diary

The end! Days 81-88

Fri, 03 Dec 2010 21:54:45 +0100

Day 81 - Chris

Miles 608

After a late start tinkering with Frank, then a leisurely breakfast, we finally hit the road at 10am, the first 100 miles together with Jim, then he headed north in the direction of Buenos Aires and I headed south to complete the trip in Ushuaia... MainlyDueSouth is now a one man band.

It is a wee bit strange travelling without him but I´m looking forward to Ushuaia all the same.

The wind today started bad enough and I had a sore neck after the first 100 miles... then I headed south and the wind got stronger and stronger, jesus I have been finding it hard to hold 60mph on roads that are flat and dead straight!

So much so in fact that when the wind was against me the bike started drinking fuel, normally I expect around 240 miles on a tank of gas but today I ran out at 140 miles and with 180 miles between gas stations I was a bit buggered!! Just to add to my plight was the fact that it was 9pm, just getting dark and in the most bleak place on earth I think, there was no chance of shelter and the wind was making it hard to stand on my feet. After 2 hours of stopping every car or lorry that passed I finally got lucky when a pickup pulled over who happened to be carrying a petrol generator in the back, we (or he) drained the contense of the generator and I was back on my way, by this time it was pushing midnight, after reaching the gas station and having a coffe I rode a little further untill I was really needing to sleep, guess what, could I find shelter? could I bollocks... side of the road in the 75mph wind it was, to be fair I was so tired it did not take 30 seconds before I passed out.

Day 82 - George

Miles: Unknown

I woke in a garbage dump, this is why you don't ride at night with no lights. However it did have the benefit of providing me with the perfect toilet seat in the form of a blown out tyre, the ribs weren't up for squatting this morning.

I filled the tank after what I figured was around 150 miles and then for no good reason I pulled into the next gas station to see if they had an ATM. Very few gas stations have ATMs and I have no idea why I thought this one would be any different. Then low and behold, bugger the ATM, that's the best lady on her Euromot parked up! What are the chances of that in the middle of Argentina? Pretty bitchin I'd say.

Found a ridiculously expensive hotel for the night. Sorry Frank, you are on your own tonight son.

Day 82 - Chris

Miles 360

The wind never stopped me sleeping as I never woke untill 9am! Then it was off on my last day heading south.

One thing I had never noticed was that I needed to cross into Chile to make it to Tierra del Fuego then back into Argentina to Ushuaia, so an hour was lost at the border then it was to the ferry that takes you to TDF, when I got there there was a Brazilian couple waiting, also on bikes, they spoke no English but we chatted untill bording the ferry. The woman (Rosa) was no more that 5ft5´ and was riding the same bike as me, good going I thought. I agreed to ride with them to the next gas station but was thinking to myself that I might have to make my excuses and go on ahead as I wanted to make Ushuaia in the light. As we left the ferry Rosa fell off on the gravel ramp and broke the end off her gear shifter, I thought she would need it fixing before being happy to ride but no no, on she got, not fazed in the slightest and off we went... flat out! they were happy sitting on the gravel roads at 70 mph, brilliant, no more worries about them holding me back!

We went our seporate ways as they were stopping around 130 before Ushuaia.

These were the best 130 miles I´v ridden in quite a few dats, the scenery started changing dramatically and mountains appeared from nowhere, there is even a ski resort here!.

When I arrived in Ushuaia I was met by a German couple in the street who directed me to the hostal they are staying at also with their bikes... brilliant, now its off for a few beers, no doubt deown the local Irish pub.

Day 83 - George

Miles: 517km

Long ride today to General Little Dick. Tried an afternoon nap but couldn't get up again, bloody ribs.

We met a group of bikers who showed us to a cheap hotel, this was nysh. Anne was doing an amazing 105mpg while Frank knocked out 75mpg. Bitchin.

Day 83 - Chris

Miles 20

I did not make it in until around 1amand boy did I sleep, didnt wake up untill 10am.

Its been a lazy day, I cought up with emails then went for a ride around the area, its bloody gorgeous fair play, a real gem to finnish off the journey south with.

Dont expect any pictures with me standing with the famous énd of the world´ sign as that is just out of town in the national park which you have to pay around 70pasos to enter... I dont want the picture that bad! Anyhow there is a smaller sign on the way into town apparently, I just never saw it.

I have just been sending emails to try and start sorting shipping the bike back, lñooks promising, Anja and Holger (the German couple) kindly lent me their laptop whilst they prepaired dinner for the three of us... nisch

Day 84 - George

Miles: 525km

Another long day today, but we are now only 200km from Mendoza where we hope to hole up for a week or two and get the bike sorted. It was a toss up between there and Buenos Aires and as we both like Mendoza that seemed like the better option. We will also be in close proximity to Chile where V-Stroms are pretty common and parts for big bike seem slightly cheaper.

One of my fork seals is leaking pretty badly, making my front brakes pretty well ineffective but is having the benefit of shining my right boot.

