#Americas 2011-2012

#The Gear

You probably have noticed that there is one major difference on this tour: Several outdoor companies did supply me with new gear. This means a much fancier packing list. Its also for 2 people, because for one year in Southamerica, my girlfriend did accompany me. And a much fancier gear list. We packed 16kg per person and two bikes. Quantec Trekking SLR Racing.

BAGS

NAME	DESCRIPTION	WEIGHT	QUANTITY
Ortlieb Handlebar bag	Waterproof handlebar bag, 5l and 7l	430gr	x2
Ortlieb BackRoller Classic	Waterproof panier bags 20l	830gr	x4
Ortlieb dry bag	Waterproof tent bag 22l	260gr	x2
StS Ultra Sil	Mini daypack, 20l	69gr	x2
Camerabag	Small bag for our cam	210gr	x1
Netbookcasing	Selfmade case for the EEEPC	10gr	x1
Bergans drybag	For clothing, 10l	45gr	x2
Bergans netbag	For stuff, 8l	30gr	x4
Platypus	Waterbag, 2l	35gr	x2
Nordisk Tyr	Bikebackpack for water, 4l	500gr	x1
Bergans toiletrie bag	Small and light	40gr	x1

COOKING

NAME	DESCRIPTION	WEIGHT	QUANTITY
Penny Stove	Selfmade campingstove	15gr	x2
Potstand/Windguard	Selfmade	15gr	x1
Snowpeak pot	Titanium pot, 2l	124gr	x1
Snowpeak pan	Titanium pan	66gr	x1
Snowpeak cup	Titanium cup	113gr	x1
Meru cup	Stainless steel cup	113gr	x1
Nordisk Spork	Foldable titaniumspork	15gr	x2
Bic Mini	Lighter	11gr	x2
Baladeo 22	Small pocket knife	22gr	x1
Gerber Evo	Small pocket knife	51gr	x1

ELECTRONICS

NAME	DESCRIPTION	WEIGHT	QUANTITY
EEE PC S101	Netbook	1270gr	x1
Olympus SP-590 UZ	Bridgecam with 26x Zoom	450gr	x1
iPod Nano	MP3-Player	75gr	x1
Fenix headlamp	Torch	66gr	x1
LiteXpress Liberty	Torch	100gr	x1
Dualplug	2-in-1 plug	40gr	x1
Plugadapter	European to american	30gr	x1
Typhoon Nano	Mouse for the netbook	14gr	x1
Kindle Wifi	Ebook-reader	270gr	x1
My Passport 500gb	External HDD	175gr	x2
Garmin VistaHXC	GPS	130gr	x1
Sanyo Charger	USB-Charger for AA/AAA	42gr	x2
Biologic ReeCharge	USB-Charger	82gr	x1
Eneloops	Rechargable batteries	25gr	x12
Canon EOS 450D	Digital SLR	1080gr	x1
iPhone	For Yuppies	135gr	x1

SHELTER

NAME	DESCRIPTION	WEIGHT	QUANTITY
Nordisk Vitus SL	2-person tent	2400gr	x1
Nordisk Celsius LP	Down sleepingbag till -10°	1050gr	x2
Atriach Skin Microlight	Matress, short, 120cm	390gr	x2
Eva matress	5mm matress	190gr	x2

TOILETRIES

NAME	DESCRIPTION	WEIGHT	QUANTITY
Toothbrush		10gr	x2
Toothpaste		100gr	x1
Outdoorsoap		250gr	x2
Mosquitospray		75gr	x1
Sunprotection		300gr	x1
Niveacreme		20gr	x1
Nailclipper		5gr	x1
Shaver		75gr	x1
Towel		60gr	x2

SPARE PARTS

NAME	DESCRIPTION	WEIGHT	QUANTITY
Patches	To fix holes in tires		x30
Chain oil	Much needed for salty and rainy areas		x1
Cablebinder/Zipties	Always handy for improvising		x10
Gaffatape	More improvising		x1
Inner tube	Spare bike tube		x2
Brakeplates	For the Magura HS33 brakes		x16
Gear cables	Were not needed in the end		x3
Gearholding Piece	Learned later: Its part of the derailleur		x2
Spokes	Yeah for spare spokes, not needed in the end		x10
Sparescrews	Always carry some		x10
Chainparts	Not needed again		x3

TOOLBOX

NAME	DESCRIPTION	WEIGHT	QUANTITY
Topeak pump		160gr	x1
Leatherman Charge		230gr	x1
Spoke wrench		30gr	x1
Topeak RatchetRocket		120gr	x1

