ROAD TO ATACAMA DESERT ,CHILE

After Chanaral we spend one night at Pan de Azucar.It is natural park.We did have a plan to go one island where is penguins but sea level was too low so boats couldnt come to beach.Next morning we start our ride and try to get short cut  but there was no road.Here in Chile they have lot of earthquakes and heavy raining.Sometimes there is no road.Atacama desert is worlds most driest place.Temperature was more than 43 C hot.There is also lot of sand in the air.
After 400 km ride we arrived to Antofagasta.Antofagasta is one of the biggest cities in Chile.

Pelicans from Pan de Azurcar

Pan de Azurcar

Filling up gas before ride throu Atacama

Atacama desert

No road

After Antofagasta we ride to San Pedro de Atacama.It is small town at Atacama desert.Around that town there is lot of to see.Salt lakes,gaysiers,hot springs,etc.At this area if you look to the sky at night time you can see millions and millions of stars.It is very clear sky here.We take a ride from San Pedro to direction of Argentina like 130 kilometers.There was 3 salt lakes where flamingos are living.You can also see lamas and alpacas there.Sorry vegetarians but lama and alpaca meat is very good too.When we ride back to San Pedro we were at 3000 meters high ,we saw one cloud with rainbow colours.Never seen anything like that.

Lamas

San Pedro de Atacama

Flamingos

Rainbow cloud

Salt lake

After San Pedro we see Valle de Luna ,Valley of the moon.That is place where they have make many scifi movies.Landscape is like from moon or mars.After that we ride to Tocopilla, it is old mainers town.Next morning we ride from Tocopilla to Iquique.That is one of best roads I have ever ride.Left side was Pasific ocean and right side it was Andie mountains 250 km.

Coffee brake

After Iquique we turn back to mountains .We ride to Arica .Road is high up on mountains,straight road .It goes at plain up there.That was first time we ride at sand storm.Heavy side wind and sand was everywhere .We see few small hurricanes too.Arica is nearby Peru border line.There was carneval at Arica .Town went totally crazy.They start to sing and dance 2 pm and stop 3 am and that continue hole weekend.One day we make road trip to Putre.Road between Arica and Putre is number 11.They call this road magnetic road.You cant use compass here.Local people also tell us that they have seen lot of UFOs here.

Valle de Lluta

Carneval is for everybody

Cool fence!

Devil himself

Party!

Safety parking at Acari!

What can I say.Argentina and Chile were good to us.Friendly people,good food,incredible landscape,
cold beer.Thanks.Ana and Per

BACK TO CHILE

After Dakar rally at Belen,Argentina we start to ride back to Chile.Our cross over point was San Fransisco ,greatest vulcano on earth.San Fransisco is over 6000 meters high.The road we passed that vulcano was at 4800 meters high.When we were at Argentina side custom everything was just fine.Between Argentina and Chile custom it is  more than one hundred kilometers distance.
Argentina side road was good asphalt serpentine road but Chile side it was soft gravel road .It takes from me and Per many ours to ride it.I was totally broken after that road.Feeling like all energy has left body .It was around 0 C cold up there and it was snowing too and terrible side wind.When we finally were at Chile custom ,it was late night.Custom officers let us sleep one night there.At this altitude you can come very sick and it happened to me.Too fast too high.After we unpacked our bikes and move our staff to custom house I feel terrible burning in my stomach .I run to toilet but it was too late.In one second there was shit in pants and puke on my knees!After cleaning this mess I crawl back to bed.Following night was nightmare.Per push me to drink water all the time but it did not stay in.
Next morning I wake up and feel little bit better.Water stay in and I could even eat a little bit.We ride to Chanaral small sea side town .Road to there was gravel road 100 km and rest was some kind of asphalt road.I feel great after last night when we arrive there.We rent small cabin near by the beach and life seems to be good again,but I was wrong!I put my nice white log sleeve shirt on.Little bit feeling to celebrate surviving San Fransisco pass.We go to local restaurant and eat nice sea food dinner.Martins asked from me if I feel good now and I say yes.At that same moment it start to bleed blood from my nose.It was bleeding a lot.I take paper from table but it was just bleeding and bleeding.I ask waitress to bring more paper from another table but he run away and I was shouting  where the hell are you going!He come back after few seconds tons of paper with him and he was using rubber gloves.I put paper on nose and hold it several minutes and then it stops.After cleaning this mess ,my white shirt and jeans were at blood too.What a day.After that we walk to local pub and I was thinking that nothing can happened to me any more.After few minutes one local man say to me that look at sky now!There was one BIG burning meteorit come from sky.I have never seen anything like that.And yes this all happened to me about 24 hours.Life is good!Thanks Josh,Martins and Per
supporting me up there.Specially you Per.You are always there when I need you most.Thats brotherhood.Stay strong Ana and Per

One of the highest gas station in the world  +4200 meters high

Where the HELL begins!

San Fransisco ,greatest vulcano on earth

Flamingos

CHILE,ARGENTINA

VALPARISIO

After long bus trip from Buenos Aires to Valparisio,Chile we were ready pick up our bikes from harbour.It is not so easy here.Local logistic company helps us but it takes almost 3 days to get them out.We need to go many offices and pick up some papers and then to next office.When you go to next office they say that one paper is missing and then back same office where we just came .It was never ending story.We did have time to check out Valparisio too.It is nice town at seaside.Lot of graffits every where.Many people come out side to streets at night time and play music.That was nice to see and listen.

Finally we got our bikes!

Street art from Valparisio

Valparisio

Valparisio is between mountains and pacific ocean.Streets are very steep

 PUENTE DEL INCA
After we got our bikes ,we ride top of Andie mountains to small village called Puente del Inca.I was little bit nervous because it was 3500 meters high.That high you can be very sick.I was suprised that it went so well ,not bad feeling at all.Only little bit difficult to breath because air is so thin.Puente del Inca is old place where is old Inca bridge they used long time ago.There is also hot springs where you can take a bath.Whery nearby there is high mountain Acon Aqua 6964 meters high.We sleep one night at Puente del Inca and hotel owener Bruno give me donkey shoe as a present.Thanks Bruno!

Puente del Inca

Acon Aqua

Old Inca bridge

DAKAR  RALLY  BELEN,ARGENTINA

It takes us 2 hard riding days to ride from  Puente del Inca to Belen Argentina.There was one part of Dakar rally this year.They had this year Dakar rally at Argentina and Bolivia.I have seen before Dakar rally only at television but when you see it alive ,it is something else.Dakar rally is one of the hardest desert rally at world.They navigate by themself.It is not marked road.I liked trucks most.

In the evening when they come back to paddock and they put lights on paddock area ,it looks like small town!This show is BIG!We sleep at small camping area two nights.There we meet Chris from England who has been travelling south america since october 2015 and Josh from Alaska who has been riding here more than one year.One day we were at inetrview at local TV chanal.Josh follows us several days after Dakar rally.

Belen,here we come!

Local TV people who interview us

Race Trucks are the best

After Dakar rally we ride back to Chile but that is another story.Stay strong Ana and Per