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Yes the weather played into our hand for pics but not ideal for camping :nono: Sad leaving Brasil, good times man that place is amazing to say the least. Spotted ya on ADV :D .. .welcome to the loopy side. Cheers Andi |
Punta De Este To Frey Bentos
Finishing at the beach we headed to Punta Del Este to Casa Pueblo the famous artists house, our winning streak of good weather over with strong winds and heavy rain … and this time cold with it.
This is what it was like when we past through a week earlier https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8599/...81446c8a_b.jpgIMG_4224 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr Getting to Casa Pueblo we were wet and cold so a welcomed break inside was great, we contemplated a coffee but the prices meant we had to sell Maya and we needed her afterwards so that didn’t happen. :rofl https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7474/...d5390988_b.jpgP1220074 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7512/...e511f691_b.jpgIMG_4291 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7528/...83dc88b2_b.jpgIMG_4295 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr Better post an artyfarty picture or I will get told off :rofl https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7555/...5dd82c9e_b.jpgIMG_4284 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr As we left is was caving in again ... not a pleasant moto day. https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7470/...60bea1dd_b.jpgP1220078 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr Turning inland we had the wind following us which was a nice reprieve, the grim weather still following us like a bad fart though :evil, finally arriving in Durazno we thought about a hotel, again cold and a little damp we looked at a couple of places finding them fairly spendie, we pissed around and went to an ATM machine and supermarket then decided what we were going to do. Mum nature deciding we needed a break popped through with sunshine and slowly but surely it came clearer so camping was on again….just in the nic of time.:clap:clap Thank you to Life Remotely we had PDFed the information and the GPS coords taking us right to the door to a monster camp ground which was all but empty, it gets better cos it was gratis. https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7582/...d38d615e_b.jpgIMG_4306 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7500/...afb289af_b.jpgIMG_4299 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr It had been very wet so the ground was sodden but drying, hot shower and toilet complete and a small fire place… what else could we want. https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7509/...0888960e_b.jpgIMG_4303 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr Again we lit a fire, cooked our food and smoked out the mosquitos, apart from the odd hoon ripping around in the mud the place was quiet. Setting off the following morning we managed to dry almost everything, the border was our mission and as far as we could get before stopping when tired or a nice spot was found. Our road which was totally asphalt …but apparently not causing some extra time due to a puffy wet road slowing us down and when we got to the asphalt section there were bomb sized potholes to go around.…one of which owned us. A dry section :clap https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8613/...58462a3c_b.jpgP1220094 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr We had scooted around about 10 potholes before reaching the daddy of potholes with no way around, Ellen saw it coming so she stood up on the pegs, quick shit myself, a very quick squeeze of brakes and a quick yank of the throttle to lighten the front wheel at least, we still hit with a thump, the tire, forks and flex bars all working hard to absorb the impact, if I had laid on the brakes and stayed on them we would have creased a rim without a doubt and likely have been thrown off Maya….the pothole nearly big enough to make a POI ….Canyon De Uruguay 8-) This was a typical section of good road, this pothole a mere dimple by comparison to the daddy, we should have parked in it to show the size :eek1 https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7464/...78754bf8_b.jpgP1220095 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr Counting our lucky stars assessing that everything was still round we continued to the border for a painless exit and entry in Argentina At Frey Bentos there is a huge mofo bridge that take you high (for a flat place) to give you a great view (of the flat place) :lol3 https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7491/...7ffed9e0_b.jpgP1220099 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr Welcome back to Argentina!!! :clap:clap |
Frey Bentos To Buenos Aires (Good Air)
Buenos Aires (Good Air)
