From Italy helping children around the world on motorcycle

Ruta 40. Argentina​

This Segment of our trip looks like it is going to be amazing. The scenery is stunning, The desert is hot, dry, dusty and bare. Just the way we like it. We are heading south along the famous Ruta 40 until Junin de los Andes before entering Chile once again. We are crossing between Argentina and Chile a few times in this segment. We ride along the Ruta of the 7 Lakes in Argentina, crossing the park of NAHUEL HUAPI. After crossing the border into Chile, we encounter the National park of PUYEHUE which takes us along the lake that carries the same name. The Lake is stunning and to make the experience even better, the Volcano Osorno is just in front of us.

























Once we reach Puerto Mont, we realize that we need spare tires as the one we have on our motorcycles will not take us all the way to Buenos Aires. The roads are not in the best of shape therefore we stop at a moto shop in Puerto Montt and try to organize new tires to be shipped to Punta Arenas, which is still 2,500 Kilometers south. The tires should arrive in 4 to 5 days.









Now, off to start the Carretera Austral. The Road was in the process of being build but the big earthquake of 2010 put the work behind and the great majority of it is not paved. It is extremely dusty and full of rocks. This Road is interrupted by three ferries which allow us to rest a bit as the riding can be a somewhat technical at times. Both Matteo and myself are very enthusiastic about riding this Carretera Austral even in these conditions. We still have a lot of kilometers to go on this amazing Route so keep following for updates. Here some additional photos.

Our First accommodation on the Carretera Austral.​

Beautiful photos! Thanks for the update - looking forward to more!

Awesome! You have me looking forward to South America!

Great RR looking forward to more

It seams you went through a different planet. Great places. Thanks for the updates.
... and Dominator still looking good. E' un carrarmato!!!

Something Magical. After what you have done you can't skip it. Let's keep in Contact. Africa is next for us.

Different planet for sure. In a good sense that is. Just a few small problems in Colombia. All the rest was magical. We loved South America. From Colombia to Argentina. Wonderful people.

Took your advice and crossed on Ruta 41 from Baja Caracoles thru paso Robales. Was amazing! Thanks. We are currently in Chaiten.

Sara

Hello Sara. Good to hear from you guys. Make sure you keep going north on Ruta 40 until you reach Perito Moreno. From there take # 45 direction Rio Ibanez. You will ride next to "Lago Buenos Aires". There is a very small border to go back into Chile (It is called Pass Pallavicini) Just Amazing. From there you can take all the Route # 7 Carretera Austral all the way to Puerto Mont. Let me know. Cheers.

Border​

Lago Buenos Aires​

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We are still heading south juggling from Chile to Argentina. We are now in Puerto Natales about 600 Kilometers from Ushuaia. The end of the Road. We spend almost all day riding with few stops along the way to admire the fantastic scenery in front of our eyes. We follow the Carretera Austral until the little tiny village of Ibanez on the Lake Buenos Aires. From there we cut across into Argentina heading to another little town named Perito Moreno. Once again the border crossing we choose is so small that they are not connected to the national system of immigration with a computer so they let us pass with many different pieces of documents that we will have to produce once we leave Argentina to return back into Chile later in our trip.

LAGO BUENOS AIRES​

BORDER CROSSING PASS PALLAVICINI​

Our destination is El Calafate where we plan to see the Perito Moreno glacier. We are still quite far from it but we try to push as much as we can, taking advantage of the late day light that is common this time of the year in this part of the world.



We plan to at least make it to Gobernador Gregores but due to the heavy head winds are forced to camp for the night in the middle of nowhere behind a Police station. We are not the only one that night that have to stop for the famous Patagonian winds. The backyard of the Police station quickly becomes an improvised camping grounds. Many people, even with cars decide to stop. The Patagonian winds can easily reach 100 Kilometers an hour making the handling of a motorcycle very dangerous.