Day 84 - Chris

Miles 450

I left this morning with Anja and Holger and we took the compulsory pics with the End of the World sign, then I took off as I was travelling a little faster.

At the border crossing I met the Irish guy and his wife that I had met a couple of nights back in the Irish pub, we rode the gravel together then went our seporate ways at the ferry.

Now, I was suprised on the way over that the ferry was free, I mean, its in Chile and the only people really using it are heading to Ushuaia, Argentina, but I was informed by the Irish guy (sorry I forgot his name and website!) that it was not in fact free at all I had just not payed, so I figured the best thing to do on my return was to not pay again... tidy.

After the ferry it was the last border crossing of the trip (again) and I was back in Argy.

My rear tyre which had started going flat the day George had his crash has started going down more frequently. Today I was forced to stop lorries aqnd use their compressor just to get to the next gas station, I would fix it but guess who has the repair kit and pump?! and he is surely in Buenos by now.

Day 85 - George

Miles: 221km

Reached Mendoza, home for the next wee while whilst parts for Frank are sourced. Its good to be back here, its like I never left, although the staff are slightly more fucked than usual been as it was Tino the psycho's birthday last night.

Day 85 - Chris

Miles 540

The wind has been less ferocious today and I have had a real pleasent trip up the coast, the sun is out and the Atlantic looks amazing.

I stopped at an internet cafe today and it looks like I need the bike at the container port on the 30th or the 1st.

I found out where my rear wheel is loosing air and its from a dent I put in the rim in Mexico I think, god knows why its only just started leaking, well actually it makes perfect sense, its because George has the pump and repair kit... doh.

But its no problem as I have the hammer and have roughly knocked the dent out, time will tell if it works.

I met a lot of bikes today, seems there is a big bike event on next week in Ushuaia.

Day 86 - Chris

Miles 500+

I realised that I am actually well ahead of schedule so afforded myself time to visit the Valdes Peninsula, the whole area is a world heritage site and full of wildlife. I took a trip around the peninsula and saw elephant seals, apparently the only colony of them in the world. and a little further on there were penguins... right there within touching distance! I did not expect to be seeing any on this trip.

Other than that 250odd mile detour its been an uneventfull day.

I´m about sick of service station cheese and ham sandwitches for breakfast and dinner, but they are convinient.

My rear tyre seems to have stayed upwhich is good, but its very bald now and still has 1000 miles to go, I cant see it making it.

Day 87 - Chris

Miles 550

A pretty straight forward day today, passing through farming country, thousands of acres of good fertile land. Seems they are gearing up for harvest as there are combines lined up on the headlandsa waiting to go.

I met a couple of farmers at the gas station, they were excited to see me and the bike and when I told them I was a farmer they could hardly contain their excitment, especially when they found out I have Aberdeen Angus as that is also what they farm.

My bald tyre has started to de-laminate and the tread blocks have started coming away from the canvas, I think this is a result of running too long with a flat tyre, it over heated.So my speed has had to drop from a steady 85mph to a more steady 60mph, the last thing I want is to have to change tyres as there is only 200 miles to go... then it will be over, tomorrow will be my last day riding in South America, seems a little odd to be honest, its sad that this fantastic adventure is coming to an end, it really has been a great trip and better that I had ever imagined it to be, saying that though, I am looking forward to returning home and getting on with things... maybe start to plan the next MainlyDue trip?

Day 88 - Chris

Miles 340

Well thats it, Im here.

Pretty straight forward days ride, spent a couple of hours riding around the city trying to find a hostel when I finally met a guy who is also travelling by bike and he directe4d me to the hostel he is staying at... then it was out for a few to many beers.

It all goes Pete Tong in Argentina. Days 79-81

Mon, 22 Nov 2010 11:50:33 +0100

Day 79

Miles 370

We headed for the Welsh town of Trevelin. It was pretty dead but we did manage to find a guy in the tourist info to say fit like to, or even bore da. We haven't had rain for the last buggery knows how lomg, but in true form it pissed it down in the Trevelin valley.

No naps to report today, we did however find the obligatory Irish bar for a swift half.

Day 80

Miles 350

We had a really good start to today, covering 250 miles before lunch but shortly after lunch the day turned a little pear shaped.

We were cruising along on one of the straightest roads we have yet had running through an oil field at a comfy 85mph when I looked in my mirror and there was no George... this is normally ok but I had seen him moments before passing a crossroads and he was not there after, SHIT, I turned round and headed back, the only logical explanation was that someone had pulled out on him and at 85mph I have to admit I did not expect things to be good. As I got closer it was obvious something was not right due to the four vehicles stopped in the road, the first thing I saw was Georges bike which looked destroyed then to my amazement there was George standing by the side of it... seemingly in one piece!

