South America Moto Adventures

Can You See Me Now?

2012-02-10T05:19:00.001-08:00

A few days ago while on my way south to my Aunt's farm, I stopped at a toll booth and while in the act of paying, my bike was bumped from behind by a careless driver almost knocking me to the ground. Because of that and the number of times I have had to come to a complete stop on the expressway from 75mph to 0mph, and with the real fear of having someone that is not paying attention take me out, I decided to install this high intensity LED stop strobe on the bike. It gets you're attention now when I apply the breaks. See the video here.

A Flight Over Chufquen

2012-02-02T01:38:00.000-08:00

Thu. Feb. 2, 2012

The Cessna 172. I couldn't wipe the grin off my face.

Jorge

Passing over Jorge's house just after takeoff

At the airstrip on the farm

The main house in the center, and the farm's warehouses and office buildings.

I returned to Santiago for a few days arriving late yesterday, but not before I had the opportunity to take to the air with my cousin Jorge. Jorge is the Administrator of the farm in Chufquen and he came to me the other day and asked if I would like to go flying with him, what a silly question! OFCOURSE!! I never turn down an opportunity like that, so Jorge went to the nearby city of Temuco, where the plane was, and told me that when he passed over the house, to get on my bike and go to the farm’s landing strip by his house a few miles away. When I got there Jorge had just landed, so I parked the bike and after a few picture we were in the plane ready to taxi.

We taxied to the opposite end of the runway, turned around and in a few moments were airborne. I a few seconds we were over Jorge’s house as we continued to climb to an altitude of only 1100 feet. I’m pretty sure we were below the tops of the nearby cell phone towers, but it made for a spectacular flight flying so low and slow. The Cessna 172 bounced around a bit due to the fact that it had been fairly windy all day, but no big deal. We flew at a speed of only 100 knots and the view at that altitude was spectacular. We flew over the town of Traiguen, where my family is from and then wandered over the nearby countryside seeing the sights.

Jorge also has a vintage Piper J3 Cub that he recently bought and he promised me a ride in that next year. That will be a thrill!

A Flight Over Chufquen

2012-02-02T01:32:00.000-08:00

Thu. Feb. 2, 2012

I returned to Santiago for a few days arriving late yesterday, but not before I had the opportunity to take to the air with my cousin Jorge. Jorge is the Administrator of the farm in Chufquen and he came to me the other day and asked if I would like to go flying with him, What a silly question! OFCOURSE!! I never turn down an opportunity like that, so Jorge went to the nearby city of Temuco, where the plane was, and told me that when he passed over the house, to get on my bike and go to the farm’s landing strip by his house a few miles away. When I got there Jorge had just landed, so I parked the bike and after a few picture we were in the plane ready to taxi.

Jorge also has a vintage Piper J3 Cub that he recently bought and he promised me a ride in that next year. That will be a thrill!

Cookout In Rancagua

2012-01-25T06:59:00.000-08:00

Sat. Jan 21

Fun was had by all at the Asado (Cookout) at Guillermo and Veronica’s on Saturday. The group consisted of about twelve friends and relatives that came to partake in the fun. I arrived around 3:30pm from Santiago and stayed the night before continuing on to Chufquen, my Aunt’s place six hours to the south. The menu consisted of Empanadas, Steak of course as well as a wonderful sausage similar to an Italian sausage, but with a taste that left you wanting more. I couldn’t get enough. Guillermo served various Chilean red wines that were wonderful as well and there was plenty to go around.

Don’t ask me how I wound up on the trampoline, but I did! So did quite a few other large kids. Gotta have some fun once in a while, right? No, the wine had nothing to do with it!

Next morning I was up and on my way south around 10:00am for the six hour drive.

The next cookout is scheduled to be at Luis’ condo in Algarrobo, Chile on the Pacific Ocean in a couple of weeks.

Since I am at the farm it is a bit difficult to get to an Internet connection without having to go to the office to use the WiFi, consequently the updates might be few and far between.

Parrillada En Rancagua

2012-01-21T04:20:00.000-08:00

Today I'm invited to Vero and Guillermo's house in Rancagua, an hour south of Santiago, for what will undoubtedly be a very enjoyable afternoon around the pool with friends, good food and good wine. I will spend the night there and in the morning I will point the bike south once again and head to my Aunt's farm near Traiguen, an additional six hour ride from Rancagua for what will probably be a couple of weeks in the south of Chile. The Lake Country.
The weather here so far has been exceptional, hot sunny days and cool, clear nights. Groundhog Day!

A Very Enjoyable Week End Motorcycle Trip Through Chile With Friends

2012-01-17T01:50:00.000-08:00

The ocean came right in at the second floor level. Notice the siding ripped from the very top of the building, and the corner of the second floor blown right out!

With "Jack" the Police dog and his Partner

Testament to the level the water rose in Dichato, Chile during the Tsunami. Notice the damage to the leaves by the salt water. The damage reaches about fifteen feet. This picture was taken from a point approximately ten feet above sea level! Add that to the tree.

Pelluhue, Chile

Mon. Jan, 16

This past weekend was a busy one with a total of 1550km (963mi.) registered on the motorcycle since Friday at 2:00pm. The time we left Santiago. Luis, Vonchi and I headed to Rancagua to meet up with Guillermo and Veronica and continue on to Los Angeles, a six hour ride from Santiago. Just like last year we got nailed by the cops for speeding, but this time it was Luis that was the target. After humiliating himself by begging and pleading, the cops let him go. They didn’t nail me this time! We arrived in Los Angeles around nine at night and rode right to Luis’ brother’s house where we were expected for what turned out to be a very nice cookout poolside. We all had a great time but in the morning my head was still spinning.

Around 10:00am Saturday, we left Los Angeles and rode south west to the small town of

Capitan Pastene where we had reservations at an Italian restaurant called “Don Primo Restorante Italiano”, a small but very popular eatery. After lunch in Capitan Pastene, we rode northwest to the coastal city of Concepcion that was very hard hit by the 2010 earthquake that I managed to miss by only 24 hours. Much of the damage has been repaired but some is still visible in places. Luis and his wife Vonchi stayed overnight with family just outside of town and Guillermo, his wife Vero and I took rooms in a very nice hotel called “Ibis” near the airport. We had dinner at a fancy restaurant next to the hotel called “Solo Carne” (Just Meat)….my kind of place. We were seated in a VIP room all to ourselves. The meal, the wine and the service was five stars!

Next morning, after a late start as usual, we rode to the small fishing village of Dichato. If you followed the news reports of the earthquake and subsequent tsunami of Feb. 27, 2010, you may remember that the majority of Dichato was literally washed out to sea by the Tsunami. I looked at Dichato on Google Earth, and was shocked to see what it looked like before the tsunami and then to actually stand in the very spot that it all occurred and see the magnitude of devastation that took place. At one spot in town, we were standing on a road approximately ten feet above the present sea level, and could see damage to Palm trees at an elevation of an additional ten feet or more. Thousands of homes and buildings were lost along with some loss of life.

After leaving Dichato we continued north to the town of Pelluhue were we stopped for lunch at another very popular local restaurant. Unfortunately I don’t remember the name of the restaurant, but I will get it and update this. The food was excellent and if you enjoy seafood, this is a must stop. The panorama above shows the view from the restaurant overlooking the popular bathing beach. After a wonderful meal, and with the day now early evening, we left and headed back to Santiago approximately four hours away. An extremely long ride when you are already dead tired. I arrived back home at 1:00am and had never been so glad to get off the bike and get some rest. Soon we’ll do it all again! (more pictures here )

Kinda Slow Days

2012-01-11T01:31:00.000-08:00

New home for the bike

Wed. Jan, 11

The last few days have been spent basically running errands. My passport and my Chilean I.D. card both expire this year so I needed to renew them. The motorcycle now has all its documents up to date and the equivalent of E-Z Pass, which I have for the bike, turns out to have no problems at all. I had some doubts the other day because when I passed under the scanned above the expressway, the screen above the road displayed the word “Baja”. That word can have a variety of meanings like “Get down, Exit, Get off” and I took it to mean that I should get off of the restricted access road due to an issue with the “TAG” (E-Z Pass). Well, it turns out that the word has yet another meaning, “Lower”. It turns out that during certain periods of the day the toll you pay changes. I happened to be using the road during the “Non Peak Hours” hence the word “Baja” or “Lower Toll”, so no problemo after all. Oh, and best of all, I had my old iPhone 3G Jailbroken and I am now able to use it here in Chile. Also, as you can see in the pictures above, we have better accommodations for the motorcycle. My friend Mauricio Vergara who sold me the BMW motorcycle new here in Santiago, now runs a business called "MotoTechnik". He is the one that sells these motorcycle enclosures that are so convenient to house the bike. When I leave this year, there won't be any wrapping the bike in plastic and having to tie it all up. Just simply put a cover over the bike and close the enclosure. DONE!

