Day 76-77-78

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Nov 18th Day 76. Get up at 8am pack my the few things I actually took out last night and checked out of the

back on the side of the road

back on the side of the roadapartment from the night before.  Get down to the bike shop at 9 on the dot and they said shes ready.  We test drove her last night for a hr everything seems good man you shouldnt have any problems.  So I load up my bags on her and off I go.  I get out of the city and started back up the coast when I realize something feels fucked up.  The bike was just super wobbly so I pull over to the side of the road look at the front end an everything seems find.  Check out the rear and well what do you know. I have a flat fucking tire so im thinking you go to be kidding me.  I was due for a new rear tire anyways and wanted the guy to throw one on but got side track by just getting the damn bike fixed.  So I pull out the plug kit  (tires are tubeless) and get the small air compressor I bought for 18$ plug the hole up and have her rubber all filled back up in probably like 30mins.  I start off thinking

apartment from the night before.  Get down to the bike shop at 9 on the dot and they said shes ready.  We test drove her last night for a hr everything seems good man you shouldnt have any problems.  So I load up my bags on her and off I go.  I get out of the city and started back up the coast when I realize something feels fucked up.  The bike was just super wobbly so I pull over to the side of the road look at the front end an everything seems find.  Check out the rear and well what do you know. I have a flat fucking tire so im thinking you got to be kidding me.  I was due for a new rear tire anyways and wanted the guy to throw one on but got side track by just getting the damn bike fixed.  So I pull out the plug kit  (tires are tubeless) and get the small air compressor I bought for 18$ plug the hole up and have her rubber all filled back up in probably like 30mins.  I start off thinking

wake up to this amazingness

wake up to this amazingness

well hope thats the last of it. I ride for 10hrs that day to some town I am not sure of along the coast were I get this amazing steak sub on the side of the road.  After I finish that up its probably 10 o clock so its dark out I ride for a few more mins till I see a camping sign ahead. Pull down this road till I can see on my gps I am practically in the ocean.  I park Betty grab my tent and everything else and set up for the night listening to the waves crash like 20ft away.  Day 77 pack all my camping shit up enjoy the ocean morning setting before moving further up north to the hand of the

made it to the HAND OF THE DESERT

made it to the HAND OF THE DESERT

desert.   I get to the area within 3hrs grab some photos and then head into the next city of Antofagasta where I am hoping I can get a tire for this thing.  I pull up to a motorcycle shop they dont have anything just dirt bike tires.  He tells me theres a car tire shop down the street maybe they do.  In my brain im thinking no god damn way but yes sure ill check it out.  Get down there and yeah they didnt have a offroad tire or so we thought.  I look up and see this beefy ass offroad tire  in the corner of all these car tires and say what about that one.  We look it was the diameter of my tire but wider so I said there is plenty of room in my swing arm that will do.  I asked can they put it on for me and within minutes they have my bike jack up right there in the street and tire off. 18$ to have my tire change and it was all done like a god

nascar tire change

nascar tire change

damn nascar race in the middle of the sidewalk within like 15 -20mins.  So now that the tire is fixed I sure feel a whole lot more comfortable going 80mphs I grab some food and head to San Pedro Atacama.  I get to san pedro just at sunset cruise into the town park the bike wander the streets looking for a hotel. Everythin was either like 200 a night or sold out because apparently there is some music fest going on.  I look at my gps see I am not far from the border so figure fuck it ill just ride slow in the dark towards the border an camp nearby.  Well I get 30mins out of town and it starts to get fucking cold.  I look at my gps an see I am climbing in elevation so here I am going up the god damn ande mtns again.  I see a bunch of places to camp but for some reason I never stop but eventually I pull up to this look out point or something I dont even know cause its pitch black out I havent seen anything not even cars in over a hour.  So get off the bike cold as shit windy

shit this is where i slept last night

shit this is where i slept last night

as hell and walk around this little area with a flashlight.  Its all sand so I am thinking its like a camp site now.  At this point I dont care so what it is I cause havent even seen a car in over a hour so no one is really going to say I cant be here so I am camping here. I throw my tent up in the corner of these two walls to try to avoid the wind.  Day 78 I didnt sleep worth shit wake up at 6am miserable cause the wind is just ripping around outside. So I figure fuck it ill pack this shit up taking my time and head to the border. Get out of my tent and realize I was staying at a tourist outlook place.  It over looked the salt flats of chile (by the way to get a idea of where I am at im in the upper corner of chile near bolivia and argentina)  So I am kinda thinking shit there will probably be tourist coming here in a few hours I better get the hell

early bird gets the worm well gets to the border first

early bird gets the worm well gets to the border first

out of here.  So I attempt to break down my tent but wind is still nuts.  So it definitely took me forever. Finally get packed up and on the road still freezing by the way and get to the border in like 15mins.  I wait there for almost a hour cause I get there not to much after 7 the border doesnt open till 8 so i am first in line.  Once the border opens I pull up kinda worried cause its the argentina flag waving and I never got stamped out of chile.  So fuck it go into the building and its the nicest damn border crossing they have both countries inside. Its 1 2 3 4 get stamped out of chile stamped into argentina get my bike exported out of chile get my bike imported into argentina. So god damn easy and so happy about it. I leave the border crossing and like I mentioned I am like 2hrs from the last town there is nothing in site but randomly theres a gas station not to far which I am incredibly thankful for cause I need gas and dieing for hot tea or chocolate anything hot.  So I pull up fill up on gas pull over to the store area an go inside (where now all the truck drivers that do this crossing daily are) Well as we all know truck drivers are savages so they ate up all the breakfast shit and there is like a 5min line and I dont see no hot chocolate.  So I am like fuck

4900meters high and a million curves ahead

4900meters high and a million curves ahead

this an just get on the bike an hopefully theres another town soon.  Well come to find out there is not shit I am driving through these flats then mtns than flats with nothing in site.  I go down this insane fucking mountain  which at the top there was a sign for 4900meters so 16000ft literally insane and it looked down on the road I am about to take where I never seen so many damn turns in my life.  So I start going down just enjoying the road really awesome views probably the best scenery mtn road I been on in my eyes. I get into this beautiful small town called Purmamarca. With the most insane rock coloration I have ever saw. I grab some food and finally able to exchange some money so now I feel more comfortable about going to a gas station just in case they dont take card.  Leave this awesome town which I wanted to stay in so bad but I had to keep moving and most importantly finally get gas.  After 2 miles over the normal time I run out of gas I end up pulling into a station and luckily they take card so I get to keep the small amout of money that I got exchange earlier.  I get back on the road an ride for 13hrs where I pass this small town that looked happening (it was fri night) called Las Lomitos  and figured I find a place semi nearby to camp for the night.  After I pull off to get away from the town and the lights cruising a long a fucking bird runs right into the side of my head.  Not sure if I killed the fucker or not but it scared the living shit out of me. Anyways shortly later I pull down the embankment off the main road onto what looks like a tractor path.  And no more than 10m/30ft theres a electric fence so I figure fuck it Ill just sleep right here.  I pull the bike sideways to block me from the main road an throw up the tent where I endulge on some a nice MRE food. (the shit the military eats)

Purmamarca - such a rad town with amazing colors

Purmamarca – such a rad town with amazing colors

About the Author
Tattoo Artist who is traveling around the world on his Motorcycle. No holding back on what he likes and dislikes this is all just opinion coming from first hand experiences.