That´s it. The ride´s finished! I reached the Ecuadorian border on Thursday after 10,020 kms of pedalling and decided that was far enough. The creaks from both the bike and my legs were becoming quite impressive and its definitely time to give the saddle sores a rest.
So I´m now back in Lima and met up with Emma yesterday. Fantastic!
Its been an amazing trip with extremes of weather, landscapes and tiredness, but four months of cycling every day and pretty much being totally alone is long enough. Its been a tough journey but definitely worth it with countless buzzing times. I just can´t believe that I´m not going to be cycling any more (ever again hopefully!), though I´m sure I´ll be able to think of something else to keep me occupied.
So the plan for now is to chill out for a few days together here then catch a bus up to the Cordillera Blanca (where Touching the Void is set) to do some trekking. Then that´ll be the end of anything remotely energetic and we´ll be heading up to Columbia´s Caribbean coast to spend the last month on a beach.
So this is probably the last post on the blog, though we´ll try and keep the photos updated. Thanks so much everyone for all of the comments through the trip. They really did help.
See you all in the summer.... ben
Saturday 28 April 2007
Sunday 15 April 2007
La Pazzz to Lima
Its been quite an eventful few weeks since I last wrote. I´m now in Lima and have just two weeks till I meet Emma. I´m hoping to make it up the coast and sneak across into Ecuador in that time, but it depends if I can cope with the thousand or so kms of desert between here and there!
In the last post after saying that I hoped to get out of La Pazzzzz in one piece, I first had my wallet pickpocketed and then rode out of the city in the wrong direction. There are few road signs in Bolivia and Peru and the ones that do exist are usually very very wrong. So I rely on my map which is the best I could find and looks like a kids treasure hunt map and of course with the help of the locals. I´m sure the locals are doing their best, but they usually also point me in the wrong direction, or just point towards the sky.
After a detour towards the north shore of lake Titicaca, I found my way back on track onto the southern shore where I rode across into Peru. Unfortunately I had some heavy rain for that part of the ride, so I didn´t reckon much to the lake which I had been told should be beautiful. The ride to Cuzco then continued through wet green valleys and baron plains at an altitude of around 4000m.
The landscape in the mountains of Peru was similar to that of Bolivia, but the local people seemed very different. In Bolivia the locals seemed timid, whereas in Peru they act more like British workman - whistling and shouting. I usually also had company from intrigued locals on their bikes cycling between villages. Quite a few of the old men left me standing on the hills - a lifetime of living at altitude and not sitting in a car or at a desk.
I spent just a day in Cuzco and then got back on the road towards Nazca. From looking at a map the road looks like it should be downhill from Cuzco at around 3500m to Nazca at around sea level, but the route basically crosses the width of the Andes and so is pass upon pass. I also managed to get sick two days into the ride which didn´t help. Two days of getting to know the toilet later I set off and after riding a short distance both the front and back wheelhubs started grinding. I hitched a lift back into town and found a bike shop where the mechanic didn´t have the right replacement parts. He cleaned and greased the hubs up a bit and his wife made me a meal which was fantastic. As there was no chance of getting the right parts till Lima I decided just to get back on the bike and keep my fingers crossed. They luckily held out, but it was like riding with my brakes on for 1000km which didn´t help! Also that afternoon when I eventually managed to set off I got three punctures - not a good day!
It took a week of tough cycling through the mountains to get the 650km or so to Nazca. It was only in the last 50km where the road dropped from 4000m to the desert surrounding Nazca. I was wearing two coats, two sets of gloves and a hat at the top and in less than an hour was down to my speedos and string vest!
I then made my way through the desert to the coast. I´d been looking forward to cycling on the plains at sea level after being out of breath at altitude for the last few weeks. Somehow though I´d forgotten that deserts were usually dry and hot places and the riding was a bit trickier than I expected - even with mountain lungs! I passed by the Nazca lines which from the ground looked like any other piece of desert. A local family had however built a rickety tower which I climbed and where I could see two of the drawings which looked like some hands and a tree.
So now that I´m in Lima it kind of seems that the ride is starting to come to an end. I´m going to stick to the coastal road to Ecuador and hopefully get some payback from those Patagonian winds with a tailwind if what I´m told is true - its never going to happen! Then I meet Emma back here in Lima on 1 May for the start of our two month holiday together - woooooooooooooohooooooooooooooooo!!!
Oh - and I nearly forgot - I lost an essential piece of kit along the way too - my beard fell off on the way here. It was getting a bit warm anyhow!
In the last post after saying that I hoped to get out of La Pazzzzz in one piece, I first had my wallet pickpocketed and then rode out of the city in the wrong direction. There are few road signs in Bolivia and Peru and the ones that do exist are usually very very wrong. So I rely on my map which is the best I could find and looks like a kids treasure hunt map and of course with the help of the locals. I´m sure the locals are doing their best, but they usually also point me in the wrong direction, or just point towards the sky.
After a detour towards the north shore of lake Titicaca, I found my way back on track onto the southern shore where I rode across into Peru. Unfortunately I had some heavy rain for that part of the ride, so I didn´t reckon much to the lake which I had been told should be beautiful. The ride to Cuzco then continued through wet green valleys and baron plains at an altitude of around 4000m.
The landscape in the mountains of Peru was similar to that of Bolivia, but the local people seemed very different. In Bolivia the locals seemed timid, whereas in Peru they act more like British workman - whistling and shouting. I usually also had company from intrigued locals on their bikes cycling between villages. Quite a few of the old men left me standing on the hills - a lifetime of living at altitude and not sitting in a car or at a desk.
