Our little adventure has already been archived in our memories.
It took us 1 week to collect all our stuff that we had stored with our friends around London (Thank you to all of you), but in the end it was a rather painless exercise. (much much easier than we expected)
In fact we were surprised to find out that so little had changed during our absence: even the adverts on the radio are the same!
The bike, the scooter and the car were perfectly working in spite of being parked for 6 months.
Everybody is asking about the trip and interestingly enough people are more curious about the problems rather than the happy moments.
The key question everybody asks is: “have you had any tricky moments”.
Inevitably we end up talking about breaking the bike in Ecuador and Chile, being stuck in the Canyon del Pato or the Bolivian desert or crossing the Drake passage.
The BMW on the other end is still in South America. It is scheduled to sail on the 22nd of February on the Rio Madeira boat and probably get here at the beginning of March.
We keep our fingers crossed and track on the internet every movement of the Rio Madeira.
It is now the time to draw some conclusions and share some knowledge with anyone who might be interested in doing the same type of trip.
1) Before it’s too late = As we always said one of the purposes of this trip was to create awareness about conservation. So, is it really that bad? Are we really destroying our planet? Is economic development inexorably clashing against conservation of natural resources? I am afraid the answer has to be more yes than no. During our trip we seriously struggled to spot any sort of wild life. Our “hunt” (eventually successful) for the condor is a typical example of that.
We spent 4 months on Andeans national parks of Colombia Ecuador Peru’ Bolivia Chile and Argentina to eventually spot a condor. Even our trip to Antarctica rewarded us with very little wild life sights: 2 whales, 3 Orcas (in the far distance) 5 seals and, ok, an army of penguins!. During our lectures on the boat we learnt about the indiscriminate massacre of whales and seals that took place in the last century that pretty much brought these species on the brink of extinction.
We spent 4 months on Andeans national parks of Colombia Ecuador Peru’ Bolivia Chile and Argentina to eventually spot a condor. Even our trip to Antarctica rewarded us with very little wild life sights: 2 whales, 3 Orcas (in the far distance) 5 seals and, ok, an army of penguins!. During our lectures on the boat we learnt about the indiscriminate massacre of whales and seals that took place in the last century that pretty much brought these species on the brink of extinction.
Economic development is clearly one of the main reasons of the destruction of nature as a whole. South American countries face the difficult dilemma of protecting their environment and at the same time feed their population. What we find particularly disappointing is the fact that the exploitation of the natural resources is in fact perpetrated by multinational firms (i.e. from the West) that pocket the rewards and give back very little to the local communities.
But it is not all doom and gloom.
We have also seen some good examples of conservation that led to development.
The Galapagos are a typical example of that. Ecuadorian authorities and the population are very switched on and trying hard to protect their natural environment.
Another jewel was the Torres del Paine national park in Chile. As we said in our post we could not spot a single piece of paper or litter in our 25kms hike.
2) The economy of the trip = When we left at the end of July we wondered whether the rents from our flats (after costs and tax) would be sufficient to cover the cost of the trip. The answer I am afraid is no. To be fair it was almost enough to cover our day to day cost of travelling (food, accommodation, petrol, sightseeing etc). But certainly it wasn’t enough to cover what we call our extraordinary expenses: The shipping backward and forward of the bike (£2600) The return flight to South America (£2100) , The internal flights in South America (£3000), The trip to Antarctica (£8500), The maintenance of the bike, carnet de passage, travel insurance, bike insurance, warranty with the bank (£1700)
3) Leaving for 6 months or longer = The incidence of your fixed costs on the overall budget of the trip is clearly an argument in favour of going away for a longer period of time. (i.e. the cost of shipping the bike does not change if you stay 6 or 12 months). Even the variable costs would have reduced. For example spending more time in the same place without the need of rushing to the next, would have allowed us to select self catering accommodation that are certainly cheaper than staying at hotels and eat at restaurants all the time. Let’s remember that food and accommodation represent 2/3 of your variable expenses. In fact I can safely say that, with a little bit of belt tightening, with the money we spent over 6 months we could have lived a whole year in South America. Finally we could have counted on 12 months rent rather than 6 to cover our costs.
Another argument in favour of going away for longer is the amount of time and effort you put before and after the trip to prepare for it. As it takes months (or even years) to prepare for such a long break, you might want to make the most of it and stay away longer.
On the other hand there are some disadvantages in going away for longer than 6 months. The re-integration in your normal life back at home is certainly less traumatic if you go away only for 6 months. As employee it is very unlikely that your employer will keep your position open for over 6 months, which means you will have to quit your job all together. As self employed I noticed that my business did not suffer at all while I was away, but I get the feeling that it would have been a different story if I had been absent for longer.
The “routine” of being away might also playing a key factor in your choice. Ultimately a trip like this has to be something special. As you wake up every morning, getting ready to see or do something special, you want to have that “wow” feeling beating inside.
After the initial excitement of being away on a bike trip, we noticed after 3 or 4 months a bit of tiredness. Little things like spending 30 minutes in the morning and 30 minutes in the evening packing the bike and unpacking the bike, checking in and out hotels begun to take a toll on us.
In fact I must say that, as much as we were disappointed of not having the bike for 6 weeks (while being repaired), we were very happy to get the “wow factor” back when we finally recollected the bike on the 22nd of December. It was almost like starting a new adventure.
4) Packing the bike = When you go away on a bike on a long journey what you take with you is fairly relevant for the success and enjoyment of your venture. You want to be connected, not disconnected. In a storm you want to be dry, not wet. In the mountains you would rather feel warm, not freezing. And so on.
