{"id":374,"date":"2009-04-15T08:00:07","date_gmt":"2009-04-15T08:00:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/jc4ever.co.za\/?p=374"},"modified":"2022-03-17T06:50:43","modified_gmt":"2022-03-17T06:50:43","slug":"chile","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jc4ever.co.za\/?p=374","title":{"rendered":"Chile"},"content":{"rendered":"

Chile<\/strong><\/h1>\n

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15 April 2009<\/strong><\/h2>\n

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Snuggled up in the tent waiting for the sun to rise in the north Atacama Desert, Chile. Scenery spectacularly dry, not a living thing in sight for miles!<\/p>\n

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16 April 2009<\/strong><\/h2>\n

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We are in the Atacama Desert 80km north east of Antofagasta Chile. We are now in Antofagasta checking emails, then we will continue south, packed up camp late as everything was wet from the mist.<\/p>\n

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Santiago, Chile<\/strong><\/h1>\n

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19 April 2009<\/strong><\/h2>\n

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Have just arrived in Santiago.<\/p>\n

Ons is veilig in Santiago, Chile. Ons het die ry deur die noorde van die land geweldig baie geniet. Vanaf so 250km van hier af lyk die kus net soos ons weskus. Het sommer so tuis gevoel.<\/p>\n

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29 April 2009<\/strong><\/h2>\n

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Ons is veilig in Osorno (110km noord van Puerto Montt) . Die terein is pragtig , en die herfs kleure van die bome goud geel.\u00a0Die pad is sover goed en ons maak goed tyd op.<\/p>\n

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Quill\u00f3n, Chile<\/strong><\/h1>\n

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2 Mei 2009<\/strong><\/h2>\n

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Ons is in Quill\u00f3n, aan die suide van Chiloe eiland. Die ferrie is vertraag weens slegte weer en kom eers more oggend (sou vanaand gewees het).<\/p>\n

Die eiland is pragtig en lyk in baie opsigte net soos Skotland.\u00a0Die weer is kouerig, maar nie so erg nie. Ten minste reen did nie, het nog tot dusver geen reen in Chile gehad nie.\u00a0Die kleure is pragtig hier in die suide, kyk die aangehegte foto.<\/p>\n

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In Quellon tonight, ferry only leaves tomorrow at 11am!Weather OK above 10’c.<\/p>\n

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Northern Chile<\/strong><\/h1>\n

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3 May 2009<\/strong><\/h2>\n

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We are currently riding in Southern Chile, on our way to the Southern most city in the World, Ushuaia. The north and central parts of Chile have impressed us tremendously and has a very similar landscape to the South African\u00a0West Coast. We felt at home\u00a0the moment we crossed the border and were greeted by friendly people and rode on very good roads. The desert in the north was as barren as you will get on this planet, in some ways similar to what we’ve seen in Yemen and southern Oman with hundreds of kilometres without a single plant or animal.\u00a0We love this kind of terrain and had no intension\u00a0of racing through it.<\/p>\n

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It took us 6 easy days to ride the 2200km’s between Tacna and Santiago. Tacna (in Peru) was a really smart modern town compared to the other Peruvian towns we’ve seen. The border facilities are good and the procedure to cross was quite smooth on both sides. On the Chilean side some of the officials spoke English and were very helpful with advice about their country. They made us feel very welcome from the start and we just knew Chile\u00a0was going to be a nice country to travel in. The stretch between the border and Copiapo (more than 1000km’s) has almost no vegetation and is clearly extremely dry. It has the label of the driest part on Earth and is called the Atacama Desert. There is a certain amount of beauty in the bareness of a desert, a beauty that not everyone\u00a0likes or appreciates. We’ve been through a few deserts on this planet, and they all differ from each other. The colours in the Atacama are remarkable and vary between dark red to yellow and brown, sometimes black.<\/p>\n

