World Tour // South America: Cartagena - Punta Arenas
Welcome to Cartagena, one of the most beautiful pearls of the Caribbean, where the South America leg of the Edelweiss World Tour is about to begin! Within the next 10 weeks, we will visit 6 countries (Colombia, Ecuador, Perù, Bolivia, Chile and Argentina) and ride many many kilometres in the most different conditions. From the sea to the mountains, from the deserts to the forests, from the heat to the glaciers... and much much more! This continent is amazing, stay tuned to discover it with us! But, before starting, we have to take our bikes out from the port... and that's also why we are spending a few here in Cartagena. Customs procedures need time... and (a lot of) patience!
Ready to go! With this heat, wearing helmet, riding gear and heavy boots is a torture, but... safety first! Leaving Cartagena was not an easy task, heavy traffic and (did I mention it before?) heat, but somehow we managed to leave the city heading southwards! We stopped along the road for a coffee break and a simple lunch before reaching the coast again at Coveñas, where we stopped for a few pictures. The next time we'll see the sea, it will be the Pacific Ocean! Now we are in our cozy hotel in Monteria, and will go to bed early because tomorrow it's going to be a long day!
This morning we met at 7:30 in order to leave Monteria early, a very long day was awaiting us! The first part of the ride was in the lowlands, but soon before lunch we started approaching the Andes (the western mountain range of the country), the road became more and more curvy and the landscapes more and more beautiful! The Andes are the longest continental mountain range in the world and we are going to spend most of the trip on their slopes, since they can be considered the "spine" of South America! We reached Medellin around 7pm, tired but very happy, it was a great day!
Only 200 km on the roadbook for today, so in the morning some of us decided to see a bit of Medellin, visiting the famous Botero square and the "Comuna 13", a district that until 20 years ago was controlled by the drug lords and now has become a popular tourist attraction. We departed from the hotel around 1pm and what we did not know was the amount of road works on the way to Manizales, that slowed us down a lot! Add to that a heavy rain just before reaching the hotel... but we made it!
A wonderful ride through the "eje cafetero" (coffee region) of Colombia! This area was inscribed in the Unesco World Heritage list in 2011 as the Coffee Cultural Landscape. We left Manizales under a dark sky but fortunately we didn't get too wet and we could enjoy a great ride through green hills and flowers, and a tasty lunch in Armenia before finally reaching the plains and the big city of Cali, where we are spending the night.
What an epic day! Because of a huge landslide, a part of the road between Popayan and Pasto was completely washed away. Fortunately an alternative road is open, but we had to be there before 11am in order to get through it, so we had to leave the hotel at 6am. Impossible to describe the confusion and the traffic we found there, kilometres of trucks in line waiting for their turn, fortunately with the bikes we could manage to slowly "filter" through that mess, but for the support vehicle it was a very very long day and he reached Pasto after 11 pm!!! Anyway the important thing is that everybody is in Pasto, tired but in a good mood!
Wisely a short ride was planned for today, because at the border you can never know how long it can take! Today it took us more than three hours to enter Ecuador, especially the customs procedures to import the motorcycles in the country were extremely slow. Finally we reached Ibarra, where our hotel is located ver up high and has a great view!
Today we crossed the equator and reached the southern emisphere! And, well... astronomically speaking we also went from winter to summer! But honestly the temperature didn't change much! :) Our first stop was in Otavalo where we had a walk through its colorful marked, drank coffee and then headed to Quito, where we first visited the "Half of the World" monument and then, after many pictures and a good lunch, finally headed to the hotel. Tomorrow no packing, it will be a rest day!
Quito, the capital of Ecuador, was once the capital of the Inca Empire's northern region. The Spanish conquest of the city in 1534 is the date most frequently cited as the city's official founding, making Quito the oldest capital in South America. Its historic center is among the largest and best-preserved in the Americas and in 1978 Quito was the first World Cultural Heritage Site declared by UNESCO. Today we had time to discover this city and its amazing historic centre, walk around or simply relax before coming back to the hotel in the evening to have a great dinner all together!
A short ride today, so we took it very easy! Leaving Quito was not too easy because of a huge traffic jam due to an accident, but with the motorcycles we could fortunately slowly "filter" through cars, trucks and busses. The road to Sigchos is simply amazing, a lot of curves and magnificent landscapes, but we needed to keep the eyes open because landslides and rocks on the road surface can be behind any coeners. We reached the hotel in time for lunch and some decided to continue to the Quilotoa lake (and then come back, of course!), while some others decided to relax in the afternoon. It was a good day! The Virgin of Quito, located on the top of the hill of El Panecillo, is the highest statue in Ecuador and one of the highest in South America (taller than the Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro).
