Diary & Travel Reports from the saddle
Seasons Greetings from Punta Arenas, Chile, 24 December 2003
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Seasons Greetings to You All ... from one day’s ride north of the end of the world! I’m emailing from Punta Arenas, Chile’s southernmost main town of population 120,000, near the tip of South America mainland facing the Straits of Magellan, at equal distance between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. |
It is a centre for local sheep farming and fishing industries and exports wool, skins and frozen meat. It is the home of La Polar, thre world’s most southerly brewery. It feels quite nice here, though I’m only spending tonight because I want to be in Ushuaia (on Argentina’s part of the island of Terra del Fuego) for Christmas. It is 11pm on the 23rd Dec now, it has only just got dark.
Today’s 500km ride from Calafate was windy, wet and chilly. Before I crossed the border to Chile’s good roads I encountered a great deal of very sticky by very slippery mud which clogged up the wheels and had me off but only once.
The last few days I spent in Calafate Argentina, primarily to see the famous Moreno Glacier. It was one of the most amazing sights I’ve seen on my ride. The glacial ice cracks like a shotgun as it advances 2m per day. Great slabs break off and smash into the water and ice in Lago Argentino. Argentina’s dirt Ruta 40 road finally killed my rear wheel cush drive plate, which has endured 4 years of abuse, so I made it into a thank you plaque for Pablo who remade it in steel for free. Another local ‘moto quiero’ Jose had me over for dinner with his big family (seven daughters and two sons) a few nights too.
So where were we last time? Yes, Buenos Aires. My presentation went well, we had about 80 people, mainly motorcyclists, and raised a little cash. Money is tight for Argentinians, the government pillaged everyone’s bank savings and gave no right of recourse. It was great at last to meet my friend of eight or more years Carlos A. Pereyra Iraola who gave me a helping hand with the media.
I have to write quick because they will close this cafe. La Posta is run by Pollo, a biker in the town of Azul, who puts up bikers at his workshop and cooks up a mean asado (bbq). I am trying to help him visit the Falklands Island. I attended a Horizons Unlimited motorcycle travellers meetings at Viedma in central East Argentina, eighteen other world or continental riders together for a knees up, boat ride and yarn telling time. Mika Kuhn was there it was good to see him again after we rode together into the front lines of a civil war in Laos a few years ago.
I took a train 1000km West to Bariloche. Attended the Wind Riders motorcycle rally to promote my causes, and hgeaded South. I hopped over to Chile for a few days to ride on the Carraterra Austral (since an anti-clockwise direction around the tip of South America is best in view of the strong south westerly winds) very beautiful.
Back in Argentina I picked up Ruta 40, visited the cuevas de Manos, which are 9000 year old painted hands in caves the indians uses gypsum in the paint to make it last. I threw my bike down the track and off it into a boulder and bent a fork and got a headache - good them Arrow helmets. My jacket zip is broken and the battery is 70% dead.
But life is wonderful. Enjoy it.
Simon
A solo fundraising round the world ride on a handmade motorcycle.
Supporting Doctors Without Borders and Health For All.
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