a journey by bike

About our Blog

2008-06-22T18:20:00.005Z

Our trip has come to an end but we thought we'd leave our blog 'up' so those of you planning a similar trip can use it as a reference. You'll find the text less than helpful and only occasionally amusing but I'm sure the photo's will give some idea of what to expect down the road.

Blog's are written like a diary, you will see the last page first (the most recent post). If you want to view it in the correct chronological order please use our ARCHIVES section to see it as we cycled it. (North to South).

Thanks,
Richard & Sarah

It's about the journey, not the destination.

2007-04-07T19:02:00.000Z

We left Newcastle just over 9 months ago. It only seems like yesterday when we were packing up our shiney new bikes wondering what we had got ourselves into.

Our bikes now bare the scars of a journey that took us beyond our expectations and dreams. Our anxiety and fear of the unknown gradually changed into an understanding and appreciation of a very long continent.

It's impossible to get anything more than a glimpse of either the geography or culture of such diverse countries and people in such a short time. However, travelling by bike meant we could sometimes take a closer look and on occasions become emersed in the things that surrounded us, the people or places.

It's true a country provides an outline but it's the people that provide the colour. As we've journeyed south, we have seen some incredible sights, the Peruvian Highlands, Bolivian salt flats, vast open spaces of Argentina and Chilean volcanoes, but it's the people, particuarly Argentinians, who have provided us with many of the most memorable moments. Strangely we're really going to miss the truck drivers who would pass us sipping their maté, honking their horns, giving us either a thumbs up or shaking their hands depending on how tired we looked or how close to the summit we were.

Rather than feelings of elation and achievement, our arrival in Ushuaia brought sadness for coming to the end of such an incredible journey and adventure. We realised there was nothing at the end, but the beginning of everything.

Thanks to everyone who has helped us throughout the trip, both at home and in SA.

The end of the world. Ushuaia.

2007-03-31T18:27:00.000Z

Ushuaia, the end of the world, the end of the road and the end of our journey by bike.

An old tug slowly rotting into the Beagle Channel.

Ushuaia town and the Martial Glacier.

Ushuaia harbour. Today the departure point for cruises to Antartica but once the arrival point for prisoners to the feared penal colony of Ushuaia.

The prison in Ushuaia housed many of the worst criminals from across Argentina. It's location meant they didn't need to fence them in, afterall, where would they go?

The writing's on the wall.

'Ushuaia end of the world, beginning of everything'

We hope so.

The final push, one last pass into Ushuaia.

2007-03-31T18:11:00.000Z

Our last morning. Mixed emotions whilst packing up the tent for one last time.

Paso Garibaldi. We'd been warned about this pass by other cyclists heading north.

Standing at 430m we didn't have the heart to tell them about the passes at ten times this size that they would encounter 6000km to the north.

The first cars only crossed here in 1953, until that point Ushuaia was only accessible by sea.

Cordillera Darwin to the NE of Ushuaia.

Ushuaia at last.

We reached the southernmost city in the world after 9 months, 1 day and 8431km.

A wet day but a warm welcome at Estancia Rubi.

2007-03-31T18:03:00.000Z

Keeping dry at lunchtime.

We were invited to stay at Estancia Rubi by Julio, Grisela & thier 3 daughters Aira, Mia & Juli.

20 years ago Julio cycled a similar route to the one we had taken through central Chile above the Careterra Austral so sympathised with our cause.

They were all incredibly generous, we had a great time eating meats cured (just salt) by Julios brother, eating pizza and drinking wine.

On Sunday morning we had a tour of Estancia Rubi.

Ea. Rubi had employed upto 200 people in the past on it's 30,000 hcts with 10,000 sheep.

Rubi had it's own carpenter, bakery and a purpose built reservoir for drinking water, from where this photo was taken.

Pan de Indians. Indian bread, used as a dietry supplement (fibre) by local indians who ate almost exclusively meat.

Similar to our diet of meat while in Argentina, except we supplimented steaks with chocolate and wine.

Cordero on the parilla. Sunday lunch of roast lamb Argentine style.

We eventually set off for our days cycling at 5pm, just enough time for 20km before nightfall.

Julio, Grisela, Aira, Mia & Juli.
Thank you for everything.

Arriving on the East Coast.

2007-03-31T17:57:00.000Z

Our first sighting of the Atlantic Ocean and another clear windless Patagonian day.

Richard with a bad neck, taking a few moments and waiting for the drugs to work.

He also secretly hoped the drugs might stop his legs aching!

Guachito Gil again...

...our opportunity to leave a small gift and wish for our future prosperity.

Rio Grande. Home to the best fishing and largest trout in the world. (not this particular one, it's just a model).

Indian Territory.

2007-03-31T15:40:00.000Z

8000km.

Estancia Caleta Josefina, the first estancia established on Tierra del Fuego and our kind hosts for the night.

The huge 'galpon', shearing shed at Ea. Josefina.

Some of the early English settlers met with unfortunate endings.

Drowned in 'Useless Bay'.

Porvenir & Tierra del Fuego

2007-03-31T15:36:00.000Z

Another warning about the sun's dangerous radiation here in the south.

The wind offering a helping hand.

Two ferocious dogs attacking Sarah.

Riding along The Straits of Magellan.

90km East of Porvenir.

Punta Arenas & accross The Magellan Straits.

2007-03-31T15:32:00.000Z

A memorial to the 'disappeared' of Punta Arenas.

During the military dictatorship of Pinochet many political activists, potential adversary's and intellectuals vanished following the coup in 1973.

Pinochet was eventually arrested in London in 1998 for his role in the 'caravan of 'death' and died on Dec 10th 2006.

Boarding the ferry to cross the Magellan straights on a beautiful still morning.

Punta Arenas is famed for it's wind and has ropes in the streets for the old and light to hang onto!

The previous two days the wind was at a steady 100km p/h.

Black skies over Tierra del Fuego.

A splash of colour at Porvenir's harbour.

South End Cafe, but no egg and chips.

Puerto Natales to Punta Arenas

2007-03-31T15:28:00.000Z

Early morning sunshine.

An old truck at Morro Chico.

As we get further south the shadows grow longer and the days shorter.

Past the cave of the giant sloth into Puerto Natales

2007-03-13T19:36:00.000Z

A quite Saturday night in.

Our tent..... All the zips have broken so we've had to sew ourselves in and the weather out.

Sarah with a Selk'nam Indian. A tribe indigenous to Patagonia and Tierra del Fuego. Despite the chilly climate they liked to dress in very little clothes (a bit like Geordie lasses), and paint themselves in striking designs .

They were all massacred to make way for the European immigrants and their huge sheep estancias.

Basil Brush is still a huge star in Chile.

Peurto Natales.

Wet and miserable as winter arrives. It only seems like five minutes ago when we were following the spring down from the north and feeling for everone at home as winter took hold.

Torres del Paine 2.

2007-03-13T19:24:00.000Z

A hidden peak emerging through the cloud.

Mr Ed a few moments after trying to eat our cycling shorts from the washing line. A near death experience for him.

The Cuernos del Paine.