PATAGONIA​

The following day we are determined to get to El Calafate. I was there in 1996 when I made my first trip to Argentina. The town is completelty changed. In 1996 there was maybe 5000 people living there. Now there are more than 20000. The reason is that the clacier Perito Moreno is just 70 Kilometers away and it has become a touristic destination for many visitors. The glacier Perito Moreno is magnificent and definitly worthwhile visiting if you are in the region. Before the visit to the Perito Moreno we decide to have our first real &#8221;asado&#8221; to recuperate all that lost energy against the Patagonian winds.

PERITO MORENO​

ASADO​

Great pics love the berg

As described by the book of Bruce Chatwin “PATAGONIA”, the name Patagonia comes from the nicknames given by Magellan’s crew to the native of this land. (The Tehuelche tribe). Magellan arrived in 1520 in Puerto San Julian. The crew called these people “Patagoni” which means big feet. The look of being big footed derived from wearing heavy furs to protect their feet from the rigid climate that is experienced on this part of the planet.

Matteo in Patagonia​

We are crossing lands where nature’s strength is tangible. Even with this harsh climate and difficult landscape men-kind were able to start a life and build little villages here. Many of these places were reachable only by see. No possibilities of building any kinds of roads due to the complex land formation.

Route to the end of the world.​

Typical Landscape​

Only Augusto Pinochet in the 1980&#8242;s had the will and power to start building a road that would be known as Carretera Austral. The scope of this road was to unify Chile as a country and its path goes through many unbelievable scenery and landscapes. Many areas along the Carretera Austral have now turned into National Parks. Many Volcanos are present in this part of Chile. An example is the Volcano Chaiten that completely destroyed the village below in 2008.

La Panaderia​

Strait of Magellan​

The Carretera Austral is an amazing road that takes us along many rivers and many lakes. We will also see the biggest lake in South America: Lake General Carrera or also known as Lake Buenos Aires by the Argentinians.
As already mentioned in earlier post our route will take us to see many beautiful mountains and Lakes. Among these are the famous Fitz Roy, that amongst others creates the perfect conditions for the formation of amazing glaciers such as the Perito Moreno. This region is also known as the Park of the Yelo Sur.

Our Accommodation at La Panaderia​

another view of the Strait of Magellan​

Penelope
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In the land of Patagonia all elements of nature are present at an exponential pace, giving the travellers the true feeling of being real small in front of this power of Nature. Another impressive element, is the power of the wind that truly put our driving skills to a test. We were driving for long stretches of roads at a 45 degrees angle in relation to the asphalt. We even had to stop a couple of nights and camp along side the road as it was impossible and too dangerous to go forward. Living in this region of the planet is really not a simple task and that is the main reason why it is not very populated. Many are the islands and pieces of land that are still uninhabited.

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When we finally crossed the famous Magellan strait from Punta Arenas to Porvenir, we arrive at the Isla Grande de Tierra Del Fuego. A milestone in our trip since we can now say that we reached the real Tierra del Fuego that we dreamet when we were planning this segment of our journey. The Road south is unpaved and can be sometimes dangerous due to the unexpected crossing on the road of Guanacos. Cousin of Lamas and Alpacas.

Guanacos​

We are now about 250 Kilometers from Ushuaia. The weather is turning ugly so after a quick discussion among ourselves and Suzanne, a german lady biker on a BMW R80GS that is traveling for now 5 month alone from Anchorage Alaska, to Ushuaia, we decide to push an extra 100 Kilometers until we reach the little village of Tolhuin. There, we find ” La Panederia” which is a bakery that is known among travelers on bycicles and motorbikes that are not able to reach Ushuaia due to weather. La Panaderia is famous among travelers for their great hospitality. It offers them a warm space on the back of their store to rest for the night for free.

Part of the road to Ushuaia​

Suzanne from Germany that drove the last 350 kilometers to Ushuaia with us.
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Patagonia is also this. Cold and inhospitable but at the same time people are warm and used in providing assistance to whom wants to adventure themselves in this part of the continent.
The following morning, we are getting real close to our final destination of Ushuaia and to our surprise we see snow all around us. The scenery once again is magnificent but the cold is almost unbearable.

