Boxing day is here and we need to leave this little oasis of El Chalten and head North, we refuel and add an extra 5 litres (in a 5 litre plastic water bottle) to the bike. As fellow travellers, Grant and Jules Guerin so succinctly put it, we are now a travelling molotov cocktail.We have calculated it will be a little over 300km to Gobernador Gregores, about the limit of our fuel range so the extra is an insurance policy.

Refueling at El Chalten – a more scenic fuel stop is hard to imagine (pity about the power lines)

We leave in glorious still conditions and sunshine, and retrace our route for 80 km then head towards Tres Lagos. We stop to put in our extra five litres at the end of the sealed road, only to find the bike will not idle again (it has been a perfect run on the bitumen at 110km an hour). Skill tries to do a bit of diagnosis, and then we put in the extra fuel. We decide not to stress too much and have our morning tea cuppa. We pack up, start the bike which is now running perfectly and continue on. I hate intermittent faults.

Ruta 40 reminds me a bit of the Oodnadatta Track (maybe not in as good condition). It is pretty rough and chopped up from the recent rains but fortunately not too bad and the best thing is they haven't graded it so it was quite hard packed. We make good time but often look longingly at the not-yet-opened sealed road that runs beside for most of the 300km distance.

About 100 km from Gobernador Gregores dark storm clouds appear and it starts to spit sporadically, this is not a road you want to be riding after rain, so we just keep going hoping to miss the rain and perhaps have lunch later when we arrive. We do bypass the rain and arrive at about 4.30pm, refuel and find a nice hotel where we demolish our lunch before heading out for a walk. This little town is much nicer than we imagined and the hotel is quite OK. We have leftovers for dinner in our room and an early night.

Rain looms on Ruta 40

An early start for us, we are on the road at 8.30am, refueled and carrying our extra five litres again.

Another fuel stop

We head out of town to an intersection with not a single sign on it (in fact the first sign to Baja Caracoles we see is 100 km later). We ask a local road side worker the way and he points straight ahead (reminds us of India, “Just go straight Sir”). The road is rough ripio once again running alongside the not-yet-opened bitumen and then we hit an unexpected completed bitumen section about 40 km further on, we were not expecting this in fact the sealed road is now open nearly all the way to Baja Caracoles. After our first 100 km we put in our spare fuel and all is good.

Our refuelling stop on Ruta 40

The ride is quite enjoyable although it does get very cold and we stop at Baja Caracoles to get a coffee have our lunch and refuel. After refueling the bike does its “I don't want to idle thing yet again”. Feeling a tad warmer after lunch and coffee and with the bike idling OK again, we are lulled into a false sense of security as we tackle the next section of Ruta 40 which is a nightmare, it is like riding along a dry river bed with our very heavily laden bike, it is at times like this I don't know how Skill keeps the bike upright. It takes us over an hour to do this section as we roll, buck and skid our way over the rolly rocks. Then all of a sudden we hit a beautiful paved road that is a motorcyclists dream and takes us all the way to Pertito Moreno (the town not the glacier), even though its a dive, we check out two extremely dodgy camp grounds and two non existent camp grounds before we instead decide to leave for Los Antiguous on the Argentinian Chilean border. The camp ground here is also gross and windy, so three hostels later we end up in an adequate cabana for the night and try the Plato del Dia (plate of the day) for dinner at a local restaurant. It has been a fairly long day.

Today we cross into Chile at the rather delightful named Chile Chico border crossing,

Border crossing at Chile Chico

all goes smoothly and quickly, even though they search all our bags for contraband food items.

Repacking our bags at Chile Chico Border crossing

We restock our emergency food supplies in Chile Chico before riding one of the most scenic roads alongside South Americas second largest lake (on the Argentinian side it is called Lago Buenos Aires and on the Chilean side it is called Lake General Carrera) This road is all ripio and to start with is fairly good as we climb up and down the roller coaster road which has been cut into the mountains alongside the Lake. Most times we have a view of the lake but sometimes the road will disappear into heavily wooded forest sections. About 30 km later the road deteriorates and it is heavily corrugated roly ripio for the next 100 km.

