Snow and Ash nearly stop play!

After a brief stopover in Santiago, the bikes are all freshly serviced and fitted with their new knobbly tyres and we are ready to head south to the Argentinian and Chilean Lakes and on to Patagonia.

Our first day out is a simple day moving south with a stop at stunning waterfalls just of the Pan American. After a quiet night we are diverting of the main road onto the Ruta Interlagos through the Chilean Lake District. This is a new route for Trans Am and was ridden by Kevin earlier this year. The road turns to dirt just 20 metres off the Pan American. The first 80 miles through the northern lakes is beautiful. Rolling hills, lagoons, lakes and forests blend one into another. We stop off in a small town for coffee at Café Karin and then on again. However three riders are coming back the opposite way saying the road is closed with snow, and so a diversion is required. Local advice is to try another road and Bill, Brando, Drew, Andy and Richard the Expedition Leader, venture along it. However it quickly becomes clear that the road is not suitable and once again we turn back. Bill, Brando and Drew decide to press on despite a few drops and do eventually make their way through. For the rest it is an ad hoc diversion and back on route some 30-40 miles later. At the end of our day in cabins overlooking Lago Villarica, eating succulent beef cooked over an open fire every-one agrees that it was still a “fantastic” day. After all, its not a holiday, its and adventure!

We ride on through the Lake District for two or three days, covering the entire length of Great Britain just in the Lake District. On the third day we are heading for San Carlos De Bariloche, the famous Argentinian Ski resort. We know that it has been adversely affected by the June eruption of Volcano Puyhue in Chile, however we are still surprised by the scenes that greet us.

We are 100 miles from Bariloche, enjoying some great dirt roads when we realise that the white / grey covering on the plants and ground on either side of the road is not snow, it is volcanic ash. Puyhue erupted over four months ago and although it is still smouldering the ash is clearly old. At its deepest it is over four inches and has not been affected by the rain or wind that it has been subjected to. The scenes are like we are witnessing Armageddon. The quieter dirt roads around the lakes are coated with thick ash and we are leaving trails with our knobblies. It is a unique ride. Martin a geologist by training is wild with enthusiasm as he is witnessing the development of a new landscape as it is happening.

Bariloche is known as the chocolate town. On our lake shore hotel they are washing the ash off the streets in the early morning. It is an out of season ski town with a truly alpine feel and every second shop is a Chocolatier. However it has been badly impacted by the ash. The airport has been closed for months and so the ski season was devastated and the off season is also very very quiet. We have the town almost to ourselves and the normally packed steak restaurant which is an established favourite is disturbingly quiet. However the Bieffe de Lomo and Chorizo are still superb and the service is better than ever. To be fair the staff to customer ratio was 1:2 at one point during the evening so the service should be good!

We ride on down though the lakes and cross back to Chile to ride Careterra Austral the famous dirt road that connects lots of remote communities on the western coast. Built by Pinochet as a military only road, it was opened to the public in 1988. Our riding day is overcast but stays mainly dry, and the temperature and road conditions are almost perfect. We will have several more days on and off Careterra Austral.

It takes us out to the pacific coast where we stay in a small village of under 500 people. We are lodging in a house built by one of the original German settlers families built in the 1930’s and still owned by the great granddaughter of the original owners. The pacific inlet is calm as the day fades away to evening. Dinner beckons and will definitely have a German flavour to it, as the only restaurants in town are all run by other German descendants. Bratwurst here we come!

The Real Peru and on to Countries 12 and 13!

Puno continues to excel. One night we are all celebrating the founding of the city and the next night is Halloween and the town is out again en masse dressed as Devils, Angels, Witches, Warlocks and a host of other creatures. As young as 2 or 3, as old as the Policemen who are on duty in full uniform but with a werewolf’s head every-one is joining in the party. Even the dogs have little red horns on! The people of Puno certainly know how to throw a party!

It is all Souls Day the next day and the feeling is much more sombre. Every one of the road side shrines (said to hold the soul of the departed and placed where they departed) is adorned with fresh flowers. You cannot find one that has not had some attention lavished on it. Of course up at these altitudes the grass is pretty sparse as is the other vegetation. As a result Liz spots a Donkey happily feasting on some poor soul’s remembrance flowers. I suppose it makes a tasty change!

