BEWARE, THERE ARE LLAMAS !!!!

Well, they´re guanacos actually, a little smaller than llamas. There are plenty of them out on the plains, but they are a bit flighty, & usually bolt before you can get too close- fortunately, as they are bigger than goats.

Before we get to the infamous Ruta 40, here is a shot of a waterfall/glacial lake in Torres del Paine NP, Chile, followed by a refuel stop in the backblocks. The hose comes out of a hole in the back of a dilapidated shack, but what the heck, its petrol.

Got to a place called El Chalten, dominated by a massive granite spike called Mt Fitzroy.

However, I am more likely to remember the place for the massive dose of gastro I got at no extra charge after dinner in a local restaurant. After spending a night in/on the bog, I did not eat for 36 hours, & had to spend 2 days in the support vehicle, thus missing out on a big section of Ruta 40. However, I did get a good look at the countryside, usually as I ran out of the 4WD a few times to find a bush & then to add my personal contribution to the local ecology (too much information?). It is an unbelievably windswept & desolate part of the world, but like OZ, its got its own special grandeur, & there are usually snow peaked mountains on the distant horizons which add to the overall vibe. I was fit enough to ride the next day, which happened to be the longext ride day of the trip. It started with 130 km of murder- deep gravel, corrugations, & sand, 350 km of bitumen, with large sections of side detours which were worse than the road they were replacing! We had a savage wind in places, but apparently we got it relatively easy, nowhere near the full fury that can be unleashed. It was probably the toughest ride I have ever done, its tough on the bike, & tough on the rider. It was not unexpected, but I was not in A1 shape to start with, & I´m very satisfied with my effort.

RUTA 40. ITS A TOUGH GIG !!!

Ruta 40 is being upgraded with large sections under total replacement (theyre replacing it with a road!). When it is finally finished, it will be just another road, but right now, it is deservedly the stuff of legend. We have seen many other bikes, either tour groups or individuals in twos or threes. Its BMW Central down here.

Some of the towns are amazingly backwards. Here is the main street of Rio Majo, note the extensive reconstruction program in full swing.

When we got up as far as Esquel, a pleasant ski resort town, the country started to improve, with forested mountains, & lots of wildflowers. It is now starting to look quite alpine. Yesterday, we had a great ride on good roads to reach Bariloche, an even more European looking town on a large lake. This is our accomodation on the outskirts. Neat, huh? Just like Bavaria.

On the downside, my bike now has a damaged headstem bearing, making it quite hard to ride, & the guys dont have a spare, so thats a bummer as we have even more good roads to ride on tomorrow. Such is life! But overall I like the F650, its got everything you need, its light & responsive, it handles the rough stuff comfortably & predictably, & on the bitumen, I love the way it howls when you wring its neck in 3rd & 4th. Its back into Chile tomorrow (19Dec) to Pucon via the 7 Lakes area, should be another scenery overload. I´ll post more photos when I can. See you all soon.