SAMtNEWs 04. July / August 2010

Transcription

1 SAMtNEWs 04 July / August SAMt REALLY DO MAKE DREAMS COME TRUE Chile, Peru, Bolivia, 23 days, 17 people, 10 Bikes, 1 Pickup. all the ingredients for a lifetime adventure! 2.0 DAKAR 2011 SOLD OUT! After the great success following the 2010 Dakar SAMt decided to do it again. 3.0 SAMt PATAGONIA 2011 Ride the route 40 (ruta 40) with us! 4.0 SAMt WAS PART OF THE BMW ANNUAL MOTORCYCLE RALLY EVENT SAMt participates in the annual exhibition Rally in Redmond BMWMOA. 5.0 BMW FLEET AND NEW DESTINATIONS SAMt 2011 SAMt increases its fl eet of BMW and is working on new routes for 2011.

2 1.0 SAMt REALLY DO MAKE DREAMS COME TRUE Chile, Peru, Bolivia, 23 days, 17 people, 10 Bikes, 1 Pickup. all the ingredients for a lifetime adventure! Total Kilometers It all started with an from Tasmania -Australia- the birth place of one of SAMt s owners, John Wells. What seemed to be a long shot enquiry from 5 aussies s couples turned out to be a soldout tour for 23 days joined by John s brother, Michael, another two of his hometown friends and a Norwegian living in the United States. All together we were 17, fourteen clients and three crew: John, Gaby and Cristian. 2

3 The starting point of the tour was northern Chile in a small village just outside of Pozo Almonte in the Atacama Desert. The location was a camp ground called El Hurango which is owned and operated by a couple who are lovers of nature, outdoors and the desert lifestyle. As this was the first time our group would all meet together, we celebrated the moment by arranging a warm welcome barbeque accompanied with cold local beer. After lots of beer and Pisco Sour (the local Chilean drink) and chicken cooked in a 44 gallon drum we finished the night toasting marshmallows on the dying camp fire. A great night followed by a very chilly morning, even for the Tassies and Norwegians. After a full breakfast we headed off further north on our first day ride, the destination: Arica. We continued through the Atacama Desert, a vast, dry, arid area that just goes on and on for 1000 s of kilometers, nevertheless, one never gets bored of looking at this wonderful landscape. The next morning we decided to get away early as we had the dreaded Chile / Peru border crossing just north of Arica which gets very crowded at the best of times. Well today was no exception! We spent most of the morning time negotiating on 3

4 the Peruvian side of the border before arriving to our first Peruvian village just in time for lunch. We finally left Chile to start our journey in the fascinating country of Peru. After some fantastic riding in the afternoon we gradually made our way from the desert lands to the beginning of the Peruvian highlands (Altiplano). In the early afternoon we arrived at the entrance of Arequipa city which would be our group s first real taste/lesson of how to drive South American style and survive!! Well, we did (at least the first day anyway) as we arrived at our hotel in the heart of the old city of Arequipa. The hotel is what you would expect in Peru, a small colonial hotel, located in a very, and by very, we mean very narrow street where everyone struggled to get through and eventually park their bikes. For those thirsty for adventure, we always have the ride to Chivay! We took the alternative route which amazed us with its stunning scenery and thrilled us with its winding road consisting of gravel and sand. Boy! We had a few ups and downs, but all together was the part of the ride most of the group will remember, the landscape was fantastic, having the girls all hanging off the back of the truck (they left their husbands to battle the worst of the sand) was also new and definitely very encouraging for Cristian, our support vehicle driver. To get to Chivay you first need to pass over a mountain range of m (4.950 actually) which at the time we crossed, our temperature gauges on the bikes marked below 5 degrees! This was our first real taste of riding in the cold weather. This was one of those occasions where the entire 4

