, Tel/Fax: 0810-3456-286, atmotos@oaseatm.com.ar) who provided the legally required third party cover for four months, for all the countries I was going to apart from Peru, all the necessary documentation within 24 hours, a smart little plastic card for my wallet and all that for 200 ARS (Argentina Pesos), roughly £32, which I thought was a great deal, especially as it would be saving me the hassle of organising insurance every time I crossed a border. ATM also offers protection against fire, theft and total loss through accident but that would be more expensive, obviously.

With the “To do” list completed, we went to tick the “Must See” boxes of Buenos Aires.

Plaza de Mayo – the heart of the city






At the eastern end of the square sits La Casa Rosada (The Pink House), the official seat of the executive branch of the government of Argentina and the offices of the president, Cristina Fernandéz de Kirchner.



And here’s John doing his best “Evita” impression in front of the very balcony from which the former First Lady Eva Perón once sang Andrew Lloyd Webber’s greatest hits – “Don’t laugh at me, Argentina…”



It had nothing to do with John's singing but due to the many protests and demonstrations in the Capital Federal, police and water cannons are a common sight on the Plaza de Mayo.



After a long “stroll” through the inner city John finally showed mercy, gave my still hurting foot a break and also took care of removing the vacuum in my stomach.


Photo courtesy of The Bede, as it was taken with his camera

The rest of the day was spent on the bare necessities – I caught up on desperately needed sleep for a few hours and then met John again to savour the culinary delights of the city.

A traditional Picada Argentina pleases everyone's taste…



*****

The following morning we already met at eight o'clock to free my bike from Customs at the airport. Taking the Subte (Subterráneo – the tube) was an experience in itself: now I have an idea how sardines feel in their can...

The train spit us out at the upper end of the Calle Florida where the sun shines brighter on the rich and beautiful.



At Ezeiza International Airport we had quite a few procedures to follow before I was allowed to see my baby again: Applying for a visitor pass, finding the office of the airline to pay the airway bill, being let into the Customs area, starting the transaction in office 2, paying several fees in office 1, proceeding to office 3, back to office 2, etc, etc. John has actually posted an excellent write-up of the process on UKGSer* ::::* For BMW GS Enthusiasts which I would highly recommend to read if you ever wanted to ship your bike to South America – it is now updated with the 2010 figures.

The process may sound very tedious but when it transpired that we both could speak Spanish, the officials were instantly warming up, showed an interest in my trip and treated us with great friendliness. It just takes time going through all the steps, especially when there is a lunch break in between.

While waiting outside the cargo area, I tried to send my first SPOT message to the loved ones at home – it didn’t work but you can see that I made the effort...


Photo courtesy of The Bede

Finally we were allowed to enter the sacred customs grounds – it was a bit like Christmas:


Photo courtesy of The Bede

The following pictures are all shamelessly nicked from John, as I was too busy packing and getting the bike ready.



Due to my injury, I hadn’t actually test ridden the bike with all the gear and luggage on. That's why my seating position may seem a bit awkward - which it was, actually…



The last stamp


And then it was off into the chaotic traffic of Buenos Aires – yippee!


I got back to the hotel in one piece but on the way from the airport I had noticed that the bike was leaking fuel; probably down to the new fuel filter we had fitted and which was not quite the right size. So it was already time for the first roadside repair.



Fortunately, Possu had given me some slightly bigger filters at the last minute and a short while later I had fixed the leak - with my bare hands!



Now there is a happy bunny!


That evening John introduced me to two of his best friends who run a pub which was closed by the magistrate back then for some updating and refurbishing. We had a great time at their etablissement but for obvious reasons I can't provide the photographic evidence...

Thank you for all your help, John! Getting everything sorted on my own would have been a lot more complicated. I still owe him a few drinks - but he didn't let me pay...

The next day would take me to Sandra and Javier of Dakar Motos fame. Little did I know that the road to the district of Vicente López was a rather rocky one...


.

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www.pumpernickelontour.com - Four months through South America on a DRZ

Sorry, Tobi, the DRZ is already home in the UK - after all the work Steve has put into the preparation and the four months of team building exercise I couldn't let her go. I will probably ride this bike until it falls apart...

Your Africa trip report looks great - good luck with the planning of your next adventure!

