Bruce

I am now in San Martin, I spent 2 nights with Leigh Anne, Paul, Nick and Lol in El Bolson just south of Bariloche, it is a small hippie type village and we stayed in this funcky little cabin in the woods. Had the best meal of the trip, the girls made a really great beef stew and plum crumble, as the weather has been cold and wet it was just the right thing with plenty of Quilmes to wash it down. The ruta 40 is a rough dirt, rocky road, quite hectic at times but it went fine. Bariloche is real nice, I took the road through Nahel Huape national park via the lakes to San Martin, that is really wow stunning lakes, mountins and amazing forests. San Martin is a beautifull small town on this lake, mutch nicer than Bariloche. I move on to Chile tomorrow and to Pucon via the lake district. It looks like winter is arriving early in most places I visit, I just need to find a warm place and I’ll hang around for a few days. More from Chile

I left Ushaia yesterday morning , yes it was freezing, I had to stop in Rio Grande to repair the panier frames,  as it had cracked in a few places. I stopped at an engineering works where they welded it up and refused to charge me a cent. The people here all along the way have been most friendly and have offered assistance in other towns along the way The value system here is still very much in tact. The trip here was insane the wind blew so hardthat it was difficult to get above 60kmh,it really tried to rip my head off, when I get back I’ll be able to eat from the tree tops. Today Imove on to El Calafate and do the glaciers tomorrow.

Well i finally got my bike and got on the road, there were palms to grease and a system to work and finally i was on the road. I left BA at 6pm on tuesday, i just had to get moving  the roads are fine, only you drive on the right and all circles are opposite driving in towns is an interesting challenge. There has been a cross wind of over 100 kmh all the way, overtaking has been real interesting especialy trucks and busses. The dirt roads are made up of pebbles so it is like riding on marbles also challenging. I have met really great people along the way, everyone loves the bike, many ask me if  i did the DAKAR  as it is a dakar bike, sorry to dissapoint them. Most of the way down here is like riding through the Karoo, the same vegetation, lots of  camels  and half size osteriches  many other strange creatures. Met up with other bikers and overlanders, many doing similar things and places, so we will meet up again. Ushuaia is a stunning place, the end of the world. It is really cold here, even with my BMW riding suit and thermals it is friggin cold, buying the right gear was money well spent, there is an Irish pub that serves Guiness and i here my name being called. Ihead north tomorrow to warmer things, Thanks for all the coments keep them comming i will try to upload photos when i get to a quicker internet, this one is painfully slow. Next update from El Calafate and the glaciers. Adios  Amigos

Here Iam sitting in BA waiting for my bike, it is still in  iñ Brazil, and will arrive tomorrow. I met the guys doing the paper work, they seem to be decent and will help me where they can. That is a relief So hopefully I will be on the road tomorrow, but time will tell! anyway BA is great, beer is cold and the chicks are hot. More later                        Chow.