5 group found the bar more inviting that checking into their hotel rooms first. After spending a wonderful day riding the Colca Valley where we witness the condors in their full splendor and marvelled at the thousands of terraces constructed by the ancient farmers of this region, another night of celebrations (Christian s 25th birthday) awaited us. All joined in and celebrated our youngest guides (Cristian) 25th birthday. The next morning we headed off for the much anticipated Sacred Valley which amongst being the home of many historical sites is also the gateway to the famous Machu Pichu Inca heritage site. From the hotel the local guide Mayra received the group and led them for the rest of the day. They all went to the train station of Ollayta from where the group caught the train to Machu Pichu. As usual, the ride was amazing; the train s large windows allowed a perfect view: a scenery of thousands of years. If you are in South America, Machu Pichu is a must see site which can only be experienced in person to appreciate its mystic. After spending a few days relaxing in the Cusco area (and after Alan got to eat his guinea pig) we were on our way to Puno which sits on the edge of Lake Titicaca. Apart from the great scenery and excellent roads, the highlight of the day was transiting through the city of Juliaca. Once again, we managed to get the whole group through another city which seemed to have no road rules, without incident or accident. After another night of celebrations (this group didn t need a reason to celebrate!) we all departed to our rooms for a well earned rest. 5

6 The next morning the group visited the Uro Island before returning to Puno city for another traffic adventure. Together with Cristian they all went downtown to main plaza. Once there, the group convinced some of the local owners of the taxi cholo (this is a tricycle with a small motor equipped to carry two people plus the driver), to let these crazy ossies drive around this packed and messy city. The amused taxi drivers sat back and enjoyed being passengers for the next few hours. After visiting the locals markets and other local hangouts, all returned safety to the hotel (although one group has a few hours late due to a flat tire, which had nothing to do with the way they were driving it!) Lake Titicaca which was not going to be pleasant considering the way we had to do it (its the only way actually). As you can see in the photo, the floor (we use that term loosely) on these old wooden barges become very slippery when wet. The bikes made it to the other side and we were all finally on our way to Bolivia, the crossing, a short but intense experience is one we ll all remember. Somebody from the group said, Hey! In the flyer we were given it showed the crossing on a well maintained boat on a beautiful sunny Puno was our last destination in Peru before entering Bolivia. So far the weather on our trip has been nothing short of fantastic. Sure, the mornings and evening have been cold, but the blue skies during the day have been absolutely stunning. The morning we left Puno was however and exception. Rain was on its way and we knew we had to cross over 6

7 day! Definitely a team effort to put all the bikes on and off the barges without incident. What can we say: Welcome to Bolivia! Coffee break with sandwiches and cakes were more than welcomed by the entire crew! La Paz was awaiting us. We arrived to the hotel and had a well looked forward to dinner with a great view of this sprawling city. The next day was a big day; Death road was on the itinerary. We awoke to a foggy morning which at first glance threatened to put a stop to our plans. However, by the time we left the hotel the weather had began to clear and all we had in front of us was a blue sky. A great ride for everyone, there are not many places you can leave from a typical highlands landscape (sparse lands surrounded by snow capped mountains) and be in the jungle 1 ½ hours later. We arrived to the small town of Coroico which is located at the beginning of the Bolivian jungle to have lunch in a restaurant managed by a French couple. They have over 80 dishes to choose from, which is unusual for such a small place in such a location. Again, our troops pulled through and conquered the famous death road track without even putting one bike on its side. After a little bit of adrenaline and spending a stopover night in Cochabamba, we were off to Sucre. Lunch at Totora was a must, a little colonial town that looks like is has been frozen in time. The lunch served by SAMt was soup, omelettes, cool drinks, cakes and coffee. As we were finishing lunch somebody realized that we were one couple short! Yes! We managed to lose one bike with a couple on it!!! After retracing our tracks to the last point we saw them (about 25 km away) we finally found them! Actually the truth is they found us! What had happened is that they did not see us make a sharp left hand turn into the plaza of Totora and continued forward. Fortunately we had given instructions that we would be 7

8 stopping for lunch about 30 km down the road so they knew not to continue towards Sucre. For the record on the farewell dinner this couple received the award where the hell are we? After lunch we continued our ride towards Sucre which took us through some really magical landscapes, surrounded by some of the most remote Bolivian villages you are likely to encounter. Sucre is a beautiful colonial city and is a great spot to relax and walk around. It s full of beautiful architecture and many museums. The night was on and everyone was heading off for drinks on the top of the roof of our hotel, beautiful night views, great company, lots of wine, what else? Oh yes! There was dancing, Let s leave it like that! Back on the road and off to Potosi. It was an easy, short ride as we had a Tour to the Potosi mine as soon as we arrived. As usual we stayed at the Hacienda Cayara, the first hacienda in Bolivia, built in the XVI century. The place was booked just for the group so everyone felt at home immediately. The Hacienda, a place kept in time where you can still sit on chairs dating back to the XVI century and still in original condition. Dinner was a fantastic barbeque cooked in the Argentinean way. 8