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We spent our first night in Chile camping\u00a0under the stars\u00a0out of sight from the road. There was not a sound to be heard and we had a wonderful nights rest. The next morning we were up at sunrise and headed further south. The terrain was again extremely barren with not much more than the horizon to look at. These kinds of roads give you time to think and man do we have lots to think about. We were counting our blessings in our minds and reflected on the past year and the 70,000km’s we’ve done from Iran to the UK, North and Central America and now South America. We thought off and said a prayer for all the wonderful people we’ve met, and wondered about\u00a0of those whom the Lord will have us\u00a0meet further down the road. About 60km’s before Antofagasta we pulled of the road again and set up camp. Before the sun set we both had an open air ‘shower’ in the icy cold winds!\u00a0 Yes, icy cold winds, this desert is very different to the other deserts we’ve been through and we have had mostly cold weather\u00a0especially at night.\u00a0 When I\u00a0think of a desert, I think of it being extremely hot like we experienced in the United Arab Emirates but the Atacama was different.<\/p>\n

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The next morning everything was soaking wet from the thick fog, so\u00a0we only got away late as we waited\u00a0for the tent to\u00a0sort of dry\u00a0a little. \u00a0It amazed us that there was absolutely no vegetation despite the\u00a0moisture that the fog brings. \u00a0Antofagasta is the largest city in the north of the country and lies on the coast. \u00a0The city did not appeal much to us and we struggled to find a coffee shop or restaurant that had wifi. \u00a0We eventually found one and I had my\u00a0internet ‘fix’ for the week before we\u00a0headed out of town and away from the coast to look for a place to pitch our tent. Not too far out of town we saw the\u00a0famous statue of the hand. I’ve seen many pictures of this statue and always wanted to have my picture taken next to it, Praise the Lord for He\u00a0has blessed me with this opportunity!\u00a0\u00a0Unfortunately the statue has been ruined by inconsiderate\u00a0people who have sprayed\u00a0ugly graffiti on it (like so many other buildings in Chile).\u00a0 When\u00a0I turned\u00a0off the main road toward the area that looked good for camping, I noticed that the ground surface was much softer than up north.\u00a0\u00a0We plough our way through the soft bits and out of sight from the road\u00a0and noticed that the mountains actually resembled huge hardened sand dunes.<\/p>\n

Early the next morning\u00a0we were on the move again. Part of this stretch goes along the coast and we were looking forward driving next to the ocean and wanted to set up camp on a beach, if we could find one. The closer we got to the ocean, the colder it got and by the time the road reached the ocean it was freezing cold and covered with fog.\u00a0 It was still desert but with some plants and bushes; and not as pretty as we would have expected it to be. There was no way we wanted to\u00a0camp in that cold so we\u00a0kept on\u00a0going, to get away from the foggy coast!\u00a0 The city of Copiapo marks the end of the Atacama Desert and lies in a long valley that resembles a dry river bed but was full of vineyards and orchards. It was a welcoming site to see some plant\u00a0life again but it was short lived and disappeared as we left the city and valley.\u00a0 The terrain was still desert-like but with some bushes and like we found out later, sandy soil. \u00a0This time, when I turned\u00a0off the main road toward the area that looked good for camping, it was hard work\u00a0and after\u00a0dropping the bike once in the soft sand we decided to just pitch the tent where we were. \u00a0Again, we had a magical night and slept sound.<\/p>\n

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Unfortunately we woke up in thick fog again and everything was wet\u00a0but we were keen to get on the road early, so packed up\u00a0wet!\u00a0\u00a0The road took us past Vallendar, a green fruit growing and wine producing valley. \u00a0The surrounding hills were\u00a0still barren, but the valley really lush green and pretty. \u00a0We only stopped for a sandwich and coffee and head further south. On the road we saw some other local bikers heading the opposite direction on their new V Stroms and 1200GS\u2019s and I knew we are approaching the wealthy heartland of the country. \u00a0About 250km north of Santiago we found a beautiful little town that resembles Lamberts Bay (in RSA). \u00a0We liked it and found a nice B&B with a nice view of the ocean.\u00a0 The next morning the owner brought us our breakfast on a tray at our little cabin\u00a0and we had breakfast in bed.\u00a0 Man, we felt so spoiled.\u00a0 Unfortunately we had business to take care of in Santiago and had to go, otherwise we would have stayed another night, just for the breakfast in bed thing!<\/p>\n