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www.pumpernickelontour.com - Four months through South America on a DRZ

With the bike out of customs, the next day was dedicated to sorting the paperwork. Looking for stationery shops and having photocopies made of all the new documents gave me the opportunity to meet more of the helpful inhabitants of San Telmo.

Then it was back to the headquarters of the bike insurance company to receive the policies for the other countries I was going to travel to; not only Argentina but also Uruguay, Brazil, Paraguay, Bolivia and Chile were covered by the same contract. ¡Fantastico!

On the way to the office near the Diagonal Norte I came across one of the many demonstrations that happen in the Argentinean capital. Taking photographs is usually frowned upon but John had told me that tourists are exempt from this rule - phew...



Buenos Aires is a fascinating mixture of beauty and decay which I personally like very much - here you see colonial architecture…



… and there ruins just at the next corner



Parking in the city centre is difficult and not particularly safe, so there are lots of guarded car parks about. I was lucky to have one of these places right on the other side of the road from my hotel. This is Miguel who looked after my bike (and a few other cars, I think...) and who invited me to the first Mate of my trip. Mate is the Argentinean national drink and you should never decline if you are invited to share it.



Finally packed and ready to leave downtown for Vicente Lopéz, I entered Sandra and Javier’s address in the GPS - et voila: only 14 minutes to Dakar Motos apparently. Right, on the eight lanes of the Avenida 9 de Julio I already missed the first turning to the left. A local bus driver pulled intimidatingly close, opened the door and helpfully suggested that I should just ride over the traffic island. Mmm, with a fully loaded bike and my foot still weak and hurting, that might not have been a wise move...

So I let the GPS recalculate and took the northern loop along the sea front and the Aeroparque, the national airport of Buenos Aires. Of course, it was just around five o'clock and the rush hour in full flow. As mentioned before, even the cars are filtering in this city, so there was no chance of slipping through with my big panniers. Coming to a hold was struggle enough, as I didn't dare to put sudden weight onto my left foot.

While waiting in the stationary traffic I suddenly noticed a familiar smell: fuel... Oh no, not again! It didn't help in this situation that I hadn't filled up since releasing the bike from the airport (you are only allowed to leave less than a quarter of fuel in the tank). So I could only hope that I would still make it to Dakar Motos. Whilst crawling along together, many friendly drivers and riders pointed out that I was leaking - but what was I supposed to do? I was on the outer side of the road because I had to turn left soon and after that, stopping on a fast five-lane motorway without any hard shoulder in sight was just not an option.

Literally on the last drop and one hour late I finally arrived at Calle Carlos Tejedor 1379 where I received a very warm welcome from Sandra and Javier. They introduced me to the already resident RTW travellers Adrian (from Australia) and Mick (from Denmark) and after a few hours of lively chat I decided to stay not one but two nights at this friendly place.

Mick, Sandra and Adrian at Dakar Motos


*****

The local supermercado nearby was open all day every day and sold everything we needed for a hearty breakfast the next morning.



This photo I took especially for my beloved Possu who swears by the original...



Life is good at Dakar Motos



Breakfast in the sun



The day was spent on bike maintenance and little adjustments. The previous evening Javier had stated that he doesn't work Saturdays, so here he is probably just enjoying himself fiddling with Adrian's KLR 650.



To avoid future fuel leaks once and for all, I replaced the old fuel pipe with a new one (which Possu had thoughtfully advised me to buy prior to departure) and fitted another filter from Javier's workshop. This bigger version would certainly be better suited for filtering dirty gasolina sold from rusty oil drums in the more remote areas of South America.



Dakar Motos seems to be a popular meeting place for the local biker community. We were introduced to a wide spectrum of the moteros of Buenos Aires.



Amongst them was Fabrizio who rides a restored 1949 Norton with all the trimmings.



He is also a very nice and helpful guy, here siphoning a spare litre out of his tank to enable me to reach the nearest filling station.



Then, as the icing of the cake and to make my bike ready for the South American roads, Javier added his personal signature. Been there, got the sticker...



We really had a brilliant time together and it would have been so easy to stay another day and maybe another one after that - in the company of like-minded motorcyclists and in the comfort of this home-like place so far away from Europe. After all, I had already made the first step and travelled to a different continent; so what was another day which would give me some additional time to build up a bit more courage before venturing into the great unknown?

