Celtic Adventurer - Riding the World

Well after taking some time out in Calafate I returned to Puerto Montt the day before the ferry was due to leave. I was expecting to be alone, however it was cool to see that Peadar and Stephen were still hanging around. Just back from Torres del Paine the day before. So the last evening we spent having a drink watching DVD's getting washing done etc before I set off at midnight for the Navimag boat. I swear I had someone looking out for me.. a guardian angel or something, because on my way down to the ferry as I was crossing a junction a car came the wrong way up a one way street with no lights and missed me by seconds.. I am thinking a drunk!! but minor heart attack averted and it was onto the ferry!

I was sharing with two Germans and a Turk, Timo and Radvan. We were settling in having a whiskey when we were approached by one of the crew, Luis. Who fancied a drink also.. so a few more drinks later, Luis is our best mate, and offering to get us Navimag uniforms and hats etc! Now much as I would love to be sailing the South Pacific I think I will pass on a job here. But we did get a tour of below deck and more detail of the mystery death on the boat the trip before, apparently it was a suicide of a stressed, drunk, former porn star from the UK. As i said you meet all kinds on these trips! Strangely enough the bottle of whiskey promised by Luis in return for the Pisco and the Whiskey never materialized.

The journey on the boat itself was rather uneventful. Nobody getting majorly sick, no huge seas, etc,, altogether very tame. But we did pass some fantastic Scenery (shots in the foto album), some Whales, and had some really nice weather.

Elsewhere it was drinking a few beers, chatting with passengers and playing chess between rounds of returning to the galley for second helpings of dinner. We arrived in Puerto Montt on Monday morning early. But of course had a good helping of breakfast before disembarking. When driving down the off ramp I was surprised to see Fabrizio who had ridden over after doing part of the Carretera Austral. So from here we road back to Bariloche. The pass over from Chile across the Andes to Bariloche is fabulous. Lots of great vistas, rugged mountains, and lovely curving twisty roads. Dream to be riding on. But the best blessing of all, was not the warm weather but the fact that there was no more wind! finally I have left the winds of Patagonia behind me! They were an experience I will never forget!

Before getting the bikes up on the trailer back to Buenos Aires. We decided there was no point in driving on the bike, its just a thousand five hundred kilometers of boring farmland, and there was no sense in stressing the final drive bearings any more than I had to.

From Chile

So today I got the bike cleaned (its never been so clean since the day i got it). The shop spent over an hour on it. Then dropped into BMW so awaiting an answer on whether they have a final drive unit in Argentina or if they have to get it in Germany. So this evening was spent looking at the prices of flights etc and planning the next step!

Los Glaciares

Well after a few days in Puerto Natales, Chile I was ready to tackle some mountains and some ice! so where better than the National Park of the Glaciers, Patagonia Argentina. After talking with various people about the final drive on the bike I eventually decided not to risk it failing on me in the middle of nowhere. So I made a reservation with Navimag for the Ferry to Puerto Montt, in two weeks time, and then packed a wee small bag and skipped over to the bus station. I had previously arranged to meet up with my friend Erika from Buenos Aires at Calafate. So after arriving and checking into the hostel made it down to town to check out all the excusions.

For the first day made a booking on the boat tour of the glaciers, which takes you by catamaran to Upsala, Spegazzini, and Onelli glaciers. It was really amazing to be in a huge lake with large chunks of blue ice floating past you.

The next day we made the other trip to the Glacier Perito Moreno. This is the only one of the Glaciers that is actuallg growing, a little bit each day. It has now completely blocked Lago Argentina, cutting it in two. The water on one side is 6 foot higher than on the other side. Eventually the pressure of the water will break a tunnel through, (it is supposed to happen every two years or so..). Without doubt this is an impressive place. You can hear the ice creeking and groaning as is slowly moves forward, then large pieces crack and fall off into the lake. Its something else to see, and the nice is incredible, like a big explosion.

Weather here is constantly changing. With it being freezing on the glaciers and roasting hot in Calafate. This shifting conditions was not good for my health, and by the night I arrived in El Chalten I was sitting on the couch in the hostel shivering with the chills. Hostels are not such nice places when you are sick! Just wanted to curl up in my own bed and sleep. But went to see the doctor on call whos solution was a large injection in my ass! God it hurt, couldnt walk properly afterwards, the muscle in my right leg was almost dead!! still not sure what was worse the injection or the shivers. But it worked, and next morning I was right as rain.