I spent just a day in Cuzco and then got back on the road towards Nazca. From looking at a map the road looks like it should be downhill from Cuzco at around 3500m to Nazca at around sea level, but the route basically crosses the width of the Andes and so is pass upon pass. I also managed to get sick two days into the ride which didn´t help. Two days of getting to know the toilet later I set off and after riding a short distance both the front and back wheelhubs started grinding. I hitched a lift back into town and found a bike shop where the mechanic didn´t have the right replacement parts. He cleaned and greased the hubs up a bit and his wife made me a meal which was fantastic. As there was no chance of getting the right parts till Lima I decided just to get back on the bike and keep my fingers crossed. They luckily held out, but it was like riding with my brakes on for 1000km which didn´t help! Also that afternoon when I eventually managed to set off I got three punctures - not a good day!
It took a week of tough cycling through the mountains to get the 650km or so to Nazca. It was only in the last 50km where the road dropped from 4000m to the desert surrounding Nazca. I was wearing two coats, two sets of gloves and a hat at the top and in less than an hour was down to my speedos and string vest!
I then made my way through the desert to the coast. I´d been looking forward to cycling on the plains at sea level after being out of breath at altitude for the last few weeks. Somehow though I´d forgotten that deserts were usually dry and hot places and the riding was a bit trickier than I expected - even with mountain lungs! I passed by the Nazca lines which from the ground looked like any other piece of desert. A local family had however built a rickety tower which I climbed and where I could see two of the drawings which looked like some hands and a tree.
So now that I´m in Lima it kind of seems that the ride is starting to come to an end. I´m going to stick to the coastal road to Ecuador and hopefully get some payback from those Patagonian winds with a tailwind if what I´m told is true - its never going to happen! Then I meet Emma back here in Lima on 1 May for the start of our two month holiday together - woooooooooooooohooooooooooooooooo!!!
Oh - and I nearly forgot - I lost an essential piece of kit along the way too - my beard fell off on the way here. It was getting a bit warm anyhow!
Wednesday 28 March 2007
La Pazzzzz
I arrived in La Paz two days ago and am finding it more tiring trying to chill out here than cycling! I was hoping on just spending a day here, but because the city sprawls so far and as there´s a 500m vertical climb out of the valley (over a couple of kms) I thought I needed an extra day to plan my escape!
I cycled from Potosi with the two english guys, which for the first three days was over pass after pass, dropping down to just over 3000m and then climbing up to well over 4000m. The road then reached the plains at an altitude of around 3800m where the riding became loads easier, although after a couple of hours of totally straight and flat riding it became a bit boring.
The villages that we passed through were shockingly poor. At the entrance to each village there was a sign listing the organisations that provided food, water, sanitation, health care etc for the people. The list was huge, listing the WFP, UNICEF, USAID, PLAN and so on. It seemed that the villages would find it hard to survive without their help.
Cycling through the suburbs into La Paz took a couple of hours. La Paz itself is built in a steep sided valley, but the suburbs climb up the valley sides and spill out for miles onto the plains above. The view of La Paz was pretty spectacular though as the road dropped steeply into the valley.
I´ve now cycled 6900km and am hoping that my bikes going to survive the next couple of thousand kms. From here I´m cycling along the southern shore of lake Titicaca to Cusco and then dropping down to the coast. I just hope that I can get out of La Paz in one piece!!
I cycled from Potosi with the two english guys, which for the first three days was over pass after pass, dropping down to just over 3000m and then climbing up to well over 4000m. The road then reached the plains at an altitude of around 3800m where the riding became loads easier, although after a couple of hours of totally straight and flat riding it became a bit boring.
The villages that we passed through were shockingly poor. At the entrance to each village there was a sign listing the organisations that provided food, water, sanitation, health care etc for the people. The list was huge, listing the WFP, UNICEF, USAID, PLAN and so on. It seemed that the villages would find it hard to survive without their help.
Cycling through the suburbs into La Paz took a couple of hours. La Paz itself is built in a steep sided valley, but the suburbs climb up the valley sides and spill out for miles onto the plains above. The view of La Paz was pretty spectacular though as the road dropped steeply into the valley.
I´ve now cycled 6900km and am hoping that my bikes going to survive the next couple of thousand kms. From here I´m cycling along the southern shore of lake Titicaca to Cusco and then dropping down to the coast. I just hope that I can get out of La Paz in one piece!!
Tuesday 20 March 2007
Into Bolivia
Hi again. I´m now in Bolivia in a city called Potosi which claims to be the worlds highest at an altitude of just over 4000m. I crossed the border five days ago from Argentina and its been proper mountain biking since down mud roads and through rivers. Emma also arrived in Montevideo on Saturday so its great to be that little bit closer, at least on the same continent! It sounds like shes having a great time and being kept busy with family meals and visits to midwifery units. We´re still planning on meeting up at the beginning of May to spend the last 2 months together. So I´ve another 6 weeks left on the bike. I can´t wait!
As for the biking since Salta, the road started off through jungle and climbed up to the altiplana pretty gradually. At around 3000m the altitude kicked in which knocked me back a bit. After so many weeks of cycling and feeling pretty fit it was a bit of a shocker but a couple of days of breathless cycling and headaches sorted it out!
The border crossing with Bolivia was hectic with masses of people frantically trading whatever they could. After being in Argentina which seems quite European, arriving in Bolivia was more like landing in India. As I crossed the border the roads also turned to mud which were compact the day that I arrived, but then it rained! My tent was flooded that night and the following days the roads turned to mush and the rivers swelled up over the roads.
The first town that I arrived in, a place called Tupiza, I met an English guy who turned out to have also started cycling from Ushuaia with two mates but had to stop a couple of weeks into the trip because he damaged his knee. Anyhow, during my trip I´ve been following their website http://www.cyclingsouthamerica.co.uk/ and slowly catching them. His two mates had just set off from the town that morning so over the next days I hoped to catch them. It was getting dark the following evening when I saw a tent that was trying to hide behind a bush a few hundred metres from the road, where it turned out these two guys were camping.
The following day one of the guys was too sick to cycle so he took a bus while I cycled to Potosi with his mate. The combination of mud roads for the first half of the day and then a huge pass made the day one of the hardest I´ve cycled. Even 2km before getting into the city there were no signs at all of life. No glow from streetlights and complete silence, then the road steeply dropped into a canyon and the city appeared. It was fantastic and all downhill to the first shower since Argentina!