Torres del Paine

2007-03-13T19:21:00.000Z

The Torres del Paine are 7462km from Lima. (allowing for the odd discrepancy).

The imposing towers were still a few hours away.

The Torres from left to right.

Torre Sur di Agostini.

Torre Central.

Torre Norte Monzino.

As seen from the mirador (viewpoint) at Lago Torres.

Animals of Torres del Paine

2007-03-13T19:18:00.000Z

Our first view of the Torres del Paine on a beautiful clear morning. We heard from bus drivers (usually more reliable gossips than taxi drivers) that it was very unusual to see pink flamingos here, infact it was 5 years since the last sighting.

A curious Armadillo. He seemed to enjoy Sarah's marshmallows.

Guanacos and the Torres at sunset.

We had a family of 3 foxes playing around the tent.

Estancia Cancha Carrera.

2007-03-13T19:16:00.000Z

In Patagonia it remains a tradition to provide hospitality to weary travellers. At this estancia, they were particularly hospitable.

We enjoyed sharing mate and a dinner of steak and lamb asado. They then took us to a room with a wheelbarrow of leña (wood) to keep us warm. We were woken at 8am, informing us breakfast was served!

Note our clothes hanging out to dry after our earlier soaking.

Sarah and our generous host.

The Patagonian Steppe.

2007-03-13T19:11:00.000Z

In an effort to escape, Ostriches would run down the road in front of us.

An Ostrich.

Not sure if it's clear on this photo but they have surprisingly large ear holes.

Big sky, little bikes.

Big road, little Sarah.

It looks dry, but the wind blows weather across from the west incredibly quickly. Later this day we got caught in a terrential downpour of icy rain soaking us through.

A road maintenance depot and an old 'colectivo' was our home for the night.

Perito Merino Glacier

2007-03-13T19:09:00.000Z

Taking a few moments to appreciate the luxury of motorised transport and Argentinian chocolate, on the way to the Perito Merino Glacier.

Richard (in his Lycra cycling top) demonstrating that despite all the chocolate, he hasn't put on any weight.

The Perito Merino Glacier in the background.

The Perito Merino Glacier stretching back 14km.
It is 4km wide, 180m thick and is quite rapidly moving forward at a speed of 2 metres each day.

This movement eventually bisects the two lakes creating a build up of water in the southern lake.

Every 10 years or so, the pressure of the water is so great it spectacularly ruptures the glacier, pushing aside thousands of tons of ice and once again reuniting the two lakes, starting the process over again.

The front of the glacier spreads across two lakes over 9km in length and 60m in height.

Into Calafate

2007-03-13T19:08:00.000Z

An abandoned astronomical observsatory a few km's south of La Leona.

The Patagonian wind doing what it does best; making life unpleasant for cyclists.

A new tyre. This one had been with us since leaving Bolivia, over 5000km ago.

El Chalten to Hotel La Leona

2007-03-13T19:04:00.000Z

Goodbye Fitz Roy & El Chalten, until next time.

After cycling 110km in the wind we arrived at Hotel La Leona, which despite it's name is no longer a hotel, but is famed for it's cakes.

They agreed to let us stay free of charge if we cooked the evening meal for the 3 staff and served in the cafe the following morning.

We had a great night feasting on steak, roast vegetables, potato wedges and as many cakes as we could eat.

The immacualte 100 year old wood burning stove.

Richard in action in the kitchen.

La Leona meaning 'The Lion' got it's name as Mr Perito Merino was attacked by a Lion (Puma) here.

In the back yard were two graves, one of a boatman and one of a child. A policeman also murdered his wife here.

Sarah spent the night listening to every creak and squeek. I reassured her it was only ghosts and nothing to worry about.

Glacier Grande & Cerro Torre.

2007-02-22T16:39:00.000Z

Cerro Torre being engulfed by cold air from the southern ice field.

The westerly winds bring cold air from over the ice field. As it passes over Cordon Adela, Torre etc it tumbles down into the valley like a huge waterfall before evaporating.

A leaf has melted it's own little hole in the surface of the glacier.

Looking back down the glacier the trekkers look like little ants.

Looking up towards Cordon Adela.

Semi transparent ice pinnicles.

Back to school, a cold but beautiful classroom.

2007-02-22T16:32:00.000Z

Cerro Torre as seen from Glacier Grande, our classroom for a two day ice climbing course.

Making our way across the glacier.

Sarah's first undisputed ascent.

A view of Torre from a crevasse.

An icy silhouette.

Sarah, Torre, Egger & Standhardt.

The serac avalanche of Glacier Grande providing a beautiful backdrop.

Richard.

Sarah.

Cerro Torre

2007-02-22T16:28:00.000Z

Cerro Torre (3102m), Egger and Standhardt above Glacier Grande.

Cesare Maestri claimed in 1959 that he and Toni Egger had reached the summit and that Egger had been swept to his death by an avalanche while they were descending. However, inconsistencies in Maestri's account, and the lack of bolts, pitons or fixed ropes on the route has led most mountaineers to doubt Maestri's claim. Only in 2005, after many attempts by world-class alpinists, was a confirmed route put up on the face that Maestri claimed to have climbed. Maestri returned to the mountain in 1971 with a large team and a compressor which he hoisted up the mountain putting steel pitons in as he progressed. He once again claimed a summit although he did not ascend the ice mushroom, as he claimed it was not part of the mountain. This route now called the 'compressor route' has since been climbed, however evidence of pitons or any type of protection stopped long before the summit plateau.

The first undisputed ascent is that by Daniele Chiappa, Mario Conti, Casimiro Ferrari, and Pino Negri in 1974.

The route was long considered the hardest mountain climb in the world.

For a more detailed history of Cerro Torre check out this link www.americanalpineclub.org

Crossing the Rio Fitz Roy on a Tyrolean traverse.

The ice mushroom on the summit of Cerro Torre which has been at the centre of much debate is 60m high.

Cerro Fitz Roy

2007-02-22T16:23:00.000Z

Fitz Roy was the captain of the Beagle which in 1828 was ordered by the Admiralty to sail to South America to chart the shape of the land. The vessel was the Beagle. The captain was the brilliant 23 year old Robert Fitz Roy. South America is an astonishing complex of islands, inlets, and peninsulars. Fitz Roy charted these with the instruments available to him at the time. He was brilliantly accurate and only very recent arial photography has improved his mapping a little. As was traditional, places were named after the crew of the vessel doing the charts. The Beagle was also supposed to collect specimans and a young trainee cleric called Charles Darwin was selected. It was the observations on this voyage which led to his theories on the evolution of species. At first Fitz Roy and Darwin were friends but Fitz Roy had a deep and rigid faith and he increasingly saw Darwin challenging traditional views of God, even forming a view in which a god had no place. Their friendship became strained but they remained in courteous contact for the rest of the lives. Fitz Roy was sympathetic to the natives of the area but made the mistake (as we would now recognise it ) of taking three Fuegan natives back to England where two of them died.