The Latest

2012-01-07T12:49:00.000-08:00

Ignacio working on my bike

Fri. Jan, 6

I left Santiago around 7:30 this morning with destination Rancagua as I was to meet at Guillermo’s office to get the motorcycle inspected at 9:00am. This inspection couldn’t have been farther from the one in Santiago last year. Last year’s inspection took no less than three hours, most of it waiting in line. I hate waiting in lines! This time the inspection people came to me, picked up the bike, inspected it and returned it to the office while Veronica, (Guillermo’s wife) and I headed to the farmer’s market to shop for fresh veggies. When we returned to the office, the bike was waiting for me all inspected. That’s much better! Now all I have left to do is get the “Permiso de Circulacion”, the equivalent to a registration.

On Thursday I also took the bike to Ignacio Muños whom I met last year. Ignacio has a motorcycle repair shop and he specializes in BMW motorcycle repair. I noticed last year that the engine oil level sight glass on the side of the engine was weeping oil. Probably because of all the time that the bike spends stored. Well, in a bit over an hour it was replace with a part I brought from the U.S.

On Sunday I’m taking the bike to a Copec gas station that I frequent to get the bike washed. It’s pretty dusty from the long storage, then I think I’ll throw a little wax on it.

Summer Is Here

2012-01-05T17:35:00.000-08:00

Luis and Miriam riding back to Santiago

Thu. Jan, 5

The flight from Toronto to New York JFK, and from JFK to Santiago went off without a hitch. Both flights arrived ahead of schedule. From New York to Santiago, I flew on LAN Chile Airlines. The thing I like about LAN Chile is that the service onboard is top notch. The food is good, you get to eat with real live metal utensils and the wine is at no extra charge. Where do you get that on US Airlines?

I’ve been in Santiago now for two days, and have been fairly busy. Yesterday I tried to get the motorcycle registered, but I was told that it had to be inspected before I could register it, so tomorrow I am taking the bike to Rancagua, a city an hour south of Santiago, where my friend Guillermo lives. Guillermo, if you remember rescued me from the Atacama Desert two years ago. Well, he knows someone at the inspection station who will inspect the bike for me and I won’t have to wait three hours to get it done like it takes in Santiago. I would rather ride the hour to Rancagua than spend three hours in line just to inspect a motorcycle! Other than that, not much going on.

Guillermo did tell me that we have a three day (week end) trip planed for a week from tomorrow. The trip will include Guillermo and his wife Veronica (Vero), Luis and his wife Miriam (Vonchi), no idea how they get that out of Miriam, and yours truly. On Friday the 13th we will leave Santiago and head south on the Pan-American Highway to the town of Los Angeles approximately six hours south of Santiago. Luis’ brother lives there and is planning a cookout Chilean style for the group.

The following day, we will head south to the towns of Victoria, Traiguen and Lumaco. One of my Aunts has a ranch near Traiguen and my Father and my three Aunts were born in Traiguen. I know the town well. Continuing on, we will ride to an Italian restaurant called Don Primo where we will stop for lunch.

After lunch we will ride toward the Pacific Ocean and work our way north to the city of Concepcion, a city that was hard hit by the 2010 earthquake here in Chile. We spend the night there.

Sunday we ride north along the Ocean to the towns of Dichato, Quirihue, Cauquenes and Pelluhue. The town of Dichato was all but wiped off the map by the Tsunami that followed the earthquake in 2010. Lunch in Pullehue at the restaurant “Blanca Reyes”

After lunch we will ride east to the town of Talca and turn north back to Santiago.

Should be a good ride.

Off To Find Summer

2012-01-02T15:15:00.000-08:00

Off to Toronto bright and early tomorrow morning to start the long trip to Chile for two months.

From Toronto I fly to New York's JFK then direct to Santiago. 93 degrees and mostly sunny in Santiago on Tuesday. Unusually warm there. Watch this space for full updates. (Pictures will be uploaded to my SmugMug site. Just click on "My Photo Gallery" here to the right, under the clock, and go to the "Chile 2012" gallery once you are there)

The Next Adventure To Chile Begins On Jan. 3, 2012

2011-08-11T18:09:00.000-07:00

Back Home

2011-03-03T04:51:00.001-08:00

I returned home on Tuesday after what had to be one of the best trips ever to South America. The ride through Chile and Argentina with all my friends made for one fantastic adventure. I was treated like a king by the wonderful friends I have in Chile and Argentina. Can't wait 'til next year!

I received an email from Aerostich Rider Wearhouse in Delouth, MN. today. The email contained an interesting video of what it's like to ride through southern South America near Tierra Del Fuego. Two years ago I rode alone to the most southern city on Earth, the city of Ushuaia in Tierra Del Fuego and one of the more lasting memories of that trip was the five days spent riding in the 50 and 60 mile an hour cross winds in southern Argentina. Watch this video. Go to FULL SCREEN!

Lunch On The Pacific Ocean

2011-02-23T04:46:00.000-08:00

All of us on the Pacific Ocean in Matanza, Chile

Guillermo, Luciano and myself

Sun. Feb. 20

On Sunday, I was up early and on my way out of Santiago at 8:00am on the bike heading for the Pacific Ocean town of Algarrobo, Chile an hour and a half away. I was invited by Guillermo and Luis to lunch in the ocean side town of La Boca. I left the bike in Algarrobo at Luis’ condo and we drove his car to La Boca along with his family to meet up with Guillermo and his family. After a very enjoyable meal with good friends we all drove to the nearby beach of Matanza to watch the surfers and enjoy the ocean air.

At about 10:30pm I headed back to Santiago fighting all the returning traffic all the way back.

El Rancho Del Che

2011-02-21T05:47:00.000-08:00

My steak sizzling on the grill

Some of the staff

Sat. Feb. 19
A few years ago I discovered a new restaurant on the outskirts of Santiago called “El Rancho Del Che” http://www.cajondelmaipo.com/el_rancho_del_che.php were you can sit and enjoy some of the best hospitality and some of the best Argentine beef around. Rita Soto, the owner, greeted me with open arms as she remembered me from visits to her restaurant in past years as did some of the rest of the staff that has been there for years. After another very enjoyable meal I spent some time outside by the open pit grill chatting with a few of the staff who I've known now for a few years.

Lunch In The Best Place Around

2011-02-19T04:32:00.001-08:00

El Chiringuito Restaurant

Fisherman's Bay

Zapallar coastline

Mon. Feb. 14
Today I treated myself to lunch at El Chiringuito. What is a Chiringuito you might ask? Well, probably the best restaurant in the most spectacular location you will ever experience. El Chiringuito is located on the Pacific Ocean in the town of Zapallar, Chile. When I say it’s on the Pacific, I don’t mean it’s near the Pacific, I mean it’s ON the Pacific Ocean. The restaurant is actually built on the rocks that surround the bay of Zapallar. If you dine outside, you will share your table with the seagulls quite literally. It has to be the most beautiful location for a restaurant that I have ever seen. The food there is great as well as the drink, and if you like seafood, you’re in the right place. Sharon tells me the fish is to die for, and I take her word for it because I don’t eat fish or any kind of seafood but of course, you are in Chile. Chile is famous for it’s seafood! Zapallar is a three hour bike ride from Santiago, and well worth the trip!

Back to Chile

2011-02-06T04:31:00.001-08:00

Crossing the border into Chile

Sat. Feb. 5
Part of the group headed back to Chile on Friday, and the rest of us stayed until Saturday before retuning. Guillermo and Veronica, Luis and Miriam and myself left Mendoza at 10:00 on Saturday and headed to the border. The ride was beautiful with a cloudless sky and warm temperature until we approached the summit of the Andes Mountains where there was a marked drop in temperature for a while.
The border crossing at Paso Libertadores has been simplified as promised by President Piñera of Chile and didn’t take nearly as long as it used to. Seems like the road construction delay took longer. Once over the Andes in Chile, we stopped for a break and refueled the bikes and had something to drink before heading to Santiago, arriving at about four in the afternoon. And so ends one of the best trips ever.

