Heya Rob

Yes we coulda stayed in New Zealand eh but still to directly be in the middle of the Calbuco results was something else.

My family is in Christchurch so yeah know well the variable pavement.:rofl:

Cheers Andi

Heya lectron

:rofl::rofl: ...I am afraid we did, we now ride a grey powercoated KTM and I am just not sure the colour is correct :rofl:

Things are good now, atmosphere is still dusty, today we hit Chile side admidst what appears to be clear skies :clap:

Cheers Andi

San Martin To Neuquen
 

Saying goodbyes and thank you we headed to the pass to Chile side, as we got further north the ash was thicker, making it to the border was an effort, the ash in places 100 - 150 mm deep.

Our greeting was a closed AND locked gate

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7684/...5e628a63_b.jpgP1240763 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr

The Argentine border guard said closed, we asked if he could check further, making a call to Chile side seems they had got a lot of ash the previous night, the Chileans saying it was open but worse on their side so not advisable.:cry

After discussions with the guard and the help of finding local conditions we agreed we were heading the wrong way, our quest to see this part of Chile taken away and our around the block plans changed again.

Back down the road and up to Junin de los Ande we tanked up and made a break for Neuquen to see Victor and Liliana.

The road now amoungst road traffic was impossible, the semi trucks making dust storms of epic proportions, eye watering with grit and no visibility it was going to be a long day.

About 80 km east the dust on the road started thinning and we had better visibility and able to pass trucks and be able to see past them, we even managed to snap a pic making the place look normal

https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8822/...abf61f7a_b.jpgP1240775 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr

40 km out of Neuquen the front tire was loud, wobbling the steering it was apparent we had a flat tire.

Having broken our pump on the Carreterra Austral meant we could not pump it up, I dropped the speed to about 80 km/hr, enough to make to tire standup with gyroscopic force but slow enough if we had an issue we could hopefully stop without being biffed off.

9 km out it was flat, we pulled into a YPF gas station and filled the tire, it was going down quicker so we made a break for it, it lasted 1 km before it popped seeing the rim land on the casing and us wobbling profusely, I contained it just and we road for another 1 km before finding another YDF, this time we decided to change the tube....actually we had no choice :rofl

The ash laden air making for a nice sunset

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7716/...8456cb74_b.jpgP1240787 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7657/...ac5f6f9f_b.jpgP1240788 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr

I did the job in 15 minutes but the last 1 km took its toll on the tube destroying it ripping the valve completely out….rubbish.

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7683/...e5a94924_b.jpgP1240786 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr

On our way again we found our way to Victors house substantially late than planned.

I made a small vid which better explains the dust, worth a watch for a larf.

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/bWzC0CH_P4g" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

or

https://youtu.be/bWzC0CH_P4g

Next up, Doctors, Dentists, Dust & Distress

3 Years Today
 

Heya supporters, stalkers, moto riders and normal humans.

It was 3 years ago today we set off from New Zealand for our 1.5 year trip.

Today we are in a small seaside town called Tome in Chile, about 500 km south of Santiago to celebrate.

We now have a stunning day which is nice given the last few days.

This afternoon we sat on the beach in the sun and went out for tea to a seafood restaurant and blatantly blew $11.00 for the 2 of us. :D

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7744/...fc873cbf_b.jpgIMG_8461 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr

Our seaside view

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7771/...6bfb3f85_b.jpgIMG_8482 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr

Sorry if I look tired and not well....it's because I am, getting better tho slowly.:clap:clap

Cheers all .. more to come before the finish line

Andi

Congrats
 

3yrs on the road and sharing with us the whole way. Thx

john

Heya John

Thank you, you are welcome and thanks for participating in our adventure bier

Cheers Andi

Neuquen, Dust, Doctors, Dentists and Distress.
 

A done deal, arriving at Victor and Lilianas we were welcomed in, me with grubby hands sent to the wash room cos food was being served.:rofl

By this time I had perfected my stuffed mullet look of tiredness :lol3

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7667/...1b003893_b.jpgIMG_8435 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr

We were given Sofias room (their daughter), a comfortable bed for me was just mint.:clap

Still feeling pretty crook with sweats at night etc I was not amused but not much I can do other than let it runs its course so bedtime means sheet management :rofl.

We had good chats and larfs all in spinglish, still no drinks for me being on meds so Fanta was my savior.... at least it was orange :evil.

My little smell of wine so I didn't feel left out :rofl

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7662/...15f0c4b7_b.jpgP1240791 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr

Given things were not really improving much we asked Victor about a good doctor, he organised me to see a good local guy, get X rays or head and chest etc and a blood test :eek1.

While we had time and medical service we also wanted to get a dental check, both of us had a niggle tooth and Victors friend happened to be a dentist and he rides KTM 990 Adv R.

I was shitting myself about having a blood test, make no bones I ****ing hate needles ….I would be a useless druggie.

Anyway, in order to bust the nuts of whatever has been plaguing me I got the lot.

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7681/...e1a871f7_b.jpgP1240796 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr

So, Sinusitis, viral meningitis, vial pneumonia all on the table but really it is just a head cold and I am a pussy.:rofl

After puncturing me, seeing right through me and now having better picture of my broken ribs from Guatemala they gave me some kickarse Antibiotics to slaughter the Sinusitis but for the viral part it is my bodies job to fight it off with time.

Now to socialize, for me not a lot as I felt like shit, could not drink any grog and generally felt unsociable.