Fitz Roy believed he could predict the weather, particularly storms. He noted that low pressure preceded storms. He thought that storm winds move in a circular way. In both of these he was correct but his ideas were mocked at the time. When he was retired from active service he spent much of his own money setting up a' weather office' He used the new telegraph to receive messages from weather 'stations' and note the progress of winds and storms. Many ordinary sailors appreciated his work but the Admioralty ignored him. His own money was gone. His friend Darwin was gaining influence in ideas about our origins and the absence of a god. One morning Fitz Roy, a very capable man but with a flaw in him, cut his own throat with a razor. Fitz Roy was right however. If you listen to the shipping forecast today you will hear a weather area called Fitz Roy named in his honour.

The Beagle was eventually retired from active service. It ended up as an anti smuggling ship in the River Crouch, ten miles north of Southend. It's remains have been found at Paglesham Creek, a short journey from Southend.

Poincenot, Fitz Roy and the Beagle!

The glacier above Lago Sucia.

The clouds streams showing a southerly wind above the ice field, indicating a spell of dry weather.

The sun dipping above Fitz Roy.

Mount Fitz Roy & El Chalten

2007-02-22T15:47:00.000Z

Mount Fitz Roy and Poincenot as seen from road to the east.

Sarah looking forward to a glass of Argentinian wine and a hot shower.

The much drier mountains of Argentinian Patagonia.

El Chalten, the main street. The town was built in a hurry following the land dispute with Chile. A bank and paved roads are to follow. The micro brewery was the first priority and rightly so.

With the Southern Ice Field to the west and the Patagonian desert to the east, the high winds create some unique cloud formations over the town.

Candalaria Mancilla to Lago Desierto

2007-02-22T15:39:00.000Z

A spider with it's young crossing the pass to Argentina.

The bridge was out and the water was very cold.

20km of difficult horse tracks connect Chile and Argentina over the Paso de Tres Lagos.

Until recently this area was Chilean. Disputed until 1993, this remote and neglected pass now belongs to Argentina.

The usual method of transport (pack horses) has left deeply rutted paths. Our front 'low rider' panniers had to be carried on the rear rack.

At times the ruts were almost 1 metre deep and everything (all 55kg) had to be carried.

Small streams and many fallen trees slowed progress.

All that said, Richard thought some bits were fun.

Arriving at Lago Desierto, this was our first view of Mount Fitz Roy.

The Argentine 'Gendarmaria' acted as the border guards and customs officials. They were kind enough to let us camp and share their warm kitchen for the night.

The bikes strapped to the back of the small boat for the half hour crossing of Lago Desierto.

Puerto O'Higgins the end of the Carretera Austral

2007-02-22T15:36:00.000Z

The last 7km of road on the Chilean mainland.

Waiting for our boat to Argentina.

A brown trout for dinner, fresh from Lago O'Higgins.

The bikes on the deck of the boat on a stormy Lago O'Higgins.

Puerto Yungay to Villa O'Higgins

2007-02-22T15:29:00.000Z

Having dropped us off at Rio Bravo the ferry returns to Puerto Yungay 45mins away.

This would be our campsite for the night.

Richard and his bike going for a long awaited wash.

The road to Villa O'Higgins was lined with lots of waterfalls draining the snow covered peaks and glaciers high above.

After 1003km, the end of the Carretera Austral.

Two churches side by side, competing for business in the tiny pueblito of Villa O'Higgins.

To Cochrane following the Rio Baker.

2007-02-06T18:43:00.000Z

The 'Hollywood' style sign on top of a small hill looking over the small town of Cochrane.

This morning (6th February) there'd been a fresh dusting of snow on the hills surrounding this relaxed little town.

The confluence of the Rio Baker and the Rio Chacabuco.

On the dusty road near Portazuelo El Manzano.

The Rio Baker tumbling over the Salta del Nef.

To Puerto Bertrand.

2007-02-06T18:33:00.000Z

A beautiful spot for lunch...

...and a spot of fishing.

We'd seen this bridge from the plane.

We were hoping for a salmon so we threw this one back.

Testing the water at Lago Bertrand. It was cold.

Another great camping spot courtesy of Orlando who also owned Lago Leones which we flew over the previous day, lucky man.

El Campo de Hielo Norte.

2007-02-06T18:22:00.000Z

Aerodromo Leones.

The flight was quite nice at first.

We didn't do very well at noting where we were flying exactly. Most of our efforts went into not throwing up.

We think this is the end of Lago Leones and the start of the glacier of the same name.

The debris on the top of the glacier consists of all shapes and sizes.

Rocks fallen from the mountains above some as large as cars, some as large as houses. (so we were told).

A number of mountain glaciers forming a much larger valley glacier.

The joining of two glaciers above Lago Leones.

El Campo de Hielo Norte.

2007-02-06T17:43:00.000Z

Another glacier tumbling down from a hidden summit.

This superhighway of a glacier that is Ventisquero Nef, disappearing up into the clouds shrouding the ice field.

The turbulance was terrible.

It wasn't just the type of turbulance that might spill your G&T on the way to Ibiza but the kind that throws you into the roof of the plane with enough force to make you wonder why you're cycling down the Andes!

Sarah didn't really enjoy the experience.

A scarred but empty glacial valley.

The mixing of the waters, I think at the end of Lago Bertrand.

Homeward bound.

That looks like a good fishing spot next to the bridge.

Lago Gral. Carrera.

This was the following morning, when we had stopped feeling sick.

Carlos the pilot agreed we should stick with our bikes.

Lago Gral. Carrera and towards the ice cap.

2007-02-06T16:04:00.000Z

A big drop to the forest below.

Lago Gral. Carrera. Incredible blue skies and blue water.

The Carretera Austral winding its way into the mountains.

The cordillera around Mte. San Valentin (4058m) behind which lies the Campo de Hielo Norte. The northern ice field.

The dead armadillo near the dead forest.

2007-02-06T15:58:00.000Z

Sarah thought this unfortunate armadillo would make a nice handbag.

The dead forest.

This forest once lined the banks of the Rio Ibañez. Following the huge eruption of Volcano Hudson (VE5) in 1991 and the rapid mobilisation of abundant fluvio-glacial sediment combined with ash fallout, the trees died but remained standing in skeletal form.

Clouds forming on the windward side of a mountain.

This embankment on the side of the road clearly shows a thick layer of ash deposited during the 1991 eruption of Volcan Hudson, which was one of the largest eruptions of the 20th centuary.

The eruption contributed towards global cooling in 1993 & 1994 and realeased enough ozone depleting gasses to have had a significant effect on the thinning of the ozone layer.

More spooky trees.

Cerro Castilio

2007-02-06T15:49:00.000Z

Cerro Castilio (castle) rising majestically to 2675m.

The road down to Villa Cerro Castilio.

We can't recall another descent that was this much fun on a paved road in over 6500km.

Don't do it. We've only got 2000km to go.

The bikes admiring the view.

Our route would take us down the valley of the Rio Ibañez and into the cloud.

The southern Carretera Austral

2007-02-06T14:50:00.000Z

As the ozone layer is depleted at the ends of the earth the sun's rays can be strong and potentially dangerous.

