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The Wife takes on Chlamydia. A South American Retrospective
A bit of background: Between mid-1999 and early 2002 I rode around the world, that is UK through the Middle East and trans-Africa followed by New York to the Arctic circle to Tierra del Fuego, including about 9 months in South America. The bike I rode then was a 1989 BMW r100gs that had various names: Janis (too nice a name, allegedly), Helga (German and functional), the Wife (An Ethiopian policeman at a checkpoint upon demanding to know the make of vehicle for his ledger said it stood for “Be My Wife”), Ex-wife (we developed a rider/ridee relationship: She promised not to break down and I promised not to fall off…) and finally Goaty (as in “Old Goat”). The story of that trip is at my website at Round the World TBSdotCom
In mid/late 2015 I was at a bit of a loose end and with less than a week of planning and prep I flew to Brazil, bought a pre abused 2005 Kawasaki KLR650 and set off. The trip was meant to last only 3 months (budgetary constraints), but took 8 (helped by creative accounting)… The guy who sold me the bike had called her/it “Klarissa”. No guesses why. As she/it already looked so cosmetically beaten up, Klamidia seemed a suitable new name. On a Facebook post, a spelling bee corrected the spelling. I wonder how he knew? So, the thread title is becoming clearer… Many things have changed in the world, in South America, in the “adventure” bike market niche, and of course, with me. I’m more ruggedly handsome, have gone grey, put on a bit of weight and am still bald. In this RR I want to compare the sights, sounds and experiences from the trip on the Wife to Chlamydia’s safari 15 years later. I revisited lots of places, saw many new sights, met old friends and made new ones. I also travelled to/through places like Antarctica and Colombia that I missed last time due to timing and security constraints. My 2015/16 route was rather haphazard with several places visited more than once. I’ll explain the route in the following posts. I’m going to have to present it chronologically as any other way would do my head in. I want to show images from the Millennium trip and compare what I saw and how I felt then and 15 years on. Please do ask questions and make comments. Hope you like the pictures and words. Here is a selection from the 15/16 trip. http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...f.jpg~original End of the road in Argentina. 3rd visit, February 2015 http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...7.jpg~original Antarctic yacht http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...9.jpg~original Mt Fitzroy, Patagonia, Argentina http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...2.jpg~original Chlamydia and friend, Salar de Uyuni, Bolivia http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...5.jpg~original The ultimate wildcamp? Salar de Uyuni, Bolivia http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...7.jpg~original Toby Price, 2016 Dakar winner, Stage 6, near Turpiza, Bolivia http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...3.jpg~original The podium, Rosario, Argentina. I had sneaked into the VIP area http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...9.jpg~original Flamingos, Lagunas route, the long way. Bolivia to Chile http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...6.jpg~original The "so called" Death Road into the Yungas, Bolivia. Not so dangerous these days http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...6.jpg~original Bemused Peruvian lady http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...0.jpg~original Girl and sister, on a slightly longer detour around a landslide, northern Peru http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...0.jpg~original Is he taking our picture? Dunno, bald git... Coffee triangle, Colombia http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...l.jpg~original End to end done... Santa Marta, Colombia |
The bikes involved:
http://www.thebrightstuff.com/picsFo...575_Indeed.jpg Wifey, here just crossed onto Tierra del Fuego, Argentina 1989 BMW R100gs with big 43 litre Acerbis tank and what I thought at the time was a good idea: A pizza box on the back http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...2.jpg~original Chlam, here at La Higuera, Ruta del Che, Bolivia 2005 Kawasaki KLR650 bigger plastic tank (IMS?) and the panniers it came with (Pelican), along with a cheap kitbag from the camping shop. Both bikes did about 30.000 km = 20.000 miles in South America with me at the helm. Wifey also took a banana barge down the Amazon from Peru to the Atlantic. After abandoning Chlam to the clutches of a nasty man-hating psycho hostal chica in Ushuaia for 10 days, I joined a cruise ship across the Drake Passage to Antarctica and back. Chlam survived, as did I. The 2015/16 trip started in October 2015 in Sao Paulo in Brasil. Just a note, all the Millennium/Wife pictures will only be 500 pixels along their longest edge, and possibly a bit pixelated. They were taken with a good camera and on slide film, but in the scanning process (which took me forever all those years ago) they ended up like this. In those days I didn't understand such things as well as I do now and digital technology in the last 15 years has made huge strides too. Other recent RRs of mine include 2012 Stans and Mongolia: http://advrider.com/index.php?thread...ngolia.828973/ 2013 Far East Siberia: http://advrider.com/index.php?thread...rd-way.961578/ |
2015/16 Map overview, Brasil overview
http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...w.jpg~original Overview map of gps tracklogs Route: 1. Green(Start Sao Paulo) 2. Red 3. Purple 4. Yellow (following 2016 Dakar race) 5. No tracklogs. Forgot? Lost? The most boring ride down Ruta 3 from Buenos Aires to Ushuaia. Shame I haven't the "proof" of my longest ever ride day. One day I did 900 km/ 600 miles. A record for me. Some of you iron-butters riding a GS might do that before breakfast, but try it at 50mph only riding between sun up and sun down with 50mph winds, mainly hitting the bike between 12 noon and 3 o'clock (not time of day, but between head on and from the right quarter of the bike. All day). Also a horrid road surface and articulated trucks to overtake/ overtaking me or coming the other way. On a 650 thumper with a loud pipe. The significance of the pipe loudness will be mentioned in another post. It's pretty funny/sad depending on your outlook. 6. Light blue 7. Dark blue 8. Dark purple (End Santa Marta and Bogota) I did enter and leave Bolivia multiple times… A veritable spaghetti of tracks left there. http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...e.jpg~original I didn’t explore Brasil as much as I could have on this trip. The furthest north I got was Rio de Janeiro, which in terms of Brasil is not very far at all. In many places, major floods were causing a lot of destruction. I don’t like riding in the rain and the distances are huge. A couple of taster Brasil pictures… http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...4.jpg~original Redeemed? Maybe not, but definitely a clean bike http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...9.jpg~original Trinidad breakfast beach view from tent http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...6.jpg~original Paraty Cathedral |
In and around Campos do Jordao, SP State, Brasil
http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...3.jpg~original Set off from the mega city of Sao Paulo for a bit a spin in the area around Campos do Jordao. A super pretty part of the world and a huge and pleasant contrast. SP city has its charms, but riding through it on a motorcycle wasn't one of them! http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...6.jpg~original Man and child on cow http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...t.jpg~original A Brazilian friend gave me the name and vague location of a rural restaurant in the middle of nowhere. I found it! Not signposted or anything. Very popular and great food! http://www.thebrightstuff.com/2015St...ryDSC_0189.jpg When not with Geraldo fettling the bike it was important to sample the delights of this place settled by the Swiss who brought their traditions with them http://www.thebrightstuff.com/2015St...o1DSC_0177.jpg Chlam was in good hands in Geraldo Lima’s workshop in Campos do Jordao. He’s the race mechanic for top Brazilian Dakar works rider and multiple finisher Jean Azevedo, including when the chequered flag was still in Dakar, Senegal Geraldo is a top bloke! He also allowed me to stay FOC in his guest annex, which considering my budgetary constraints was very welcome. Brasil ain't a cheap travel destination! http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...9.jpg~original One of Jean’s race bikes in Geraldo’s workshop In the 2016 race Jean walked away from this crash: Lucky lucky man!.... https://scontent-lht6-1.xx.fbcdn.net...a5&oe=59F64945 |
Rio de Janeiro 2000 and 2015
2000: http://www.thebrightstuff.com/picsFo...Rio_Brasil.jpg And http://www.thebrightstuff.com/picsFo...Rio_Brasil.jpg In 2000 it was a little less overcast on Copacabana beach http://www.thebrightstuff.com/picsFo...ght_Brasil.jpg And the nights were clear More words from my website: Chapter 26 The Big Trip 2015: http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...9.jpg~original In October 2015 it was a tad more cloudy. At least it wasn’t raining like south of here http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...5.jpg~original Statue to Antônio Carlos Jobim, the composer of The Girl from Ipanema http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...9.jpg~original Beach art http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...0.jpg~original Beach volleyball http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...4.jpg~original Beach footvole. These guys are good! http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...7.jpg~original Queen of Copacabana! No further comment required. |
Phenomenal photos
Thank you for sharing. I noticed that bike has to stickers from my surrounding "SLO" and "BIH", Slovenia and Bosnia (me: Zagreb, Croatia)! Interesting. Would like to hear how that bike ended in Brazil where I to, inshallah, plan to ride some day...
