I'm in El Calafate, back in Argentina once again. This is a beautiful place by the side of a lake with a backdrop of mountains. About 70km away is the Puerto Moreno Glacier. There's no apology for this being short because I've been as sick as a dog for the last three days, so bad this morning after climbing up from the glacier viewing platforms that I decided to break out the emergency supply of Antibiotics. Hopefully I'll feel a little better in the morning because there is a very long day ahead of me to get anywhere. I'll update when I get the chance with some beautiful photos.

Ushuaia

Wednesday 3rd Nov

Mike Green had already warned me that Ushuaia is an oasis for the traveller here, and he was right.

Ushuaia is the capital of the Argentine province of Tierra Del Fuego. It is commonly regarded as the southernmost city, bounded on the north by the Martial mountain range and on the south by the Beagle Channel. During the first half of the 20th century, the city centred around a prison built by the Argentine government to increase the Argentine population here and to ensure Argentine sovereignty over Tierra del Fuego. The prison was intended for repeat offenders and serious criminals, following the example of the British in Tasmania and the French in Devils Island.





These days it not only is a container port, but a port for the cruise ships that call in here and also a departure point for the tour ships that head for Antarctica. There is a good variety of shops in the main street, and the restaurants cater for the European tourists and open at around seven o’clock, which is great for me as I don’t have to eat in the middle of the night for the next three days.

The National Park is about 20km outside town, and in-between the coaches pulling in I managed to get the bike in front of the sign for the obligatory photo shoot.



Once done a look around and more photo’s of the magnificent views, on once again a perfect day. The fairies must have kissed me again!! I’m sure my luck with the weather is going to run out sooner or later.





On the way back into town I decided to give the wombat a treat and to it to the local car wash to get rid of the grime and dust of the last 3000km. Given the right conditions it will be covered again in no time!! But for now it’s clean.

The next step is to turn around and start heading north, for the next 18000km!! The next stop will be up to Rio Grande then across Tierra Del Fuego to the Chilean town of Puerto Natalis. I’ve also bought a 4ltr fuel can for the next leg.

Down to Ushuaia

Saturday 30th Oct

What a change Puerto San Julian was, a small seaside village half way between the two oil towns. At the end of the main street you are staring at a replica of a Portuguese sailing ship, a little way further down there is a Mirage jet on a pedestal as a memorial to those who died in the Falklands/Mavinas war. I had a very nice room in the Hostelria Miramar and a very nice meal in the restaurant just up the road. A very nice little place to stop.







There are also some cascades just at the back of the town, I couldn't see them the first time I walked round to look, but then I realised it was a tidal pool that filled up when the tide came in but then as the tide went out the water was trapped and slowly falls out over the rock/corral wall. I've seen a similar thing on the Great Barrier Reef.



The Dukes of Hazard are also alive and well in Puerto San Julian!!



Sunday 31st OCT

Rio Gallegos is another industrial town and the 430km to get to it are as featureless as the town. The only benefit is that it is only about 70km from the Chilean border.

Monday 1st Nov

Tierra Del Fuego is split in two halves. One half belongs to Chile and the other to Argentina. Neither side is willing to give their half up. So you have to cross the border twice to get to Ushuaia. Once into Chile the road finishes and the dirt (or ripio) begins, about 120km of it. Now why the Chileans haven’t paved their bit is a either that there is not enough traffic to justify it, or that by not paving it, that keeps the amount of travellers down that want to get to Ushuaia. It's also an Island so you have to get a ferry across the 5km of water.





Either way it’s a pain. Luckily the weather was good, the border crossings went smoothly and by the time I got to Rio Grande, which was were I thought I’d stay the night, it was only 14.30, so I pushed on the last 200km as I figured that I could then stay in Usuaia for three nights and not have to worry about packing everything up for a short day.

The last 100km made all the aches and pains go away. You start to approach the mountains at the back of Ushuaia. Snow capped peaks soon surround you on twisty alpine roads as you climb up over them, and then drop down the other side and into the town.

Into Patagonia

Tues 26th & Wed 27th

Two long days of riding has me in Puerto Madryn. The roads have been very straight and featureless for hundreds of kilometres, much like some of Australia, but at least I’m feeling like I’m back in the groove, and the body is starting to get used to sitting in the saddle for hours on end.

