Radioman Rides the World.......

Mark...I'm glad your F800 GS is holding up quite well. I have a friend who had an '09 and it broke under warranty andBMW wouldn't fix it...Very long story there...keep on riding that sucker. Been loving this epic RR and adventure...look forward to much more...

Sent from my DROID RAZR HD using Tapatalk 2

While I am in Buenos Aires I am getting so many details ready for the next step of my ride. It is amazing all the stuff that has to happen for the carnet (will go into the process later). It is not "hard" but you have to do all the steps, also booking flights, arranging for some other gear replacements and other things like money.

Had some spare time so I started cleaning my Bags. They were full of dirt and are not spotless :)



But time to relax, share a nice meal with Claude and Benjamin (hitchhiking around SA then asia for a year)



One of the sculptures called the Thinker made from the original molds (there are 28 around the world). Just down the street



As my Wise KIWI friend said after seeing it , and the deposits of bird dropping on the sculpture...... "if you think too much you will get Shat on"



Some nice building around the square.



We also booked a ferry for Friday morning from Buenos Aires to Colonia, Uruguay. Claude is joining me on a last little ride up the coast of Uruguay into southern beach towns of Brazil. Will be a fun trip

Along with all the online searching, communicating and such.... We had some folks over to our place for socializing



and then across the street for dinner! Diego from BA rides a 650 GS, Claude, Thanasis riding a r1200GSA is from greece, and he was at Christmas party in Ushuaia, Then a woman from Germany and one of Claudes spanish school classmates from Germany Viktor! Was a fun evening. Including the phase "thats Dangerous" and "Not going to happen"





Diego showing us his bike.

I would be interested how do you like these cases so far. Seems they have held up well, even in the crash you had, though I recall one came off when that happened not sure if any repairs were needed. Also if you ever use them as water or fuel reserve.

Thanks again Radioman

The Hepco Becker cases have done well. I did epoxy a couple spots after grinding them down on the pavement. But I have not used the Gobi bags for carrying any water...

Are those the same cases you used on the boxer GS? Look familiar.

I continue to enjoy checking on your progress and where you're off to next.

Was looking at maps today...

Thanks for taking us along.
David

PS, for riders you meet who headed this way, be sure to have them PM me
if they need anything here. Once in a while I hear of travelers who have
problems and don't reach out to the Alaska ADV community, which is too
bad since there are many who'll lend a hand. And always up for conversation.

Thanks for your Generous offer!! I will be sure to share your kindness with others! :Thumb

The boxes are the same brand, but I ended up buying a used pair for the F800.



*** Will have a large post ... but internet is slow and cannot upload any photos. All I can say is that I made it to Brazil!!! Have a beach side place to stay and it has been fun

Friday morning Claudio and I had reservations on the ship from Buenos Aires to Colonia, Uruguay so we could ride up the coast!

Got out to our bikes and his front tire was low and so was my rear tire. Started off with a ride to the gas station to get air.



Riding in downtown Buenos Aires.They have room for motos right next to the crosswalks. Bikes split lanes to the front



Another beautiful day in BA



Then to the ship.



Had to go through exit and enter to Urugauy and also exit Aduana (customs) for our bikes, before we boarded.



We took the fast boat which took just one hour.



Once we came off the boat, we had to stop and get paperwork fro Aduana.



All hand done paperwork here





On the ferry my rear tire was flat again :huh so we looked for a shop so I could replace the tire as on closer inspection..... I needed a new one. Cracks with radial steel showing :eek1



No luck in town, so we needed a bank. A nice woman on a scooter showed us the way.





Since everything was closed for Siesta... We decided to see how bad the tire was and ride the 100 miles to Montevideo to find a tire.



Did not get too far and it was clear I needed to pull the tire and patch the tube. As I was pulling my tire off, the neighborhood kids all came to check it out. Then Claude started taking photos with the kids. They were loving it! I had to stop the tire change just to get some photos.



Just as I was wrapping up this nice woman, Natalia and her son Camile stopped to see if we needed anything. Very Very nice interaction with the nicest Uruguian People!!




Once in Montevideo, found a moto shop. I was in checking on a tire and there was a TV crew doing another story, but saw our bikes and did an interview with Claude





Claude probably made the evening news!!




Ended up at a different moto shop. They had a tire to fit, but had to wait for the guy to walk and get it.