So ride on...:scooter: Best Danilo Gregovic |
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I've never been to Zagreb. When I ride there we can maybe chat and I can advise about Brazilian biking. |
Following Highway 101, south of Rio de Janeiro
http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...1.jpg~original While in Sao Paulo I took the opportunity to visit the bike show. I love Kawasakis http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...0.jpg~original Theirs is bigger than mine. But I’ve been told size doesn’t matter. The one in the middle is a stretched Hayabusa http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...9.jpg~original Marcelo is a great motorcycle traveller. As is his wife Beth. And great hosts at their luxurious house… Check out their website at Dream World Quest http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...6.jpg~original Rural Sao Paulo state is rather green http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...1.jpg~original One horsepower vs about 40 http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...2.jpg~original It did rain a lot, here at Trinidad, but what’s wrong with sitting under a beach umbrella, reading a book and sipping caipiroskas con maracuja? http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...6.jpg~original Graffiti at Trinidad http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...b.jpg~original Sometimes it didn’t rain, but the next downpour was never far away http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...9.jpg~original Anyone for a yot? http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...7.jpg~original Sun peeks through clouds at Ilhabela http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...3.jpg~original Hipster chica or self mutilation? A picture I took of a surfer in 2001 in Salvador de Bahia: http://www.thebrightstuff.com/picsFo...r_de_Bahia.jpg http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...l.jpg~original Now: Men, lock up your womens. Beach Surf God in the area! (Including truckers’ tan…), Ubatuba |
Meeting old friends in Curitiba
The twisty mountain road from Sao Paulo to Curitiba provided more experiences of riding in the rain. Not so good, especially because I left late and rode into the dark. I however had a destination and old friends to look forward to meeting again. Martin and his wife from Switzerland still live in Curitiba. I met them on my last trip through the Americas in 2000/2001. It was super fun to catch up! The word "retrospective" does appear in the thread title and so far there haven't been too many pictures or feelings from the Millennium trip. A lot of this is because several 2001 pictures were ruined in a Chilean photo development lab. BUT Here's a chance to check if anyone is into audience participation on this forum. The 2 following pictures include me: One is taken in Istanbul in 1999 prior to my trans-Africa trip (that led to the Americas leg of my RTW) and the other is from Curitiba in 2015. Clearly I'm now less skinny and more ruggedly handsome... Are there any other similarities and differences between these 2 pictures? http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...l.jpg~original http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...a.jpg~original A couple of other 2015 Curitiba memories... http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...7.jpg~original Martin really is into his flying and owns several aeroplanes. This one is being restored. It comes from Germany via Argentina. It is said to have belonged to a certain Mr Adolf H's personal pilot and is 1930s/40s vintage. The plane is a 2 seater and apparently small enough to take off in a (wide) city street. http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...5.jpg~original Another German connection aircraft from the former DDR = East Germany http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...4.jpg~original Martin on his Ural outfit, the factory for which was originally in Berlin before being dismantled and shipped east. Wow, an entire post without any ladies visible, except possibly a wife or 2? Also no STD references :innocent: |
Foz do Iguassu and Paraguay
http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...5.jpg~original Here’s a first. The ride from Curitiba to Foz do Iguassu didn’t involve rain. But it included a snapped chain. I had a spare link but couldn’t get the effin link retainer on with the tools I had. There was a work platoon cutting the grass verges where I had rolled to a stop. Despite my 3 words of Portuguese and the guys speaking no English, but having an ax to use as a hammer, they knew exactly what I was trying to achieve and I was on my way pretty quickly. One fella was definitely a biker. The chain guard was rather mangled, but clearly had done its job. http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...n.jpg~original Joelton owns a super hostel in Foz that welcomes bikers too: La Manga Rosa. Many asados, super craft beer and caipiroskas made the time fly. Here’s Einstein the dog helping me replace the chain guard http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...n.jpg~original Walter, Joelton and Moritz. I rode with Moritz through Mongolia in 2012. He film the infamous “How not to cross a river” video. It was great to catch up https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6maYFQEnokk Moritz’s website is at 1World2Go | father and son travel the world on motorcycle The 2cv belongs to Walter. It’s not just any 2cv. It’s a 2 plus 2. A motor in the front driving the front wheels and another in the back driving the rear wheels!! He’s based in Coronel Oviedo in Paraguay and runs tours. S�damerika Abenteuerreisen und Backpacker Hostel in Paraguay (Bolivien, Brasilien, Argentinien und Chile) http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...9.jpg~original Impressive from any angle http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...9.jpg~original And from any distance http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...1.jpg~original An iguana at Iguassu. See what I did there! http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...e.jpg~original Don’t let anyone tell you that Ciudad del Este in Paraguay, just over the border from Foz, is the source of cheap tyres or tubes for bikes. All you can really get is cheap Chinese made plastic tat. Eventually managed to get a couple of tyres, but the supply of tubes was close to zero, that I had to reuse my old patched tubes again. Replaced front wheel bearings too. http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...r.jpg~original I dropped in on Walter. Little did I realise how long, hot, boring and straight the roads between Coronel Oviedo and Salta in NW Argentina would be. http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...8.jpg~original This pub, somewhere in flat, hot Paraguay caught my eye ;-) The heat was compounded with my heated grips turning themselves on and the only way to turn them off was to cut the power feed with with a borrowed pair of scissors from a tyre puncture repairer man on the side of the road. He told me he had once fixed a German BMW traveller's puncture... My impression of Paraguay was of friendly people who don’t see many European or North American visitors and where every public building has a guard sporting a pump action shotgun at the door. |
The 2nd leg: Through Paraguay, across northern Argentina to Salta and fun on Ruta 40 northbound to Bolivia
http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...e.jpg~original The red line maps my progress through Paraguay, across northern Argentina to Salta, then a fun ride along the Ruta 40 northbound to Uyuni in Bolivia. I didn’t ride the NW part of Argentina on my last trip in ‘00/01. http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...4.jpg~original Didn’t take many pictures along the highway from the river border with Paraguay via Formosa. It was a long, hot and straight transit stretch. Many many hours. Luckily some petrol stations had free wifi and (expensive) icecream. I remember camping at a gas station near a big junction on my first night in Argentina. The local kids turned up in their cars or on scooters at about mighnight and one chap proceeded to play his car radio (tasteless) music really loudy. I wandered across to politely ask him to turn it down. He complied. Just as I was crawling back into my tent, the volume went up again… :taz: Said music playing youth (and his sidekicks) of the town of Ingeniero Juarez on highway 81 now have a much better appreciation of estuary English and a greater understanding of the English for different parts the human anatomy and what can be achieved with a tyre lever. They left and I got some sleep. :biggrin3: http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...2.jpg~original A preview of happier times to come on the famous Ruta Cuarenta. |
Salta to Cachi and the start of the best bit of the Ruta 40 heading north
