Rugged beauty of Northern Chile

Jan 18-19 San Pedro to Iquique

We promised Charles and Janet that we would stop in before we left to say Adios and answer any last minute questions they might have. They are heading south and had a bunch of questions about route options and such. Matt and Meagan are heading north so they also had a couple of questions about travel in Bolivia and Colombia. We had seen many other travel bikes in town and they are like magnets for other bike travellers, so when we are parked talking to Charles and Janet a couple of other bike riders stroll up and join the conversation. The common element of course is the motorcycle and where they have taken us. We all joke that the bikes want to see new things and that we are just along for the ride, why else would you dress up in full riding gear in 35C weather and ride around the desert.

That being said it is time to ride out into the desert on our way to Iquique (eye-kee-kay) which is along the Pacific coast. All we really know about the place is that it is also a mining based economy and that the Dakar Rally stayed there for a few days, and we hope to get new rear tires there. The coast in Northern Chile is what it is, desert rock and sand thrown together in dynamic configurations that seem unending. On one side of the road is rugged coastline with blue waves crashing the shore, on the other side is like the surface of the moon or something similar.

We pass by the location where the Rally crested the bank and made a dramatic descent  down to the shore. This must have been a major relief for the competitors after riding in the desert all day, even though the 2-3km descent is daunting and more than a little intimidating.

We did not know that there is a large duty free shopping zone in Iquique called Mall Zufa, this explains all the traffic and trucks, but most of the goods arrive by ship at the port and then are transferred to the shopping area by truck. We have been in contact with Sonia again at MotoAventura because she has a workshop here and has promised that they have the tires we need. Once again, we are not surprised that they do not have the correct size but we are surprised that they cannot find any in town. They offer up a slightly larger tire from the same manufacturer that we have to settle for. Not my preffered tread pattern but there is really no other choice aside from a very aggressive knobby that would likely wear out in 2000km.

The tire replacement took most of the day, partially because once we got the tires off we realized that one of the wheel bearings had completely failed, Raul the mechanic, knew where to get replacement SKF bearings so it was just a matter of waiting a while for him to return and pop out the old ones and install the new. What really took time was the swapping out of the tires, the shop was very busy and we were not first in line. By 5pm we are finally finished with the tires and bearings, we really enjoyed the afternoon at SamMoto’s, listening to Sr. Jorge tell stories of his business ventures and Chilean history.

Our Hostal was only one block from the beach and extensive Malecon so we decide to stay and extra day to explore the city. It is crazy hot so we have to be careful not to get sun stroke or sun burn or both while we walk around. The Malecon is nicely developed with green spaces and exercise areas in addition to a few restaurants and bars. One section is developed with tall condo buildings and even a Yacht Club which is a reflection of the strong economy that Chile has been experiencing for a number of years now. The downtown area of the city has a large central square and a number of blocks that are designated as pedestrian streets. A number of street vendors were selling antiques of all kinds including old money, stamps, postcards(used), toys, and all kinds of stuff. We find a couple of treasures and for $20 it is hard to refuse. Then it was time to head back to the Hostal to make a bite to eat, we stop intermittently to watch the people on the beach and wonder how they are not burnt to a crisp. In any event it was another great day.

A little more Ruta 40

Jan 15-16 Cachi to San Pedro de Atacama via SA de Los Cobres.

We also have to continue with our own adventure as we head north up Rte 40 to San Antonio de Los Cobres which is only 160km away but does cross a mountain pass in the process. As we ride along we are amazed that this is the same route that the competitors took the day before, there are numerous water crossings, a couple of hamlets, a bunch of switchbacks, and some snow at the top of the pass. Abra del Acay is 4895m although my GPS shows it at 4965m,either way it is frick'n high which would explain the snow. What goes up must come down and this pass leads us down into a valley filled with Llamas and sheep but little evidence of who they belong to.

SA del Los Cobras is a very small town which is home to most of the people who work in the mines around the area. In the process of finding a hotel we get stopped by the local traffic control for going the wrong way on a one way street, this is very comical for a couple of reasons. First that they have traffic control officers in a town that is only 4 block wide and 10 blocks long, the second reason is that they even care if a motorcycle goes the wrong way on a street that has no traffic. We check into a very nice Hostal for $20 including breakfast, shortly thereafter the skies open up and dump about an inch of rain very quickly. Lucky for us we were indoors and not out on the road so now all we had to worry about was how muddy the road would be in the morning and if those pinholes in the sheet metal roof of our room would leak. Our room is in the new construction wing of the hostal and I think we are the first guests as there are a few little things that are not yet done. Like a mirror in the bathroom and paint on one wall, not to mention a bit of roof tar on the holes in the sheet metal. Other than that we enjoyed talking with some other guests, a Welsh fella on a pedal bike who is riding Rte 40 from North to South, and a group of three motorcycles from Germany and Austria.