It turns out an oil worker had pulled out at speed onto the road without looking, straight in front of the boy, luckily George managed to swerve and narrowly avoid the pickup but this left him at full speed on the sloping gravel ditch bank... he had managed to hold it for the best part of 150 yards before getting out of shape and hitting the deck, only coming to rest a further 30 yards down the ditch! The lucky little bugger.

Someone had called an ambulance before I had even arrived even though the boy was insistent he was fine and did not need one.

I followed him back to the hospital where the doctor agreed that he was fine, just bruised ribs.

Then it was back to the scene for a chat with the police.

The pickup that caused the crash did not stop but the irony of it was that it was a vehicle from the Wood Group an Aberdeen based company!

Never mind, the bike was chucked in the back of the police pick up and we headed back to a local town where George was once again made to visit the local hospital for an x-ray on his ribs, turns out he has 2 broken ribs and had a morphine jab up the ass. Haha

The cops were real helpful and found a local garage to help fix the bike... now the bike was in a state, it had obviously gone cartwheeling and bent the front forks badly, slightly buckled the front wheel, broken all the front fairing and dash and bent the rear pannier racks all to cock.

Once the police had dropped the bike off, myself and the young mechanic set to work and wiithin half an hour or so the from forks were off and ready to be straightened, the mechanic disappeared with these whilst I removed all of the broken body work and set to straightening the racks.

Unfortunately the forks could not be straightened easily and we ended up doing this with a blow torch and scaffold bar! By around midnight the fat bitch was back to near roadworthyness but now has a new name, Frank.

It does not resemble much of the v-strom but it should be good enough to get George back to Buenos Aires 1200miles away where he will have to get new front forks and maybe a wheel. He is just bloody lucky that he is not as messed up as the bike! Its been a long day.

Day 81

Miles: The map is optimistic at best and I have no clocks any more.

Work continued late into the night on Frankenstein, with myself capable of carrying around 10mm spanners, 11mm at a push. The light of day revealed the bastardised creation. I looked nysh. I also realised just how much pain I was in once the morphine, which made me pretty nuts, had worn off. My arse was also pretty tender but when a bloke is insistent you take it there and grins and winks what can you do? Roll over and think of England. It should also be noted that if you think you may end up in a compromising situation always wear clean grundies. The pair in question shocked the doctors who are supposed to have seen it all, especially the females.

We hit the road at an easy pace and soon knocked out the first 90miles to where we split. From now on MainlyDueSouth is a solo effort as I am north bound. I took off solo and my rear light instsntly packed up. Not a big deal but a brake light would be nice. Then the wind came and shit me did it come on. Crosswinds that make the arsehole pucker and buses, oh the fucking busses. When they pass oncoming in a crosswind the blast is like an explosion in the helmet and pounds the ribs so hard I was close to vomiting. That said, I am feeling pretty high after surviving yesterday with little injury. I am also amazed that Frank is running so well. The fatty is just eager to please.

Hammer down in Chile. Days 76-78

Mon, 22 Nov 2010 11:48:40 +0100

Day 76

Miles 15 maybe??

Our aim today was to update the website then hit the road... The website took longer to update than expected and by 2pm we decided to sample a bottle of wine whilst waiting for the photo's to upload, that bottle was followed by another and by late in the evening half of the hostel was on the wine and another good night of music and general drunkenness ensued.

Everyone turned in for the night at around 2am so we decided the best thing to do (and the cheapest) was to get on the bikes and wobble out of town and camp... the Dutch are a bad influence.

Day 77

Miles 400

Fucking Dutch. We managed to get a fairly early start all things considering and hit the road before 8am. The going was tough but the roads were good and we were soon at the Argentine/Chilean border. This would have been the smoothest, most efficient border of the trip if it wasn't for the picolickas working there. I couldn't believe how unhelpful, miserable and down right rude the whole bloody lot of them were. Especially the two clowns who emptied the contents of my boxes onto the floor whilst repeatedly asking if I was smuggling class A fruit and Veg. Oranges are particularly frowned upon due to the high vitamin C content. Once repacked we were allowed to leave and so duly tested the acoustics of the customs shed, leaving Dumb and Dumber to continue interfering with the sniffer dog. Welcome to Chile baby!

About 2pm we came over all Dutch and had a nap, this was nysh. We also now appear to once again be in a country that expects you to pay tolls on a bike. After that customs experience there is no chance we are paying for these most excellent roads, so we have been following cars through barriers and on occasion taking to the footpaths before pinning it WFO. There was also a brief confrontation with a pair of parking attendants who wanted paying for the two minutes we spent at the wanky bank. It is only a fool that stands in front of the Boy's bike as all mammals are treated as obstacles not to be avoided.

All in all this morning left a nasty taste in the mouth, however the people we met this afternoon have restored things to an even keel. This is definitely not Argentina though, it seems more like France, which would explain a thing or two.

Must remember to oil the number plates in the morning, wet roads today have cleaned them to an almost legible state.

