Destination reached.

May 9-18 Trinidad to Montevideo

The last 200km’s of bike travel this year is brightened knowing that we will have a few days in MVD before flying home. It is bitter sweet knowing that we are heading to finish line once again. There were days when we wondered why we chose to see the world on motorbikes when there are much easier ways of travelling. Ways that keep you insulated from the elements, not having to put up with the dust, the diesel fumes, the insane drivers, and the overwhelming odors of road kill/garbage/stock yards. But, most days we are happy putting along some dirt road seeing the culture of the country in the small towns and truly being in the moment.

The highway from Trinidad to MVD gets larger as more and more secondary highways join together the closer we get to the capital. We soon see the signs of urban sprawl and industrial replacing the agricultural landscape.

Mate crop.

Sorghum crop.

Looking more like home every mile.

The city is familiar enough that navigation is easy and very little need for the GPS, Hwy#5 branches and we take the waterfront route into the city center. We are now looking at cargo ships, the large active port area, our favorite abandoned train station and before we know it the lobby of our hotel.

Done.

Well there is still a bunch of tasks requiring attention here in MVD, I have to give the bikes a once over and complete repairs as needed before parking them for the season. I know that my bike needs new rear signal lights and the muffler repacked, while Brenda’s low-beam stopped working some time ago, so those are the three known repairs. There is also basic maintenance of oil changes, cleaning of air filters, cleaning the throttle bodies, checking all bearings, sprockets, chains, sorting luggage and one professional cleaning.

The Lavaderos (car washes) down here take their work seriously and really spend a lot of time cleaning the bikes. They make sure all the tar and road grime is removed then give them a quick wax and polish. This all sounds quick and easy but in reality takes me four days to complete. Willi lets me do the work in his shop, which is very kind of him, allowing me access to some tools and the convenient used oil disposal. The other big advantage is that if he does not have it in his shop he can direct me on where to find it in the neighborhood, the typical Latin American layout of the city means that everything is within walking distance and if it isn’t there is always a mid-afternoon break to got fetch something.

So now with all the mechanical work complete we can relax and enjoy the last few days of our winter excursion. Montevideo is such an interesting city for us as we enjoy walking around and looking at the old architecture, sitting in the numerous parks people watching, or strolling along the beautifully developed shoreline. We even make use of the exercise equipment stations that are incorporated into the malecon design, with so many people living in small houses or condos these public gyms get a lot of use, not exactly Muscle Beach but pretty good for an open air facility. We are also reminded of how intense the sun is as we soon look a little red, even with 60spf sunscreen.

Kevin, the fella we store the bikes with, has invited us to go flying with him at the Canelones airfield. He is a pilot at the skydiving place so it is a great opportunity for us to see the area from above. The airstrip is small as are the planes, but we enjoy the sightseeing flight around the area all the same. It is amazing how different it looks from up there.

Craig has arrived from Calgary for the start of his trip, he has a couple of days before he needs to be in Buenos Aires for the arrival of his girlfriend and their second motorcycle, this allows us some opportunities to visit, catching up on events and sharing travel plans. A nice way to end our trip and transition back into our other reality.