Panorama On the Chile Chico Road

Riding the Chile Chico Road

Riding the Chile Chico Road

Riding the Chile Chico Road

Views over Lago General Carrera

This road is truly spectacular and reminds us a little of the KKH in Pakistan the way it is cut into the side of impossibly steep mountain side with sheer vertical drops of 300 – 400 metres to the lake in places. There is only the occasional random guard rail and in many places it is only one car width wide, but with two-way traffic - thankfully fairly sparse. We are down to first gear to make some of the climbs and descents, sounding the horn on the blind crests and corners in the vain hope on-coming traffic will hear us and leave some room as we are on the 'fall off the cliff' side of the road! Then to compound the situation we come to a section were we are following a grader which has just finished smoothinig out the surface but pushed the deep rolly gravel and soft dirt back onto the road. As we are one of the first vehicles through there is NO clean line. Once again we are ploughing, skidding and bucking along. When we reach the intersection of the Careterra Austral the road grading has stopped, but we decide that we will not head South to Cochrane (where we will have to retrace the same route to return as there is only one road). We instead ride 40 km North to Puerto Rio Tranquilo on slightly better ripio but now it is quite windy again.

Luckily we find a lovely camping spot at the Bella Vista Hospedaje. We camp in the back yard in a poplar-tree enclosed garden. There is a camp kitchen and hot water showers, so what more do we need?

That night we share a delightful evening with Lydia and Rafiel (an Argentinian couple travelling in an old camper) and two young Californian lads Seth and his mate whose name we never got. They are backpacking and hitchiking their way around Chile.

Lydia and Rafiel enjoying a mate (Mate is the potion that Argentinians are obsessed with, it is a shared beverage that looks like horse-chaff with sugar and hot water added, usually drunk out of a aluminium receptacle and aluminium straw filter)

Next day we are still pretty tired so decide we will stay for another day, but we can not find our gregarious host Marcela anywhere. When she reappears it is obvious she is quite distraught, I glean that her Aunt and 2 young children have been in a terrible car accident about 20km South of Tranquilo and her aunt is dead. Grief is palpable in any language. We reassure her that we are staying and will light the boiler fire tonight and try to look after the place till her return later that night. All of this is communicated with NO Spanish but I think we got there in the end.

We enjoy a lazy day in the sun, check out all the streets in Tranquilo, visit it's three shops and wander down to the Lake.

Skill looking at the inland sea which is Lago General Carrera – Puerto Rio Tranquilo

On our return to the hospedaje we have been invaded by sheep so we hunt them out before lighting the hot water and enjoying a couple of beers in the sun.

Sheep invasion

Next day feeling refreshed we head off towards Coyhaique, once again it is gravel but not too bad. We climb up over a pass and it starts to rain, so we don the wet weather gear before continuing on. It is on this section of road that we pass six travellers bikes, the lead guy stops briefly to say hi there is a group following, sounds like an aussie accent, but there is traffic coming so we so we say bye and move on, the bike group appear shortly and appear to be a tour and don't stop.

Just before Villa Cerro Castillo we stop beside the road for a cuppa and some lunch. Just as we are packing up a bike pulls up, it is Dom an Aussie riding a Kawasaki KLR 650, he has been on the road for a year from Alaska, an animated chat ensues before three Suzuki DR 650 bikes appear, 3 American riders who are on a four month journey. An hour and a half later we leave, this is the most travellers we have seen, but of course as usual we are swimming against the tide, that is, we are heading North and they are going South.

Roadside meeting

We hit the bitumen at Villa Cerro Castillo and it continues all the way to the uninspiring town/city of Cohaique.

Twists and turns out of Villa Cerro Castillo

We find camping accommodation in a gross backyard of a hospedaje, it is at this point we are joined by Kevin (who travelled overland UK to Nepal the same year we did) and Jan both on old R80 GS's. They have the good sense to get a room. What a funny day, we have met so few travellers so far and we see/meet 12 in one day. Go figure. We head out to the only open cafe in town with Kevin and Jan and enjoy a late dinner. That night it flogs down rain on our little tent but we stay dry inside. Hmmmmm.

We pack up the wet tent in the rain and try to find breakfast, we manage only a coffee before getting out of this uninspiring, unopen town. (Not sure why everything was closed, maybe it was because it was New Years Eve) The ride is on a lovely sealed road, we refuel at Villa Manihuales a tiny village where we also secure the best empanadas we have eaten in South America. We also have a long chat with more travellers, a Brazilian couple riding a BMW who are also heading South.

Another 90 kilometres of fantastic sealed road that must have been designed by a bike rider before we hit the ripio again for the slow 60 kilometre ride into the gorgeous German settled village of Puyuhuapi. We settle on a camp ground in another backyard, and are soon joined by, Jared, Jessica and Kobus, 3 Americans who have been travelling by 4WD for over 18 months, then Chris and Marg from the Netherlands arrive on 2 BMWs. Then finally some older Americans in a rented car arrive. The place is packed for New Years Eve and the overly excitable owners already have a huge asado on the go for their family New Years celebration.

The travellers gather together in the camp kitchen for a late night of food and festive fun, a few beers, wines and rums ensued and we also got to share in the asado lamb leftovers. Needless to say no one got away early next day.