We are in the region of the Volcanoes of Ecuador and the landscapes here are simply amazing! Some of us did not reach the Quilotoa crater lake yesterday, so our first photo stop was there, before finally riding mostly downhill (the Quilotoa has an altitude of almost 4000 metres!) until we reached Salcedo where we had lunch. Temperature increased quickly as we were approaching the valley, but then "fortunately" we had to go uphill again to reach our destination for today!
Today we left Baños and took a sidetrip through the Amazon jungle. The Ecuador Route 45 is without any doubts one of the most beautiful roads of the country and perhaps of the whole continent, very little traffic, perfecly paved and incredible landscapes all around! We only had some rain in the morning, but we can't complain, since we were riding through the rainforest! After a nice lunch in Macas, we headed to Mendez and there we left the E45 and the situation of the road changed completely... but the landscapes continued to be wonderful! And, after Mendez, it was impossible to find a gas station for around 140 kilometres... but we made it!
Our last full riding day in Back on the Andean roads. What a fantastic ride, despite some rain! We reached Loja, the music capital of Ecuador, and had time to relax a little bit before dinner. Today we have to go to bed early, because tomorrow could be a long day!
Looking at the sky this morning, the weather was not very inspiring but after less than an hour the clouds disappeared and the sun came out... what a beautiful day! We reached the border with Peru long before lunchtime but we still didn't know how long the border crossing would have taken! After around six hours of waiting (!!!) we all finally entered Perù! What a change, yesterday we were in the rainforest and today we reached the desert!
First task to do this morning was to insure our motorcycles in Perù, fortunately Erik found a great office with five counters, so it didn't take too long! Then we hit the road and, after leaving Piura, rode straight to Chyclayo. Not much to see around apart from desert sand and dust... and crowded villages!
Another hot morning, but we have to wear protective gear! Today we continued riding the Panamericana to the south. But first, after having left Chiclayo, we stopped at the tomb of Lord Sipan, an archeological site discovered in 1987 and belonging to the Moche people, that were living in the area before the Incas. After that, we found a nice lunch spot in Cayalti and then... back on the "desert highway"!!!
What to do today? Well it's a rest day! Some decided to clean their bikes, some went to the beach, some simply chilled by the pool... we definitely needed a rest!!!
Around 300 kilometres today, if one looks only at the number might think it was just a regular day, but that would be totally wrong! The Canyon del Pato (spanish for Duck Canyon) was today's highlight... and also challenge. The road is extremely narrow, not made for 2 cars or vans to pass at the same time, it rises from 500m to over 2000m and gets narrower and narrower with a succession of one lane tunnels that are hand cut through the mountainside. Falling rocks is a major concern and there are vertigo-inducing depths of up to 1000m! The famous Death Road in Bolivia will look like a piece of cake!
Canyon del Pato with its high vertical walls was not enough of a challenge for some of us who, despite the "not so dry" weather and the risk of rain decided to do take the road to the Pastoruri glacier, and reach an altitude of around 4800 metres (16000 feet) on an unpaved road! But the experience was well worth the fatigue, and I hope pictures will do some justice to the amazing landscapes! After that, a quick lunch and then a wonderful road (this time a paved one!) quickly took us back to sea level, from the clouds to the burning sun and from a temperature of 2 degrees to 30! What a day!!!
Continuing along the coastal road, we quickly reached Lima, the capital city of Perù as well as one of the largest cities of the Americas with a population of around 10 million! Reading this number, just imagine the traffic! Fortunately our hotel is located in one of the best and more quiet districts, an area full of nice bars and restaurants, so tonight we took the chance to have dinner all together!
Around 450 km today, so we spent most of the day on the Panamericana, without any detours ecxept in Ica, where we stopped at the nearby Huacachina oasis, a small lake surrounded by sand dunes, where we had lunch or simply a refreshing drink. We all reached Nazca in time to relax a bit and tomorrow we'll stay here, everybody has different plans for the rest day but for sure we need some rest!
A few options for today, a flight over the Nazca lines (the best way to see them), a ride to the observation tower... or simply sleep in and discover a bit of the town! We definitely needed some rest!