Also liked the selection of shocks to fit the local bikes



Found the tire shop... Note the sign. Danger do not pass into the work area. Not enforced here



In Punta del Este is another hand sculpture by Chilean artist Mario Irrazábal, like the one in Northern Chile





We are having a fun ride together. Claude is a super nice Canadian who lives in Florida. He is spontaneous



A family stopped to ask about our ride....and of course take some photos!



It is getting dark and we were looking for a room. They were very expensive.... As we were checking on one hotel room and Claude came out and said.... They want $300 USD Yikes. A very nice Argentinian woman was walking by., and said she knew a place across the road. She started to direct us, then Claude offered her a ride......



We rode to the hotel and she said.... My daughter left for the night you can stay in the other room of my hotel.... Amazing.

At her hotel the owner has a motorcycle collection. This is Marcela from Buenos Aires!! We had great conversations!



Then she suggests a Restaurant in nearby town.



Really amazing dinner!! WOW.



The fish special was really really amazing !



We ended up the night at a party of one of the employees of the restaurant.



It was out in the middle of nowhere, but they had a DJ, lights music for dancing. Full moon creeping out



It was a memorable night for sure!

Wait...Brazil and Beach pictures....can't wait!

Congrats on making it to Brazil!

Punta Del Este, Uruguay is a very upscale place, like South Beach, Malibu, or Carmel. Lots of very expensive Cars, People and food.

But there is also the other half. Maybe I need to hook up my GS and do some yardwork along the way



Glad there was no fire last night.



On our way north we stopped to say hello to Pablo where the party was last night... It was afternoon He said people were still dancing at 7am.



We are riding along the beaches.



We also stopped in Ignacio to take a photo of the restaurant that we had dinner in last night. It was very expensive, but very good. The name is La Huella



Right on the beach.



We ran into the owner and his scooter!



We stopped for a coffee and added another Radioman sticker to the window. Like most stops we had some great interactions with people. Mostly they ask about our trip, cost of bike, how fast it is. Same questions through South America. With limited spanish it is hard to ask them many questions.



A young couple on a small bike, off for the weekend. She was sitting atop a backpack on the seat behind.... Did not get a good photo of this.



As we road north, we just stayed on the coastal road. Boarded a small ferry. Packed us on that is.





Up some sandy gravel roads. was great to be riding this area!



Claude was excited!!



We stopped in a small town called La Pedrera, and it was really crowded and we were looking for a cabana on the beach So we went up the road 4-5 KM, down a dirt road to look for a place to stay.

Would be a bit nasty if it had been raining.



Came across a couple guys in a nice old Mercedes who live there, and asked about a place to stay. They are from Buenos Aires and have property. He called a friend and they rented us there small house!!



Had a great little deck that we sat out and enjoyed the view!





Just a few extra shots ..... It was a great place to hang out in the afternoon!



Yep, smelling the flowers for sure!



The house in front was also a "restaurant" they had this sign.



Bikes all put away for the night



Enjoying the evening as the sun went down.



Thinking this is the dogs life.



It is great to hang up your gear at the end of a great day and relax!!



Very good day indeed.



As we were chuckling about the "restaurant" below the house in front of us, Claude make the observation that this is a very wealthy and exclusive area. They were very surprised we showed up.... Like how did we find it? The first guy we met, rides an F800GS, which is up in Alaska and waiting for him to take it to Russian later this year, the owner of the house we were in has a 1200GS..... That takes a lot of money down here. Anyway, Claude says, I bet the food will be great..... Think about it.

It was great for sure. One of the guys owns a winery .... brought some wine. Great evening !

Had an amazing evening and the full moon was bright and shining



Next morning we continued up the road. Made a stop at a tiny fishing village. Bike attracted attention



It is great to share this trip with so many stranger.... Young and old they love to look at the bikes, the stickers and the places we have ridden.



Some are very special. This is Danielle and her some Salvador. She is staying here for the summer, and was eager to show us around the village.



Loved this guy sitting out on the dock fishing



Lots of little fishing boats in various states of repair. They get shrimp and crab here.





"rustic" building with palm trees growing out of them



Then we cross the border into Brazil!





This is the last country for me to ride through in South America on this trip. It is only a small taste of Brazil as my time is winding down on this part of the trip. I have my shipping date all arranged, and flights booked. Just enjoying this time!

