First and foremost you need to bring cash there is a bank but it's useless the ATM never works the clerks are asleep and when there awake they can't help with anything and no restaurant accepts cards!
Thursday, 31 July 2014
The road to Putre!
In a few words it's up hill!
The perfect camping spot! First river in Chile!
In more words for crying outloud it's hard going I'm half way there! And at 2000 meters up another 2000 meters to go and then once at Putre things are better they are flater to La Paz, it's a balance between weight the water supplies the uphills and the darn sun which is relentless, had to stop felt another heat problem coming on.
Tomorrow will do an early start set the alarm for 4:30 as it takes for ever to pack all the gear that should get be going at about 6:30 and the 3 good hours in the cool I hope it's plenty to get close to Putre I looked at the map at the restaurant the 38.5 withe the owner who spoke English no sought its tuff but well worth it and I've got a plane to catch in la Paz anyways so, gotta keep going.
As a reward I'll spend the night in Putre and then head for the Bolivian border.
Sunday, 27 July 2014
The ultimate driving machine!
On the way to the universidad de tarapaca San Miguel de azapa museum where there are some really old mummies I saw this thing!
From the looks of it it's made for quarter mile drag as it seems to have a shoot at the back!! As a factory option I almost traded my bike for it :)
On the way to Arica
Between Iquique and Arica are some tuff tuff uphills with very strong winds I've risen in Ireland for a number of years and the winds there are not friendly but this was something else!
Celebrating 2000 km of going!
Winds so strong that they blew me and the bike to the other side of the road very anger outs and were not light!
Arica!
Last city in chile for me or so I thought...
Arriving to Arica took this one because they like this stuff more then H2O
After reading about Peru I decided not to go! Not safe enough ... Maybe Im wrong but I'm not liking it. So instead I'll be going to bolivia for a bit and then fly to costa rica on the 11th of August stay there for a while and make my way to Guatemala.
Inquique!
Well after a nice push through the coastal road made it to this free zone as they call it, it also happens to be a surf city.
It's very nice in parts and in others a slum, but I just tried to stick to the nice bits.
I was told that I would be able to find a zoom lens there so I took my chances at the free zone mall and sure enough I found one, a Nikor 70-300 mm which is very nice and also big and heavy not so nice but I had been meaning to get one so what the heck.
At the mall I also found a solar recharger very good, need one.
Enjoyed the views of the surfers from my hotel room and refueled, the next day I packed up had a nice breakfast and took a few pictures of the surfers and some sort of parade.
It was then time to go after lunch, and trying to find the elusive chile patch, it was a lazy Sunday and did t head off until after two! Then all uphill! After 20 km of nonstop uphill I called it a day I was tired and the stop in Inquique was not very restful I need a few days of cool down I'll do so in Arica the last city in chile :(
The sleeping spot tonight is not great in the desert with some sort of hard crust impossible to drive the pegs, and I broke the tent it's not bad but a pain, I have to fix the stitches on one of the pole tensioner a d the stove would not light, I got it going in the end, it does that from time to time, seems to work better in the morning...
Tomorrow is a big push for Arica!
July 21st on the way to Arica!
Well a warm no wait scorching hot day in the desert sun!
The chocolate was all melted had to lick it!! And the water warm, but at least there are plenty of towns to get refills, so no worries, after 70 odd clicks I stopped at hurra for a refill and rest and started again but my body was saying stop, legs were shaking and hands rubber, so okay stop for the days, it is windy with zero cover but the stop is very nice!
What a sun set and the stars and milky way later were stunning! Was fun seeing satelites go by.
It takes cars of my behind so tribute to the brooks!
Saturday, 19 July 2014
Tocopilla July 16
Nice ride on route 1 on the way to Inquique where maybe I'll be able to find a zoom lens...?
Stopped in tocopilla for lunch where the locals where very interested and like my bike. They were also happy that I rode in from Santiago!
View from my tent in the morning umm light was difficult at 0600 and I wasn't awake yet
One of the bike , why not?
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