I really was glad to reach Salta, but sometimes a couple of very long slab liaison days need to be gotten out of the way to reach the good stuff. I did take some pictures in Salta, but seem to have put them somewhere safe... It was a fun city with a good vibe. A little bit off the main gringo tourist route. This added to the charm. I changed money on the "Blue" (=black) market The Ruta Cuarenta is now paved all the way from Cafayate to Rio Gallegos, about 3500km. I'll be whingeing in a future post about how boring that made it. However the northern 1500km to the Bolivian border is still superbly dirt. And great "out there" scenery. And as I didn't ride this bit in 00/01 made it even more special. http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...1.jpg~original At first the road was still paved http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...4.jpg~original Interesting scenery http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...2.jpg~original Yes it is http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...1.jpg~original Cachi is a pretty little village. A French GS tour was in town. I only spoke with one of the guides who seemed quite pleasant, but couldn't chat much as he had to get back to his customers. They must have been pretty needy. Or maybe it was because I wasn't wearing a shiny riding t-suit? 2 broken GSs on the backup truck http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...2.jpg~original GSs have been said to benefit from having a truck following them.... I wouldn't like to comment, other than to say that on my Millennium trip, a truck would have been helpful http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...t.jpg~original On FB this picture got a lot of likes. Dunno why. Moobs? http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...1.jpg~original About 80 clicks out of Cachi on the way north up the gravel Rta 40 I got a rear (slow) puncture. Luckily near a little village a couple of km off the trail. Pumped it up and headed there. The tyre wallah did a good job. I hate fixing punctures http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...2.jpg~original Passing traffic http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...3.jpg~original Is that a scrambler, Mister? http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...1.jpg~original Not many signs (of anything) up here http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...2.jpg~original A sidetrack I would love to have explored. But having only passed about 5 vehicles all day, I didn't fancy my chances of getting myself out of trouble on my own. |
A few more impression of Route 40 towards the border with Bolivia
http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...0.jpg~original Forgot this picture of Cachi from the previous post. Muy bonito! http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...5.jpg~original Abra El Acay Pass. 16.000 feet above sea level http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...2.jpg~original And the machine says so too http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...7.jpg~original Breathtaking views! That’s the track I'm going to ride next http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...2.jpg~original Bridge over ravine just beyond La Poma http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...6.jpg~original I’m sure a geographer can explain the rock formations http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...7.jpg~original More http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...1.jpg~original I wild camped over there for the night. My cheap Brazilian camping stove turned out to be utter sh!te http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...4.jpg~original Let’s go left then http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...7.jpg~original Fuel stop where the R40 crosses the main paved linking northern Chile (San Pedro de Atacama) with northern Argentina (Jujuy). Stickers, the new caveman’s rock paintings? Everyone who does a vehicle trip around South America these days seems to have stickers and loves leaving their mark. I (only v v briefly) felt guilt for not having any of my own to swap/stick somewhere. Then I got over it. I did however take to adding stickers to the bike in order to hide the Chlamydiac symptoms it was displaying. Beware though of jet washes!! Shouldn't really take the p!ss out of people with personal stickers. I've got my name stuck to my crash helmet and on the bike a la Dakar racer. How embarrassing is it to have A positive as a blood type when your profession is school teacher. Why not B- (....must try harder)! http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...3.jpg~original Pretty good view http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...1.jpg~original Really useful street sign… Just as well that I had my gps! http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...1.jpg~original The border to Bolivia. I had just ridden the most fun 1500 or so km of the Rt 40. I tried riding the other 3500 or so too, but a closed pass from Chile to Argentina later in the trip thwarted my attempt. But as I did a lot of it in 2000/01, I have actually ridden all the rt 40. Maybe I should have stickers made? |
Argentina border to Uyuni the first time
http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...l.jpg~original Welcome to Bolivia. Much more, for me, the “real” South America. Unfortunately progress isn’t just coming, but it has arrived. Hence super smooth paved roads. http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...n.jpg~original But not always. This link between Turpiza and Uyuni town will be paved soon. A lot of construction on this stretch. When chasing the 2016 Dakar I rode the other way: Uyuni to Turpiza. There had been a lot of rain and “fun” in different ways http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...0.jpg~original One careful owner. Never been off road. A little lay down… Note the importance to take a picture before picking bike up! Unsurprisingly, with a back tyre sporting a less bold profile and the new shock which I was about to need, the bike rode much better and allowed confidence at speed http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...5.jpg~original Muy rapido necessito. Don’t bottle it Mr Bright! http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...n.jpg~original In 2001 this momument hadn’t been built. Locals eating ice cream. Virtually the same location 2001: http://www.thebrightstuff.com/picsFo...i_Icecream.jpg http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...s.jpg~original Locals in traditional dress and young backpackpackers, the principle visitors to Bolivia. The iPhone generation. I also frequented eateries that had passable wifi. No wifi, no custom. Guilty. In 2001 internet cafes were the norm. Some were still in Uyuni, but doing no business http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...4.jpg~original Bolivians seem incredibly positive about the Dakar race. Here a beer advert. http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...8.jpg~original Mum and kids http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...e.jpg~original Edwina Scissor Hands http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...3.jpg~original Railway workers statue 2015 Same statue 15 years earlier: http://www.thebrightstuff.com/picsFo...wn_Bolivia.jpg http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...8.jpg~original Train cemetery, just outside Uyuni In 2001 they were shooting the first BMW 1150gs Adventure brochure. Here in Uyuni. My face ended up in brochure too!! More on this in a later post: http://www.thebrightstuff.com/picsFo...Photoshoot.jpg The 2001 story is at Chapter 22 The Big Trip |
Revisiting an old favourite
http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...1.jpg~original The Salar de Uyuni is always worth another visit. I was there on my RTW trip in 2001. Now there’s even a Dakar monument in the middle (ish) of it. The salt pan itself was used one year as part of the racetrack, but by the end of that Stage there were a multitude of DNFs. Water, salt and electrics really don’t mix too well. http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...l.jpg~original A pretty sight. The world’s flags at the “original” salt hotel on the Salar. There appear to be about 10 hotels with the name Salt hotel around and about now. Quite a few nowhere near the Salar. In 2001: the only, same as pictured above, Salt hotel: http://www.thebrightstuff.com/picsFo..._Uyuni_Bol.jpg http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...a.jpg~original A lot of hyperbole gets used these days, including rubbish words like extreme, hardcore and adventure, when actually most thing that people do are incredibly average. The Salar is definitely awe inspiring, mind-blowing. Just wow! http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...2.jpg~original The obligatory self-indulgent picture of myself. Wooly hat and shades make me look better. The sun may be shining, but it ain’t too warm at 3650 meters above sea level! 