Camped undercover. Waiting for our very wet tent to dry out. We had to pack it up wet earlier that morning.

Jared, Jessica and Kobus

Marg and Chris

We finally got on the road just on 11.30 but were stopped by some bored local police who wanted to check all our paperwork. This is our first roadside police paperwork check in Chile and we had become so complacent that all of our paperwork was packed away in our panniers, so we had to unpack our stuff on the side of the road about 1 minute after leaving our campsite! After reviewing all our documents, they advised us in Spanish that we should keep our paperwork more easily accessible in the tank-bag – yes well we usually do for border crossings, but we were in the middle of nowhere today!

It was a glorious day (hot even) and we bumped and jumped our way over 160 km of badly potholed ripio to Futaeleufu, a pretty little village near the huge Futaeleufu River.

A good ripio section on the Careterra Austral

Bridge crossing the Careterra Austral

Coffee Break on the Careterra Austral

Stopped on a little river (Careterra Austral) for lunch

On the road into Futaeleufu

The American guys had recommended the campground there, it was gorgeous. We also run into Seth and his mate from Hospedaje Bella Vista. We wander into town looking for an open shop but on New Years Day it was a fruitless exercise, Skill does manage to secure 2 beers at a cafe so all is not lost. Back to camp for emergency tuna pasta dinner and our small 7-Up bottle full of left-over red wine (can't waste it). No wonder the bike weighs so bloody much, we are a travelling restaurant/bar.

We enjoy 3 days in Futaeleufu, the weather is glorious, we get a bit of washing done, wander the streets, do a few river walks and enjoy a campfire every night, a pretty perfect life I would say. We also find the only internet cafe (slow) in town to try and track down information about the newly instituted land border reciprocity tax for entry into Argentina. There seems to be two dates floating around, the 3rd and the 7th of January and unfortunately it seems like payment must be pre-paid on-line and a printed receipt presented at the border. In the end we decide we will wing it and hope it is the 7th January, we will cross on the 4th, we know we will have to pay it sooner or later but would just like a more convenient location to do it in, ie somewhere with reliable internet connection and a printer. Once again they haven't thought about overland travellers, especially not being able to pay in cash at the border.

Well cross we do, (I think this is our 6th border crossing, I've lost track) and nothing is mentioned about the reciprocity tax, PHEW!! However the Chileans have snavelled Skills exit paper that is needed for entry into Argentina, it is so bloody hard keeping an eye on all the bits of paper you get given, then taken away, stamped then given back AHHHHHH!! In the end the Argentinians don't seem to care too much as I have mine and they stamp us in.

We cross back into Argentina

Onwards to Trevillin where we stayed on the way South, a quick lunch in the park before a windy ride to Esquel and finally El Bolsen. We go back to La Chacra campground where stayed last time we were here. Our last visit wasn't in “The Season” as everyone calls it and there was only us and three cats. It's now definitely “The Season” and the place is packed, the little cafe is open and there are people everywhere. The first night we set up, enjoy dinner and go to bed late only to be woken at 1.30 am by a family of drunken ferals driving a beat up old V8 pick up towing an even more beaten up caravan. They proceed to back the caravan over one of our guy ropes, before setting up their extra tents right on top of us, they finally finish at about 3.00 am but not before their feral pekinese dogs wake the whole campground with their incessant barking.

Next morning we pick up the tent and move to another spot (no we didn't pack it, we literally picked it up and carried it to a new spot). Skill takes great delight in starting the bike which is right beside their tents and revving the bejeebies out of it for a few minutes. It is fairly obvious from peoples reactions that they have also not endeared themselves to other residents of the campground.

Skill cooking dinner with vegetables at La Chacra Campground

We spend five nights in El Bolsen mainly because the weather becomes inclement and it is widespread, but we enjoy a gorgeous Saturday at the markets,

Lan sampling the artisans beer at the El Bolsen Markets (there is a lot of small micro breweries around this area).

Skill enjoying the shade of a cherry tree at the El Bolsen Markets

Then Skill ventures out to the Lavedoria to pressure clean our now unrecognisably dirty bike.

Hooray we have a clean bike

The next day the weather is miserable, it buckets down and is quite cold. The new tent seems to hold up OK and we manage to keep everything undercover and dry although it is a tight squeeze. We spend some of the day in the little cafe with everyone else before retiring back to the tent for a few vodkas. That night as we cook dinner in the undercover area, we both complain about how cold it is and go to bed in our thermals. Next morning there is a reasonable amount of new snow on the mountain above the camp ground. So this is Summer????

