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Stranded in the mountains with no shoes!!

We left Rio Grande on the 2nd of January after spending some very nice days there.  

We rode back to the same border point we had used to leave Chile on the 20^th, but then we took the trail going towards Porvenir. The road was in good conditions but the weather as usual was cold and windy. We arrived at Porvenir by mid-afternoon. From there it was a 2 and a half hour ferry crossing to the major town in the area: Punta Arenas.

The ferry arrived at 6pm but left only at 7! So we had time  to share few stories with a couple of german bikers. We were travelling with another british guy, Tim, who had been staying with us in Rio Grande.

At 6pm, it was time to  get all 5 bikes on board. All the bikes were sent to the end, against the wall. None was strapped down. Then the trucks came in and stopped inches from the bikes, though in the process one of them almost knocked Alistair off his bike!  The ferry was jam packed!  We were lucky the sea was calm. We learnt afterwards that there a frequent problems with bikes being damaged during these crossing!  We fully expected to find the bikes lying on their sides when we went back down to get them.

Soon after leaving Porvenir, we saw a white car following the boat at full speed along the beach. The driver had previously dropped 2 girls at the ferry and was "chasing" the ferry, waving. Suddenly there was a cloud of dust. When the dust settled we saw that the car was on its roof! The driver came out ok … Chileans - the new champions of S America of crazy drivers!

We arrived in town well after 10pm. Luckily it is daylight until almost midnight around here! We were shocked by local prices for hotels! We found one for 64USD per night! Ouch. The most we´ve ever paid so far! But it was past 11pm by then and we had no choice, all budget options were full.

We spend a couple of nights there as I wanted to order a rear tyre for my bike. I had been in contact by email with a workshop and they could find me a tyre. After checking the prices, including transport from Santiago (2000km north!), I ordered it. The front tyre can go a bit further. Maybe they'll get changed in Bariloche.

Another thing I wanted to investigate was the Chilean navy. I´d read in my guide that sometimes they take tourists on board, at discretion of the commandant. As I was looking for their offices, I stopped a guy in uniform in the street to ask where I could find the offices. I explained my plan. The guy was actually a senior officer and confirmed that boats could take tourists if there was space in the ship. I had to do a written application. So that same afternoon, back at the hotel, I asked the lady owner permission to use her computer and printer and did my letter.

The owner was helpful and confirmed that my letter was good! Then I dropped it at the marines offices. We´ll see what comes out of it!

The next morning, we made our goodbyes to Tim as he was going to Rio Gallegos while we rode off toward Puerto Natales, the gate away to Torres del Paine National Park.

The morning was sunny but we had the worse wind ever yet! During the first hour, I could barely manage 30 or 40mph! It was terrifying! Then after an hour we stopped for coffee and to warm up a bit. Despite heated jackets we do get very cold! After that, the wind calmed a bit, enough for us to speed up.

We arrived at Puerto Natales mid-afternoon. All the hostels seemed full but we finally found a little family house with dormitories. It was small but nice and friendly.

The next morning, under yet more violent wind, we rode to the park in a rather bad gravel road. On the way a bus nearly killed us as he overtook us at full speed, inches from the bikes, the wind from the bus sending us into deep gravel! It was pure chancethat none of us fell under the bus! The park entrance fee was prohibitive, along with everything else, food, etc…  The whole place seems to be set up to extract as much money from the tourist as possible.  It is beautiful though!

We got to a camp site and set the tent. There was no electricity in the camp. This was a problem as we have only an electric water heater to do our pot noodles! I managed to beg some boiling water from one of the lads in charge of the shower blocks so we had something hot to eat that night (pot noodles!) !

That same evening 3 bikers turned up. We recognised one as being Duncan , we shared the flat in Buenos Aires with him for few days! They were planning to go hiking for 4 days and leave the bikes there with all the motorcycle gear in one tent!

We were planning to spend about 4 days in the park, but doing short treks. We are not too keen on leaving the bikes alone, especially overnight!

So the following morning, on Sunday, we had a late breakfast and after an extorsionate coffee down at the hotel, we went for a walk up the mountains. We only planned to go to the 1^st refuge, 2-3 hours walk up the mountains. Once we got there we left our shoes outside, like everybody else, as shoes were not allowed inside, and ate our packed lunch and had a coffee. Half an hour later, when we went back outside my shoes were gone! I could not believe it, at first, that someone would be $$&%// enough to steal shoes in a refuge, in the middle of nowhere!