So its my second day now in Potosi because the road to La Paz is blockaded by protesters who´ve been recently laid off from some company. The details are a bit vague but I´ve been told that it would be dodgy to try and pass through, so its been nice relaxing here and eating fried lama. The plan is to get back on the bike tomorrow though and head towards La Paz and the border with Peru.
As for the biking since Salta, the road started off through jungle and climbed up to the altiplana pretty gradually. At around 3000m the altitude kicked in which knocked me back a bit. After so many weeks of cycling and feeling pretty fit it was a bit of a shocker but a couple of days of breathless cycling and headaches sorted it out!
The border crossing with Bolivia was hectic with masses of people frantically trading whatever they could. After being in Argentina which seems quite European, arriving in Bolivia was more like landing in India. As I crossed the border the roads also turned to mud which were compact the day that I arrived, but then it rained! My tent was flooded that night and the following days the roads turned to mush and the rivers swelled up over the roads.
The first town that I arrived in, a place called Tupiza, I met an English guy who turned out to have also started cycling from Ushuaia with two mates but had to stop a couple of weeks into the trip because he damaged his knee. Anyhow, during my trip I´ve been following their website http://www.cyclingsouthamerica.co.uk/ and slowly catching them. His two mates had just set off from the town that morning so over the next days I hoped to catch them. It was getting dark the following evening when I saw a tent that was trying to hide behind a bush a few hundred metres from the road, where it turned out these two guys were camping.
The following day one of the guys was too sick to cycle so he took a bus while I cycled to Potosi with his mate. The combination of mud roads for the first half of the day and then a huge pass made the day one of the hardest I´ve cycled. Even 2km before getting into the city there were no signs at all of life. No glow from streetlights and complete silence, then the road steeply dropped into a canyon and the city appeared. It was fantastic and all downhill to the first shower since Argentina!
So its my second day now in Potosi because the road to La Paz is blockaded by protesters who´ve been recently laid off from some company. The details are a bit vague but I´ve been told that it would be dodgy to try and pass through, so its been nice relaxing here and eating fried lama. The plan is to get back on the bike tomorrow though and head towards La Paz and the border with Peru.
Sunday 11 March 2007
Salta
Well, its been a little while since I last wrote, but now I´m in the far north of Argentina in a city called Salta within sniffing distance of Bolivia. Since Mendoza the landscape has changed dramatically again and again from vinyards and olive groves to desert to jungle to tobacco plantations. I´ve been getting stuck into the cycling too, averaging 150km days over the last ten days so I´ve now cycled 5620km. Whilst in Mendoza I read the blog of the guy swimming the Amazon, who´s swimming 100km a day, so I thought as I didn´t have to deal with crocodiles, piranhas and drowning the least I could do by bike is 150km!
After having a couple of days off the bike in Mendoza and eating far too many steaks I was ready to get back on the road again. The first couple of hundred kilometers of road continued through the vinyards and fruit plantations on the valley floor. I then cycled into a UNESCO world heritage site for its dinosaur remains and crazy wind blown rock formations, which was desert with the odd cactus. As I cycled over a pass into this valley I met a local biker who was on a racing bike. The guy turned out to be deaf so luckily I didn´t have to embarrass myself with my spanish and we cycled together for a chilled out few hours. After riding with him for an hour I also had the great idea to swap bikes, so I had a luxurious time floating on a few kg racing bike whilst he hauled my bike which weighs more than 50kgs. He loved it I promise!
I rode through the desert and pampas for three days which was pretty scorching. During one of these days there was a sandstorm which at least helped to block out the sun a little. North of Catamarca and into Tucuman Province the road wound over a mountain range where it started to drizzle. It then dropped down into jungle with clearings for tobacco plantations and GM soya and maize (and anything else they can alter) on the other side which was unbelievably humid after coming from the desert a few hours before. So it was quite breathless cycling, but at exactly 7pm each evening the rain started with thunder and lightening which rolled around the valley for most of the night. It was like a bomb going off in my tent every few minutes!
As well as camping in the desert and jungle clearings I´ve stayed in some interesting spots in some of the built up areas. I spent the night in what seemed to be an old persons home in La Rioja, the pilgrims quarters of a cathedral in Catamarca and a very dodgy place in Tucuman.
So I´m now in Salta province where the landscapes lush and the people are starting to get shorter. This is where the real highlands start with the road going steeply up to around 4000m and turning to mud in Bolivia in about 350km. I´ve managed to find a map of Bolivia today so I´m hoping to get back on the bike and head north tomorrow. The next couple of weeks is part of the trip that I´ve been looking forward to the most.
After having a couple of days off the bike in Mendoza and eating far too many steaks I was ready to get back on the road again. The first couple of hundred kilometers of road continued through the vinyards and fruit plantations on the valley floor. I then cycled into a UNESCO world heritage site for its dinosaur remains and crazy wind blown rock formations, which was desert with the odd cactus. As I cycled over a pass into this valley I met a local biker who was on a racing bike. The guy turned out to be deaf so luckily I didn´t have to embarrass myself with my spanish and we cycled together for a chilled out few hours. After riding with him for an hour I also had the great idea to swap bikes, so I had a luxurious time floating on a few kg racing bike whilst he hauled my bike which weighs more than 50kgs. He loved it I promise!
I rode through the desert and pampas for three days which was pretty scorching. During one of these days there was a sandstorm which at least helped to block out the sun a little. North of Catamarca and into Tucuman Province the road wound over a mountain range where it started to drizzle. It then dropped down into jungle with clearings for tobacco plantations and GM soya and maize (and anything else they can alter) on the other side which was unbelievably humid after coming from the desert a few hours before. So it was quite breathless cycling, but at exactly 7pm each evening the rain started with thunder and lightening which rolled around the valley for most of the night. It was like a bomb going off in my tent every few minutes!
