Having A Great Time With Friends In The Andes

At the gas station in Osorno, Chile

Chile on the left - Argentina on the right

The line waiting to get into Chilean Customs

At the Argentina border check point

Kickin back in Bariloche

Overlooking Lake Nauelhuapi in Bariloche, Argentina

Friday morning, bright and early found us on the way out of Puerto Montt heading north toward Osorno, Chile. It was a chili ride at first, but by the time we reached Osorno, it began warming up. In Osorno we stopped to fuel up all the bikes before heading east toward the Chile - Argentina border. It took about an hour to get through the Chilean border check before heading a few kilometers down the road to the Argentina part of the border crossing. That took a little less. Once the border formalities where done, we continued east on Argentina Route 231 to the beautiful town of Villa La Angostura, where we stopped to have lunch. It’s unbelievably inexpensive to go out to eat here in Argentina, and the meals are great.
After a wonderful lunch we continued toward San Carlos de Bariloche arriving around 4:00pm.

By Popular Request

UPDATE

I've been asked by one of my long time readers, "What happened with the speeding ticket"? Well, as the story goes, Guillermo had his licence overnighted to him by Luis' brother who knows the Judge, so he could enter Argentina with us yesterday. Guillermo's license was waiting for him at the Hotel in Puerto Montt when he returned from the cruise on Thrusday. I got away scott free, and I believe Guillermo had to pay a fine. Case closed!

It's been bretty busy the last few days so I haven't had time to update you on what's been going on lately. I should have some time this afternoon or evening. Stay tuned.

The Lake Region Of Chile

Yankee Way Lodge at the foot of Volcan Osorno on Lago Llanquihue

Salto Petrohue


Mon. Jan. 24, 2011

The rest of the gang is now enjoying the cruise to Laguna San Rafael in southern Chile. We had a very nice time in Puerto Montt prior to their departure. I left Puerto Montt on Sunday, and made my way north about a half hour to the resort town of Puerto Varas located on the southern shore of lake Llanquihue, pronounced (Yankee-way). From Puerto Varas I followed the south shore road east until I reached Salto de Petrohue. Salto de Petrohue is a very scenic set of waterfalls that are located near where Lake Todos Los Santos empties into the Rio Petrohue. I have tried three times over the years to see this set of waterfalls and each time something kept me from reaching them. This time I made it, and it was worth both the trip and the wait. The pictures of the area should speak for themselves.
After seeing the Falls, I headed back to Puerto Varas and took a room at the Hotel Licarayen on the shore of lake Llanquihue, a hotel that I have stayed at many times before. Looks like I picked the right day to be in Puerto Varas, because across the street from the Hotel was the Festival De La Cerveza, in the plaza. I’m pretty sure most of you know what Cerveza means! If not, it’s BEER! Puerto Varas has a very strong German heritage, and many excellent beers are brewed in that area. At the festival you could find all kinds of beers and German food. The dark beer was my favorite.
I am now in the little town of Entre Lagos on the shore of Lago Puyehue. I plan to tour this area around the lakes until I head back to Puerto Montt to meet the gang on their return from the cruise on Thursday.

License and Registration Please!

Sat. Jan. 22, 2011
I met Luis and his wife Miriam at their house this afternoon around 2:30 and we drove to a gas station where Martin and his wife Maria Ines were waiting for us. After checking tire pressures, we headed south out of Santiago in the hot afternoon sun. We were to meet Guillermo and his wife Veronica at a Copec gas station just south of Rancagua an hour south of Santiago on the Pan American Highway (Rt. 5) at around 3:30pm. When we arrived I found we had picked up another rider that was headed in the same direction and so Guillermo invited him to ride with us. His name is German Larrain, as I later found out at our first fuel stop. He was also riding a BMW R1200GS and as the conversation went on, German stated that he had worked at a company in Rochester, New York called Eastman Kodak Co. You might have heard of it! German spent 20 years at this little Company. He was an Engineer of some kind there. Well, right away we had something in common, he rides a GS and I ride a GS. He spent 20 years at Kodak, and I spent 27 years at Kodak. German also repairs BMW motorcycles in Santiago and has all the high tech equipment needed to do so. I’ll be calling on him!
Later in the afternoon we stopped in Curico to get a quick bite to eat before pushing on to Los Angeles. This is where we said goodbye to German. After passing thru one of the toll plazas, the group became separated when some of us stopped to change into warmer jackets as the evening began to cool. Guillermo and I where the last of the group to leave the toll plaza and as we approached Los Angeles, Guillermo wanted to make up some lost ground and catch up to the rest of the group. We were clipping along at about 135km when off in the distance we spotted some red flashing lights in the darkness. Hmmm, I wonder if those are for us, I thought. Boy, was I right! I don’t mind being right, sometimes, but this wasn’t one of them. Two of Chiles finest motioned us both to the side of the road and told us they had us on laser doing 135 in a 120km area. Well, I handed the Officer my International Drivers License and my New York State drivers license and tried my best to tell him I was from out of the country and here on vacation, bla,bla,bla. At first I thought he was buying it, but I soon found out otherwise when he stated we were both getting tickets for speeding. My friend Guillermo was really laying it on thick, telling the other Officer that he was owner of a large construction firm and that he did work for the municipality at times and so on and so forth. That wasn’t working either! Finally the Officer that was holding my documents had a change of heart, and stated that he was not going to cite the Gringo (Me) but that Guillermo was going to get a ticket. Now, One thing I failed to mention, when you get a ticket here, they take away your license on the spot and you don’t get it back until you have gone to court to settle the fine. Now, remember I mentioned something about going to Argentina in previous posts? If you get a ticket here, you can’t leave the country because you don’t have a license. Argentina won’t allow you into the country without a license. This was going downhill faster than we had!!
Guillermo and the rest of the group are scheduled to depart on a Cruise to southern Chile this coming Sunday for five days, and when they return, we are all going to Argentina. At least that is the plan. While I was counting my lucky stars, Guillermo was still trying to talk the Cop out of a ticket, but it wasn’t working, so Guillermo decided to go at this from another angle. He resigned himself to the fact he was getting a ticket and switched to, how can I get this taken care of and still make the cruise and the trip to Argentina. Well, as it turns out, Luis has a brother in Los Angeles who knows the Judge. See where this is headed?
Anyhow, bright and early tomorrow both Guillermo and Luis’ brother are headed over to see if they can get the Judge to show some leniency so that this will end happily ever after.
To be continued!

