I'm going back home

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So with my new and smoothly running chain I left Osorno, had I paid more attention to the GPS I would have avoided a detour but then again I did go for the ride.

Back on track going up back to the border, towards Argie and Bariloche, I passed every vehicle that I could, which was all of them, first in line is better than being the last.

The same sour puss that had let me out of Argie let me in, they should send them all on a smile education.

Having had the "fill up you tank when ever possible" idea firmly cemented in my mind got me into the petrol station in Villa Angostura the first village after the border.

There's an Argie bloke with a bike waiting in the ever present queues as well so, of course, we started chatting, motorcyclists unite!

I told him where I was going and he said that it would be nicer to go to San Martin de los Andes, via the seven lakes route.

He seemed to be a nice enough chap so I changed my plans and went in the same direction, not that I saw much of the fabeled seven lakes.

The powers above thought that it would be a good idea to have a little thunder storm and some heavy rain, an idea that was promptly implemented.

On with the rain gear and then I took off to get stuck behind some overloaded pickup with bad wipers, on a sinuous road with bad tyres you have to choose the right moment to overtake.

Well, the rain stopped and so did I, off with the rain gear and I saw some of the lakes on my way to San Martin d l Andes, not spectacular but ok.

The Argie bloke, Hernan, told me to go as fast as I wanted and that he'd catch up, and so he did, half an hour later.

We got a nice room in S M d l A and some nice plonk and a good dinner, I had some ravioli made with deer meat and wild berries.

Next stop Chos Malal, some nice paved roads and some shitty ripio, a new component to the ripio was soft sand, more dust and more wobbling about, nothing much to see but mountains and lakes, the only thing extra ordinary is a very strange tree.

After about 500 + km we arrived rather worse for wear in Chos Malal, I felt thirstier than a camel that had crossed the Sahara so we shared a magic beer, magic because it disappeared in about two shakes.

The next day to Malargue, more ripio and more tree and lakes.

San Rafael is the next big city , no more ripio, lots of people and traffic lights and boring flat pampa roads, it's about 35 C so the beers in San Rafe are of the magic kind as well.

So it continues to my next stop in Lincoln 660 km of endless flatness, thank Jehova for bluetooth, music in my helmet, I ride together with two Argies that I met whilst buying petrol, we stop for beverages both fo us as well as for the bikes.

A nice, no a very nice dinner in Lincoln, a semi decent bed, no air con and a noisy fan makes for a lousy sleep.

A chain lube session and off to Baires, a lot off Argie driver should have been strangled with their umbilical cords at birth.

Holy shit, they drive like idiots, overtaking in curves crossing double lines and overtaking with oncoming traffic, there were a few pucker moments.

In Baires traffic is mayhem as usual, I get back to my lodgings and suddenly the trip is over, I can check the Ushuaia box.

I had an idea of shipping the bike back to the US and keep on driving a bit more there or maybe sell it.

To ship it there was to be 4 days of beurocraz/cy, loads of paper work and whatnot, Argie could put the od USSR to shame when it comes filling in forms and waiting in lines.

After a long day's thinking 'bout what I really wanted to do and getting some advice, I went overland to Uruguay and left the bike until the next trip.

Brazil beckons :-D.

I promised my hosts a Indian dinner, so I cooked a chicken cury, no left overs!

Until the next trip I bid you good bye!

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Photos

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For Rachel in Kiwi land, according to her to many lakes and not enough architecture

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A common sight in Latin American hotels

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Windy

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People taking picss of me