Our delivery of the bikes seems to be delayed and you can imagine that we were not amused. Especially we left all our stuff on the bike as we have been told that they will be in Colombia the next day.

Watching a movie and early bedtime was the plan and we executed that one perfectly. Let’s see what tomorrow brings.

2nd October

An easy morning. We had a slow breakfast and chatted with another traveler before he had to go to the airport to pick up his bike. We were not happy to hear that he did handover his bike one day later than we and still receives it earlier. But there was nothing we could do at the moment other than wish him luck and hope that at least has a good day.

I went back to the airport to see if I can find out how it is possible to ship our bikes further to Leticia once we get them and how much it would cost. A friend had done this last year and gave us a name of the company. As I showed up at the office location it was difficult as nobody spoke any English. So, with google translate I got the info that flying would be no problem but the price had increased by the factor 2. I couldn’t believe that and asked several times for a better price. In the end the person I talked to went to some other office staff and came back with a different price, now it was 3 times more expensive.

Shocked by this I made my way back to the hotel to let the news settle in. Mario felt a bit better and we had some lunch before we took the bus into town to do a little sightseeing.

3rd October

With hi hopes we went to our handling agent’s office and got disappointed very quickly. The bikes had not been shipped and instead of informing us immediately, they again tried to find excuses. This whole process becomes very annoying. The next possible arrival is tomorrow afternoon.

All of this is not only a timely issue, we also cannot book our next shipment and flights before we have the bikes in our hands, as there was no trustworthy communication happening.

The only thing left for us was to do another trip to the center and visit the gold museum and some mor impressions of the city.

4th October

As expected, the flight didn’t arrive in the early afternoon. Again, no bikes. Maybe in the evening but then Aduana is closed and we cannot get our TIP.

The local agent (not the actual shipping agent) who handled our crocked shipping offered to help us with our next leg to Leticia. As I failed to get anywhere with that, we took up that offer.

First, we went to the same company (Aerosur) where I had been but at a different location and now the real price for our bikes was even 6 times higher then the expected one.

Next to a competitor (Aer Caribe) which still was not as cheap as we hoped for, but basically was half the price. So, we agreed to the numbers and went back to the hotel.

The new plan was to receive the bikes and do the paperwork in the morning next day and bring the bikes over to the other shipping company to fly them out the same day to Leticia.

To do meanwhile something productive we decided to go to town where Mario had arranged with the local KTM dealer to purchase tire, oil and shims for the valves. After a whopping 1.5h bus ride we arrived at the shop and in true Colombian fashion, no tires here. But in their service location about 20 minutes away. We must have looked very disappointed as the shop owner offered to bring us there and we gladly accepted.

At the shop they were very friendly but had against their comment earlier only 1 tire in the correct size. Because we still had no bikes, we only bought the tire, oil and a chain lube. Maintenance will not be done in Bogota.

The returning bus ride was surprisingly quick and we reached the hotel in less than an hour.

5th October

Early start. Got picked up and were at the airport before 8 o’clock. The usual security check with passport and pictures taken passed, we found ourself in a big open space office with several others waiting patiently. Right after us where more bikers arriving.

Nothing happened for a very long time. Our deadline for handing over our bikes to the next shipping company approached fast and my hopes faded. Finally, there was some progress and our papers where in the works, but then their system crashed and that was the end of our shipping today. Meanwhile the person who stayed with us changed.

Next deadline was 4pm. Based on the suggestion of our handling agent we booked a personal flight to Leticia for the next morning. I wasn’t too sure about that but got reassured that we can book it. So here we are, still do not have our bikes and we have to be at the other location before 4pm. No idea what we will do when this fails.

Around 2.30pm we had our documents and walk to the company which were holding our bikes. More paperwork and more delay. After 7 days and our deadline in mind I slowly lost my patience.

I asked the agent (which was today a different person) if he is aware of our deadlines and he seemed not concerned at all.

He might got my feelings about this right as we soon got to the bikes and we could unpack them.

My helmet had been moved and differently attached to the bike and during this the shade pushed so that it was not possible to move it back to its correct position. I tried several times to remove it from the helmet to be able to attach it again. As this failed, I saw the light at the end of the tunnel fading and lost it. More struggle and some force to the helmet, which I hated to do as these parts break easy, I got the shade off. A quick check and I was ready to leave.

Hold on, not so fast you cannot leave, now we have to wait for a fork lift which they first have to search for. Then, as this lift arrives, we should walk all the way back through the maze of the building only to go down the ramp. No time wasting, we just jumped down and waited impatiently that our bikes were lowered. By now we were really concerned that we will not even make our 4pm deadline.

Back to the hotel, quickly repack things and off we went to the office where our agent waited to bring us to the shipping company. More waiting for us as there was more paperwork. When we got going, he rode off in Colombian style and we lost him a few crossings later. Driving through Bogota is not easy as the major roads are all having barriers in between. So, it took us a while to make it to our destination, just in time before the deadline.

The process to come was long and slow but that didn’t matter anymore, we are here and the bikes only needed to be taken over. Shipping will only happen on Saturday which is 2 days later.

Special thanks to Veronica from CargoRider! She was working so hard to get our problems (caused by a different company) solved.

Arrival was easy. Walked across the apron to the arrival section of the airport and retrieved our bags. Before we could leave the arrival hall, we had to pay 9USD tourist tax.

Right after exiting the building, we found a long line at the taxi stand. We lined up and slowly moved forward in the heat. Thankfully there was shade.

The pre-booked hostel was brand new, right in town. After a shower we took independently from each other a stroll through the city. Mario made it all the way to the harbor to investigate for the ferry to Manaus. I checked out the Custom office and some hotels as we had only been able to book for 1 night in the current accommodation.

It was hot! Totally done I made it barely back to the hotel and cooled off. A late afternoon a quick rain shower eased a bit the heat.

