IDR
Grey Hound
OK, so we were in Bariloche, Argentina, and from sheer withdrawal of not riding a bike for a month, I spotted this pamphlet with bikes on it from across the room of the tourism office. The closer I got the more excited I got, and finally, with the pamphlet in my hand, I was nursing a semi. Patagonia Moto Aventuras (motorcycle adventures) to the rescue!! We phoned and booked for two for the following day. Turns out that they usually expect a longer notice period, but either way, we were set for a full-day trip, on XR250s, through the Patagonian Steppes. All kit was included - helmet, goggles, gloves, chest-, knee- and elbow-guards, and some boots that didn't quite look up to the job, but hey, I was happy to be on two wheels again!
Then, about 30 minutes' drive out from Bariloche (which is nestled in the Andes), and we were out in the middle of nowhere, where we met up with our guide for the day, Nicholas. We also had an interpreter, Joaquin, who would be piloting the kwat with the snacks, refreshments, and lunch. They off-loaded the bikes, and after a quick inspection and total-waste-of-time-explanation of how a bike works, we were off.
Mountain-goat-infested mountain:
Pretty much what the road looked like most of the way:
Pretty much what the scenery looked like most of the way...very jagged rocks:
Another road example...lots of loose sand - with some pretty rocky areas up and down hills:
Photo op next to the river. The water in these parts is incredibly clear, you can quite comfortably see pebbles on the bottom about 10m deep.
We had plenty of water crossings, of which this was by far the biggest...no hassle
Photo stop - I'm the idiot with the thumbs-up
Then we left the road for about a 100m climb over some indigenous vegetation (like Kalahari bossies) to a lookout point, I was the only one to make it with pride intact 8)
The two turistos:
My trusty steed:
Andes in the background:
The way forward:
We then came across this little village with school. This is the entire compliment of pupils, with only a single teacher. These little kids came up to us one for one, shook us by the hand with a friendly 'ola' - VERY cute. The lightie (back left) kept on asking me stuff in Spanish and I kept on telling him "no intiendo, no hable espanol", but he didn't look like he believed me, until Joaquin told him we come from South Africa. I don't think he'd ever met anyone from another province, nevermind country, or continent.
I took off my helmet for this photo, and that's when the kids were REALLY flabbergasted! WHITE hair?!?!? BLUE eyes?!?!? This one girl started crying even. It made me realise just how much we take for granted. Class photo, inc. intrepid adventurers
Saw some llama on the way too...no spitting though luckily...
Stopped for lunch in the shade next to this river, very peaceful and pretty.
Rowan had a tiny off as we pulled in for lunch...I couldn't get my camera out on time, so I made him pose at the scene...
Dirty, tired, but satisfied:
It was a great trip, and if you ever find yourself in the vicinity, I would highly recommend it! They also organise custom packages for those willing to spend the pesos...a trip on R1200GSAs down from Bariloche all the way to Ushaia, which is the Southern-most permanent settlement in the world. This is a 1500km trip, ALL on dirt - and they say if you want to do it by car you'd better take along lots of food and a tent, because if you break down it'll be days before someone comes past. They'll even organise a back-up truck. A group also passed us on the way there...Joaquin said they were on their way to Chile for a 7 day trip they organised. I'd LOVE to go back to do that Ushaia trip though!
https://www.patagoniamotoaventuras.com/indexeng.html
Then, about 30 minutes' drive out from Bariloche (which is nestled in the Andes), and we were out in the middle of nowhere, where we met up with our guide for the day, Nicholas. We also had an interpreter, Joaquin, who would be piloting the kwat with the snacks, refreshments, and lunch. They off-loaded the bikes, and after a quick inspection and total-waste-of-time-explanation of how a bike works, we were off.
Mountain-goat-infested mountain:
Pretty much what the road looked like most of the way:
Pretty much what the scenery looked like most of the way...very jagged rocks:
Another road example...lots of loose sand - with some pretty rocky areas up and down hills:
Photo op next to the river. The water in these parts is incredibly clear, you can quite comfortably see pebbles on the bottom about 10m deep.
We had plenty of water crossings, of which this was by far the biggest...no hassle
Photo stop - I'm the idiot with the thumbs-up
Then we left the road for about a 100m climb over some indigenous vegetation (like Kalahari bossies) to a lookout point, I was the only one to make it with pride intact 8)
The two turistos:
My trusty steed:
Andes in the background:
The way forward:
We then came across this little village with school. This is the entire compliment of pupils, with only a single teacher. These little kids came up to us one for one, shook us by the hand with a friendly 'ola' - VERY cute. The lightie (back left) kept on asking me stuff in Spanish and I kept on telling him "no intiendo, no hable espanol", but he didn't look like he believed me, until Joaquin told him we come from South Africa. I don't think he'd ever met anyone from another province, nevermind country, or continent.
I took off my helmet for this photo, and that's when the kids were REALLY flabbergasted! WHITE hair?!?!? BLUE eyes?!?!? This one girl started crying even. It made me realise just how much we take for granted. Class photo, inc. intrepid adventurers
Saw some llama on the way too...no spitting though luckily...
Stopped for lunch in the shade next to this river, very peaceful and pretty.
Rowan had a tiny off as we pulled in for lunch...I couldn't get my camera out on time, so I made him pose at the scene...
Dirty, tired, but satisfied:
It was a great trip, and if you ever find yourself in the vicinity, I would highly recommend it! They also organise custom packages for those willing to spend the pesos...a trip on R1200GSAs down from Bariloche all the way to Ushaia, which is the Southern-most permanent settlement in the world. This is a 1500km trip, ALL on dirt - and they say if you want to do it by car you'd better take along lots of food and a tent, because if you break down it'll be days before someone comes past. They'll even organise a back-up truck. A group also passed us on the way there...Joaquin said they were on their way to Chile for a 7 day trip they organised. I'd LOVE to go back to do that Ushaia trip though!
https://www.patagoniamotoaventuras.com/indexeng.html