The Next Adventure Begins Now

Today starts the next motorcycle adventure. Along with eight other friends, I will be wandering throughout southern Chile and Argentina. We will ride to places such as Puerto Montt, Chile, San Carlos de Bariloche, Argentina and as far north as Mendoza, Argentina among others before returning to Santiago on Feb. 6.

Siete Tazas National Park

Welcome

Siete Tazas

Bridal Vail Falls

The long road into the Park

-- click on any picture to enlarge --

A three hour motorcycle ride south of Santiago, and an hour east of the town of Molina, is the location of Parque Nacional Siete Tazas. “Siete Tazas” translates to “Seven Cups”. Siete Tazas is a series of waterfalls created by the Rio Claro over thousands of millions of years and comes down from the Andes Mountains forming seven consecutive falls and pools in a narrow gorge.
After the earthquake of Feb. 27, 2010 these falls mysteriously dried up. The earthquake had diverted the water and allowed the water to empty into an underground aquifer.
Fearing the loss of such a natural wonder and tourist attraction, some locals took it upon themselves to repair the breaks in the ground that had diverted the water. Now, almost a year later, the pools are full once again and back to normal.

Argentina Comes To Chile

This evening I thought I would treat myself to a special meal, and since I had spied a new restaurant literally half a block from where I’m staying, called “Bariloche”, I thought I would try it. If you have followed any of my previous trips to South America, you've heard the word “Bariloche”. San Carlos de Bariloche or Bariloche as most would refer to it, is a resort town in Argentina just over the Andes Mountains from the southern Chilean town of Osorno, on the shores of lake Nahuel Huapi. Bariloche was settled primarily by Austrians, Germans, Slovenes, Chileans and Italians. To make a long story short, until now, the best meal I have had was in Bariloche. Any ways let’s get back to the restaurant in Santiago. As many of you already know, I have a soft spot for Argentine beef, mostly around my stomach. The beef that comes from Argentina is the best beef in the world, bar none!
As I walked into the “Bariloche Restorante” the first thing I noticed was a strong odor of leather. Argentina is known for its leather products. There was indoor and outdoor seating; I chose to sit indoors so my meal would not become prematurely cold. The indoor seating was all booths, booths lined with suede leather, and place mats made of quarter inch leather. No Happy Meals here! I knew right away, this culinary experience would be special.
The waiter came to the table and asked if I would like something to drink, I ordered a bottle of “Casillero Del Diablo” (Conch Y Toro) Merlot 2009. An excellent wine to accompany the “Bife Chorizo” 500g (Delmonico steak) and the accompanying Mediterranean Salad. The waiter brought bread and garlic butter to the table, and was not shy about keeping my wine glass properly filled.
The salad arrived first, and was accompanied by olive oil, balsamic vinegar and lemon juice. About the time I finished the large salad, the meat showed up. The meat arrived in a dish so hot it sizzled. The piece of meat was so thick (2 inches), I cut it down the middle and put it face down in the plate to cook a bit more. It took a while to get through the two halves of meat, but the food was excellent. Cooked to perfection!
Once the meal was finished, I ordered an Espreso. This was as good a meal as I’ve had in any part of South America. Only thing missing was Sharon. Next year for sure!

