Andreas Sommer is RISER AMBASSADOR and shares his motorcycle experiences with you on the RISER Journal. This adventure is about Andreas’ journey to Chile and Argentina. Follow him on the RISER App, check out his routes and stay up to date on his latest tips!
DAY 1 – ZURICH – SANTIAGO
Zurich. We depart at 9 o’clock in the evening. Our wifes drop us at the airport of Kloten and we take a farewell drink at the Bye-Bye bar. On our way to Santiago, we have to stop at Paris and rush through the terminals to catch our non-stop flight to Chile. Luckily the reservations for the seats went well and we the space between us remained free. Starting at midnight we are supposed to reach Santiago next morning at 9.00 a.m. local time. Since the import of fruits is not granted, Bruno quickly starts eating his last banana before landing approach. Short waiting for luggage and then we proceed to customs. Everything works well and after the drug (vegetable-) dog checked Bruno’s backpack, we can go continue.
DAY 2 – SANTIAGO – LA CALERA / 140km
We find a counter where we can book a taxi that takes us to the motorcycle rental store where we grab our bikes. We get two identical BMW F700 GS equipped with side cases and a tank bag. We soon begin to empty our travels bags and start to pack our stuff onto the bikes. Due to demonstrations in town, it takes us some time to find a way out and unfortunately the sat nav has a problem with the bikes power supply. After some time riding in circles we find the motorway and head north. 100 kilometers later we try to find a hotel but Bruno’s navigation system only works when we stop.
The first motel we found looked a bit dubious but only after entering it, we find out that this is more likely a hotel where people only spend some hours, not the whole night. And of course no breakfast is served. We decide to move further. The next hotel is located outside the city. And not what we are looking for. So we head back into town. A little later we find a place to stay and call it a day.
Half an hour and a beer later, the hotel closes its doors and we are happy that we got a room. Walking outside to get some food, we recognise that there is curfew in this town. We walk through empty streets and all bars and restaurants are closed. No food for us this evening. We head back to the hotel, have a shower and go to bed. Tomorrow is another day…
Stay tuned for more stories from Andreas’ adventure in South America.