"Sometimes you just have to go with the flow." (TM @ bdp 2010-)

Over the last week we have not really felt in control of anything going on with the bike. We just had to put our faith and trust in those that were helping us.

Very little happened over the holiday weekend but then things started to move on Monday. Getting a temporary RUT (tax number) seemed to go smoothly and quickly. We decided to get one each "just in case".
I (Bruce) was then able to get my 1st ride of the bike, picking it up from having a new rear tyre and chain fitted, and then riding it 30k to have the rear suspension seen to on the far side of Santiago.

Tuesday was taken up with queuing with Juan (junior) to get the documents changed into my name, we had not been able to do that on Monday because the office is only open from 0900 - 1400. After 3 hours we discovered that due to our RUTs being "commercial" ones we could not do a private transaction until we were on the system or had the "proper" card (these take 2 months to come through; we intended to pick these up in January on return to Santiago).

Catch 22, we could not own the bike because we were not on the system. We could not get on the system because we had not bought a bike or a car 'commercially'. Essentially had we been buying from a dealer, then it would have been "no problem".

Plan B was needed. We all went and consulted with a notary (solicitor), who confirmed he could produce documents that would let us take the bike out of the country with it in Juan's name. And more importantly he confirmed that Peru and Bolivia would accept the documents. Only time will tell if that is true.

We collected the bike from the suspension engineer and rode to Juan's (Senior) for tea. They are such an hospitable family, and like feeding us food that reflects their country. This time it was raw minced meat 'cooked' in lemon juice, oysters, salmon, olives from the north and fruit. Fruits we knew well like chirimoya, blueberries, strawberries; and nopales, a type of pricky pear which we hadn't ever tried before. Nopales are the fruit of a cactus, we believe same type as the nopalitas (strips of cooked cactus leaves) that we had eaten in Mexico, Delicious.

The day ended with midnight ride back into the city. I don't like riding at night, or in cities. Having done it in Mexico City any where should be easier, bit I just don't feel comfortable unless I know the way well. But we made it in one piece. Even with a almost flat front tyre.

We had Marco, a mechanic we had met via Couchsurfing, lined up to see the bike the next morning. He pointed out a number of things that needed fixing and gave us the bad news that he thought the head gasket needed replacing. We had to use his friend Omar, the Turk (no, I did not make that name up) to translate. Omar speaks fluent Spanish, excellent English, fixes motorbikes for a living working up the road and is married to a girl from Cardiff. No, I didn't make any of that up either.

That night Marco surprised us at 22:00 with a text that the bike was all done. We were shocked, this was Chile, things never happen that fast here :-)

It transpired that when he started to get closer to the engine to replace a missing exhaust bolt he realised the oil "leak" was just the unburnt gases marking the cylinder. Great, we were ready for the road ? No, he was not happy about the rear suspension, he felt it was too soft and a bit dangerous with a laden bike. It should be redone.

Marco rode me back out to the suspension engineer, I went pillion and was treated to the delights of Santiago style street riding. He explained the problems to the engineer and how I was not happy. He spent an entire afternoon dealing with all this and made sure that the right amount of gas was put in and spacers to stiffen the spring. He was also adamant that they should not ask me for more money as they have a different guarantee system here. You pay, you leave, you have accepted the work as OK.

Even then, Marco had not finished with me. He produced a list of all the spares he thought I would need and which tools. He looked through the tools I had brought with me and crossed a few off. Then he took me shopping. Making sure I was not ripped off, and getting discounts.

It never ceases to amaze me how full of good people the world is.

We collected the new paper work from Juan, with another twist. There had been problem with the copy of my passport so only Jean has legal permission to take the bike out of the country. Oh well, maybe we will call it her bike then.

Thursday night and Friday morning was a frenzied, frantic packing blur. At least by Jean. It is one of her strong points when it comes to fitting too much stuff into too small a space. Checkout time was 11:00, were on the road by 11:10.

We didn't go far, less than 200k north. We are now sat in a cabin perched on the rocky coast over the Pacific with breakers crashing on the beach below. Warm sunshine, and gentle breezes.

Also 5 dogs for company. But that is another story.