The Last Farewell

2011-02-03T20:57:00.000-08:00

Some of the invited guests, Eduardo is at the head of the table

Eduardo's good friend Ernesto (Ayyyh Nooo Jodaissss)

Arrived in Mendoza, Argentina around one or two in the afternoon. Once settled in, I headed straight for the pool on the roof to take in some sun. The problem with riding a motorcycle all over South America is that you always have a helmet on, so your face never gets a tan. Come hell or high water, I’m going back with a tan!
Enough of that. After my time in the sun, I went back to the room to get ready for the cook out that we have all been invited to this evening. We left in two taxis at around eight in the evening and headed to Eduardo’s house a few miles away. He lives in a beautiful gated community with high security. The house is something to see, absolutely beautiful with a pool and a large terrace on the second floor.
Now, let’s talk about the meal. There was more meat than I have ever seen in one place unless it was still walking, there was wine, beer, soft drinks, whatever you desired. At the table there were fourteen of us total, and the smoked steak and sausage just kept coming, all cooked outside on a built in charcoal fired grill typical of Argentina. Everyone thoroughly enjoyed themselves.

A Day Of Rest In San Rafael, Argentina

2011-02-03T02:37:00.000-08:00

Talking motorcycles with the Police in San Rafael, Argentina

Thu. Feb. 3
An extra day in San Rafael, Argentina is just what we needed after being in the road for so many days. A soak in the hotel pool, a beer or two at the sidewalk pub next door, an ice cream cone from across the street, just a walk around town, these little things have left us all a bit more relaxed and this morning we will leave for Mendoza, Argentina and our last official stop in Argentina before returning to Santiago, Chile via the Paso Liberadores (Liberator Pass) over the Andes Mountains. One last “Going Away” party awaits us at the house of Eduardo, in Mendoza this evening. He has graciously invited us all to one last blast at his home, a cookout (Asado) Argentina style, and I’m ready for that. So far, this trip has been an unforgettable experience with some very good friends, that’s what life’s all about!

Neuquen to San Rafael, Argentina

2011-02-02T09:33:00.000-08:00

The long haul to San Rafael, Argentina

My very good friend Guillermo

Lunch stop after a tough ride

Tue. Feb. 1, 2011
The plan was to leave Neuquen, Argentina at 9:00am and head to San Rafael, Argentina, but the two friends from Mendoza showed up about an hour late, so we left Neuquen sometime around 10:00 instead. The beginning of the ride was pleasant, but the farther north we went, the warmer it became. A few hours into the ride we encountered high winds and blowing dust that at least twice left us in a cloud of dust that you couldn’t see where you were going, zero visibility.
Extremely dangerous! Immediately I thought of my friend Vaughn Pembroke back home, who last year encountered a similar circumstance, but wasn’t so lucky. He and a friend were in Utah in a freak dust storm, when a car crossed the center line and struck both of them when they stopped on the shoulder of the road due to the fact they could not see to drive. Vaughn was unfortunately left paralyzed from the waist down due to his injuries. Vaughn’s friend Ron was badly injured, but recovered.
The ride was very exhausting and we were all glad to make it to the hotel in San Rafael to relax and soak in the pool.

Latest Update

2011-02-01T02:31:00.000-08:00

Sharon's bracelet from the craft fair in El Bolson, Argentina

Plaza in El Bolson

One of the locals from Villa El Chocon, Argentina

The group

On the way to Neuquen

Tue. Feb. 1, 2011
On Sunday morning the group of seven bikes left San Carlos de Bariloche and headed south for a day ride to the town of El Bolson. El Bolson is a small town known for its craft fair where local crafts people and artists sell their works in the towns plaza. The ride took approximately an hour and a half. After walking the craft show we all had lunch in a restaurant across from the plaza. Seems Like everywhere we stop, the bikes draw a crowd, and people ask all kinds of questions and want to have their picture taken with them as well. In the late afternoon we headed back to Bariloche, encountering a persistent rainfall most of the way back. The road between Bariloche and El Bolson takes you right down the middle of the Andes Mountains, so the scenery is spectacular and the road has many twists and turns that keep you very focused when riding in the rain.
Monday morning, we left Bariloche to ride to the city of Neuquen about 622 kilometers farther north. The day was bright and sunny, and the farther north we rode, the warmer it became. The scenery reminded me of the south west in the USA.
On the way we stopped at Villa El Chocon where we visited a Hydro Electric Dam, (-39.25436 latitude, -68.78809 longitude) as well as a natural history museum filled with dinosaur skeletons unearthed in the area. The remains of a T Rex were found in the local vicinity. After stopping for lunch we continued to the city of Neuquen were we settled into the hotel before going out for yet another meal before turning in for the night. In the morning we will continue north to the town of San Rafael, a six hour ride north.

Having A Great Time With Friends In The Andes

2011-01-29T19:27:00.000-08:00

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

2011-01-29T02:53:00.000-08:00

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

2011-01-24T16:29:00.000-08:00

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!

2011-01-21T22:35:00.000-08:00

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

2011-01-21T07:33:00.000-08:00

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

2011-01-18T07:12:00.000-08:00

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

2011-01-12T19:08:00.000-08:00

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

2011-01-09T05:11:00.000-08:00

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

2011-01-05T19:33:00.000-08:00

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

2011-01-05T19:01:00.000-08:00

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

2011-01-03T03:32:00.000-08:00

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.

The Cruise Is Off... for me at least

2010-11-18T09:51:00.001-08:00

Looks like the cruise has gone down with the ship! Turns out there are no single rooms on board the Cruise Ship, so unless I want to pay twice the price, I've decided not to go on the cruise. I will instead meet the group on their return and ride the Argentina portion of the trip with them. Sharon and I are planning to do this cruise together next year instead!

Cuise To The Glaciers

2010-11-09T11:50:00.000-08:00

Mountains and Ice

Looks like there's room at the bar!

The vessel "Mare Australis"

January 21, 2011 will be the departure date for nine of us to leave Santiago, Chile and ride south to the town of Castro on the big island of Chiloe in southern Chile. There, the group will board the cruise ship "Mare Australis" for a five day cruise to the southern ice fields of Chile, specifically Laguna San Rafael. The equivilant of an Alaskan inside passage cruise. Upon returning to Castro we will again mount our bikes and head into Argentina to the resort city of San Carlos de Bariloche. After leaving Bariloche, we will ride north to the city of Mendoza before returning to Santiago once again. This should be quite the trip!!

Mountains And Ice

2010-10-29T02:42:00.000-07:00

I'm very much looking forward to this year’s trip to Chile for a number of reasons. First, I have very short layovers (two hours, average) between flights and a much more direct flight as well. I will fly from Buffalo, NY to Atlanta, GA and then direct to summer, I mean Santiago! Second, the trip to the ice fields in southern Chile. At the invitation of my friend Guillermo, who if you remember, saved me from the Atacama Desert last year, I have accepted an invitation to join him and a group of his friends on a motorcycle trip from Santiago to the southern ice fields of Chile. This is an area of mountains, fjords, lakes and glaciers in some of the most remote reaches of southern Chile. Some of the most impressive scenery in the world can be found there. We estimate the trip will last eleven days.

I will arrive in Santiago, Chile on January 4th, and the trip south will begin January 20th and last until the 31st. The days before we head south will be busy ones, as I will have to renew the registration of my motorcycle as well as have it inspected this year. I also want to put “Crash Bars” on the bike to avoid repeating the damage to the engine that occurred last year in the Atacama Desert. I also have to repair the right side luggage box that was damaged in last year’s incident. I have all the necessary repair parts and will be taking them to Chile with me.

Thank You To All Who Participated In This Rescue!

2010-10-14T09:17:00.000-07:00

Luis Urzua, the last miner recued from the mine in Chile stands with Chilean President Sebastián Piñera

Chile, a sliver of land on the western shores of South America between the Pacific Ocean and the Andes Mountains, has lived a difficult year 2010, beginning with a devastating earthquake in February and then a mine collapse in August that left 33 miners trapped more than 2000 feet below ground for more than two months. Today, under the glare of the world media, Chile has shown the world what it is capable of. Never before, and hopefully never again, has such a feat been successfully planned and executed to find and then rescue so many trapped miners with such success. Today is a good day for Chile! VIVA CHILE!!