As well as camping in the desert and jungle clearings I´ve stayed in some interesting spots in some of the built up areas. I spent the night in what seemed to be an old persons home in La Rioja, the pilgrims quarters of a cathedral in Catamarca and a very dodgy place in Tucuman.
So I´m now in Salta province where the landscapes lush and the people are starting to get shorter. This is where the real highlands start with the road going steeply up to around 4000m and turning to mud in Bolivia in about 350km. I´ve managed to find a map of Bolivia today so I´m hoping to get back on the bike and head north tomorrow. The next couple of weeks is part of the trip that I´ve been looking forward to the most.
Monday 26 February 2007
Its closing in
hello... In Mendoza at last! The last 10 days have been quite tough with some long long days on the road, so I´m taking a couple of days off the bike here. Its not a bad place to relax cos I´ve arrived just in time for the harvesting of the grapes and the annual wine festival. That´s now 4150km so its about time for a rest!
The route so far has taken me through the mountains and pampas of south Argentina, into the temperate rainforest of Chile and then back into the foothills of the Andes and more pampas of Argentina. For the last 1500km I´ve cycled the same route that Che Gueuvara took in the Motorcycle Diaries through a region called the Lakes District, then north into the pampas. The last couple of days I´ve had Aconcagua in view which I´ve been riding straight towards.
Both my kit and my body have adapted pretty well to the routine that I´ve become used to everyday. Its amazing how your body can adapt to such a bizarre routine, but I don´t think some of my kit and bike are too happy with it - I think they´d prefer day trips around Kendal!
I get up at sunrise, which is getting later and is now around 7. By the time I´ve cooked up a huge bowl of porridge and dulce de leche (a caramel that everyone loves here) its staring to warm up a little. Down south I´d usually start riding with thermals, gloves and a hat but now the temperatures probably in the twenties first thing. I then basically ride... until the light starts to fade and then try and find somewhere to camp away from the road. I usually camp four out of every five nights in the pampas and then treat myself to a campsite with shower (!) if I can find one. It can be up to a five day ride between towns so its not like I have much choice anyway! It took a little while to get used to camping miles from anywhere in the wilds, but now I much prefer it to staying in a town as long as I´ve enough fuel for my stove, food and water. The night sky is sooo clear and its great to have my own space.
The distances that I cycle each day depend on the type of road, height of passes and the strength of the headwind. A couple of days ago when the headwind was only a light breeze, I cycled 190km which felt a lot easier than some of the windy 80km days on the gravel in the south. The wind is still against me coming from the north or northwest. Sometimes its just like a strong breeze, but it´s still so frustrating having it constantly against me.... but I´m sure I´ve gone on about that enough by now. Anyhow, when the winds are up I just put my headphones in and crank up the tunes.
The temperatures now around the mid thirties during the day and I´m sure it´ll get much warmer. Yesterday just south of Mendoza the road turned into motorway which was baking. I suppose it might be quite nice to have a bit of wind further north!
As for food, I carry enough usually for up to five days, but it depends where the next town is. I´m trying to be as creative as I can with my meals with the type of food I can carry cos the pasta and stock cube I´ve been cooking up are tasting a bit ******. The best I´ve managed, which is now the menu del dia is pasta, stock cube and lentils - impressive hey... If anyones got any fancy ideas let us know!
I´m not exactly sure of my route north of here, but its probably going to be through La Rioja and Salta into Bolivia. I shouldn´t go too wrong as long as I head north. I´ll be back on the road on Wednesday, travelling through more of the vinyards and then into the pampas. I´ll keep you up to date with more of my windy travels in a bit...
The route so far has taken me through the mountains and pampas of south Argentina, into the temperate rainforest of Chile and then back into the foothills of the Andes and more pampas of Argentina. For the last 1500km I´ve cycled the same route that Che Gueuvara took in the Motorcycle Diaries through a region called the Lakes District, then north into the pampas. The last couple of days I´ve had Aconcagua in view which I´ve been riding straight towards.
Both my kit and my body have adapted pretty well to the routine that I´ve become used to everyday. Its amazing how your body can adapt to such a bizarre routine, but I don´t think some of my kit and bike are too happy with it - I think they´d prefer day trips around Kendal!
I get up at sunrise, which is getting later and is now around 7. By the time I´ve cooked up a huge bowl of porridge and dulce de leche (a caramel that everyone loves here) its staring to warm up a little. Down south I´d usually start riding with thermals, gloves and a hat but now the temperatures probably in the twenties first thing. I then basically ride... until the light starts to fade and then try and find somewhere to camp away from the road. I usually camp four out of every five nights in the pampas and then treat myself to a campsite with shower (!) if I can find one. It can be up to a five day ride between towns so its not like I have much choice anyway! It took a little while to get used to camping miles from anywhere in the wilds, but now I much prefer it to staying in a town as long as I´ve enough fuel for my stove, food and water. The night sky is sooo clear and its great to have my own space.
The distances that I cycle each day depend on the type of road, height of passes and the strength of the headwind. A couple of days ago when the headwind was only a light breeze, I cycled 190km which felt a lot easier than some of the windy 80km days on the gravel in the south. The wind is still against me coming from the north or northwest. Sometimes its just like a strong breeze, but it´s still so frustrating having it constantly against me.... but I´m sure I´ve gone on about that enough by now. Anyhow, when the winds are up I just put my headphones in and crank up the tunes.
The temperatures now around the mid thirties during the day and I´m sure it´ll get much warmer. Yesterday just south of Mendoza the road turned into motorway which was baking. I suppose it might be quite nice to have a bit of wind further north!
As for food, I carry enough usually for up to five days, but it depends where the next town is. I´m trying to be as creative as I can with my meals with the type of food I can carry cos the pasta and stock cube I´ve been cooking up are tasting a bit ******. The best I´ve managed, which is now the menu del dia is pasta, stock cube and lentils - impressive hey... If anyones got any fancy ideas let us know!
