Back to Argentina

A volcano in the background

 The waterfalls at Salto de Laja. This picture was taken in the gardens of our hotel.

 A stick insect on Gary's bike, the closest he's come to wildlife on this trip!!

                                            An off road section.

                                                 Thats me.

 The road turns nasty. The offical roue was closed due to being blocked by snow, so we tried an alternative way. This was also unpassable for a lot of the group.

                             Brando loses a pannier after dropping his bike.

                                    Leaving Chile again.

                                and entering Argentina again.

 Another off road section, thats not snow, but volcanic ash. It is covering the whole area.

      By a lake in Argentina, again the ground is covered in ash.

Back to Chile and Santiago

 

      Back into Chile via the Andes, theres snow on them there hills.

                                    Another road with lots of twisties.

 From the top of San Christobel overlooking Santiago, a very modern city with lots going on.

Argentina

 Riding the salt flats. No helmet but I was only doing 5 mph for the photo (honest Adele, and thanks very much for the donation and I will look after Mark)

                       A mud hut in Argentina, believe me somebody lives there.

                     A lunch stop off. Barbacued chicken in a local village shop.

 The owner set up a table out the back of the shop and made us chicken and chips, delicious. Peter and Rhonda wondering where their's is!!

                                                More beautiful scenery.

                 The support van catching us up on a mountain track.

                               A short stop to admirer the scenery.

                                     Me from a different angle.

Mike Oakes Rest in peace.

Mike died last week from his illness, Motor Neurone Disease. His funeral was held today. He leaves a wife Helen and two children, Emma and Daniel, my thoughts are with them and the rest of his family. Anybody still wishing to donate to the MNDS charity can do so on my site www.justgiving.com/andrew-varga. Many thanks.

Argentina our 13th and final Country

 Into Argentina our 13th and final country, although we cross from Chili to Argentina several times following the Andes.

A crashed car transporter at the side of the road, it still has all the cars with it, although they are all burnt out, bet that was expensive!!

       Yet another fantastic motorcycling road through the Andes.

                               Our first nights hotel in Argentina very nice.

                                          More of the hotel.

                                         More dramatic scenery.

Into Chile our 12th country

                                        Into Chile our 12th Country

                             The Atacama Desert the driest place on earth.

 Humberstone an abandoned mining town, it was abandoned in 1960, when the people collected their personal belongings and simply left the town.

                                    A class room in the school house.

                                                     The theatre.

                                The main street into the town.

                                More of the Atacama desert.

The valley of the moon, so called because it is very similar to the moon's surface.

Reality tour in Arequipa Peru

 A quarry worker, this guy is 77yrs old, He works 12hours a day, 6 days a week and 6 hours on Sunday. He makes building blocks by hand and gets paid 15 soles a day which is £3.45. If he dosen't work he can't buy food the next day. Life does not get any harder. So next time your pissed off at work, think of this guy.

                                             Lower class housing.

                                           More lower class housing.

 A local nursery were the children have been abandoned by their fathers, so their mothers have to work. This nursery is sponsered by the reality tour money.

                                   What father could leave this little girl???

                                       Some of the boys saying goodbye to us.

 The kitchen of a local food kitchen, to feed the lower class people, again this is supported by the Reality Tour money.

Migel, our guide. He is much more than a guide. He organises the Reality Tours. Which gave us a look at the real Peru, for the lower classes. The money raised by the Tours is given the the various causes he supports. I would say this is the most humbling tour we have taken. He tells us that the local people think we are very rich, which we are.  Anyway we all have our crosses to bear so I gave him my Boro shirt and made him promise to wear it. Oh the humiliation!!

On the road in the Northern Andes peru and the Condors

               A small farm in the Northern Andes, very basic living.

                                      Luxury it isn't.

      A stop by a lake, if this lake is navigable, then its higher than Lake Titikaka?

         A  roadside stop. I don't know why, I just liked the sign in the background.

           15998 ft above sea level, the air is thin at this height.

           The witches hat, the highest point on the road, we ride, in the Northern Andes.

                              Condors, at Colpa Canyon.

                                 More wild Llama on the road.