These lights in Coyhaique indicate the suns strength and potential danger from UVB radiation.

Heading over Portezuelo Ibañez

Having a rest at the top of the pass. (portazuelo).

Looking down into the valley above Villa Cerro Castilio.

Where are we now?

2007-01-27T19:36:00.000Z

The Carretera Austral

The red line is getting frighteningly long and the green one is shrinking rapidly, we're starting to think we might actually make it!

We are now on the Carretera Austral, the road Pinochet built to link Patagonia with the rest of Chile to encourage the area to be populated. His reason being to deter those lovely Argentinians from invading bringing with them all their delicious icecream, chocolate, wine and steaks.

We are now in Coihaique (Coyhaique) around half way down. It's a great place to rest for a few days and to prepare for the rest of the road south.

There's been at least 4 earthquakes (tremors) since our arrival, centred around Volcano Hudson. I woke up last night with a start thinking there was a much larger tremor only to realise it was Sarah turning over in the top bunk!

1639km from Santiago, 30km to Coyhaique.

2007-01-25T16:42:00.000Z

400km down the Carretera near Mañihuales.

A roadsign for the road heading north. Is it really useful to know the distance to Arica? Maybe it helps with planning toilet stops.

We hoped the weather would hold until we arrived at Coyhaique.

Coyhaique in the shadow of the massif behind. The town has 45,000 inhabitants more than half of all people living in the Chilean Austral region.

The storm arrives right on cue.

Black skies, but the rain has held off so far.

Roadworks & sausages.

2007-01-25T16:38:00.000Z

42km of roadworks made us feel at home.

Preparing for dinner. Note the perfectly whittled sausage sticks standing in the foreground.

Whittling is a dying art. Everyone should go out and whittle something today.

Clyde & Rich, send in some pictures of your whittlework and we'll put it on the blog.

Sausages and whittled bamboo skewers.

Our home in the forest.

Green valleys, pointy peaks & precipitous places.

2007-01-25T16:35:00.000Z

A small lake and another stunning and very pointy mountain.

This is the valley looking from the opposite end to the camping spot.

Cliffs along the road side cast the road into darkness.

For lazy climbers, the cragging all the way along the Carretera Austral is heaven sent.

Bulls ears and sparrows.

2007-01-25T16:31:00.000Z

Bulls ears collected before they go to the slaughter house. Why they couldn't just remove the tags isn't clear.

It's not really a sparrow, it's a condor a long way up riding the thermals.

Sunset at the worlds best camp spot.

2007-01-25T16:28:00.000Z

Setting up camp under the twin peaks of a patagonian mountain.

The last bit of sun hitting the summit.

Sarah's Alpkit Pipedream 600 sleeping bag being aired in the morning sun.

Packing and unpacking takes around 3 hours a day, but in places like this who cares?

The valley in the distance is where we would be riding for the rest of the morning.

More glaciers, more waterfalls & more sunshine.

2007-01-25T16:25:00.000Z

The sun shining on the Swiss contingent.

Look at those little cyclists in the bottom left corner.

Sarah. Totally out of control.

Another glacier hanging high over the road.

Clouds hiding the peaks.

Ventisquero Colgante.

2007-01-25T15:39:00.000Z

The Colgante Glacier part of the much bigger Queulat Glacier

Hanging off a huge cliff the amount of water coming from under the glacier was incredible.

Occasionally there'd be a thunderous crash of ice tumbling into the valley below.

In flight meals, fondues & kangaroos.

2007-01-25T15:34:00.000Z

We're no crash investigators but if you look closely you'll see a chimney on the roof.

Maybe there's a good reason they don't use woodburning stoves on planes, not even Ryan Air.

A suspension bridge in the Natioanal Park at Queulat.

Sarah fishing for our dinner.

After catching Ryan who was standing behind her, we decided to stick to spagetti and tomato sauce again.

A busy little camp. I failed to mention we'd also bumped into Ryan again who we'd last seen at Christmas.

We were now five.

Our first wet day on the famously wet Carretera was spent lounging in the Agua Termales at Puyuguapi. A well deserved rest.

The sun was shining and we were all back on the road.

The church with no walls at Puyuguapi.

Just another glacier.

An impressive suspension bridge but still a dirt road.

A nice yellow house with a dead pig hanging outside the living room window.

Fast birds & the Carretera Austral

2007-01-25T15:31:00.000Z

We hooked up with two Swiss Cyclists, Susan & Gaby and set off down the Carretera Austral on some nice asphalt.

After 20km the asphalt finished and the roadworks started.

It was lunchtime and this eagle was in a hurry to go and catch a trout for for lunch.

We'd also invested in some fishing equipment ready to catch trout at every stream.

Eventually....a ferry and a rolling hotel.

2007-01-25T15:30:00.000Z

Unfortuanely most of our time in Castro was spent standing outside the ferry office waiting for tickets. However, we met a diverse group of travellers and ended up having a great day with some very funny people.

The tourists on this truck didn't have our problems as their every need was catered for on this 'rolling hotel'. They even slept in the trailer in tiny pods which looked frighteningly similar to what you might expect to see in a morgue!

Goodbye to Chiloe... and to that ticket office.

A usually very shy jelly dolphin swimming alongside the ferry.

Castro.

2007-01-25T15:28:00.000Z

Castro's famous stilt houses.

A wet morning, but the dolphins playing in the bay seemed to be enjoying it.

Castros church and some wires.

Across Chiloe to Dalcahue.

2007-01-08T19:03:00.000Z

Chiloe has some ancient forests, but as with much of Chile's woodlands it has been exploited terribly.

They are still using slash and burn as their prefered method of clearing the land for agriculture.

A rustic farm scene on our way into Castro.

A huge plateful of 'Curanto' the traditional Chilote dish.

Curanto is: Fish, mussels, clams, chicken, pork, lamb, beef, pototo, suet dumplings and something else that tasted a little bit like soggy cardboard.

Ancud.

2007-01-08T18:59:00.000Z

Ancud at the north end of Chiloe was founded in 1767 to defend the coastline from Spanish Royalists.

The defenses proved useless against the German settlers a hundred years on.

Behind the colourful fleet of fishing boats are the remains for the old fort.

Our bikes on the fish quay.

The traditional dance done by the fisherfolk to ensure good luck on their next trip.

Relaxing watching the sun go down.

A cliff top campsite.

Isla Grande Chiloe & Ancud

2007-01-08T18:54:00.000Z

After leaving the lakes we had a quick dash down the Panamercan highway to Puerto Montt, which was a 'typical Chilean' port town....so we left as quickly as possible for the Island of Chiloe.

Arriving in Chiloe. Chacao had a completely different feel to mainland Chile.

We stayed in a hospedaje (cheap B&B) with an old lady called Alba who fed us tea and biscuits when we locked ourselves out of our room.

She'd just had all the locks changed to new yale style locks but didn't have any keys!

This will probably be our most Westerly point on the trip so we sat and had lunch on the beach.

We sat and watched divers from these fishing boats collecting something....and dolphins playing only 20m from the beach.

