Hola Buenos Aires…!!

My final ride on the first leg of my South American tour was as uneventful as the last few had been…

Rather than take the coastal road and take a peek at Mar del Plata, the Argentinian version of St. Tropez, or in our case, Durban-by-the-Sea, we stayed on Ruta 3 and headed first to Azul, where I planned to refuel and stop for a late breakfast at a famous biker hangout, the La Posta del Viajero em Moto…

Before leaving Ushuaia, Pablo had taken great pains to ensure I got the address and made a promise to stop there…

On exiting Bahia Blanco, the first road sign I encountered confirmed that Buenos Aires was just 705 km away…!! After yesterday, this seemed like a “doddle”…!!

The closer we got to the capital, the less problematic fuel was, and knowing that I would only have to stop once to refuel, I lit the afterburners and roared up Ruta 3…

Two hours out of Bahia Blanco, I stopped at the sign that showed there was just 500 km to go to complete Ruta 3...

This delightful family took a keen interest in what I was doing, and spent at least fifteen minutes chatting to me... They were on their way down to the coast for the holidays...

Unfortunately, at the speed I rode at, combined with a nagging headwind, resulted in us having to stop 60 km short of Azul, at a little town called Chillar, to refuel…

I had left the Victoria Hotel as early as I could, determined to get to Dakar Motors in the early part of the afternoon, so was able to take my time at the service station and chat to the many people who swarmed around the bike to take photos…

Traffic was now even heavier than it had been the afternoon before, with fleets of large trucks heading south to deliver goods from the capital, and others carrying sheep, cattle and vegetables heading north to replenish the shelves and tables of Buenos Aires…

The area south of the capital was no longer as barren and bleak as the countryside of Patagonia had been…

Vast stretches were planted with Maize, Sunflower, and Alfalfa, and huge herds of prime beef grazed in well fenced paddocks…

I passed at least half a dozen feedlots, where cattle were being fattened for market…

I rode through Azul, looking for the famed biker hangout, and found it on Ruta 3 itself, on the northernmost outskirts of town…

Apparently this truck and it's trailer is a "bit of a dog" to handle in the high winds of Patagonia...

It is run by a guy named Jorge, and offers camping out back and a few beds inside the hostel… But for the main part it is a hangout where over-landers meet to shoot the breeze and exchange information and advice on the routes to ride throughout the southern parts of South America…

As my luck would have it, the bar and restaurant were closed, and there was nobody about to find out when it would re-open… Tough break…!!

I rode on, disappointed that I had not met the infamous “Jorge” and had the opportunity to take a gander at his collection of motorcycle memorabilia…

Almost there...!! I shrugged off the ache in my lower back and concentrated on getting to my destination as quickly as possible...

We motored through Cachari and on to Las Flores, and I remembered to keep an eye out for traffic officers bearing speed guns…

I had been warned to take care once I was closer to the capital, but luck was on my side, as I never saw a single speed camera or officer wanted to impede my progress…!!

With less than 200 kms to go, I allowed a small smile to begin playing across my face… I was looking forward to reaching Buenos Aires for many reasons… I began going through the list of things I needed to do, and estimating the time and days it would take me to do it in…

I was shaken from my mental gymnastics by a terse question from Gigi…

“How is it that you are in such a good mood after almost four days in the saddle…??”

“Well, I am looking forward to long and well earned break…!!”

“In Buenos Aires…??” asked the Big Fella…

“Not exactly…!!”

“You’re going to leave us again, aren’t you…??” exclaimed GiGi, a little petulance in her voice… “How long this time…??”

“A few weeks maybe… Depends on how long the shock absorbers take to be repaired…!!”

“We are not amused…!!” they said in unison…

Dealing with the multiple lanes of traffic was a challenge after the single lane roads we had been traveling on for the last 7 000 km… Argentinian drivers must have thought they were all part of the Dakar Rally, as they zipped between lanes and dove into gaps in the lunch time traffic…

Our ride nearly came to an unscheduled halt, when I almost hit a lunatic pedestrian on the highway leading into the city…!! I was taking a photo of the first sign that showed I was entering Buenos Aires (see below) when the lazy idiot in the photo began crossing over the busy highway instead of using the pedestrian bridge right above him…

This idiot came close to spending an extended stay in the local infirmary...!! A sobering entry into Buenos Aires...!!

I steered around him one handed, having no time to drop the camera back into my tank-bag… A narrow escape for both of us…!!

I had to have my wits about me as the number of lanes increased from two to five, and later six...!! Very few drivers obeyed the speed limit of 120 km/h... Myself included...!! "When in Rome" and all that...!!

I had to refuel again at one of the service stations that border the freeway, and after calling Sandra at Dakar Motors to advise that I was barely 20 km from their door, I went back out into the chaos of Buenos Aires to ride to the suburb north of the city where they are located…

Dakar Motors is a legendary stop over for bikers traveling the length and breadth of South America… Javier has serviced and repaired bikes of all makes for many years, expanding his business as the demand for his services steadily increased…

I handed him my Ohlins shock, and promised to arrange to get the BMW shock that was on the bike to him as soon as possible…

And then there was the first toll gate we had seen in a few weeks...!! And no way to avoid paying either...!!

When he saw how low the Big Fella was sitting out on his driveway, he raised his eyebrows and asked how far I had ridden with the shock in this condition…

“About three and a half thousand kilometres…!!” I said with a grin…

He patted me on the back, an unspoken gesture that said “Your back must be buggered”…!!

We spent an hour chatting about people who had passed through his doors and the experiences they had shared…

“Your friend was here this morning… Roberto, the Mexican…!! He said you would be here tomorrow only…!! You have ridden from Ushuaia to here in three and a half days…??” he exclaimed… “That is good going, my friend, but not the record…!!”

