Riding north from the border of Chile and Peru. Anyone around?

Hi dkw1.
I'm in Antofagasta right now. A nice place to kill some time. Have my bike DR650 in Calama (nothing to do there) and waiting for my new clutch to arrive. Should be there next Monday or Tuesday. Hope to back on the road early next week. Then it's probably north towards Iquique, Arica, Arequipa, Puno, maybe La Paz for a bit and back to Puno and on to Cusco. All not cast in stone though. I may still go into Bolivia directly, Uyuni, Sucre, La Paz and then into Peru. I'm flexible on what route to take & wouldn't mind having a riding companion along. Riding alone get's a bit boring after a while and there is safety in numbers :-)
Let me know if you're interested in riding together for a while.
Cheers,
Andy

Hey Andy,

I just rode from Calama to Tocopillo up the coast. Construction on the coast road but not bad. Nice coastal ride. Then Iquique to Arica. Hostel Arica Unite was nice. The border crossing was crowded and confusing on the Chilian side. If you are new to this crossing, here's my best explanation.

Pass the cars in line and park in the parking lot as best you can. It's full.

1. Go to the passenger line directly in front of the lot. This is where the car passengers get processed.
2. Around the right side and upstairs 2nd floor in the restaurant. You will pay $1 and fill out 2 forms.
3. Then ride the bike to the car inspection area to the right between the two buildings. Underneath the over pass where the resturant is. A quick look in your panniers.
4. He will tell you to park in the lot on the far side of the building.
5. Walk back to the front of the building where the small booths are processing cars and go to the south side of the most southern booth. This is a pedestrian line with the lane blocked. They will finish the process and you are done. O, with Chile. Then on to Peru. lol

I have crossed in and out of Chile at 5 locations and never saw this much bureaucracy. Anyway, we are going in the same direction but I will be about a week ahead. I'm not going to La Paz due to a rainy forecast and have been there. Stay in touch. Maybe Cusco. Cheers

Thanks for all the info David. Any info helping to get though the boarders quicker is appreciated. I took notes and will try to work it that way.
The broken clutch on my bike set me back over a week. Too bad, would have been nice to have some company for a bit. Hope to be done with it and able to move on early next week. I will check weather forecasts too before heading into La Paz. If it's decent I want to go though. Do Yungas road and maybe Chacaltaya, before returning to Peru.
What bike are you riding?
We'll be in touch. Maybe I'll see you down the road.
Cheers,
Andy

Hi Andy.

I also would like to do the Yungas. Was there in 2013 and too wet to ride. I'll be watching the weather again tomorrow if I see a dry spell I'll try and meet you. I'm on a gs1200, so pretty difficult in the mud. Good luck. Stay in touch.

David

Hey David.
Thanks for the advise on the border. I will let you know my progress, when I make it into Peru. Maybe we can still meet up somewhere.
Safe travels,
Andy