Fishermen line the bridge on the way into Ancud.

Volcano Osorno & German buildings

2007-01-08T18:49:00.000Z

The glaciated summit of Volcano Osorno (2652m).

Some of the hills were very steep.

Originally settled by Germans, Puerto Octay was a strange place and an uneasy mix of German and Mapuche residents.

This is where we spent New Year.

Most of the locals were drunk and had fallen asleep in the streets by late afternoon on NY eve.

However they were all up bright and early and were well oiled and dancing in the streets by 10.30 NY day.

A colourful dairy farm on the way to Puerto Varas.

Entre Lagos to Puerto Octay. Chile.

2007-01-08T18:45:00.000Z

A beautiful misty morning.

Our camping spot in a field somewhere between Lago Puyehue and Lago Rupanco.

Someone enjoying the nice weather boating on Lago Puyehue.

The road to Volcano Osorno.

Don't cry for me Argentina.

2007-01-08T18:40:00.000Z

We've grown to love Argentina so it's always a little sad leaving. With our panniers full of wine, chocolate and steaks we head for Chile.

After a much bigger climb than we expected the descent into Chile and out of the clouds was great.

Along the roadside were lots of waterfalls and we could see the sun was shining further down the valley.

The sun shining over Volcano Puyehue, the following morning.

Angostura and our Christmas mouse.

2007-01-08T18:37:00.000Z

This little mouse came to visit us at Christmas probably attracted by all the chocolate we'd bought from the local chocolateria.

Ryan heading off to Bariloche after his Christmas break.

Sarah loading up the bikes in preparation for our ride over Paso Cardinal Antonio Samore and on into Chile.

2006-12-23T19:15:00.000Z

Merry Christmas

We're in Villa Angostura for Christmas, holed up in a warm dry log cabin along with Ryan, an Australian cyclist.

We'll be doing our best to make it a traditional Christmas as the idea of a parilla went out the window when the rain arrived 10 days ago. So rest assured we'll be over eating and drinking far too much wine, and we won't be cycling anywhere.

We've had a fantastic 6 months of adventures, but now our thoughts are with you all back at home. We're going to miss you, our friends and family, over the next few days more than ever.

Thanks for all your support and encouragement over the recent months, it's really helped.

Lots of love to our Mums & Dads, sisters, family & friends.
Richard & Sarah.

xxx

x

We'd like to say a special thanks to Andres & Luis without whom our families wouldn't have recieved their Christmas presents!!!!

Santa has finally seen sense and found the best way to get about.

Cerro Tronador.

2006-12-23T18:55:00.000Z

The main glacier can be seen at the top of the cliff on the right hand side.

The hanging glacier is pure white, however once it's fallen off, crumbled and crushed a few rocks it emerges on the lower slopes black, heavy with sediment and ground up rock. It then calves and the bits float around in this little glacial lake.

We were stood on the moraine so we guess at one point the glacier's snout was much closer.

The wind blowing the fresh snow around on the top.

Seraks ready to fall.

True to form within minutes of arriving falling ice and snow filled the valley with thunderous sounds.

Cravasses in the lower glacier.

A huge granite wall and scores of small waterfalls, some of which were so high they never reached the bottom.

Angostura to Bariloche.

2006-12-23T17:47:00.000Z

The port on the lake at Angostura, looking across to some beautiful mountains.

Lago Nahuil Huapi 100km long, we had to go around it to Bariloche.

Fortunately the wind was on our backs for all but the last 20km.

The Scotch Broom provided some welcome colour on an otherwise grey day.

A view across the lake over to Cerro Tronador, Catedral and with Bariloche tucked into the bay to the left.

The wind whipping up the waves.

Siete Lagos. San Martin to Angostura

2006-12-23T17:42:00.000Z

Everyone reassured us the dirt road would be 20km, as the maps weren't clear. The dirt or mud lasted 55km.

A sneaky peak of the surrounding snow capped mountains.

Another unusual warning sign.

We would be sure to watch out for these strange martian vehicles.

Taking shelter at some road works.

Arriving at Angostura.

Volcano Lanin

2006-12-23T17:36:00.000Z

The pass and the border was marked by Volcano Lanin, I think the largest volcano in the lake district standing at over 3700m.

Unfortunately, despite looking for it all day we failed to find it.

Sarah back in Argentina and on the descent to Junin de los Andes.

Still no volcano.

Arroyo Partido.

This little stream split at this point, right on the top of a hill. The stream on the right goes to the Atlantic and the one on the left to the Pacific.

A beautiful road and a moment of relative clarity.

Unfortunately the low lying cloud cut off the top of the mountains.

Pucon to Paso Mamuil Malal & Argentina

2006-12-23T16:48:00.000Z

Milo wouldn't leave Pucon until all the ducks were well fed.

A road sign warning of the hazard caused by extremely radical dudes.

A viewpoint and a few moments of sunshine.

The clouds descending.

Almost at the top of the pass.

The Siete Lagos.

2006-12-19T13:06:00.000Z

Since we left Pucon it's rained.

We took the Paso Mamuil Malal past Lanin the largest Volcano in the lake district. Unfortunately we didn't see much, only mysterious slopes leading up into the clouds.

We've now arrived in Angostura about 200km into Argentina along the route of the Siete Lagos (seven lakes), arguably the most beautiful road in Argentina. Unfortunately all we saw was rain and clouds with the occasional roar of a waterfall hidden in the mist. I suppose the weather added a certain atmosphere and drama but sunshine would have been nice, we could have imagined the darkness & misery.

The rain also made it difficult to photograph anything as each time the camera came out it got a soaking. We did however, manage to get a few pictures which we'll upload when we arrive in Bariloche.

We'll be leaving today for Bariloche and cycling along Lago Nahuil Huapi for the next 90km. Once in Bariloche we'll buy some more wet weather gear and head for Cerro Tronador (Thunder Mountain, due to the number of avalanches and a creaky glacier). We'll then return to Angostura ready to head back over to Chile and Isla Grande Chiloe for the New Year.

I can't think of anything else to say to avoid going out in the rain. So I guess we'll have to go out and get wet.

Oh and Happy Birthday to Lisa. x

Some pics...

2006-12-11T19:53:00.000Z

Sarah's front pannier rack has snapped and we've had a shocker trying to get it welded. So while I wait for someone to strip off the attempted first repair and try again, here are some pics of the last few days.

Volcano Villarrica at sunset.

Lago Villarrica.

Sledging on the Volcano.

Valdivia. A day trip to the seaside.
The sealion wants some popcorn but doesn't have any money.

An overfed sealion sleeping off a lunch of fishheads at Valdivia´s colourful fish market.

A sealion posing for it's photo in the estuary at Valdivia.

Sarah enjoying a hot bath at agua termales Pozones, nr Pucon.

Villarrica.

2006-12-05T18:06:00.000Z

Volcano Villarrica.

Lake Villarrica.

Villarrica, Villa Rica, Vilaricca. It's all the same.

This fisherman had caught a number of large fish and eaten them all... with several portions of chips..

The road to Villarrica.