Incredible how many times the weather and the temperature changed today! Leaving Nazca, after a few kilometres we started climbing the andes and, at around 2500 metres of altitude, we found ourselves in a very thick fog! Temperature also dropped and we had to rode very slowly because there was almost no visibility! We reached an altitude of around 4500 metres above sea level, then finally we started riding downhill, temperature increased and visibility as well! We reached the valley and then... let's go uphill again (it suddenly also started to hail)! We reached Chalhuanca after around 350 kilometres, but the feeling was that the ride was much longer!
Another long ride, just like yesterday, but today the weather blessed us and we didn't have to reach very high altitudes... well this is relative, because anyway we reached much higher than Stelvio Pass in the Alps! The biggest challenge today was crossing the town of Abancay, with its bumpy steep roads and crazy traffic! But apart from that, it was a fantastic ride! We are now in Ollantaytambo, at the hearth of the Inca sacred valley, and looking forward to tomorrow! Stay tuned! :)
Program of the day: breakfast (of course!), then meeting with the local guide at 7:50, walk to the train station and hop on the train to Aguas Calientes (also called Machu Picchu Pueblo). Then go to the hotel, drop the luggage, walk to the bus and drive uphill to the "Lost City of the Incas"! Machu Picchu is the most familiar icon of the Inca Empire and was built around 1450 AD but abandoned it a century later, at the time of the Spanish conquest. Over the centuries, the surrounding jungle overgrew the site and it was "rediscovered" only in 1911! Nowadays it is a Unesco World Heritage site, considered one of the wonders of the ancient world and of course one of the major tourist attractions of Perù. Enjoy the pictures!
After a relaxing night and a good breakfast, this morning we took the train back to Ollantaytambo and then hopped on our motorcycles again, direction Cuzco, the former Inca capital! It was a beautiful ride and not too long, around 65 kilometres, so we reached our destination in time for lunch and had time to explore the wonderful historic centre of Cuzco in the afternoon. Tonight everybody has different plans, but we'll go to bed early, because tomorrow a long ride awaits us!
Because of the political situation in the country, in the rural areas around lake Titicaca there are still many protests and road blocks, so we had to change the route for the next few days. We can't go to Puno and enter Bolivia afterwards, so we headed south and we will enter Chile instead. Today it was a long and quite difficult day, bad weather, cold and also foggy! Most of us reached the hotel quite late, but everybody is resting now! :)
After the "odissey" of yesterday, this morning we were really rewarded with clear sky and perfect visibility and enjoyed a wonderful ride through the mountains (reaching an altitude of around 4900 metres - 16000 feet!). Perfect road, stunning sceneries... simply perfect! We reached Arequipa in time for lunch and could finally rest in the afternoon, we really needed a little break!
Leaving Arequipa, the white city (because of its architecture built with white volcanic stone), impossible not to stop for a picture of the Misti volcano and the city at its bottom. Today's route took us back to the Pacific coast, and the temperature quickly rised as we were riding mostly downhill. And, once we reached the coast, the scenery became breathtaking! What a wonderful twisty road, hundreds of kilometres between the desert and the sea. Really unforgettable! Lunch break in Ilo, by the coast, where we saw hundreds of fishing boats (now we know where cevice comes from!) and then we quickly reached Tacna... also because the road became much more straight.
Since we changed our route, we have to enter Chile for just one day and then enter Bolivia to get back on track. The border is very close to Tacna, so we reached there in around 30 minutes and fortunately the immigration and custom procedures didn't take very long because, once in Chile, we had to change time, this country is two hours ahead... so suddenly it was almost lunch time already! We ate in Arica by the coast and then headed again towards the inland... to reach Bolivia we will have to cross the Andes again! And from the heat of the coast, in less than one hour the climate completely changed!
This morning the Sun was shining and, even if quite chilly (or better say cold!), we enjoyed a great ride to the bolivian border, passing by the show capped volcan Parinacota in the Lauca national park. Amazing views! We reached the border to Bolivia at an altitude of around 4500 metres (14500 feet) and, to our surprise, the immigration and customs procedures did not take long, so we reached Oruro and still had time to relax!
A short ride today... but reaching high altitudes again!!! Amazing how often we reached and went over altitudes of 4000 metres here in Bolivia!
Today we left the "economic" capital of Bolivia to reach its constitutional one, Sucre, whose historical centre is a real gem! Again, after leaving Cochabamba, we had to cross mountains and valleys and reached altitudes of more than 4000 metres! So, as you can imagine, the temperature changed continuously and also the weather, we went from sun to heavy rain... and also met a protest with one road block, but fortunately the protester let us go through! We reached Sucre in time for a walk through the centre, so beautiful!
