Bugger. Starter clutch.

This is not a blog post.  This is a collection of pictures of broken parts.

Arica, 21-4-12

Bugger.  Got a whining/grinding sound when using the electric start.  Left the bike with a mechanic this afternoon and hopefully picking up on Monday.  Something to do with a bendix screw according to my translator but the mechanic hadn't taken the bike to bits to look at that point so it could be anything.
Hopefully I'm not stuck until I can order parts from blighty and I can get north to Peru on Tuesday morning.
At least tomorrow can be an all day drinking day :)

Tocopilla, 19-4-12

From Potosi to Uyuni was easy. There's brand spanking new blacktop, snooker table smooth all but 10km of the way. So new that they haven't finished painting the white lines. A twisty road that made me wish I'd brought a sports bike, until the dirt of course. I got stuck on fresh topsoil that they're using to make the road and had to get one of the workmen to push me out.

Altitude still killing me, and the bike. I can't light a fag or walk up a flight of stairs without having to sit down for 10 minutes. The bike is somewhat anaemic. Coughing and spluttering worse than me. Can't raise any power at all but fortunately there's enough torque at low RPM to pull through most things.

Uyuni is a complete tourist trap. Bus loads of backpackers off for a three day tour. I was most disappointed to find the Salar covered with water and although some folk were riding it, I decided not to risk the bike. Fortunately there were a huge number of westernised restaurants so I could use up my Bolivanos on a cocktail or two.

I made the decision to head for the Chilean border. To come down from the altiplano and knock this altitude thing on the head.

The road to Ollague was good, most of the way until I took a wrong turn (there aren't exactly comprehensive sign posts in this part of the world) and went the wrong way round the Salar de Chiguana. The road went from bad to worse and I fell off several times in sand, salt and mud. It's some effort picking up the bike at altitude and it struck me at the time that I hadn't seen a single person for over 2 hours.

The Bolivian border post was deserted. There was a locked gate that I rode around and I failed to collect an exit stamp. The Chilean border was easy and I found a guest house just on the Chilean side. I had to spend an hour riding round the village knocking on doors to find someone who would sell me petrol. The nice lady also had wine for sale.

Next morning, south to Calama. Another 220km of dirt. Much sand and salt but fortunately I didn't fall off. Andes and Salar giving way slowly to desert, I stopped at the side of the road to take a picture of some volcanoes and the bike wouldn't start. Much faffing and stripping the bike down, quite conscious that I was alone in the Atacama desert it turned out that a bolt had fallen off the battery leaving the bike completely without electricity. I replaced the bolt and made the decision not to go so far into the wilderness alone again.

Blacktop started 50km before Calama, stopped at a cashpoint and then for petrol and headed west towards the coast.

150km later I hit Tocopilla. A port town exporting minerals dug locally. Not much here but found a good hotel that's out of my price range and taking it easy for the night.

North tomorrow, still deciding whether to go up the coast or up the PanAm. Peru in a couple of days.

End of the blacktop

Uyuni

Salt hotel

Basrelief.  Salt hotel.

Riders avoiding the water

Water on the Salar de Uyuni

Memorial.  Salar de Uyuni,

Coca leaves

Uyuni

Salt flat

Off piste near the Salar de Chiguana

Train line.  Salar de Ascotan

Flamingos and Volcanos

Volcan de San Pedro

Volcan Poruna

Volcan de San Pedro

After 400km of dirt, this is the most beautiful sight in the world.

Pan Am

Potosi, 15-4-12

It's been a while since my last post and although I can't be arsed filling all the details, I want to at least make a record of some of the events.

I spent far longer in Tarija than I intended. It took quite a while to get the bike done and although the mechanic was very good and did absolutely everything needed it took quite some time, mostly spent riding around Tarija looking for parts I couldn't identify and spending literally hours standing around in the tropical sun with nowhere to sit.

After getting the bike back, I moved about 20km down the road to a hospitage on a vineyard. The living was much easier without bike stress and although the facilities in Uriondo were somewhat limited it was nice to chill out and get stuck into some all day drinking for a change.

Still, I get anxious when I'm not moving and a few days were enough. The road to Potosi is variable. Stunning scenery and some very fine tarmac twisties that make you wish for a sports bike inter spaced with miles on miles of dirt and mud. When it's dry, it's dusty. When it's wet, it's hard work keeping the bike moving. Having set off a bit late, I had to do about 60km in the dark too. That's an experience I don't want to repeat.

Found petrol without any problems about half way there. Only paid the Bolivian price as well.

The bike still isn't happy at altitude. I had the carbs done in Tarija and it was fine at 2000 metres. A little bit of a cough just before the 7K RPM redline but nothing serious. I'm now up over 4000 metres and the only way to describe the air is thin and cold. I'm suffering from altitude sickness as much as the bike. Walking up a flight of steps is as much as I can do at the moment and Potosi has more hills than Sheffield so getting about is a bit of a nightmare. Coca tea helps but not much.

Tarija, 31-3-12

Made it to Bolivia.  My first full day on dirt.  The border was relatively painless and formalities only took and hour or so but I have a somewhat limited map for Bolivia in the GPS and even finding my way out of town was hard work.  The mountain road to Tarija was amazing, very hard work to ride and I've lost quite a few bolts from the bike due to vibration.
I checked into the first place that would let me bring the bike in off the street.  Trying to find a hospitage/vinyard tomorrow and hopefully I'll be able to stay there for a couple of days.  I've been riding for two weeks and I'm knackered.  I just need to find someone who will sell me petrol, gas stations in Bolivia keep turning me away for some reason.