“Don't be such a wuss”, I told myself off, “that's what you have come over here for and four months will be shorter than you think!” Alright, the decision was made and I went for a last dinner with Adrian. Nice guy, really, but you have to watch your olives - we shared a pizza and I dropped one of my olives. In a fraction of a millisecond Adrian's fork swooped down and before I could say "Oi!" it was gone. How we laughed...



Outside the pizzeria we found a look-alike of the famous Australian Postie bikes which made Adrian feel a bit like home.



*****

On Sunday morning I captured the last impressions of the empty streets of Vicente-Lopéz - Calle San Martin



Good idea: kill poverty - not the poor...



Then I packed the bike, waved goodbye to Adrian and Mick and hit the road...

*****

By the way, if you want to know what these great guys are up to you can follow their trips on the following sites:

Mick started his RTW trip in his home country Denmark and has been on the road since 2009. He has travelled through Europe and down the west coast of Africa. From Buenos Aires he will ride his VFR down to Patagonia and then up on the Pacific side. ATWJ - MHoey.eu

Adrian was from Australia and just embarking on a RTW trip which would have taken him north from Buenos Aires to New York. From there he was going to ship his KLR to London and then head east to the next coast. Adrian's Motorcycle Diaries - Adriankemmis.blogspot.com.

Sadly Adrian was killed five weeks later in a road accident in Brazil. He was only 30 years old and such a nice young man – full of enthusiasm, open and eager to learn about the world, just starting to live his dream and having the time of his life. A terrible loss. RIP, my fellow traveller...

.

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www.pumpernickelontour.com - Four months through South America on a DRZ

The Ruta 9 out of Buenos Aires was long and uneventful - but the fact that I had finally hit the road and was riding the Pan-American Highway was excitement enough. Industrial areas changed to wide open Pampa and the traffic ebbed away kilometre by kilometre. I joined the Ruta 12 north near Zarate and crossed the Rio Paraná Delta via two impressive bridges.

Autopista Mesopotamica



At Ceibas began the Ruta 14 and I stopped after exactly 100 miles to check the fuel consumption - due to my broken foot I hadn’t test ridden the bike properly and only had a rough idea how long a tank would last me. But hey, just under four litres per 100 kilometres or 72 miles to the gallon (fully loaded on the motorway) was a result I can’t really complain about.

The Pampa is mainly flat…



But if you look around you can still find things worth seeing - vintage, beautiful and still in use (I'm referring to the truck, cheeky!)



The GPS indicated a shortcut to Gualeguaychú and I had a quick look at a sandy dirt road. No, I was not ready for trail riding yet and so I continued on the highway until the official Ruta 136 branched off to the east. Over the beautiful Puente Internacional Libertador General San Martin I crossed the Rio Uruguay and arrived at the border between Argentina and Uruguay.



If you look closely you can spot the bridge in the background



Rarely have I experienced such an efficient border crossing: although having to pass through four different desks - pre-check and start of the procedure, personal details, vehicle documents, insurance and customs plus temporary import registration - everything was dealt with as quickly and friendly as possible. I think I needed less than 15 minutes and that included chatting about my trip, the bike and the origin of some of the officers’ German surnames such as 'Ehrhardt' and 'Schmidt'.



Whilst changing money and talking to Leopoldo, the nice chap in the tourist office straight after the border, I thought it would be quite appropriate for a vegetarian of 30 years to stay in Fray Bentos, the home of the Liebig Extract of Meat...

Leopoldo recommended the campsite at the Parador Playa Ubici and off I went to find an idyllic little hostel directly by the river. Hostess Antonela was just about to leave when I arrived but stopped immediately to show me the facilities and the rooms from which I could choose, as I was the only guest this Sunday evening. Well, for the equivalent of £8.00 I decided to leave tent and sleeping bag in the luggage roll.

Parador Playa Ubici in Fray Bentos



Antonela carried all my panniers upstairs and made me really feel at home. The travel guide hadn't exaggerated about the warmth, helpfulness and hospitality of the Uruguayan people.

After transforming myself into a civilized, nicely smelling human being again, I headed into town for dinner, allegedly just a short stroll away from the hostel. Well, I won't bore you with the details of my odyssey through Fray Bentos but it was at least a three-kilometre walk until I found the excellent Pizzeria 'Los Immigrantes' in the lively town centre. Not a big deal normally but I was still limping! When I finally returned to the Parador after another 3 kilometres my ankle looked like a tennis ball. Maybe I should have splashed out and taken a taxi...

