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Published: November 13th 2009
It'll be a little cold
Taken by Paul after we cleared the snow bound section of road Four days off in Santiago were largely spent resting. However we did take the opportunity to go to Cocha Y Torro, one of the largest vineyards in Chile. They produce Castillero Del Diablo, which is prevalent throughout Central and South America as well as Tesco's etc in the UK. The tour was interesting and then we settled down for our tasting, with cheese and four different wines. Educational for a heathen like me. The sommelier's has helped me establish that I don't like wine with tannins but a Merlot is not too bad.
Collected the bike from WBM (Not a typo Williamson Barrow Motors, an Inchcape company!) WBM BMW, fully serviced and with new tyres and a new tank bag as the old one's zips had failed. The following day as we park the bikes outside the Holiday Inn Express Heffy decides that her rear shock has had enough and empties the oil from the shock absorber over the forecourt.
Leaving Santiago we have two days of Pan Am Autopista to move the whole game south. The first night we stay at Salto De Lajo, which is a hotel and cabins next to several waterfalls which are at the
Us again!
Argentinian Lake District forming a background to us end of the lawn outside our window. However, the day's riding has been highly amusing as with no rear damping we were boinging our way down the road. Thank heavens today is a relatively smooth tarmac day. The half mile to the cabins on a track is almost unridable As the rear shock is a known weakness and with the bike fully loaded and two up, I had bought a spare shock absorber which was in the van. When Jeff arrives we change the shock with lots of help from Jeff as the dealer in Santiago has tightened the rear wheel nuts with an air gun and we break my and one of Jeff's torx sockets to get the rear wheel off. Not impressed!
The following day is another 275 miles of Autopista to Osorno, but at least this time we aren't boinging, we just cruise smoothly. At Osorno we are all fitting knobbly tyres for the long stretches of dirt and gravel roads to come, at Moto Aventure Chile. This is a BMW hire bike company run by friends of Kevin and Julia with a fleet of 40 R1200, 800 and 650 GS's, so if ever you want
on...
Sonya (owner of the above) arranges for Pepys the best local restaurant to open specially. Pepys, the chef and owner is a bit of a ringer for Alexei Sayle with a big moustache and a proper chefs hat.
“It'll be cold” says Kevin about the ride over the Andes back to Argentina. Bit of an understatement. The ride to the border is cold, very cold, and as we approach the border we see a snow plough coming the other way with snow on it. Should have taken this as a warning! We pass out of Chile but have 30 miles to go to the Argentinian side. This, for 10 miles has 3-4 inches of snow settled on the road! We pass a man fitting snow chains and a Mack truck stuck in the snow wheel spinning and going nowhere. It is frankly not a lot of fun as very cold and slippery. When we get to the Argentinian side the Aduana ladies look out the window and laugh at us. This tells us a lot.
We ride on into the Argentine lake district and have 40 miles of gravel through mountains and lakes. The mountains rise
Andy's Bike
The bit hanging down, shouldn't be, it holds the rear wheel on.... as if pushed out of the earth by gigantic trolls and the lakes are deep blue as if someone has dropped a big packet of daz in them. It's like Windermere and Scarfell Pike on growth hormones. What in the UK lasts for minutes, here lasts for hundreds of kilometres. “I fancy a cheese and ham toasty and a coffee” says I in the intercom and at the end of the road we come across an alpine lodge. The menu includes “Queso y Jamon sandwiche tostada” Excellent!
San Martin Los Andes is a lake front town and touristy. We wander around with Paul and have a Guinness at the Dublin (US$8!), yes its that sort of town, and then our first bit or Patagonian Lamb, which is barbecued over real fire in the window. While succulent and plentiful it fails to beat finest Welsh Lamb. Karen is excited about tomorrow's ride as our destination is Barriloche, or Chocolate town. The day has an optional dirt side road to Villa Trufa whic we take. It has among the best views of the trip. Sharp edged mountains capped with frosty white snow, round hills with porcupines of fir trees, turquoise gem
stone lakes with white horses, it is incredible.
It is a bad day for Andy thoughas he hits a pothole with a square rock at the far edge that lifts his front wheel high, flattens the tyre and trashes the wheel. It also allows the cast swinging arm to hit the rock before the rear wheel with disastrous results.... See the picture. He is now waiting for one to hopefully be flown in an fitted in 8 days time if it clears customs. Barriloche is another tourist stop, with lovely restaurants and bars and we eat at No.2 Trip Advisor restaurant which serves Bieffe De Chorizo steak slightly smaller than a house brick and is just the right mix of tender with body, and juicy without too much blood. Close to perfection with a nice salad.
We have a day off on Barriloche which with Ruta 40 and Carreterra Austral to come we do little except rest and relax. We have over 1000 miles of dirt roads to do and we need to be fresh and energetic, or at least something close! Again we are riding to Chile and traversing the Argentinian Lake District which remains incredibly beautiful.
Room with a view
from our room at Salto de Laja Lake, Mountain. Lake. Lake, Mountain, but you still can't get jaded as each corner brings a new vista that takes your breath away. We cross as the border at a shed at the end of 40 miles of gravel which is very friendly and relaxed. Their chubby tabby cat is highly furr'ed and needs to be at these temperatures. A whole seven kilometres later we arrive at Fuetalufo and the Rio Grande Hostel. A frontier town with a nice grassed central square but little else. The hostel is log construction with high ceilings, and an unusual collection of old tills and typewriters. And here I sit typing away with a beer in hand(ish) and the wood burning stove lit and giving off some warmth.
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