El Calafate to Ushuaia 31 1 2012

El Calafate 

Because we are the great adventures in the deep south , we had to have some where to stay in El Calafate , so we whipped up this log cabin , with our bowie knives  

After a couple of days it was time to move on , with me going on down into the Torres del Paine National Park  (approx 250kms with about 100kms of Ripo )and the guys going on down to Puerto Natales .

Once I left the guys it was back onto  Ripo with  more really stunning scenery . It was about 100kms to the park and to find some accommadation . I asked the park ranger where there's a cheap  hotel , he showed me a couple of hotels on a map (there is no town or anything in the park , and the hotels and hostels are spread all over the park ). So off I go to find the hotel , it's getting late ,  I was keen to find it quick . The road was some of the worst ripo I have been on  , very loose and very windy . On one corner I got into the biggest Mexican wave ever , I don't know how i stayed up , but I did and found the  hotel about 20kms further down the road . 

I ride up thinking shit this is not going to be cheap in any sense of the word . Its on an island in the middle of a lake ,  it looks stunning with great views onto the Mountains . I have no option now other than riding another 120kms on ripo to get out of the park 

I go into the reception and ask the guy how much it is  for a night , he says $320US , I look at him and say you are bloody joking . Then I said to him can you ring the police , he says why , I say because you are a bloody thief . He laughs and with that we start to neg the price . After about 10 mins I get him down to $180US with breakfast and a Beer thrown in . Hell still  bloody 3 arms and 5 legs , but I really have no option  . It was a great room because I asked that it be a room with a view as well . When I was talking down the price , I said well I will go to the next hotel , he laughs and says well it's $1000US a nite and you have to stay at least 5 nights (bloody amazing ).   

The next day I was off late (getting my $180us worth ) to catch up with the guys in Punta Arenas (approx 350kms with 124kms ripo, and even worse than the day before ). I called into Puerto Natales , a really nice small town and the launching pad for people into the Torres del Paine National Park . A great area for all adventure sports . 

  

Just before I turned off to Torres del Paine NP

Torres del Paine NP

The View from my expensive Hotel room 

Torres del Paine 

Just on dark from my room 

Below the Hotel 

Torres del Paine 

Leaving the next day for Punta Arenas 

Below Puerto Natales 

Above they say it gets windy down here 

Below Punta Arenas 

It was a lot bigger than I thought and quite nice with a great water front and large shopping area 

Punta Arenas 

Below leaving Punta Arenas for Porvenir and our first steps on Tierra Del Fuego , the island that is seperated by the Straits of Magallanes , named after another  great adventure in 1519  , like me !!

After we got to Porvenir we set off only to find we are lost and a locked gate , so we turned and went back to town to start again 

Shit another 145kms of Ripo ,( i'm all ripoed out), we are heading for Rio Grande , then the big push down to the end of the world  

Some of the views on the way down to Ushuaia

Then there it is Ushuaia and the end 

 It's pretty cold down here about 10c degs 

Then the END 31st 01 2012 

There is nowhere to go now but up , 

it's  3076kms to Buenos Aires

But first there is the Antarctic

After 48,000 kms , 

2 motorbike

  1 busted knee

  having traveled with Ruth to Mexico

  Damon to Guatemala

  Phil and Wade in Colombia (Aussies)

 and then from Cali Colombia with Terry , Dave , Bob (Brits) 

on and off for  the rest of the way . 

Having arrived at the end , there were  mixed feelings really , part of me was disappointed because it was now over (after so much planning and so long in the doing ) , but the greater feeling was relief to have got there after so much , I had a real sense of relief and a feeling of a  huge pressure removed from me  . After the accident I always had in the back of my mind , of , what if I dont make it or  what if something happens again and I can't make it  . 

So now that  it is completed , I'm just so relieved ,  with a huge feeling of achievement and having done the  job   

It was not easy at times , but  I have meet so many  wonderful people 

The world is really a great place with so many great people 

My theory has always been that the world is made up of  99.9999% of the people just like us , and if you run into the other .00001% then you are in trouble . But that can be in any country in the world . so all you people out there , get off your arses and travel to see for yourselves . It does not have to cost a lot , you can travel for bugger all these days   

It was great for all of us to be there , you could feel the relief from all of us . 

WHAT NOW !! 

 I have booked a cabin on a ship for Antarctica (9 nights) , which leaves on the 8th Feb  . The guys are heading  back up to Buenos Aires on the 2nd ,  I hope to catch up with them around the 21st of Feb in Buenos Aires , before they leave for the UK on the 29th 

So really this is not the end  but the start of the trip down to Antarctica and then up , so keep watching its not all over yet  

Bariloche to El Calafate 27 1 12

Bariloche 

Bariloche was OK but not a town I would go back too , very different from San Martin de los Andes which I liked a lot  . 

