4 March 2018 – I woke up to rain hitting the roof. Not a
good sign. It rained till about 11:00 a.m. I got up and paid for another night.
I took a shower and was almost scalded by the goofy thing. It went from cold to
comfortable and back to cold. I shut off the cold water when it was returning
to hot. Scalding hot. I then worked on my travel plans for 5 March 2018. I will
be crossing the border into Argentina. I was checking for hotels and everything
is quite expensive. I’m not sure but there is a good chance my tent will start
seeing some use if the price of the hotels remains high. I hope I don’t get
caught up in any difficult situations on the border.
Monday, March 26, 2018
Russ and I On a Mission - 3 March 2018
3 March 2018 – I was on a mission to find Argentine
Motorcycle Insurance / Seguro. The first location I was told about was a bust.
The Security Guard told me where the 2nd location was and I was off to find it.
I was crossing the street and I heard someone holler “Dave”. I looked and
didn’t see anybody I recognized. I can’t be the only David in this town. Then I
heard somebody holler my name again much closer. I turned and looked. There was
Russ. He spotted me downtown. Russ Bennett is from Chicago, Illinois and we
first met at the Ecuador / Peru Border. Together he and I searched out the 2nd location
where we could purchase the insurance. He can speak reasonably good Spanish so
his help finding this insurance was helpful. Intuitively (not), it was located
above a lubrication store. We walked in the Lubrication Store and asked the
lady behind the desk if she knew where this Insurance Office was. She showed us
the stairway to the 2nd floor. We sat down feeling really lucky. This location
also turned out to be a bust. They only sold Argentine Automobile Insurance.
Another letdown. Russ went off to get his motorcycle paperwork as I was getting
that choice piece of information.
So we asked the lady if she knew anywhere else we could
purchase this motorcycle insurance. She said there was a business next to the
Shell gas station that sold the insurance. I asked her if she could call and
find out for sure if they sold the insurance. She called and confirmed that
they did indeed sell the Argentine Motorcycle Insurance. She showed me the
business on Google Maps so we could recognize it when we arrived there. When
Russ returned I told him the news. We both set out to look for the 3rd
location.
We found the Shell Gas Station ok and then we spotted the
Insurance Office. It had a spiral staircase to the 2nd floor. Purchasing the
insurance went pretty smooth. The lady doing the typing needed glasses and was
in denial. I offered her my glasses. She
must have made five typing errors on my forms. It was mostly mixing up I’s and
L’s. Russ’s form went a little better with his knowledge of Spanish. We were
really happy after we purchased the insurance. God we were so damn happy about
being able to purchase that insurance. A difficult job completed.
We parted ways agreeing to hook up about 5:00 o’clockish for
dinner. We went out for dinner at a hamburger joint. They served a nice large
hamburger that tasted really good. We then parted ways saying maybe we’ll meet
up in Ushuaia, Argentina. We might but it’s a slim chance that we’ll see other.
I went back to the hotel and watched some tv.
A Very Kind Family and a Family Dinner - 2 March 2018
2 March 2018 – Today I drove from Los Angeles, Chile to
Pucon, Chile. I got rolling by 10 a.m. I stopped for gas near Temuco, Chile. As
I was filling up with gas at the Copec gas station, a man walked up and started
talking to me in English. He saw the different countries I had traveled through
on my saddle bags / panniers and came over to ask me about them. There was
heavy traffic through the gas station, which made it difficult to talk. Ari
realized as did I we were slowing down business by being in the way. I think we
moved out of the way one final time and I asked him if he knew of somewhere I
could change my engine oil. I told him I had the oil and the tools to do the
work myself. He thought for a second or two then offered to let me change my
motorcycle engine oil at his farm. I
followed him back to his farm. It was about 5 Miles / 8 Kilometers away from
the gas station. I met his wife Rosy and his son Nicolas. He is a sheep farmer
after retiring from the retail business. 
I removed all the bags and tires from my bike, got my tools
and changed my oil. Ari provided me with a drain pan, some shop towels and
place to throw my trash. I just completed my oil change and Nicolas came over
asked me to come over and eat. It’s been a long time since I sat down and
actually ate a meal with anybody. I don’t know for sure who cooked, or what
kind of food it was, but it all tasted really good. I found out Chilean beef is
now better than Argentine beef.
The talk mostly revolved around motorcycles and motorcycles
travels. We also talked about families and some work related subjects. Then I
found out Rosy is quite the fishing person. They had entered in a fishing
competition and were excited about getting going. We had more than one Kodak Moment
with everyone and their motorcycle. I am extremely thankful for the Insurance /
Seguro help Ari and Nicolas researched for me and where to find the insurance.