A long but wonderful ride today! Leaving Sucre, we headed southwards to Potosi, once one of the richest cities on Earth because of the silver found in the area... and nowadays one of the highest cities, at approximately 4000 metres of altitude. Its historical center conserves many testimonies of the ancient well-being, and is a Unesco World Heritage site. And, after Potosi, the road became simply wonderful, almost no traffic for three hours, beautiful landscapes all around, beautiful weather... what else could we ask for? Well it was also perfectly paved! Now we have reached the Salt Flat of Uyuni, and we are looking forward to tomorrow's ride on the salt!
The harsh beauty and desolateness of Salar de Uyuni made for an incredible experience today! Stretching more than 10000 square kilometres (4000 square miles) of the Altiplano, it is the world’s largest salt flat, left behind by prehistoric lakes evaporated long ago. Here, a thick crust of salt extends to the horizon and we felt like being on another planet. We first stopped at the Dakar monument and then navigated for around 50 kilometres to Isla Incahuasi, the remaining top of an ancient volcano now covered by huge cacti. There we had a great picnic before finally heading back. A day to remember! After riding on the salt, the bikes need immediately a "bath" with fresh water
Time to say goodbye to Bolivia! It was a long day, around 450 km and a long stretch of unpaved road before the border crossing. Add to this a road block for protests in a village, a national holiday in Bolivia (so the officers at the border took a veeery long break) and a blackout on the Chilean side of the border... but the landscapes were simply amazing! We came to Calama very late, but fortunately just in time to get some dinner at the hotel before the kitchen closed!
We really deserved a great day like this, after the struggle of yesterday! Some of us decided to leave the hotel a little later and take the shortest way to San Pedro, while others went for a longer loop, reaching the El Tatio geysers field before finally heading to the hotel. What an amazing sight! But the day was not over, sunsets on the Atacama desert are a great attraction and, around 6:30pm, we took our bikes again and headed to a viewpoint to admire the Sun go down. Well actually... it's the Earth that moves around the Sun... :)
Today we crossed the Andes again. The border between Chile and Argentina is located on top of Paso de Jama, so again we had to reach very high altitudes! But that did not matter, the scenery was simply amazing and this time we were also quite lucky with the weather! It was cold, of course, but not windy and the air was perfectly clear! Border procedures were quick and, once we entered Argentina, we finally started riding downhill... until we reached Purnamarca with its famous "coloured" mountains!
What an amazing ride! Leaving Purnamarca, we rode mostly southwards along the east side of the Andes and passed by the city of Salta, but before that we used the "ruta 9" that passed through very interesting rural places and soon became very narrow and twisty. We had to pay attention to the animals on the road, including cows, horses and pigs... but we made it without problems! And, after lunch, the real highlight of the day was awaiting us, the "Quebrada de las Conchas" (canyon of the shells), what an amazing road! We reached Cafayate with a big smile on our faces!
Despite the not many pictures, today's ride was very interesting. It's almost unbeliavable how quickly we can go from an arid landscape to a forest! Passing by Tafi del Valle made for a very good coffee break, and then the road became like a rollercoaster almost all the way to Tucuman. Today it's time to service our bikes, and we tried to do as much as possible, because when we reach Santiago de Chile it's going to be weekend...
A long and hot (very hot!) riding day! We have all arrived in La Rioja, and as soon as the Sun came down we really enjoyed eating out on the main square, the temperature finally became so pleasant...
Many kilometres on our roadbook for today, but we advanced quite quickly since we had long stretches of very straight road! But that all changed in the Ischigualasto park and in the Ciénaga area, with a lot of curves and wonderful landscapes! Argentina has a lot of hidden surprises for us, like for example when today suddenly we saw a huge dinosaur! In this area of the country were discovered some of the oldest fossiles, and that's why nowadays the Ischigualasto is a Unesco World heritage site. After many photo stops and a quick lunch in San Jose, we finally reached San Juan!
Quite a short stretch of road today, and also very straight, so we reached Mendoza (the wine capital of Argentina!) very quickly and had time for a walk in its beautiful centre and for a rest before going out again for dinner! Of course we had to order wine!!! Not many pictures today! :)
From Mendoza we headed westwards to reach and cross the Andes again (it won't be the last time!) and, since the weather was simply great, reached the statue of the "Christ the Redeemer of the Andes" at an elevation of on 3.832 m (12,570 ft)! The statue is located exactly on the border, so soon after that we started the immigration an customs control. Then countless sweepers and switchbacks (also on unpaved road!) took us downhill. Temperature rised incredibly quickly as we were ridingl to the capital city of Chile! We are going to spend two nights in Santiago many options for tomorrow so... stay tuned!