2006-12-05T18:03:00.000Z

A view of Volcano Llaima through from the top of a horribly steep incline.

The rolling hills and green fields reminded us of England in the summer time.

A bee collecting pollen.

Volcanos and lakes.

2006-12-05T18:02:00.000Z

Once through the forest this green valley with waterfalls either side led us into Chile, it's lakes and volcanos.

The road was steep and as we were to find out over the next few days the surface was terrible. It added another day onto our journey to Vilaricca.

Volcano Llaima, stradling the Chilean Argentinian border.

A little pig.

Paso Icalma and into Chile. End of stage 5.

2006-12-05T18:00:00.000Z

Leaving Argentina, crossing over to Chile via Paso Icalma gave us spectacular views of the lakes.

Stage 5 from Aconcagua to the Chilean border. A distance of 1129.61 km over 18 days, an average of 62 km a day with a top speed of 77kmph.

Hopefully this is the end of the desert for a while. We can now enjoy touring the lakes up until Christmas.

The forest thickened on the Chilean side of the pass making for a great camping spot.

The Chilean customs are fairly strict, they emptied all our panniers in search of fruit and veg.

They found an apple I hadn't declared but luckily rather than sending me to prison they said I could eat it.

The view from our tent.

Lago Alumine

2006-12-05T16:37:00.000Z

The lake was lovely and warm, having been recently topped up with snow melt.

Swimming to the island, encouraged all the way....from the beach.

A nice cuppa seemed like a much more sensible way to pass the time.

Paso Pino Hachado to Villa Pehuenia

2006-12-05T16:33:00.000Z

As there was no snow to clear Miguel was happy to let us stay the night at the campamento.

During the winter there are upto 20 men stationed here, charged with keeping the pass to Chile open. 4 metres of snow is not unusual!

As we left the warmth of the campamento we met two cyclist camped just up the road. They set off from Buenos Aires 2 months ago heading for Mexico.

Monkey Puzzle trees lined the mountains either side of the pass.

Villa Pehuenia, the start of the long awaited 'Lake District'.

A place to relax for a few days.

It would have been the perfect place if it wasn't for the campsite guardian who had a taste for strong liquor and loved nothing more than lying beside our tent at night listening to our breathing.

His face was a picture when we jumped out and caught him. He didn't object when we refused to pay for that nights camping.

Welcome to Patagonia

2006-12-05T16:32:00.000Z

Ruta 40 took us into Patagonia, here's 3 of our first impressions.

A welcome sign on Ruta 40.

Not quite a Unicorn.

Vast open spaces and imposing skies.

Some dangerous creatures

2006-12-05T16:31:00.000Z

This little fella would have been dangerous if he'd have had his fringe cut, luckily he couldn't find us.

The fangs were like needles.

Not sure if this was poisonous but we didn't want to get too close when photographing it.

The most deadly of them all.

This little goat could nibble you to death in a matter of minutes.

On the road to Buta Ranquil

2006-12-05T16:30:00.000Z

The same volcano. We started to think it was following us!

Unexpectedly the tarmac begins.

It's springtime in the Andes and goats are everywhere. On the move to their new summer pastures higher in the mountains.

After 3 days hard cycling we'd been looking forward to soaking in these hot springs.

Much to the amazment of the guy we paid the agua termales were stone cold...he just couldn't understand it! Perhaps the volcano was having a day off.

We camped right next to the bath, only to be awoken in the night choking on the sulphouros fumes.

Under a blood red sky.

2006-12-05T16:28:00.000Z

This is how we imagined the earth looked when dinosaurs roamed.

The clouds lit up from below as the sun dipped over the horizon.

Mmm, pasta and tomato sauce again

Along the Rio Grande

2006-12-05T16:14:00.000Z

Following the Rio Grande led us into some spectacular volcanic scenery.

Despite the river's presence we still haven't got our bikes wet and the desert continues.

Our campsite for the night looking back across to the volcano.

Bardas Blancas to Barancas

2006-12-05T16:12:00.000Z

A gaucho, his horses and their foals.

A giant ginger catarpillar. Very scary.

Bardas Blancas. A small town next to the Rio Grande, the first river we've seen with any amount of water in it.

Bardas Blancas means white wall or fence.

25 de Mayo to Malargue

2006-11-17T19:56:00.000Z

This little restuarant in 25 de Mayo near San Rafael deserves a mention. It serves the best sandwiches in the whole of South America.

Sarah, not happy at the prosepect of more flat straight roads.

At this point we'd chosen to take the much longer paved road rather than a more direct unpaved route to save our bikes a little wear and tear.

The local police showing off after a few too many shandies at Malargue's 56th anniversary celebrations. (56!!)

Amazing.

Uspallata to San Carlos

2006-11-17T19:53:00.000Z

Milo enjoying the Argentine spring.

The rivers are full of snow melt and the altiplano meadows are covered in these purple flowers.

We picked him the flower to cheer him up as he'd just lost his helmet on the way up the hill.

Wild horses on the altiplano.

Looking back towards Uspallata near Cerro Tupungato, another huge peak over 6600m.

Northern Argentina has many of these shrines to the 'Difunta Correa'. Passing drivers stop and leave bottles of water, which I suppose we could filter in an emergency.

According to legend, María Antonia Deolinda Correa died of thirst in the desert while following her conscript husband—a small land-owner—during the mid-19th-century civil wars. When passing muleteers found her body, her baby son was still alive, feeding at her breast. While it seems far-fetched that any infant could survive on milk from a lifeless body, the legend had such resonance among local folk that the waterless site became a spontaneous shrine. The Difunta (“Defunct,” as dead people are known in the countryside) became a popular “saint,” despite limited proof that she even existed.

Where are we now?

2006-11-08T19:42:00.000Z

About half way we think.

It feels as if much of the difficult cycling is behind us. Certainly we've crossed the highlands of Peru and the volcanic South West of Bolivia, including the highest pass in South America. Stage 4 took us through the cradle of the sun, the hot deserts of Northern Argentina and then up to the highest peak in the Western Hemisphere, but, who knows what lies ahead.

Stage 4 was a long one at 1473.9km and very hot. Our total distance so far stands at 3703km. We have ascended the equivalant of cycling to the moon 467 times!!!! Well, it feels like that anyway. We've only had 4 punctures, one set of break blocks and are on our 3rd chains. Sarah has crashed 4 times.

Everyday still poses new challenges that never seem to get any easier but are always rewarding. The scenery and surroundings give us something new and exciting each day, without fail. However, it's the people that make it really special. They continue to offer us support and encouragement along with lots of laughs and if we're lucky a bread bun or two.

For those of you interested, every bit of kit has performed perfectly without a problem. The bikes in particular, never cease to amaze. When we're exhausted the Alpkit PipeDream 600 sleeping bags and the Exped downmats ensure we have a very warm and comfortable nights sleep, no matter what it's like outside.

Stage 5 will take us through 700km of (more) desert bush then, the bit we are really looking forward to, the 'Lake District´. The 'Lakes' is an area shared by Chile and Argentina (begrudgingly) comprising of perfect snow capped volcanoes and mirror like lakes surrounded by verdant pine forest. We'll then be crossing over to the mythical and wet island of Chiloe before we join the Caretera Austral around Christmas time.

