An overlander's account of South and Central America by motorbike - the trusty Suzuki DR650. Within are great travel tips and hints (2011).

Thursday, March 3, 2011

Quick Update

Ahoy all!
I hope this finds you all well!!!  Unfortunately I forgot my notepad so I´ll give a quickie update!  I´m currently in Puerto Natales.  I left Santiago on the 16th Feb and travelled down Caretera Austral and Ruta 40.  Over the last three days I trekked the Torres del Paine ("the W") and was absolutely stunning!   Have just finished a major maintenance day on the bike as she´s done 4000km since Santiago (oil change, filter change, air filter clean, lubing, tightening, kissing etc).  I did the TdP trek in 3 days as I was constantly paranoid about where I left the bike chained up (between a tree and a hostel building).  The trek was still absolutely phenomenal!!!  Great camping, great views, great walking and all done with a duffle bag over one shoulder (no space for a backpack on a bike!!).  The trek seems to be getting more and more popular so many people are on the trail at all times it seems.

Before the trek I stayed in El Chalten for 2 night which was unreal also!  A chilled out little village under the cliffs and stars of the night sky!  A day trek here led me to tres lagos (3 lakes) high up in the hills which was also abolutely stunning...and as I left I lost my snow virginity...seeing snow for the first time (although wet snow and quite horizontal and unpleasant).  I also saw the Perito Moreno glacier which was farrrrrkin stunning!!!  Saw half a glacier fall into the abyss below and create a wave large enough to surf and sounds like they were from the bowels of a demon!


A quick update on the biking...Nessie is handling like a bat out of hell!  Perfectly and maniacally!  So far I´ve camped underneath a volcano, beside a lake, on the cliffs above a valley (replica of the land before time movie), in people´s woodsheds, yards and houses (just by asking) and everywhere else in between!  Fishing has seen little love and showers even less!  Although me armpits did get a service and lubrication today along with Nessie!


Now heading for Ushuaia and then up the Argentinean coastline.  I´ll leave you with a couple of pics until the next proper story!  Take care and be good!  If not, be good at what you´re doing!
Love Rossy.


1 comment:

  1. Mate this all looks awful. I can't imagine why you would have wanted to do a trip like this.

    I wish I was there to tag along.

    Scotty

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