Rain is what we had, lots of it. Chalten is smaller and wilder than the much more developed Calafate. If you are not Treking or climbing there is absolutely nothing to do. So treking it was. First trek was to Lago de las Tres.  4 or so hours out of town and supposedly the best view of Mt Fitzroy. The last part of the walk is hard, very steep up an eroded slope to the lake, but its cool once you come over the top and see the mountain.

Then it was a rest day, before the big trek to Cerro Torres Glacier, 14 hours in all, treking and Ice climbing. In the moring between rounds of Matte and mediallunas I was contemplating the wisdom of getting up at 6am to walk miles and miles to climb on ice with crampons and an Ice axe.. but really it was great. I really loved the climbing, would be cool to do some more.

It was great hanging out for the few days, but however hard i try I am always drawn back to the bike! Its like a nice disease!! and its not going to go away!

Heya all, just a very quick update. As the final drive on the bike is failing, I decided not to risk the trip up. So instead have taken the Bus to El Calafate and El Chalten, I return to Puerto Natales on 21 for the ferry with the bike to Puerto Montt. Talk to you all again then,

Puerto Natales

Well, today I come to you from Puerto Natales. We had an interesting time after getting back to Hostel Argentina. We setup our tents in the back garden and rested up for two days, partly to rest, partly to see if the wind would die down! While we got some rest.. When we weren't drinking Pina Colada.. sadly the wind got worse if anything. It was gusting up to 150km per hour, (thats about 95 mph). Absolutely horrible to ride in. So in the worsening weather we set off for the ferry at Bahia Blanca. The first section of the Porvenir road was great, nice dirt and we were able to handle the wind ok, but when we made the turn up to Bahia (and the free ferry) we encountered Chile´s version of road repairs. This consists of digging up a perfectly good road, and then leaving it!! The idea is that passing traffic will flatten it down. Who needs a stream roller when you have trucks right? Sadly this creates the motorcyclists version of hell. Deep soft gravel, coupled with massive cross winds made it very hard going. We even passed an Articulated truck which was blown off the road, its cargo spewn all over the place.

Eventually we got to the ferry and from here on its tarmac, but the wind never ceases! Where I was getting circa 70mpg fuel mileage on the Altiplano in Bolivia this was down to 40mpg here with the winds. We did pass some interesting ghost towns and long ago sunken shipwrecks washed up on the bleak beach.

Then we started to run out of petrol. It was getting late and very cold when we got to a gas station, and not having any Chileano Peso we had our trousers pulled down over the price. It wasn't a very fair exchange rate, but we had no choice. At this stage we couldn't go on. The wind and the cold were too much, so we pitched our tents inside an old Container off the back of a truck. It made a comical site. Pictures to follow.

Today we got to Puerto Natales, but the leak from my final drive is getting worse. I am left with a decision of what to do. I cant fix the problem here, so I can risk it and drive up 40 and Austral, or I can take a bus to see Calafate and Mt Fitzroy, return here and take the ferry to Puerto Montt. Then its only a 1200km ride to the nearest dealer. Decisions decisions decisions. .. tbc

The return of the King

Well now its all over! I have reached the goal of Ushuaia, and now its all about the journey home. In Ushuaia the most random thing happened. I ran into Stephen Bray, I thought I was the only 27 year old Irish guy from South County Dublin riding around here on a BMW ... But i guess not. He started in Buenos Aires and is on his way up north now. Yesterday we left Ushuaia to get a little more south, and we did! to the Perfectura Naval in Moat, GPS position S54 58.543 W66 44.666 The end of the most southerly road in the world. Of course we couldnt come this far and not go for a swim. So in the spirit of the hardy annuals who go for their christmas day swim at the 40foot we dived into the Beagle Channel a meagre few miles from Antarctica. Actually it wasnt as bad as it seems (video is over on the side bar).

After we made our way to Rio Grande where we are hanging out today before making the trip across to Puerto Natales and Parque Nacional Torres del Paine tomorrow. Here are a few pictures for you below. It really is quiet a ruggadly beautiful place, but very wild.

Ushuaia! End of the World

Well here I am, finally I have made it to the end of the world and the end of my trip! So with this story ending another begins. My ride back home to Ireland. I left the Hostal Argentina in Rio Grande this morning after a few photos, some breakfast and of course some Matte. This is a really friendly place if any other bikers are passing by and need a place to stay. Its a nice ride to Ushuaia, and from there another 19km to the national park of Tierra del Fuego and the end of ruta 3, and the end of the world. I got the famous foto, and now I am resting up before the Irish game against Italy tomorrow. Plan is then to leave Sunday and make my way over to Punta Arenas and the Parque National Torres del Paine. But right now I am of to the Dublin Pub for a pint!