Border Crossings is a category that talks about what to do to prepare for a border crossing and what to do once you get to each border. Getting in and out of countries by yourself or with your motorbike!
So finally I head back the 2000 miles to Buenos Aires through Rio Gallegos, Argentina for the night. I had a fantastic time in Ushuaia and spent a few days exploring the Parque Nacional Tierra del Fuego.
A one night stay in Punta Arenas, Chile and onto Rio Grande, Argentina on my way to Ushuaia. The rain had not let up, I was hoping so much I could get a few nice days in Ushuaia After a few rain soaked days in El Calafate, Argentina and then rain again all day in Punta Arenas I made my way to Rio Grande, Argentina, and yet another border crossing.
After a few rain soaked days in El Calafate, Argentina I made my way to Punta Arenas, Chile, and yet another border crossing. I would start on Ruta 40 then onto Ruta 3, then cross over into Chile on Ruta 255 and finish on Ruta 9.
Finally onto Ruta 40 and Gobernador Gregores, Argentina! I will miss Chile immensely, the country provided me with some amazing highlights so far on this trip, including my rides to Chile Chico and Hornopiren.
Onwards to Chile! I will miss Bolivia, the country provided me with some of the biggest highlights of my trip. I will not miss the gas station scamming that goes on in this country though.
After nearly 3 weeks in Peru, it was time to go from my last stop in Puno and across the border by motorbike into La Paz, Bolivia. The trip would take me following across mostly on paved roads and swept along high altitude valleys for most of the way through a variety of weather conditions. Thankfully there was little to no traffic on this road as it is the northernmost border town from Peru to Bolivia.
After spending the New Years in Vilcabamba, Ecuador, I readied myself with the border crossing at La Balza on my way to Jaén, Peru. The trip would take me more than 10 hours and 200 miles (313 kilometers) across mostly on off-road dirt tracks through the Andes mountain ranges. A friend of mine, Chris, had taken this journey less than a week earlier.
One night in Pasto got me ready for my border crossing heading to Quito, Ecuador. I left for Quito before first light, and I would reach the border crossing by around 8 am, for hopefully a fast border crossing. I only had 216 miles(348 kilometres) to travel, as I always do shorter trips for border crossing days, so I thought I would arrive in Quito by just after midday.
After we had boarded the Stahlratte, we were told to get to our bunks and sort out our luggage and then reconvene in 15 minutes on the upper deck for a full briefing before we headed out to sea. All the cases went into storage areas, and I had a lower bunk and kept my backpack, helmet, clothes bad (including wash bag) and tank bag with my bed.
Just the two nights in Jaco, Costa Rica, saw me swiftly on my way to David, Panama to get to Panama City on the 18th. A riding day that started out just fine, that is, until I reached the Panama border and consistent torrential rain. Traveling just under 200 miles (316 kilometers) a trip which took me all up – over eight hours. Ouch!