Bariloche

After Bariloche we were on way to Esquel 

Top and bottom on our way to Esquel 

Lots of big roads and beautiful weather 

As above 

Esquel was a small farming town with not a lot of charm , but for us the gate way to the Carretrea Austral , which is in Chile  . It's about 1000kms of Ripo or gravel roads as we call them , through some very spectacular country and scenery  

Above just before the border and we are into the Ripo 

below at the border 

Above a Tiger shot 

The Carretera Austral is some of the most beautiful country in the world , with heaps of lakes and spectacular mountains 

And as I say heaps of Gravel roads (lots not more than tracks), some were good some were terrible but mostly we took it easy and on the first day we cover about 260kms . With Bob going down and yes me dropping the Tiger again 

 Lots of dust , look at the great adventurer below 

I think he need a shave more than any thing  

Below 

Arriving in the  small town called Puyuhuapi , Population 300 . We stay here in a cabana , a great town for a stop over 

Sun set in Puyuhuapi

Next day more Gravel , about another 260kms we thought , but to our luck it was only about 100kms, the rest was Tarmac . The 100kms of Ripo was bloody hard going, with a mountain to climb 

and a lot of loose gravel . The roads have a hard base , but with a lot of loose on the top , its not nice (a bit like marbles on glass) .

On the way through 

Next was Coihaique , but before we got there we stop in for something to eat in a little town called Manhuales , which was just before the Ripo stopped . Terry happened to notice that one of his panniers was hanging off , well all three of the guys bikes had  broken Pannier mounts . So it's into a local engineers shop for some work to be done  . This took about 2 hrs as the guys had to strip down the bikes, including taking off the sub frames for wielding , the old BMWs just didnt like the ripo .  The Tiger with its  new suspension just glided over it , but the BM's just don't have the suspension like i do (remembering that they are 20years old )

Below arriving Coihaique , a very nice farming town with lots of great country around it .

Below my gear after 2 full days of Ripo 

The guys decided that the bikes were not up to the Ripo (and I think they made the right decision ) ,so the next day we parted company . They went back over to Argentina and I continued on down the Austral 

I had a 2 day trip around Lago (Lake) Gral Carrera which is the seconds biggest in South America I had approx 300kms on Ripo 

I enjoyed some of the most remarkable scenery ever , I just loved it . I run into a couple of Dutch people that were walking around South America (crazy , they had walked over 4000kms so far )

Around the lake 

Half way round the lake there are the Famous Marble Caves 

By the time I got to the caves I had been adopted by a bus full of Chilean tourists . So when it came time to go see the caves I was ferried on with them (other wise is was a 1.5 hrs wait )

They kept calling me the gringo , with great laughs and a lot of photos of them with me . I had a great time with them 

Below the Marble Caves 

Then it was on to Puerto Guadal another small town on the lake population approx 400 

Thats not me below 

Looking back the next day leaving Puerto Guadal 

The next day it was approx 124kms of Ripo  to get to Chile Chico and back into Argentina . 

I had planned to stay in Pertio Moreno , but I arrived early and thought that I would make the next day a little easier 

Just before arriving Chile Chico 

So the next stop was Bajo Caracoles about 124kms down the Ruta 40 . 

A lot of the Ruta 40 has been sealed now ,so to get to Bajo Caracoles there was only about 30kms of ripo 

Baja Caracoles population 40 

The next day I had to make El Chalten approx 535kms with about 350kms being ripo . 

The temperature here , so the guy tells me that I stayed with said , gets down to 30degs below in winter 

Ruta 40 

After a long day in the saddle I arrived in El Chalten , a very very pretty town with Mount Fitz Roy just looking down on it (picture postcard stuff )

Population summer heaps , winter bugger all 

Lots of Adventure Tourists come to El Chalten for the hiking and climbing and all the other usual Adventure sports 

Before leaving I took a 80kms trip in land to look at the lake above , all on Ripo

Above and below  leaving El Chalten 

Next  El Calafate and the reunion with the guys , which was great .

El Calafate is probably the most touristy town that I have come across so far on this trip . There are just 1000s of them , all come to see huge Glacier Perto Morena . 

Its 30kms long ,5 kms across and stands 75mts above the water . It's  1 of 3 in South America that are still growing , I tell you it is quite a sight 

Pictures below all of the Glacier 

As you can see it was not very warm either 

Terry and I went on a boat ride up to the Glacier as well