We made it to one of the tourist spots. The boardwalk which forms the border between Colombia and Peru. The water level is extremely low and so all the floating houses and boats are sitting on dry land.

Now you can walk on a provisionally bridge to Peru and that’s what we did, enter Peru took a look around, and left Peru back to Colombia. Here it might need some explanation:

7th October

Agenda of today was as follows. See the boardwalk with the morning sun, buy ferry tickets, switch accommodation and pick up the bikes in the evening. This is not very much but with the heat and the quality of the hotels it was a challenge.

Anyhow, the boardwalk with the morning sun was nothing special. Now we had seen it once and that was enough.

The accommodation change was a struggle. Most of them had no parking available even when they stated on booking com that they have. The price was not reflecting the quality and some had no air-condition which was a must for us. In the end we took one which was on the outskirt of the town but looked new and the price was good.

With a Tuk-tuk we drove to the ferry ticket office where Mario had already asked most of the questions yesterday. When we showed up the girls recognized him right away and laughed a lot. Probably about us stupid tourist which have no idea about the process, what you need to ask and do not speak the language. Never mind, we got what we wanted, a cabin for the next ferry ride, and had fun getting it.

Now off to our new hotel and settled in. Later we went for something to eat before we headed to the airport in the evening to pick up our bikes.

Now we wanted to check out the port where the ferry will be located. We also needed to discuss the transport of our motorcycles with the crew. The ticket office told us that the other day.

The only thing left for today was finally doing the service of the bikes. We had planned to do this in Bogota, as there is a KTM dealer, but the long delay of the bikes on the incoming flight caused this new situation. Mario needed to replace the rear tire, which he bought in Bogota, and we both wanted to do an oil change along with the filters.

At a small roadside repair shop we were allowed to use their facility and do our own work.

All went well except that the oil of Mario’s bike was not looking good. Here in the middle of a Rainforest we couldn’t do much. He organized with a KTM dealer from Sao Paolo new seals to be shipped to our next destination Manaus.

A little bit defeated we had a quick dinner in a roadside food stall and went to bed.

9th October

At 8 o’clock we stood in front of the DIAN building to get our TIP cancelled. After the usual passport number and name entered in a journal we were allowed to go in and have a seat. All the employees were busy, …., with making Halloween decoration.

After not too long we were called into an office where the official started to do, …., well he didn’t know what he was supposed to do. At least that was our impression. We ran around picked up folders, placed them somewhere else without even looking into them, tried to make phone calls, and so on. After about 2 hours he had reproduced the same paper, we had already just with the cancel box being ticked. But only for me. We had read that the Aduana in Brazil only works till lunchtime I headed off to see what we can do. Here it is worth noting that Brazil is 1 hour ahead.

As I arrived at the marked location, there was no office, only a backyard. I looked around but couldn’t see anything what looked like an official building so I headed to the immigration office from yesterday. They told me where I can find the correct office and send me my way.

At the Aduana, the staff was very helpful and friendly just the computers didn’t cooperate. To start the form which needed to be filled in it took almost a full hour. But the official there assured me that we will get this done as they are here till 19:00, just the doors are locked in the afternoon.

A long time later I had my papers and Mario had still not arrived. We met each other later in the hotel and we both thought that all documents are done. Thankfully we talked about it and it turned out that he had been send somewhere else and he got different papers. Back again to the Aduana office and clarified what we really need and filled in all as required.

We needed all day to do this process. Glad that we had enough time on our hands.

10th October

The ferry departure time was 12o’clock and we had to be at the dock at 9 to hand over our bikes. Before we left the hotel, we got a message that all is delayed by 2 hours. We didn’t want to risk anything and showed up at about 10 o’clock. A lot back and forth was needed to get the information how the process works. Drove the bike on the boat and secured everything before we headed to the Ticket office where the passenger boarding supposed to start at lunchtime.

The boarding didn’t start until 16:00 but then all went quickly. We settled into our cabin which was very well equipped with our own sanitary facilities and even a fridge. If we would have known that! We had some nice conversations with fellow travelers and a short time later the boat blew the horn to tell everybody who is not crew or passenger needs to leave the vessel and off we went down the Amazon River!

Could have been worse, In one of those. 😉

Dinner was served early. It was good, noodles with meat and vegetables in kind of a soup. Our first sunset on the Amazon also didn’t disappoint.

11th October

Finally at the next stop we got some. Naturally not cheap but at least something to drink. The stairway leading from the dock to the shops was interesting and many people just hiked up next to it.

Then we did a lot of nothing all afternoon, except having a few drinks and chatting with others. When dinner was served very early as always, and we were not in our cabin. So, the lady who brought it, hunted us down on the deck. It felt a little uncomfortable to get our food while all other passengers without a cabin had to wait for theirs to be ready.

It gets dark around 18:30 and not much happening after that. A little bit reading and it was time for bed.

12th October

We checked our progress in the morning and where disappointed. According the schedule we should arrive in Manaus tomorrow, but we were still not even half way. I wondered how long it will really take.

We tackled Mario’s bike while it was still cool. Valve check and replaced one of the rocker arms as with the replacement part the valve gap was better. The crew decided to wash the lower deck exactly at the time we had the engine opened. Our protest only resulted in shoulder shrugging. We protected the engine from the water spray as good as possible and put everything back together.

In the late afternoon it became very windy and rain came as well. The wind was so strong that the sand on the riverbank was pushed in the air.

13th October

Today the breakfast was so great that the awful sweet drink called coffee for no reason was the best of it, who would have thought.

Lunch, sleep, watching the trees passing by, dinner, watching the trees passing by, you know the routine by now.

Normally we would have arrived today, but the current arrival date is tomorrow. No comment on which time it should be.

14th October

During the night was a big storm rocking the boat with high wind and heavy rain showers. It was so bad that the captain even steered the vessel to the riverbank for some time. The poor people in the hammock had a hard time.

This morning we didn’t even try the food. We had instead some Cornflakes while impatiently watched the GPS for our position.