The Next Adventure

2010-07-18T15:02:00.000-07:00

January 3, 2011 is the date for the start of the next adventure to South America. I plan to be there for two months and as of now don't have any real plans, although I do want to travel around Chile to visit some of the hardest hit areas of the earthquake that I missed by only 48 hours last February. I'm interested to see how much progress has been made since the quake on Feb. 27, 2010.

The Long Drive Home

2010-02-24T03:16:00.001-08:00

February 24, 2010
Wednesday
The time has come to put the bike away until next year. This is always hard to do because the riding here in Chile is so spectacular and here in Santiago you hardly ever have to think about rain gear. But, all good things come to an end and tonight I will be on a Boeing 767 headed back to the good old USA, and the cold of western New York. As a coming home present, the weather man has found nothing better than to forecast heavy snow and 61 mph winds gusts for the Buffalo, New York area just about the time I was to land there, so…. I’m getting off in Boston and driving home. I’ve never landed in driving snow and 61 mile an hour winds before, and I don’t want to start now! The six hour layover in Boston had something to do with my decision too! Hey….see ya all at home!

An Afternoon In Wine Coutry

2010-02-23T10:25:00.000-08:00

Main house and summer home of Don Melchor Concha y Toro

Our Guide

Barrels full of wine

Aging cellars

Cabernet Sauvignon vines

Yes, you can take it with you!

February 21
Sunday
Wandering around Santiago on the bike with no real destination, I remembered that last year I rode by the Concha y Toro vineyards on the outskirts of Santiago. Concha y Toro is the largest winery in Chile and the 10th largest in the world as well as being the largest wine producer in Latin America. It was established in 1883 by Don Melchor Concha y Toro and his father-in-law, Don Ramón Subercaseaux Mercado. This sounded like a good place to spend the afternoon, so I headed south toward the Maipo river and over to Concha y Toro vineyards. Arriving at the main gate, I was greeted by a beautifully maintained gated entrance manned by two security guards. I asked where I could go to take the tour, and they advised me and allowed me thru the gates. Once on the property it was evident that this is a very large operation that spends a great deal of money in the upkeep of their property. The grounds where impeccably maintained and the buildings where very attractive with their Spanish styling. Once I had my pass for the tour, I went into the main building where the tours originate. The tours are given in English or Spanish. In the main building is a restaurant open to the public, a small room where you watch an informative video of the history of Concha y Toro before starting the tour, and a very nice store where you can buy wines and souvenirs. After watching the video our group, which consisted of myself and another couple, was escorted out into the main square, by our tour guide, where one can sit and enjoy the sunshine and maybe a bottle of wine. Continuing on we headed to the main house that was once the summer home of Don Melchor Concha y Toro and has now been converted to offices and event center. The gardens surrounding the main house where of French design and as would be expected, meticulously maintained. Next, we went to the nearby vineyards where the grapes of the Cabernet Sauvignon are grown. Our guide explained that although most vines will produce grapes for about a hundred years or so, Conch y Toro replaces it’s vines after forty years to maintain the high quality of its wine. Another interesting fact was that while other wine producing countries have to worry about insects that attack the vines, Chile is in a rather unique position. Since Chile is bordered by the Atacama Desert to the north, the Andes Mountains to the east, the Antarctic to the south and the Pacific Ocean to the west, Chile has almost no native insects that threaten the wine industry. This is one reason that the Customs agents are so careful to screen for any fruits, vegetables or other contaminants that could enter the country.
Next we where, escorted by a guard, to the buildings housing the wine barrels that where aging in the cellars. There were thousands of barrels of wine in the cellars aging and waiting to fill the bottles that would be exported to all corners of the globe. Each barrel holds enough wine to fill 300 bottles. After touring the new wine cellars as well as the original, it was off to the good stuff, the wine tasting. In a special room with wonderful mood lighting and beautiful old handmade Spanish furniture, we sampled both the white wine as well as the red that Concha Y Toro is so famous for. The nice surprise was that we were invited to keep the wine glasses with the Concha y Toro name etched in the glass. A very nice touch and a wonderful tour.
Key Dates:
1883: Concha y Toro establishes its first vineyard and winery.
1965: Company introduces its first premium wine, Casillero del Diablo.
1987: Concha y Toro introduces Don Melchor, its most ambitious wine yet.
1994: Concha y Toro makes its initial public offering on the New York Stock Exchange.
1998: Company ranks second among wine exporters to the United States.

2010-02-15T09:24:00.000-08:00

February 14
Sunday
I finally managed to contact my friend Guillermo Troncoso, who was responsible for recuing me front the Atacama Desert last month, and he invited me to his home in Rancagua, south of Santiago. The plan was to go from his home to the seaside town of Pichilemu for the day, so I got on the bike and in a little over an hour I was at his house. Guillermo, his wife Veronica and the kids Florencia and Luciano loaded up in the pickup truck and I followed on my bike as we headed to the Pacific Ocean for the day. On the way, we stopped at a little restaurant where they make old style Empanadas in real mud ovens. I’ve had a lot of Empanadas in my time, but nothing like these. The ovens give the Empanadas a whole different texture and I think they cook better that way as well. That must be the reason that this place is packed to capacity and they are only open on Sat, Sun and holidays. After the beer and Empanadas we continued thru some very picturesque countryside full of hills, winding road and wineries on all sides. Very pretty! Arriving in Pichilemu it was obvious that this is a very popular place, the town and the seashore was packed with people. It’s a popular surfing beach where in the winter they hold national surfing competitions. Arriving in Pichilemu we headed to the beach house of Veronica’s Mother’s friend, where I was welcomed as one of the family, as usual. I was invited to have lunch with all the family and friends, and afterwards Guillermo and his immediate family took me to see the sights along the seashore, this time though, the bike was not in the back of the pickup! Pichilemu has a beautiful beach that stretches for miles before becoming very rocky and with high cliffs. From up on the cliffs there is a fantastic view of the entire area, where you can watch the surfers descend the cliffs to reach the best waves. As we where watching the waves, Guillermo pointed out what he thought was a surfer in the waves down below, but as I watched, the “surfer” never resurfaced. It was no surfer, it was some other large animal of the sea. Who knows what? All I know is after seeing that, I think I would stay onshore. It was pretty good size! After watching the sun set over the Pacific, we headed back to the beach house before the entire group went out to eat at a local seafood restaurant that Guillermo likes. This is where I was able to properly thank Guillermo for recuing me, by allowing me to pay for everyone’s meal. After dinner Guillermo and Veronica and the kids took off in the pickup and I jumped on my bike and we headed back home, it was 11:00pm and by the time I arrived in Santiago it was 2:30am. This has to have been the nicest day of my entire trip!

Asado a la Chilena

2010-02-12T05:27:00.000-08:00

February 12
Friday
Tomorrow, Saturday Feb. 13, I will be heading back to the capital city of Santiago, and as a going away surprise, Eduardo my good friend and my Aunt’s driver, put on a very nice cookout Chilean style out in the garden of the main house. Here no cookout is complete without some nice steaks, salads and some very good Chilean wine. We enjoyed a great meal until we couldn’t see any more. No, not because of the wine, but because we continued until way after dark. Gracias Eduardo!

Back In Chufquen

2010-02-07T09:19:00.000-08:00

February 6, 2010
Saturday
I have been back at my Aunt’s ranch for a couple of days now and not much has gone on lately as far as motorcycle rides are concerned. I do have a family crisis back in the States. Hopefully all will be well there, but there is the chance I may have to cut this trip short and return home early. Let’s hope all goes well.

Bariloche, Argentina

2010-02-03T04:50:00.000-08:00

Town square in Bariloche

Just some of the knives

The view from my room

February 3, 2010
Wednesday
I'm in San Carlos De Bariloche, Argentina at the moment having breakfast and plan to do some shopping in this tourist town where they have many beautiful hand made things from here in Argentina. It’s quite cold, windy and overcast at the moment which isn’t too conducive to shopping outdoors. Last night while I was at my favorite restaurant, enjoying a great steak dinner, here in Bariloche, I noticed a sign on the window advertising a concert on Thursday night of my favorite Spanish singer, Julio Iglesias, so I think I’m going to see if I can get a ticket for the concert.
UPDATE: Julio is all sold out! Oh well. Turned out to be a pretty nice day even though very windy. Did a bunch of shopping and bought a bunch of beautiful handmade knived with all kinds of exotic handles, even one set for cooking steak, a knife and fork set hand made of German Stainless and with a sheath to store them both.

