Chile
Motorcycle trip in Chile
Driving a motorcycle in Chile up the Andes over 4,500 meters, off-road is a unique experience. Recommended to all bikers and even if you are not, you should go see it anyway. It’s beautiful. Of course the roads also enchant, are smooth and their lines match virtuously the atmosphere there. I faced many kilometers of paths lined with rocks, but without much difficulty crossing. I advanced also by paths with softer earth, descending to arrive there and, of course, going uphill, to return to the path of stones. I had a fall. I did not hurt myself or my bike. The excellent side bags it carries are a fundamental strong point of our trip, besides carrying essentials for the realization of the trip, they protect me and the bike itself.
And to lift my bike? No air! I was weak. I took off all my accessories from the bike and still could not do it alone. The bike was so inclined, it was a climb! Luck that has been with me for life, smiled again and a Swiss couple, who was riding a jeep through the rocks, stopped and helped me. We talked a bit, I thanked them for the help and continue my experience along the mountain range. The landscapes seem from another planet, the thin air causes interesting bodily sensations and cold accompanies everything we feel up there. It’s lighter, cleaner. The sun beats too strong, but still, despite its constant presence, the temperature does not rise. Incidentally, the temperature deserves a separate chapter, because while I was up there, the temperature remained low all the time, however, when I started to descend, in less than ten minutes the temperature went from 8 ° C to 34 ° C – Impressive! Over there I experienced a different nature, rustic and picturesque. It has many stones. The vegetation, small. But beautiful, lovely nature, striking, which invites you to contemplate.
Contemplation, up there is an irresistible invitation. In fact, I accepted this invitation and during my crossing from Argentina to Chile, I stopped a few times, took pictures and took in the views. I stopped and sat on the stone floor, looking, thinking, contemplating a situation that someday I intend to repeat, but because it was my first time, will be recorded in the memory forever. Beautiful. Amazing. Unforgettable. At that time, I met two guys from Minas Gerais on the road, Wagner and Luis, who were going into the Atacama Desert. They stopped to chat, we got together and continued to San Pedro. We stayed in San Pedro de Atacama for three nights, visited the region and its beautiful attractions, to then go to the Pacific Ocean in the city of Antofagasta. We were together there, we changed the oil of the bikes and my friends went to the South and I stayed there.
The next day, I headed to Iquique, a city that provided a magnificent sunset. After that, I headed to Tacna, first city after the border between Chile and Peru. This is an expensive country, so the average cost of hostels now amounts to nearly R$ 100.00 and meals R$ 40.00.
