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Published: March 11th 2009
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Customs Shed
Enzo and helpers in the customs shed Here we go again, but with very different dynamics. We were able to clear the moto's from customs in one and a half days, working with a contact, Enzo and Martina, that I made when I shipped my moto out in 2004/5. I realy do believe that there are no chance meetings in life, they are all for mutual benifit.
Geraldine has been a great help with the contact back home while we have been so busy getting all our stamps, but the light is now green for go. we have a bit of service work to do on the KLR's then we will head North to Tongoy for two nights, we will have to send a message to the hotel to stock up with beer, as Ripper drank a local bar/resturant dry of his favorite beer (Crystal) and the fact that the Ankara is going through a major redevelopment stage and has NO BAR!. All this had a deciding factor to leave a day earlier....
I will catch up with the goss (pardon the pun Murray) in few days when we can get connection again. In the mean time enjoy Geraldines view of what is going on...un abrazo, RoscoTigger’s excursion
Paper War
Gerardo and Enzo deep in paper work.. to Chile.
This is as I see it....
Started off with a hangover from Hastings the night before (if figured I wasn’t going to sleep anyway I was too excited and we were only going to have a few. Yeah right) and faded rather quickly in the afternoon, but was revived by friends at the Auckland airport. Dad had two large bags which you could have fitted all my luggage in the small one and still had room left over, so much for telling me to pack light. Lol
So much for us spending the time together on the plane as he had somehow managed to get upgraded to business class, so I sat in cattle class by myself, while he had a glorious sleep, I managed to get about 6 hours sleep. I did manage to watch a few movies that I hadn’t seen and had breakfast at 4am (NZ time)
We landed in Santiago and dad took me under his wing. Got me through customs and met Gerardo (Said Herardo) and spent a lovely couple of days in Vina del Mar readjusting our body clocks. We both woke up at 4am one morning and had
Waiting
Waiting, waiting, waiting..... a chat as we were both wide awake. I think we finally got back to sleep after 5am. I went for a walk while dad went to pick up the boys from the airport, and took some photos.
Had met Martina and Enzo who I think will be doing the shipping of the bikes in the near future. It is an interesting house and life style. We headed back to the motel via a tiki tour (both Martina and the petrol station man had warned us against it as it was a dangerous part of town) "Dad said "Lets go"
We locked all the doors to the truck and proceeded with caution and windows up (well ours were dad still had his down) Dad had to admit you would not want to get stuck there but he said he had got a little lost down here once before, but had found his way out last time he was here. It reminded me a bit of Bad boys II when they were hurtling through the cocaine shacks. No building permits here that is for sure.
The boys landed safe and sound. Murray has a great knowledge of Spanish
Welcome Dinner
Special Guest's Enzo and Martina, with the rest of the gang but that might be the 2 years of night classes he took. Ripper is learning to say 1 want 5 beers.
I am giving them heaps for the amount of luggage they packed. More than twice as much as I was allowed to pack. Their first night was a lot of broken sleep even after a full dinner mainly consisting of meat, most were keen to have salad, although a vote was taken.
The day for clearing the bikes from customs and assembling them all going well had arrived. The wake up call from Rosco raised the bleary eyed bikers from their slumber. There was a early rumour that we were waiting on a call around 11am so be around the hotel about 10 but a call came earlier, and I don’t think breakfast even registered with half of them.
With Tiny and Ripper in demerit points for being late and having to hold up the taxi (I think they were trying to find their make up bags in their luggage) we were on our way. Ripper could hardly contain himself at Aduana (customs building) so made him woosa (off bad boys 2 movie for calming effect) his ears.
After only 4 hours we had managed to clear customs, forklift the bikes out assemble and put the remaining pallets from the bikes onto the truck. Miracle as only last year it took two and a half days. It pays to know the right people over here that is for sure!!!
We were nearly out the gate when we didn’t have one final paper to complete the 5 papers that we already had. With the boys itching to get some tread and tar seal under them, I think they all were woosaing a bit. But soon we were allowed through the barrier arm (manual version only here) and off they rode to Enzo’s for a much needed coffee.
With caffeine and dropping of Rosco's bikes on the footpath in front of Enzo’s house, and with only Rosco’s left mirror and some pride broken, we proceeded to some dangerous parts of town where you don’t want to camp, park, ask for direction get lost( like dad did last time) or stop for small dogs. A bit of an eye opener for the boys if they weren’t concentrating so much on the road.
Having survived all day just on breakfast Murray and I had caffeine and food withdrawals. The boys happy to have their babies back pampered them. One of the girls (boys) was running around frantically looking for a cloth either to polish the bike or was it a security blanket that he was missing.
The first Rocky Road Adventure dinner was a success with Enzo and Martina joining us for the celebration of quick extraction of the bikes and toast to the adventure. After Pisco sour red wine and beer (not crystal beer as the boys had drunk it dry) and haven’t had a chance to replace it. Tomorrow is their first big ride so hopefully is might get their testosterone levels down a bit or it might just rev them I am not camp mother, and ironing is against my religion, so I don’t know why they think I would do their washing. They will learn. Time is on my side. Till the next blog. Chao Tigger
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Mike Vinsen
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Good Luck
Have a great ride - wish I was back there.Keep up the blog which will be read by heaps of interested people back here.