Having escaped Uruguay in one piece we set camp at Rio Paranacito, again we had the place to ourselves. https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7500/...146ac2c9_b.jpgIMG_4312 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8666/...db4b210e_b.jpgIMG_4318 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr With plenty of firewood around the caveman and cavemaness made a camp fire which was big enough to warm us with the cooling night slowly draping itself over us. As it turned out we had gone through another timeline without taking any notice so it got dark earlier. :rofl https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7508/...67cef0aa_b.jpgIMG_4336 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr A good nights sleep followed by a stunning day with sun warming us as we downed some breakfast and coffee setting us up for the 140 km easy ride but daunting traffic of Buenos Aires.:eek1 ...big cities ...and Christmas time!!! An overhead train, they seem to like putting stuff up high when it is flat :huh https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8561/...7917ff1d_b.jpgP1220119 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr Sure enough getting there was easy, getting through was manic, all six lanes (each way) choca block commanding extra skills again of jamming Maya and house through the skinny arterials coupled with some stunt riding thrown in, I reckon this made the Dakar look easy :rofl. Back track to Mexico over 2 years ago, Ellen’s crash and the small window of opportunity meeting Norbert who was looking for us and found us making an absolute game changer and helping us out, well two years on we f i n a l l y get to cross paths again and meet wonder woman otherwise known as Greti his wife. Old pic, Ellen and I with Norbert :clap http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...os/file-33.jpg Norbert at this time was solo on his V Strom. http://i1263.photobucket.com/albums/...os/file-30.jpg We were meeting at Norberts brothers place and had been invited to spend Christmas with them so for us a chance to spend some quality time with a man we seriously look up to was outstanding.:clap:clap ...and to meet the woman who puts up with him :evil Unfortunately the GPS coords didn’t work well but the street address did, turns out we had beaten Norbert to the finish line with them making their way into Buenos Aires from the south after being in Ushuaia. We followed Norberts SPOT seeing exactly where they were, Manfred (Norberts bro) astounded at our ability to stalk them to within 10 minutes so a wee treat for them to see how us disfunctional travelers do it.:wink: Norbert and Greti soldiered on with a huge day in the seat (I think 900km) arriving later evening in good spirits, a great reunion was had with enthusiastic but watery eyes. Having been out camping and no wifi etc it was time to unravel all the gear, air and dry accordingly and to catch up on ride reports overdue. More on Buenos Aires next, too much for this post :clap |
Buenos Aires
On the way into Buenos Aires we stopped in to meet the famous Javier and Sandra from Dakar Motos, seriously nice people and we had a great chat and coffee, I can't believe we did not even get a photo together WTF happened there is anyones guess.:huh .. .anyway you guys have seen all of our mugs before :evil
Manfred looking on as we stalk Norbert and Greti, Manfred quite taken by the cool side of technology https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8665/...71045e30_b.jpgIMG_4340 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr Ellena (Manfred’s wife) cooked up some Argentinian Christmas cakes …..and yes they were well and truly as good as they look. https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7490/...bd10b9aa_b.jpgIMG_4351 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr Christmas eve arrived which was the big celebration and a piglet was on the bar b q, talk about outstanding food, we were off the hook for cooking duties but on duty for the wines and soft drinks…good times.:clap https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8612/...9d21f2a4_b.jpgIMG_4353 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr Christmas day was relaxing affair around the corner at one of the brothers houses, they have a swimming pool …..yeah heeeer :clap https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7580/...fbc35c10_b.jpgIMG_4375 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr Again more food, drinks and good times. https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7546/...24625ca3_b.jpgIMG_4383 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr Being Norberts old stamping ground we had a local tour then with Manfred as our main man we hit it to centro, walk -> bus -> train-> subway -> Centro, we would not have made it without local knowledge. Our plan was to meet a couch surfer Marcela who we hosted in New Zealand 3 years ago, plans were made and we all met up, talk about cool having reuniting sessions.:clap:clap Four trouble makers Me, Marcela, Ellen and Manfred https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8606/...f751be28_b.jpgIMG_4406 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr A sailing boat down at the harbour, could not believe how much rope is on this thing https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7538/...42182a80_b.jpgIMG_4413 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr The full crew Don Norbert, Ellen, me Marcela and Manfred, downtown BA just hangin out and being hoods :rofl https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8599/...7cdd10ec_b.jpgIMG_4427 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr The Dakar ramp being assembled outside the parliament building for the "fake" start for the public https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8573/...5836cf76_b.jpgIMG_4448 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr After seeing a lot of sights in centro we all headed to a local restaurant for a late lunch, again great food and good times. https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7500/...ece10a9f_b.jpgIMG_4460 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr Two chics :wink::wink: https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7571/...5ea0620e_b.jpgIMG_4461 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr The afternoon finished off with Maya