CLOTHING

NAME	DESCRIPTION	WEIGHT	QUANTITY
Bergans Super Lett Jacket	Rainjacket	420gr	x2
Bergans Super Lett pants	Rainpants	380gr	x2
Montane Featherlite	Windjacket	160gr	x2
2XU bikeshorts	Bikeshorts, short	180gr	x2
2XU tricot	Tricot, short	175gr	x2
2XU compression shirt	Shirt, long	175gr	x2
2XU compression socks	Socks	63gr	x2
Bioracer tricot	Tricot, short	160gr	x2
Bioracer bikeshorts	Bikeshorts, short	200gr	x2
Buff	Merinobuff	25gr	x1
Beenie	Cap	40gr	x1
Roeckl Solar	Bike gloves	42gr	x2
Alpina Tri-Guard	Sportglasses	25gr	x2
Alpina SPO	Sportglasses	120gr	x2
Alpina Pheos	Bike helmet	235gr	x2
Fleece	Lightweight Fleeceshirt	200gr	x2
Lake MX-140	Bike shoes	980gr	x1
Shimano SH-WM50	Bike shoes	725gr	x1
Underwear		50gr	x3
Long underwear		70gr	x2
Socks		30gr	x2
Swimmdress		160gr	x2
BOC bike sandals	Sandals with SPD-System	760gr	x2
Berghaus Trekking Zip	Zip-off trousers	350gr	x1
Berghaus Pitzal Men	Trekkingtrousers	380gr	x1
Berghaus Hoody	Warm Baselayer	360gr	x1
Berghaus Furnace	Downjacket	450gr	x1
Berghaus Ignite	Primaloftjacket	380gr	x1
Berghaus Technical Zip Tee	Longsleeve Men	200gr	x1
Berghaus Technical Zip Tee	Longsleeve Women	200gr	x1
Berghaus Technical Tee	Warm version Women	250gr	x1
Berghaus gloves	3-1 mitts	210gr	x2
Meindl Boots	Hiking boots	1660gr	x1
Nordisk Down Socks	Down Socks	100gr	x1

Total weight: 32.095 grams

#The Countries

Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay, Argentina, Chile, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Columbia, Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname, French-Guiana, Panama, Costa Rica, Honduras, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Belize, Guatemala, Mexico, USA and Canada. Aka: Every single country South/Central/Northamericas.

#The Story

This will be a long one. My longest trip so far, 18 months. Two entire continents. -10° and +45°. Bikes, boats, planes, trucks and on foot. Travelling with two, travelling solo. Mountains and deserts. Jungle and islands. Rivers and Forests. An epic journey from Patagonia to Canada.

Lets begin at the beginning. I met a girl in Germany and really, truly, honestly stayed for 9 months. But instead of a baby, we got a new tour. ;-) After the Africa trip I was both exhausted (I lost 14kg weight, I looked like a scarecrow) and eager for an even larger tour. So I rested and schemed, looking for something new to do. We worked on a website, made a blog, asked around for companies that are willing to give us bikes, ended up with a lot more than just bikes, made routes and plans and initially, it was the basic idea to travel around the world for 3 years. America and Asia mostly, returning home with the Transibirian Railway. It did not quite turn out that way, but it was great nonetheless. 1,5 years, every country in South, Central and Northamericas. Some trouble on the road, but nothing that did not get fixed.

The first destination was Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. More or less decided at random, we flew down there and started to bike. Since Diana was not quite used to tropical weather, weird non-european countries and biking in general, we took it easy and took busses more often than not. We headed inland soon, to the wonderful waterfalls of Iguazu, before entering Paraguay. Some biking ensured, followed by a bus ride to Uruguay. A bit more biking, a boat to Buenos Aires. At that point it was clear that we needed to improve our Spanish and decided to stay for 5 weeks in the city and do a language course. With that new knowledge we headed out again on our bikes, 3000km towards Bolivia. Since winter is the best season for Bolivia, and Patagonia was completely frozen at that time, we decided to tackle the centre first, go till Cusco in Peru, and make our way down to Patagonia later, in spring. This way we reach both areas in their best seasons.

The beginning was rather boring and flat, lots of fields, highways and trucks, but after about 1000km, after Cordoba, it started to become more interesting. Salt lakes, rock formations, passes that lead into different climate zones, and the city of Salta were all welcome sights. The landscape transformed from agriculture and fields to mountains and canyons. We were slowly heading up over 3000m in elevation to the highlands of Bolivia. The air was crisp and very clear. You could see mountain ranges that are more than a days ride away, especially at the Salar de Uyoni, the largest salt lake in the world. Its used as a salt mine, they even have buildings completely build out of salt. We took another bus from there to La Paz, mostly because it was extremely cheap, and stayed a few days before heading on a mountaineering tour to the Huana Potosi, a 6000m mountain. The death road was another nice tour, since we had our own bikes with us. We got a little bit lost and ended up in a several hundred year old Spanish castillo, but such surprises are always welcome.

We made our way towards Cusco along the lake Titicaca and finally entered Inca territory. The sacred valley is dotted with dozens of ruins, and the Machu Picchu is around the corner. The most visited tourist site in all of Southamerica is well worth it. We decided to trek there, using an unused railway. We started hiking at 4 o'clock at night, and I was first at the ticket booth, together with an Austrian mountaineer. Good on you bud, because when they opened at 6 o'clock, there was a line further than I could see, and busses started rolling in. The first 30 minutes were quite magical, since the entire site was still empty, as most people stayed at the lookout, making the classical postcard shots.

