Kinda Slow Days

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

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

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

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

Back Home

 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

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.