San Pedro de Atacama

I had been to San Pedro de Atacama once before for a nights stopover but the place left a lasting impression on me. I was determined to visit it again given a chance so this time I spent four days here. Atacama is an adobe town with dusty streets and has been here since at least the 15th century when the Inca's conquered it. The Spaniards took over from the Inca in 1545 and not long after that San Pedro de Atacama became a government seat. The town should really have died with time but the tourists found it and now it is a bustling centre once more.
The first day I just wandering around the streets and the remaining days visiting some of the must-see sights.  The following day it was a 4.30 am rise and a one and a half hour trip in the pitch black out to Geysers del Taito, the third largest geyser field in the world. In the pre-dawn light and at 4,400 metres we were greeted with a plateau of steaming vents  The temp was -4 so the steam showed up very well. None of the vents were gushers but it was pretty impressive none the less. We had breakfast on sight just as the sun rose over the Andes. Later the hardy ones went for a swim in a hot pool.
Next day was a full day trip starting with the flamingos on Laguna Chaxa in the Salar de Atacama on hwy CH23 which heads to Paso Pico, the alternate pass to get from Salta to Atacama. We were first at the flamingos so got a good showing before the noisy tourists scared them away. Breakfast on site again. From here we went further towards the Argentinian border to a couple of uninteresting lakes (Miscanti and Miniques) and had lunch at the second. The journey around the mountains was a great drive. On the way back to town we stopped at the village of Toconao. The inhabitants grow a variety of crops in a canyon which has a water source. I gather the recent heavy rain in the area flooded the canyon and destroyed much of the crops, trees, buildings etc. Also on the way home we had a close encounter with Vicuna and later a fox which was wandering along the roadside.
The final day was a trip out to the Sala de Tara and its amazing rock columns. The drive out took me back along the route I used to come in to Atacama but this time it was without the snow. This was an excellent trip into the desert of the altiplanico.
I would like to have stayed longer in Atacama. Close by is the worlds largest copper mine, there is a space observatory and finally the night sky experience which I gather is quite something but I must go.

Valley of the Moon

Taito geyser field

Sunrise over the Andes and Taito geysers.

Hot pool at 4,400 metres

Coots in the desert. It's not all dry.

Vacuna

Flamingos at Laguna Chaxa

The Andean flamingo

More flamingos. Laguna Chaxa

These paths help preserve the desert floor.

Our guides prepare lunch.

Our little fox developing his winter coat.

These ducks were sitting on frozen water.

Sala de Tara and its amazing rock formations.

Monkey rock Sala de Tara

Altiplano lake

Backyard of the hostel

Paso Jama and goodbye Argentina

12 April - Sunday. I left Salta at around 8am and got out of town easily enough and made reasonable progress to Jujuy where I filled up with gas, coffee and media luna's. I took the obligatory photo at Pumamarca and headed into the hills. It wasn't long before I was at 2,500 metres and putting on a jersey and installing the jacket liner. I met lots of bikers heading in the opposite direction but only one group of Harley riders passed as I was kitting up for the cold. The road climbed and climbed up a switchback until at 4,700 metres I rode into the clouds. What with stopping all the time I ended up passing a Pullman bus a number of times and was to meet it again at the border. It had some of the kids from the hostel aboard who were also heading to San Pedro de Atacama.
It was an excellent ride over the Argentinian altiplano and across the salt lake. It wasn't until I got to the rest stop in the middle of the lake that I realised that I had been here before. Last time I was going in the opposite direction. There is actually another pass I could have taken but it was mostly ripio and since I had a long day ahead of me I went the easiest route over Paso Jama. At the border I filled up with gas, more coffee and media luna's and swapped what was left of my Argentinian money with a Portuguese couple on a pair of BMW's. Neither of us were returning to the exited country. The border post is new and both Argentinian and Chilean authorities are co-located so in once sense it was easy except I was behind that damned bus so had to wait in line with a bunch of spotty yoofs.
The 150km to Atacama was across the Chilean altiplano and went on for almost the whole distance. At 4,800 metres it started to snow and was freezing plus a savage wind had appeared. Gas consumption was down to 16 k/l. Just as I thought this torture was never going to end the road took a nose dive straight down the side of the mountain and into Atacama. So suddenly I was out of the gloom into sunlight and a town in the blowing dust. There could never be a greater contract.
My concern over finding accommodation was ill-founded since there were places to stay everywhere. In the end I accepted the proposition of a woman who accosted me in the street to stay at here employers place. So here I am at 25,000 pesos a night for four nights, breakfast and parking included. Only issue is that I am back to the "no toilet paper down the toilet please". There is a bucket provided. This is a time when shared toilet facilities might be a blessing.