It rains on and off for the next two days, but it is interspersed with spells of sunny weather so all is ok. We just kick back and enjoy El Bolsen, Skill manages to secure a haircut but not before having to queue for over an hour to use the automatic teller. People had warned us how manic Argentina gets during the holiday season, this prediction proved correct as it took me an hour to collect provisions at the supermarket and we then have to queue for over 45 minutes to buy fuel before leaving the following day.

We do eventually get out of El Bolsen and ride to the camp ground on Lago Gutierrez which had not been open on the way South. We enjoy an absolutely idyllic afternoon here, taking in the glorious surroundings, sampling a few beers in the sun, before enjoying the little restaurants basic meals.

Lan enjoying the afternoon at Lago Gutierrez

Brimming with enthusiasm we get away at a reasonable hour, enjoying the short ride to Bariloche. From here on the day deteriorates, the traffic to Villa Angostura is horrendous and it is slow going, mostly 40km an hour. We debate whether we should cross the border back into Chile here or at Junin de Los Andes, after lunch in a dog-poo infested park we decide to cross here as we expect the traffic on the Seven Lakes road will be busy, dusty and slow going. It is also now 36 degrees, so now its summer!

Well the best laid plans..................... we get to a check point before the border only to be informed that we cannot cross here, it is only for trucks and buses (not sure if this is a permanent state of affairs), so we once again tackle the Seven Lakes road, and all our predictions prove correct. The dust makes the road quite dangerous as visibility is poor and the slow speed and heat make it uncomfortable, I am so glad we got to ride it with minimal traffic on the way South. We stop at a camp ground just before San Martin de Los Andes, the one that was completely deserted previously. It is now so packed with partying holiday makers that there is no room. Bizarre. We continue on to SM de Los Andes only to find this is the case here too, with 2 more of the camp grounds full, so we ride on to Junin de Los Andes where we camp in another packed camp ground, but we do find cold beer and I enjoy my first South American river swim, but not for Skill as water needs to be bath-warm for him to swim. Another tuna pasta dinner and an early night.

Well the next day dawns, and starts promisingly, the local bakery delivers pastries to the camp ground (which is a good thing as we had nothing for breakfast), we scoff them down with a cup of coffee and pack up. We actually get away quite early for us, 9.30am. Then the rot sets in............we queue for an hour and a half to get fuel, seriously the queue was about 1 km long in the sun and about 35 degrees!

Skill queuing for fuel

When we finally get fuel we hit the road towards the border, a gorgeous ride ensues, on a lovely paved surface. It is glorious and we stop to take in the beauty of Volcan Lanin.

Volcan Lanin

Just after entering the National Park the road surface deteriorates to the usual rolly ripio but we still enjoy the ride to the border where queuing takes on a whole new level. To cut a long story short, it seems like half of Argentina is here waiting to cross to Chile, the line stretches out of the building and down the road, it takes us about three hours to clear this border.

A day of queuing, Skill at the Argentinian border (most of the line is behind us at this point - standing in the sun)

Luckily the Chilean side is much more efficient (ie they have more than two people on the processing counter) and we are through in under an hour. All in all that's over 5 hours queuing so far today, and for half that time standing in the sun in 35 degrees. It is a very hot day and when we get back to the bike to ride on (Argentinian side), someone has taken our water bottle from the bike, (the first time we have ever had anything taken off the bike) so now we have no water as well.

Once we are in Chile it is a very dusty, rolly ripio 20 km ride until we hit the paved surface. By this time it is 4.00 pm and we haven't had any food or water since breakfast, (you can't take food from Argentina into Chile so we don't have our usual lunch supplies with us) we are both feeling dehydrated and slightly feral. The gorgeous Mapuche village of Curarrehue proves to be our saviour with several delicious fried ham, cheese and tomato empanadas, lots of peach juice, 2 litres of water and ice blocks.

Feeling human again we enjoy the ride into Pucon but can't find ourselves inspired by the very crowded La Poza camp ground (apparently the travellers camp site of choice), so after a visit to the Tourist Office, a quick ATM then fuel stop (no queuing in Chile, yeh) we find ourselves at Copacabana camp ground, a haven on the outskirts of town, and of course we are the only gringos.

We have a gorgeous view of Volcan Villarica, there is a swimming pool and grassy non crowded camping spaces and a brand new clean ablutions block, our kind of place. We set up the tent, venture out to find a huge fruit and vegetable filled supermarket, and secure supplies. Dinner at 11.00 pm and bed. It has been another very long, hot day.

Volcan Villarica, the view from our campground

Although we have had a few long, hot, difficult days we are still enjoying our travels, the people, the places and the rides, it is an amazing journey.