Every Wednesday night the boys have a moto petrolheads asado, usually at Victors cos he has a kickarse asado and a home brewery with a glass wall that looks into the garage at his KTM 990 Adventure….talk about good setup!!!! … just needs a dancing poll to complete it.:wink:

He invited us to stay for that, the doctor then said my results were not through until Thursday so it was on.

Everyone chips in a set amount each time, everyone brings wine or bear, everyone brings their own cutlery being timber asado cutting board, fork and extremely sharp knife, that way Victor does not end up doing a tonne of dishes each time.

The asado went down well, wine was drunk, beer was spilt and drunk, BS talked....a fine evening :evil

Lucky Victor had 3/4 beast to burn so we were all very well fed, Ellen also filling the space with dumplings which was a winning combo.

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7699/...1607c358_b.jpgIMG_8437 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr

Liliana ungiltingly stealing a dumpling :rofl

https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8792/...4325c7b2_b.jpgIMG_8432 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr

The funny thing is, normally Victor provides the beer but he had run out, one amigo owns a heladaria (icecream shop), he could not make it so no icecream, another amigo owns a empanadaria (empanada or pie shop) and he could not come either.

For me this was all celebrated with 5 mm of wine, a mere taste to celebrate.:D

The new batch of beer being made with precision measurement and love

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7686/...b483e0e0_b.jpgP1240814 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr

While staying with Victor and Liliana they needed to shift some BIG sheets of 18 mm flooring from the third floor of a building, it was decided I wasn't well enough to help .... like ****!!! ...lemme in on it and give me a purpose, the exercise catching and landing the sheets was mint, was exactly what my old bod needed, "Use it or lose it" .... not a truer word :clap

Send her down lads!!!

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7716/...35fe28ba_b.jpgP1240799 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr

Got my flash as Michael Jackson gloves on I was rockin

https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8770/...a5efc2a0_b.jpgP1240800 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr

Facundo, a member on ADV rider had been following our report, he lives only 12 km from Victor as it turned out so we had a neat lunch by the riverside before he went to work, turns out we are the first Kiwis and the first ADVers he has met so pretty neat.

Selfie

https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5335/...112a172c_b.jpgP1240821 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr

He is an electronics electrical engineer in the food processing area so was very busy with work and making sure the electronics side of things did what it was meant to.

The motos parked at the river

https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8738/...57a10e99_b.jpgP1240816 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr

Finally getting my results sortof back …. the doctors can’t pinpoint exactly what I have but they have labelled it viral and the sinusitis as well, the bottom line is you lot are still gonna haf ta put up with me :evil :D.

They could turn me into a pin cushion then at the end of the day being viral there is nothing they can do so no needles wins for me (no more crying):rofl

Getting sorted at the dentist was excellent, Gustavo the dentist has some cool toys and expensive kit, his clinic known as the best in town.

Being friends of Victors he looked after us well and went to extra lengths to makes things good.:freaky

Discussions were had at the petrolhead night, Gustavo offering his holiday house at Lake Moquehue, turns out this was just south of our chosen exit border being low in elevation so it was perfect, nothing could go wrong now we are sweet :eek1.

Come time to leave we said goodbyes to Victor & Liliana, we can’t thank them enough for the help they gave us but we know they will come to New Zealand and we will get to reciprocate.

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7764/...986d1bcc_b.jpgP1240823 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr

Life is good.:freaky

Neuquen To Lake Moquehue
 

The weather was ok, a bit of ceniza (volcanic dust and ash) in the air, as we headed we headed west the weather started playing games, some ash and some ominous clouds.

Of our 360 km trip 180 km of it turned wet with style, the dirt road covered in ash and dust became a wash of slippery puffy grease. :eek1

This proved difficult, it was extremely cold by now, my glasses fogging and the wind blowing across us pretty hard.

I handed Ellen my sun glasses, just as she took them a big gust blew us across the road and into the very shitty soggy stuff on the off camber, I was weak and cold and as I tried to turn it back it bulldozed so I steered Maya down off the shoulder in an attempt to save her.

We left the road skipping and bumping over a 200 mm round ish rocks, this sending us blindingly off course and down to our stopping point amidst mud, rain and wind and rocks.

From here

https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8841/...ee26d9f0_b.jpgP1240825 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr

To here, no damage other than pride.

https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5453/...cdff9d7a_b.jpgP1240824 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr

****, I was feeling very weak so we took the tank bag and top box off to lighten the high weight.

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7734/...51809792_b.jpgP1240828 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr

Luckily no-one saw so no-one knows about it :rofl

It was all Ellens and all my might to lift Maya back onto her feet, we were sliding around in the mud which did not help, I rode Maya up onto the road and we refitted everything and headed off…..and it started snowing.

https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8746/...601d18d2_b.jpgP1240835 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr

https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5344/...45342e68_b.jpgP1240836 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr

It got heavier and thicker for a while

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7720/...ee43affd_b.jpgP1240843 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr

A quick vid, no frills this time

https://youtu.be/X-bc-U4Vuqo

We had 80 km to go, I was spent and cold, dreading riding in the snow and loosing it again, pegging the pace back, turning the heated grips up full and hunkering down we got up and over the pass, the welcomed sign of only a wet road looking good.

https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5449/...2631018a_b.jpgP1240842 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr

We made it to the short tar seal section, the snow had backed off but it was pissing down with the road flowing and bitterly cold, we then got to the end of the tar with 20 km to get to the house.

