South America Adventure Ride 2012 - Food Stuff

Fried Llamas meat, Bolivia

LLamas meat grill

Typical Andean soup

Beef stake Bolivian style

Nuts n others Bolivian style

Typical S. America fresh veggy

Bolivian onions

Sea Food Bolivian style

Grill Lamb and Potatoes, Peru

Veggy and rice Peruvian dish

Coca leaf (in plastic bags)

Coca leaf sweet, Peru (green colour)

Fried Trot - Peru

Fried Trot and sweet corn

Cincha Morada - Traditional Inca drink

Seafood curry Peruvian style

Typical Peruvian dish

Fruits drink in milk - Ecuador style

Humitas - Traditional Incas food

'Pisang Emas' Peru Banana

Ecuador dish

Ecuador local nuts

Colombian soup

Colombian fried fish dish

Guarapo - Sugar cane and lime drink. Popular in S. America

A Colombian dish

Arepa - popular Colombian breakfast

South America Adventure Ride 2012

Day 56 - 65 
                    Riding Ruta 3 towards  Buenos Aires can be boring. Strong wind and hot. Comodoro Rivadia is not a good place to stay overnight but not Puerto Madyrn. Puerto Madyrn is a popular whale, seal and sea lion sighting port during July to December. So, this is off-season.
                 In a town called Azul, I stayed with the many-riders spoke about Argentinian named Jorge (a biker lover and never turn-down any biker asking for shelter and assistance). Jorge is a great guy indeed.
               Buenos Aires is another big city. There nothing much for me to add. Few days spent here for maintenance and rest. The bike gets it tires changed. After this city I head further North towards Bolivia.
I had a special column about Bolivia. I thought this is the best place I ever ride into in this trip. However, my first overnight town in Bolivia (Tupiza) is met with a unforgettable incident - I got robbed! Also, my riding buddy (Daniel) from Argentina had a bad fall, broke his leg and   had to return back to Argentina. I pray his quick recovery and hope he continues his riding trip soon. Take care Brother.
            The Salar Salt Lake is perhaps another fantastic place I have visited in this North bound route. Just amazing! In Potosi, the bike had to undergo 'lung operation'because of too much dust from the previous day ride. Also, the bike accidentally  takes in diesel in the tank! That stupid pump girl surely does not deserved to work there. That mistake caused me a day ride and unnecessary cleaning at the fuel station and I look like a charlie by people around.

Road Tupiza to Uyuni

Loose gravel road

Typical landscape near Uyuni

Salt Flats Eyes

Salar De Uyuni - The Reflections

Crossing Llamas - Checking on me

Millions years rock formation

Plate tectonics at works

Icy road towards La Paz

The Death Valley road

           La Paz is considered the highest city in the world. It actually lies in a valley bordered by high Andes mountain ranges between 5000 to 6000m above seal level. Here I was introduced with the typical Inca food - Humitas.  I also visited the Yungus Valley - the most dangerous road in Bolivia.

Death Valley

Travelling along the Death Valley, Bolivia 

Steep and fast winding

One way road

Watch out for this falling water

Stone reminder of fallen victims

This drop is more than 1 km !

Road Sign

The standard curve

From La Paz take a ride to the Yungus Valley then make a turn  towards a small town of Corioca  using the old road (the death valley); they claimed to be the most dangerous road in the world. Not sure how true it is. But it is sure hair rising experience especially when you have to pass an coming truck.
 The adventure continues.

South America Adventure Ride

Gracious Llamas

Dont mess with me

Naughty goats

Typical Ruta 3 Argentina

Day 45 to 55
                    This is my Northward bound ride back to Colombia. Farewell Ushuaia and hope to see you again later. If I had miss Ushuaia, then it must been the scenic view of its harbour where its water connected to the Antartica.
                From Rio Grande to Rio Gallegos these are some points I have noted:
1.  Two border crossings
2.  One ferry crossing the Straits Of Magellen
3.  Heavy rain and strong wind caused the ferryng crossing to stop indefinitely
4.  The 400km road is still half paved and half loose gravel (rippio)
5.  Cold and wet ride
6.  A small town called Cerro Sombrero is the onlt place where you can get fuel and accommodation.
7.  The border post Chile and Argentina at Monte Aymond is co-located.
8. Animals along the road

The Long Day Ride

Rugged rippio road Tupiza to Uyuni, Bolivia

Llamas and donkeys frequent your track

What a beautiful sight

Long empty dirt road

The day is drawing fast

Me and Daniel

My bike undergoing lung operation

9 May 2012

The longest day ride in this spectacular Bolivian soil was from Tupiza to Uyuni (in April) some 300km of gravel road (rippio) with some unmarked tracks in between passable only through running water and animals.
 I staretd off with another rider (Daniel) from Argentina on his 2011 KLR  and it was a good start although I rode without my faithful computer laptop and others valuable stuffs stolen by some bastards in Tupiza yesterday.
 The scenic view was just awesome. The pics above tell it all (of course there are more pics that I could not post them now, later maybe). Mountains, rivers flow, llamas, donkeys, lambs, desert vegetations and many more, they are  just there! The winding road, up and down curves with passing trucks feel your lungs with complete dust. At times there are only you and the bike in this empty wilderness.
 Halfway, Daniel fall from his ride and broke his right leg with a strain shoulder. He got to to be hospitalised and I was asked by him to continue with my journey. I felt so sorry to bid farewell to him in the ambulance bas my journey contiunues.
 The dust was so thick and the day draws to close fast. Soon, it was darkness all around me and I got some 100km away to Uyuni. This was my longest day ride ever in the dark in the semi desert towards Uyuni. I arrived Uyuni about 10 pm with the bike struggling for air (air filter clog). The air intake took it tolls from the dusty environment and in an average altitude of 4000 metres above sea level plain.
  The look of the garage was not very encouraging but the foreman did a good job for the bike.
My ride continues thereafter.