The obligatory shot at Pumamarca

A bikers delight.

Altiplano salt flats in Argentina

Llama's - cute little beggars

Paso Jama

Altiplano at around 4,800 metres

Ditto

Ditto

San Pedro de Atacama

Ditto

Town centre and its cafe culture

Used since the 18th century. Now getting a face lift.

San Pedro de Atacama

Adobe and dirt streets

Chiloe - my accommodation

Back into Argentina for the Final Time

The expected four day stop at Mauricio's turned into ten days with the side trip to Rio. It was way longer than I had intended but for all that it was a welcome relief from the constant travelling and it was great to see Mauricio and Jucelia again. We traveled with them in 2009. At the time they were living in New Zealand but have resettled in Brasil and now have two young children.
All four of us left on the same day; Colin along with Robin and Dianne heading to Bolivia while I headed south to retrace my route down the Argentinian panhandle to Resistencia. First night was in Maringa, Brazil - the nice city we all stayed in when heading north. Next day I crossed back into Argentina and made it to Ituzaingo (the town with the dam) for an 800km day. No one stopped me at the Brazilian border so I just rode on through and even the immigration official in Argentina required only 5 minutes. Problem is I have no papers for the bike which is not normal. The immigration official said that everything was noted in the computer because I had been in Argentina before and even the Customs official was disinterested. I hope this does not cause me a problem because I exit Argentina at the top of a mountain so I guess I will get to see how well the system works. I had a great evening chatting and drinking a beer with the woman hotel owner and her son. She is no friend of Chile on account of their help to Britain during the Falklands war.
In the last couple of days I have seen people living (squatting) on the side of the roads. In Brazil the shacks were made of plastic and cardboard and in Argentina they were slightly more robust but all have dirt floors and no electricity.
Salta is 1100km away from Ituzaingo and too far to do in one day so the next day was only 400k to the only town on RN16 with accommodation. Saenz Pena is clearly a rural town - there is a tractor dealer in the middle of town. Here the woman manager of the hotel talked of her "beautiful Argentina" - clearly she has not been out much. The early arrival gave me a chance to adjust my chain and do my laundry. This hotel was $230 a night and last was $220. Both were very good and makes some of the $200 places seem extremely overpriced. That's Pesos not dollars (about $35 NZ).
After eight hours and 644km I arrived in Salta and because the road was pretty straight and with little traffic I was able to average 96 km/h. There weren't many gas stations on the road and I only just made it to Salta. Nothing much to see on the road; just scrub and cattle. Some of the "towns" look pretty poor and there are horse and carts every now and then. Hazards included free range horses and goats wandering over the road. I also came across a major head-on between two trucks. One had its cab destroyed and was jackknifed on the side of the road while the other was in a run-off with its cargo dislodged. I doubt one of the drivers survived and there was a woman and child sifting through what looked like personal stuff of the driver. There was still debris on the road when I arrived. Taking my cue from a HUBB report I booked into Hostel Salta por Siempre. Hmm! at $280 per night it's no bargain but they let me park my bike in the foyer and later that evening another bike turned up. This is the first time since leaving Ushuaia two months ago that I have met another fellow traveling biker.
I am ahead of schedule so I decided to stay an extra night in Salta. I figured the rest day would be nice, I can also use up the balance of my Argentinian Pesos (which no one will exchange) and besides there is an asado (BBQ) scheduled for tonight. My last meal in Brazil was crap so I am determined my last meal in Argentina will be something they excel at - roasting beef over hot charcoal. I also finally got a haircut - for fifteen bucks NZ I got a cut, wash, blow-dry and product. I suspect I look like an Argentinian spiv.
So this is my last day in Argentina. Tomorrow I head over the Andes to Chile. It's over 600 k's away so it's going to be another long day and I hope the promised rain does not appear.

Social housing in Brazil.

Small town Brazil.

Sign warns of a narrow bridge - like we can't tell!