Love the south America Borders. Immigration then Aduana





We head to a little town called Hermenegido, Brazil. A small beach town just 20 Km from the border. We are a bit tired from the last few late nights out. But welcome to Brazil!~





bit more of Brazil soon......

Ahhh....now that you're in Brazil....


Are you getting a Brazilian? :eek1

yep life sure sux for you two

See that....told ya "practice makes perfect"......NICE AIR!!!


Great to see ya having so much fun fellas!!

Heck yeah! Radioman rocks!

We rode into Brazil. It was a great feeling riding in the last country that I wanted to ride in while in south America. Sadly, I will not be able to see much of Brazil, as I have a date to ship my bike and need to be back in Buenos Aires to do this. As a traveler you are always making decisions about where to go, what to see, how long to stay etc. And so often, I just have to say to myself, "you cannot see it all, Just enjoy the moments!".

The first town after Chui, is where we needed to stop and get some Brazilian Reals.



Claude (Claudio) found his next business



Then back out to the first beach town.... We wanted to stay on the beach and found a place with nice thatched umbrella and a view out to the ocean.



We had to ride down to the beach. The place we stayed is just behind us with the two black umbrellas. Was a great place to relax and take in some sun!



Just before sunset we were enjoying our views. The kids were riding there bikes on the beach.



We sat and watched the "red" moon rise over the ocean!! fantastic, but the camera just did not capture this at all.



Next morning, it was great to enjoy our view, but we then decided to travel further up into Brazil as it was Claudes Birthday and he was looking for a Party.



On the way up the coast, we found a spot to ride the beach..........



Miles and miles of beach to ride.....



The cows do not seem to bothered by us riding by



Rolling on up the road. Just a couple hundred KM's



Met a few Brazilian riders at the gas station. They were great!



Liked his sticker



Upon arriving in Cassino, we stopped at the tourist office to ask about places to stay.



We found a great place with a view, but had to negotiate hard to get it to $100 USD for the two of us. Money Talks, so that was how Claude did it. Took out a $100 dollar bill and said this is what we have to pay. They wanted $140USD.

We had a quiet night as the brewpub was closed, had a good meal, but it was monday night and all was closed down....

We were hoping to get Claude a photo on the beach with a bevy of Brazilian girls in Bikini's around his bike. We saw many, but they were not interested in taking a photo with us Another day of being a rider

Have some great video riding along the beach for miles with tons of people with their cars, BBQ's, Lawn chairs etc. It really is a slice of humanity as they all take in the sun. You see it all, Hot bodies and then lots of bodies that should be more covered up

After just a few days of riding on the southern coast of Brazil, our time is up and we head south toward Uruguay. We a short ride into Brazil but my time in South America is coming to a quick close, and it is part of the journey to be moving on.



Was a thrill to have ridden in so many countries so far on my trip. Think it is 17 so far :) Cannot explore all of them as well as I would like, but that is OK. Maybe I will get to come back and ride more in South America one day



As we stopped at Brazil Aduana with the prettiest Aduana woman of all the countries I visited I look at the back of my bike and it is covered in oil. :eek1 That does not look good. Gte Immigration and Aduana paperwork done, figure I need to get to Uruguay to deal with whatever ..... As I rode the small distance to the Uruguay Border, it is clear that my rear Shock has blown a seal. I am bouncing down the road like a clown.



All the oil cleaned the back of my bike too! Not much to do with the shock right now, only 500KM to the boat back to Buenos Aires.... So I will ride it.



Loving countries that have motorcycle free of toll roads, and a special place to ride past the toll booths!



Sometimes it is really tight with the buses and trucks!



We roll into Montevideo and find a hotel in the center of town. It is 95 degrees today, so we are glad to stop and have some A/C to cool off and relax. We met up with a really nice Uruguay Woman that we met on the road and had dinner.

Of all the moments to blow a shock seal I'd say thats the time to do it. Can't find a replacement? Easy fix. Pack the thing up and have one ready to go in Aotearoa.

Even when stuff goes "bad" it turns out ok. You must be living right or something.

I know exactly what you mean Mark, "Been There Done That" But I felt more like a kid on a rocking horse I knew something was up when I could straddle my bike almost flat footed.

Mucho, steam-cleaning senior!

Talk to Javier back at Dakar Moto. One of his buddies rebuilt my shock and it was pretty reasonable.