having a photoshoot with Marcela, Greti, Norbert and all…and some back rubs. Marcela riding it hard :D https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7489/...7e63443e_b.jpgIMG_4479 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr Suits you Greti, orange is your colour :D https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7465/...9e6313d8_b.jpgIMG_4481 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr Greti in the box seat with Norbert in tow :clap https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7469/...e647e9b1_b.jpgIMG_4487 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr And the back rubs, I had to quickly snap this pic then try and get in line but I missed out :eek1 https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7535/...bf75c5df_b.jpgIMG_4489 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr The inevitable goodbyes, the bit we can never seem to enjoy :huh A huge thank you to Ellena and Manfred for having us stay and the warmth and welcoming with it. Norbert and Greti, see you in New Zealand guys, it will be our pleasure to have you stay with us and really cool catching up finally after two plus years and especially meeting Greti. Marcela, really cool catching up after three years :clap https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7553/...1e57b5d9_b.jpgIMG_4494 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr |
Brasil Sum Up And The Heart Speaks, The Best, The Dirt And The Hurt
Brasil Sum Up And The Heart Speaks
Time to reflect over the happenings in Brasil, easy peasy cos we were only there for two weeks give or take 5 months. What started as less than ideal got better quickly, with the warm hearts of Brasilians helping us at Ponto Pora amidst 6 degrees and rain to get our stator etc out of Paraguay. Also Wagners workshop after buying an oil cooler for Maya and meeting lots of new faces there. The only two motor fails we have had and both were in Brasil where KTM is literally non existent, that being our stator and waterpump. The stator made worse by the introduction of lying Bolivianos and the water pump, no worries we had a spare on board so were prepared, was a 50000 km shaft with 60000 kms on it :clap. 60000 km, never left standing on the side of the road, one water pump, one stator I consider than to be pretty good given where we have been. It soon got even better, the weather picked up and we soon fell into the groove, every new country there is always the butterflies and not knowing WTF you are getting in for and after Bolivia we were ready for some sanity. Where the hell to start, I am honestly struggling to write this up as my heart wants to go back and I am having to write about saying goodbye. When things go wrong you need to make the best of it, in most countries you will get by and get things sorted by one way or another, in Brasil it will be sorted, in style, with a bar b q, with Guarana, with more help that you ever imagined, with wide open arms from everyone who gets involved.:clap For me, Kiwis are open and friendly but Brasilians step that up a notch, after coming from Bolivia it was almost opposite overload with people going to unreal lengths to help knowing you are a foreigner and needing that little extra help, language barriers and all, it did not matter, the funny thing is that in some cases the less we spoke the more the help was stepped up.:eek1:clap For me, Rio De Janeiro was spectacular for a city, abrupt rock formations were outstanding, meeting Paulo was a God send and having access to Moto Buis workshop unbelievable. It just became easier and better and we soon learnt that Brasilians are extremely warm hearted people that love meat and motos ….I like the way these guys think.:rofl Bahia in the mid of Brasil was very nice, Chapada Diamontina still the nicest place and for me the best photo I took/have/seen etc. My favourite picture of a place I cannot describe so you will just have to go there :clap https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3908/...e0cab8c1_b.jpgIMG_1401 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr Lencois a beautiful wee town, slightly touristy but far enough away from the big smokes to be quiet and very nice and one I say is a must do. Making our way back down we really hit top gear meeting the Brasil Riders, each one very interested in motos and travel and we very interested in being on the ground level with locals which changed our experience, also Brasil is wealthier in the south so to be fair our comfort level was up as well. Every time we were moving along they would ask where we were going, if they had amigos in that town a phone call was made, directions given and we were welcomed in and accommodated, as travellers on a budget Brasil is VERY expensive so to be set up with like minded people and hosted is a double plus and bonus, this allowed us to spend money on booze and other essential items.:lol3 We reciprocated with (Ellen) making sushi, dumplings, Chinese pies and me helping out, fixing, adjusting etc to be helpful and appreciative for our hosts. The Brasilians love to drink, eat and talk travel, motos etc and love foreigners so I was as happy as a sandboy. A highlight for us was Cascavel meeting Sandro, Marcos and crew, also Star News BMW welcoming us in knowing full well we were not buying a bike but let me take a R Nine T for a ride, sorry for slobbering over it Berto.:rofl https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2948/...91a9cd53_b.jpgIMG_2171 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr Non Brasil riders (normal humans) came up to us on a daily basis curious and inquisitive ALWAYS with a huge welcoming and