We had several options for today: relax (of course, after all it's a rest day!), or do some sightseeing in the capital of Chile, shopping (motorcycle gear!)... and another option was to ride 115 km (70 mi) to Valparaiso, which is "THE" harbor city on the west coast of South America, apart from having a very picturesque centre! So... just two of us chose this last option! Back in Santiago, we had a great dinner all together!
To not stay on the highway 5, which can be boring like every highway, we headed south-west and took some rural roads towards the coast, had lunch in Pichilemu and then headed back to the inland! Talca on sunday afternoon was very busy, but at night almost all restaurants were closed, people don't use to go out for dinner on sundays! Fortunately we find something open!
The Pacific coast is like a magnet for us! So, leaving Talca, we quickly reached the sea again and enjoyed a wonderful ride along the jagged coast, full of little bays and beaches! We had lunch at Dichato, of course by the beach, and finally reached Conception in time to relax a bit before dinner!
The night must have been quite cold, because this morning two batteries were dead... or almost dead! Fortunately in Conception there is an official BMW dealer and we managed to get new batteries... so the show can go on! But that was not the only surprise for today, because somebody had the great idea to set fire to a big truck on the highway, kilometres of vehicles waiting in line before police finally re-opened the road! But the view of the Villaricca volcano when we finally got there paid us back for all the problems and delays!
Pucon is a great place for a rest day! Beautifully located at the feet of the Villarrica volcano, it's a mayor centre for tourism in southern Chile, attracting tourists during winter (good skiing on the Volcano) and summer. Many nice restaurants and bars for lunch, and for the evening we had the pleasure to be invited for dinner by a friend of Andreas, who owns a wonderful house on the side of the volcano, with an impressive view over the lake! Food was fantastic too!
The thursday before Easter, vacations starting, many people moving around... and we had to cross the border! We couldn't have chosen a worse day maybe, it took us six hours from the moment we reached the chilean border control until we finally entered Argentina! But it could have been worse actually, at least the weather was great! :)
We are in Patagonia and, despite the good weather, this morning the temperature was very chilly! We spent all day on the famous Ruta 40, one of the longest and most famous roads in the world! Leaving San Martin, the section of road until Villa Angostura is known as the "route of the seven lakes", and as you can imagine the landscapes are simply breathtaking! After the coffee break we continued to Bariloche, the main centre of the region, where despite the traffic (Easter Holidays!) we managed to have lunch with a view! And what a view! We finally reached El Bolson tired but with big smiles on our face!
Today we continued riding southwards and, after a few kilometres, we left the Ruta 40 and headed to the village of Cholila, where we could learn more about the story of Butch Cassidy. This famous (thanks to Hollywood) ganster and his band lived in the village for approximately four years after escaping from the USA! After that, we soon entered the wonderful "Los Alerces" national park, where we could ride an amazing unpaved road and admire its stunning landscapes! In the park we also had a light lunch and then finally headed to Esquel! Today we enjoyed a great weather too, as you can see from the pictures!
From Esquel was not far to the Chilenian border. We were worried to find a long line again, because of the Easter holidays, but fortunately everything went very smoothly! The weather was not the best possible, but at least the rain kept the gravel road free from dust! And what a beautiful scenery all around! After crossing the border we stopped in Futalefu for a coffee break and then continued to Villa Santa Lucia, where we took the famous "Carretera Austral" or simply "Ruta 7". We didn't have enough of gravel today, so before reaching La Junta (our lunch stop) we went for an extra loop in the Valle Mirta, a tiny road where apart from scanning the road surface we had to watch for animals! After lunch it wasn't a long stretch to Puyuhuapi, where we are staying in a very cozy lodge!
A rainy and cold morning... we are in Patagonia, after all! We rode along the fjord of Puyuhuapi and a challenging passroad on gravel took us to Villa Amengual, where we stopped for a coffee and then finally rain stopped! When we reached Coyhaique in the afternoon the weather was finally good again and the forecast for the next days is very good!!! Let's keep fingers crossed!