I really needed that help. I left at 5:30 p.m. and arrived in Pucon about 7:30
/ 8:00 p.m.
The first hostel I tried was booked up and the receptionist
said the hostel across the street had an open cabin if I was interested. I
walked over and checked out the cabin. It was perfect and not overly expensive.
The young receptionist could speak exceptionally
good English. So, before he left I asked him where I could find Argentine
Insurance / Seguro. He asked around and told me the name of the store where I
could find it. That made my night. This hostel was right downtown near the
ATM’s and Super Mercados. I paid for two days.
I tried to send a SPOT to Mary but I was too closed in for
SPOT to find a satellite. After I got my bags and everything in the room I walked
to a park with more open sky. I put SPOT down and in less than two minutes SPOT
sent my location to Mary. I walked back to the hostel and put spot away. Then I
walked across the street to the Mercado and bought myself a liter of ice cream.
That went down really smooth. I went to bed.
Not Going Anywhere Fast - 1 March 2018
1 March 2018 – Santiago, Chile to Los Angeles, Chile. In my
mind I can feel those snowballs hitting me in the rear end down in Ushuaia,
Argentina. Well, I woke up at 7:00 a.m. and went back to bed. The next time I
woke up it was 10:30 a.m. I knew I wasn’t going anywhere today. I paid for
another night and walked around the hotel looking at the different trees. It’s
been a long time since I have seen trees with leaves and pine needles. Anyway,
I went back to working on my blog. I think the next couple of days it may be difficult
to have time to work on it. I’m going to try and get the pictures sorted out. I
also need to find out if I can send any of the pictures from my new camera.
It’s a 19 megapixel camera.
Leaving Santiago - 28 February 2018
28 February 2018 – Guess what? I slept through the alarm and
now it’s 7:30 a.m. Smooth move, Slick. I went up to the 18th floor
to prove out Blanche’s routes because I needed satellites for that. Everything
looked good. I tried sending a Spot Message but Spot couldn’t find a satellite
if her life depended on it. I went back to my room and finished packing. I will
be leaving Santiago today, continuing south to a greener countryside. I didn’t
leave the hotel until after 10:30 a.m. and didn’t clear Santiago and the
suburbs until after 12:00. Santiago is really a big city. You know I didn’t
make one wrong turn leaving the city and that included stopping for gas. That’s
funny because when I entered the city I made all kinds of wrong turns which can
be very frustrating and time consuming.
Anyway, the day was a bright sun shiny day and every mile /
kilometer I went south the greener the scenery was getting. I could swear I saw
poplar trees and a white pine. The pine tree could have been similar to the
Black Hills pines which kind of have a black trunk. I’m not sure how factual my
observations are, but the trees sure reminded me of the trees when I was
growing up on the farm. Another thing that is showing up more and more are
green lawns. That’s a nice touch that I haven’t seen in a long time.
I never ate breakfast before I left this morning and I was
starting to get hungry. I had driven 250 Miles / 400 Kilometers and decided to
get gas and something to eat. I paid for my gas and went inside to see what was
on the menu. They had hamburgers and french fries. They also had what looked
like hamburgers, but instead of meat / hamburger they substituted chicken with guacamole.
I ordered it and everything tasted fine. I cleaned up and threw my trash away
and walked outside to my motorcycle.
I was giving it the 50 cent look over when a guy asked me
about the stickers I have on the sides of my panniers / saddle bags. I showed
him both sides and explained that I rode around the world in 2009. (DaveRrtw2009.blogspot.com) He couldn’t
believe it. He went over to his car and got out his fanny pack. He dug through
it and pulled out his name tag off his police uniform. It was OD green with his
name written on it. He is a member of the Carabineros de Chile Police Force.
This particular Police Force has a history going back to 1927. I was truly glad
to meet Mr. Herrera and have my picture taken with him. I gave him one of my
blog cards and we parted ways. His family was inside the restaurant wondering
who their dad was talking with.
I typed in the first hotel I wanted to stay at and Blanche
guided me on my way. As I was driving there Mr. Herrera passed me and waved as
he went by. I waved back. I went through the traffic roundabout and Blanche was
right on target. I had to ring the bell at the gate to be let in. I was worried
that this hotel was going to be very expensive. It turns out the price of the
hotel was only moderately expensive, which I could live with.