9 The tour to the Potosi mine was a highlight and an experience which will be remembered by all. To this day, the production in this mine is completely manual and the miners start their life at the mine at a very early age. Before arriving to the mine we bought some gifts such as coca leaves, cigarettes, alcohol and dynamite (yes dynamite!). It s always a shocking yet rewarding experience for the group, something that will stay in your memory for years to come. We departed Potosi only to head towards another world renown destination, the Bolivian salt flats! Salar de Uyuni. After touring Bolivia now for several years, we have become accustom not to predict what the current road conditions are like as they change significantly from year to year. One year they can go from bad to good and the following good to bad. This time it was no different, and luckily for this group, a lot of improvements have been made since our last tour. A little bit of sand here and there but not a big problem compared to previous years. 9

10 As we advanced towards Uyuni, the salt began to appear more and more leading us to the entrance to this huge salt ocean, and located on its very doorstep, a hotel built entirely of salt (except for the obvious items). Sorry did I mention we had a full moon? Just our luck! We all met on the terrace of the hotel with a panoramic view of these immense salt flats, sharing drinks and taking turns to write in Helene s diary. What was written in the diary stays in the diary and the contents has been blamed on the full moon! Early wake up call for everyone, big days ride on the salt flats! John and Cristian were outside working on the bikes since 5.30 am to ensure the group got away on time. The bikes needed to be refueled and as all the local gas stations had no gas available, each bike had to be filled from 60 L drums which had been previously arranged with the hotel. This would normally not take too much time, except that morning we were faced with minus 15 degrees temperatures. Just to open the fuel cap on each bike was a challenge due to the locks being frozen. Combine that with 4000 m of altitude (less available oxygen) and the fact that the fuel has an octane rating of 84, one has a challenge on his hands just to get the bikes going! Fortunantly all 10 bike were ready to go by the time our team had finished breakfast and were ready to go. Although we had a very cold start to the day, the sun soon took over and what a beautiful clear day we had! As usual the ride itself was indescribable. Miles and miles of salt, just an amazing place and an amazing feeling riding on the largest salt flat on our planet. After lunch at Fisherman s Island (obviously surrounded by salt rather than sea) we made our way towards 10

11 the Tunupo Volcano, another must see visit! The volcano is home to numerous mummies, but this time we would not visit a museum, but rather see them in a small cave about a third of the way up the mountain. For many people in this group, this was definitely another highlight of their trip On our way back to the hotel, SAMt treated the group to a small barbeque in the middle of the salt flats along with a glass of wine or beer (just one), to watch an amazing sunset. The group also took the opportunity to officially welcome the newest group member, the pink panther! Well we might need to explain that to the people who did not joined us this time. The main guide John, received a gift from the group, a pink panther which has been strapped to the front of his bike one morning back in La Paz. Since then the group had become quite attached to the new member, hence he was officially sworn into the group. After our BBQ and leaving the sunset behind, we turned our bikes around and rode directly towards a full moon (which also happened to be the same direction as our hotel. It was really quite amazing to have such a display of natural beauty coming from both directions. The trip was coming to an end, but the group still had enough energy for one more big night! It was Per s birthday and a great time was had by all. In fact, some had much more fun than others! Mike and Peddles gave Per an extra treat by demonstrating the Tasmanian fire dance which they had obviously practice and learned from a very young age. 11

12 We finally arrived to Antofagasta which was our last stop before flying to Santiago. There were mixed emotions when we left the bikes and departed for the airport. Some were relieved that they had finally arrived to the final destination safely and without incident, some were looking forward to a well earned rest at the lower altitude, others struggled to separate themselves from the motorcycles they had shared this amazing odyssey with. At SAMt we say, LIFE IS NOT WITHOUT A PASSION, and this group showed us that they all shared this common belief. One must be passionate in life and make each day count. This group did, just that. We (SAMt crew) do what we do so we can be part of, and share such memorable experiences with others from around the world. From all of us (John, Gaby and Cristian) we sincerely thank you for putting your trust in us, to take you on your lifetime adventure. 12