1990s helmet paint jobs weren’t that good were they! Surprised I wasn’t riding the bike wearing a purple shellsuit!! http://www.thebrightstuff.com/picsFo..._Uyuni_Bol.jpg http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...d.jpg~original Camping with a like minded soul. I found that meeting other (motor) bikers wasn’t easy. Contrary to my last trip (without the benefit of the internet and forums like this one to arrange meetups) I seemed to run into many more m/c riders. But I did bump into Raymon from Spain cycling around South America on his pushbike. The biggest of respects to all these pedal cyclists. I just have to park my (fat) arse on a m/c saddle, press the go button, twist the throttle and I get to where I’m going easily. These guys have to move themselves and their luggage every inch of the way. Isla del Pescada where we camped, in 2001: http://www.thebrightstuff.com/picsFo..._Salar_Bol.jpg http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...1.jpg~original A favourite picture of mine http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...2.jpg~original Because I like it so much, here’s another. We camped next to the island, more precisely in the wind-shadow of the island as it was blowing a howling gale! http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...2.jpg~original ¡Buenas dias! http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...3.jpg~original Where will the road lead today? http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...1.jpg~original Contemplating breakfast. Raymon was carrying on and I was going to return to Uyuni town to collect supplies and extra fuel before following in his tracks. I aimed to catch him up pretty quickly. I never did… http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...y.jpg~original Raymon heads southwest. The island dog looks after him longingly. Maybe he fed him better than me http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...h.jpg~original Always a good idea to get a thorough wash down… High pressure hoses aren’t good for stickers!! |
Hey Chris,
nice photos you have there. Many places look very familiar as we're currently on a similar route and... ...I think we met your Chlamydia with her new owner at the fuel station in Cachi, if I remember correctly, in Northern Argentina in January! :w00t: Oh I love those chance meetings! http://www.aufumwegen.ch/wp-content/...1010996_LR.jpg |
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Glad you like the pictures. Enjoy the rest of your trip. South America is awesome! |
History repeats itself: Another shocking tale…
After returning to Uyuni town, stocking up on food and (expensive, over-priced) fuel (Gringos get charged twice what the locals pay) and spending the night I head off across the Salar with the intention of riding the Lagunas route south-westwards towards Chile and San Pedro de Atacama. I don’t get that far. After coming off the super smooth Salar, about 12km before the hamlet of San Juan, after 80 or so seriously bone-jarring washboard track I slow down to stop to admire the view (actually I’m knackered and need a breather). There’s smoke coming out from under the seat! http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...k.jpg~original I was about to jump off the bike and run as I was expecting flames. Having a 27 litre Molotov cocktail explode next to my bollocks didn’t seem such a good idea. Conveniently there were no flames and I dismounted in a more relaxed fashion, but did back away a little distance to consider my predicament. The stock Kawasaki shock that I had rebuilt in Brasil had well and truly expired! I have form when it comes to blowing shockers. Here’s a pic from early 2001 of my Beemer shock lashed together with a tyre-lever and webbing near Gobernador Gregores in the Argentinian Patagonia: http://www.thebrightstuff.com/picsFo...3_Hardtail.jpg http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...l.jpg~original What to do? Try to retrace my route or limp on to the next town on the map. The last 2 places I had ridden though were virtual ghost towns… I rode on towards San Juan. I think I even saw Raymon’s bicycle tracks in the sand. They were definitely from a pushbike and and pogo-ing along at marginally faster than walking pace I had plenty of opportunity to look closely at the dirt and sand just in front of my front tyre. As the shock was shagged the bike wouldn’t sit on its stand properly: so, lean it against a wall. I found a guest house and asked the owner if she knew anyone with a truck. Her husband beckons me to follow him. http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...g.jpg~original We agreed (an admittedly generous) price, but he did have the only truck in the village and was willing to set off virtually immediately back to Uyuni town, about 200km away http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...n.jpg~original Despite having no personal or professional connection to the South American road haulage business, I’ve probably spent more time than most people in the back of trucks in the lands south of the Panama Canal. Here’s a pic from ’01 when hitchhiking with a new shock back to my bricked up Beemer: http://www.thebrightstuff.com/picsFo...ejoin_bike.jpg http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...s.jpg~original Truckin’ with the man and his wife… Making it into a shopping trip? Fine by me. http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...b.jpg~original …and their very cute puppy. |
Extracting myself from a pickle: With the help of good people
Having gotten the KLR back to Uyuni town I now had to make a plan. 15 years previously I sourced a new shocker for my BMW from Germany. My parents who live in Germany ordered it from the Dutch Ohlins dealer (cheaper), drove there to pick it up and posted it to a friend in England who was flying to Puntas Arenas in Chile in order to go trekking in Torres del Paine. Wifi didn’t really exist in those days, so I had written a draft on the library computer in Gobernador Gregores, saved it onto a USB stick, hitchhiked for 3 days and emailed it from an internet café in Puerto Natales. The email to my English friend went something like: There’s a shock absorber already on its way from Germany to your address in England. Can you please bring it to Chile? PS. I don’t have a Plan B. This time with wifi/ skype and cell phones, things can be much easier. The hotel in Uyuni had strong wifi, not the usual for Uyuni, nor Bolivia. I fired off some messages to the Horizonsunlimited Communities in Bolivia asking for a delivery address as my previous experience of parts shipping with DH-Hell to South America wasn’t so good, to put it mildly: Chapter 17 The Big Trip I also posted my predicament on the HU Facebook group and a chap suggested a tour company in Arequipa might have one kicking around. I used the Skype app on my cell phone in order to call Arequipa https://www.perumotors.com/ He said, yes he had a new shock I could have, but it was for a Gen 2 bike. Then I got an email reply from Robin of the La Paz HU Community. The paraphrased email chat went something like this (remember: he’s neither met, nor ever heard of me previously…) Robin: Yes, you can use my address for a delivery, but I’m just at the airport and will be away for a week. Me: Where are you flying to? Robin: Miami, USA Me: How do you feel about me having a shock absorber delivered to your hotel in Miami and bringing it to Bolivia for me? Robin: Sure, no problem Me: Thank you very very much!! (Robin had also offered me the shock off his bike –different make and model, so not compatible- Also his mate Oscar had offered to lend me the shock off his Gen 2 KLR) Modern communications technology is great when good people use it! I had a shocker sent from Texas to Miami and despite Thanksgiving, Black Friday and the weekend coming up, it made its Monday afternoon plane-ride from Florida to Bolivia. While waiting, I took various buses to Potosi to do some tourism and Samaipata to visit an old friend. Here’s a picture to start. That’s dynamite with a fuse in my mouth! http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...i.jpg~original More tourist pictures to follow. |
You’re either on the bus, or off the bus (Borrowing a line from Tom Wolf’s “Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test”)
