Chile
2014: The Year That Was
Presenting my passport to the Ecuadorian border official raises a smile as he leafs through my passport and inspects my Peruvian exit stamp, the inedible red stamp reads “En Exceso de Permeanencia”. In many countries the implications of over staying your visa would result in you being banned from the country, deported or worse. Instead […]
Bolivian Backlog: The Road to La Paz
After abruptly jerking you forward, I am once again hitting rewind with the next installment in the Bolivian Backlog that sees us deposited in Bolivia’s capital; La Paz. As with much of our travels in Bolivia it has rarely been in a straight line, jaggedly weaving our way across the Bolivian Antiplano. Leaving the Salars […]
Adventures in San Pedro De Atacama
Arriving in San Pedro De Atacama on my birthday should have been the thinly veiled excuse Cass and I needed to go out and party after weeks spent on the road. Instead uncharacteristically I want nothing more than an early night and something to soothe a cough and cold picked up over the previous weeks […]
Cafayate to San Pedro De Atacama: Wine, Rarefied Air and Birthday Cake
Fortified on Torrientes the fruity vino blanco that makes Cafayate and the surrounding Valle CalchaquÃes famous throughout Argentina, Cass and I begin our journey in to the high mountains. Stood high above the area’s vineyards the snow capped Andes stand as sentinels seperating the neighbouring countries of Argentina and Chile. Leaving the vineyards behind we […]
To Mendoza: Pushin’ On
Sat next to the roaring log fire, the sound of rain drums on the roof and patters on the window pane. The weather forecast for the next 10 days looks equally dismal and depressing. It seems that Chile and my native Calderdale arent that dissimlar when it comes to winter weather. I spend a further […]
The Lake District: Autumn Leaves, Asphalt and a Volcano
As the days grow gradually cooler Autumn leaves gather on the ground. A daily reminder that winter slowly approaches. It is a slow spin out of Trevelin in to strong head winds and squalls of rain in Los Alerces National Park. Feeling unwell I slow things down and ride some shorter days, seeking sanctuary and […]
Carretera Austral: A Ripio Odyssey
The construction of the Carretera Austral under General Pinochet aimed to connect remote communities in Chilean Patagonia as tensions escalated during the Beagle Channel conflict in the 1970s. Today it remains a grand feat of engineering linking the remote and isolated communities of Puerto Montt in the north with Villa O’Higgins in the south. Perhaps a […]
Lago Del Desierto: Border Crossings and Fond Farewells
As each day passes Autumn slowly draws nearer, the ever telling chill in the air and shortening of days as evenings draw in. As the tail end of the season approaches the Villa O’Higgins ferry, an integrale part of the jigsaw which links the dead end of El Chalten to Villa O’Higgins and the start […]
Patagonia: The Windy Bit. Punta Arenas to El Chalten
Last minute purchases in Punta Arenas enable me to carry extra food and water after my struggle through Tierra Del Fuego. The Carradice saddle bag proving a trusty capacious companion adeptly allowing me to burden it with yet more stuff. As the worst of the winds subside, Anita an Austrialian cyclist and I roll out […]
Tierra Del Fuego: a Baptism of Fire and a lesson in friendship
Arriving back in Ushuaia from Antartica I return to my accomodation and within an hour I have my replacement part thanks to the continued and unwavering support of Shona and Rich at Keep Pedalling. I should be raring to go, excited to get the bike fixed and packed ready to get on the road. Oddly […]