Before we reached the harbor, we saw where the Rio Negro and the Amazon River join.

We finally arrived at the port at around 11:00 and got our bikes ready to leave the boat and the harbor.

This was not so easy as some fees needed to be paid first, but we made it out after not too long.

The ride to the pre-booked hotel was short and showed us the old town center and the not so nice city in general. This was not a place where we had any desire to stay longer than needed.

Great! We took our tools and parts and drove to the next repair shop to get Mario’s bike back into business. We replaced the Water pump seals and the impeller, flushed the oil system about 6 times. Finally, the bike was again in good order and we were very much relieved.

Now returning to the hotel to plan our route for the next two days down the BR 319.

15th October

In the morning we went for breakfast in the hotel before we headed to the harbor. Arrived there about 7:45. This would have been sufficient to catch the 8 o’clock ferry. Only that there was no ferry. Many people were waiting and it was difficult to find out how to pay.

Once the ferry showed up, some of the trucks in line started to board, backwards. Three trucks with trailers, it took ages. While we boarded a second ferry arrived and smashed so hard into the dock that motorcycles tipped over and even a truck moved. I assumed that he didn’t have the brakes applied. Unfortunately, a woman was in between the truck and the car in front and got squeezed pretty hard. Police and port officials showed up quickly but as we left about 20 minutes later, there was still no ambulance seen.

As we left the ferry the sky got darker by the minute. We stopped at the next Gas Station and waited for a bit to see if the rain would move on. Nope, suited up the rain gear and got going.

The riding was challenging due to the variation of grip, but not too difficult and we made good progress.

Finding a place to sleep was the next challenge. We didn’t want to camp if we could avoid that, so we stopped at a recommended place. There was already another rider but no host. The rooms were clean but very basic. A bed with a bedsheet, a pillow and some had a light, without a switch, that’s it. There is also a sign for being a restaurant, but all we got was fried eggs with some onions. That’s ok but nowhere near a restaurant.

We had a chat with the other traveler who came from French Guinea and went early to bed.

The night was surprisingly cold, I mean really cold, at least for the Amazon and there was nothing to cover yourself.

16th October

At 6 o’clock we were up and packing our stuff, on the road not much later.

Clouds still hanging low but no rain and the road was not slippery. A few bridges and construction areas later we made it to the last 100km of unpaved road and the landscape changed into mainly farmland. All the rainforest was gone and replaced by Palm trees and Cattle grazing fields.

17th October

The included breakfast in our cheap hotel was good. In fact, the best I had since a long time.

It was already hot in the morning and when we packed our bikes the sweat was just running.

Once on the road it was ok.

All day highway, and a few construction sites. Nothing special until Mario had a flat. A repair shop was close by and we got helped quickly.

We made it to the small town of Xapuri. The hostel there was fully booked, despite the fact that there are about 20 rooms. It was almost dark so we had no choice other than take the only other accommodation in town. A Possado which was not nice at all and for what you got, very expensive.

While we drove to that place Mario’s Water Cooler Hose broke. As the shops around started to close up, we wanted to quickly ask some of the Motorcycle shops we had seen on our way in for help.

18th October

The morning was humid and hot. We got an early start and headed to Porto Maldonado. The road was a boring one, with many speed bumps. Very annoying.

Exiting Brazil was no problem after we found one person speaking English and knew what the procedure was. On the Peru side, things took a bit longer but the only little difficulty, was to find the correct building.

We had looked up a hostel on the river but still in town. When we arrived it was a Lodge, at least that’s what we thought. After many questions back on forth, we found out that it is a lodge, a hotel and a hostel at the same time. The staff was not very good. They only communicated that they have no availability, after we said that we would like to stay two nights, despite the fact that they asked us first how many nights we wanted to stay. We booked one night and looked for another place later.

In the afternoon we found a hostel for the following night. Which we didn’t need in the end as this was also a tour operator and we booked with them a 3-day jungle tour. For this we could park our bikes in the hostel.

Dinner in the restaurant next to our hotel was nice and we had a chilling evening.

19th to 21st October

We got taken to the jungle lodge by car and boat. All was not very exciting and basic. From the location next to a shallow river (due to the dry season) we did some excursions to see Aras, Caymans, various spiders and other small creatures. All very far away if seen at all.

22nd October

Today’s plan is to ride all the way to Cusco. The first stretch is more or less a straight road and flat. A little change was crossing the Sierra de Santa Rosa. Sound like a big mountain range, but in reality, it was a about 400 meters elevation gain before dropping back down. Still nice.

Not much later the real climb started and the road went up through various valleys to about 4250 meters. Her we had a great view onto the surrounding mountains. It was cold and we felt the altitude coming from almost sea level.

We stopped at a local market to see what’s on offer. Mario made friends with the ladies.

A few more up and downs before we made it to Cusco, where we went in the evening for a stroll in the historic town. Our hostel was just on the edge of the old center.

The evening was filled with some drinks in an Irish pup next to the Plaza de Armadas.

23rd October

Maintenance day again. After a nice breakfast we did the valve clearance check on Mario’s bike. It was as expected too small. We also checked the other cooler hose and found it swollen. So, we headed to the KTM dealer in town and got disappointed quickly. All they had was oil and filters. In the same street are many motorcycle shops but none had shims. Well, one had old ones which might have fit but he wanted to have a fortune for them.

After visiting many shops, we had all we needed to fix the bike and, on the way, back to the hostel I wanted to stop at an outdoor shop. The Munaycha Outdoor store was recommended and I found for a decent price a warm sleeping bag liner.

We shopped also some goodies in the local markets while wondering around.

The repair was not so easy as we thought because the cooler hose, we bought was too short. Mario went again into town to get one which fits now good.

It rained a bit in the afternoon and it got a lot cooler.

Bike fixed, and all set for tomorrow to ride to Hydroelectrica.