Day 78

Miles 410

We made a good start today and covered 250 miles before lunch, all of which were in the direction of Argentina. After a short nap we crossed the border at around 2pm, the border was in an absolutely idyllic setting with snow capped mountains all around and it just continued to be pleasant for the rest of the day... its great to be back in Argentina.

Our camp spot for the night was just outside of town in a lay by but not long after falling asleep we were awoken by the cops and told it was not safe there so move on, the first time on the trip we have had to move camp, not a problem as we just rode further out of town and found somewhere off the road... nysh.

Trying to leave Argentina. Days 74-75

Mon, 22 Nov 2010 11:43:03 +0100

Day 74

Miles 240

We covered the 240 miles to Mendoza by around 11am and the first stop was to find George his new tyre... It cost him around double what it should have done but being frivolous as he is it was no problem. Then we headed into the centre to find a hostel, while sat pondering where to head three Dutch guys came over who were also on bikes and showed us the way to the hostel they were at, so in went the bikes and out came the beer, its been a gorgeous hot day and the five of us hit town after tea, its nuts here as everything happens later, people were still dining out at 1am!

Day 75

Miles 0

Heads were pounding this morning, we put this down to the loud music and the smoke machine in the club last night. After some buggering about we managed to change three tyres and clean the air filters. For the first time when changing tyres we opted for the explosion method, whereby a volatile substance is sprayed into the tyre and ignited to reseat the bead. By the third tyre we had the technique nailed, the trick being a copious amount of deodorant.

Lunch with the DutchDangleberries.com and an evening's entertainment with Saul and Tino the psycho on the guitar.

North Argentna. Days 72-73

Mon, 15 Nov 2010 11:50:09 +0100

Day 72

Miles 360

George woke up today with bad guts, so after breakfast we found a pharmacy and got him some pills the same as I had, hopefully they will clear him up.

We stopped at a gas station in Salta for a coffee and ended up having a shower too thanks to the pump attendant letting us use the staff facilities.

We have made the decision not to head to Iguazu as we are already running a couple of days behind schedule and also are up on expected miles too.

So now we are heading to Mendoza, the road we have taken happens to be the Salta wine trail so obviously we ended up in a small town drinking wine. The road here has been stunning, bright red mountains like you see in Monument Valley with the vines growing in the valley bottoms.

The town we decided to have a drink in was very nice also, it could easily have been in france... and the wine was GOOD.

We have camped just out of town on some sand, George managed to get stuck in the sand so we just set camp next to the bike and will extract it tomorrow.

Day 73

Miles: 460

The sober light of day revealed our bivi site in all is glory, we had done well. The fat bitch must have agreed as she spent the night lying down, the old girl is getting tired.

We are currently following the main road south, which today has varied between chip seal and gravel, making a sound job of removing what little tread was left on our rear tyres. Will hopefully find a new one in mendoza. The riding was surprisingly good despite how straight the roads are. There was a water crossing to add a bit of interest, and wetness due to excessive speed. I also managed to stuff the bike into a stone wall when passing a bus. The damage was pleasingly minimal given the clout. My box has been punctured and the racks are fairly severely bent and are now supporting the exhaust. Thankfully most of my body was clear of impact zone and the only injury sustained was a bruised foot.

As today's injuries go, mine was minimal compared to what Chris was dishing out. At a police control check point a dog decided the best moment to cross the road was just as one of the fatties was preparing to not stop as per standard operating procedure. An emergency stop was no possible so Fido got the full force of a front wheel and was sent barrel rolling down the road. There was some shouting from the police box, which in our limited Spanish we took to mean GTF outa there. We did.

Bolivia. Days 68-71

Mon, 15 Nov 2010 11:47:47 +0100

Day 68

Miles 200 odd

Last night WAS cold, We had an early night and I must have gone to sleep at around 8pm, I woke at around 12-1am bloody freezing, partly (mostly) due to me being ill but also because everything was frozen and my bivvy bag had a layer of ice over it... so I did my sleeping bag up and put my woolly hat on and finally went back to sleep just before the sun came up... which is when George got up and so did I.

We hit the Bolivian border at around 7am only to find they do not open until 8, when open they dont like to rush either, 3 and a half hours it took to get 2 bloody stamps.

Once on the road though Bolivia has been a treat, we headed straight through La Paz and on towards the death road, now we didnt want to make a mistake so we explored a few roads first until we knew we had the right one, by which time the sun had set and we have just ridden down into the valley in the dark... probably a good job as there are some damn big drops on the side of the road, tomorrow should be a lot of fun with some spectacular scenery to boot.

Day 69

Miles: 220

So we hit the Yungus, or death road early this morning, most probably due to a mixture of excitement, noisy trucks and dust where it shouldn't be. The excitement of being shouted at by a man with a torch and a dog whilst answering the call of nature the previous night had left its inevitable mark(s). These were first on the the to do list.

