The Americas 2013

Jacqui and I arrived in Santiago late last night after 15 hours of flying. On the up side, Santiago is 5 hours behind South Africa so we gained the time and it makes the Jet lag easier to deal with. Because the last week at home was frenetic and we never got to have a valentines dinner, we had planned a late dinner at the hotel to have a belated Valentines which was fantastic and the bottle of wine made sure we passed out as our heads hit the pillow.

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We have all heard the saying, “pick the right tool for the job”! I have deliberated over my bike choice for the remainder of the journey since the 4th of January and have decided to go with the BMW. The reasoning behind this is:

• The 99% of tar between Santiago and New York,
• The 33L Fuel Tank which will provide a 500km + range
• The shaft drive
• The tubeless tyres
• The Electronic suspension settings
• The BMW Network around North and South America
• The availability of the tyre size
• The comfort factor for Jacqui.

If the forthcoming ride was more along the lines of Patagonia like we completed on Leg 1, the choice would be easy. The KTM would be coming with me. There is no doubt that the KTM is my first Love and will continue to be so. The BMW feels almost soul-less by comparison but “tools” seldom have souls. Here is to hoping I have made the right choice and so….

The morning of the 18th was all about getting out to the shippers to make sure that the KTM was properly cratered and ready to go before heading back to the hotel to pack and get on our way to Mendoza, or that was the plan anyway.

We were dressed, Lil Fatty was packed and suddenly, I noticed a massive pool of oil at my feet! Oh God!! BMW here we go! Have I made a mistake choosing you??!!?? It was now 14h30, we had a 400km ride, a border crossing and a mountain pass over the Andes and now before we even go anywhere the fat one vomits her essential fluids onto the entrance courtyard of the Ritz Carlton..NICE!!

So off to BMW we go, I have steam coming out of my ears because only 2 weeks ago these guys rushed me R6500 for a 40,000km service; I have agonised over my bike choice and even though my first love is my KTM, I have given the BMW the benefit of the “right tool” doubt and now, the next 40,000km leg of this journey hasn’t even started and the niggles have already begun!! Fortunately, the repair was a minor one and only took half an hour but it was enough to keep me smouldering for the next hour!

We eventually get on our way, its 15h30 and sunset is at 20h30. We are merrily riding along, the scenery is beautiful as we enter the twisty mountain roads of the Andes and then..we hit a queue of cars and this road sign….BUGGER!!

What it says is “Roadwork’s underway on route 60. Traffic from Argentina into Chile is from 08h00 to 19h00 and traffic from Chile into Argentina (what we are doing) is from 20h00 to 07h00”!! So a night time ride on twisty mountain roads at an altitude of 3200m and temps of between 0 and 5C with 200km still to go!!!! Did I say BUGGER??

Where we sat for 4 hours waiting for the road to open…

Condors over the Andes..

So at 20h00 with half an hour of light left we hit the road at an average speed of 60km/h up the pass. By now we have already decided that we are not going all the way to Mendoza some 200km away but are going only as far as we have to due to road conditions and that is Uspalata on the Argentine side, some 100km from where we have sat waiting for the last 4 and a half hours.

Our ride for the day..

Riding alone through the mountains on the bike at night was strangely surreal. You feel like a very small island of light drifting through an immense blackness that conjures up comforting, and at the same time, nervous emotions. Needless to say, we arrived at Uspalata at about 22h30 and started trying to find accommodation which we eventually did at an old, but clean and comfortable hotel called the “Hotel Gran Uspalata”. We had missed dinner so went to bed exhausted and happy with a bag of crackers and a beer…Yummy!

What a great start to Leg 2 of the Americas!