Tunel Las Raices

2010-02-01T05:08:00.000-08:00

Tunnel entrance

Area map

Inside the tunnel

January 31, 2010
Sunday
This morning I was up at the crack of 10:00 o’clock and decided to take a bike ride to a place I’ve been to before, but not on the bike. I’m talking about the “Tunel Las Raices”, that is about two to two and a half hours away from the Farm by bike. The sky dawned clear as a bell yet it was just a little cool at ten in the morning, so I put on the jacket and gloves and headed out. When I reached the town of Victoria, I stopped for gas since I only had half a tank and I like to fill it up whenever it reaches half empty because you never know when you’ll be in an area that has no gas stations and you’ll run low on fuel. Continuing toward the tunnel you come to the town of Curacautin, but there is no real reason to stop there and I drove right thru. Between Curacautin and the Tunnel there are a few stretches of very tight turns and you have to be very careful in these areas. It’s also very scenic in that stretch of the trip, as you drive on you can see quite a few volcanoes in the distance. As I reached the tunnel, I expected to have to pay before I entered, but I was told by a person there that now you had to pay at the other end. It wasn’t long before the barrier went up and the vehicles were allowed to enter the tunnel. It’s been quite a few years since I last drove thru the tunnel, and back then it was just gravel placed over the railroad tracks because this used to be a railroad tunnel that was converted to a tunnel for vehicles to use. I was very pleasantly surprised, as I entered the tunnel, to find that it has now been completely paved and lighted as well. In the early days it was an experience to drive thru the tunnel with water raining down thru the rocks inside and no lighting what so ever. This tunnel is nearly three miles long and only wide enough for one way traffic, as it is only 11.5 feet wide at its widest point and the width of the road is less than that. On the other side of the tunnel there is a very scenic valley with a mountain at one end that is perpetually covered with deep snow. It makes for a very nice place to take pictures, and that’s exactly what I did before heading back thru the tunnel and back to the Ranch. Total time was about five hours.

Life At The Ranch

2010-02-01T04:57:00.000-08:00

Main entrance

Dining room

January 30, 2010
Saturday
Since being at the ranch in Chufquen, I’ve eased into the routine here. The atmosphere at meal time is very formal. When it comes to meal time, we sit down in the large formal dining room, the table set with real silverware in the way of a five star restaurant. Knives and forks for the Entre, others for the main dish and yet others for desert. Glass for wine, others for water or other beverage. My Aunt has a full time cook that has worked for her for more than forty years. Elena (Nena as we call her) has worked here almost a life time, and is the best cook I’ve ever met, she’s more like one of the family. She would have no problem being top chef in any top restaurant in the world. Once at the table, you are waited on by the housekeeper, Rodrigo, who serves all the meals, sometimes in formal white jacket. It’s just something you have to get used to when you’re here; it’s always been this way. Kinda like home, right Sharon?
The rest of the day is one of finding something to keep you entertained. Since we are far from any city or town, you don’t just jump on the bike and head to the mall. You take walks around the main house or you go down to watch the workers unload the wheat in the warehouses, since this is harvest time and the busiest time of the year. We have WiFi here, but I find that my little Netbook will not pick up a signal up here at the main house. I have to go to the office 500 feet away to log on. The computer though is a good thing to have to pass the time processing pictures or writing my blog in Word and later uploading it to the Internet.

In The South Of Chile

2010-01-29T08:12:00.000-08:00

January 29, 2010
Friday
I have arrived in Chufquen, my Aunt’s ranch, the ride from Los Angeles this morning took about two hours as I expected, putting me here at around 10:30am. When you are here, you need to learn to slow down. It’s not like the big city where there’s all kinds of things to do. Here you are far from almost everything except peace and quiet, save the occasional rooster crow. It’s a very laid back atmosphere. The grounds surrounding the house resemble a well manicured park with a rose garden and too many other kinds of flowering plants to mention, mostly because I have no idea of their names. As soon as the battery on this computer is fully charged, I’m going to go to the other side of the house to see if I can capture the WiFi signal coming from the office a few hundred feet away. Until then!

Motel HELL!!

2010-01-29T00:26:00.000-08:00

The Pacific Ocean town of Constitucion

January 29, 2010
Friday
After leaving Santiago at about 11:00am yesterday, I headed south on the Pan American Highway, Route 5 in Chile. I rode about four hours before turning off Rt. 5 and heading west toward the Pacific Ocean town of Constitucion. Constitucion has some very nice beaches with black sand a jagged shoreline. After leaving there, I rode along the shore until in the town of Chanco the road headed back east and eventually back onto Rt. 5 once again. By the time I started back south on Rt. 5 it was quite late in the afternoon, and it was a tossup whether I could make it to my Aunt’s ranch at a reasonable hour or not. They tend to close up shop there around nine at night, so I chose to find a place for the night in the city of Los Angeles, even though I was only about two hours away. The Motel looked nice enough, a safe place to park my bike, a good size clean room, nice bathroom, and WiFi, always a plus! Now comes the “good part”. What I wasn’t aware of was that there was a small window left open in the room with no screen on it. Now, I’ve been going to Chile for many, many years now, and I had never seen a New York size mosquito let alone any Mosquito here in Chile because it’s generally a rather dry climate for the most part. But this hotel room was full of Mosquitoes. They had the market cornered, and I think they were all in my room. Well, after spending a considerable amount of time killing these nuisance critters, I figured I was home free and could get a good night’s sleep. Boy, was I wrong! There must have been a little Mosquito Commander in charge of this squadron of menacing marauders , that was sending them my way, one at a time, because as soon as I killed one, there soon would appear one more, and it went on this way all night long. Now, if the Skeeters weren’t enough to keep you awake all night, there was some kind of infernal whistle that kept going off every five minutes, like clockwork. As soon as you ducked your head under the sheet to keep that last Mosquito from attacking, and you started to drift off to sleep, TOOOOOOT! This damn whistle would go off and jolt you from your sleep, and it continued until at 4:30 in the morning when I woke someone up in reception and complained. Soon after, the whistle was gone! But I still have to ask, why the hell do they have to have a whistle going off every five minutes when you pay so that you can have a place to SLEEP? Guess I should have bitched sooner!

What Do You Mean It's Closed?

2010-01-27T15:35:00.000-08:00

The whole restaurant to myself

January 27, 2010
Wednesday
It’s looking like tomorrow I am going to start heading south to my Aunt’s ranch about seven hours away. I’m planning on taking the scenic route along the Pacific Ocean, so I figure it will take me all of tomorrow and part of Friday. If you’ve read my Blogs from past years, you know that I can’t leave Santiago without enjoying a great Argentine steak at one of my favorite places to eat. I’m talking about “El Rancho Del Che” in the foot hills of the Andes, not far from Santiago. Last year I took Sharon there for the first time, and she talks about that experience ‘til this day. At El Rancho Del Che they specialize in meat, all kinds of meat and let me tell you, it’s worth the drive. It seems though, that the last couple of times I’ve been there, I’ve hit their slow time. They told me today that January is typically their slow month, and today when I arrived the doors were locked, but there were two people working in the dining room. As the door opened, I asked Arturo if they were open and he indicated that they were not and I think he must have felt my disappointment, because he told me that if I wanted to eat, he would prepare me a nice meal. Now, let me ask you, has anyone ever opened a restaurant just for you, so you wouldn’t go away disappointed? I didn’t think so! This is the kind of hospitality you can expect here in Chile. I’m sure that if you’ve been reading this blog for the last few weeks, you’ve picked up on the fact that people here in Chile will go out of their way to help you. That is the way it is here.
Arturo let me in and led me to the dining room where I had my pick of the tables. Since it had to be close to 90 degrees today, he suggested I sit in the area where the fan was, and he turned it on producing a gentle breeze that made it quite comfortable in there. Arturo took my order and promptly set a cold Cristal Lager in front of me for starters. Not long after, he appeared at my table with a Chilean salad and shortly after that arrived the Steak cooked just the way I like it. I had a nice conversation with Arturo while I enjoyed the meal talking about his brother who also works there and of all the times I’ve been to the Restaurant. I assured him I would be back before I return to the USA in February.