We are pleased to find the road very dry with just enough moisture to keep the dust down. This is much better than slogging it out in the mud all day. We are flagged down by a couple of cyclist who are in need of some navigation advice. They are wondering how far it is to the next water and food stop, it seems that they have lost their maps and possibly their direction as they are unsure where they are in relation to things. We provide as much comfort to them as possible by telling them that they are on the correct road and that it is about 30km to the next services. I am not sure if that is very comforting but it was all we had. The part we did not focus on was that the road is either rough or sandy and it climbs another 400-500 meters before ascending to a long straight section where there is nothing for shade or relief from the heat. They are from Boston MA, and like many cyclist have grand ideas of riding to Ushuaia in what seems like an impossibly short amount of time. It is hard enough on a motorcycle, but a pedal bike...wow, that takes commitment.

It is starting to feel like all we do is cross the border,  this time the control station is set up in a couple of locations. The first one is the Aduana and Migration for Argentina, very typical setup in one building a long way before the actual border-line. The next stop is at the police control point where we get our license plate numbers recorded in a ledger and the agricultural control agent “checks” our luggage for fruits, vegetables, and wood. This is where we get our dog of the day as the officers have a German Sheppard puppy who is very happy to have someone new to play with.

I assume that the road is treated with calcium chloride as the hard pack surface is a shade of green, the bikes handle it like pavement but the color is definitely unique. We are wondering where the Chilean border control is and eventually we see a sign that says that the Aduana is in San Pedro. As usual we have done very little research about San Pedro other than it is in the driest desert in the world which means we should not see any rain for a few days. I think it has been 10 yrs since it last rained in San Pedro, but I may be wrong. Unfortunately San Pedro is in the Lonely Planet guide books and we see are soon overwhelmed with the amount of tourists in town. That and the maze of unmarked one way streets that make up the town. We finally find the gas station and the only thing missing was the piece of cheese, what a shit show. Then it was on to the task of finding accommodations, the first few places were full but we eventually found a nice Hostel for $80USD per night, yes that is right a Hostel for eighty bucks. We almost went to the campground but with the heat and dust we figured it best to at least have a bed to sleep in.

Walking the town was much more enjoyable than riding in it. The main square was buzzing with excitement and people of all ages. There are a couple of main streets that branch off of the square where you can find all types of food, crafts, tour companies, and accommodations. We are happy enough to find the fruit market and buy some groceries for the next day or two. Once again we have a kitchen so we can do some cooking instead of eating out.

In the process we also run into a couple of couples on bikes that look as lost as we did when we first arrived in town. Two fully loaded 800GS’s rode past and from where they were heading we knew that they would get tangled in the same mess we did. We decided to be good Samaritans and help if we could so we walked through the textile market, across the square, and up one block to where we anticipated they would reappear. Sure enough and almost on queue they rode up and we helped them out with directions and advice on navigating the one ways. The easiest way to show them where the place was located was to actually walk there while they drove around, this way they would see us on the street and know they found the right place. During all this we met another couple in a similar situation, Charles and Janet are from New Zealand and ended up staying in the same place as Matt and Meagan, the first couple who are from South Africa. Later that evening we all met up to swap stories and contact info. The South Africans, Mat and Meagan are heading north to Alaska so we of course have to offer any assistance we can when then are in Canada.

The tour companies seem busy taking people out to the lagoons, sand boarding and the salt flat area. There is also observatory as well but there does not seem to be much promotion of it around town even though it is one of the best in South America due to the lack of air and light pollution. We may not be the target market for this place because we have our own transportation and just riding into town we seen most of the attractions that they are promoting. This is okay with us, we enjoy a “down day” to recharge our batteries because soon enough it will be time to move again and between the constant translation of the language and road signs plus the relentless heat we feel a bit drained at the end of the day. When we return to our hostel there is an old Ford pick-up truck in the parking lot. This is a South American 1962 model which is the exact same as the North American ’52, it has been restored and is a numbers matching vehicle. Two young guys are driving it and thankfully they speak English so we can talk about the truck. The truck belongs to one to the boys’ grandfather, he is an avid collector of old vehicles, and they have driven it from Rio de Janeiro Brazil. The car has been in the family since new and was restored a number of years back, the motor is the original V8 but because it is a ’62 it does not have the flat-head engine, it has the newer 302ci. Great truck, great story.