13 Testimonials We decided to go on this trip because we thought it would be exciting and different and of course, great to share the experience with our friends. What we didn t expect was to experience the trip of a lifetime which was definitely not for the faint-hearted! Thank you so much to our wonderful tour guides who planned such an amazing tour... to John for getting us there every day, to Gaby for looking after us so well and dealing with any difficulties that arose (in what appeared to be an effortless manner!) and to Cristian for his capable assistance and coping so beautifully with a bunch of nearly middle-aged women! We would thoroughly recommend SAMt tours to anyone wanting a holiday full of action, diversity, challenges (with a few hairy moments thrown in for good measure!) and last but not least, spectacular scenery. It is certainly going to be hard to beat this one! Well what can I say? I wish I was still there cruisin. There would be no better way to see South America than on a motorcycle. Gracias John (el Gringo), Gabriela (Flaca) & Cristian (Eduardo the Pool Boy) for a well organized tour & most enjoyable trip. Every day since returning I have fl ashbacks to the wonderful scenery, the roads, the people we met & the experiences gained. It was the holiday I needed to clear the mind, but still see & do so much all at the same time. People ask me what was the highlight & I tell them all of it, everyday was a highlight. It truly was an adventure of a lifetime that I must do more than once. All the best! Brendan Groves (Barney, Baby Bear, Teddy Bear) Tasmania, Australia Muchas Gracias, John and Penny Hewitt 13

14 To whom it may concern, Our recent adventure to Chile, Bolivia and Peru was a once in a lifetime chance to experience the culture, dramatic scenery and people of these exciting destinations in South America. John and Gaby with their company South America Motorbike Tours were our hosts on this trip, which from start to finish worked like a well oiled machine, with a friendly and helpful atmosphere offered to my wife (who was pillion) and me. Our 23 day long adventure holiday exceeded all our expectations from the top of the range BMW motorbikes, to the top quality of our hotel accommodation. Special thanks to Gaby who supplied our on road meals and coffee breaks, which were timely and tasty. We all look forward to the rest off the bikes and the occasional extra chocolate treats. Both my wife Helene and I are telling swashbuckling stories to our friends, about the place, people and lifetime experiences we had. Please don t hesitate to ring or the writer for any extra information or just a chat. Alan Weeding Managing Director Weeding Party Hire Ph: Thanks again John and Gaby for your extra care and attention to details. I would recommend your company without hesitation. 14

15 2.0 DAKAR 2011 SOLD OUT! After the great success following the 2010 Dakar SAMt decided to do it again Cyril Despres

16 The Tour Dakar 2011 was sold in less than three weeks. Two customers, who joined us in the Dakar 2010, will return this year accompanied by a few friends. If you haven t seen our last Dakar tour, please log in to our website: www. samttours.com, and enter our Dakar page. Francisco Chaleco López Log in this link to see pictures of the trip: - dakar Images - See Photo Gallery

17 3.0 SAMt PATAGONIA 2011 Ride the route 40 (ruta 40) with us! For the February 2011 Tour we only 4 bikes left; book now this incredible experience with SAMt. We also have 7 bikes available for the one that leaves in October For bookings please contact: contacto@samttours.com gzampini@samttours.com Gabriela Zampini Phone: + (56-2) Mobil: + (56 9) Vacancies are limited. ON SALE NOW ON SALE NOW 17

18 4.0 SAMt WAS PART OF THE BMW ANNUAL MOTORCYCLE RALLY EVENT SAMt participates in the annual exhibition Rally in Redmond BMWMOA. In the month of july, a SAMt representative travelled to Redmond to participate in the annual BMW Motorcycle Owners of America Rally. During this 5 day event, we had the opportunity to show our unique product to the American public and hopefully open there eyes and minds up to a completely new world in terms of motorcycle adventures which is literally sitting on their doorstep. The response was overwhelming and we expect to see and increased participating from people living in this region in SAMt conducted a raffle to win a discount of 40% for any of the listed tours during 2011 (subject to availability). The winner of the raffle is DAVE PALMER. Please contact SAMt to collect your prize. 5.0 BMW FLEET AND NEW DESTINATIONS SAMt 2011 SAMt increases its fleet of BMW motorcycles. We have 5 more bikes arriving in December, (2) R1200 GS Adventure and (3) F800 GS. We are working on new routes to deliver in 2011 like the Amazon- Brazil. The Tour will go on sale early next year. SAMt is updating the website so that you always have the latest information and pictures of our tours. SAMt CONTACT For bookings please contact: contacto@samttours.com gzampini@samttours.com Gabriela Zampini Phone: + (56-2) Mobil: + (56 9)