I´m not exactly sure of my route north of here, but its probably going to be through La Rioja and Salta into Bolivia. I shouldn´t go too wrong as long as I head north. I´ll be back on the road on Wednesday, travelling through more of the vinyards and then into the pampas. I´ll keep you up to date with more of my windy travels in a bit...
Monday 19 February 2007
Northwards
Just arrived in Chos Malal, a mining town in Neuquen Province, and am loading up on food and water for the days ahead. I´ve now cycled 3400km, making quite good distance on the paved roads.
The landscape has returned to the dusty pampas and being relatively flat and exposed, the wind has picked up again. I´m pretty practised now at battling through it - well sometimes! I´m also having to carry more weight, as the settlements are more sparse for buying food and most of the rivers are dry so I´m having to carry a couple days water supply with me - about 9 litres.
I´ll keep it short as I´m hoping to get back on the road for a few more kms this afternoon. I should be in Mendoza in a week, so I´ll let you know a bit more of the shenanigans I´ve been up to then!
The landscape has returned to the dusty pampas and being relatively flat and exposed, the wind has picked up again. I´m pretty practised now at battling through it - well sometimes! I´m also having to carry more weight, as the settlements are more sparse for buying food and most of the rivers are dry so I´m having to carry a couple days water supply with me - about 9 litres.
I´ll keep it short as I´m hoping to get back on the road for a few more kms this afternoon. I should be in Mendoza in a week, so I´ll let you know a bit more of the shenanigans I´ve been up to then!
Sunday 11 February 2007
Ahhhhhh...Paved Roads...
I´ve now cycled 2520km and am back over the border in Argentina, near one of the Welsh communities (Trevelin). The final part of the Carretera Austral was beautiful, continuing through the temperate rainforest. It rained quite heavily for most of the northern section though so I´m happy to be east of the mountains again.
Each of the last several days has been similar; riding through dense forest and over passes with scenery that changed from being similar to the Cumbrian lake district to Switzerland to no other possible place but Chile. Yesterday the paved roads started again and should hopefully continue for the next couple of weeks. After the sand, gravel and boulders of the Carretera Austral its luxury to have a smooth ride, rather than feeling travel sick and my bike falling to bits!
I´ve linked the photos I´ve taken so far to a map, so you should be able to get an idea of my route. From now on I´m planning to stay in Argentina rather than cutting back across into Chile as north of here Chile starts to become a bit more built up. I´ll be cycling through the mountains for another 1000km or so then into the wine regions of Mendoza and San Juan.
Each of the last several days has been similar; riding through dense forest and over passes with scenery that changed from being similar to the Cumbrian lake district to Switzerland to no other possible place but Chile. Yesterday the paved roads started again and should hopefully continue for the next couple of weeks. After the sand, gravel and boulders of the Carretera Austral its luxury to have a smooth ride, rather than feeling travel sick and my bike falling to bits!
I´ve linked the photos I´ve taken so far to a map, so you should be able to get an idea of my route. From now on I´m planning to stay in Argentina rather than cutting back across into Chile as north of here Chile starts to become a bit more built up. I´ll be cycling through the mountains for another 1000km or so then into the wine regions of Mendoza and San Juan.
Wednesday 31 January 2007
The first steps of the Carretera Austral
I´m now in a small town named Cochrane, which being the first settlement of any size after more than 500km of road/track/path/riverbed I had built up to be some sort of Shangri-la. But on arriving here there was no welcoming party and everything was closed for a long siesta.
From El Calafate to the Chilean border the landscape continued with the flat desert windy patagonian landscape that I had become used to. On nearing the border and cycling higher into the Andes though, lush rainforest started and has continued. So, half of the last week or so was spent cycling to the Chilean border and the second half has been spent on the Carretera Austral (a gravel track that winds through rainforest).
Back Into Chile
The border crossing into Chile was by two boats with a days walk in between. The second of these boats runs pretty infrequently but I´d been told that there was a crossing on Saturday. So I´d planned to leave El Calafate on Tuesday and cycle the 270km to the border in 3 days, take the first boat and then walk for a day over the border to catch the Saturday boat. Although, from Monday night to Tuesday evening it poured down. I managed to get away around 6 though and cycled through the night with the most amazing comet in the sky (which was there for the next three days as well).
At lunchtime two days later I arrived in a village called El Chalten, 40km short of the first boat. I even found some apple pie and so was feeling pretty smug. But, after an hours cycling from El Chalten my back wheel locked up and I realised that the bolt attaching my rear pannier rack to the forks had sheared off. Unlike the front pannier rack, the bolt had snapped inside the frame so there was no way of removing it and reattaching the rack. After a while of swearing I managed to hitch a lift back into the village and found ´the mechanic´. He drilled through the bolt and continued to drill a new hole through the frame. I´m sure the frames been weakened a fair bit with a huge new hole in it, but there wasn´t another way of attaching the rack. I also managed to get the crack in the front pannier rack patched up.
Anyhow, I arrived at the first lake (Lago Del Desierto) that evening and caught the first boat the following morning. The footpath that then crossed into Chile was hard going as I had to push my bike for 20km over a mountain pass through deep ruts up to my waist, through rivers and over fallen trees. It was strangely good to have a days walking for a change though. I arrived at the harbour for the second boat that evening and camped in a meadow above an elderly couples self sufficient farm. The boat crossing the following day took three hours and arrived in Villa o Higgins at the start of the Carretera Austral that evening.
Carretera Austral
The Carretera Austral is a gravel track that was built under Pinochet to link the remote south of Chile with the rest of the country. It runs through rainforest in deep ravines and then climbs up over passes and below glaciers. The rivers and lakes that it follows are so clear and turquoise and the area is totally untouched with so much biodiversity. There are inquisitive hummingbirds, parrots and some ´interesting´ noises through the night. The road itself though in places is not much better than a river bed and nearly impossible to cycle on. Other parts aren´t quite as bad, but it´s still slow going.
From here the road continues northwards for another 1000km or so through a similar landscape, so I´ve spent today stocking up with food and getting ready for another couple of weeks of wilderness.