In Arequipa almost the whole group have opted to take a reality tour of the city. The suggestion of Brenden our Van Man, it is an opportunity to see the real Peru. To visit local kitchens, local dining rooms, a children’s home and to visit the quarry. It would be un-true to say people enjoyed it. How can you when you meet a 77 year old man making whole stone building blocks at the rate of 10 per day for SL15 per block. He has worked there since he was 13.

The children’s home is full of kids who need a safe place to be. For many of them unfortunately their own home is not a safe place. It is educational and very moving. On the way back one of the team stands up, teary eyed makes a speech and passes his hat around the bus.

Arequipa is also the home of Juanita the Ice Maiden. An Inca girl taken up to one of the surrounding peaks maybe 600 years ago and sacrificed to the gods. Her body has been preserved in the snow and ice on the mountain and is almost perfectly preserved. It is a strange story as it is believed that the victim was, from a young age groomed, to be sacrificed and went largely willingly to her death, with the help of some local herbs.
 

And so after being in the same country for two whole weeks we are heading for Chile and our penultimate country. Not the penultimate border crossing as we will criss cross the Andes all the way to the tip of the continent. A nice easy smooth border and the days ride takes us from 3500m to just 30m as we are staying on the Chilean Coast with the Pacific lapping at our toes. A few hardy souls brave the ocean and a few more sensible ones brave the heated infinity pool in the hotel. We ride on down the coast with the drama of the Pacific crashing on our right and an ominous 300 metre high sand dune on our left. If either one is inclined to take the road we would be powerless against them.

We turn inland and across the Atacama Desert, the driest place on earth. Some of the river beds have been dry for 120,000 years. Our route takes us through the Valley of the Moon. I am sure if you use your imagination you won’t need me to describe it for you?

Deeper into the Atacama and we ride to the Gringo town of San Pedro De Atacama. It is definitely on the tourist trail but this does mean some nice bars, cafes and a few other bikers. In fact 24 hired BMW’s as we meet a French group doing a one month tour from Antofagasta to Ushuaia. This is their second day on the road. “Where have we come from?” one asks. Well it would be rude not to tell them so we did. Hopefully we did not leave them too deflated! San Pedro exists partly to allow you to get up very early and visit the Tatio Geysers and bathe in the volcanic thermal pools. It is worth the trip, but as one rider said “Once you have seen Old Faithful blow against a red sunrise, then most other geysers are a bit of a waste of time!”

Our ride takes us from San Pedro and across the Paso De Jama to our final country – Argentina. It seems incredible but we still have 6 more border crossings to do before the end of the trip and yet this is the final new country, We ride on to the Salinas Grandes Salt Flats. These huge natural basins of salt are hard and dry and we can ride across them. They provide great photo’s. Tim is desperately trying to get the “perspective” shot of him standing on his crash helmet or his bikes screen and is wandering back and forth and back and forth but does get some that work really well.

We spend 4 nights in Argentina riding some magnificent roads through mountains and passes, and some days spent traversing the scrub landscape through the huge valleys that separate the mountains. All too soon we are in Uspallata and our final night before Santiago and the end of the third section of this 2011 Trans Americas. The ride in is blessed with a descent from the border post which has 29 hairpin bends as it scurries down the Andes and is truly memorable except for two riders. Both are in the support vehicle. One has a clutch failure (good timing – 2 days from the main dealer) and the other has managed to walk through a glass door, but forgot to open it first, and gashed his leg, and so a day in the van and four days off in Santiago will let it heal.

We re-group 20 miles outside of Santiago and ride into this vibrant city as the same team that left Bogota all those weeks ago. We have two people leaving us here as Mike is on his way back to the office having completed his Northern Andes ride and Margaret who came out for 5 weeks with Alan is also on her way back to the real world. For the rest of us it a few days off and then the End of The World for Ushuaia is known as Fin Del Mundo. To get there we will ride Ruta 40, Caraterra Austral and the Ruta Interlagos some of the best dirt roads in South America. There is plenty of adventure ahead on this epic top to bottom ride.