What To Do?

2010-01-26T12:32:00.000-08:00

The Nikon S-570

January 26, 2010
Tuesday
Ever since the “Disaster in the Desert” I’ve been trying to come up with a good solution to the loss of the lens that was on my Nikon D-300 digital SLR camera. I have a second lens with me, but it's a Macro lens best used for very close up photography, like taking pictures of bugs and flowers. It doesn’t work well for the kind of photos I generally take. Since losing my lens in the Desert, I’ve ordered and received a new Nikon lens to replace the broken one. Problem is, I’m in South America and the new lens is in western New York USA. I looked into having the new lens shipped to me, but found it would be a bit pricy, between $200 and $300, not to mention the pissiblility of having something happen to the new lens in transit. What to do? I still have about a month and a half here in Chile. That’s when the lights came on, take the money I would spend shipping the lens and buy a good Point and Shoot camera for the time being, so off to the Mall I went. In one of the camera stores in the Mall Alto Las Condes, I found a small, compact Nikon S-570 12 Mega Pixel Point and Shoot camera. My big expensive Nikon D-300 has 12.1 Mega Pixels. Just what I wanted, so I walked out the proud owner of yet another Nikon. I spent a day or so familiarizing myself with the camera, and yesterday rode the bike into the Andes Mountains to take some serious pictures with the new little Nikon. I took multiple pictures to later join them together into Panoramas. I took pictures from nealy half a mile away of rafters in the River Maipo, using the Telephoto Zoom. I took pictures of mountain flowers in Macro mode. I took regular snap shots, and when I say this little camera is fantastic, I’m not kidding! The pictures that you see in the post titled "Embalse El Yeso", are all taken with this impressive little camera, and although they are reduced in size for ease of uploading, they still look great. There are more shots taken with the S-570 if you look in “My Photo Gallery” Chile 2010 gallery, taken on yesterdays trip to the Andes.

Embalse El Yeso

2010-01-25T16:36:00.000-08:00

Reservoir El Yeso

Mountain flowers in the Andes

Rafting on the Rio Maipo

January 25, 2010
Monday
First of all....A very Happy Birthday to my son Tom!!
Embalse El Yeso was my destination today. This is a reservoir to the east of Santiago up in the Andes Mountains. If you’re on the short list to receive my S.P.O.T. check in messages, then today you received an email showing exactly where the reservoir is located. (Lat: 33°38'55.03"S, Lon: 70° 4'24.65"W) It took me about an hour and a half to two hours to get there, as once you leave the blacktop there’s about twenty four kilometers of dirt road to contend with. I found myself a little gun shy on the dirt road today given the experience I had in the Atacama Desert a week or so ago. The road was good and I noticed the bike temperature raising the higher up into the mountains I went. I attributed it to a couple of things, first the wind was to my back on the way in, and I kept the speed down to keep from falling on my ass again! I would stop every once in a while to let the bike cool down before moving on. I took the new Nikon S-570 camera with me today, and after reviewing the pictures this evening, I must say, and you can quote me on this, The S-570 is one hell of a little camera! I uploaded quite a few of the pictures to my SmugMug gallery (that you can get to from this blog) at a reduced size and I have to say they still look fantastic. They rival the pictures from my Nikon D-300 12.1 Mega Pixel camera. I’ll be interested to see how the new Nikon lens I have waiting for me back home will compare. Back to the story, it was a totally clear sunny day as usual, and the road leading to the reservoir offered many opportunities for great picture taking. The reservoir is quite large, and with the mountains as a backdrop, it’s breathtaking. Crystal clear blue water surrounded by some very rugged mountains. Just beautiful!

What To Do In Santiago

2010-01-23T16:50:00.000-08:00

LAN Chile DC-3

Cessna 195

Beech 18

Grumman Albatros

January 23, 2010
Saturday
This morning I was sitting here trying to figure out where to go, so I decided to go to the top of San Cristobal Hill here in Santiago. Santiago has grown in all directions and now San Cristobal sits almost in the middle of the city, so if you go to the top you get a spectacular view of the city in all directions. While I wandered around looking at all the little tourist shops, I glanced out to the south and spotted the now closed Los Cerrillos Airport, and it was then that I remembered there was an Air and Space Museum there. Well, some of you that know me, know that if there is an aircraft anywhere in the vicinity, I want to see it! Off to Los Cerrillos I went, working my way thru the busy city streets not knowing exactly how to find the Airport. But with a little dead reckoning and the GPS unit, we where there in about an hour or less. The museum has some very old and some not so very old aircraft on display, one of my favorites was the LAN Chile Douglas DC-3, dating back to the early 50’s I’m sure. For all I know, it might have been the plane LAN Chile started out with. LAN Chile Airlines is my favorite airline. On no other airline that I’ve flown, do you get such wonderful service, good food and real knives and forks. You don’t pay extra for the wine or the beer and LAN has probably the most modern fleet of planes in the world. OK, the commercial is over! Back to the Museum. There where planes from all over the world in the collection and from almost every manufacturer as well. I saw a Grumman Albatros as well as a Beechcraft T-34 Mentor, a Beechcraft 18, a Cessna 195, a Consolidated PBY Catalina, just to mention a few. All in all, it was a great way to spend the warm sunny afternoon in Santiago.

Don Carlos Restaurant

2010-01-22T18:17:00.001-08:00

January 22, 2010
Friday

I’ve been in Chile now two weeks, and I thought it was high time I went for an Argentine steak dinner, so tonight I headed down the block and across the street to the “Don Carlos”. This is a high end restaurant in the Argentine tradition. Waiters in white jackets, décor that gives the feel of a Hacienda in Argentina, and top notch service. I ordered a Bife Chorizo, which is a good size juicy Rib Eye steak, accompanied by a Ensalada a la Chilena, a very traditional Chilean salad consisting of sliced tomatoes and thinly sliced onions dressed with Olive Oil, Lemon Juice and a touch of Balsamic Vinegar. Throw in an Escudo, a Chilean beer, and we have a meal!
I asked for the meat “well done” and I have learned that it will arrive at your table a little pink in the middle, something I have learned to live with, because the meat here tastes so good! The meat in the USA has NO taste compared to the meat in this part of the world! It’s always one of the highlights of my trip, and to top off a wonderful meal….an Espreso Coffee. I can’t wait to get to Argentina!

What Can I Say?

2010-01-20T15:13:00.000-08:00

If you click on the picture, it makes the 93 degrees even bigger! Warmer tomorrow!

Back On Two Wheels

2010-01-19T17:15:00.000-08:00

January 19, 2010
Monday

After a marathon 21 hour drive, my bike and I are back in Santiago. Johan Schulin and I left Calama, Chile, yesterday morning, just after 10:00am and arrived in Santiago at the BMW motorcycle dealer at 7:00 am this morning, an hour before they opened. I was a bit shocked when I was told by Claudio, the service manager, that I would have the bike back by 3:00pm the same day. I guess my good friend and General Manager of the dealership, Mauricio Vergara, had suggested to his people that they get right on my bike. Mauricio takes good care of me whenever I need something there. Mauricio has invited me to go along on a motorcycle ride, to the Pacific Ocean, with him and some representatives from the BMW motorcycle factory in Germany while they are here visiting in Chile, in a few weeks. Sounds like a good time to me.
By 4:00pm I was at the dealership picking up the bike, but as I was about to leave, I found that the battery had died, and the bike would not start. Turns out the battery had an internal short in it and had to be replaced. I had some suspicions about that battery last year, because I had problems with it on my trip to Ushuaia. I even mentioned to Mauricio one day last week that I thought the battery was a bit weak, and I had Mauricio listen to the bike as I started it, but he thought it sounded normal. Looks like I might have been right after all! Anyway, we have a brandee new battery in the bike now and it starts just fine. The adventure continues.