From El Calafate to the Chilean border the landscape continued with the flat desert windy patagonian landscape that I had become used to. On nearing the border and cycling higher into the Andes though, lush rainforest started and has continued. So, half of the last week or so was spent cycling to the Chilean border and the second half has been spent on the Carretera Austral (a gravel track that winds through rainforest).
Back Into Chile
The border crossing into Chile was by two boats with a days walk in between. The second of these boats runs pretty infrequently but I´d been told that there was a crossing on Saturday. So I´d planned to leave El Calafate on Tuesday and cycle the 270km to the border in 3 days, take the first boat and then walk for a day over the border to catch the Saturday boat. Although, from Monday night to Tuesday evening it poured down. I managed to get away around 6 though and cycled through the night with the most amazing comet in the sky (which was there for the next three days as well).
At lunchtime two days later I arrived in a village called El Chalten, 40km short of the first boat. I even found some apple pie and so was feeling pretty smug. But, after an hours cycling from El Chalten my back wheel locked up and I realised that the bolt attaching my rear pannier rack to the forks had sheared off. Unlike the front pannier rack, the bolt had snapped inside the frame so there was no way of removing it and reattaching the rack. After a while of swearing I managed to hitch a lift back into the village and found ´the mechanic´. He drilled through the bolt and continued to drill a new hole through the frame. I´m sure the frames been weakened a fair bit with a huge new hole in it, but there wasn´t another way of attaching the rack. I also managed to get the crack in the front pannier rack patched up.
Anyhow, I arrived at the first lake (Lago Del Desierto) that evening and caught the first boat the following morning. The footpath that then crossed into Chile was hard going as I had to push my bike for 20km over a mountain pass through deep ruts up to my waist, through rivers and over fallen trees. It was strangely good to have a days walking for a change though. I arrived at the harbour for the second boat that evening and camped in a meadow above an elderly couples self sufficient farm. The boat crossing the following day took three hours and arrived in Villa o Higgins at the start of the Carretera Austral that evening.
Carretera Austral
The Carretera Austral is a gravel track that was built under Pinochet to link the remote south of Chile with the rest of the country. It runs through rainforest in deep ravines and then climbs up over passes and below glaciers. The rivers and lakes that it follows are so clear and turquoise and the area is totally untouched with so much biodiversity. There are inquisitive hummingbirds, parrots and some ´interesting´ noises through the night. The road itself though in places is not much better than a river bed and nearly impossible to cycle on. Other parts aren´t quite as bad, but it´s still slow going.
From here the road continues northwards for another 1000km or so through a similar landscape, so I´ve spent today stocking up with food and getting ready for another couple of weeks of wilderness.
Monday 22 January 2007
Torres Del Paine
I had my 1000km party a couple of days ago and have now cycled 1170km. I´ve had the first casualties on my bike too with the front pannier rack cracking on one side and the bolt attaching the other side to the forks shearing off. The bolt wasn´t such a problem cos I had spares but I might soon have to start carrying all the weight on the back of my bike if the front rack breaks completely.
So, I´m in El Calafate now a little further north. It took me two days to cycle from Puerto Natales to the Torres Del Paine in the worst wind so far. Again, the landscape was desert like with no shelter. In the evening to get some shelter to cook and get a bit of sleep I set my tent up in three separate places, each of which were the best I could find. The wind was swirling though so it was impossible to find anywhere calm. If I hadn´t taken the tent down each time, the poles would have snapped. I managed to get a little sleep though at least in the third place. During the second day, I pushed my bike for the majority of the afternoon, covering 40km but with another 20km to go until I was at a campsite where i knew it would be sheltered. Anyhow, I ended up stopping a pick-up and getting a lift, which only took 15 minutes and would have taken me a few hours.
I spent three nights in the national park and did a bit of walking and chilling out. I had a walk up to the Torres base camp which was pretty impressive. The national park is obviously quite a popular place and it was funny to be around brits and aussies again after not seeing anyone for a while.
The day I left the national park, one of the rivers had burst its banks because of glacier melt from the warmer weather. I managed to get my bike onto the back of a truck though which made it through ok. That morning I bumped into a group of 4 american cyclists who I´d met the week before, so I rode with them for a couple of days back into Argentina and on to El Calafate. It was great to have a bit of company.
I´m planning on heading north again tomorrow, to cross the border back into Chile in five days or so. The border crossing should be a bit of a mission cos it involves taking one boat, then pushing my bike for a day over a pass, then taking another boat (hopefully) which takes me to the southernmost point of a road called the Carretera Austral.
So, I´m in El Calafate now a little further north. It took me two days to cycle from Puerto Natales to the Torres Del Paine in the worst wind so far. Again, the landscape was desert like with no shelter. In the evening to get some shelter to cook and get a bit of sleep I set my tent up in three separate places, each of which were the best I could find. The wind was swirling though so it was impossible to find anywhere calm. If I hadn´t taken the tent down each time, the poles would have snapped. I managed to get a little sleep though at least in the third place. During the second day, I pushed my bike for the majority of the afternoon, covering 40km but with another 20km to go until I was at a campsite where i knew it would be sheltered. Anyhow, I ended up stopping a pick-up and getting a lift, which only took 15 minutes and would have taken me a few hours.
I spent three nights in the national park and did a bit of walking and chilling out. I had a walk up to the Torres base camp which was pretty impressive. The national park is obviously quite a popular place and it was funny to be around brits and aussies again after not seeing anyone for a while.
The day I left the national park, one of the rivers had burst its banks because of glacier melt from the warmer weather. I managed to get my bike onto the back of a truck though which made it through ok. That morning I bumped into a group of 4 american cyclists who I´d met the week before, so I rode with them for a couple of days back into Argentina and on to El Calafate. It was great to have a bit of company.
I´m planning on heading north again tomorrow, to cross the border back into Chile in five days or so. The border crossing should be a bit of a mission cos it involves taking one boat, then pushing my bike for a day over a pass, then taking another boat (hopefully) which takes me to the southernmost point of a road called the Carretera Austral.
