Happy Christmas and a Dakar New Year

After some delays leaving Europe due to the Christmas Snow all the bikes arrived safely in Buenos Aires. But before they did we had the small issue of Christmas to celebrate. Christmas in 30 degrees and sunshine was a change for most of the group more used to European Winters. Christmas Eve was spent at a Tango show seeing Christmas day in with excellent dance and great company. Secret Santa and a few riders wives came to visit and a good time was had by all. Santa looked suspiciously like Reinhard, or is it that Reinhard looks suspiciously like Santa? Steaks were the order of most of the days along with Argentine wine. We were joined by Dakar Legend Simon Pavey and a host of other riders and crew for dinner on a couple of occasions as they prepped for the rally. The bikes arrived between Christmas and New Year and were whisked into Trepat BMW Motorrad for their services. Charley and the team were brilliant and turned them all round in no time. Little did they know one would be back with them before long. New Year on the harbour front with fireworks and more steaks was a night many will remember. We had deliberately selected a hotel overlooking the 9 de Julio (widest road in the world according to some) so we could watch the start of the Dakar Rally. The bikes, Quads, Buggies, Cars and Trucks all leave from right in front of our hotel for their 15 days of trial and endurance at altitude in the mountains, across desert and over miles of hostile terrain. It was a magic way to spend New Years Day. And then we are off and after days of glorious weather in Buenos Aires it is windy and raining as we leave to head south to Ushuaia, and the most southerly road in the world. The ride down should be largely uneventful. The east coast route is tarmac Ruta 3 nearly all the way. Coming back up from Ushuaia on the gravel of Carreterra Austral and Ruta 40 should be the challenge, nut not this time. Always windy on the east side, it is worse than we have ever ridden before. Combined with lashing rain and slippery tarmac it our route south becomes our own rally stage. Four drops in one day. Two relatively minor and two more serious. One rider clips the back of an overtaking on coming truck which does not get back in soon enough and his bike cartwheels off the road, fortunately throwing him clear. His bike is severely damaged although he is walking wounded with just bruises and bumps. Where as larry loses his footing at almost walking pace on the greasy surface and his bike goes down. His bike is fine but his ankle is broken! Both bikes are trucked back up to the capital to see what can be done. Larry flies home to recuperate in plaster but he plans to rejoin the group in Panama. Well he needs to as Cathy his wife has gone on ith the ride on her bike! Back at Trepat Motorrad major bike surgery is underway with the dealer basically stripping one of their own used bikes to pieces to get the rider back on the road – VERY expensive but when you are determined to carry on it is a price you have to pay. The group ride on cautiously heading for Ushuaia, only to find one day from Tierra Del Fuego that there is a national strike in Chile and the border is closed for the day! Back to last night’s hotel and skype back to the office to get the route and accommodation re-scheduled as well as checking the latest news and FCO advise on the Chile situation. All should be calm tomorrow where we are and it is and the border is open. Finally a day late we make it to Tierra Del Fuego and onto Ushuaia and the sign at “Fin Del Mundo” The end of the world. We always celebrate here, and even though the ride was only a week we feel we have earned it. On Tierra Del Fuego we swap to full knobbly tyres that we arranged to be here months ago, ready for the gravel roads and challenges ahead to Santiago. During our trip preparation we always try to explain that overland travel is not a holiday, its an adventure and in the last seven days the group have certainly found that to be true.