Cities seem to just sprout from the fields - Brazil.

Love motels. Not brothels but places where lovers can go.

Crashed motorcycles at Police stations. Cars also. Brazil.

RN16 - 1100 km of nothing much. Argentina.

Basilica in Salta, Argentina. It's very impressive inside.

Street performers, Salta, Argentina.

Two days In Rio de Janeiro

We flew into Rio late on Sunday and found a place to stay for three nights at Copacabana Beach. The weather the next day did not look promising but we risked it and took a days bus tour of the city. First stop was at the iconic Christ the Redeemer. The drive up Corcovado was delightful but unfortunately the top was in the clouds so the statue was just a shape in the mist. I am told by the locals that viewing it on a clear day is a rare opportunity but all the same it was disappointing. The clouds lifted as the day progressed so we got to see Sugarloaf mountain and the sights from the lookout to the city in pretty good conditions. That evening we wandered down to the beach, shuffled around in the sand and stood in the Atlantic Ocean while the incoming waves soaked our trousers. We finished off the day with beer and pizza at a beach-side kiosk as the sun went down. Magic.
Next day we walked to and toured a old military fort and just generally goofed around taking in the sights of Copacabana Beach. And that was Rio de Janeiro.

This is what we came to see.

and this is the view we hoped to see

but this is all we saw

at least Sugarloaf mountain was in the clear.

Copacabana Beach

We Arrive in Brasil

My bike clicked over the 40,000 k mark on the way to Reconquista which makes it 11,000 km since I left Santiago some weeks back. Reconquista is the home of Graciela, an Argentinian, who accompanied us on the Patagonia tour of 2009. I arrived soaking wet after following a thunderstorm for most of the afternoon. It was good to see her again after all these years and by now my fellow riding companions had arrived so it was a bit like old times. The next few days were devoted to bike maintenance, local rides and family events.
Our group followed the Parana River north until we reached a Argentina and Paraguay joint venture hydro project. The hydro company has a free tour of the project which we took the following day. That afternoon we had a slight hiccup when both BM's ran out of fuel when the promised gas station did not materialise and as a consequence we stopped short of our expected destination of Puerto Iguazu. We had this notion that in one day we would see the Argentinian side of the falls along with the Brazilian side. Well, that didn't work. The Argentinian side was so spectacular we spent virtually the whole day at the site. The falls are truly spectacular and cover such a large area that there is a small train to assist you getting around. We ended up staying the night in Puerto Iguazu. For Robin, Dianne and Colin this will be their last night in Argentina for this trip. I return to Argentina in a couple of weeks. The next day we crossed into Brazil.
After a full day at the falls yesterday we decided that viewing them from the Brazilian side would not add much to the experience so after sorting out some new currency we moved on. Not before I got moved on by the Police for parking on the footpath outside the bank. It was a hot and sweaty ride to our nights accommodation. In Argentina and Chile we had been staying in Cabanas, a sort of family unit cabin - something like a motel without being a motel. In Brazil we saw none of these so we looked for a motel. Hmm! motels here have another meaning and use so in the dark we settled on a hotel at $95 NZ per room. For our first night in Brazil we went out for and excellent meal and beer, all for the princely sum of $21.
Brazil is as different to Argentina as chalk is to cheese. The sidewalk surface in our town is not full of pedestrian traps like broken tiles, holes, step ups or step downs, dog shit, litter and other unpleasant stuff. And there are no stray dogs. We thought we were in heaven. After a hearty breakfast (the first in ages) we set out to do the 600 plus kilometres to Mauricio's place. Other than for the heat and humidity the ride should have been a doddle since the toll roads are excellent. Did I mention BMW - ah yes that bloody BMW. It died. Terminal this time. We left it 400km from our destination and I doubled Colin to Mauricio's house. The necessary part was found and the bike recovered a few days later. We spent Saturday with Mauricio and Jucelia, their children and Mauricio's parents.
The next day we took a flight to Rio.

Sunset over the Parana River

The damned big dam

Mate (an Argentinian drink) in its raw form

Dianne, Don and Colin at Iguazu falls

The birds are getting more colourful

Iguazu Falls

Pesky little critters looking for food.

We stand in Argentina, left is Paraguay and right is Brazil

Wreaked cars at a Police station in Brazil

Family and friends at lunch