24th October

It was raining in the morning. So, we took our time but eventually we had to start. The rain was light when we set off put got heavier as we left Cusco.

Thankfully it stopped completely soon. To reach Hydroelectrica we had to cross the Abra Malaga pass with 4316m. It was cold but we had a spectacular ride.

On the other side of the mountains, we had to turn onto a gravel road at Santa Maria. From here on all was a huge construction site. Soon this will be a very good road with tunnels and so on. But we could still enjoy some off the nice winding road on the cliff side.

Just as we reached Hydroelectrica it started to rain again. We parked the bikes under a roof and waited until the rain stopped. The plan was to leave the bikes here and hike to Aguas Caliente.

The hike route follows the railway track and is surprisingly popular. Many tourists are choosing this over the bus train combo from Cusco. Still the hike was nice and you can spot some parts of Machu Pichu along the way.

As we reached Augas Caliente, our first task was to get a number at the Ministry of Culture for the final ticket sale later that day. There are 1000 tickets in total available on a first come first serve basis. We were a bit late and so we had no choices left, but we got a combined ticket to see parts of the ruins and hike the highest mountain.

The town is a very touristic place, even we were in the off season. We had pre-booked a hotel and after a mediocre dinner we settled in for the night.

25th October

An early start this morning was on order. A quick breakfast and off we were to the bus station with our tickets we bought last night. The cue was big but all is very well organized. We made it to the entrance of the site in time and after a short confusion we were in Machu Pichu.

We did the given route through the ruins and even we were not allowed to go everywhere, we got a good idea about the site and interesting views. I can imagine that as a tourist who visits the site the first time this might have been a bit disappointing to see only part of the ruins, but for us it was great.

After this we hiked up to the summit of the Machu Pichu Mountain. This is basically a stairway build by the Inka’s. Sometimes very steep and narrow but always exhausting.

Going down was not much better. Especially as we wanted to hike all the way back to Augas Caliente where we stayed for another night.

26th October

The hike back to Hydroelectrica felt easier but it was still the same 10km as on the way in. Being in the morning, the temperatures where great and even with the sore legs from yesterday I enjoyed the hike.

We started our bikes and got stopped after maybe 1km. No passing here at this time. We had to wait more than an hour before they opened the road again for the traffic.

Back the same way as we came. First through the valley and then across the mountain pass, only this time the pass was in the clouds with zero views.

Just before we reached our destination of today, Urubamba, it started to rain. A little wet we arrived at our hotel. After a shower we went on the hunt for dinner.

27th October

The temperatures in the morning where great, until we climbed up from the valley bottom. I wanted to visit Moray which are unusual circular Inka terraces. They are a bit off the beaten track and bigger than I expected.

Next attraction on our way towards Cusco was a town called Pisac. There are more Ruins and terraces. I read on the web that you should not visit this after Machu Piccu, but I was impressed. It is a huge area and the although the buildings are smaller and different, they are great. We spend some time there until the clouds turned really dark and gave us the start signal to ride on.

One time it drizzled a bit but we made it to Cusco right in time. As we parked the bikes under a shelter it started pouring down.

In the evening we went to a pub where we met another motorcycle traveler (Jim) from the US who was riding on a KTM 790. A lot of stories were exchanged and some drinks emptied before we went to bed.

28th October

Weather was not looking good that morning. But we started anyway in the hope that it doesn’t start raining.

We wanted to do a big loop south through the mountains. As we approached the first real climb it started to rain. No problem, putting on rain gear and continued. Unfortunately the first passes where all in the clouds and with more or less rain.

One of our waypoints where the Curvas de Huanchaca, a series of switchbacks on a steep mountain. The rain stopped for a bit once we reached the bottom which is a small valley. Right on the other side more switchbacks made us climb out again. Great views all the time.

In the afternoon we arrived in a mining town with sunshine. This town was the only with some hotels according our research, so we wanted to stop here. There was just the small problem that almost all hotels were closed. In the end we talked to someone who was next to one of the hotels and she was showing us two options in totally different locations. We settled in and although the town was not very appealing, we saw on the way in a bull fighting ring and many people. Let’s see what’s going on there.

It was no bull fighting, instead people were doing strange dances and fighting each other with bare hands. All seemed to be a big event and I could hear even the word international often.

The food stales where also interesting and we tried some tea and sweet snacks. The one which sold small pieces of pigs was not so tempting.

Getting dinner was more of a challenge, but we found one restaurant which was not overly dirty and smelly as like most of them. The food was ok but no highlight for me.

29th October

Thankfully the sky was blue and promising a great day. Leaving the mining town was nice and the roads good gravel for a while. Then we came to a long downhill section and you could see many trucks using this road.

We didn’t think much of it and started to overtake them. But there was no end of them. This was going on for about the next 80km one truck after the other. On several locations was Military and Police positioned to obviously protect this Convoy.

That road was a lot smaller and no traffic. Fantastic views and great riding for the rest of the day through several valleys with small villages and high lands. Sometimes our navigation system wanted to send us down a goat path which was declared as a road. Only the two highest levels of roads (out of four) were something I actually call a road.

We made it fairly early to our destination and started to look for accommodation. This was not so easy even it was a tourist spot, we thought. One hostel was not open, the other was out of question, and a ‘Lodge’ was way too expensive.

30th October

After a good night sleep, we got up, ready to tackle the 5000m altitude to see the famous rainbow mountain. But before the hike, we had to ride about 25km to the parking lot. In the first village on our way we got stopped and charged 10 Soles. Then the road climbed up and up until we reached at about 4600m the parking area.

Now the hike. In the beginning the trail was almost flat and it was ok even in this high altitude. You could ride a horse on the flat part but we didn’t want that. After several kilometers the steep climbing part began. It was really tough and it took me a while to reach the view point of the Rainbow Mountain. But all the struggle was worth it.

We spend some time there to enjoy the views. Until the crowed got too much.