friendliness enough to drag any resistant hermit out of his shell, we of course didn’t need any training to open up to them straight away and they thought this was well cool. They also love stickers as I do to so Maya has a few more now, lots of places we bought stickers now we have moto clube stickers with all the destinations on them so that is cool (traded for TMK stickers:wink:), they also covered up a lot of accident damage, unfortunately the don’t make structural stickers to straighten the hit and run accident. The Heart Speaks While we try to keep things in a positive light sometimes shit IS worth writing about, why? ... because I am a ****en Kiwi and we tell it how it ACTUALLY is with no sugar coatings and shinning white teeth pretending everything is perfect, too much for you to read about the truth then stop here and read something else, no apologies. While we had superb times we also hit the bottom literally, we found damage done to our bike from a previous service at a reputable KTM Stealership which really pisses me off as we paid real money for bad work, from this point on I have trusted no one to do any work to Maya and I do everything, never again will I let someone else **** it up ESPECIALLY after we have paid hard earned readies for it. The hit and run was a bastid, luckily we both stayed out of hospital, Maya not so good and the Jesses needing BIG work, their build quality being their saving grace.:clap Only in Colonia, Uruguay we got the last of the parts to fix damage however our racks are still tortured and twisted, the grinder and welder will do well when we are home. I spent a lot of time fixing, adjusting, straightening the damage, at first I did not realize how hard we had gone down until the following days when my body hurt quite badly, also when riding noting things not lining up so it was a case of one thing at a time to realign and fix .... Torres was the final straw.:cry So after the mop up of the luggage, then straightening our steering, then fixing our bent bolts on the handlebars and finally hurting my finger badly trying to fix it I have decided to put this to print. Although the finger is not directly his fault it would not have happened if we did not need to fix the damage he did. The wanker left us on the road, this would have been the same for any of you who were there so to me I view this dimly, for all Brasil Riders who have treated us extremely well I post this as it could have been any of you and that steps it into fighting territory…he who would hurt my friends hurts me. The driver has left us with about $3500 worth of damage in total and thanks to the Brasilian “system” will not likely get charged for hit and run, his excuse, ......he has no money so that is that.:huh He said he is sorry (to the Poice NOT to our face), but he is not sorry enough to make good the damage or leave the keys to his car to pay for the damage…****en shallow arsehole. To be positive about it so you guys can be aware of him and not to drag it out, the lowest for of life has been found and he is The arseholes name: Fabio Junior Barbosa The arsehole address: Rua Telemcao, Borba 409, Tibagi PR The arseholes FB Page https://www.facebook.com/fabio.barbo...4%3A1415230892 The arseholes photo. https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7559/...95a8c1b3_b.jpgScreen Shot 2014-11-14 at 1.17.52 PM by twomotokiwis, on Flickr The arseholes car and rego and photo. MVB-8041 https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7502/...20d2fea9_b.jpgP1200222 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr The arseholes address https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8653/...95f2fe2a_b.jpgScreen Shot 2014-11-14 at 1.09.41 PM by twomotokiwis, on Flickr The arsholes house https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7498/...86065c2e_b.jpgScreen Shot 2014-11-14 at 1.00.44 PM by twomotokiwis, on Flickr If in the neighbourhood drop in and say hi or kill him or anything really painful will do.:D The other trial we had was extreme heat of 45 plus degrees for days on end, we had learnt from previous experience to keep hydrated so we don’t needlessly chew each others head off and for the most of the time it worked, this still created daily stresses and our 1 and only flat tire was on one of these days, not even a shadow was cool :eek1 For me now I am enjoying Argentina after Uruguay was a bit of not a lot and my heart is still looking north to Brasil, the hard part of travelling when you fall in love with a place. Finishing on a good note, there is SO much to see in Brasil, the distances are bigger due to the size of the place, Brasil IMO is a must do, given we were going to be there two weeks and 5 months later we left that is a fairly good indication, don’t just blow through the place, do it some justice and get into it…you will not regret it. :clap:clap To all the normal humans who were extremely, good, nice, helpful etc thank you so much for making Brasil a great place to be, to all the Brasil Riders (abnormal aliens we can relate to), I am not sure how to put into words our gratitude for making Brasil simply OUTSTANDING, when we looked up information on the net about Brasil and moto travel it was fairly skinny, I hope now after ADVers, Hubbers, TMKers and FBers have read our ride reports that it has shed some more light into a cool country with cool people (bar 1 :evil) For me, a picture is worth 1000 words, for me, my prize possession is my Brasil Riders good luck charm watching us as we ride from the top of our tank bag, Tailon, thanks man we ride with pride. https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7466/...2f71cf38_b.jpgP1220319 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr I am not got to name everyone cos I simply can’t but a huge thanks to all, you guys rock, finally we have booked our flights home so after 3 years and two weeks travelling the Americas top to bottom we will be home on May 16th 2015, give us an hour to buy some meat, bear, wine ....our doors are open.:clap Ouwh ... and bring some Guarana :rofl:rofl |