Now the rain, ash, sand and mud was totally against us, it was a 50 mm plus pug of greasy slimy shit proving very difficult.

Again I pegged our speed back, Maya sliding around a lot, the Heidenau giving out long before the Duro.

Finally we reached the house, drowned, muddy from the crash and ****ing cold from the snow and severe wind chill.

Gustavo welcoming us in he had the fire going which we cuddled while scoffing hot food.:clap onya dude, a biker knows what a biker wants :clap

Water was pissing out of everything clothing wise as we tried to dry it.

Gustavo said hey now worries stay as long as you need so that was great, that evening a huge asado was put on…..extremely nice.

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7731/...510ec584_b.jpgIMG_8444 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr

Gustavo and I

https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8697/...f7c5644e_b.jpgIMG_8446 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr

Hungry? WOH HOH just a lite snack :rofl:rofl

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7750/...918a379c_b.jpgIMG_8448 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr

As night drew in the temperature drop like a stone, nice to be inside now, as the morning turned up so did the snow laden cloud threatening to block everyone in....hmmm things getting more difficult again.:rofl

Page Shortening Post
 

A couple

Page Shortening Post
 

Nutha

Lake Moquehue To Lonquimay
 

Given the morning was looking dodgy and the weather forecast was for more snow we opted to bail and head for the border despite having a stunning place to stay and relax, the forecast was for temperatures lowering and much more snow, we don’t have the time left now to sit it out if it turned to shit weather wise so we packed up with haste.

Coupla vids

https://youtu.be/QlBHt_h6f-A
https://youtu.be/DeNhUEZ3siw

Leaving and onto the road, didn't look that tropical :D

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7699/...ece16e9a_b.jpgP1240865 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr

Thanking Gustavo we hit it, the road now partly dry which was a godsend…. however only a couple of km up we hit the snow which had frozen and it was an ice skating rink. (Was worse today Geoff :D)

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7696/...50707e9c_b.jpgP1240869 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr

https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5461/...acbdb76a_b.jpgP1240871 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr

We nearly when down several times, still not sure why we didn’t, the Duro tire hanging on well in the snow but like every other round rubber was useless on the ice (think I will send it back under warrantee :rofl), we let the tires down to help which it did.:clap

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7789/...de6f76e2_b.jpgP1240875 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr

The dark weather chasing us up

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7704/...2c7b7355_b.jpgP1240877 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr

Now Jeff, that bloody tire has been tested on pavement, rippio, mud, vlocanic ash, sand, rock, mud, volcanic mud, ice and snow, concrete and even diesel ... I am running outa shit to test it on now :rofl:rofl

Finally back to tarseal section I was stoked, only 500 meters to the border, we parked on the tarseal as it was almost clear of snow, the Argentinian border guard lady insisting we pull off the road into the deeper snow and park.

I thought she was joking but she was serious so stern words from me saying no way, it stays on the road or you pick it up!!!.

She got the other border guard as well, he tried to tuff me into shifting it so we larfed him off and said nup it stays were it is, there was no traffic anyway, the both looked at each other after being punked by a grey haired gringo and did nothing....pity they did not use that hot air to melt the snow :rofl

An easy exit, our final border crossing out of Argentina, a short ride up to the pass top then down we went with the road clearing WOH HOH.....my sigh of relief and my big verbal YES fogging up my visor :D (dork...:evil)

Down to the Chile border it was still snowing but not sticking on the ground for long …the sun even managed a short greeting.

Opting to keep inland as it looked worse coastal we had a neat ride through to Lonquimay, tanking up we headed north again, our paper map showing a back road through, Mrs.Garmin didn’t have the same confidence tho.

The road was neat following lakes and river, we made a turn we shouldn’t have only to find the pass block in by heavy snow and un-passable ….this meant an 80 km turn around, turns out both parts of the road go high so either way we were hemmed in by snow.

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7722/...12f279b7_b.jpgP1240881 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr

A massive mofo bridge in the middle of nowhere

https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8872/...3ebec5e9_b.jpgP1240892 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr

Autumn colours really bowing down to the pressure of winter with a carpet of leaves on the ground

https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8744/...07cb5276_b.jpgP1240901 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr

The last part of the track before we were snookered, would be a great loop in the summer :clap

https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8782/...526f1194_b.jpgP1240904 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr

Tail between legs we headed back down to Lonquimay and found a hostal which had 5 wood burners (yes five) and one spare ….I wasn’t sure which way to take this, either way we were warm and the hostal owner very nice.

Our plan from here was to enjoy our ride off the 4 lane Ruta 5.

Lonquimay To Tome, 3 Years On The Road Today - 1095 Days
 

Ok, finally, with a small backtrack to finishing Chile.

I little out of sequence now but you get the picture, for me stripping Maya down to her undies and and putting a see-through dress back on was a very final thing and to be fair, without sounding funny I wanted to "get it off my chest" if you like.

The previous few pages of replies have left me gobsmacked and is far more than I ever anticipated ......so thanks all, you are all good bastids!!!:clap:clap

Now, Future To The Back :D

Loquimay was fookin cold, our next chosen road also blocked by snow... there was a pattern forming here :rofl

Confined to the highway with tarseal wasn’t too bad, scatterings of hailstones and ice along the road making us realize it was the main drag or nothing, just above our heads the snow making it presence felt and confirming the tarseal was our buddy today at least.

