Author: Pete Callaghan

As I mentioned in a previous post, Colombia is an amazing place. Simply put, it is gorgeous and the people are some of the friendliest I encountered in South America. For a nation with its chequered history of civil war and cocaine infamy, you could be forgiven for thinking the Colombians might be a little…

It’s rare that a day goes by when I don’t get asked about my trip. These encounters with (mostly) locals and (occasionally) other travellers usually occur in service stations or restaurants. After all, these places are when I am most likely to be interacting with others with the bike present. Sometimes they happen in hostals…

Ayampe is a place where people disappear. Just a few dusty streets tucked into tropical greenery between the main north-south coast road and the beach, this tiny village on Ecuador’s southern coast is famed for its surf break.  That’s what attracts most folk. That, and the wide, grey sand beach. The bath-temperature water. The balmy…

Northern Peru really wasn’t doing it for me, especially on the coast. I found it flat, dirty and uninspiring, and was looking for a change of scenery. I stopped in Chiclayo for a couple of nights, mainly to see the Huaco Chotuna, but there wasn’t much else there that compelled me to stay. The Huaca…

I caught up with Remco – a repaired Royal Enfield Himalayan under his butt – in Arica. He lobbed at the hostel where we were staying for a couple of days, to join our little border convoy to Peru. It was great to see him again, and we spent a good while catching each other…

So I made it to Peru. If you have been following some of the previous posts, you will know the political upheavals and protests in that country were causing problems for locals and travellers alike. Especially in the south of Peru – in places such as Puno, Arequipa and Cusco – roadblocks and (occasionally violent)…

While in Bolivia working out how to proceed with the rest of this journey, I thought it might be worth having a bit of a look around the place. As mentioned in the last post, after Uyuni I headed for Potosi – or Villa Imperial de Potosi, as it was formally (and formerly) known. It…

One of the main reasons I came to Bolivia was to visit the Salar de Uyuni – the world’s largest salt flats. While getting into the country was a little convoluted (see last post), everything was smooth sailing once I made it to Oruro. From there, it was a straightforward run of just over 300km…

I spent Christmas in Pucón – a very nice place to harbour for the festive season. Hooked a beaut apartment on AirBnB, did several loads of washing, treated myself to a haircut and beard trim, caught up with family and friends via WhatsApp and Messenger, and cooked myself a rather nice Chrissy dinner. From there…

About a third of the way between Gobernador Gregores and Perito Moreno, I met Remco. We were battling the relentless winds along this stretch of Ruta 40 in Argentina, and I happened upon him with his Royal Enfield Himalayan parked on the side of the road. I pulled up to check he was okay (which…