The way back was much easier. The ride back down was quick and we had a lunch-breakfast in the first town on the main road. Mario got the news that the part he requested will be in Cusco the next morning. That meant we have a lot time to make the 100km back to Cusco. A plan formed to use the back roads and enjoy the landscape.

Well, it took us much longer than expected. Not only as the roads where very narrow and slow, also the views made us stop countless times to take pictures or just to enjoy.

The last stretch into town was all paved and we thought we made it easy before sunset. But the local police had other plans. We got stopped 2 times within maybe 10km and they made us unpack our bike documents. All of this takes of course time so we got to Cusco just as it got dark.

31st October

Of course, the spare part was not here in the morning. Mario was sick and after we changed our accommodation, he stayed in bed most of the day. I strolled around the town and searched for a rear tire for my bike. I visited almost every motorbike shop, even the once which no longer exist but google still lists them.

It turned out to be an off day as the part arrived late in the evening. This is Halloween and the Peruvian are celebrating it a lot. The main square and all the surrounding areas were packed with people. Most restaurant had a queue outside. So, I went to a local market place and had my dinner there.

As we got away from Cusco early, we took the scenic route through the mountains. Endless switchbacks, valleys and mountain views. Fantastic!

I got concerned about the altitude, as it became more and more clear that we are going to sleep high, Sure enough, the biggest town in the area is at about 4000m and is again a Mining town.

Here, every short walk or stairs become a challenge. After a lot of searching and looking we found a nice hotel (Convention Hotel) and called it the day.

2nd November

The morning was cold and it didn’t help that there was no breakfast to be found anywhere. No coffee or anything we would like to have.

It came differently. Suddenly we dropped down into a canyon, which was carved into the flat landscape. It got bigger and as we followed the stream we came to a spot where three canyons were coming together.

We had planned to reach the tiny village of Ayo with about 240 inhabitants and the real reason to go there, a spring lagoon in the deserted landscape. To reach this, we needed to cross some mountains and there were four roads to be chosen from. We selected the one which was marked as the biggest, which still didn’t mean a lot. On iOverlander was a marking that the road is blocked, but we thought this entry is some months old, so the road must have been repaired by now. And even if not, it also said that a bike can be pushed through.

Next to it was a grassy/mossy valley with some small tire tracks. We thought we should try to follow them and rejoin the road a bit up the valley.

Needless to say, that we failed. The ground was soaked and soft, we got stuck not too far in. Muscled the bike out and turned around.

The 2 roads to the south of our location were closer and according the map were joining both the ‘big’ road later on. Decision made, we take the closest one. Some kilometers up in a valley on a tiny road ended at a mining site.

I didn’t want to believe it and pushed on cross country and managed to reach the other road, which was also vanished. But we saw a good road maybe 1km down the mountain and the terrain looked passable.

It was not the easiest ride but doable and we celebrated a little as we reached the good road. That was hasty, as the road was drifted away some kilometers later. This obstacle would have been possible to pass, but just a few meters down the road was a huge group of Rocks blocking the road. Once again maybe passable even when the 200 meters drop on the side was terrifying. I hiked further to see what else would come and found three more landslides which would have been very difficult and risky to tackle. Furthermore we didn’t know what would come later as the terrain was challenging by itself. Sorry that there are not more pics about the obstacles, but I was focused so much about solving the situation that I totally forgot to take more of them.

3rd November

We needed fuel and we found it in the next village. By now, we were used to unusual procedures.

The planned road followed a flat valley until we came to the valley of volcanos. The area is covered by lava fields. It is surreal when you see where the lava stopped and the normal agriculture soil is untouched.

We stopped at a great lookout and shortly after we even saw a small condor circling a few meters above us.

The small winding road was descending constantly towards Ayo which sits at about 2000m altitude. A lot of fun!

Just before the village is the turnoff to the lagoon. After riding through more rocky landscape we reached it and found nobody. Except a guy who is something like a keeper and just writes down your license plate. After that we never saw him again.

After a few hours rest, we rode to the village to get some supplies. This was interesting and not very successful.

4th November

After a great night sleep, we got up and right away were attacked by tiny mosquitos. You could barely see them but the stings were painful and stayed that way for several days.

The only option was to leave this beautiful place immediately.

We packed up in a hurry and were looking forward to what’s to come today.

On google maps and on the satellite view was no road from here onwards. But we heard there is now a possibility. First the road dropped down into a narrow but deep canyon. A newly bridge allowed us to cross the river. This unknown road was carved into the canyon and brought us to the very remote town of Huambo. That’s where our visitors from last day came from.

Our rote led us through the famous Colca Canyon where you can see Condors. But only if you’re not too late in the morning. We missed them by about 45 minutes. Still the canyon is impressive and now with the road being all tarmac we made good progress towards Arequipa.

Before we would reach that city, we had to cross another mountain pass which brought us up to about 5000m. Rainclouds threated us but we got lucky and only a few drops were falling onto our visors.

The last kilometers into Arequipa are tiring. A lot of truck traffic, road construction and the suburbs slowed us down.

I was on the hunt for a rear tire. With the help of the Receptionist, we tried to call motorcycle shops. Most of them didn’t answer, where closed or had no tire. There was an offer to ship a Motoz tire from Lima for 280USD plus shipping, but this would delay our travel plus it is extremely expensive. This option would come to about 400USD for one tire.

5th November

The old town of Arequipa is great, but the rest of the town is nothing I enjoyed. In the morning we had a nice chat with a Swiss couple we met yesterday in the hotel. That caused us to leave later then planned.

Loaded with the new tire we left the city and this took a long time. Not only that surrounding villages are ‘eaten’ by the city, the traffic was just crazy. Every little obstacle caused a collapse. No one wanted to give way or lose a second, which meant they were just blocking the road and nobody could move.

Once out of the traffic we came across many weekend worriers on foot, bicycle and motorcycles. One time we had the luck the police checkpoint was busy with a motorcycle club and didn’t pay further attention to us, just waved us through.