We headed through the tunnel and down to Victoria, rather than having the shit bored out of us on the Ruta 5, 4 laner we headed straight over to the coast to cruze the quieter roads.

This turned out to be the right choice with sunshine (yes sunshine:freaky), very little traffic and scenery to go.

In plenty of time we made it to Concepcion which is a big city, gazing at the map we saw a small seaside town called Tome so we aimed for that.

An easy ride saw us get there with ease and it wasn’t long we had a hostal sorted out.

Given the afternoon was very nice we had a quick shower to warm up then head out to enjoy the sunshine and take in the waterfront.

https://c2.staticflickr.com/8/7660/1...9deaff2c_b.jpgIMG_8462 by Ellen Delis, on Flickr

The waterfront was like an aquatic zoo with Sea Lions, big sea birds and all sorts creating a lot of interest.

https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8817/1...0b4a6bdb_b.jpgIMG_8463 by Ellen Delis, on Flickr

https://c2.staticflickr.com/8/7717/1...5195119c_b.jpgIMG_8485 by Ellen Delis, on Flickr

We opted to have dinner out, we lashed out on a cheap dinner that was actually very nice in the end and we sat at the window with the prime view like sir and madam.

Sorry I looked so hagged, its because I am, still off shade and feelin it

https://c2.staticflickr.com/8/7771/1...6bfb3f85_b.jpgIMG_8482 by Ellen Delis, on Flickr

Back to the hostal we wondered through town taking in the nice cruzey atmosphere.

Although we had planned about 550 days then we took it out too 700 days and now we are at 1095 days it was time to look back on what we had done which was cool.:clap

Closing off the night we watched a vid ….and did other stuff.:evil :wink:

Santiago To Viña Del Mar
 

The next step was Santiago, a 500 km day … was not looking forward to TMK on KTM doing lots of KM.

Was easy enough and felt like going home, our mission was to get sorted, get our pallet, pack down Maya and complete all the formalities.

Also in between on the 7th of May was Ellen’s birthday. She was lucky to have 4 birthdays during the trip. We headed out to town and find a nice cevechi for lunch. In the evening Ellen made nice Sashimi for tea, we had our seafood fix that day.:clap:clap

The plan was to then head over to Viña del Mar and meet up with Jaime again.

In Viña we made our washing trip to the Copec which is the Chilean gas station that has washing facilities, NZ customs being strict she had to be done properly.

At the station there was 5 cars in front of us, perfect, gave me time to tear Maya down to her undies and give her the royal clean for NZ customs.

We moved up in the queue, slowly stripping Maya down, the car in front of us got in and started, only one minute in it all came to a halt, by this time I had the panniers, seat, tools out, tank was off so she was sitting there like a naked 450.:eek1

Turns out the machine shit itself leaving the car in front covered in soap and Maya completely stripped, 5 or so cars behind us as well… ya ****in shitting me. :huh

The Copec guys walked over with cones, placed them down and said “No Funcional” …. yeah no shit.

We had to put everything back on Maya then ride 3 km up the road, find another car wash and strip her all down again FFS, what a disaster of a session.

Finally we got to our turn, banged our coins in switched it on and started with the “hot and soap wash” ….well we got the soap and some cold water ….couldn't bloody believe it.

We asked the guys and they said hot water is not working ….we said but you still charge for it ….. yeah, and that was it.

I was NOT putting her back together then doing it all again so we persisted with our kerosine/detergent cleaner soap and cold water, it took a lot longer with others waiting behind us, if anyone had got grumpy at me they would have had a nice soapy wash.

We finally got it complete in the end which was the main thing but it was annoying to have to do it all twice with the bike then have to pay for shit you don't get.

On a better note we got our pallet, bought a hand saw and a crow bar and proceeded to make our BMW sponsored pallet fit Maya, with much toing and frowing about size (yes size does matter) we decided to chop her down to size knowing the cost of shipping was on the m3.

Jaime and I trying to look intelligent :rofl

https://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5331/1...bb804881_b.jpgIMG_8502 by Ellen Delis, on Flickr

Front wheel off, yeap better but not good enough, back wheel out as well so she was sitting on her bashplate, that bought the big girl down to size:clap.

https://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5464/1...73c64fe5_b.jpgIMG_8512 by Ellen Delis, on Flickr

We placed the back wheel up under the wheel arch and everything fitted nicely so that is what we configured the pallet to do, cut it to width and length and dropped half the weight off it …things were working well.

Jaime and I now looking intelligent :rofl

https://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5455/1...5028ee1e_b.jpgIMG_8516 by Ellen Delis, on Flickr

Getting the addy for the trucking company Jaimes friend Pietro offered to drop the pallet at the yard, this was bloody awesome to say the least and made life easy for us.

Delivery by none other than an AMG Mercedes (and quite nice I have to say)

https://c4.staticflickr.com/8/7782/1...f1f5a9a9_b.jpgIMG_8520 by Ellen Delis, on Flickr

We rode behind them on Maya to the yard, unloaded the pallet and proceeded to strip Maya down per plan.

https://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5321/1...561ed1f5_b.jpgIMG_8526 by Ellen Delis, on Flickr

Much to the amusement and amazement of the forklift dudes we reduced her from Arnieschwarzenmaya overgrown trail bike to a little short pile on a pallet.

https://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5332/1...fcec1c99_b.jpgIMG_8556 by Ellen Delis, on Flickr

All done and dusted (we thought) we left the yard after completing our mission.