Peruvian Paradise

Our ride from Nasca to Cusco is our first taste of the Altiplano proper. The road climbs out of Nasca to over 4000 metres in a matter of just 50 miles and then we don’t drop much for the whole day. The climb up is through desolate and grey rock mountains until we reach the Altiplano. The change is obvious with grass and sparse vegetation. The grasses are the staple diet of Vicuna, Alpaca and Llama who roam the Altiplano in herds. All three are farmed for meat and wool. They are endearing creatures right up until the cross the road immediately in front of the bikes. However this does earn them a distinct “telling off” from their herders if they are seen doing it. They are too precious to lose under the wheels of a passing tourist. The Altiplano is bleak and unforgiving and while the animals are used to it and the herders are prepared, we are somewhat surprised when suddenly the temperatures drop to 1C and we are subject to a lengthy and ferocious hail storm. Donning waterproofs at 4000m is surprisingly hard work, especially when it needs to be done quickly.

We split the ride to Cusco with a stopover at a mountain side retreat where we are once again the only guests. A number of people comment that the separate cabins and the pathways between them are reminiscent of Bell II Lodge that we stayed in on the Stewart Cassiar Highway so many weeks ago.

The journey to Cusco takes us to Ollantaytambo, down the Sacred Valley, past Sacsayhuaman and under the feet of the Cristo Blanco statue. This is even before we enter this 1000 year old former Capital of the Inca Kingdom. The plaza is magnificent with the Cathedral of Santo Domingo dominating the smaller Iglesia del Triunfo which now sits as a chapel of the later Cathedral. Around the Plaza are many bars and restaurants as well as two other churches and just off the plaza the Convent La Merced. This is all laid out in front of us as we ride to our hotel just one block from the Plaza Des Armas. The city is packed with heritage and culture, but our first stop has to be to our friends at the Norton Rats. A biking centred bar on the main plaza, owned by Jeff, a Norton enthusiast who sort of got stuck in Cusco many years ago, it has English Beers, great food and a guest book that you may only sign if you have ridden a motorcycle into town. We look back at the comments of the three previous Trans Americas groups dating from 2005. It is clear that some of them may have had a few too many pints of Old Speckled Hen before signing the book!

The following day is a full one visiting Machu Picchu. The ancient city which remained undiscovered by the Conquistadors is in its centenary year of discovery by Hiram Bingham. However as our guide is adamant that all the locals knew it was there all the time and refers to Hiram’s “discovery” with distain. Machu Picchu never fails to impress despite the long train and bus trip to get there. This is made even longer by a truck getting stuck in Ollantaytambo on the return journey and the place becoming grid locked. The upside however was as the traffic did not move at all for over an hour and a half we all got off the bus and had Pizza’s and beer for dinner.

After a free day in Cusco to explore the many sites we are heading towards Puno on the shores of Lake Titicaca. The town is in full carnival swing as we arrive, on the first day of five to celebrate the founding of the city on 4th November. There are thousands of people on the streets in costume, swaying to the bands and making their way, very very slowly down the main street and through the plaza. The celebrations are so big we assume that this must be an important anniversary like a 500th or 1000th year celebration. In fact the city was founded in 1668 and so this is the very significant 343rd year. It transpires they do this every year. I struggle to think of any-where in the western world where people would take this much pride and effort in celebrating the foundation of their city.

The following day we visit the Floating Reed Islands of Uros. The Uros people have been living on their home made islands on Lake Titicaca for hundreds of years and still sustain their lifestyle from fishing, reeds, hunting and a little tourism. They moved onto the water and created their floating homes either to escape enslavement by another tribe or to escape slaughter by the Conquistadors, the historians seem unsure which. There are 50 islands today and 15 are visited by tourists. The islands are squidgy under foot and the water line is just inches below our feet. They are made from reeds and their roots. The Uros people build their islands from the reeds, build their houses from the reeds and even eat the reeds, they are truly a multi-purpose plant. They have a simple and relatively unchanged life, except for seeing us, and seem to be very happy with it. It is their own Peruvian Paradise.