Buenos Aires to La Falda ... New Years Included
Finally our time to split as we had organized to be in La Falda on the 29th, so Maya was wheeled out through the alley only as wide as the bars, cases and house fitted back on and a series of kisses, hugs, watery eyes (again ..sand in the air) and cheers goodbye.:clap
With the 790 km ride being broken into two easier days we stopped at Juarez, it was a ghost town when we arrived with the typical Argie siesta making the place silent. Our daily ritual now being check the fuel and clean 20 or more dragonflies out of our radiator:rofl, next leg no different with thousands of dragonflies pasting themselves wall over Maya and our visors.…now I know where superglue is made.:huh Finally through Cordoba we had hills in sight, I had to retrain myself on what to do with a corner and how to go up a hill :D Arriving at La Falda was like going home, a beautiful place we had been 8 months earlier, we became friends with the people and they wanted some house sitters to look after their home and look after the four dogs while they are away for about 2 weeks. For us a welcome break, a chance to catch the Dakar and do some local rides before heading off into the deep south ibis of Ushuaia. We had organized our stay to coincide with the 2015 Dakar so for us, Walter and Dagmar the timing could not have been better for both of us. Maya was also due so fluid changes, so engine oil, fork oil, front and rear brakes all with new blood, easy when time and space are available.:clap https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7496/...39063f11_b.jpgP1220318 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr Bit of a mission finding DOT5.1 but I got it and Maya is all fresh again. Walter and Dagmar who own the place run Alma Guacho tours and had two lots of German clients in nicely set up overlanders, Walter is a landcruiser nut as well and had a disk brake conversion he wanted done so I offered to do as much as I could as I luv 4x4’s as well. New Years was in the middle of all the action, we had an excellent asasdo and good times. https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7468/...d53d7d5a_b.jpgIMG_4516 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7560/...3b9fdde3_b.jpgIMG_4523 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7494/...5f0cd6ee_b.jpgIMG_4524 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr La Falda by night. https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7565/...645da3e1_b.jpgIMG_4535 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr Helping getting Walters truck prepared, any excuse for a petrol head to pile into a pot of grease is good fun. https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8647/...78923f0d_b.jpgIMG_4576 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr The crews Ready To Race :freaky https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7509/...7bd0b45b_b.jpgIMG_4587 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr With 4 dogs it is like feeding time at the zoo, the zookeeper standing watch to make sure everyone gets their fair share and does not nic the other dogs tucker :lol3 https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7530/...5ee6cb37_b.jpgIMG_4503 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr Next up, Dakar, 04 th January first day at Villa Carlos Paz :clap |
Dakar - Buenos Aires to Villa Carlos Paz
Dakar, first day Jan 04th, Buenos Aires to Villa Carlos Paz, we watched and saw the support crews come in followed by competitors, mottos, quads, cars, utes, cars and the big boys…trucks ….high powered hooligan trucks running 1000 hp plus …on my!!!:eek1
Weapons …that is all I can say. Just a few pics as they will explain more that I can say. https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8598/...d5f48fe9_b.jpgIMG_4692 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr First motos in https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8676/...8de62eea_b.jpgIMG_4681 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr Followed by cars https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7583/...fa4cee28_b.jpgIMG_4664 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr Lineup of traveller bikes :clap ... even with all the excitement of the incoming vehicle the TV interviewed us. :huh https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7564/...3e128257_b.jpgIMG_4649 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr The highlight for me was a fiver from a rider, even after nearly 800 km they still take the time for the crowd ... pretty cool :clap https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7496/...1f83842f_b.jpgIMG_4635 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr Tomorrow, a seriously early start, we were supposed to be having a bar b q tea with some locals however I managed to pick up a crook guts so toilet paper was my mate, off to bed early :evil |
Dakar - Villa Carlos Paz To San Juan
Jan 05th 2015, 3.00 am start :eek1, 4.00am on the road to Las Palmas, we arrived with about 15 minutes up our sleeve before the first Red Bull KTM moto rolled through, 15 minutes ahead of the next lads.:clap