While waiting for the shocker to wing its way from the US, I stayed busy. It was time to see how the other half lived. In my younger days I had been a bus tourist/ backpacker, until the bus I was in Namibia in 1992 was overtaken by a German on a Honda XL500 with alli boxes. Buses ain’t bad, in fact for just vegetating from place to place, they’re perfectly fine. On a bike I enjoy the journey, not just the destination. I travelled to Potosi, then Sucre, then Samaipata before heading for La Paz to collect the shock. Then another bus back to Uyuni where I had parked the bike in Mr Hotelman’s furniture storeroom. http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...y.jpg~original Potosi was one of the principle reasons for the Spanish to invade/colonise South America. The Cerro Rico mountain that overlooks Potosi generated substantial amounts of silver. Today the mountain is a half or third of its previous size and mining still goes on. Following 100s year old ways of working. A popular tourist/backpacker activity is to take a tour into the mines to see what goes on. Everyone takes gifts for the miners: dynamite, fuses, weedkiller (propellant), cigarettes, alcohol, coca leaves How about this as a Tinder profile picture? Do you think I’d get many right swipes? http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...k.jpg~original The blue face scarf I bought on the tour :innocent: Or this as a Tinder picture? Says a 1000 words, no? :helpsmilie: http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...1.jpg~original The miners work bloody hard! http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...2.jpg~original Ditto http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...3.jpg~original Ditto ditto I took this picture the last time I was in Potosi 15 years ago. There’s a good chance this miner is dead today as the life expectancy down the mine is 17 years. Go down the mine at 14 ish, dead by 30ish. Asbestos hangs off the tunnel roofs… industrial accidents… Work 12 hours a day, 6 days a week in these conditions. http://www.thebrightstuff.com/picsFo...ewing_coca.jpg http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...e.jpg~original Checking the ore quality. With a lump hammer http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...g.jpg~original Refining the ore. Some nasty chemicals involved http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...3.jpg~original 18th century type factory? http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...S.jpg~original Health and Safety has arrived in Bolivia. What use it is, I don’t know http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...e.jpg~original Welcome to The National Mint of Bolivia http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...e.jpg~original The shoe shine business a bit slow today? In 2001 the portrait photo business a bit quiet too: http://www.thebrightstuff.com/picsFo...are_Potosi.jpg http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...s.jpg~original Knitting, waiting for the bus with Cerro Rico in the background |
Heel kicking, bus riding, bench sleeping, good people meeting. Sucre, Samaipata and La Paz
http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...o.jpg~original Sucre was a fun town to visit. Here there’s some sort of protest. The campesinos (peasants) are often striking. As part of their civil unrest, roads get closed. I never encountered anything like that in Bolivia. In Colombia I did though http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...g.jpg~original Whitewashed government building http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...a.jpg~original Mika is an old biking buddy who has been around the world and in some pretty unusual places, including most recently into and out of China with his own bike, all without a guide http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hub...na-i-did-82852 He now resides in the beautiful town of Samaipata. The bus dropped me off at 4am, so I slept on a park bench in the main plaza for a couple of hours. At 6.30am I was welcomed by the lovely purr of a less than silenced DR650 motor :D Shortly there’ll be a Bolivia HU meeting that he is helping to organise. The ride there is well worth it and the destination is awesome: http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/events/bolivia-2017 http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...z.jpg~original Back in La Paz I got to meet Robin, the shock mule, and Oscar. Both top blokes. http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...d.jpg~original The offending article… Looks shiney, doesn’t it? Worked well until it started self-dismantling itself after 3 months. The only thing worse than a Progressive shock is the Progressive customer service department handling of a warranty claim. Progressive and “Customer Service” in the same sentence is an oxymoron, but more of that later |
It's been a little while since the last installment. Apologies. Things are a bit hectic and now that the weather is improving, bikes need riding...
On the road (of the Lagunas Route across the Altiplano) again http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...1.jpg~original It's great to be riding again. Especially with (for now) working suspension. I rode most of this route in 2001. Some journeys are definitely worth repeating! Breathtaking views. Literally and figuratively. http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...y.jpg~original Last rays of sun at my wild camp. It got cold, but the sleeping bag did it's thing. And the stove failed again, so it was cold tuna and bread for supper http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...t.jpg~original Nice morning for it http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...t.jpg~original Room with a view http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...s.jpg~original Twisters that headed my way http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...2.jpg~original Not much pollution here http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...y.jpg~original Undulating terrain http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...e.jpg~original Navigation wasn't so difficult. It was knackering riding, so every so often in order to take a breather I took a picture http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...2.jpg~original The famous Árbol de Piedra http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...1.jpg~original And again in 2015 Now with the Wife in 2001: http://www.thebrightstuff.com/picsFo...d_to_Uyuni.jpg Similarities and differences? Answers on a postcard please. http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...a.jpg~original Bloody flamingos! They're everywhere, turning up here and taking all our jobs. Laguna Colorada http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...b.jpg~original Hot tub in 2015, including entry fee with changing rooms and a restaurant. And in 2001 with Lars and Tini from Germany on their Trans-Americas 2001 trip. No entry fee, no changing room, nor restaurant. But because of Health and Safety considerations in both cases it's important to wear protective head attire... : http://www.thebrightstuff.com/picsFo..._Altiplano.jpg http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...n.jpg~original Didn't encounter any pedestrians in 2001. In 2015, this (British) chap. Barkin' mad pal! Also came across a bicyclist from North America. He seemed utterly knackered, and in the spirit of helping fellow travelers I felt he needed a packet of cookies and 2 liters of bottled water more than I did... http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...e.jpg~original Similar location to this pic from 2001?: http://www.thebrightstuff.com/picsFo..._Altiplano.jpg Laguna Verde 2001. 43 litre Acerbis gas tank and 2 x 4 litre oil cans strapped to it when I set off from San Pedro de Atacama towards Uyuni. 51 liters of gas for over 600km. With the altitude and the hard going my fuel economy went through the floor, but I made it. In 2015 on Chlamydia I set off from Uyuni towards SPdA with 27 in the tank and 6 or 8 liters in cola bottles on the back. After the fun stuff, when you hit the pavement on the Argentina to Chile road it's down hill for about 60km if I remember right. Just as well, as I free wheeled with the motor off most of the way and arrived in SPdA on fumes. I think the 2015 route was longer (and in ways more difficult and scenic) because it followed more high-Altiplano lakes than 2001. http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...e.jpg~original Does this picture look like it was taken at the same place as the front cover of the 2002 BMW R1150GSA brochure, see http://www.barrierobsonbmw.co.uk/dow...Adventdata.pdf Funny you should mention that Mr Bright!.... http://www.thebrightstuff.com/picsFo...Brochure02.jpg Right place, wrong time? In 2001 I stumbled upon and into the photo shoot for the 2002 R1150GSA brochure http://www.thebrightstuff.com/picsFo...Brochure03.jpg Init. In the clothing section (page 30) and on both sides of the pullout poster. The same picture 3 times. Subliminal message: You can either ride a shiney GSA and wear a shiney BMW jacket or ride an old scabby shed and wear second hand stuff bought at the BMF rally at Peterborough. The choice is yours. Make the right decision! http://www.thebrightstuff.com/picsFo...Brochure04.jpg No joke... When I got home after my 99 to 02 trip I spammed all the BMW headquarters I could think of. I now have said brochure in 10 languages! "You probably think the song is about you". http://www.thebrightstuff.com/picsFo...Brochure05.jpg What the brochure sezz... ;-) There's a bloke on the HUBB who likes trolling me: Lots of pointless stuff that probably makes his chest swell with indignation. He even wrote in the guestbook on my website at www.bravenet.com - A Bravenet.com Guestbook Interestingly enough, it's possible to edit others' words to make them very different, even positively sycophantic :-) Does he not realise I have wool in my flies and shouldn't be messed with? Another 2001 picture I like: http://www.thebrightstuff.com/picsFo...road_Uyuni.jpg And from 2015 http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...d.jpg~original Highest Customs office in the world? http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...t.jpg~original In no mans land between Bolivia, Argentina and Chile 2001 trip words are at Chapter 22 The Big Trip |
Great share and read thanks