I got checked in ok and the rooms were really nice. The
reception lady demonstrated how everything worked and left. I brought my
motorcycle around to the room and parked. No 5th floor parking ramp here. I
unloaded my usual bags. My Snickers candy bars were all liquid chocolate. I set
them in front of the air conditioner until morning. I got all my electrical
devices plugged in, the wi-fi passwords typed in and I was ready to explore my
destinations for tomorrow. I worked on that till about 10:00 p.m. and was about
to go to bed when Mary called. Well I didn’t make it to bed till after 11:00
p.m. That’s not a good sign for tomorrow.
Were'd They Hide the Mercado? - 27 February 2018
I
found everything I was looking for except the peanut butter. I would have like
to have stocked up on the peanut butter but the store didn’t have it. I
returned to the 5th floor parking and these three people asked me if I knew
where the stairs were to the Super Mercado. I couldn’t understand them but I
knew what they were looking for. So, I walked them over to the stair case and
when they saw it thanked me for helping them out. I was happy to help someone else out for a change.
I went back to my room and continued working on my blog and
ate my ice cream. It was Haagen-Diaz Cookies and Cream. I still haven’t taken a
shower or figured out my route out of the city and it’s after 10:00 p.m. So, I
must get to that. I found two hotels in Los Angeles, Chile. The one I liked was
more rural and more expensive and the other was cheaper but more into the
center of the city. A place I’d rather not be. I got Blanche tuned up for the
ride tomorrow and all the addresses written down. Blanche will take me exactly
where I want to go. So it’s after midnight and I need to get to bed.
Scavenger Hunt - 26 February 2018
26 February 2018 – I drove to the Kawasaki dealer and that
place just rented Kawasaki’s. They didn’t have any oil for sale. The Harley-Davidson Dealer was closed. So
those two dealers were a bust. I purchased 3 quarts / liters of oil and a
t-shirt from the Yamaha Dealer. I’m going to be changing oil in the next few
days so I want to have the oil available when I need it. I asked the Yamaha
Dealer if I could change my oil there since I bought the oil from them. They
told me no Kawasaki’s are allow to change oil in the Yamaha Dealership. I told
them thank you and left.
Finding the three motorcycle dealers was a lot easier than
finding my way back to the Courtyard by Marriott Hotel. It was only 2 Miles / 3
Kilometers away from the Harley-Davidson Dealer when I left for the Marriott
Hotel. I missed several turns on the return trip and after getting turned
around and back on the correct road I missed a few more turns. So, I’m
eventually 5 Miles / 8 Kilometers out and it’s hot. I’m melting down and
getting mad, as if that helps at all. I continued slugging it out and did eventually
get back to the hotel.
When I got back I entered the wrong entrance ramp and got in
to wrong parking area and got hollered at for being stupid. I had to leave the
parking ramp and re-enter on the correct ramp which is marked for Marriott
parking. I made it back to the 5th floor successfully. I threw off my jacket
because I was so hot and drank the rest of my bottle of water. My chain looked
a little dry so I oiled that, covered my bike and went back to my room.
I changed my shirt and went shopping for a new Canon Elph
Camera. There was a Canon Shop in the mall next to the Courtyard by Marriott
Hotel that sold Canon Cameras. I think there are at least 5 floors in that shopping
mall. After an hour of walking and asking where the Canon Shop was I found it. Of
course It was in the Samsung Store. How did I not know that? Almost everybody there knew there was a gringo
walking around the mall that didn’t know where he was going.
I found the camera I was looking for and bought it. It
replaced my all-time favorite camera because the lens failed to extend out. I
must have dropped it or a piece of dirt got into the lens mechanism that
wouldn’t allow the lens to extend out. So, the camera is junk / non-repairable.
Another sad day for me. The replacement camera is mostly plastic and cost about
$150 USD. No JOY here. If you’re under the impression these poor South American
countries don’t have all the electronics devices, conveniences, clothes, cars,
trucks, etc. etc. guess again. All the same stuff is setting on the shelves in
all the stores and car lots here in Santiago. All the finest cars. We don’t
have anything up on these people in Santiago.
Anyway, on my way out of the mall I stopped by McDonalds and
ordered up a Big Mac and fries. I walked back to the hotel and asked Mary to
set me up for another day in the hotel because I needed to work on my blog. In
the elevator I met a guy from New York City, New York who is staying in the
hotel along with his co-worker from Japan. They were both interested in my
travels so I talked with them for about 30 minutes. I gave both of them my cards
with my blog address on so they could follow my travels. They said I would have
people following my blog in India and Japan. That’s kind of interesting. I told
them I needed to get my clothes washed and we parted ways. After my clothes
were dry I went to bed. You know I have not turned on the television since I’ve
been here. I’m either sleeping or working. Very little in between.
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