We were supposed to have given all the docs to the trucking company and they take care of it, we did this, provided scanned notarised/legalised copies (which they requested) then sent the original to Santiago where they had requested them to be sent.

The guy we were dealing with turned out to be an extremely unhelpful wanker not knowing his job and it turned into a hell mission. :eek1

First he said we were all good and done, then he rings later says we are not done, then he asked for the originals which we said we sent them to Santiago (at his request), I will add at this point we had EVERYTHING complete and in hand while at his yard, we started the bike pack down at about 9.45 am and finished at 1.00 pm, the dickhead sends us an email asking the colour of our bike and wanting the original papers, we were in his yard, no computer, no wifi and 100 meters from his office.:huh

Anyway, long story short Jaime our savvier took control, he was calmer than me cos I wanted to kill the incompetent dick, seems that he and custom were having issues and we got caught in the middle, finally the afternoon we are leaving we got an email stating Maya was cleared and loaded, we still struggle with what the issue was as the had EVERYTHING given to them 4 times.

Whoa …had grey hairs … gonna save me a haircut next time cos most will fall out I reckon.

All done and dusted we have everything crammed into two cardboard boxes including 2 bottles of Flore de Caña rum to take home. Total weight of everything including all our shit and tool was 40kg.

Our last night in Viña del Mar with Jaime, good times marred knowing we won't see him for a while :cry

An insurmountable amount of thanks to you Jaime, heart of gold, good bastid supreme, motohead meca and moto mate for life :clap:clap

Cheers Andi

Viña del Mar to Santiago To New Zealand.
 

Having got Maya sorted, done and knowing she was loaded was a huge thing off my mind.:clap

We had a lot of help from locals and all of these dudes are worth a great mention as is their shop as they made life for us a lot easier.

The guys involved in our last days of the trip were:

Piero, Mercedes driver, BMW crasher and great riding buddy of Jaime, unfortunately Piero was hit head on by a taxi which crossed the centerline and he was very badly broken up, fortunately he is on the road to recovery although very slow, best for getting sorted mate, we wish you well and thank you for your help. Pallet deliverer supreme!!

- Vicente, BMW shop manager of BMW in Viña del Mar
Williamson Balfour Motors S.A.
Avda. Libertad 841, 2520072 Viña del Mar, Valparaíso, Chile

Now Vicente allowed us to use their shop as a communication base (via Jaime) which was bloody cool ….and we had a coffee(s) :evil, a huge thanks for letting us borrow Jaime to assist with not so nice customs people….you know the sort and thank you for the lunch, remember if you need any help or advice that we can you with let us know.

The lads lunch

https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8790/1...60b26939_b.jpgP1240944 by Ellen Delis, on Flickr

The FINAL adv salute from South America .....just for you guys

https://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5460/1...d3f32da5_b.jpgP1240946 by Ellen Delis, on Flickr

-Alexis Vega. He's at BMW Logistics and kindly sent the pallets, he gave us more than enough to get us sorted and more to the point and extremely important it has the safe timber markings acceptable to New Zealand Customs which should stop any grief on the timber.

And finally - Domingo, he is one of their car salesman and was heading back to Santiago the day we were needing to go back, it was organised for us to get a ride so we took in Viña del Mar for the day and waited till he finished work early in the evening and he drove us from Viña del Mar to Santiago in a the nice BMW 420 with all our shit door to door.:freaky:freaky

Thank you team, any and all of you are welcome in New Zealand … only 13 hours away on a tin bird.

Our last night in South America, kinda weird, kinda cool, kinda sad, mixed emotions and Ellen has butterflies in her tummy.

The following morning was clean up, pack down and box it all in, Jaimes apartment looking like a motorcyclist had exploded.

With a tonne of time to spare we cruzed to the finish line and and got a taxi to the airport.

Our last moments in Chile extended by LAN airlines with our plane taking another hour and ten minutes to show up, for us it shortened our waiting time back in New Zealand by an hour so no issue for us at all. :clap

Our flight was ok but it was a “bring your screaming baby” flight so not much sleep was had….I did have a bloody good catch upon movies though.:lol3

Into New Zealand was painless, easy and welcoming, an hour and a half wait and were got our final flight to Queenstown.

Gorking out the window we were looking down on our country that we had not seen for 3 years and 2 weeks, the snow increasing as we got further south.

Arriving at Queenstown Airport we were welcomed home by Wanaka Motorcycle Club members Peter and Richard, Richard and Margaret as well as Dick and Diana Hubbard who did Alaska to Ushuaia on a 1200 GSA, thank you guys for the red carpet welcome home.

Photos by Diana Hubbard, Dicks better half!!

https://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5449/1...73ec3e8e_b.jpgIMG_0892 by Ellen Delis, on Flickr

https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8765/1...b1406eaa_b.jpgIMG_0905 by Ellen Delis, on Flickr

More to come of back in New Zealand

Massive thanks to everyone on our trip, love to all.