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Update of local map (Leg 3)
Here’s a map(ish) (actually screenshot of track log in Garmin Mapsource) of my route (clockwise) from Uyuni to San Pedro de Atacama in northern Chile, to Arica, then on to Arequipa and the Colca Canyon in southern Peru, to Lago Titcaca, and back into Bolivia to La Paz, the bicycle tour marketing ploy of the "Road of Death" and on to Samaipata for Christmas 2015 http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...n.jpg~original |
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At least he is reading my stuff. Every click counts :D Loud pipes save lives, toot toot! |
Down the Hill to Chile and then north to southern Peru
After a brief attempt by the Chilean border officials at San Pedro de Atacama to justifying their existence (attempt to persuade me to remove all my luggage and carry it indoors to shove it through their xray machine… I explained it was too hot for me to do it and that the aduana man should unbolt everything and carry it to his machine himself or not at all… it was agreed that he could use his fancy machine to look in my small rucksack only), I entered muy muy caro Chile. European prices rule here, which if you’re a tight-arsed descendant of a Jock isn’t so good. http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...8.jpg~original San Pedro de Atacama is rather quaint with its desert setting and colonial architecture. Here’s also a pic from 2001.: http://www.thebrightstuff.com/picsFo...de_Atacama.jpg http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...7.jpg~original South America is full of younger backpacking types, from North America, Europe and other far flung countries as well as local ones, in particular from Argentina. SPDA attracts more than its fair share, justifiably so. It's a pretty place and tourism central. A large (certainly visual) amount try to make money at traffic lights and other public places as what would loosely be described as “entertainers”, usually jugglers at traffic junctions. They were there in 2001 too, but haven’t, sadly, become more talented in the intervening one and a half decades! This guy was good though: Juggling 3 batons while standing on one leg on a heavy duty bit of webbing strung between 2 trees! http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...0.jpg~original The border crossing from Arica into Peru is straight forward as long as the name in the passport matches that on the vehicle registration document. My paperwork was conveniently in order :-) The Pan-American Highway along the coast is 1000s of km in a straight line. Why would anyone just ride that when inland up in the Andes there are great roads, views, culture and history? I rode it a short way before turning off towards Arequipa, a city I hadn’t visited before http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...4.jpg~original When stopped under a tree for a comfort break (it was bloody hot!), spotted this chap refilling the drinking troughs for his cattle http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...2.jpg~original Arequipa is very pleasant. Great views around the Plaza des Armas. What a backdrop too! http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...5.jpg~original The Cathedral http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...8.jpg~original And again http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...0.jpg~original Again again http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...1.jpg~original I recall this still is a convent, as it has been for centuries. None of the resident ladies were available for a chat (up)… Probably already tucked up in bed, in order to be prepared for another dawn session of genuflection and flatulation |
Colca Canyon
Along with Arequipa I had also not visited the Colca Canyon on my last trip. I'd heard great things about it and it didn't disappoint. A superb place to visit and, dare I say it, I didn't see too many gringos as on the bike, I was able to dodge the tour buses. Bonus! http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...2.jpg~original Leaving Arequipa. The Misti volcanos overlooking the city. http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...a.jpg~original The same recipe for the past 600 or so years... ;-) http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...5.jpg~original Yanque is a pleasant little town and a good base to explore from. A lot less touristy than Chivay http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...7.jpg~original This is wrong in so many ways :-) http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...4.jpg~original The Ampato volcano bubbling along nicely http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...9.jpg~original A more pleasant depiction of rural Peruvian life http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...5.jpg~original The walk home from work http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...9.jpg~original Smithing pots and pans in the street http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...6.jpg~original The Colca Canyon is famous for the Andean condor. They kept their distance and with only an 18 to 105mm lens they weren't so easy to capture on film http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...5.jpg~original How high? How far? The turn off down to the canyon bottom. 800m horizontal distance to my right, 2000m drop in altitude and 29km to ride! http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...8.jpg~original Some hardcore civil engineering http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...7.jpg~original Pleasant views http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...0.jpg~original A leisurely ride down begins http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...9.jpg~original More turns http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...3.jpg~original Taking a rest, mindful of rockfalls http://i412.photobucket.com/albums/p...2.jpg~original Reached the river. Now the only way is up again! |
Just a quick update should anyone be interested. Been out of touch in terms of RR updates for a little while.
In early June I had a great time watching the TT on the Isle of Man. I want to find the time to post a few pics here. Last week following and accident in my house I was operated on my back and have some nice new pins there to set off airport metal detectors. Hope to make a close to full recovery, but no bike riding for me this year :-( As you've also seen by the image place holders above, the fcuker from Photobucket are partaking in some very sharp business practices. There's a thread at Photobucket have started to charge for third party posting. | Adventure Rider So I'll have to spend many hours sorting this situation to make the images reappear on this RR and my other RRs. Won't be giving those sh!ts any money. I won't be blackmailed! So, wishing everyone a fun summer! And beware of gravity! Chris |
Just an update. After a little birdy whispered me a workaround to the extortion attempts of the fcukers at the image hosting "service" Photobucket, I think I've got the images to display again.
I'm on a Windows 7 PC running Chrome. They also appear on my Samsung cell phone (Android and Chrome). If you can't see them (i.e. only see placeholders demanding money...), please let me know. The workaround in adding ~original immediately after the .jpg in the IMG code. I've downloaded all my images from photofcukem and will self-host all digital content in future. |
Going to get this RR going again after a longer break. It needs to be done and will serve another purpose to take up some of the many hours of boredom I have every day where I’m just sitting around whittling my life away.
The summary so far: Between October 2015 and July 2016 I rode a shagged out Gen 1 Kawasaki KLR650 20 thousand miles around South America. From Sao Paulo in Brazil, via Foz to Iguassu, to northeast Argentina to Bolivia, to N Chile via the Altiplano, southern Peru to Lago Titicaca, where the RR has gotten to so far. What follows will be more fooling around Bolivia and a New Year on a Brazilian beach with a Brazilian with a Brazilian. Then, following the 2016 Dakar race from Uyuni all the way to the podium at Rosario, it’s down the Ruta 3 to Ushuaia and an Antarctic cruise. After that the minor case of a ride all the way to Santa Marta in Colombia. I rode around this magnificent continent on an airhead GS around the Millennium, so will continue to mention my views/ thoughts/ pictures of then and now. Feel free to comment. It’s a bit boring to just post stuff and hear nothing from anyone. A couple of pictures... http://www.thebrightstuff.com/2015St...k/ cbBrace.jpg Out of hospital, but sporting a starship trooper brace http://www.thebrightstuff.com/2015St...orWinnerTT.jpg Michael Dunlop on his way to winning the 2017 Isle of Man TT Senior race |
There's now the opportunity to play cat and mouse with disappearing and reappearing images, all based on the fact that Photobucket is messing people around with their extortion attempt. Rather than placeholders demanding a ransom, it's a case of regular placeholders that signify that no image of that name exists in that server location.