What a specatcular day! Very chilly in the morning, but slowly the temperature increased and we enjoyed a great ride along the western shores of lake General Carrera, Chile's biggest lake... where after every curve we could have stopped for a photo! In Puerto Rio Tranquilo we stopped for a quick lunch and then, since the weather was simply great, we took the chance to do a boat ride and go to admire one wonder of the Nature, the incredible marble formations carved by the water of the lake and the Marble Chapel! Back on the bikes, we finally reached our lodge located at the southern end of the lake, nested on a hill and with a fantastic view... what could we ask for?
Today was one of the most beautiful and scenic, but also one of the toughest, days! After breakfast we rode through the Patagonia National Park, over Paso Roballos and cross the border into Argentina. More than 200 kilometres of gravel and spectacular landscapes... but definitely not easy! Border procedures also took quite a long time and we had a sort of picnic lunch in "no man's land", between the Chile and the Argentina check points. Well it was in Argentina, but it sounds more adventurous the way I wrote before! FInally we reached the Ruta 40 again, headed to Bajo Caracoles - a small village in the middle of nowhere - where fortunately there is a fuel pump and then continued to Gobernador Gregores. Temperatures dropped a lot as the Sun was going down, but we made it!
We continued our journey on the Ruta 40 south. In this region there is a stretch of around 70 kilometres that is still unpaved, maybe for nostalgic travellers! After that, we reached La Leona where we could taste a good piece of cake and a coffee! before finally arriving quite early to El Calafate, one of the turistic hotspots of Argentina, being the basecamp for the glaciers! And that's where we are going tomorrow...
Since we are in El Calafate, visiting the Perito Moreno Glacier is definitely a must! But we decided to take it easy, went there by bus (so that we could wear more confortable gear) and also booked a boat ride! The weather was simply perfect and we could really enjoy this wonder of Nature! What a day! And, when we came back, there was also something to celebrate... happy birthday Feroz!
Let's continue zigzagging between Chile and Argentina! In a beeline, the distance between the Perito Moreno Glacier and Torres del Paine is only around 50 kilometres, but we don't have wings and had to go all around, so the distance we covered was much higher. After a break in La Esperanza, we reached the border at Cancha Carrera and from there it was just a short stretch to Puerto Natales, a town founded in 1911 as a port for the sheep industry and that nowadays is the primary transit point for travellers to Torres del Paine National Park.Last but not least, in this town there is the southernmost authentic Neapolitan Pizzeria in the world... we can't miss it tonight!
Torres del Paine is one of the largest and most visited parks in Chile.And not without a reason, as we could experience today! I hope the pictures will do some justice to the marvel we got to see!!! We rode almost 300 kilometres, not really a rest day, but it was really a great day!
Yesterday the weather was maybe too good to be true, so today we had to pay back the good luck! Cold, rain and also snow! But, in the end, we want the full experience, don't we? We are in the Tierra del Fuego now, and after a hot shower and a good dinner we are ready for tomorrow!
The day everybody has been waiting for since we started the trip has finally arrived and the God of motorcyclist must have been thinking about us because, after the cold and the snow of yesterday, temperature increased and we enjoyed a great ride with even just little wind! We crossed the border to Argentina really quickly and continued to Rio Grande and Tolhuin for a couple of breaks... before finally reaching the most beautiful part of the ride, crossing the mountains over Paso Garibaldi and finally arriving in Ushuaia! We made it!!!
Yesterday we reached Ushuaia, southernmost city in the world... but the road does not end here, it goes a little bit further, and that"s where we went this morning. We can't ride any further! This afternoon time to rest or do some sightseeing/shopping and then, later, dinner out!
After having reached the "world's end" we have to backtrack for a couple of days in order to reach Punta Arenas, where the journey officially ends! The temperatures have fortunately increased a little bit and Rio Grande is not too far, so some of us already got their bikes washed and ready for the shopping!
Last riding day! Today we crossed the border and entered Chile, for the last time, then left the Tierra del Fuego island and finally reached Punta Arenas. More than. 10 thousand miles or 17 thousand kilometres done! What a journey!!! Tomorrow morning we'll go to drop off the bikes for shipping, and hopefully it won't take long!
This morning we dropped.off the motorcycles. Some are going to Europe, a.couple to the USA and others to South Africa, their journey continues! The procedure was quick and, after that, we came back to the hotel for packing... and to prepare for the farewell evening. Mixed emotions, but as Pat and Jeff quoted "don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened! Good bye to all of you, it was a trip we'll never forget!