THE FLIGHT – Munich to Santiago via Toronto. 8:45hrs and 09:45hrs and Toronto does not provide a smokers room. So that was that, no view of Greenland, but some nice views over Britain and Ireland, and anyway we did make it to Santiago de Chile so nothing to complain about .

Second time in Santiago now, and it again has been fun, found nice places to drink and eat and basically get rid of our jet lag. Not that it was bad, but it was definitely there and we did go to bed at around 22:00 hrs. Getting up at 06:00 *ish does have it perks though. So I started some exercises in the morning to get a bit more mobile, especially in my lower back, and maybe not loose all my muscles during this trip. In addition i went running, and i want to do that like every second day (for as long as there is a shower or a sweet water lake around). Being back by 10:00 hrs and still getting another cup of coffee of the breakfast. So yeah travelling west does have its perks.

In Santiago itself we did not do much except a little walking. It was well worth it, but to be honest i am a bit impatient to get the bikes, see if everything we shipped with them is still there and if we can turn them on.
In addition both Stefan and myself felt that after a few days in Santiago where we did see the mountains looming on the horizon, it is time to get out there, even though I am much more impatient then he is.

The bus trip from Santiago to Valparaiso was uneventful and without any hassle. Checking into the hotel at around 14:00 hrs left us enough time to reacquaint us with the city. Found proper live music, beer food and piscos. Revisited some of the places we have been to before, and checked out the meeting point for the contact person that will get us our bikes back. Lets see what tomorrow will bring and then on Tuesday we will get the bikes. Cannot wait.

The day has finally arrived, and the bikes were where they´re supposed to be. All our stuff came with them. In the warehouse where we got them there were about 30 bikes parked and the group we were part of was 12 strong. So quite some people are travelling with bikes in Chile Argentina and beyond.

While Stefan´s bike started without a hitch, mine was a bit more reluctant. Anyway eventually she started, and the first stop was a gas station. Navigation is something that needs to get better, but all in all the first 30km were uneventful and a nice ride. We are ready now.

Till then …
Happy hacking everyone.