Andi & Ellen

Hats off to you both, its been a rollercoaster, for you there's always those mixed emotions at the end of every trip, you've both had one hell of a time - but at the moment glad you all made it home OK, my only question is...What the Hell am I going to read now ??? ;)

So happy to see you home safely guys - what a long journey! You not only survived but had the story of a lifetime.
What adventures now - or are you going to settle down and start a family?
Rob Hall

Glad you made it back to NZ ok you two, Ummmmm so what next?
All the best it whatever you do

Wayne


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Safely Home
 

Like all the previous comments, I would just like to toss in another one. Glad to hear you made it home. I'm sure there is a lot of catching up and other priorities to handle before the wanderlust hit's again. Can't imagine with all the adventures you two have had that you won't be talking about the future. Give Maya a nice rest. Will be monitoring your site and blog. Take Care.:clap:jeiger:D

That were quick, where you off to next?beer:scooter:

Hey guys, I enjoyed your trip report. Glad your home save

Finally i get a chance to catch up on your posts
 

G'day Andi and Ellen ,wonderful to see your last days of travel,I can not tell you how much i have enjoyed your pictures and text over these last years ,I'm pleased you and Maya are home safely,If you are ever in central QLD my door is always open to you both .I will PM you on FB with my details .
Anyhow keep in touch ,next time i'm over in NZ i will make it my mission to meet up .( providing you are not OS again) thanks again Noel:D:D:D:D
P.S feeling a little sad now .

Back in the land of the kiwi....
 

Woooow well done both of you, glad you both made it safe and sound back to NZ and now a well earned beer whilst you wait for Maya to arrive.

This is gonna be difficult..... trying to pick up the treads of a normal....whatever that is.... life :innocent: But now you have time to plan yer next trip & get Maya ready :scooter:

Am just back from a quick little run down to the Sahara :palm: ...it's in me back garden so to speak....... Tiger performed well :funmeteryes:

Will get in contact for more info through yer website. If you need anything get in contact.

Meantime enjoy and ravish in the loving embraces of family & friends.

Really good trip and write up, thanks to both of you for for sharing..... keep the rubber side down guys ...... Vince

Heya Gipper

I need to thank a man for his inspiration, information, help and friendship ....so thanks.

You helped us get ff the ground, stalked us along the way and see us through the gates safely, very cool my friend, our door in New Zealand are open, a DR 650 sit here for you to use gratis, you only need to put in the fuel you use.

What are you going to read now .... dunno :innocent: nutha 3 years before we hit it again ...what about your guys??

Cheers matey

Andi

Heya Rob

Yeap we are happy to be home in one bit and yeap a journey that was for us quite epic.

Local adventures now Rib, a lot of people pay a lot of money to come here so we are going to enjoy our own back yard for a while, another 3 years and we will hit it again somewhere else.

No family .. I have had my nuts cut cos we have decided not to have kids ... can you imagine some ugly little tmks runnin round :rofl: :innocent:

Cheers Andi

Heya Wayne

Yes we did, happy to be back and ok.

What next, enjoy New Zealand!!!

More updates to come as I write a bit about being back

Cheers Andi

Heya lectron

Thanks mate, the word are appreciated for sure.

Lots to do, never a dull moment to say the least and yes planning in the air now bier

Maya will have a rest, she is busy floating her way across back to Kiwiland as we speak.

Cheers Andi

Heya stuxtttr

I know, 3 years and 2 weeks blasted past like we only left yesterday.

Next, Africa and up ...nutha 3 years away yet tho ... need $$$$

Cheers Andi

Heya troos

Thanks for the kind words and yeap we are happy to be at home now.

Cheers Andi

Heya Noel

Thank you and you are welcome my friend, thanks for the invite and we might just take you up on that, likewise our doors are open mate you would be welcome, same deal as Gipper, the DR 650 is here to use gratis, just your fuel cost only.

Don't be sad ... be glad we are not boring you to tears :rofl:

Cheers Andi

Heya Vince

Can't drink beer but may have a rum or 10 and some fine Central Otago Pinot Noir.

So far so good, difficult is something we don't see, everything seems so easy now after the trip, in New Zealand everything just works for the most of it....besides my life has never been normal so we don't need to stat now :rofl:

Cool as in the Sahara and nice to know the Tiger performed well, expected nothing less they are a top notch machine to say the least.

If NZ is on your list mate you are welcome here anytime, as with the others the DR is your for the taking around Kiwiland.

Likewise with the rubber ...cheaper keeping it that way down.

Cheers Andi

New Zealand - Back Home
 

Back home in Wanaka now after 3 years and 2 weeks or 1109 days away, been unpacking crazy time.:eek1

Our house looked like some cardboard boxes had exploded ....which they had.

https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/537/18...a9ef4aba_b.jpgIMG_8616 by Ellen Delis, on Flickr

We were suprised how much stuff we had and how many clothes we have, Ellen went mountain biking and it took her ten minutes just to decide which gear to use.:rofl:rofl

May the 20th came around, our 9th wedding anniversary, Ellen got a nespresso coffee machine

https://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5460/1...b9a90ba7_b.jpgIMG_8805 by Ellen Delis, on Flickr

....and I got a Sherco 4.5i, seemed fair.:rofl

Her name is Novia (Girlfriend in Spanish) FFS DON'T tell Maya :eek1

https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/404/18...f63a08df_b.jpg356909783 by Ellen Delis, on Flickr

https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8875/1...9bf19137_b.jpg356909196 by Ellen Delis, on Flickr

Bro was coming down from Christchurch so he brought it with him …well done that man, when he arrived it was like Christmas, his Beta 498 and my Sherco 450 on the trailer looking ready for action and the fact of seeing Paul and Debbie again was wicked cool being he is my identical twin bro.:clap

I have work coming in but not for a another week or so, Ellen started on the Monday after we got back (full time if she wants it) so small adjustments to be made.