Middle of summer near Ushuaia​

The goal is achieved and realizing the fact that from Italy we travelled to Japan and from Alaska all the way down to Ushuaia is hard to explain. Now we have a long way back to Buenos Aires, where we will ship our motorcycles to our next destination AFRICA. On our way to Buenos Aires, we will cross the province of Santa Cruz, Chubut,Rio Negro, La Pampa and finally the province of Buenos Aires. A special thanks goes to Pablo from Ktm in La Serena, Andres in Bogota’, The Olindo family in Tangua, southern Colombia, for keeping us for 4 days during the “Paro”. Pablo ” El conductor de acero”, Claudio Calisti from “Amici dei Bambini in La Paz Bolivia. Sandra and Javier of Dakar Motosin Buenos Aires, who helped us with all necessary procedures to ship our bikes out of Argentina, and finally the children of the orphanage “Virgen de Fatima” in La Paz Bolivia among many others that often helped us on the road.

Roberto & Matteo in Ushuaia​

Ushuaia from the distance
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BOCA. La bombonera


Our Route

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fantastic photography! beautiful. You guys are doing things right!

Very soon other information and pictures.

Thanks. We loved your country. Great people. We will be back.

AFRICA​

We Can’t believe we are already looking into booking flights to Cape Town in South Africa. Our motorcycles are on the boat and they will arrive in a month from now. It seems like yesterday that i was packing my gear for what became the first segment of the trip around the world “From Italy to Mongolia”. I remember that in Greece, during that segment i was doubting myself that this dream of mine could become a reality. Three years later here we are. Still going. We went from Italy to Japan, crossing spectacular countries such as Uzbekistan and Mongolia, Then from the Canadian Arctic ocean to Ushuaia at the bottom of Argentina, crossing of course all beautiful Central America, and now the last but not least continent. AFRICA. So many expectations and hopes. Of course we will try to document as much as possible this truly magical journey that we are soon about to take. We don’t usually have a set itinerary when we travel but below is a rough estimate of our route.

After helping the children of “Kindergarden 58&#8243; in Mongolia, The “Virgen de fatima” in Bolivia we are now trying to make a little difference to the children of the Tumaini children foundation in Arusha Tanzania. With your help, Matteo and myself, are hoping to replicate the success of the previous projects undertaken in the past.

TUMAINI CHILDREN’S FOUNDATION​

Tumaini Children’s Foundation is a not for profit, charitable organization dedicated to the care, support and education of orphaned and needy children in and around Usa River, Arusha, Tanzania. TUMAINI Children’s Foundation, or (TUCHIFO, – acronyms are VERY popular in Tanzania) has acquired its NGO registration (United Republic of Tanzania, Non-Governmental Organization Act, 2002, Section 12(2) of Act. No. 24 of 2002, Certificate No. 3232) and has received charitable registration approval from Revenue Canada. TUCHIFO has no religious affiliation, most simply put; the level of need dictates the level of assistance TUCHIFO provides.

Tanzania is one of the poorest countries in the world. In 2008 it was ranked (based on 2006 stats) 162nd out of 177 countries on the UNDP Human Development Index. Canada was ranked #3. This index references quality of life, life expectancy, standards of living, education, etc. Malaria kills one in five Tanzanian children. The human decimation of HIV/AIDS has left a population of almost 50% children (under fourteen years of age). Less than 5% of children in Tanzania complete secondary school and many will not even finish their primary educations because of the cost. For one child to attend public school, (where classes approximate one hundred students per teacher and students attend without pens, pencils, paper, desks, etc.) a family must allocate the equivalent of almost $100 Cdn. per child to cover the cost of: watchman/water/school maintenance/desk $40; uniform shirts (2) $10; uniform skirt/trouser $10; uniform sweater $10, uniform shoes and polish $15, uniform socks $2, school book bag $5; exercise books $5. $100 equates to ¼ of the average annual household income of $395 Cdn. and is impossible for most families to commit to a child’s education. TUCHIFO’s objective is to acquire sponsorship for all of our children to attend non-government schools, where classes are closer to 30 students/teacher and children are taught English (public primary education is taught in Swahili), which they will require to continue in secondary school because that is taught in English. Lacking a fundamental understanding of English, both written and spoken is a serious impediment to educational advancement. Private school tuition averages Cdn. $600/year/child plus the cost of uniforms (Cdn. $50). “Our vision is to support our children through secondary and even post secondary education in order to give them the best chance at a full life.” Says Mrs Cherie Szucs, Founder of the Tumaini Children foundation.