“I was not trying to break any records, just get here in time to get both shocks to you before the weekend…!!” I said with a smile…

He mentioned where Roberto was staying and together we searched his computer for the GPS co-ordinates… I left Javier’s workshop in the late afternoon and headed back into the very heart of the city… Traffic was a nightmare, but I managed to find the Hotel Rey without any trouble, riding down the wide Avenida 9 de Julio, and passing the massive Obelisk that stands in the Plaza de la Republica…

The huge Obelisk that dominates the Plaza de la Republica, in downtown Buenos Aires...

This 67 m tall edifice was constructed in just 31 days by a German company, to commemorate the 400th birthday of the city… The Plaza has been a focal point of the city, and is bedecked with bright lights and billboards to make it feel like Time Square in New York…!! Tourists and locals alike flock to the Avenue that runs on either side of it, meeting at the many restaurants that line the sidewalks…

I found my way to the Hotel Rey, and parked in their secure parking area next to the lobby… A mechanised gate dropped closed behind me as I rode to the back of the parking area and saw Roberto’s Dakar F650 parked there… Alongside it was a much traveled R 1150 GS, that belonged to a Polish American friend of his whom he had met in Peru or Bolivia, a few months before…

Roberto and Jarek came out to meet us as we arrived... It was good to see him again, a week after he had ridden away from our hostel In Ushuaia...

That evening, the three of us walked the streets of the city, dining at a pavement cafe so that we could watch the people of the city bustling about… I brought Roberto up to speed with Carl’s various misfortunes, which had him shaking his head in disbelief…

“That guy has more bad luck than most people I have met..!!” he said… And he should know…!! He and Carl had ridden together for almost three months since meeting in Peru…

I was looking forward to seeing my Argentinian friends again, and at 1.30 am the following morning, Ezequiel arrived on a small 100 cc bike to say hello…!! He was the sound technician for a world famous Tango Company, that put on shows for tourists… At the height of the season, they have two or even three shows an evening, the last one finishing well after midnight…

After our initial hugs and cheek kisses, I asked him where he lived… He took a few steps backwards into the street and pointed down the road…

“In that building over there…!!” he said…

I could not believe that I had ended up at a hotel just two blocks away from where he stayed…!! An amazing co-incidence which we discussed at length over a few bottles of beer…!!

My comfortable room in the Hotel Rey, Buenos Aires... Conveniently located close to the shopping area and many restaurants of the city...

The following morning, Roberto left to ride north towards Brazil, hoping to meet up with an old friend before heading back to Mexico, by crossing the Amazon at Belem, and then working through Guyana and Suriname, into Venezuela and on to Colombia… I told him that the time frame he had allowed for was not nearly enough, but he left with a wave, ever the optimist…!! (He has since changed plans and is currently in Peru…!1)

I promised to visit him in Mexico in a few months time, and then Jarek and I spent time chatting before he too left to find a cheaper place to stay… He and his bike would be flying back to the U.S.A. in a few days time, having completed his ride through both North and South America…

With the help of the ever friendly management, I was able to call American Airlines and book my flights to Provodentiales in the Turks and Caicos, and then went shopping for suitable clothes to wear once I reached Parrot Cay, where Patricia was excitedly awaiting my arrival…

When the rest of the Los Machos crew heard that I was in the city, a flurry of text messages were exchanged and late the following evening, we were all re-united on the sidewalk outside my hotel…!! It was a very special moment for me, and we stood grinning from ear to ear as we discussed plans for a quick meal together…

“Ronnie…!!” exclaimed Pablo, in his usual manner of first speaking my name before each sentence… “Ushuaia…!! Now Buenos Aires…!! We are brothers…!!”

“Si, my friend… That we are…!!” I replied, hugging him again…

Ru-united in Buenos Aires...!! Los Machos were together again...!!

Pablo and Agustin had driven directly from their workplace at Toyota, where they toiled away in the assembly department, putting Hiluxes on the roads of Argentina… They lived and worked more than 60 km outside the city, and I was touched by the fact that they had come so far to see me…!!

We shared a beer and a light snack before they headed back the way they had come, promising to get together on my return from the Caribbean for the mother of all “Asado’s”…!! Meat, meat and more meat, with a side order of meat…!! And a beer or three…!!

On the morning that I was due to fly out of Argentina, I rode the Big Fella over to Ezequiels apartment, and parked it amongst his ten other motorcycles… Yes, ten…!! They take up an entire parking bay in the basement…!!

While he held a torch for me, I quickly removed the BMW shock, which he very kindly offered to deliver to Dakar Motors for me, and then lugged the gear that could not be locked onto the bike, up to his apartment where it would be safely stowed until my return…

Packed and ready to ride the two blocks to Ezequiels apartment, where the Big Fella would spend the next few weeks amongst a few Spanish friends...!!

Later that afternoon, Ezequiel and his beautiful partner (whose name I cannot hope to spell correctly but will insert at a later date…!!) drove me to the airport to begin my long haul to first Miami and then on to Provo…

The first leg of my South American Tour was done and dusted…!!

As usual, I had met and made many good friends since arriving in Santiago just before New Year’s Day… The memories of this first part of my ride on my fifth continent will remain with me always…

It had been a long and hard, and the struggle with the elements had not only tested us to the limits, but also infused us with a deep sense of satisfaction… We had bested the roads and winds of Patagonia, and come through stronger and more confident than when we had set out…

La Primera Ruta se completa....!! All 7 925 km of it...!!

If this first part was anything to go by, South America is going to be a helluva ride…!!

I end this post by wishing my sister back in Jozi a VERY BIG Happy Birthday…!! Today’s ride was for you…!!

and…

P.S. I love you…!! Not long now…!!

©GBWT 2012