It's All Part Of The Adventure

2010-01-17T17:10:00.000-08:00

Guillermo

Isabel and Johan

January 17, 2010
Sunday

I’ve been replaying the events of the past few days in my head, and thinking that as bad as things could have been, I couldn’t have been rescued by nicer people. First off, I met Guillermo Troncoso who rescued me from the Desert, drove me and my bike all the back to San Pedro De Atacama. He then took the time to find me a way to get me back to Santiago using all his connection. He found a friend of his, Johan Schulin, who happened to be heading to Santiago tomorrow and was willing to take me and all my baggage along. Johan drove all the way from Calama to San Pedro De Atacama, a two hour round trip, on Saturday to pick me up and take me to a hotel in Calama, and we will be leaving Calama in the morning heading to Santiago. A 1000 mile trip. This afternoon, Johan invited me to his house for coffee and Empanadas, and to meet Isabel. Empanadas are a very Chilean food, like a turnover filled with ground beef with spices, an olive, a piece of egg (I take that out first thing!!) and raisins, Baked in the oven. Very good!
I could have done without getting so up close and personal with the Desert, but I have met some of the nicest, kindest people ever, due to this event. I now have two new friends in Chile. It’s all part of the adventure!

Desert Rescue On The Bolivian Border

2010-01-16T16:14:00.000-08:00

The scene,.....can you guess where the bike landed?

My savior, Guillermo

His helpers

Success

January 16, 2010
Saturday

I just found a way to get the pictures off my iPhone without having to “Sync” the phone, so I thought I would share these with you since my Nikon camera is out of order for the moment and the iPhone is the best I can do.

Change Of Plans

2010-01-16T11:54:00.001-08:00

January 16, 2010
Saturday
Slight change of plans! Guillermo, who was the guy that rescued me from the Desert, made a bunch of phone calls and found a friend of his that is going to Santiago on Monday, so he arranged for me to ride with him as well as the bike, for a price of course. But it’s the best thing that has happened in this whole disaster. I also looked the bike over and found that I could fix the two directional’s and all I will need are the lenses. Also, I spoke with the BMW dealer in Santiago, and they have the valve cover in stock. So this might not take as long to fix as I thought.
I will be in the hotel in Calama until Monday morning, because tomorrow is Presidential Elections day here in Chile, and it is compulsory that everyone vote.

San Pedro De Atacama

2010-01-16T04:13:00.000-08:00

January 15, 2010
Friday

I made it to San Pedro De Atacama this morning, and found myself a place to stay for the night because they told me in town that it gets filled up in a hurry in the afternoon. Once I was settled, I decided to take a ride to the Geysers of Tatio about 53 miles away in the Chilean Altiplano. It was a nice ride at first as the road was a hard packed oiled surface. The farther into the Desert I went, the road became a typical Chilean dirt road, something I have ridden many miles on. About 50 miles into the trip, I suddenly encountered a deep section of sand on the road that caught me by surprise. The bike suddenly began to swerve to one side, then the other, and it was then I realized there was no saving this. The bike was going down, and since I was headed in the same direction, I followed close behind. Once the cloud of dust settled, I could see….this wasn’t good! Right away I saw oil spilling from under the bike. There’s only one place for that to come from, so I shut it down quickly. As I stood the bike up, I could see a substantial hole in the right side cover of the valves. It was at this time that the possibility of being stuck out here in the Atacama Desert for quite a while became evident. I took stock of my physical condition, and found no broken bones, although I had taken a pretty hard hit. I looked back in the direction I had come, and saw a debris field the likes of the Titanic. One of my saddle bags was ripped off the side of the bike, as well as both directionals on the right side. As I looked back, to my horror, I saw my expensive Nikon camera lying in the sand in the middle of the road. As I picked it up I could see that the lens had pulled away from the camera body. The end of that lens. Well, to make a long story short, after composing myself, I took out my S.P.O.T. Emergency Locator Beacon that I carried for this very possibility, and hit the 911 button to summon help. The cell phone was of absolutely no use out here, and since S.P.O.T. relies on satellite communication, it was my only hope. Last year in the Dakar Rally that ran thru Chile and Argentina, one of the competitors died in a very similar incident. He spent a few days in this very same desert, and didn’t make it.
By a stroke of luck, after being stranded in the Desert for about four hours, a pickup truck came by. I explained to the gentleman what had transpired, and right away he said “We’re going to load the bike in the truck”. Guillermo, as I later found out owns the same kind of bike, and was on vacation with his family. Well, they all got out and proceeded to unload the back of the truck to make room for the bike. After a lot of work, we managed to load the bike, and headed back to San Pedro De Atacama. On the way, we encountered the police that where responding to the message sent by satellite to the emergency center in the USA. The Emergency Center contacted authorities here in San Pedro and the police responded.
Today Guillermo is going to take me to Calama, the nearest city, to try and rent a pickup truck to take the bike back to Santiago for repairs.

Off To Calama

2010-01-15T02:04:00.000-08:00

Mano Del Desierto

Sea Lions on the Pacific

January 14, 2010
Thursday

I had a great deal of time to think as I rode thru the desert today, and one irony came to mind. How can the driest desert on Earth be right next to the largest body of water on Earth? I do know the answer to this one! While driving north along the coast there was abundant evidence that the Pacific Ocean isn’t always pacific. In at least two places there was evidence of the mighty Pacific coming a quarter mile inland to claim a piece of the Pan-American Highway. I’d love to see that storm! Took the road right out!
How do you say Jack Ass in Spanish? This morning, as I prepared to leave the place I stayed at last night, I found my motorcycle blocked in by a car. I mean this guy left me no way to get my bike out, at all! It was nearly nine in the morning, so I went and knocked on the door of the cabin to which the vehicle belonged, and an older guy answered the door. I explained, very nicely, that his vehicle was blocking my bike and I had no way to get it out, to which he proceeded to bitch me out for waking him at that hour of the day, and then told me he was going back to bed and I would get out when he was ready. Oh boy! If you know anything about me, you know that ain’t gonna fly! I didn’t take him seriously so I waited for him to come move his car. Five minutes…Ten minutes. OK times up! I wound up having to get someone from the office to wake Sleeping Beauty up so he’d move his damn car. He finally did! I guess some people around here must get up at the crack of noon! What a Jack Ass!
The rest of the day was a long ride across the desert. I did stop at a few interesting places along the way. You can see them in the Photo Gallery. One thing I can say is, I have see all the dirt and rocks I want to see for quite a while. I’m hoping the next day or two will be a bit more picturesque. We’ll see!

In The Atacama

2010-01-14T03:17:00.000-08:00

January 13, 2010
Wednesday

I left Valle Del Elqui early yesterday morning and headed north into the heart of the Atacama Desert, leaving just about anything green behind. This is an interesting landscape of what appears to be only two kinds of vegetation, some kind of a scrubby bush, and Cacti. Nothing else! As I rode farther north into the Atacama there was nothing growing, and I had to laugh as I passed a sign that had a Deer crossing symbol on it. The Deer down here must be pretty tough, because the only two things to eat in this area are rocks and dirt!
I reached Bahia Inglesa (English Bay) late in the day. From all I have heard about Bahia Inglesa, it’s big with the tourists, especially the ones from Argentina. Bahia Inglesa is right on the Pacific Ocean and it has a beautiful crescent shaped beech. This is where I stopped for the night. This morning I will push on northward toward Antofagasta, not knowing where I’ll end up.