All in all Wanaka is beautiful, not perfect but pretty ****in good and compared to anywhere we have been in the last three years it still rate No 1.

So we have been busy as doing domestic stuff, a nice change from travelling …but not as cool.

Our base of friends here in Wanaka are still an awesome bunch of OAH’s (Old Age Hooligans) and still in fine form, the Wanaka Motorcycle Club going well.

Interesting the changes that have gone on since we have been away, way more houses and the place has grown big time, luckily still no Mc Dees, KFC or traffic lights WOH HOH.:clap

My groan at cellphones is still rife but it would seem that smarts phones have invaded and imbedded themselves.

I have a great Sonim waterproof phone with a 3 month standby time battery but the numbers and letters are small and although I can see through a bra at 200 meters the shit right in front of me is fury … or my arms have gotten shorter so the big old folk numbers on an iphone etc are welcomed and beat bifocool :huh glasses …. thus I might have to eat some of my own words however I still refuse to have an answerphonesecretarykinda thingy.

Yeah that’s right if you ring and I don’t answer I am not there ….and my smart phone will tell me I missed a call from you so I am not sure why I need a message as well, starting to sound old now but some things are still worth more than gold and that is your own time and space...make the most of it:clap

Now, back to moto stuff (sorry Graham and Andi) ((our cool neighbours in front of us who stalked us all the way)), the new (ish) Sherco is a 2008, only has 65 hours and is quite simply a weapon, I will keep her under the covers so the Russians don't see her :wink:, her name is Novia which means girlfriend in Spanish, she is a feisty young thing.:evil

Novia has more grunt than a paddock full of pigs and only weighing in at 109 kg (some 90 kg lighter than Maya before adding house and contents) when you crack it open you have to be seriously pointed in the right direction cos you ARE going there and at pace, while she can get off her arse in style she is not as angry as a KTM 450 etc so kinda nice, she is fuel injected too and the mapping is surprisingly good.

In my quest to go lighter I have found my direction, so Novia will be kitted out with more gas capacity etc, being as light as she is will make her a dream to take a good look around the next corner which in New Zealand we have a lot of.

Like I always say you have to love what you ride and when I push the start button on Novia that little hooligan kid feeling comes over me and the devil shoots the angel clean off my shoulders and the all important part is she turns man parts from kindling to wood.

Life wise, having read a lot about post trip depression etc I am very aware of what can go wrong after the big one.

A pattern that seems to follow through is returning to no home or a small flat, no work etc so we have been keeping busy enough, we both still are alive with travel fever and know this is the interim to the future, why could you not be positive about this.

I guess we are very lucky to live where we do too, this is our view normally

https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/512/18...6442e035_b.jpgIMG_8622 by Ellen Delis, on Flickr

This was our view after mum nature bought us a polar blast off the Antarctic, beautiful.

https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/478/18...f6a08099_b.jpgIMG_8641 by Ellen Delis, on Flickr

https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/492/18...bbb45ec6_b.jpgIMG_8640 by Ellen Delis, on Flickr

I have to say both of us are in great spirits and now we are back into mountain biking etc which is well cool.

I think the key is to keep busy and yes get to work (sorry for swearing) if you need money and get back into life, it may not be as free and easy as travelling but when you are standing, alive and well and dreaming of you next big adventure …well shit what more can I say.

A Special Part To Think Positively About Life - For Big Kev a WMC member.

It would be about 12 years ago I started what we call the WMC, The Wanaka Motorcycle Club.

It has bought about 50 - 60 riders in a town of 6000 together and formed a great based of moto head friends and off moto friendships.

I want to write a small blurb for a great member of ours Big Kev.

While it is easy to get consumed with a great trip away time has to be taken to stop, take a look around and appreciate your family and friends.

Big Kev has always been an active member in our club, on our "Round The Blockers" weekend ride he was always there, track days for a blast on his 2.3 liter supercharged Triumph, general rides and social gatherings.

Big Kev is fighting relentless cancer which has seen him sidelined recently, I want to wish Big Kev all the strength to fight and I know I say this from me, the WMC and every moto head I know as well as family and friends that feel the same.

Stand tall my friend.

Thanks for reading and take the time to consider your time.

Cheers Andi

Haere mai from exotic Waihi. Glad you're home safe 'n' sound.

My thoughts go out to your bro, Big Kev and hope he can over come his cancer battle - kia kaha. I lost a good friend to the disease last year.

On a more positive note, your view from home is much nicer than the one from mine. Enjoy!

Thanks Andi and Ellen
 

Nice of your to offer me the bike to ride ,i may take you up on it one day if you agree to show me the sites ,haha
Sorry to hear of your friends battle with the Big C .wishing big Kev all the best.
wow what a beautiful place you guys live in ,i have only been through Wanaka ,one day i want to come and see wings over Wanaka
Anyhow i will PM you my details on FB so if being home becomes too much maybe you might like to jump the ditch and have a visit .
Thanks once more for entertaining us all over the last few years ,i'm sure at times doing the blog has been a chore .
All the best Noel.:D:D:D
P.s the Sherco looks like a mountain of fun

Heya Beatnik Bedouin

Sorry for the late reply, Hola to Waihi :thumbup1:

I have a following post for Big Kev who lost his battle with the rust, extremely sad to see him go but in a kind way now he has left to a higher place and will be watching down on us. Sorry for the loss of your buddy too, we don't need more reminders to live life as best we can eh.