However, I found Fray Bentos a nice place with friendly and helpful people. Although I crossed a few rather un-touristy corners I never felt uncomfortable and my greetings were always returned with a smile. I was looking forward to exploring more of this likeable country the following day.

Rio Uruguay by night

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www.pumpernickelontour.com - Four months through South America on a DRZ

The next morning I was greeted with this view of the Puente Internacional over the Rio Uruguay



The Pulp Mill on the banks of the river looked slightly less romantic than last night... These factories along the Rio Uruguay have been the cause of ongoing controversy between Uruguay and Argentina, although a series of constructive meetings between the presidents of the two countries have taken place at the end of July. If you are interested in more background information have a look here.



During my morning walk I spotted a lot of dead fish lining the shore, which was a rather sobering sight. Officially the fish mortality was caused by the freezing cold earlier that week, so hostess Antonela told me, but she thought it was down to the sewage of the manufactories further up the Rio Negro.



Breakfast in the sun



The cat kept me company.



After packing up I went for a sight-seeing tour through Fray Bentos to find out where and how far I had been walking the night before and to appreciate the home town of the Liebig Extract of Meat Company - founded by the German organic chemist Baron Justus von Liebig in the 19th century - in daylight.

Main Square of Fray Bentos



The former plant of the Liebig Extract of Meat Company, shut down in 1979.



Then it was back to the Ruta 3 and heading north. Leopoldo had mentioned the village of Nuevo Berlin the previous day and I couldn't resist to make a detour to this new edition of my hometown by the Rio Uruguay.





The city map looks slightly different...



… and so does the Kurfürstendamm….



I didn't fancy retracing my tracks and therefore took a dirt road leading roughly towards Paysandú, my next destination. The first attempt ended in a cul-de-sac, but as there was only a horse to ask for directions, I just tried another trail. It was bumpy, rutted and sandy but led me to a tarmac road which joined the Ruta 3 again after a while - voila!

Paysandú







To be perfectly honest - and I'd like to apologise to my Uruguayan readers - the Ruta 3 was not particularly exciting and when I spotted a sign to a 'Parque Histórico', I happily went on a little excursion to the Meseta de Artigas.



The road was lovely



Lined by orange groves



Supposedly it's winter over here...



I was even treated to a little trail ride when I entered the historical park.



... where I had a fantastic view over the Rio Uruguay



The bust of General José Gervasio Artigas, the national hero of Uruguay, after whom the site is named.



Still life with DRZ



I was not the only one enjoying the views...



A last look north...



... then I returned to the Ruta 3 again. The GPS showed a campsite near the Reservoir Salto Grande and so I rode past the Termas del Daymán and the beautiful town of Salto until I arrived at the lakeside. Only then did it dawn on me that the indicated campsite was actually on the Argentinean side of the reservoir (I had downloaded the map software from an Argentinean GPS forum). But I still wanted to stay a night in Uruguay! There were still signs to a campsite on the eastern shore of the reservoir and so I followed a little trail further north into the woods. Nada - nothing. It was getting dark and I still hadn't found a place for the night.

Finally I pulled up at the Hotel Horacio Quiroga Spa Termal. “Lo siento, I'm sorry, the signs stand for day-camping only and the nearest campsite is at Termas del Daymán, 30 kilometres south from here,” I was told by the friendly receptionist. Mmm, that's where I just passed through an hour ago and I really don't like going back. “How much is a single room in your hotel? 139? US Dollars? Thanks very much”, - back to the Termas it is then.

It was really getting late; against my usual behaviour (I'm German after all!) I broke the speed limit of 75 km/h and still arrived at the Termas del Daymán only after dark. No campsite was to be seen. But there - "Hostal Canela" said a sign, that's where I will stay the night!

The land lady was welcoming and very interested in my bike. She helped me carrying all the luggage into my room and made sure I felt at home. For the equivalent of £16.00 I was given a whole apartment to myself. The photos are from the next morning but you get the idea how wonderful the place already appeared at night.

Hostal Canela at Termas del Daymán



The Foyer



My apartment…



And another picture - just to show off a bit...



Of course, when I walked into the centre of the village for dinner I saw the campsite I had been looking for in the dark and a lot more hotels on the other side of the main road...

However, I was really happy with the place I was staying at and if you ever find yourself in the area, Hostal Canela can be highly recommended.

The following day would take me into Argentina again.

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www.pumpernickelontour.com - Four months through South America on a DRZ