Beautiful roads in the mountains, great views, what else can you ask for?

A flat as an example. For a change it was my turn and of course it was the rear tire. Being worn already and that I had planned to change it just before the border anyway made the decision easy to toss it now.

A nice mechanic on the street allowed us to use his compressor and jack. We couldn’t repair the tube and replaced it with a new one. All went smoothly and the job was finalized with some pictures with the kid of the owner, what he wanted instead of money.

More great landscape and some mountain passes let us to the town of Moquegua.

Don’t know what happened? 😉

6th November

Border day, so nothing planned in detail. The stretch from Moquegua to the border was straight through desert and boring like often when you ride the Pan Americana HWY. The border town Tacna was as expected and we stopped only for the needed paperwork. This you needed to buy before you actually go to the border, which is about another 20km away.

The border went smoothly with the only exemption that we got confused in the beginning. The signs told us to bypass the border building (only trucks) and before we reached anything else a huge sign welcomed us to Chile. Military on the side of the road assured us that all will be done at the next buildings.

Past the bureaucracy we rode into Arica in the search for money, a sim card and insurance for the bike. What we found was a place which offered all of this, the Bus terminal. At least that’s what we thought. Money was exchanged, but the several insurance booths only sold insurance for Peru. Very strange. We sat down for a snack and thought about the situation. Our plan was to ride into the mountains along the Bolivian border just for two days, including today, and then cross in to Bolivia. Instead of wasting our time here in the search we rode off after buying a local sim card for cheap.

Following a big valley, we climbed constantly towards the Bolivian border.

7th November

A very cold night later (no heating available) we went for breakfast next door. Expensive, even more than expected. They even wanted to have extra money for a spoon full of jam.

We left the village and climbed in the cold air further up towards the border. Looking back to the small mountain village.

Beautiful landscape, volcanos and lakes made our morning. Just before the border we turn south and rode along an active volcano on the altiplano.

Passing salt flat, Lamas and more fantastic views we reached the next town, Colchane.

The almost last building before the border claimed to be a restaurant. We got the menu of the day, which was a soup and some undefined meat with rice. I was not looking happy.

As we continued at the altiplano along the border Mario had his front tube disintegrated completely at about 90km/h. Luckily, he was able to stay upright. The replacement took some time.

More fantastic mountain roads, which took even more tolls, but the scenic repaid us for the struggle with the tire.

As it got late in the day, we started to look where we are going to stay this night. The options were limited. No chance to reach the next town.

8th November

Another cold night later we packed our staff and left early in the morning. The decision to stop here was good as the route climbed again and we didn’t see any other nice camping spots.

We crossed also an old, no longer used railway track several times on a road with very bad stretches of construction. Freshly ripped and with deep loose material, big ravines and so on.

From here it is about 225km minimum to Uyuini, our destination for the day. We didn’t want to go straight there. Instead, we opted for a route through the Salar de Uyuni. It started not very spectacular with some salt areas next to a bumpy gravel road.

But soon I was overwhelmed by the endless white salt flat. Just unbelievable how big this place is. We rode for miles and miles without seeing anyone. Sometimes you could see car tracks lightly marked on the salt.

From here we followed the tourist route to Uyuni. Passing another island and found some small holes in the salt surface.

9th November

Nothing to report here.

Mario was feeling again more sick and tried to get better with a good rest and medicine.

I slept in all day to recover and had only a light dinner in the evening with the other guys.

10th November

It was planned to see the train cemetery and then go onto the Salar for the sunset. Things are not often working out as planned, so was it today.

We got ready and pushed out the bike of the garage and Mario hat a flat on his front tire. That was strange as he just replaced the tube a few days ago.

That meant first we had to find a motorcycle shop who maybe can sell us a tube. The owner of the Hostal we stayed, was very helpful and brought us to a friend’s place, which was named the bike clinic.

Later we strolled a bit through town.

11th November

Today is a big day ahead of us. We wanted to cross from Uyuni, Bolivia to San Pedro de Atacama, Chile via the Laguna Route. This is according to locals a challenging route and is about 460km long. Our initial plan to ride to the highest road in the area (close to 6000m), we discarded as it had snowed recently and all the mountains around were white.

This done, we stopped at the train cemetery for some pictures. Great location and in the morning not too many tourists.

We expected a very bad road right away from leaving town, but were positively surprised to find at first a descent packed road and then a perfect paved road for the next 145km or so.

As we turned off the highway, we stopped to refill our tanks with the fuel from the leaking container. That sounds easier than it was as the wind blew in waves. We managed to get most of the fuel into our tanks. While we did that, a young French couple stopped and chatted for a while. They told us that in the little village which we just passed, they got some fuel. As our bikes have used more than expected we thanked them and turned around to go and buy some more for ourself.

The village was deserted and in the two shops where we asked, we didn’t get any help. But in the Hardware store, which was closed and only opened after me knocking at the door, we got served. Well first the lady said she has no fuel, but after I asked where I could get some, she changed her mind and asked how much I need.

With the additional fuel on board we had more peace of mind and started the unpaved road of the route. After some washboard and deep tracks in the road from trucks we reached a field of rocks just next to the road and we veered off to check it out.

Later the washboard got more seriously and it was varying so much that at no speed it was ok to ride it. Poor bikes. A few sandy spots, many roots and more washboards later we reached the first Salt Lake.

We made good progress and came to the Gate of the National Park much earlier than expected. From here it is not far to the Lagoona Colorada. There are two possible roads to lagoon and we managed to lose each other. Strangely each of us asked the drivers of cars if they have seen another KTM rider and all denied that. Anyhow, we found each other at the next crossing ad continued on.

Past the lagoon going south, the route climbs again and there were rain clouds hanging around. It got also cold as we gained altitude. We came across some bicycle rides and some of them looked really cold.