Then following a hard refresh (Crtl + F5 in Windows), different images disappear and others "reappear"... I'm running this RR on 3 different forums and different images are visible/ not visible at any particular point in time, all on the same laptop. Also different on my Android phone. Go figure. I started trying to link to images on my own webserver, but it's a huge faff editing all the IMG codes and reloading everything. Having said that, this option may well become inevitable in the near future. If everything goes t!ts up, please let me know! |
The ride to Lago Titicaca
Kicking off this RR again. I spent a night in Colca town before heading towards Lago Titicaca and the border back into Bolivia. http://www.thebrightstuff.com/2015St...ubDSCN0053.jpg Allegedly the highest Irish pub in the world. No Guinness served. Nor Jameson. Just one other obnoxious tourist in there. The barman was sh!te too, so didn’t think it appropriate to share my money with this establishment http://www.thebrightstuff.com/2015St...tyDSCN0051.jpg Christmas coming up, so nativity plays need practising http://www.thebrightstuff.com/2015St...ryDSCN0057.jpg Wonder what this lorry is transporting…. http://www.thebrightstuff.com/2015St...teDSCN0054.jpg Views en route http://www.thebrightstuff.com/2015St...gnDSCN0056.jpg Never say you weren’t warned! http://www.thebrightstuff.com/2015St...esDSC_0041.jpg Hippies were all around South America. In 2000/1 and in 2015/6. Harmless enough and still drugged up and broke. At traffic lights lots of squeegee merchants and “jugglers”. A lot of them from Argentina. And why not? Their own country is utterly bankrupt. Still can’t play a decent guitar though. http://www.thebrightstuff.com/2015St...enDSC_0045.jpg Catching up at the end of the day http://www.thebrightstuff.com/2015St...kyDSC_0044.jpg In 2015. However many times you visit it, it’s still mystical. In 2001: http://www.thebrightstuff.com/picsFo...ca_Bolivia.jpg Then (in 2001), traditional dress http://www.thebrightstuff.com/picsFo...na_Bolivia.jpg And now, replica football shirt. Fuel still comes out of a drum and dispensed with a funnel… http://www.thebrightstuff.com/2015St...UpDSCN0062.jpg http://www.thebrightstuff.com/2015St...ewDSCN0063.jpg What a view http://www.thebrightstuff.com/2015St...y1DSCN0065.jpg Same ferry service to the mainland as in 2001 http://www.thebrightstuff.com/2015St...y2DSCN0066.jpg |
Side trip down the now less than deadly Death Road
In 2001 I rode down the dirt track into the Yungas region, part of the Amazon jungle (whose principle crop is coca leaves… processed into a white powder in Colombia...) from the heady heights of the pass above La Paz to the town of Coroico. In those days there was only one road, barely wide enough in places for two 4 wheeled vehicles to pass. Then and now the obligation is to drive on the left. On every other South American road, people drive on the right. The reason being is that the road hugs the right hand hill side on the way down and drivers of left hand drive vehicles on the down hill journey can see where their left wheels are in relation to the several hundred foot sheer drop-off. In those days some people did die. Indeed, I saw an older man on the side of the road on one corner with a flag, who apparently made it his life’s work to wave his flag to all cars/trucks/bikes to warn them. He had lost his entire family when their minibus rolled off the road! Today, however it is the most un-dangerous, un-deadly, average gravel track that can be found 100s of times throughout the Andes. Why: An alternative paved road to Coroico on the other side of the valley has been built. The old “Death Road” has been graded and crash barriers have been put in the corners. It’s still scenic if there’s no cloud or rain. Virtually the only traffic is now cycle tours and other detritus like me. The bicycle tours are still milking it, as can be seen from this backpacking “survivor” pictured below. He seemed surprised I was taking his picture in an ice-cream parlour in La Paz. I took the following video on the helmet mounted GoPro, in which I might well be taking the p!ss out of said survivors :-) If I’m honest, it was dangerous for me riding up the hill: meeting mainly female, mainly French, mainly heavy weight cyclists head-on who didn’t know their left from their right ;-) Sorry if any offense is caused. It is intentional! ;-) It’s probably the most boring 21 minutes of footage on the internet. (See 13.25 onwards ;-) ) A lot like the majority of unedited self-published helmet cam footage out there…. 2015 Tshirt. Ha ha http://www.thebrightstuff.com/2015St...RoadTshirt.jpg 2001: Scary? Yes http://www.thebrightstuff.com/picsFo...as_Bolivia.jpg 2015: Not now https://youtu.be/c2d7a3V1fPs http://www.thebrightstuff.com/2015St...gnDSCN0069.jpg The sign says it. This picture was taken by an Israeli couple on their honeymoon. The man tried to convince me not to ride the road as it would be too dangerous for me. They had just ridden it up hill. It took my best smile and random polite platitudes to get through to him that I was going to flatly ignore everything he told me. 2001 view from Coroico http://www.thebrightstuff.com/picsFo...as_Bolivia.jpg http://www.thebrightstuff.com/2015St...ckDSCN0071.jpg It rained a lot in 2015 http://www.thebrightstuff.com/2015St...amDSCN0075.jpg Gas station tourist attraction in 2015? http://www.thebrightstuff.com/2015St...ewDSCN0076.jpg La Paz, when it’s cold isn’t so much fun. It’s a big and dirty metropolis. Taking this picture was the highlight of my stay |
The Ruta del Che
http://www.thebrightstuff.com/2015St...aDelChe_05.JPG I found Bolivians in rural areas, away from the big towns and especially away from the usual gringo tourist centres, to be warm-hearted, inquisitive and friendly. Fuel for gringos at Bolivian gas stations is 3 times the price the locals pay. However, if you get it from a drum on the side of the road you get it for the same price the locals pay = 25% more than the regular government price… Often out in the boonies there isn’t a reliable gas station for many many miles, so local entrepreneurship wins the day. http://www.thebrightstuff.com/2015St...aDelChe_06.JPG Don't think any of these 3 chaps are/were ever on P=45, P-10' Christmas cards list. ¡Viva la revolucion! http://www.thebrightstuff.com/2015St...aDelChe_01.JPG I think I need my GPS to follow the route... http://www.thebrightstuff.com/2015St...aDelCheMap.jpg A map to give you an idea where the Ruta de Che is. It's essentially many different dirt roads that lead to the village La Higuera where Che Guevara was killed by the army in 1967 after he entered Bolivia in order to promote his ideals. The roads are all similarly deadly to the hyperbollox "Death Road" as covered in the previous post. Wide gravel/ dirt with marginally tricky bits once in a blue moon. If you ride/drive off the edge, death could possibly come to pass. If you don't, you're pretty much guaranteed to have no fatal mishaps. http://www.thebrightstuff.com/2015St...era_rdc_01.jpg La Higuera lives its infamy large http://www.thebrightstuff.com/2015St...era_rdc_02.jpg More largess http://www.thebrightstuff.com/2015St...era_rdc_03.jpg Y mas. There were a couple of restaurants in the village. They refused to serve me as I was alone and they couldn't be ar$ed to cook for one solo punter. Ended up asking the lady in the grocery store nicely if she could fry me a couple of the eggs she was selling, along with some bread and cola I bought from her. http://www.thebrightstuff.com/2015St...era_rdc_04.JPG 3 of Che's disciples who were also killed at La Higuera http://www.thebrightstuff.com/2015St...aDelChe_02.jpg Pleasant views http://www.thebrightstuff.com/2015St...aDelChe_03.jpg Good memories http://www.thebrightstuff.com/2015St...aDelChe_04.jpg ¡Si! http://www.thebrightstuff.com/2015St...aDelChe_07.JPG Vilagrande. Carrying a 10 litre container with which to walk into gas stations in order to buy gas at the locals' price, having parked the bike around the corner. It developed a hole near the bottom shortly after I bought it ;-) The cell phone coverage in Bolivia is better than in England http://www.thebrightstuff.com/2015St...aDelChe_08.JPG Pretty big bridge http://www.thebrightstuff.com/2015St...aDelChe_09.JPG Over this... http://www.thebrightstuff.com/2015St...withSimone.jpg I spent Christmas back with Mika and his mates in Samaipata, but lost most of the pictures from there as my phone didn't react so well to being dropped in the Atlantic Ocean off Brazil. Probably a good idea, as far too much alcohol was involved celebrating the birth of the Baby Jesus :-) I flew back to Sao Paulo and the Brazilian coast for New Year to meet with a dear friend, Simone. A pleasant way to see in 2016... |