In the go slow town zone https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8590/...bf88ef13_b.jpgIMG_4700 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr Just out of the go slow zone :clap https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7499/...0fece341_b.jpgIMG_4705 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr The motos providing some excellent riding, beautiful two wheel, stand up drifts at warp factor two…..and at one stage we were only one meter away from the riders…awesome.:clap https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8635/...2f0c8d00_b.jpgIMG_4731 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr It was not long and the quads were firing through with a battle or two creating some great entertainment as they battled for clean non dust laden air. https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7538/...a3d36fe6_b.jpgIMG_4816 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr No sooner they had started to thin out the cars and utes appeared with V8’s singing out loud to the needy petrol heads …me included.:evil https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7496/...59d9f77b_b.jpgIMG_4822 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr We were at the end of the town “go slow” section so when their beepers went off the throttle was hit shifting the hillside behind them at an astounding rate. https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7485/...810ed65e_b.jpgIMG_4849 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr The acceleration, sound, gravel and dust making for full on Dakar happenings.:D https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8582/...862386e7_b.jpgIMG_4854 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr The treat continued as the various forms of utes, cars, single seaters etc ripped through creating great spectating and the crowds lapping it up, the custom cars with the big V8’s roaring throughout the entire valley....pure music :ear:rofl https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7489/...011e734e_b.jpgIMG_4858 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr For me I was keen to see the motos and the big trucks and soon enough the big trucks came through thundering their way past.:eek1 This guy was cheating cutting the corners :rofl https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7514/...e39cd915_b.jpgIMG_4869 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr We watched in awe as the Red Bull truck was first up, the engine over boosting all the way through town in the go slow section so when they hit the exit and fuel all 1050 hp was ready and waiting.....and it was :lol3 To see 4 large knobbly wheels spinning spitting gravel and stones rearward like a roaster tail and the hearing the monster exhausts screaming with the whine from the turbos all with the base guitar of an 18 liter V8 engine was utterly impressive, stand up close to it and WOW.:wink: :evil:rofl :D :D :D Trucks at the first corner, https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7521/...08b31171_b.jpgIMG_4890 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr Check out the bend on the tire :eek1:eek1 https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7530/...93cbd216_b.jpgIMG_5062 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr The entertainment from the big boys left me with a grin that could not be measured, the 6 wheelers also putting on an impressive display enough to take your hat off to the drivers of these super trucks at a super pace. https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7513/...3630209f_b.jpgIMG_5089 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7537/...be851cac_b.jpgIMG_5216 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7535/...0b815b89_b.jpgIMG_5134 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr In the full spirit of the event the co-drivers taking time to wave at the crowd in acknowledgment for their effort to be watching them, seriously cool atmosphere on a seriously hot day with some seriously great riding and driving. Ciao dude :clap https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8614/...056aeac4_b.jpgIMG_5142 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr On completion of the last truck at about 4 pm there was virtually no crowds left, most had bailed and gone so it was Larry Lonely and his Chinese sidekick left otherwise known as Andi & Ellen, the bonus is the huge long string of traffic had all but dissipated so we had a clean run out. :clap Our bonus was to then ride the Dakar road back towards Villa Carlos Paz before turning off onto a remote road with stunning valley views, river crossings, rock faces and moon like landscapes. The road powdered by big HP https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7526/...073c53c6_b.jpgP1220271 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr Looks like Central Otago, New Zealand :clap https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8646/...34d96d9e_b.jpgP1220266 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8683/...2cbf4dc0_b.jpgP1220252 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr Tired, hungry and happy we rolled back in the door at about 7.30pm in the evening, wicked day out of full on petrolheadism to say the least.:clap Thanks Dakar racers, great display of great driving and riding :clap A video of our view of the day :D <iframe src="//www.youtube.com/embed/zxFhsqlDCQY" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" width="560"></iframe> |
La Falda To San Augustin
We had done what we could do and the owners had arrived back from their expedition to a nice clean and tidy house with mowed lawns and plus we did some extra fixits stuff so they were very happy.