I thought from here on it will descent to the border, but I was so wrong. Beautiful valleys and mountains around kept on coming. Sometimes we had snow falling and it got even colder.

It got late, still we stopped often for pictures as the landscape is so great.

The washboard was not so good and got even harder. It was so bad that my Quadlock Antivibration Mount rattled loose from the handlebar.

Now there is a big building sitting in the middle of the road with big doors to drive in. Of course, only when it is open. This wasn’t the case, and we wondered what to do now. Knocking on the doors finally brought out some people. First there was a big confusion as according to them the border was closed for today. But we must have looked really needy, and the got the officials together and processed us.

From here the ride takes you all the way down on a very steep road into San Pedro de Atacama. We welcomed the warmer temperatures and found a good place to stay for the night.

12th November

Done Zero today. Other than a stroll through town, a meal, some drinks on our terrace and a relaxing day overall.

13th November

The day started with great weather and I wanted to see something new. There is a valley next to town with an interest looking gorge and an old tunnel. I checked the internet for more information and there it says that you can drive a car all the way to the end of it, depending on the water level.

Given that it didn’t rain since a long time I figured that this should work for me.

Leaving town on a freshly made gravel road and into the valley. There is an entrance gate where you supposed to pay your 3000 Soles. As I stopped and wanted to pay my ‘obolus’ I got informed that I can’t enter the valley with my motorbike (cars and bycicles are allowed), but I’m welcomed to park it and hike the 12km to and back. A long conversation followed but didn’t change any in the situation, I was not allowed to go.

I turned around and looked for an alternate. There was a long ride through the desert to the other end of the tunnel possible so that’s what I did. I followed my GPS and road on a deserted, long not used road. Rain was washed away small section of it, but no problem for the KTM.

Then through a gorge where the road had turned in a river bed for some stretches.

It was officially not allowed to go through the tunnel, and keeping in mind how strict the locals where by me not allowing into their valley, I had no desire to do so. I hiked across the ridgeline to see the other side, hence the valley.

Afterwards I hiked back down to the bike and rode towards town, stopping at a few lookouts.

A relaxing afternoon was on order, before Jim from Uyuni showed up and we decided to visit the Valley de Luna. This is the main attraction in the area and accordingly was the number of tourists.

There are some little hikes to see the views but they are worth the effort.

The sunset itself, looking over a valley with nice rock formation was ok. I just expected more color changes of the rocks.

Back to town we went for dinner which was not very good but as everything here way overpriced. The only item on our bill which was worth the money was the happy our Pisco sour.

14th November

Our plan of the day was to ride to the now closed Passo Sico. Along this route are may attractions marked and we wanted to visit some of them before returning to San Pedro de Atacama for the last night here. The pass itself is closed since the pandemic and there are no plans on opening it again anytime soon.

We stocked up on fuel to make it there and all the way back. As we rode on the long straight out of town, I noticed a problem with my recluse clutch. Knowing that I need to adjust it quite often, I stopped next to the road and start working. Just this time the adjustment was not successful. To not risk it at all out in the boonies, we turned around and headed to our stay for further investigation.

Test ride was a success and I’m very much relieved.

This has to be celebrated, and that’s what we did with a couple of beers.

The rest of the day was spent relaxing and more drinks and food.

New plan for tomorrow is the same as today, go and see some of the attractions along the road to Passo Sico.

15th November

The night and the morning were cool. That’s why we started late to ride to the red rocks close to the Argentinian border. The ride itself was boring, all on asphalt. But the landscape was great. The higher the road climbed the colder it got and more wind in the higher elevations didn’t help either.

As we reached the lagoons the wind was so strong that we couldn’t even park the bikes to take a picture without seeking shelter of some sort. The main attraction we couldn’t visit as we found out at the gate, that you cannot by the tickets on site. That’s disappointing and in my opinion totally unnecessary.

Instead, I took some pictures in the area and headed back to San Pedro de Atacama. This was a good decision as the wind got stronger by the minute and the temperatures dropped even more.

The remaining afternoon was spent with checking the bike and preparing for our departure towards Argentina tomorrow.

16th November

Our plan was only to go to the next town on the Argentinian side named Susques. That meant, there was no reason to rush and we could wait to let the air warming up a bit.

With a full tank we left San Pedro de Atacama towards Passo de Jama. The route climbs shortly after leaving town and it got cold very quickly. It’s about 150km to the border. In between is not a lot other than interesting landscape and some salt lakes. Great road, but the later it is in the day the windier it becomes. A few times I struggled to stay on the road.

When you enter the border area you get stopped and handed a piece of paper where your license plate is written on. This paper is needed to be stamped at every step of the process and when you leave, handed over at the last checkpoint. The border crossing was straight forward with all the needed steps done at numbered counters lined up and clearly marked. All the officials were friendly and even with no Spanish it was no problem at all. Only the wind made me struggle to keep my things together.

First thing to do in Argentina was to fill up the bikes. Another traveler had told us that there is no gasoline in Susques. Thankfully they accepted credit cards and they even had fresh pastries and coffee on display which we gladly ordered.

It was about two o’clock when we reached the strange town of Susques. Not much there and we decided to move on after we checked out our options.

It turned out to be all unpaved and not in very good condition. Some real bad washboard and a few sandy spots.

Nevertheless, it took us a long time to reach San Antonio de los Cobres. Surprised by the lack of charms or anything else we struggled to find a place to stay. Not because there are none, but because nobody wanted to exchange US dollars or excepting credit cards.

All worked out in the end. It was just more struggle than we hoped for after a long day riding.

17th November

Breakfast was disappointing as expected, and after a quick stop at the gas station we headed out of town. It was still cool and we were glad that we have but on our warm stuff.

Soon we turned off from the highway onto the gravel road Ruta 40. This climbed up a mountain and peaked out just shy of 5000m.

On the other side down, it was a proper scary mountain road with steep drop off and narrow section.

To top it off we had to do also some water crossings. Nothing too serious but deep enough to give you troubles when the bike goes for a swim.

