Onward to Uruguay by ferry S34 28.240 W57 50.967
Trip Start
Oct 20, 2009
1
11
159
Trip End
Jun 23, 2010
Buenos Aires, Argentina
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Having loaded up the bikes in the underground carpark the previous night, we were able to get an early (7am) start to ride in convoy to Puerto Madero to board the ferry. We received many stares and drivers slowed down to have a look at us. They were waving and giving us the thumbs up and gave us some space on the road which was much appreciated. At the traffic lights they asked us where we were from and other relevant questions.
Through Immigration, you wouldn't believe it, the officer saw Des’s passport and noticed he was born in Ireland, which prompted him to ask which part of Ireland he was from. Apparently the Officer studied English in Dublin (where Des was born) and stayed in the same village where Des grew up, Clondalkin. Just proves it’s a small world after all.
I don’t know what it is about Des, but once again they singled him out for another body search, paying particular attention to the padding in his riding pants, around the knees and hips, but paying no mind at all to the Leatherman Knife, in his belt.
One thing we have used a lot so far on the trip is the 4 plug power board, thanks to who ever gave us that tip!
URUGUAY – COLONIA – HOT AS HELL – 29.10.09
S34 28.240 W57 50.967
The ferry trip was relaxing and gave me time to catch up on some Pod writing. The waterway we crossed was like a millpond and the bikes did not even need to be strapped to the deck! A bit of a worry for Lou. There were 4 other BMW 1200 motorbikes on the ferry.
We rode off the ferry into a very hot Uruguay. Of course we had all our heavy riding gear on and became quite heat stressed very quickly. The Customs Officer was unfamiliar with the vehicle Carnae and kept us standing in the sun for some time while he was on the walkie talkie to the main office. Eventually we had to follow behind his vehicle to Customs House. As each of us headed off individually, we became a bit separated, and I was left to try and catch up. I found myself on the wrong side of the road with a bus coming in my direction, yikes! I just stopped. I had taken a turn too early, luckily Lou came to look for me and beckoned me on to the next street. I was on a narrow, gravel road, with 50Kg of gear on my bike in full leathers on a 35 degree day, about to negotiate a U turn with a crowd of male onlookers and a bus load of passengers. Unfazed, I slowly maneuvered the bike around being careful not to jam on the brake. A 3-point turn saw me safely on my way again to the shaking heads of the male onlookers. I must admit, I was pretty proud of myself and maybe cool on the outside but shaking inside.
After a few more wrong turns in tandem, (must have looked funny to anyone following us). We located Hostel Colonial and asked for two double rooms, which were unavailable, but we could have a dormitory with six bunk beds for just the four of us. We asked if there would be room for storing our bikes somewhere and the answer was, yes. We couldn’t wait to get some of our hot gear off, so we paid $13.80 each per night and settled in. We had only ridden 3 kilometers and were totally spent. In fact we’ve only done 29kms in 10 days, pretty poor really considering this is a motorbike journey.
Comments
Jen ...
... you are totally AMAZING!