As a general rule you want to take the essential without over killing. The luggage space on the bike is fairly limited. Clothes are a key subject. Yes, we did make the mistake of taking away clothes that we never used in 6 months. My advice is to take away very little. Ultimately if you really need some extra clothes you can always buy (or rent) them while away. You will buy clothes anyway since they are cheap (jeans for $5) and because you want some souvenirs to take back home (Peruvian alpaca jumpers).
Technology is key too. A good mobile a good computer and a good camera are a must in the modern era of bike travelling
Finally there is the subject about spare parts and tools. Some bikers travel with huge amounts of spare parts and tools. Personally I am in favour of taking very little (just enough to fix a tyre). You don’t carry all those tools when you travel back at home, while would you do that abroad? Ultimately they all have motorcycles in these countries, which means there are always mechanics and spare parts available.
We can also assure you that if you get stranded somewhere it is more likely you will get help from people passing by than if you were back in the “civilised” world.
To sum this up our advice is simple: quality over quantity. Take very little with you when you leave but make sure it has the right quality.
5) Good brands VS cheap brands = In view of what we said above we would like to make a list of brands that, in our experienced, proved to produce quality products and a list of brands that.....let us down:
GOOD BRANDS
Sony Ericsson = The Experia smart phone proved to be a versatile object during the whole trip. After downloading the Mapdroyd program we constantly used it as map on the road and in town without the need to be connected. The vast majority of pictures and movies taken during the trip were taken using this mobile (rather than the Canon cvamera). We also stored all our PDF guides that we were able to use on the go. The battery of the mobile eventually gave in just few days before the end of the trip having being exposed to Antarctic weather and tropical storms.
Kathmandu = Both our zip trousers and long sleeve shirts performed extremely well. We were so pleased with their quality that we ended up wearing them constantly. Even though they were washed at 90 degrees in public laundry they maintained their shape and still look as new.
North Face = Our NF Goretex jackets are 100% waterproof. No matter whether you are in the Antarctic, on the Andes or in a tropical storm, water will not get through.
Salomon = Just like the NF jacket our Goretex Salomon trainers are 100% waterproof. They are the perfect compromise between a light pair of trainers and some heavy trekking boots.
Alpinestars = 100% waterproof motorcycle boots, very resistant but at the same time comfortable.
Dainese = Our Goretex Jackets trousers and gloves are the perfect compromise between comfort, dryness and security. We wore them every day for 6 months and never regretted buying them.
Arai = Great quality and comfortable helmets.
Kriega = When we bought our motorcycle bags we didn’t know what to expect. What a great surprise. They are very strong, absolutely waterproof, easy to pack and versatile, since they can be used as rucksack too.
Trip advisor = Thanks to trip advisor we were able to pick the most suitable accommodation and restaurants during the whole trip. We never had a bad surprise. What a great tool.
Maui Jim = When I stamped on my Maui Jim specticles in the Canyon del Pato in Peru' I was gutted as I broke both arms of my favourite glasses which made them completely useless. I almost threw them away but in the end I decided to keep the lenses. Back in London I contacted the firm and they told me to send the broken glasses to them. Maui Jim fully replaced the arms with new ones, cleaned the glasses and sent them back to me in no time in a brand new case. All for free. What a great service!
Maui Jim = When I stamped on my Maui Jim specticles in the Canyon del Pato in Peru' I was gutted as I broke both arms of my favourite glasses which made them completely useless. I almost threw them away but in the end I decided to keep the lenses. Back in London I contacted the firm and they told me to send the broken glasses to them. Maui Jim fully replaced the arms with new ones, cleaned the glasses and sent them back to me in no time in a brand new case. All for free. What a great service!
BRANDS THAT LET US DOWN
Kappa = when Elena’s gym bag broke in Calafate we invested £50 to buy a small Kappa rucksack as replacement. The zip of the bag lasted 24 hrs. Even a free bag from Elena’s gym performed better!!!
Canon = We bought our Canon camera only 12 months ago. We have never used since we actually preferred the quality of the pictures taken with the mobile. We eventually began to use it in Antarctica as we needed a much powerful zoom. The camera only lasted 5 days and then it broke.
Packard bell = It is fair to say that our mini laptop has bravely survived the shaking inflicted during the 6 months trip. On the other hand it is a very slow machine, it often crashes and takes ages to power up (5/10 minutes). It is time to switch to Apple!
Lonely Planet = We appreciate that this is a travel guide designed primarily for backpackers, which means the places that they tend to recommend come with the only quality of being cheap. On the other hand the information on restaurants and hotel is often out of date and this is why we ended up using Trip advisor. It has to be said that the PDF version is quite handy as it can be stored both on computer and mobile (we wish the Rough guide had PDF versions too).
BMW = We feel bad about placing BMW in this section. To be fair we have been BMW customers for over 6 years and we had never been let down before. However during our journey this brand let us down heavily both in term of quality and service.
The electric system broke down only after 10,000 kms, and just before reaching Buenos Ayres we noticed that also the exhaust was making a very unhealthy noise (we will get it tested once the bike arrives in the UK).
The service was poor because they did not fix the electric problem when we brought the problem to their attention the first time and it took them over 6 weeks to get it fixed on the 2nd attempt.
The problem is very simple: old BMW bikes are very reliable and simple to repair. New BMW are filled with technology that breaks down easily and it is difficult (impossible) to repair.
Our advice: Buy an old BMW, not a new one. We regret we sold our old 2005 GS to buy a very unreliable 2011 one.
Well, that is it. Thank you again for the support we had from all the readers over the last 6 months.
We hope we provided useful information to anyone who might be interested in doing a similar trip.
From our part all we can say is that we hope we are not going to be “off the road” for too long.
Paolo and Elena