Sunday 14 January 2007
Punta Arenas - Puerto Natales
Once again I´ve had some good fun with the wind, but I promise not to go on about it too much ...
I´ve been on the road for another three days and am now just south of the Torres Del Paine. The road from Punta Arenas has been pretty flat with very long and demoralising straight sections, where I needed 2 meals to get to the end of. On the first day I biked past mine fields and ended the day camping in what seemed to be a cattle pen. This was next to an arena in the first settlement 100km north along the road (I know it sounds like a funny place to sleep but when the winds are up to 100km/hr, anywhere sheltered will do and this was the first structure/shelter in the 100km since Punta Arenas). As I was falling to sleep the thought crossed my mind that the arena was a bullfighting ring and I wondered if they were going to release a psychotic bull into my bedroom first thing in the morning. Luckily they didn´t.
The last couple of days through the pampas have also been windy and flat but beautifully desolate. I arrived in Puerto Natales early this afternoon and I´m hoping to set out to Torres Del Paine, 150km north, tomorrow.
I´ve been on the road for another three days and am now just south of the Torres Del Paine. The road from Punta Arenas has been pretty flat with very long and demoralising straight sections, where I needed 2 meals to get to the end of. On the first day I biked past mine fields and ended the day camping in what seemed to be a cattle pen. This was next to an arena in the first settlement 100km north along the road (I know it sounds like a funny place to sleep but when the winds are up to 100km/hr, anywhere sheltered will do and this was the first structure/shelter in the 100km since Punta Arenas). As I was falling to sleep the thought crossed my mind that the arena was a bullfighting ring and I wondered if they were going to release a psychotic bull into my bedroom first thing in the morning. Luckily they didn´t.
The last couple of days through the pampas have also been windy and flat but beautifully desolate. I arrived in Puerto Natales early this afternoon and I´m hoping to set out to Torres Del Paine, 150km north, tomorrow.
Thursday 11 January 2007
and onto the mainland
In Punta Arenas in mainland Chile after 5 days of cycling and more headwind than you can shake a stick at. I´m happy that I´ve got a few miles under the wheels and have spent most of today eating and not much else. The last few days have been fantastic and I´m starting to get used to my new cycling career.
Ushuaia - Tolhiun (110km)
I was becoming a bit twitchy hanging around in Ushuaia for those first couple of days. When I packed up my bike on Saturday morning it was a little heavier than expected and took a good half hour just to get the 100m out of the woods where I was camping. The ride out of Ushuaia was superb except for the dogs chasing me and trying to take my feet off. Between Ushuaia and Tolhuin the landscape was mountainous but the road was only slightly hilly with just one pass. The wind was from behind and I arrived in Tolhuin mid afternoon. It was a fantastic sunny first day.
Tolhuin - Rio Grande (115km)
From Tolhuin the landscape became flatter with fewer trees and strengthening wind. From lunchtime the wind really picked up and I found it hard going. Although the majority of passing cars waved me on, beeping their horns and a couple even stopped to offer me for a lift. The area was full of llamas and I saw a beaver and some eagles. Rio Grande is on the Atlantic coast and was a bit of a odd spot. Apparently there was a goldrush there some time ago, but not much has happened since.
Rio Grande - San Sebastian (Chilean Border - 80km)
North of Rio Grande there were no trees and the land was very flat following the coast with no shelter from the wind. I was pretty lucky though as the wind wasn´t too strong. I arrived on the Argentine side of the border with Chile in the evening during heavy rain and found that there were no rooms available at the only hotel. I wouldn´t have been surprised though if they didn´t have anyone staying cos I was pretty soaking. So I asked the border guards if I could camp in the area. They pointed me to the ´waiting room´ where I saw another four bikes parked up outside. When I went inside there were four German cyclists and an Israeli who were all staying the night. It was probably the best accommodation I´d had since arriving with hot showers and a kitchen! So I spent a bizarre night sleeping there...
San Sebastian - Somewhere with no name (80km)
There was a 16km no mans land between Argentina and Chile where the gravel road started. The road headed due west into the prevailing wind and was tough going. I was blown off my bike many times. The landscape reminded me of that of the isle of Lewis. Again there were loads of llamas looking at me as if I were nuts and even some flamingos?? I thought flamingos lived in warm places, but maybe they were lost or had just been blown way off course! In the early evening I took a track off to a farm 5km from the road to get some water. There didn´t appear to be anyone in the house, so I grabbed some water from an outside tap and was pretty chuffed with myself! Then a guy appeared and caught me looking shifty, but from what I understood he offered that I could stay for the night. He invited me inside and I ate a dinner of lamb stew with him and his son, with a lot of nodding. I slept the night on the floor of the sheep shearing outhouse which I was happy with cos the wind and rain outside sounded viscous. In the morning the guy asked if he could take a photo of me. He brought out his camera which he must have been very proud of, but when he took the photo he had it the wrong way round, looking through the lens, so each time he clicked he blinded himself with the flash! I took a photo of him too and he asked if I could send him a copy. When I asked for his address he had to look it up - I don´t think he gets much post.
Somewhere with no name - Porvenir (80km) - Punta Arenas
The wind had picked up some more and I had a 14hr ride over this short distance stopping every few hours to cook up some pasta to get some energy. The road followed the coast looking out onto the snowcapped mountains of the Cordillera Darwin. I arrived in Porvenir - a Croatian Community who migrated for the farming - and was quite exhausted. This morning I took the ferry across the Magallanes Straits to the mainland. The crossing was pretty rough as its the first Strait of water between the Atlantic and Pacific. So I´ve spent the rest of today chilling and eating. I´m hoping to get back on the road northwards tomorrow lunchtime, but if the winds are anything like today (110km/hr) I won´t be making much progress. Its not such of a bad place to be stranded for a day or two though!