Aconcagua. End of Stage 4.

2006-11-07T20:44:00.000Z

Aconcagua, the highest peak outside the Himalayas standing at 6962m high.

As we arrived a tourist asked if we were going up on the bikes! 'Of course', we replied, much to his horror. He then advised us to wait until the following morning as it was a little late in the day!

Base camp at the ranger station on the Quebrada de Horcones.

These hanging glaciers with seracs clinging to it's lower edge were 3km above our camping spot and 300m thick!

An Andean cross and a symbol for world peace.

The perilous, precipitous road.

2006-11-07T20:40:00.000Z

The wind dropped enough the following morning to give us a chance of surviving the 80km up to Aconcagua.

Every bridge and corner had been driven off or crashed through at some point and replacing the barriers didn't seem to be much of a priority.

Humberstone had nothing on this place. Los Penitentes, an out of season ski resort was our campsite for the night. Some of the hotels were left open, you could walk around inside them and not a soul to be seen anywhere!

Puente del Inca, a natural bridge crossing the Rio Mendoza below Aconcagua.

Our first view of Aconcagua.

At last some snow. Uspallata

2006-11-07T20:37:00.000Z

Once we'd got over the pass this was our view, snow capped Andean peaks at last.

This is the Cordillera del Tigre and only a few km behind this range lies a very big mountain.

Brad Pitt fans might know Uspallata better as the setting for the film 'Seven Years in Tibet'.

It's a beautiful town that acts as a base for all sorts of mountain activities. For us it was our base to explore the upper valley and Aconcagua.

Thwarted again. The high winds made it too dangerous on the road out of town. It's the main pass between Argentina and Chile, and with the Argentinian peso offering such a good deal it seems Chile is importing everything, most of it via this route.

The wind however, did provide the poplar trees an ideal opportunity to spread their seeds.

In search of the mountians.

2006-11-07T20:14:00.000Z

As you'll know if you recieve our email update (if you don't, email us and we'll add you to our list) we had some trouble leaving San Juan.

On our 3rd attempt we made it out of town and set about finding the Andes. Unfortunately this meant heading over a secondary range.

A nice old couple we're kind enough to let us camp at their little finca.

The had a beautiful and remote valley all to themselves and hundreds of goats which just loved to chew everything, even sweaty cycling shorts hanging out to dry (Sarah's).

23km and 1130m of ascent. Not massive by Andean standards but our legs aren't as young as they used to be and it was very steep.

Abra de Santa Clara.

The long road to San Juan

2006-11-07T20:12:00.000Z

What can I say, the desert was really starting to get to us. Cycling in 40 degree heat on long straight, flat roads isn´t much fun.

We wanted to cycle the Andes!

3000km!

2006-10-16T21:09:00.000Z

A few km before La Rioja we passed the 3000km mark. Needless to say we were happy.

To have cycled our first 3000km without any major problems feels great. But to have another 7000km in front of us feels even better.

The anticipation of the adventures we will have and the people we will meet is almost too much!

Saujil to Villa Mazan

2006-10-16T19:46:00.000Z

No Donnie Darko hasn't joined us on his bike, it's Richard with a cows skull on his head.

Not sure what passing motorists thought, but he seemed to be enjoying hiself.

These little bridges are the only shade (and shelter from the wind) for 70km. A great spot for lunch and a little siesta.

Approaching Villa Mazan the wind whipped up the sand. Sarah put the pain to the back of her mind and thought about the exfoliating effect on her leathery face!

To Saujil and the classroom

2006-10-16T19:24:00.000Z

The road to Saujil was long and dry.

Arriving in Saujil we found no accomadation so in an attempt to find somwhere to camp we asked advice at this teacher training college.

The moment we arrived we were enthusiastically ushered into a classroom to be used as live 'native english speakers' for the class. We had a great time swapping stories of our different cutures and countries.

Marie del Carmen Diaz from the school kindly offered to take us in for the night. We had a lovely evening cooking, feeding her animals and conversing in Spanglish.

Her garden was amazing, the following were growing just outside her back door: Sugar cane, Plums, Mandarin, Peaches, Lemon Grass, Avacado, Lemons, Limes, Oranges, Walnuts, Olives, Prickly Pear and Grapes.

Amazing and delicious.

Gracias Marie

Over the top and back to the desert at Andalgala.

2006-10-16T18:25:00.000Z

Amazingly only one days cycling changes the scenery from the Jungas to this.

The valley below was desert and a huge salt flat. A little further down the valley Olive groves stretched for about 130km, irrigated with water from these mountains.

As usual our destination lies at the end of a very long road, it's just we don't usually see it stretching out before us.

The drop was about 900m down a very bumpy road with more switchbacks than we care to remember.

The wheels were getting so hot we'd have to stop and pour our valuable drinking water over them at every turn!

Choosing some music to disguise the crunching noises on the descent!

The roads in this area of Argentina are scattered with these little 'shrines' to a character called 'Guachito Gil'.

He was a 19th century South American Robin Hood and had a friend named Poco Juan!

People now go to the shrine and make a wish, if the wish is granted by Gil they tie a red ribbon or flag to the tree or shrine.

Climbing towards El Charquiadero.

2006-10-16T15:41:00.000Z

Up.

Up.

And up. It made a change from Bolivia where the air was thin and very dry. Here it was hot and very humid. Not sure which is worse.

It was an incredible sight climbing up these switchbacks watching the jungle unfold below.

At the top was a ruined police station built in the 1960´s to combat problems in the area with a guerilla group.

Problems with rogue groups of gorillas roaming the mountain sides kidnapping cyclists would have made for a more interesting story.

Avalon?

2006-10-16T14:38:00.000Z

A Cream Backed Woodpecker looking for some tasty grubs.

We shared this beautiful green field with a wild horse and some noisy parrakeets.

Andres and Luis, two 'twitchers' from Buenas Aires acted as our guides to the local fauna and flora. (hence us knowing the type of woodpecker).

The full moon rose like a huge ball of fire (which of course it isn't, it's cheese), silhoetting the shapes of the jungle.

Monteros & the jungle

2006-10-16T14:18:00.000Z

We met this group of cyclists at Alpachin who kindly escorted us to the campsite and were very patient with our 'touring pace'.

We asked the police in Alpachin where the nearest campsite was. After laughing a lot and saying he loved Maradonna, he told us it was only 6km.

18km of continous uphill we arrived exhaused!

Wild horses are everywhere in Argentina.

Only our 3rd puncture in 3.5 months.

We'd like to thank Steve at Cowley Cycles for his technical support.

Ciao.

Crossing the mountains; from desert to Jungas

2006-10-16T14:05:00.000Z

Rather than staying in the valley we decided to head over the cordillera to our east away from the oppressive heat of desert south of Cafatayette, towards Tafi.

Look closely at the sign. Does Richard have a South American dopleganger?

Looking back down at the desert scrub.

Our dutch friends Mark & Robbert will be pleased to know we've found another kettle bush.