The road was awesome and pretty well deserving of its formidable reputation. It literally clings the the cliff face and the drops are further than you think. Thankfully traffic was minimal as the dust was like cement making overtaking a real bitch, especially when combined with the rough single track. After a light brunch which consisted of a Coke, we opted opted to head back to La Paz on the old Yungus to Coroico. This was out of this world riding. Very similar in severity to the morning's ride, however the gravel was smoother due to the reduced volume of traffic. There was a veneer of extremely fine dust, which when deep enough made for good roosting around corners. We stopped about half way for lunch and it turned out that this particular dish of “yes two please” was steak. Tough as old boots but steak none the less.

As a treat we gave the bitches a side of the road oil change, they were just shy of twice the recommended interval. It must have looked like the YMCA was in town when we were mincing around with tops off in the sweltering heat, not to mention when riding pants were dropped to the ankles to facilitate the drying of severely sweaty boxers. Who said overland biking aint glamorous?

Heading south once more, released from two days behind bars on the death road. I bid you Cunning Yungus.

Day 70

Miles 410

Today we headed towards the salt flats at Uyuni, this was an addition to our schedule so when the roads turned to a washboard and 25mph felt too fast we decided to give it a miss as we are already behind schedule.

It was a pretty productive day mile wise, its a shame not all of it was in the right direction!

No more excitement really apart from me nearly running out of fuel, the bikes only go around 240 miles on a tank and I ended up getting 290 miles as a result of free wheeling down all hills.

We are camped up above the gravel road we have been travelling on and its windy as hell, recon ill sleep well though.

Day 71

Miles: 260

As it turns out, the road we had camped on was not actually heading in the direction we had hoped. We had been warned that all the maps of Bolivia are utter shit and shouldn't be trusted by two Dutch guys in the Rats a few day earlier, guess they were right. After about 50 miles of buggering about and a collision between one of the many stray dogs and my riding boot, we managed to get on the main highway south and set about banging out the miles.

Now I say banging out the miles, the counter was turning over but we were making little headway on the map. The had road turned into a surveyors wet dream, winding up and down between the baron desert mountains and the lush river bed. Its pretty hard to believe that this is one of the main trunk roads between Bolivia and Argentina, as for the most part it's single track gravel with ferocious drops and no barriers. The many shrines tell of those unfortunate enough to have more than likely met a bus travelling too fast in the opposite direction or indeed have even been on one of the bastard things. The drops are so big that the wrecks are not removed and are just left as a sobering reminder to not ride like a twat.

We eventually reached the border around half five and were informed that the folk in front of us had been waiting since 9am to get their Argentine visas. Luckily we had no such bad luck and it only cost us an hour. The boy even refraining from mentioning the war. Food and money, not possibly in that order, were the only tasks before finding a bivi less than 10miles into the country. Things have changed dramatically in a very short space of time and it now appears that we are once again in the civilised world.

Leaving Peru. Days 64-67

Mon, 15 Nov 2010 11:43:01 +0100

Day 64

Miles 0

Today we intended to hit the road but I woke up feeling too illl to ride, so I slept most of the day, George updated the website.

Day 65

Miles 0

I figured that there was only so much machismo I could take so I got the guy working on reception at the hostel to order a doctor. After a brief chat the boy was taken to the clinic where tests showed that he had salmonella of the worst kind. He was immediately put on a drip and told that he would be in until the following afternoon. Nothing else for it, I hit the rats to blow the foam off a cold one. The usual suspects were there and after a few brews we hit the town. Some interesting dancing ensued. What is it with Canadian birds and grinding eh, what's it all aboot? Must be the effect the Dutch have on them. That or just pining after “Spandex Man”

Day 66

Miles 0

I was released from hospital at 6pm, then went and met up with George and a load of other bikers at the Norton Rats, Early night again though as I'm still feeling rough.

Day 67

Miles 320

We had arranged to meet up with a couple of Americans riding KLRs at 8am sharp heading for La Paz this morning. Inevitably the boy was rough as a bears arse all last night so I had to politely decline the offer. Once he managed to down his meds things picked up and we hit the road around 11am. We made pretty good progress, with the bikes complaining less about the half tank of 90 diluting the weasel piss 84 rot gut they normally receive.

We stopped for the night around 20 miles from the Bolivian border. Looks like it will be a cold one tonight, the stars are out.

Peru. Days 55-63

Wed, 03 Nov 2010 20:32:23 +0100

Day 55

Miles: 310

Another Leisurely start this morning as the boy was rough and Hans had to adjust his chain. We gassed up with a gasoline/ethanol mix which has stopped the bikes from pinking. So it turns out that not only is the bike a fat bitch, but its also an alcoholic.

We covered some decent miles today and decided to get another hotel for the night in order for Chris to get some more rest and to spend some more time with Carlos, Gee and Hans. These guys have been awesome, helping us get cheap accommodation and food, Carlos even bought us a beer!

Tomorrow we should hopefully leave the Pan American and hit some gravel. First though, its time to hit the town. Unfortunately my wingman skills and limited Spanish are only up to ordering chicken and rice, so unless we find a lady that is into that...