The terrain changed as we came closer to Santiago. We saw plenty vineyards similar to the vineyards we have in Worcester and Rawsonville and felt at home driving around there.\u00a0Down in Santiago we got all our business done, which included getting our already approved visas for Australia, book our flight tickets and make arrangements to ship the GS across the Pacific ocean.\u00a0 Santiago is an impressive city, completely different to the other cities we\u2019ve seen in Latin America. \u00a0They have a fantastic public transport system and it is a friendly city, we also stayed\u00a0at really nice hostel called Hostel Sammy. Here we made good friends with Ron and Maureen, an elderly (retired) Australian couple who just finished their 6 months back-pack holiday from Cuba down to Chile.\u00a0 We also went down to Valparaiso, a city built on a steep slope with lots of old-style buildings like we\u2019ve seen in San Francisco. After one night in Valparaiso we headed south along the coastal road to Pichilemu. Pichilemu lies in a pretty bay said to be very popular with surfers and it has\u00a0black coloured beach sand.\u00a0The town was quiet as it was clearly out of season; a lot of the touristic shops were closed.\u00a0 We had a full bungalow to ourselves for less than what we normally pay for a room in a hostel. It was amazing to notice that the temperature was warmer down there than what we\u2019ve experienced further north on the coast. We liked it and the surrounding terrain was again full of farmlands similar to South Africa’s\u00a0Western Cape.<\/p>\n

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The GS is running really well\u00a0since the replacement of some parts\u00a0and the modification on the dif in the USA which was about 30,000km’s ago, Praise the Lord we have had no more problems.Most of you might have already seen some of our photos on facebook, but here is another photo or two.<\/p>\n

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Puerto Chacabuco, Chile<\/strong><\/h1>\n

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5 May 2009<\/strong><\/h2>\n

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Hallelujah we are safely in Puerto Chacabuco….after 36 hours rain and very windy, some swells , no sea sickness!……..Changing tyres in preparation for the bad roads.<\/p>\n

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Coyhaique, Chile<\/strong><\/h1>\n

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6 May 2009<\/strong><\/h2>\n

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Slept in Coyaique heading for Puerto Grosse for 2 days. Cell will not work there. Scenery is stunning, very unique. Weather nice blue skies today!<\/p>\n

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Chile Chico<\/strong><\/h1>\n

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9 May 2009<\/strong><\/h2>\n

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We are at Chile Chico, crossing into Argentina soon….Chilian Patagonia has stunning scenery. Weather crisp a nice 3’C and below! Keep warm for us.<\/p>\n

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Suid Chile<\/strong><\/h1>\n

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11 May 2009<\/strong><\/h2>\n