I asked the young things in charge of the refuge to help but they did not seem too concerned and continued their lunch. So I had to make a big fuss and eventually one of them lent me some old trainers to  go down to the campsite! So I went down in shoes 2 sizes too big for me! Back to base camp, in a very bad mood, as you could imagine, I put on my bike boots and went to the administration. I dropped the trainers and asked for the police. I explained what happened. Again, they did not seem too concerned. They asked what I was going to say the police. I said I would file a claim against the administratio.  I hate the compensation culture, so prevelent in the UK, but as the administration of the park MADE you leave your shoes outside, I considered that it was fully responsible for their loss. They ignored me and fussed around like they could not find the telephone number fo the police. I heard one talking (to his boss) about foreigners having insurance etc., so I shouted through the door that I had no insurance for that and that I would take them to court! They did not seem to like that!

After an hour and a half the police turned up and I met them outside. I discussed with one and was advised to try to get a refund on my shoes from the administrator. The senior police officer went inside with me. Suddenly, they were all available and attentive! Funny what the sight of an uniform can do!

The officer went to discuss with the guy in charge. Meanwhile, a young police officer took me to one side and explained to me the procedure if  my complaint went ahead. He said that I could see the judge in town and explain my situation so that the case could be heard the same week. I have plenty of time so no problem I could hang around! The young lad told me not to tell anyone what he had advised me.

A bit later the officer called me in the office with the administrator. Then and there I had a full refund on my shoes (90 pounds) in cash!  I must admit the police was superb and incredibly helpful, so hats off for them!

I still can't believe that someone could be so callous and evil as to steal someones walking shoes halfway up a mountain.  We were only doing a short day walk but imagine if it had been someone who had come all that way, and on a tight schedule, to do the 4 day circuit.  Their holiday would have been absolutely ruined.  Maybe we are naive, or just unlucky.  Who can tell.  Still, the incident was put into perspective somewhat later in the day.  We had seen a helicopter in the morning near the hotel and it had taken off when we were having coffee.  The policeman told us it had been there to recover the body of an young Irish lad who had been missing in Chile for 2 months.  Apparently he'd left the trail, maybe to take photographs, and had fallen down the mountain.  Sad.

So the next day we had to leave. We had planned to spend 4 or 5 days there (while waiting for my tyres  to arrive in Punta Arenas) but it was not possible. I could not go hiking with my bike boots, and they are not ideal to use all day long. We packed and rode off.

About 3 miles from the camping, in a nasty rocky trail in the middle of nowhere, Alistair had a puncture in his rear tyre! Chile is really trying our patience, everything from paying double what you would pay even in London, to theft, now this! Anyway, no choice, we had to repair. Our first time.

We removed all luggage and then removed the rear whell. We put it on  a bit of flat grass and we both stood on the tyre, trying to break the bead. No way! His tyre is originally a tubeless one, so not easy!

Then Alistair remembered what we learnt at a HorizonsUnlimited meeting. We used my bike sidestand to break the bead! It worked really well. The rest was straight forward, although not easy under the strong wind!  Remove the inner tube, find the puncture, repair it, check the tyre and remove the sharp stone that caused the puncture. Check nothing else is sticking in, then put all back together.

As it happens, just when we were done, a group of 3 brazilians bikers, on big BMWs arrived to offer help! Hmmm… too late! So back on the trail then.

An hour later, at a turn of the trail, we came across 5 bikes, heavily loaded. It´s only when we all stopped and removed our helmets that we recognised them. Sebastian and a group of, you guess it, germans (with a token Dutch guy)! that we all knew since Viedma. We spent some time chatting and exchanging news, then, after a big hug, we parted.

We went back to the same B&B we were previously in Puerto Natales. A small family house with 3 dorms, with very friendly owners. The husband is a mountain guide and they were horrified by the theft of my shoes!

The following morning, we left, once the violent wind had settled a bit (i.e instead of riding at 30mph we can go up to 50 without flying off the road!). The owner actually told us to wait a bit, as the wind is sometimes so strong it sends even heavy vehicules off the road!

As we left town we saw lots of ambulances coming into town. We found out why 70km later! A bus on its side, maybe 15 metres from the road! We read later that the driver blamed it on animals in the road.  A likely story! Our experience would suggest otherwise.  I tell you, they drive like crazy here, no matter what the weather is like, they go top speed!

In Punta Arenas we found a small and cheap B&B. We then wandered to the bike workshop, where Gonzalo, the owner, told me my tyre would arrive only on Saturday! We then went shopping for shoes! As we have to spend few days here we will take opportunity for an oil change and a bit of maintenance. We also need to find saddle bags for the bikes. Ruta 40 is very isolated, and for sometimes up to 250miles of difficult gravel road, there is nothing. So on top of carrying extra fuel, we must also carry enough water and food for a couple of days. So we need a way to carry this extra luggage.  

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