Day 56

Miles: 300

I have been rough again today, but at least I have some nice Peruvian scenery to see today... NOT, It was back to the coast and the Pan Americana which is like riding through a constant garbage dump, It should be nice with the large expanses of desert leading to the mountains on one side and the Pacific on the other but everywhere you look there is shit... not what I had expected in Peru, Luckily tomorrow we head inland and off the main drag to see Canyon Del Passo, hopefully I will be feeling better to as I don't feel up to much just now!

Day 57

Miles: Not entirely sure but probably over 300

We woke in the mountains, where for the first time this trip we have made a conscious effort to make ourselves invisible from the road. We just don't trust the thieving scrots around here. The road leading to the canyon were a pleasant change from the bastard pan-am, that was until the inevitable “no passo”. Back to the rubbish dump then. Fortunately we met with crew at a gas station and continued in convoy to Lima. Then the going got interesting. It turns out that not only are the general population srots but so are the police force. Firstly Chris was stopped, I say stopped, he was told to stop but refused. Hans, Gee and Carlos did however and the Jackson chased the boy and pulled him over and flagged me down. I continued.

Just as the foursome were coughing up some coin thanks to Hans being able to speak Spanish, I was basking in the glory of getting away scott free. Not so. The bastards had radioed ahead and I was once again flagged to stop. The trip was reading 240 miles and the fuel gauge was flashing, so deciding that my number was now up I reluctantly stopped. The Jackson was not amused, but at least he did shake my hand before trying to rob me. After 20 minutes of explaining that I was in lots of trouble and that he wanted money for gas for his pissing car he gave up and sent me on my way having got nada. Whilst this was going on I had taken my eye off the ball, rather my bike, and his scrotty bum buddy was opening my one unlocked box. The filthy skid marked grundies that were sat at the top for just such an occasion obviously put him off.

Now the trick we have learnt when dealing with these bags of human detritus is to give them nothing of importance, all he was allowed see were my fake documents which he was more than welcome to, anything of value was kept on my person. A quick flash of my fake doc wallet containing no cash and a suggestion that we go to the banco and they are beaten. Bitchin.

We left the crew at a hotel in Lima and continued to find a bivi site which turned out to be at some roadworks. Chris took the lead, leaving the road to go dune bashing in order to find a secluded spot. The sand is cruel on the bikes, WFO, drop the clutch and hold tight (much like pig rodeo although I believe this to be an urban myth). Its also pretty hard to hang onto the fatties when you get some momentum up and tonight was all down hill. Tomorrow's egress should be interesting.

Day 58

Miles:300 ish??

It started to rain in the night and I never had my bivvy out! So everything got soaked, this along with the sand (I mean mud) made for a nice mix when packing up. I was first to attempt getting back up the sand dune to the road and within a couple of meters went face first into the boggy bloody mess, everything now has a thick layer of mud which over the day has dried like concrete... nice, second attempt and we both made it to the road.

We made it to the Nazca lines at around lunch time, the area was gorgeous around there and we started really enjoying the riding, the lines were not as expected, you really need to see them from a plane as you cant see bugger all from the tower, was still nice to go by though.

From Nazca we headed out into the mountains heading towards Cusco, we have decided to camp at the top of the highest pass (4559m/ 15,000 odd feet) it is a real nice picturesque spot but the air is thin and I feel ill.

Day 59

Miles: 340

Last nights bivi was high and we both felt it, so did the bikes. The boy was seriously rough, the altitude probably didn't help either. He was up all night double ending and generally feeling miserable. It was looking so bad at one point that I thought we were going to have to flag down a bus and get him to a hospital. It was also pretty cold and I woke with my bivi bag frozen to my sleeping bag.

We, rather Chris took the decision that he was fit enough to push on to Cusco and find a doctor there if needs be. We hit the road and it was by far and away the best riding I have ever had. If you have ever seen the Top Gear “best road in the world” this was better by a long way. All the way to Cusco was near perfect black top ,winding up and down through the mountains with every type of corner imaginable. This seemed to lift the boy's spirits and we commenced to ride like twats. So much so in fact that we had a couple of little incidents. The first was a few corners in where I hit a patch of ice, both wheels lost traction, the foot went out and I was ready for the ejection which luckily wasn't required. We backed off for an hour or so to let things warm up.

The second incident came later in the day when Chris hit a patch of gravel on the apex of a tight left. The rear low sided and he managed a full pirouette whilst somehow managing to keep his appendages from beneath the sliding bike. Thankfully damage was minimal and the only casualty was the water container in his left pannier which took the brunt of the crash. It is now not a water container. We reached Cusco just after dark and found the Eco Packers hostel as recommended by Hans. The place is just the job at 7 bucks a night. Hopefully the boy can get some rest and be ready for Machu Picchu in the next couple of days.

