Although original calculations placed us in Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego on my birthday, real life brought me far north in Chile, to the Atacama, where I turned 28 while camping in the middle of Valle de La Luna (Valley of the Moon). We are learning that hanging on to plans is futile, and that making them is less than useful. This trip has so far provided us with so many unexpected experiences, and the two plans we had made prior to our departure had to be postponed so much that they were canceled.
Sunday February 18th, we sat in the Atacama airport thinking about the motorcycle, about Hector Soto in Mexico, and wondering if tomorrow really would be THE DAY (he PROMISED that the bike would arrive on the 18th - how can we believe him anymore???!!!?).
Enric stood with his camera posed as the forklift drove toward us! We were finally one step closer to leaving. Does the motorcycle still work? It looks a little small. The packers removed more parts than Enric expected. We drew a crowd while reassembling the bike. An airport maintenance guy swept circles around the bike for at least 3 hours, eavesdropping on conversations with random truck drivers who lent helping hands, smoked cigarettes and shared the all important lubricant that we seemed to be missing. At 6pm we started her up for the first time. Santiago looked 10 times more beautiful from the back of the bike. For our last evening in town, we invited Ivana for a celebratory thank you dinner. Enric was excited to take the bike. But there are 3 of us! "I can't wait not to take the metro anymore!" The truth finally comes out!
It did not matter that Tuesday morning was foggy and damp. We were off and riding south! So far the ride has been quite fun. As long as you stay on the highway, you can not get lost in Chile. Giant blue signs dot the highway with a giant arrow pointing forward and the word, SUR! (South). In between, we find other signs that say "Patience, the South is getting closer to you every day!" Is this because they are coming to us or we are going to them? Chileans are fairly road cautious too. Warning signs are everywhere for any time the road is not perfectly flat or there might be a slight bend in the road. Lots of radar detectors too. So far, we have been lucky.
The first day, our adrenaline allowed us to make it 800 km south to Pucon and Lican Ray - the beginning of the Lakes District that encompasses this part of Chile and Argentina. We camp next to a lake in a site recommended to us by 2 German motorcyclists that we met our first day on the road heading south. After Lican Ray, we cross into Argentina, stopping first for a warm dip in hot spring (termas) before hitting the customs office (2 customs offices per single border crossing). We reach San Martin de Los Andes, a vacation destination on the Argentine side of the border. From here we drive a stretch of road known as the "Ruta de Los 7 Lagos". 7 lakes that bear resemblance to Lake Tahoe lie one next to the other. Imagine the amount of people flocking to Tahoe, and imagine having 7 Lake Tahoes, and 1/7th the amount of people to share them. Basically there is space for everybody to lay in the sun, to sail, waterski, bike, hike and you name it. We pass many people, yet are not overly inundated with tourists! The Route of the 7 Lakes ends in Valle la Angostura where we camped again for the night. This time, my craving for outdoor sports won out, and we woke up early for a bike ride (without motors). It was only 12 km to reach the Arrayanes forest along the lake Nahuel Huapi. There we more ups and downs than we expected, and 4 hours later, we ended up back at the entrance (check the Argentine page for the details!). We cross back to Chile in the evening, and end up in Puerto Varas, a few kilometers from Puerto Montt where we take our first ferry to Chiloe! We are right now in Castro, the capital of Chiloe, and a few short days away from our big descent of the Carreterra Austral and into the Patagonia.
Southern Chile has surprised us amazingly. Enric keeps marveling at how much it looks like Scotland (except for the lakes region that looks like many many Lake Tahoes). It is so green, rolling hills, cows, pigs, sheep, goats, geese and tons of flowers. Without knowing anything, a look at the farmhouses and buildings makes me think that we are in Northern Europe. And there IS a reason why. After WWII, many Germans flocked here with sheep and whatnot, and began making strudel, constructing churches, cafés and little artesian shops. Parts of towns are distinctly German in their architecture and names of shops. We
have been so overwhelmed by the friendliness of the people down here. Every day, dozens of people approach us and ask us where we are from, where we are going, and what we are doing. There are the groups that are motorcycle fanatics that want to know things like Liters per gallon. Then there are families like the one we met today, that asked us, "are you on a honeymoon?" The talk with us for 40 minutes, buy a little book about the island Chiloe and dedicate it to us. There is the family of Argentines that crowds around the motorcycle to have their picture taken, and then crowds around us later in the same campsite, "Hey, we saw you guys eating dinner last night!" Everyone comes with hugs and handshakes, and the warmth is overwhelming. One last mixed emotion of travel is the desire to stay - in each place, in each conversation. Everything is either so beautiful or so warm. Yet we have been in Chile for 3 weeks now (minus a week or so in Argentina) and we have many kilometers to go. In fact, Enric right now is warning me that if I don´t get some sleep, I am going to be sleeping on the back of the bike tomorrow! We have a ferry to catch and an early morning ahead!
Bonne nuit! Good night! Bona nit! 25 February 2001
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