Meeting New Friends

Taking a break in Olmue

Estancia El Cuadro

Lunch with friends

The group as we were leaving

Luis and his wife on the way back to Santiago


Sat. Jan. 8, 2011
Friday night I was invited to the home of Martin Schneurer and his wife, part of our group that will be riding to Argentinain a couple of weeks. Also invited were two other members of the group, Luis Vergara and his wife. We had a very nice evening talking about the upcoming trip and many other things. We also made plans for a motorcycle ride on Saturday in the direction of the Pacific Ocean.
On Saturday we met at the Copec gas station at 10:00am around the corner from my place, and from there we made our way north out of Santiago on Rt. 5 until we reached the town of Til Til. From Til Til we headed west over the mountains and Cuesta La Dormida until we reached the town of Olmue, where we stopped to take a break.
After resting for about a half hour, we rode south west through the towns of Limache, Villa Alemana until we reaching the outskirts of the ocean resort city of Vina Del Mar. Turning south here, we caught up with Rt. 68, the main route between Santiago and the ocean port city of Valparaiso. Valparaiso is Chile’s most important sea port. We rode Rt. 68 east exiting at the town of Casablanca, where we turned north to a beautiful vineyard tucked far in the northern end of a valley. The vineyard is called “Estancial El Cuadro”, (33°16'2.66"S - 71°17'14.55"W) a very nice place. Here we met up with more friends of Martin and Luis and sat on the outdoor patio overlooking the vineyards and the horses grazing in the pastures.
After wine and or devours, we were invited into the dining room for a wonderful four course meal full of good conversation and of course, great Chilean wine. One of the wines served was a special white wine made exclusively for guests of the Estancial El Cuadro. It is not sold or exported anywhere and of course was wonderful.
Once the meal was finished, our group visited the Wine Museum on the premises before going outside to take pictures of the beautifully landscaped grounds of the winery, prior to our return to Rt. 68 and the trip into Santiago.

P.S. Amazing that all of this is indirectly the result of me falling off my motorcycle last year!! Life is definitely a trip.

Tying Up Loose Ends

Three hour vehicle inspection


Wednesday
Jan. 5, 2011
So, first full day in Santiago and the cloudy weather we had yesterday has given way to a gloriously warm sunny sky with not a cloud in it. Yesterday I had a set of crash bars installed on the bike to insure we don’t have a repeat of last year. This morning I went to the DMV to make sure all my bike documents were valid, and all but one passed the test. I already knew that the bike needed to be inspected this year so I took care of that this afternoon. An experience to be sure! It took no less than three hours to get one motorcycle inspected! What a system! First, you have to get into a line of vehicles that snakes out of the inspection facility and up the block. Once off the street and in to the inspection facility, you realize that the long line wasn’t so long after all. In the inspection station, one line now becomes five and you are now in with no less than a hundred other vehicles waiting to be inspected. This reminds me of the border crossings in Argentina! Now, once you get near the actual inspection area, you leave your vehicle and an attendant takes it from there. You go into the building to pay and wait. The only good thing is that by this time your throat thinks it’s been cut, it’s so thirsty. Guess that’s why they have a small convenient store inside. After two cold drinks, they call your name, and you go up to the window where they hand you back your keys and documents and you’re free to go. Fun!
Now the good news, We have a new Applebees right around the corner here in Las Condes, so after the inspection, I took full advantage of the two fer Happy Hour and downed a plate of Boneless Buffalo Wings. They were better than back home!! Just another reason to love it here. "Sumthin Good In The Neighborhood"

So Close And Yet So Far

Monday
Jan. 3, 2011
This trip to Chile has been an eventful one so far, to say the least! I have never knowingly been in a faulty airplane before, but this time was a first. The Delta Airlines MD-88 left the gate in Buffalo as every previous flight has, and there have been many. That’s where it all ends! As we approached the end of the runway and where cleared for takeoff, we sat at the end of the runway for what seemed like an inordinate length of time. Soon we heard “Ladies and Gentlemen, this is your Captain. We seem to have a problem with one of the systems onboard the aircraft and we are talking to maintenance to see what we can do to fix the problem”. Another ten minutes went by and again we hear…From the Flight Deck, it looks like we are going to have to return to the gate so we can get maintenance to try and fix the Deicing system that is not working”. Not what you want to hear on a cold January evening in Buffalo! About an hour later the Captain comes back on the PA system and announces that air traffic control has given special permission for us to takeoff for Atlanta, but we are going to have to fly south at a much lower altitude until we can get away from any clouds that could cause icing. So they loaded extra fuel onboard and off we went, an hour and thirty five minutes late. NOW, remember, I only had a two hour layover in Atlanta and more than an hour and a half is now gone!
By the time I got off the plane in Atlanta, I was panicking! There was no gate ready to pull the plane up to, since the plane was late, and when the plane did come to a stop at the gate, I swear, everyone got out of their seats and just stood in the isle for what seemed like ten minutes. No one moved! I was ready to scream!
Atlanta-Hartsfield Airport is huge, and it takes a lot of time to get from point “A” to point ”B”, and I didn’t have much time. If it wasn’t for the fact that the plane to Santiago was delayed by 20 minutes, I would have missed the plane for sure!

Adventure 2011 Starts Now

This years adventure in South America starts today. Departure time is shortly after 4:00pm today, with a stop in Atlanta, and then a direct flight to Chile.Keep an eye on this site for all my updates.