Day 60

Miles: 0

We did not do much today, I slept for most of the night which was nice but I still have bad guts. We went for a walk to find some engine oil first thing, Cusco is up around 10,000ft and I am feeling the altitude today, probably largely as a result of little or no food over the past few days also. Its beautiful here, real clean and tidy and feels very European I think apart from all the local shops and people selling traditional style hats and things... oh and sun glasses, ray bans no less which we were assured are not fakes they are just stolen, thats how so cheap.

Carlos and Guy arrived this afternoon, so were just hanging out with them, not doing a great lot. But we are off to the bar for a couple of quiet ones so Im off.

Day 61

Miles: 0

A slow start this morning after an impromptu bender with Jeff from the Norton Rats Bar last night. Legend. We managed to get a fair bit done in the morning by crossing off all the things that we had intended to do, now that's what I call efficiency. We did however manage to work out a plan for getting up Machu Picchu on the cheap, which involved riding the bikes to the train line at 3pm and walking to the the ticket office up the train line during the night. 3pm came and went and we found ourselves back at the Rats, shit happens eh? We may now be a day later than expected catching up with Rob to cross the salt flats in Bolivia.

Day 62

Miles 150

Well last night never ended when we returned from the Rats bar, we decided to join in in the Halloween party, Carlos and Guy were in the bar when we arrived along with a group of English and Irish girls who are out here on holiday, when the party finished in the hostel Carlos and Guy called it a night and the rest of us headed out to a club until returning home at around 6am.

George and I were up at 7.30 for breakfast and to say cheerio to the Canadians.

We hung around until 3 then headed off on our 3 hour ride to some hydro plant where we were to park up and walk the remaining 10klm's or so up the train line to the ticket office where we catch the bus up to Maccu Picchu. Im not sure who told us its 3 hours to the Hydro plant but it took us 7 hours on some pretty scary single track roads over the mountains. We arriver at the Hydro station sometime around half 11then strapped our sleeping bags to our backs (neither of us having a rucksack) and walked until nearly 2am before settling in in the town square just besides the ticket office, we were both knackered and wishing that we had a little more that 3 and a half hours sleep to look forward to.

Day 63

Miles: 150

Obviously it rained last night and we both got piss wet, however we did manage to oversleep and consequently missed the first bus up the mountain. Machu Picchu was no disappointment although it was raining and we couldn't see a great deal due to the mist. The weather was looking like it would clear later in the morning but we had to bust a grove as neither of us were particularly looking forward to the 7hr ride back over the mountain in the cold and dark with no leathers.

We were both still fairly sore from the hike up the train line the previous night/morning so we opted for the train back to the hydro plant. The first one was at 2pm so we decided to walk. The 7hr ride home turned into a 12hr epic when we received some by now pretty familiar news “No Passo”. It looked like the road had been pretty badly damaged by landslides, probably due to all the rain we rode through the previous night. Once finally passed the roadworks the next issue was the mist. Visibility was down to a few metres at best and was so dens that the vehicles lights behind me cast a shadow in it. We arrived back at the hostel not long before midnight convulsing with cold. Bed.

Ecuador. Days 53-54

Wed, 03 Nov 2010 20:29:10 +0100

Day 53

Miles: 174

A leisurely start this morning, basking in the dryness of a proper bed. It would be rude not to do our damnedest to turn the room into a pig sty, so we set about washing our thermarests in the bath and locating punctures. I even cracked out the sewing kit and fixed the thermarest bag. Domesticated or what? You wouldn't believe it after the state of that bath that's for sure. Chris managed to get some of his beer ridden clothes laundered and we were finally ready to hit the road at precisely a little after 1pm. It took over an hour to get out of the city as the traffic was pretty mad. Not as mad as Chris however when he came close to being mauled by a bus. It was a good job his window was perspex as the carbon knuckles on the gloves look like they would make light work of a pane of glass.

Things have changed rapidly in the last 70 miles, the majority of people are now in traditional dress and it has gotten cold. We think we passed a through a town that was at 2800m which would explain the cold. Once again looking for a camp spot in the dark. We found an ideal spot at a quarry with a hut which would keep out the impending rain, however a bloke turned up and told us that the workers would be there at 4am. We continued onward. Camp is now in a field behind a bus stop with nothing to keep out the rain. We have also opted out of erecting the tarp, due in the most part to laziness and the optimistic view that the last 20miles should have taken us well out of reach of the storm that has been following us all afternoon.

Day 54

Miles 200ish

Last night was one of best camp spots we have had since North America, the temperature dropped sufficiently to allow us to actually sleep IN our sleeping bags for a change.

I was woken at around 4am (I guess as I have no watch) by a couple who wanted to chat... it was still dark but they seemed pretty amused at the sight of two gringo's sleeping on the floor, it turns out they were going to the bus stop which we were sleeping close to, we have come tto the conclusion that the buses turn up in the morning... sometime, as people were waiting for an hour or two for it to turn up. We thought we were in the middle of nowhere when we decided to stop (I guess the bus stop should have given us a clue!) but as it got light people started walking down from the mountain, only half a dozen or so all in their traditional dress of Hat (Frank Sinatra style) and the women in bright red dresses, blue or green knee hight socks and a shawl over the top, pretty cool to see.