This city is located in the eastern region of the Province of Chubut on the Atlantic coast, and while the weather yesterday was 32degrees and boiling!! With the liners in the suit I had to stop at lunchtime to get them out. Today’s been cooler and the clouds have been building, so there might be some rain in store to spoil my time here.

Puerto Madryn was founded on the 28th July in 1865, date of arrival of 150 Welsh immigrants aboard the "Mimosa" that called this natural harbour "Puerto Madryn" after Loves Jones Parry, who was the Baron of Madryn in the country of Wales.

The settlement became effective when labour provided by Welsh, Italian and Spanish immigrants, built the railroad from Madryn to Trelew. If the weather continues to blow up I might take a ride down to Trelew tomorrow.

Thursday 28th

I did go down to Trelew today but was very disappointed. I don't know what I was expecting (cute and quaint??) But it was another big town. Unless I missed the tourist trail completely. So it was 200km to see nothing.

The plus side was that I got back to Puerto Madryn for lunch, so I picked the best looking restaurant I could find and had the best meal so far. A nice rack of lamb with vegetables, half a bottle of wine, and some Tiramasou for desert. Just before I lef there were some wright wales just out in the bay, waving their flippers for about 15 minutes. The best steak I've had so far was in BA, but I can't eat that much meat that late at night. The restaurants here opened earlier (around 8 o'clock) But I just had a burrito in a mex place. There doesn't seem to be much variety here, no Chinese, no Indian. But in general the food is pretty good, just the timing is out!!







I've decided to leave tomorrow. The hotel is overpriced and not that comfortable, so I might as well make up some time and get down to Ushaia in the next few days. I think the most interesting part is going to be when I start following the Andes up the west coast.

Friday 29th

It was about 450km down to Comodoro, and it was very cold and wet for most of the day. I think the weather forcast is getting better for the next couple of days. There is not a lot here it's an oil town, but lots of shops and I found a Chinese Restaurant I might try tonight

I also ran out of petrol about 10km from the next gas station. I filled up in Trelew and pulled into a station half way in between but they weren't serving fuel for some reason I couldn't fathom. Anyway I miss calculated because I thought there would be fuel in the next place which I had plenty of petrol to get to, but no!! Luckily a very kind man in a ute gave me a lift to the gas station and back again. I'm going to have to be very careful on Ruta 40. I might even get a can.

Another 430 km day tomorrow down to Puerto San Julian. Hopefully not as cold, but I don't think the scenery is going to get any better. Patagonia is a lot like Aus in some ways, hundreds of Km of featurless straight roads. I met a lovely family in the hotel the other day who used to work as ski instructors in the USA. They've given me there number so when I get to Bariloche where they live I can give them a call.

No photos yet for this one as I can't get wifi conection in my room and I'm typing this in the loby, not the most condusive place for creativity!! But all in all life is OK and I'm enjying it.

As an update to Stans Bike, a little bending here and there and it was OK. He was very lucky as the crate looked a mess. He had to go through the insurance process though just in case the damage had been terminal. It's the Africa Twin in front of mine in the garage.

On The Road

Saturday and Sunday have been spent waiting. Saturday was full of bikers coming to see Javier to either just hang around and talk, or to work on their bikes, or to watch him work on their bikes. Either way a lot of talking going on, most of which I couldn’t understand because it was rapid fire Spanish. Lunch was also an interesting affair, with lots of meat and chips and salad. Stan and I were the only ones drinking beer though. All in all, a very pleasant day.

Sunday Stan and I caught the train back into the city and had a tour of the Government House. We had tried to go in on Friday when we went to pay the cargo company, but being a weekday and also a working day, it was a no go. It’s beautiful building, originally a fort from 1594, then a Customs building from 1857 when the latest masonry building was constructed. Today it is the centre of Government containing the Presidents office and a Museum. There are some websites that say you can’t go onto the balcony or take pictures inside the Presidents office, but if that was the case nobody was taking any notice and nobody was being told off by the soldiers/guides that take you round.

Monday will see if Stan’s bike is badly damaged where they have dropped the crate!! And I will know if it is to be Tuesday or Wednesday before I get the Wombat back.

