| Location: | Santiago |
Today we enter Chile and the last but one country on the trip. Arica to Antofagasto is 470 miles through the Atacama Desert and the desert valleys this morning are full of clouds. We cross the plains above them surrounded by miles of rock scattered sand and then descend through the clouds into rift valleys suddenly emerging under the clouds into the valley, then cross the valley and repeat in reverse. From Iquique we follow the coast road all the way to Antofagasto. The road is two lane wedged in between the huge sand dune on our left and the pacific on our right.
After a few days in Chile we are crossing to Argentina for the first time. It's a 300 mile day with 120 miles of dirt on a road used only by us and the Dakar Rally earlier this year and again in 2010. This is all at over 4500m altitude. The road is initially well compacted and grippy, and progress to the border post is swift and uneventful. Then Nick goes down on the soft sand and while unhurt, the combination of high altitude and the crash sends him into shock. Jeff arrives with the van and in 5 minutes flat, his bike and Nick are in it. As all this is happening Simon rides back to say that Paul has also gone down but is up and about, although his bike is pretty battered.
When Jeff arrives with Nick at Paul’s accident they realise while Paul's bike is a definite non runner, Nick's in the van is a go’er. Paul is OK to ride and so in 3 minutes flat Jeff unloads Nicks bike, loads Paul's and speeds off. At the border the Argentinian customs guys could not be more helpful. A guard accompanies Nick and Jeff to Fiambala and the local hospital, where after an X ray and now out of the high altitude Nick is given the all clear. Paul and Nick spend the evening comparing bruises!
The next morning is a nice simple tarmac 200 mile day and so 4 riders promptly get lost leaving town (as does Jeff in the van!) and ride 20 miles down the wrong road, 20 miles back to town and then leave again! After yesterday we need an easy day and we get one to Villa Union and a lovely hotel with a fantastic restaurant that serves the best steak of the trip so far. Welcome to Argentina proper! The next day passes without incident as dirt sections are treated with unsurprising caution by all. Then we have a group ride into Santiago where we will be for four days to get the bikes serviced and to rest up, get Paul and Nick to hospital to get checked out and generally re-group.
BMW Chile have supplied the Carabineros with a fleet of R1200RT's and they have arranged for us to enter Santiago with a Police escort, stopping traffic and blocking roads with red lights flashing. Their uniforms are dark green with highly polished black riding boots and elbow length white gloves to stop the traffic. Great fun as they race past our nice staggered formation directly at on-coming traffic that swerves to avoid them. They are scraping the engine bars around corners as they swoop in and out and we arrive at the hotel like royalty on tour, although we look decidedly scruffy next to them. This is all filmed by the main Chilean news channel and shown that evening on the 9pm news!
About four weeks to go to Ushuaia but this includes 1500 dirt miles on Ruta 40 and Carretera Austral. In some ways little time is left, but still 5000 challenging miles and 5 weeks...