We hit the road around 8 after doing some maintenance on the bikes, the roads were awesome and I now need a new foot peg as it spent much of the morning on the floor...

Around 150 miles later we were in Peru, the border crossing was the best yet, really laid back and no cue. Whilst at the border we met some guys on bikes heading in the same direction as us, two of them from Jasper, Alberta and the other from Chile, we decided to follow them to a nearby town where we have another hotel for the night... its skinned us all of $7 for the night. Then it was off with our new friends for some food and beer, the beer was around a dollar a time aand half a chicken and a plate of chips came to a little under 2 dollars... We loved Ecuadore and it looks like we will love Peru too, to be fair we need to save some money as Central America cost us more than we had hoped, the flights to Columbia were also a few hundred more than budgeted for, rice and water from now on then... Not bloody likely.

Columbia. Days 49-52

Sat, 23 Oct 2010 16:17:51 +0100

Day 49

Miles: nil

Up at 5:15am, showered and packed, it is worth noting that my helmet was packed in my hold luggage. The phone rang at six, we didn't answer as we assumed there would only be Spanish barking down the other end. As it happened it was the taxi that the security guard had booked for us the previous night. Nice.

Got to the airport and I got put on the reserve list having missed my flight 5 days ago and Chris booked onto the already full flight that I was reserve for. A good start. We inevitably didn't get the first flight and after much confusion, boarding passes for an 8pm flight and lunch passes gratis appeared. No such thing as a free lunch? It now appears not. We have made it to Bogotá minus our luggage, not that this wasn't expected. So we now have to wait until sometime tomorrow, hopefully, to collect it. The thing is though, we need to be at the cargo depot to retrieve the bikes first thing and where is my helmet? Oh that's right... However we are feeling flush having pulled out 100 grand from the wanky bank (hole in the wall, but quite as glamorous as it sounds) and have duly sunk 6 beers to aid the departure lounge night sleep. Peace.

Day 50

Miles 140

Well as George said we decided to sleep last night on the floor in the airport, then at around 7 am we headed off to the cargo terminal to collect the bikes, this was pretty straight forward just time consuming waiting for the customs to fill in all their forms. We were finished by 12pm and so headed back to the main terminal to collect our lost luggage, to our surprise it was there waiting for us, brilliant, we had our luggage and bikes by mid day. Things were really good until I opened my bag to get my riding gear out. Inside my bag I had packed a couple of bottles of beer, wrapped up inside my riding trousers and jacket... one of these had got smashed along with a bottle of shampoo, so all of my gear (freshly laundered) is now soaking in beer and shampoo. Oh and the broken glass has also made a small hole in my waterproof bag. Bollocks.

Next job was to find somewhere to swap my chain, we stumbled upon a small bike shop in a dodgy looking area and the boys there were brilliant, they stopped what they were doing and went to work changing my chain and front sprocket, I only asked if I could borrow the tools but they just set too, half an hour later we were on our way for the total cost of about £6.

Once out of the built up shit hole that was the suburbs of Bogota we hit some stunning scenery, roll on tomorrow.

We are camping around the back of a service station.

Day 51

Miles: 350

The gas station attendants took great delight in pointing out to us that we had in fact slept around the back of the service station, I guess it isn't the done thing around here. The going was initially pretty quick as we were on 2 lane slab and able to overtake the copious amount of trucks on the road. Were were shortly down to single lane black top winding up through the mountains and the going got slow. In order to make any kind of headway a new strategy was required. Said strategy involved the the use of the drainage channel on the inside of the road, which when used correctly as an extra lane did not require any deceleration, even around corners.

Obviously we were left once again looking for a camp spot in the dark and it is now raining. In fact there is a storm brewing, some bitchin' lightning.

Day 52

Miles 310

It poured down all of last night so I woke up wet, and all of my gear splattered in a gravelly mud, the area we had decided to camp had overnight turned into a quagmire, a lovely way to start the day!

Columbia has the best roads we have yet ridden on the trip, they are a little like some of the roads we rode last year in the alp's but with more lorries. Also the scenery has been breathtaking, we have passed areas full of banana trees and most of the country is farmed, on slopes which you would not believe could be walked let alone have crops grown on.

By around 11am today we were at the border with Ecuador, this is where our day turned slow, its a good job we are both patient as we spent most of the 2 or 3 hours waiting for someone to come and check our bikes in... still its all fun.

The rain came on at around 4 and it really started hammering down so we decided to get a hotel for the night in the capital Quito... frivolous but better than wet sleeping bags again plus it gives me an opportunity to get the beer and shampoo out of my riding gear, Im fed up of riding in jeans