It turned out that it was Thursday before the inventory system at the warehouse was closed and that the customs could then complete their paperwork.



I left BS. AS. around ten o’clock on Friday morning. Javier had told me about a place called La Posta in a town called Azul about 300km south. I arrived about three O’clock and was greeted by Jorge with a smile a mile wide, like a long lost friend! Although he speaks no English his daughter Penny speaks it perfectly, and was soon translating until each others stories had been told. Mi casa y su casa was the message and I was told that as it was a Friday the boys would be round later to party!!



I found the local supermarket, and with a bottle of Quilmes Bock (dark beer. They also do an excellent Stout) and a bottle of Malbec/Cabernet along with coffee, milk and cereal for breakfast I was set to go. The party was quite something. I was told there was usually around eight or nine people turned up, this Friday nineteen people were there!! And with one of them having a birthday on Sunday they were in a mood to celebrate early. Three large chickens appeared and were cut up to go into a kind of Paella type dish with rice and spices. Wine flowed and everyone had a good time.



I have to admit that I cut out early, Jorge told me the next day they finished up at around three O’clock in the morning. The next day (Saturday) I walked into the town to see the sights of Azul, like most Argentinean towns I am told there is always a central square with a church and some sort of town hall then the shops spread out from there.





I left Azul in sunshine on Sunday morning after saying goodbye to everyone who was there for the usual Sunday lunch Mate session. The ride today was only a short one but it rained a couple of times and was freezing!! A sign of things to come I think as I head further south. I had put the liner in my jacket but not in the pants The liner has the waterproof membrane in it) so I got a little wet and cold from the waist down!! I'm here for two nights so that mistake will be rectified the day after tomorrow. Also this village is on a dirt road, so the bike is now covered in mud along with my boots. The view is spectacular though of the hills around here so I'm hoping the sun will come out tomorrow.





I'm in the best hotel in town http://www.villa-ventana.com.ar/aguapampa/index.htm and I'm very pleased, it's usually $400 pesos a night but they let me have this room for $250 pesos (about $64 Australian) with breakfast included.

I'm finding it hard to get my head around the riding at the moment. It's hard to explain but on these big trips you settle into a mindset where you know that you have to do big mileages day after day, but I haven't got that yet, I'm still in 250km mode!! When I leave here I have a couple of big days ahead to get to Puerto Madryn so maybe that will help.

Buenos Aires

A fourteen-hour flight saw me landing in Buenos Aires half an hour before I took off on Saturday the ninth. A chance to re-live the day? Or just a Groundhog Day moment? Either way I was here, after a week of packing the container with all my worldly possessions, sorting out the shutting down of the rental house and finalising all the outstanding bills.





I had booked the first three nights at the Salar Soler bed and breakfast near to Palermo, which involved a forty-minute taxi ride from the airport. Although the driver seemed to be in way too much of a hurry, we made it successfully in what turned out to be very light traffic for a Saturday. It turned out that the Monday was a public holiday so the traffic was very light all long weekend. It became real on Tuesday morning!!

The next two days were spent playing tourist around the sights of Buenos Aires. Government House, the Cathedral, the Cementerio De Recalta (where Eva Peron is buried) and the areas of San Telmo and La Boca.









Day four, and another taxi ride, this time to Dakar Motos who were helping me with the importation of the bike, and who also let travelling motorcyclists stay in the back of the workshop if they have room. This was going to be home until I was reunited with the “wombat”





The last couple of days have been spent catching the train into the city to either go sightseeing again or to pay the $450 fee for the cargo company. The ship will be arriving on the 15th at around 15.00, with some luck the container might be unloaded on the 16th and I might be able to get at the bike and clear customs on the 18th or 19th we'll see.

There's a new page on the site for videos. I've just spent the last five hours editing and trying to post the first video. It's part one of the Birdsville Track adventure. I'll try to get part two finished and uploaded next week. This has been done on the desktop at home, what success I'll have on the notebook is anyones guess, I'll try part two on that.

Seeing it's my first attempt at video be patient and hopefully I'll get better as time goes on.

Three weeks to go and counting now, I've got my travel cards and some Argentinean Pesos, I've had my yellow fever shot (and a few more besides!!) and I've arranged all my insurance. All there is to do now is pack up my things and leave.