A tooth had been giving me some little indications of needing a look so it was a quick blast to the dentist…..how much fun can you have in one afternoon :rofl Making our way west again we headed for San Juan with the vision of lining up the national parks and some passes, our first point of interest was the road we were not on due to last years epic floods that claimed the lives of Argentinians and Uruguayans. https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7488/...ea8b210a_b.jpgP1220402 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7541/...f8166f16_b.jpgP1220389 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr Opting for the usual back road approach lead us through some neat territory and head on into another thunderstorm. https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7553/...943eab9b_b.jpgP1220356 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr This time with one road through one gully there was no way out for us but our timing saw us ride through it and reach tarseal before the shit hit the fan completely. https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7581/...74d28f77_b.jpgP1220379 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr That U shape in the middle is where the road goes and where we met the storm ....nutha wash :rofl https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7527/...e7361c6a_b.jpgP1220365 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr Finishing with that storm another one approached from the left, as luck would have it we skirted our way around it with only a few drops on the window, 5 minutes late woulda been a different story. https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7514/...a3c1fc28_b.jpgP1220372 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr Passing all the sky fury it came out into blazing sunshine and a sauna and our road back in one piece. An easy ride out today. https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7527/...69241ff6_b.jpgP1220335 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr |
San Augustin To Rodeo
Plan was to hit the National Park but they wanted $57 dollars EACH for a tour, having seen the pictures in the tour office on where they take you we thought there were better things to spend the money on and far nicer scenery for free, this was tailored around the unadventurous city sheep who drive out and want entertaining.:wink:
Passing on the National Park we backtracked slightly and rode into Valle De Luna, expecting some wonderland it was pretty ho hum as well, there was two overland landrovers parked so we rode over and chatted to them. They said you can view it from the dirt bank 100 meters away, again we took a quick look and it was ... oh, is that it .... more unadventurous sheep tours :huh Walking back to the overlandies we said "is that it", yeap, "oh", yeap :huh, they didn't go in either. Now we are into a different part of our trip where we are getting fussy about what we see, to be fair we have been spoilt where Maya has taken us so now some things are becoming ho hum...or are they, time to go home?, time to seek out cooler stuff?, time to be more appreciative of where we are?. I don't know but for some reason we have found some National Parks just well sold to the masses whose idea of the great outdoors is having their latte on the outside table at the cafe. Saying goodbye to the overlandies we headed west again, the road was neat, y junctions with a big mofo rock in the middle, note to oneself do NOT be indecisive :rofl https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7538/...b9fc9ce7_b.jpgP1220535 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr Tunnels https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7523/...715cddfa_b.jpgP1220495 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7535/...17b9d3b2_b.jpgP1220451 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr With insides :evil https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7535/...978ec5d9_b.jpgP1220438 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr Cool creek beds https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7537/...0bc64452_b.jpgIMG_5276 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7489/...79e4255d_b.jpgIMG_5294 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr Back out onto the main road we took a small valley road in the middle of nowhere, this time we had rock formations and colour to burn, just incredible the variance in landscape in only a few km https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7527/...788bdfd0_b.jpgP1220487 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr The colours, the minerals and the pressure from mum nature pushing this rock around like butter https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7553/...008665a3_b.jpgIMG_5305 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr See the grain in the rock https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7527/...608abe65_b.jpgIMG_5302 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr So after much discussion over a fresh salami, cheese and mayo sandwich we decided yet again the best stuff is for free, you just need to stop and look around as it it all in front of you, so tomorrow, go pick a weird lunch spot and take it in.:clap:clap https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7475/...c6f8ed53_b.jpgIMG_5301 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr This day was one of those when you say "yeap we are