Off To The Desert

2010-01-13T04:11:00.000-08:00

Valle Del Elqui

Dakar rider waves to me as he passes by

Tuesday January 12, 2010
10:00am

As I headed north out of Santiago this morning, it was a beautiful clear day with not a cloud in the sky. As I expected, it wasn’t all that easy to find Route 5 North, the PanAmerican Highway. I could see it on my GPS, and I watched as the bike passed over it, but you think they might put up a sign telling you how to get to it, NO. I stopped to ask a taxi driver, and he told me it was possible, his hand flew in all directions as he explained how to get on to Rt. 5. Anyways, I kinda got the general idea of how to find it, and after a little dead reckoning, there I was, heading north on Ruta 5 Norte. Piece of cake from here! Just stay on Ruta 5.
About an hour out of Santiago, I noticed hundreds people lined up all along the road side, honking their car horns, and waving Chilean flags and waving at me. People gathered on all the pedestrian overpasses. I thought to myself, how did they know I was going to be passing this way? They were so exited and enthusiastic. So being the nice guy that I am, I waved back. It was then that I realized, you idiot, they’re waving at the Dakar Rally participants. How did I know? I was on a motorcycle, many of the Dakar drivers were also on motorcycle…it’s all good!
Anyhow, I drove farther north for a while, then found a place where I could pull off the road and get some good pictures as the Dakar Rally passed by. There were motorcycles, 4X4’s, massive support trucks and even 4 wheeler ATV’s competing. Quite a sight! Something you don’t see every day.
My aim was to get to "Valle Del Elqui", near the city of La Serena, Chile. I had been to La Serena a few years ago, with my Aunt Eliana. She invited me to spend about a week at a beach side resort in La Serena, but for some reason, I thought it only took us about four or five hours to get here that time. Even though I stopped only for gas a couple of times and once to get a sandwich, it took me a good seven hours to get here! Guess I thought it was closer.
Once in the city of La Serena, I headed east, into the Andes Mountains following the Valle Del Elqui (Elqui Valley) incase you hadn’t figured that one out. As I drove farther into the valley, I came across a large reservoir called "Embalse Puclaro" (Embalse means reservoir) this looked like a nice place to stop and take a picture. Continuing on, I noticed it was now passed six in the afternoon, and I thought to myself, I might want to start looking for a place to stay for the night if I didn’t want to pitch a tent. The town of Pisco Elqui was about seven miles away, and I had read that it was an interesting town to explore. So, I’m in Pisco Elqui at a nice little cabin for the night. Tomorrow I will explore the Valley a bit more before heading farther north.
On another note, I was thinking, as the day drew late and I rode farther and farther into the ruggedness of the Andes Mountains, this is a strange feeling riding a motorcycle alone in some pretty remote parts of South America, not knowing where or if I would find a place to stay for the night. It kind of puts the sense of Adventure Riding into perspective. Sorta puts the “Adventure” in Adventure Riding!

The Adventure Begins

2010-01-11T13:17:00.000-08:00

Monday
January 11, 2010

Early tomorrow I plan on starting the bike trip to the dryest desert in the world. I'm first going to go to a place called "Valle Del Elqui", that should take about five hours to get to. Valle Del Elqui is a very picturesque valley on the border of the high desert, and it runs east into the Andes Mountains. I'll spend a day in that area, and then continue north to Bahia Inglesa (English Bay). This is on the Pacific coast and is said to be one of the most beautiful beaches in Chile. I will probably overnight there and continue to San Pedro De Atacama the following day. Probably a day there to see the salt flats and geysers, and then start heading back to Santiago, before heading south to my Aunts ranch.

All eMail Communications

2010-01-11T05:53:00.000-08:00

A reminder to anyone sending me eMail while I am in South America. Please send ALL eMail to: thebmwrider@live.com I can not respond to eMail sent to my Roadrunner account while overseas. Thanx

Not Much Happening

2010-01-10T00:58:00.000-08:00

Sunday January 10, 2010
Santiago, Chile

It's the weekend and I don't have much to report at the moment. I've been to the Mall a few times to buy stuff like a cell phone, Mobile Internet Norrowband (not pleased with the performance) and a 16GB pen drive to load my pics on. Monday I have to go to the DMV to reregister the bike. I forgot I'm riding an unregistered bike at the moment. Ooooops! You might see me on "Locked Up Abroad".
I'm hoping to start the trip north early this coming week. Oh, by the way, The "Chile 2010" photo gallery (to the right of this page) is now active, so please take a spin over to see what I've been photographing.

Getting Stuff Done

2010-01-08T14:11:00.001-08:00

Friday January 8, 2010

Today was a "buy day". A day dedicated to getting stuff done that I needed to do, like get the headlight of the motorcycle replaced because part of it came lose last year on the trip to Ushuaia, and there was no way to repair it. I also spent part of the day trying to locate a Mobile Internet Service for my Netbook. Finally I succeeded, even though it's a little slow. Better than nothing, I say! That's it for now.

P.S. Pictures have now been uploaded to the Gallery.

Santiago, Chile

2010-01-08T14:05:00.000-08:00

Tallest building in South America, for now!

Thursday, Jan 7, 2010

The plane touched Chilean soil at 9:45am (local) this morning, about ten minutes ahead of schedule, which was OK with me because sleeping on the plane last night was a chore, as usual. In just about an hour, I managed to get thru the long lines of Customs and Immigration, and then the final bag screening. At the last bag screening, I was stopped by one of the Immigration agents because it seems I had forgotten to sign my Declaration form. That was easy to remedy, and then I went out into the main part of the airport and into the hordes of Taxi drivers trying to give me a ride into Santiago at twice the price. Since this isn’t my first rodeo, I pushed my way thru the crowded airport until I found the “TransVip” counter. TransVip is a company that runs shuttle vans from the airport to any place in Santiago, and since they can carry numerous passengers, the fare is much more reasonable. It cost me 6,200 pesos ($12.40) to get me and my entire luggage into Santiago. A fair price in my estimation.
So, by 11:30am local (9:30am EST) I arrived at my Aunts in Santiago. Door to door….22 hours! Once I was settled, I went over to my other Aunts, where my bike is stored, and proceeded to remove the cocoon that the bike had hibernated in for the past ten months. As expected, the BMW started right up. As not expected, I had a nearly flat front tire, but I managed to, very carefully, drive a few blocks to the gas station to take care of that. (note to self….bring the air pump you spent $100 on last year, next time you go to unwrap the bike) I have the pump here, but it was at the other Aunts house at the time.
Now it is 7:10pm here and my Aunt and I are going to go on the nightly ritual walk, something I could really use!

the Flights

2010-01-08T14:02:00.000-08:00

Wednesday Jan 6, 2010

The flight from Buffalo to Boston left on time, and as we climbed out of the heavy overcast that covered all of New York State, we broke out of the clouds to a glorious sunny day on top. It was a strange feeling as we broke out of the clouds. The tops of the clouds looked so still and peaceful. Like a huge sheet of white cotton candy. The flight to Boston took just about an hour. There was a very marked increase in the number of TSA agents (Transportation Security Administration) in Boston, but to be honest, getting thru security wasn’t that much different in either airport. It went pretty fast.
When I arrived in Boston, I stopped in the “Legal C Food Restaurant” (don’t ask me, I didn’t come up with that name!) to get a bite to eat, and since I can’t stand C Food, I asked for a Sam Adams and an order of fries. I figured that would be safe.
I am now on my way to Miami at 30,000 feet, at this moment, and of course, I got the seat that won’t recline, so I figured I would move one seat back which happens to be an Emergency Exit. It has more leg room and I figured it would at least recline. Boy was I wrong! Not only did it not recline, but for some reason, sitting next to that door was like sitting next to an open refrigerator. I almost got freezer burn. Won’t do that again! Even with a blanket between me and the side of the plane, I’m cold.
It’s 9:15pm at the moment, and we are due to land in Miami at 10:20pm.
We actually landed in Miami at 10:00pm, and I am now at the gate waiting for the overnight flight to Santiago scheduled to leave at 11:45pm.

Time To Leave The Snow Behind

2010-01-08T13:59:00.000-08:00

Wednesday Jan. 6, 2010

The time has arrived for me to head to the airport in Buffalo. I will first fly to Boston, then on to Miami, before boarding the long overnight flight to Santiago. Once off the plane in Chile, I will go thru Customs and Imigracion, which takes maybe 10 minutes or so depending on the line. Once that is done, it’s off to reunite with my luggage and then the final luggage check if you are so chosen. Then it’s out into the warm sun of Santiago and a shuttle ride into the Capital, to my Aunts house. After getting settled, I will go to pick up the BMW at another Aunts house and begin the adventure.

Welcome to South America Moto Adventures

2009-09-28T15:16:00.000-07:00

The purpose of this site, is to consolidate all my South American motorcycle adventures in one place. Last year I dedicated http://theshortwaydown.blogspot.com/ to my first "real" motorcycle adventure that took me thru Chile and Argentina, a sixteen day solo journey that took me all the way to the southern tip of South America to the city of Ushuaia, Argentina. Since I've been going to Chile every year since 1996, and I now have my own motorcycle in Chile, this site will be the place to come to, if you'd like to follow me on my motorcycle adventures in South America. To keep up with my travels thru South America, I hope you will return to this site starting on or about January 7, 2010.

P.S. Weather conditions for Santiago, Chile are now available at the bottom of this page. A word of warning to western New Yorkers, you might be booking a flight to Chile after reading the weather forcast.