They really do exist.

The wine here is so good that there are signs warning people that they'll spill it if they drive.

So don't!

34km downhill on paved roads. (2390m-370m).

From altiplano type fauna through pine and then deciduous forest, to jungas jungle and finally to the vast flatlands and the 'Garden of Argentina'.

Sarah enjoying a siesta.

Through the Quebrada to the vineyards of Cafeyette

2006-10-12T15:17:00.000Z

The dark and moody sky promised a storm but there's been no rain here for the last 6-7 months!

Sarah, and in the background the mountains through which we would find our road.

Every mountain a different colour!
We're having trouble downloading images.

I think the administrator is having a siesta.

As the sun becomes lower the shadows stretch out and the colours change every few minutes.

Definately the best time of day.

Leaving Cafayette the next morning surrounded by vineyards.

Back on the road. Quebrada de Cafayette

2006-10-12T15:01:00.000Z

It felt great to be back on the road again, fully rested and with Argentina ahead of us. On leaving Salta we chose to head directly to Cafayette, a small desert oasis renowned for it's wines. The quebrada on route was spectacular, we were especially thankful of the cloud cover as this region gets very hot.

There was an alternatve route to Cafayette taking in SA highest pass at 4895m, it was only 10m LOWER than the highest pass we cycled in Bolivia!

´'The devils throat' and my Koga. A dry waterfall, only one of the imaginatively named features along the length of the quebrada.

Putting my feet up for 5 minutes.

A real ghost town.

2006-09-27T17:45:00.000Z

The once rich and prosperous ´nitrate town´ of Humberstone now lays abandoned.

Slowly crumbling into the Atacama desert it's easy to imagine how life once was. A purpose built town with a swimming pool and theatre, life was good for workers and their families.

Unfortunately for them, petrochemical fertilizers and development of more explosive substances led to the bottom falling out of the nitrate market and almost overnight Humberstone along with numerous other Atacaman nitrate towns were abandoned.

Industrial buildings used to process the nitrate and even the engineers workshops have all been left exctly as they once were including tools etc.

The cast iron swiming pool complete with diving boards, shaded stadium seating and icecream kiost (left hand corner). This must have been packed on weekends and would be a welcome relief from the desert heat which was 37c on the day we visted.

Holes in the corrugated iron roof lit up the dance floor in the ball room probably better than the old glitter ball used to.

Iquique & the beach

2006-09-27T17:36:00.000Z

We've enjoyed our time in the waves at Iquique.

We arrived just as Chile was on it's national holiday for independence. The beach was packed, it seemed almost everyone was flying a kite.

Feeling well rested we're now desperate to get back on the road, it feels like we've been here too long!

Sad to be leaving Bolivia.

2006-09-25T14:54:00.000Z

Crossing the border into Chile was a very informal affair. Having no border control it seems Chile prefers other methods to keep out unwanted visitors.

As the road ascends to 4700m away from Laguna Verde it splits into numerous branches and vanishes in all directions across the desert. If you choose the right road you´ll have to negotiate the minefields left over from the War of the Pacific.

Bolivia has been the best, most beautiful leg of the journey so far. 887km across dunes, deserts and volcanic badlands and the largest salt lake on the planet. We only managed to find 230km of proper roads and didn´t see another soul for 9 consecutive days, we crossed the highest passes and slept through the coldest nights.

Bolivia is a truly wild country but has hidden gems around every corner. We´re not really sure why it has such bad press, maybe it´s American propaganda as part of the war on drugs, but we experienced nothing but kindness and hospitality often from the poorest of people.

Once we´ve negotiated the minefields we plan on heading through San Pedro de Atacama to Iquique, northern Chile´s surfing hotspot to lie on the beach for a week. We´ll then head back (by bus) to Salta (northern Argentina) to resume our original itinerary, as planned before we got distracted by Bolivia.

We´ve also resolved to stop selecting the most difficult routes we can find and stick to roads... at least for a while until we´ve made up some time.

Laguna Verde and the end of Bolivia

2006-09-25T14:38:00.000Z

The snow dusted peaks on route from the theraml springs at Polques to Laguna Verde.

Volcano Lincancabur stands a few metres short of 6000m and stradles the Bolivian-Chliean border. At the foot of its slopes lies Laguna Verde a bright green lake, looking more like a small tropical sea.

Early morning mist over Laguna Verde the morning we left for Chile.

A Martian landscape

2006-09-21T15:27:00.000Z

Another campsite on some salt flats at about 4500m.

Unfortunately the sun was so bright these photos haven´t turned out so well.

Small groups of vicuña would graze these high plains which seemed to be absolutely free of any vegetation whatsoever.

The strangely eroded rocks in the distance and the perfectly uniform fields of pummice took us all morning to cycle past. The scale of the landscape is very deceptive and almost impossible to judge even when cycling accross them.

The multicoloured pummice gave this particular group of volcanoes a wonderful marbled effect. Sarah hoped it was a giant marbled sponge cake as our food daydreams reached new proportions.

An even higher pass to Aqua Termales de Polques

2006-09-20T21:50:00.000Z

A great day. 50km over 5.5hrs, a maximum of 50.5kmph, and an average of 8.8kmph. We climbed 1375m and descended 900m reaching a new trip high of 4905m.....almost 100m higher than Mont Blanc. (Chris if you want to go higher -Aconcagua awaits)

This fork in the road offered us a tempting escape route to Chile (5km), a beach and cold beer. We resisted.

The Sol de Mañana geyser field (campo de fumeroles) and the location for an international geothermal research project.

The fumeroles behind us can spout steam upto 200m into the freezing air (usually at dawn), surprisingly, the most striking thing was the deafening noise they make.

The long descent to Laguna Salada and the hot springs.

A martian landscape.

Finally relaxing (our first wash for too long to mention) under the stars at Aqua Termales de Polques 38C... unfortunately the pleasure was short lived as we camped close by, the temperature hit a new low of -30C!

Laguna Colorada

2006-09-20T21:06:00.000Z

Luguna Colorada provided some welcome colour to the otherwise sun bleached volcanic landscape.

At over 4000m the winds are freezing and in the afternoons tear across the surface of the lake.

The rare James flamingo makes it´s home on Laguna Colorada.

Maybe it´s just a very vain bird and likes it because the colour of the lake matches it´s plumage.

A quebrada (Puente del Diablo) provided us with another sheltered campsite out of the howling winds.

We´d ran out of water at this point and spent most of our fuel melting snow to drink.

Our highest pass yet.

2006-09-20T20:50:00.000Z

More sandy washboard roads from Villarmar, the town mysteriously on no maps.

It´s difficult to describe just how uncomfortable and slow these are but imagine riding a a shetland pony bareback down some stairs.....for 5 hours. (if you want to include the altitude imagine that while breathing through a snorkel).

Over this pass and down to a Borax mine where they put us up for the night. The campamento (Capina) situated at 4500m was home for 26 miners, a baker, a cook and was bitterly cold.

More great road, but the beautiful scenery and tranquility more than makes up for sore bottoms.