The view is nice, we are lucky, the country is great (despite one or two sillies) which is even nicer and we get to share it.

Cheers Andi

Heya Noel

Show you some sites...name the date!!

As above Big Kev lost the battle, I cried mate, didn't even try to "Kiwi Bloke" it I just let it out, my riding buddies as well could not hold back.....big tuff buggas still feel it.

Wanaka door are open anyway and yeap plenty to see here.

Sherco all road reged now so I can legally chase old ladies down the footpath!!

Cheers Andi

Big Kev 1956 - 2015

As life progresses the bad things come with the good things.

I wish just to write about Big Kev, a great member of our Wanaka Motorcycle Club, good bastid through and through.

Big Kev rode a Triumph Rocket 3 which he supercharged as well, the man could ride it like a small trail bike keeping pace on the race track and road with no problem whatsoever.

A dedicated dude, warm and passionate moto head Big Kev finally gave in to the relentless cancer he had been fighting.

His funeral was for me was the most heartfelt funeral I have ever been to, not afraid to say I cried a lot struggling to even mutter the words to the songs we were trying to sing.

Not to dwell on the sadness of a great man taken early we wish to remember him for the total dude, beer drinking moto loving petrolhead that Kev was that always bought a big smile to everyones face.

I know I say this for me and from the WMC members, Gayle your loss is hard and is felt by fello members and riders, Ride in Peace brother you will be missed.

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/482/1...58bce5ef_z.jpg95 by Ellen Delis, on Flickr
Cheers Andi

A video made by Doon, a well respected member and riding buddy, onya Doon, great job for the vid.

https://youtu.be/CoDd0zDJEJk

<iframe width="960" height="720" src="[MEDIA=youtube]CoDd0zDJEJk[/MEDIA]" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Hola desde Waihi también:
Please accept my sincere condolences on the passing of Big Kev.

You're 100% spot on about living life as best we can. I just wish I didn't seize up in the frosty conditions NZ's had of late (LOL).

I'm hoping to do Survivor Scooter and the TranzAlpine next year, so I might see if you guys want to meet when I'm in your part of Aotearoa.

Stay warm...

Kia kaha,
Peter

Hi guys , have just been reading yr blog. Sounds like you've had a great time over the lasr few years. What a blast, great ride ,great friends. Well done , the hardest thing now is returning to a 'normal' life.
We would like to do something similar but would like to know how you managed to purchase and register bikes in the US. It seems to me it's difficult unless you're a US citizen. Please tell me how you managed to do this:thumbup1:
Many thanks Andrew

Heya Peter, just PMed you mate, been offline here for a while and today catching up.

E us at twomotokiwis@gmail.com, would love to catch up, will be up north in Feb so maybe then if not down here?

Cheers Andi

Heya Andrew

Yes we had a great time for sure, returning home has been interesting but we are lucky where we live and settling down has been ok to be fair.

We have friends who live there so we used local addy and licence numbers etc, easy enough to do without being dodgy, just optimising your information 8-)

Cheers Andi

Home Six Months Today
 

So greetings all, today November 16th 2015 means we have been home 6 months today from some of the coolest and hardest times of our lives, introducing ourselves back to the human species has been interesting, rewarding, challenging, fun, sad and awesome.

The loss of big Kev while not unexpected knowing he was ill was a huge punch in the head and still remains hard to take.

We personally are great, Ellens work is coming together as is mine, one busy week, one not so busy so no stress and all good, our house took a beating from our tenants who thought rent meant wreck, ****in oxygen thieves but in the big scheme of things it is nothing.

Maya is home and being the graceful old retired granny in the corner watching the young punk M go out and play, M is the new 690 M is short for Maya Mini Me, 138 kg of entertainment and neat to ride.

https://farm1.staticflickr.com/614/2...40b5253e_b.jpgIMG_9218 by Ellen Delis, on Flickr

In progress of life we sold our house and plan to build another, will have our feet on the ground here for another 3 years with only shorter trips away then we will hit it again ... that my friends can't come quick enough...but I suspect it will.

I have been over the reigns for our Wanaka Motorcycle Club doing the club captain thing and helping with the lads running trips and monthly gatherings at pubs etc so back into life full on, anything less means wasting time and ending up watching bullshit on TV.

Other than that life is as normal as life is within in the TMK household and life is good, best to all you guys and your families, make the most of what you have available and most of all wear that ****in moto grin wide with pride!!

To finish off, "You Can't 'Google' Experience" ... grab those bars and go offline!!

Cheers Andi

Hey Guys, good to hear from you again! While you were overseas we (wife Jill and I) did actually pass through Wanaka on tour of NZ. I brought my HD Sporty across from Aus, and our friend Allistair Meikle from Gore arranged a Honda 400 for Jill. Jill also has a Sportster, which she needs for work, and was intending to bring it also to NZ.


But we made a mistake and engaged a shipper called Get Routed! And that would have kept both bikes out of Australia for 5 months. This "organiser" had his own program after he had our money. So we had to settle for the Honda for Jill.


But I still had my HarleyBoy! Toured 16000km and still did not see all of NZ, but did ride the Piano Flat cattle trail, and Skippers Canyon!


A 4WD driver at the top of that canyon said "I've been driving this canyon for 30 years and I never expected to see a Harley come up that hill!".


73 year old rider, heavy motorbike, loaded down with touring gear - what could possibly go wrong!?


Rob Hall