Our Intended Route

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I really like This Photo.

Thanks. It was taken in Patagonia. Argentina. Pretty soon some great ones from Africa.

Great!

We Can’t believe we are already looking into booking flights to Cape Town in South Africa. Our motorcycles are on the boat and they will arrive in a month from now. It seems like yesterday that i was packing my gear for what became the first segment of the trip around the world “From Italy to Mongolia”. I remember that in Greece, during that segment i was doubting myself that this dream of mine could become a reality. Three years later here we are. Still going. We went from Italy to Japan, crossing spectacular countries such as Uzbekistan and Mongolia, Then from the Canadian Arctic ocean to Ushuaia at the bottom of Argentina, crossing of course all beautiful Central America, and now the last but not least continent. AFRICA. So many expectations and hopes. Of course we will try to document as much as possible this truly magical journey that we are soon about to take. We don’t usually have a set itinerary when we travel but below is a rough estimate of our route.

​

After helping the children of “Kindergarden 58&#8243; in Mongolia, The “Virgen de fatima” in Bolivia we are now trying to make a little difference to the children of the Tumaini children foundation in Arusha Tanzania. With your help, Matteo and myself, are hoping to replicate the success of the previous projects undertaken in the past.

TUMAINI CHILDREN’S FOUNDATION​

​

Tumaini Children’s Foundation is a not for profit, charitable organization dedicated to the care, support and education of orphaned and needy children in and around Usa River, Arusha, Tanzania. TUMAINI Children’s Foundation, or (TUCHIFO, – acronyms are VERY popular in Tanzania) has acquired its NGO registration (United Republic of Tanzania, Non-Governmental Organization Act, 2002, Section 12(2) of Act. No. 24 of 2002, Certificate No. 3232) and has received charitable registration approval from Revenue Canada. TUCHIFO has no religious affiliation, most simply put; the level of need dictates the level of assistance TUCHIFO provides.





Hello friends,family and followers. We have arrived in Capetown for a few days now and unfortunatly we weren’t able to pick up our bikes and start the adventure right away. It is a long story but hopefully this delay will not jeopardize our mission to help less fortunate children in this magnificent continent.

Matteo and myself always had positive attitude in our journey around the world and that has helped us in finding people always willing to help us whatever the situation might have been. In this respect we have to mention David and Jennifer. They are the owners of the B&B we are staying. They helped us maintaining our stress level to a minimum while we were trying to clear some bureaucratic procedure in town. Their house is warm and welcoming. If you visit the city in the future we highly recommend to stay at their place.

David and Jennifer with some friends welcoming us​

David and Jennifer​

At Home with Zorro,Perdy and Kylie​

Another amazing person is Adrian. Adrian is the owner of ECONOTRANS which is the company we used to ship our motorcycles to South Africa. Adrian has helped us immensely. His expertise and know-how were crucial to our departure. Again, if anyone plans to ship their vehicle to South Africa to/from anywhere in the world, ECONOTRANS is the company to contact.

Adrian Schultz from Econotrans​

Let’s not forget we are in a pretty special place full of culture and history so let’s go and explore as much as possible while we wait the permission to depart on our journey with our bikes toward Tanzania.
















You can’t be in Cape Town and don’t go visit Robben Island.

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Robben Island is internationally known for the fact that Nobel Laureate and former President of South Africa Nelson Mandela was imprisoned on Robben Island for 18 of the 27 years he served behind bars before the fall of apartheid. Robben Island is both a South African National Heritage Site as well as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Panorama Of Cape town.​

Political leaders that were in prison in Robben Island. Mandela is the second from left​

Political prisoners going back home after being released at the end of apartheid.​

Nelson Mandela cell​

Matteo in Nelson Mandela cell.​