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Van die pragtige strand dorpie Pichilemu af het ons die oggend vroeg in\u00a0die pad geval en die 130km terug na die snelweg in digte mis en koue\u00a0tempratuur gery. By San Fernando, waar ons die snelweg in die suidelike\u00a0rigting geneem het, het die mis verdwyn en ons kon goed tyd opmaak. ‘n\u00a0Snelweg is egter ‘n vervelige tipe pad om te ry, daarom het ons na so uur\u00a0of wat van die slegweg afgerdaai in die rigting van die see op ‘n pad wat\u00a0soort van paralell loop met die hoof roete (ruta 5). Die stuk pad het ons\u00a0deur pragtige valeie en heuwels geneem by die groot stad van Conception\u00a0verby. Die\u00a0see het so lekker na bamboes geruik, en ons het die stukkie pad\u00a0wat teen die kus loop baie geniet, en die aand by ‘n klein dorpie wat nie\u00a0eers op die padkaart het nie geslaap.\u00a0Die volgende oggend vroeg was ons weer op die pad, en weer vir meer as ‘n\u00a0uur lank moes ons deur dik mis ry en kon nie\u00a0regtig sien hoe die omgewing\u00a0lyk nie, maar die pad het wel baie gekronkel oor ‘n berg. By Temuco het\u00a0ons weer op die vervelige dubbel laan snelweg\u00a0geklim en suid gery tot by\u00a0Osorno, waar ons twee aande deurgebring het. Osorno en die omliggende\u00a0omgewing was ‘n deel waar baie Duitse\u00a0imigrante ingetrek het en die huise\u00a0se argitektuur is duidelik Duits en baie anders as verder noord. Dit was\u00a0ook oplettend ‘n meer welvarende deel\u00a0van die land, veral as mens dit aan\u00a0die tipe huise wat jy sien kan meet. Ons het ook nou soort van in die\u00a0winter ingery, want die bome se blare is\u00a0pragtig geel en hoe verder ons\u00a0suid gery het hoe meer het die bome winter kleure gewys.\u00a0Langs die pad vanaf Osorno verby die Lago Lanquihue (Lago\u00a0is Spaans vir ‘n\u00a0Meer) was pragtige plase met die mooiste plaas huise. Die area is een van\u00a0Chile se bekendste toeriste dele en die talle gaste huise en\u00a0hotelle in\u00a0die omgewing bevestig daardie titel. Ons is daar deur buite seisoen en het\u00a0heelwat minder betaal as wat ons sou in die somer. In Puerto\u00a0Montt kom die\u00a0dubbel laan snelweg tot ‘n einde en verander in ‘n meer interesante pad\u00a0wat tussen pragtige heuwels met bees plase loop. By Pargua\u00a0het ons met ‘n\u00a0ferrie oor\u00a0gegaan tot op die Chiloe Eiland. Die pad op die eiland was goed\u00a0en die omgewing tot ‘n mate soortgelyk aan wat ons in\u00a0Skotland gesien het.<\/p>\n

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Die pragtige dorpie van Puerto Octay tussen Osorno en Puerto Montt. (Puerto is Spaans vir hawe\u00a0vissers bote in die\u00a0baai\u00a0van\u00a0Quellon, die dorpie waar ons gewag het vir die ferrie.
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\nBy Chonci, ‘n oulike kusdorpie, het ons op ‘n hele twee slaapkamer huisie\u00a0(Cabana) afgekom vir dieselfde prys as wat ons gewoonlik vir ‘n kamer\u00a0betaal. Dit was ‘n winskoop vir die prys en ons het twee lekker aande daar\u00a0deurgebring.\u00a0Die pad eindig in die suide van die eiland by Quellon, en dis\u00a0waar ons die\u00a0ferrie moes neem om verder suid te gaan. Die ferie loop een keer ‘n week,\u00a0maar die weer was sleg en die ferrie was vertraag met 24 uur,\u00a0en het ons\u00a0gekos om een aand in Quellon deur te bring. Die aand teen 20:30 toe ons\u00a0moes opklim, let ek op dat die agterband pap is. In ‘n gejaag het ek\u00a0die\u00a0wiel gepomp, maar in die donker kon ons nie die lekplek vind nie, en trek\u00a0toe maar die bike net so op. Die ferrie was ‘n groot boot wat ‘n hele paar\u00a0groot vragmotors met sleepwaens gelaai het. Teen 22:00 het hulle anker\u00a0opgetrek en begin seil. Ons was onder die indruk die vaart sou slegs 22\u00a0uur neem, so ons was voorberei vir een nag se slaap op die sitplekke van\u00a0die boot. Die volgende dag kom ons agter dat die rit deur twee nagte sou\u00a0wees, en nie een nie. Die ferrie se roete was deur pragtige nou\u00a0skeepskanale tussen eilande met digte woud. Ons het by ‘n paar klein\u00a0hawens aangedoen waar\u00a0die boot mense op en afgelaai het. Hierdie hawens\u00a0was werklik in die middel van nerens, daar is geen paaie soontoe nie en ek\u00a0glo die gemeenskappe wat hier bly is hoogs afhanklik van die ferrie wat\u00a0produkte inbring.
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