Many Miles Later

Road hazards on Ruta 40

Ten days have slipped past since last posting! Time flies by in these long sun filled days. Leaving Bariloche to continue on Ruta 40 with a mix of asphalt and gravel with small villages and an unending spectacle of color within a landscape....never ceases to awe me....the visuals and that people live here....where the closest store is 100 miles of gravel away.

A short night in Malargue, Arg. and a push north again through a fruit and vegetable growing area south of Mendoza, changing to wine grapes just south of and west of Mendoza. Through the spectacular desert Mendoza River Valley, crossing into Chile and then onto Valparaiso, a large seaside city in Chile known for its ascenders.

Just a short stop there before heading north on Chile 5. A mix of seaside and inland riding, all great roads. Another short night in Chanara (because Caldera was in the middle of a fest and there were no rooms) before heading for and staying in San Pedro de Atacama.




Dust on 40

The little town of San Pedro is known for its access points to the Atacama Desert. I did the 4 AM tour to steam vents at 12000 feet. Incredible place with -4 cel. temp. We were served a hot breakfast after sunup, a thermal pool swim and then a tour through an old cacti area. Great tour! Arrived in town early enough to jump on the bike to see the flamingos in Laguna Chaxa-in the middle of the salta.




Atacama Desert



Geysers Del Tatio
Flamingos at Laguna Chaxa

Had a chance to speak with a Santiago man, whose daughter is working for a relief agency in San Padro, about the devastating effect that tourisim is having on the town's population. Being forced out of rented buildings as they are sold to rich incomers. Drugs, and changing youth behavior is stressing the town. Sad to see the popularity of a natural wonder affect the locals so much. There is a LARGE military presence there-drugs coming over the border from Bolivia. They are on the frontier.

The road to and from San Pedro is peppered with abandoned and operational mines. Lithium is being mined off the lake bed and out of the hills. This makes the air dusty, and a lot of trucks are moving over the roads. Near Chuquicamata is the largest copper mine in the world...open pit. West of Chuquicamata the desert opens up with one view with 15 miles of road bed in front of the tire!

Then desert riding continued for days. Because it is new I am interested in viewing, but the results of sleeping drivers are evident with road side shrines.

South of Arica I just had to stop for a photo op with ´The Hand´.



The Hand

Jumped into Peru the next morning to a split in the road...lets see, NW along the coast or NE to the mountains? Not being a beach guy I headed inland to some incredible twisties, climbing to a pass at 16,000 feet. There was 1/2 inch of hail on the road and it was COLD: Ya...the KLR was a bit off on performance at elevation, but did keep on to a drop of 2000 feet and an incredible valley of adobe buildings and thatched roofs. Lamas in the fields being tended by native dressed women and children. The rain continued.

At Desaguadero I fueled from a plastic barrel by the road side..seems to be the only way to get gas there. Then along the shore line of Lago Titicaca. Spectacular area worthy of an extended vist..but not in the rain.

There are many police in Peru. All of them nice so far. At one police stop/check the police dog found the KLR very offensive and thought a chomp on the leg of the rider was in order. He was alone in that opinion and was promply disciplined by the officer, with an apology to me. From Juli (where I was the only gringo in town and the bike was of immense interest) I headed for Cusco, Peru, along a narrow road on each side of which were colorfully dressed women tending flocks of sheep, lamas, horses, donkeys, and cattle. What a sight, but nerve racking in the rain, fogging visor and glasses and all the mini buses flying along.

Cusco is a nice old town. A good place to put new tires on but not to find a fan switch. This is a Honda town not Kawasaki. I have a temp. ground wired so the fan will cool the engine..an alligator clip to a screw on the dash.

The plan is to visit Machu Piccu in two days time, then push on towards Leonor's. A stop in Lima (a place I wanted to avoid) will be required to find a fan switch and change it out.

Hope all are well.

Paul