Just in time for Christmas I came home from an epic journey through South America. Riding my trusty DRZ400S through Argentina, Uruguay, a tiny bit of Brazil, Paraguay, Bolivia, Peru and the whole length of Chile down to Tierra del Fuego, I covered 23,517 kilometres / 14,616 miles in four months.
This trip was everything and more I had ever dreamt of. In the weeks to come I am going to tell you all about it; here is just a little taster of my experiences:
I saw fascinating landscapes -
Cataratas del Iguazú, Argentina / Brazil
Salar de Uyuni, Bolivia
Torres del Paine, Chile
… and beautiful places –
Machu Picchu, Peru (no, I didn't ride my bike along this path)
Arequipa by night, Peru
Cerro Fitz Roy, Argentina
I rode awesome roads –
Ruta 26 between Cuzco and Nasca, Peru
Carretera Austral, Chile
Caught glimpses of history –
Brachiosaurus bones in the palaeontological museum MEF in Trelew, Argentina
7,000 year old mummies from the Chinchorro culture, San Miguel de Azapa, Chile
Ocotber 2010, Copiapó, Chile
Watched wonderful wildlife –
Vicuñas in the Lauca National Park, Chile
Pelicans on the Pacific coast, Iloca, Chile
Magellan Penguins, Patagonia, Argentina
Had a fair share of “Oops” and “Doh…!” moments –
Near Pucón, Los Lagos, Chile
“Should I have listened to the GPS?”
Learnt a lot about the mechanics of my bike –
In the workshop of Motoservi in Sucre, Bolivia
During regular maintenance days
What a neglected sparkplug looks like after 22,000 kilometres…
Tasted delicious food –
Llama steak, Uyuni, Bolivia
Trucha (trout), freshly caught from Lago Titikaka, Bolivia
Home cooked meals…
And, best of all, I met amazing people everywhere. Here are just a few –
Benita on the street market in La Paz, Bolivia
Oscar and Julia in San Fernando, Chile, who let me park the bike in their dining room
Jorge, Facundo and their friends in Otamendi, Buenos Aires Province, who introduced me to the pleasures of a proper Argentinean Asado (BBQ)
As English is not my first language, it will take me some time to write the report but I hope you will find it worth the wait…
This trip was everything and more I had ever dreamt of. In the weeks to come I am going to tell you all about it; here is just a little taster of my experiences:
I saw fascinating landscapes -
Cataratas del Iguazú, Argentina / Brazil
Salar de Uyuni, Bolivia
Torres del Paine, Chile
… and beautiful places –
Machu Picchu, Peru (no, I didn't ride my bike along this path)
Arequipa by night, Peru
Cerro Fitz Roy, Argentina
I rode awesome roads –
Ruta 26 between Cuzco and Nasca, Peru
Carretera Austral, Chile
Caught glimpses of history –
Brachiosaurus bones in the palaeontological museum MEF in Trelew, Argentina
7,000 year old mummies from the Chinchorro culture, San Miguel de Azapa, Chile
Ocotber 2010, Copiapó, Chile
Watched wonderful wildlife –
Vicuñas in the Lauca National Park, Chile
Pelicans on the Pacific coast, Iloca, Chile
Magellan Penguins, Patagonia, Argentina
Had a fair share of “Oops” and “Doh…!” moments –
Near Pucón, Los Lagos, Chile
“Should I have listened to the GPS?”
Learnt a lot about the mechanics of my bike –
In the workshop of Motoservi in Sucre, Bolivia
During regular maintenance days
What a neglected sparkplug looks like after 22,000 kilometres…
Tasted delicious food –
Llama steak, Uyuni, Bolivia
Trucha (trout), freshly caught from Lago Titikaka, Bolivia
Home cooked meals…
And, best of all, I met amazing people everywhere. Here are just a few –
Benita on the street market in La Paz, Bolivia
Oscar and Julia in San Fernando, Chile, who let me park the bike in their dining room
Jorge, Facundo and their friends in Otamendi, Buenos Aires Province, who introduced me to the pleasures of a proper Argentinean Asado (BBQ)
As English is not my first language, it will take me some time to write the report but I hope you will find it worth the wait…