Chasing the 2016 Dakar Race: Intro and Overview
Here's a bit of info about what the first half of 2016 would hold for me. Firstly to follow the Dakar for a (long) ways, then take a cruise to Antarctica before the minor case of riding all the way from Ushuaia to Cartagena. By way of an introduction, here's another screenshot from my gps tracklog http://www.thebrightstuff.com/2015St...mMapsource.JPG This part of the route takes me from Santa Cruz de las Sierra in Bolivia to the Altiplano at Uyuni and then chasing the 2016 Dakar race via NE Argentina (the prettiest and least commercialised part of the country, in my opinion) to the finishers' podium at Rosario. A bl00dy long way in not a long time. So many hours at 55mph, half of it with a very badly mangled left knee. Thank God for the highway pegs and front saddle bags so that I couple ride with my leg laying straight out on top of it. I'm going to divide this part of the report into multiple sections (pretty much by the day), as I have quite a few shiney pictures to show. http://www.thebrightstuff.com/2015St...karRaceMap.jpg The official 2016 Dakar map. The web link is at Route: Dakar Please note this is the 2016 event won by Toby Price, not 2017, where Britain's Sam Sunderland showed the rest how it was done.... A few taster pictures: http://www.thebrightstuff.com/2015St...6_DSC_0032.jpg Drifting around a curve at the Salar de Uyuni http://www.thebrightstuff.com/2015St...6_DSC_0168.jpg Hanging with the Bolivian police http://www.thebrightstuff.com/2015St...6_DSC_0288.jpg Malle Moto, luxury style. Having tomorrow's road-book marked up for you, while you clean the airfilter. I had sneaked into the overnight bivouac at La Rioja http://www.thebrightstuff.com/2015St...6_DSC_0424.jpg The Top 3 bikes at the podium at Rosario. I also bullsh!tted my way into the VIP area at the podium in order to be in the right place to take this and many other pictures :D |
As it's a bit of a faff posting ride reports on multiple forums, an executive decision has been made that all further posts will only be posted at
The Wife takes on Chlamydia. A South American Retrospective | Adventure Rider I also find the black background and light coloured writing more aesthetically pleasing. (And on UKgser... :cool4: and with links and picture updates via Facebook) Currently just loaded a video at post #72 |
Now on page 5 at post #81 at The Wife takes on Chlamydia. A South American Retrospective | Page 5 | Adventure Rider
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Some more words, pictures and captions at post#89 onwards at The Wife takes on Chlamydia. A South American Retrospective | Page 5 | Adventure Rider
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A few more posts recently: now at #95 at The Wife takes on Chlamydia. A South American Retrospective | Page 5 | Adventure Rider
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/nA...Z=w961-h638-no |
The only way now is North...
See post #103 at The Wife takes on Chlamydia. A South American Retrospective | Page 6 | Adventure Rider https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/Fn...=w1006-h405-no |
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Nice plums
The Wife takes on Chlamydia. A South American Retrospective | Page 6 | Adventure Rider (Scroll down to the bottom...) https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/Od...=w1024-h483-no |
Argentine and Chilean Lake District to Santiago
See The Wife takes on Chlamydia. A South American Retrospective | Page 7 | Adventure Rider https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/Eb...Q=w783-h588-no https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/M3...=w1024-h431-no |
Bolivia, the fourth. Or is it the fifth?
The Wife takes on Chlamydia. A South American Retrospective | Page 7 | Adventure Rider https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/NC...g=w886-h588-no |
A little birdy told me....
Machu Picchu Post #132 at The Wife takes on Chlamydia. A South American Retrospective | Page 7 | Adventure Rider https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/dB...w=w960-h637-no |
Nice pictures
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You're that gringo bloke my grandmother told me about....
Post #139 at The Wife takes on Chlamydia. A South American Retrospective | Page 7 | Adventure Rider https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/UZ...=w1024-h596-no |
Huanuco to Huaraz: Still on Highway 3N and still not a straight stretch of tarmac in sight!
The Wife takes on Chlamydia. A South American Retrospective | Page 7 | Adventure Rider POST #139 Take a look? https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/IA...Q=w960-h637-no |
I’m looking very carefully in my mirrors as I ride away, especially to see if B should raise his shotgun in my direction. What I see is A slam his wallet onto the road in mock disgust while B is in hysterics. The encounter made my day!
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/jq...E=w850-h637-no Currently on page 8 at The Wife takes on Chlamydia. A South American Retrospective | Adventure Rider Take a look? |
Entering Colombia
Post 153 onwards at The Wife takes on Chlamydia. A South American Retrospective | Page 8 | Adventure Rider https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-6...U=w850-h637-no Previously, I (briefly) considered changing my surname to Broaster and flogging fried chickens, but somebody else had already had the same idea! :-) |
Quote: Our dear new friend Chris (motorcycle rider round the World), the f***ing dad of the warriors, my f***ing idol! I wish you good travels and the best ADVentures in your roads, you are UNSTOPPABLE, my respect! :innocent: Medellin, Colombia '16
Story at The Wife takes on Chlamydia. A South American Retrospective | Page 8 | Adventure Rider ... post 156 https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/MH...E=w960-h637-no |
I recon you’re getting as bored of reading my little linking missives to my South America Ride Report, as I am writing the report. So, many (anyone care to count?) chapters down, now this one, then 3 to go. Wippieeeee! Thank God for that. Post #158 at The Wife takes on Chlamydia. A South American Retrospective | Page 8 | Adventure Rider
BOGOTA, COLOMBIA: The more I think about this RR, the more annoyed I get. I need to get it finished and I lack the motivation. So, fast and dirty, here are some Bogota pictures. Then in the next few days I'll hopefully be able to share Vila de Leyva, Barichara and finally Santa Marta... https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/31...I=w610-h565-no Secret spy picture of the new TT 2019 luggage system. As they're now under new ownership, it's time to get back to basics.... |
Excellent, and has been from the start!
Mark |
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I really wasn't expecting praise! So, muy bad thoughts need to be banished... :innocent: Glad you've liked reading the report over on the other site. :D |
Santa Marta, north coast of Colombia. The final chapter of this ride report.
I sincerely hope you've enjoyed dipping into this story of mine. If you want to travel further afield, stop talking about it and start doing! Also, stop spending a lot of money on random bling out of some random catalog. The less you spend on sh!te you don't need, the more you can spend on gas and beer! Post 165 at The Wife takes on Chlamydia. A South American Retrospective | Page 9 | Adventure Rider https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/uX...g=w575-h637-no Santa Marta. Did it! One (partially?) clapped out ugly bloke. One (definitely) clapped out ugly motorcycle. 20.000 miles = 30.000 km. Pretty extreme oil consumption (the bike). Extremely loud silencer (the bike... and the man??). A happy chappy. Beats working for a living. Time for a mojito and cerveza chaser... https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/i6...=w1024-h585-no When you have to cope with daytime temperatures and humidity, you can understand why people come out to meet and chat after dark |
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