alive", after being served a main course of colours and rocks our dessert came, stopping in Rodeo we decided to call it quits, there was a lake, it was sunny ...what the hell.:clap The road on the way ... n o i c e https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8575/...2bb3d4d6_b.jpgP1220442 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr Taking a walk to the lake to just look around it was apparent we were in the right place, over the couple of hours in the afternoon we watched as different rock colours came into play as others slinked away into the shadows. Ellen trying to take the cheap way to China :rofl:rofl https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8634/...ce6e7b84_b.jpgIMG_5314 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr Just before dusk we rode back down, sunsets and sunrises are when the face of this planet change the most in colours and shapes, this was one such place rich in minerals and differing colours. You think I woulda learnt seeing Ellen go half way to China :evil , just beneath the dry crazy paving was pug, I was thankful for instant 100 HP :clap https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7512/...b845ed63_b.jpgIMG_5395 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr Innocent looking :rofl https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7483/...afec9083_b.jpgIMG_5316 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr The different bands and layers https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7538/...4ac70b4e_b.jpgIMG_5359 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr Crazing paving everywhere, it was difficult to ride as it was roly poly sending the wheels either way front and rear. https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7567/...203eb408_b.jpgIMG_5419 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr The place is a huge expanse ...you just can't go too close to the edge ... unless China is on you itinerary :evil https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7545/...8ff9f345_b.jpgIMG_5402 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr All in all a great day out, at first we started to question our own morals and judgements (twice) but as quick as a flash we proved ourselves right (twice) being rewarded by beauty that was simply laid out in front of us ready for us to take in:clap:clap. |
Dear Moto Kiwi's,
For months I am secretly travelling with you, sitting behind you on the bike and enjoying myself very much.....while I am reading your updates and stare at the pictures!!!! But something keeps me awake at night; why do you call your bike Maya? Have a great time and keep swallowing dust, Maya. |
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Thank you so much for following along.... and you are welcome.:thumbup1: We are still enjoying writing and more so photography, in New Zealand when we are earning money again will step up our gear for better photos.:D Ok, so you can sleep well (cos I have the same problem when wondering about something I don't sleep) All our vehicles have names, our first two Suzukis were CHIWI and HOBBIT, CHIWI = Chinese Kiwi, HOBBIT = from Lord Of The Rings ....cos I am short. The Super Enduro is called MAYA because we were in Mayan territory in Mexico when Ellen crashed on CHIWI and we decided to carry on two up, so we chose to give the bike a local name where we purchased her so she is the big strong Mayan lady talking us south. This sleep remedy comes with a money back guarantee ....I hope it works :thumbup1: Cheers and may there be many more pictures of dust swallowing moments. Cheers Andi |
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I have seen their bike and there isn’t space for a 3rd passenger, you are bad accustomed from the hack. I don’t even understand how the two kiwis fit there. What the old rufty tufty biker have to says about your secretly travels??? Hehe I think they will be back with John & Annette soon Cheers |
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If "she" was good looking we would have plenty of space :innocent: The joys of being two up and house, without camping gear we had two cases and top box with room to spare, camping stuff takes up a lot of room....just as well we are hobbits :D Off to John and Annettes either Saturday or Sunday and 6 bottles of Agie red waiting to help talk shite again with them ... good times, great people. Then ..... Ushuaia .... f i n a l l y nearly 3 years after we started on our 1.5 year trip. :thumbup1: Cheers Andi |
" Passing on the National Park we backtracked slightly and rode into Valle De Luna, expecting some wonderland it was pretty ho hum as well, there was two overland landrovers parked so we rode over and chatted to them.
They said you can view it from the dirt bank 100 meters away, again we took a quick look and it was ... oh, is that it .... more unadventurous sheep tours :huh Walking back to the overlandies we said "is that it", yeap, "oh", yeap :huh, they didn't go in either." I had a similar experience last year when I took HarleyBoy down Skipper's Canyon, near Queenstown. (NZ) When I came back up, there were 4WD "adventure tour" people standing about who filmed me coming up. They thought it was a big adventure. But the nice part came when one of the tour drivers said "I've driving here for 30 years and I never thought that the day would come when I would see a Harley come up that hill!" Rob Hall |
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