The road followed a big valley south, hugging the left or right side of it. First signs for the planned pavement of the Ruta 40 including many construction sites along the route. About 140km later we reached the first real town, also a short stretch of pavement before more slow and over time boring gravel road.

It got a lot warmer by the minute. In the end, it was so hot that we had to remove all layers which we had but on this morning. Together with the temperature the wind picked up and I needed more than once my entire lane to stay upright.

Along we found a nice stretch with interesting rock formations.

As we rolled into town, I noticed a wobbly front and sure enough, I had a flat about 700m before we reached our accommodation for the night. Back to the nearest gas station and refilled the tire. With this we made it to the hotel. After checking in, I removed the tube and went on the hunt for a new one. There was a small bike shop not far away and he had all we needed. A tube and some engine oil. Even the price was possible to negotiate, not that it was so expensive, but I had not enough cash with me to pay the full price.

Before doing the installation, we went to get more money and something to eat. Today we got a nice steak and wine. Here food was really cheap and of good quality.

18th – 19th November

First thing in the morning was to install my wheel, of course after I had a breakfast.

The rest of the day was relaxing, watching some movies and surfing the net until it was time for dinner. We went to the same place as last night and were not disappointed.

On the next day, Argentina had their president election. I was a little worried that a fuel ‘shortage’ could be the outcome of this and wanted to fill up my bike during the day.

In the evening we had a rather disappointing meal, we didn’t want to go again to the same restaurant. And a very underwhelming beer from the local microbrewery. All of this while watching a passing by Corso of supporters celebrating that their candidate had won the election. All stayed calm and no problems as far as I have noticed.

20th November

In the morning all was quiet. The cue at the gas station was short and after we all had a full tank, we left town on the highway Routa 40 southbound.

The whole day was boring, mostly straight paved road. After 250km we refueled and had lunch at a roadside food stale. It was surprisingly tasty. Jim came up with a different plan for himself and told us that at the next big junction he will continue east towards Montevideo.

The remaining road to our destination of today, Chilecico, was no different than before. A lot of straights through rocky desert landscape.

21st November

The host of our hostal told us about a different route going south. Just some diversions from the Routa 40, but we followed his advice. First, we rode straight into the mountains, just outside of town. Then a fast gravel road along a valley with many Cacti. Those had so many flowers I have never seen before.

We cross the mountains into the next valley on Routa 40 via a great road with turn after turn.

Instead of following further the main road we have been told to take the 18 and make a shortcut to Pagancillo before heading down south via 76 and crossing over back to Routa 40 on the 150.

In Pagancillo is a gas station marked on our GPS and we needed that before we could continue. The only problem, there is no longer a gas station. Instead, we found a restaurant which was closed anyway.

The 76 is a fast long straight paved road running through the Talampaya National Park. Soon we reached our turnoff onto the 150.

On the map you can see that shortly after the road gets squiggly. And I enjoyed that very much. Soon later it dropped down into the canyon on a good road before we followed again a long straight one.

Fuel stop with a snack before we veered off the Routa 40 again. We didn’t expect much but it was an interested canyon with a lot of erosion. An where the canyon ends is a huge artificial lake.

From here we have about 80 kilometers of gravel and washboard from here. There is an alternate road but we wanted to be offroad.

On the final stretch to the town where we wanted to stay, we have seen a sign pointing to the 7 color mountains. A quick check of the navigation system showed no road and no attraction.

The search for a place to stay was much more difficult than expected. First of all, the town is much smaller than it appears on the map. Also, most accommodations had been closed.

22nd November

The night was cool but great sleep until a marching band started to play somewhere. We wanted to bet a coffee in town before going for a ride, but this was again not so easy. All places were closed expect the gas station bar, so be it.

Later we rode to the nearby observatory of El Leoncito to take a tour. The ride there was nice and we just made it before the gates were closed. Well, not really, we got there 10 minutes late and the tour had already started, but the staff was so nice and do another one in English for us after this one was finished.

The history of the place is interesting and for me is the whole project impressive.

The yellow Disc is the original size of the Telescope mirror.

On our way back to town, we stopped at the dry lake called Pampa del Leoncito next to the highway. It looks a bit like the salt flat but is more dirt and softer. After having fun, we headed back to the campground.

The rest of the day we waited that those shops are going to be open again. Seriously, shops, restaurants, bars and so on were all closed in the morning and in the afternoon. When we asked when they will be open, we got no definite answer. Some said at 4pm, others said tomorrow and even a shop employee said maybe 6pm.

23rd November

We didn’t start too early as we knew that the temperatures will be low in the high elevations we will go today.

This town is clearly a gateway for the Aconcagua tourism. We searched for a gas station, but most of the one shown on our map were gone. Nowadays you can find fuel only at both ends of town. From here we headed west. This is a very busy road and I have seen more bikes than ever before on this trip. A very impressive landscape, some remains of the old railway and even the old road can be seen.

The road climbs steadily as we get closer to the border. Right there is a tunnel and a road via the summit. Unfortunately the summit road was still closed by snow. So we had to go through the tunnel which is free for bikers.

A short ride later we have been at the brand new build border station. There, all the traffic came to a halt. It took us more than 2 hours to cross it this time. When we finally were back on the road we got rewarded with great views and many serpentines.

Temps climbed as fast as we went down in altitude and soon we were on a motorway to Santiago. Sometimes confusing and we also had to pay toll. Our plan was to stay at the Casa Matte, but there was nobody as we showed up. So we checked in at a different place. Later we found out that we had just bad timing and we arranged to stay in Casa Matte for our remaining days in Santiago.

24th -26th November

We had a relaxed morning and moved to the other Hostel. The plan was to do our scheduled maintenance and organize some tires. Which we did over the coming days.

The bikes ready for the next leg of our journey, we parked them and packed our luggage to travel pack to Europe for our holiday break.

See Part 3 to continue!