Ushuaia - Tolhiun (110km)
I was becoming a bit twitchy hanging around in Ushuaia for those first couple of days. When I packed up my bike on Saturday morning it was a little heavier than expected and took a good half hour just to get the 100m out of the woods where I was camping. The ride out of Ushuaia was superb except for the dogs chasing me and trying to take my feet off. Between Ushuaia and Tolhuin the landscape was mountainous but the road was only slightly hilly with just one pass. The wind was from behind and I arrived in Tolhuin mid afternoon. It was a fantastic sunny first day.
Tolhuin - Rio Grande (115km)
From Tolhuin the landscape became flatter with fewer trees and strengthening wind. From lunchtime the wind really picked up and I found it hard going. Although the majority of passing cars waved me on, beeping their horns and a couple even stopped to offer me for a lift. The area was full of llamas and I saw a beaver and some eagles. Rio Grande is on the Atlantic coast and was a bit of a odd spot. Apparently there was a goldrush there some time ago, but not much has happened since.
Rio Grande - San Sebastian (Chilean Border - 80km)
North of Rio Grande there were no trees and the land was very flat following the coast with no shelter from the wind. I was pretty lucky though as the wind wasn´t too strong. I arrived on the Argentine side of the border with Chile in the evening during heavy rain and found that there were no rooms available at the only hotel. I wouldn´t have been surprised though if they didn´t have anyone staying cos I was pretty soaking. So I asked the border guards if I could camp in the area. They pointed me to the ´waiting room´ where I saw another four bikes parked up outside. When I went inside there were four German cyclists and an Israeli who were all staying the night. It was probably the best accommodation I´d had since arriving with hot showers and a kitchen! So I spent a bizarre night sleeping there...
San Sebastian - Somewhere with no name (80km)
There was a 16km no mans land between Argentina and Chile where the gravel road started. The road headed due west into the prevailing wind and was tough going. I was blown off my bike many times. The landscape reminded me of that of the isle of Lewis. Again there were loads of llamas looking at me as if I were nuts and even some flamingos?? I thought flamingos lived in warm places, but maybe they were lost or had just been blown way off course! In the early evening I took a track off to a farm 5km from the road to get some water. There didn´t appear to be anyone in the house, so I grabbed some water from an outside tap and was pretty chuffed with myself! Then a guy appeared and caught me looking shifty, but from what I understood he offered that I could stay for the night. He invited me inside and I ate a dinner of lamb stew with him and his son, with a lot of nodding. I slept the night on the floor of the sheep shearing outhouse which I was happy with cos the wind and rain outside sounded viscous. In the morning the guy asked if he could take a photo of me. He brought out his camera which he must have been very proud of, but when he took the photo he had it the wrong way round, looking through the lens, so each time he clicked he blinded himself with the flash! I took a photo of him too and he asked if I could send him a copy. When I asked for his address he had to look it up - I don´t think he gets much post.
Somewhere with no name - Porvenir (80km) - Punta Arenas
The wind had picked up some more and I had a 14hr ride over this short distance stopping every few hours to cook up some pasta to get some energy. The road followed the coast looking out onto the snowcapped mountains of the Cordillera Darwin. I arrived in Porvenir - a Croatian Community who migrated for the farming - and was quite exhausted. This morning I took the ferry across the Magallanes Straits to the mainland. The crossing was pretty rough as its the first Strait of water between the Atlantic and Pacific. So I´ve spent the rest of today chilling and eating. I´m hoping to get back on the road northwards tomorrow lunchtime, but if the winds are anything like today (110km/hr) I won´t be making much progress. Its not such of a bad place to be stranded for a day or two though!
Friday 5 January 2007
Here at last
Arrived here in Ushuaia on Wednesday evening and have spent the last couple of days assembling my bike and relaxing.
For those of you who don´t know, I had an interesting last couple of days in the uk cos I managed to break my bike! Of all the places to come off it, it was on the High Street in Kendal. I came round a corner in the rain and the wheels slipped. Somehow, without hitting anything, the frame bent, possibly from my hip hitting it cos it was a bit bruised. So I bought a new bike on Saturday and had a couple of hectic days preparing it for the journey.
The flights here went well and all my luggage including my bike arrived in one piece. The final flight from Buenos Aires to Ushuaia stopped in one of the Welsh settlements, Trelew, which was a little bizarre. Flew into Ushuaia during a storm. When I left the terminal, it was pretty hard to stand up, especially with the bike box flapping around. I wasn´t too sure about camping, but thought I couldn´t wimp out this early on. It worked out well though cos the campsite had some sheltered pitches in the woods, but it was still a bit of a wild night.
I´m going to try and put some photos on but may struggle cos the blog is now in Spanish´? The format of the blog may be a bit dodgy also cos I don´t know which of the buttons to press??
Anyhow, I´m planning to set off to Tolhuin, 100km to the east tomorrow. The wind is from the west, so shouldn´t be too bad, but lets not speak too soon....
For those of you who don´t know, I had an interesting last couple of days in the uk cos I managed to break my bike! Of all the places to come off it, it was on the High Street in Kendal. I came round a corner in the rain and the wheels slipped. Somehow, without hitting anything, the frame bent, possibly from my hip hitting it cos it was a bit bruised. So I bought a new bike on Saturday and had a couple of hectic days preparing it for the journey.
The flights here went well and all my luggage including my bike arrived in one piece. The final flight from Buenos Aires to Ushuaia stopped in one of the Welsh settlements, Trelew, which was a little bizarre. Flew into Ushuaia during a storm. When I left the terminal, it was pretty hard to stand up, especially with the bike box flapping around. I wasn´t too sure about camping, but thought I couldn´t wimp out this early on. It worked out well though cos the campsite had some sheltered pitches in the woods, but it was still a bit of a wild night.
I´m going to try and put some photos on but may struggle cos the blog is now in Spanish´? The format of the blog may be a bit dodgy also cos I don´t know which of the buttons to press??
Anyhow, I´m planning to set off to Tolhuin, 100km to the east tomorrow. The wind is from the west, so shouldn´t be too bad, but lets not speak too soon....
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