Then, we killed our bikes. At least, temporarily. Dismantling the bikes into small packages, carrying them up to the hostels attic, locking them in place. Because we were going to hitchhike to Ushuaia, the southern-most city in the world and back. We also had flights to the Easter island, Rapa Nui, and couldn't take the bikes along for that anyway. It worker out really well, because the faster pace meant that we had more time for hiking and sights. It was really easy to get a ride, especially in Chile, since its only one long north/south road. It took 10 minutes to get a ride, sometimes 1000km or more in one go. We even camped next to the truck when it stopped in the evening, and continued with the same driver in the morning. This way we made it to Santiago de Chile, Valparidiso, El Bolson, Bariloche, Ushuaia, Puerto Madrin, Mendoza... all these places we haven't been to in Argentina before. From ice cold end of the world feeling in the Ushuaia National Park and Torres Del Paine National Park, to penguins and whales near the peninsula valdez, the wine region of Mendoza, passing the Aconcagua (sadly off season, and no access to the mountain was allowed), going through the Atacama desert and San Pedro de Atacama with the valley of death, beautiful sand rock formations and sand boarding, flying to Rapa Nui with its enigmatic stone figurines, all the way back to Cusco, to get back to our bikes. This little detour took 2 months to complete and was well worth it.

 

We assembled our bikes and headed down towards the coast. A couple of passes separated us from a well deserved 80km downhill to Nasca, Peru. Another great location for visitors, Nasca offers many old non-inca ruins, the famous Nasca lines that can only be seen from a plane, and wide open deserts. We stopped at one particual small oasis on our way to Lima, it was literally a tiny water hole in the middle of sand dunes. Another backpackers paradise. Lots of sand boarding and dune buggy tours going on, and a museum in the nearby town that showed oddly shaped cone-headed skulls.

Lima, capitol of Peru, was a true colonial town, with amazing architecture. Our hostel was an old villa, a true palace full of gold-rimmed pictures and marble statues. They even had a peacock as a pet. And still, it costs about 5$ a night. After this foray into civilization we headed inland, to the jungle. Pucalpa and Iquitos, Amazon river was next on the list. Boating on small banana boats, cargo ships that take passengers that sleep in hammocks, incredibly crammed together, we headed down the river. Its actually rather... boring, because you sit in your hammock all day, looking at the river slowly moving by. It could have been almost romantic, but not on a noisy and chaotic boat with hundreds of people. Especially, when one of them steals your handlebar bag, containing your camera, money and passport. Ouch. (Luckily, I carried a spare)

The stops along the river were the highlights. Iquitos with the Pilpintuasi Butterfly farm, seeing red uakaris and ocelots, Manaus, completely out of place city in the jungle (it was Christmas, and they even had santa claus and fake Christmas trees in town, very surreal), Santarem and Altar do Chao with its hidden gems and beaches, and finally Belem, the northern port on the coast of Brazil. Here were are again, almost were we started that tour, on the Brazilian coastline. We busses into French Guyana, which is actually France in a literal sense, cycled to Suriname, the only country that required a visa on the entire trip, and to Guyana. Of all the places in Southamerica, I remember these the fondest. They were remote and almost untouched by tourism, all the locals regarded you as curious visitors, and not walking ATMs like it can happen on the Pan-American Highway, or as its called here: The Gringo Trail.

Venezuela was less welcoming, and made it a bit awkward to change money, as it had to be done on the black market. We did not linger too long, but spend more then enough time in Columbia, 2 months on the coast alone. A short detour to Ecuador made sure we have been to every country on the continent, seeing Quito and tons of iguanas, but unfortunately we did not have the free budget to see the Galápagos islands. Working in Bogotá on a Colombian soap opera remedied that fact a bit, and we headed north towards the ciudad perdida, the lost city, a 4 day trek into the jungle, and finally Cartagena to catch a boat to Panama. Which took 3 weeks, due to some misunderstandings, but Cartagena is really not a bad place to hang around.

Panama City was the place that my girlfriend and me split up. She wanted to stay while and do her dive master certification, while I itched to ride my bike more. Furthermore she was going to New Zealand and Australia to do Work&Travel, while I was heading further north on the American continent. We met one more time in central USA, before she headed to down under, and it turned out to take almost nine months before we saw each other again, in Singapore.

Meanwhile, I started to cycle central america, passing many places that I knew from my first visit. Not much had changed, and I tried to find new, previously unseen sights, like Copan and other Mayan ruins. Belize was a particularly nice detour, as was Yucatán. As I mentioned in the tour report on my RTW trip, I love Mexican food. I made my way towards Mexico City, this time fringed with Aztec ruins, and giant olmec heads. The famous sun stone of the Aztecs, Teotihuacan and the Pyramid of Sun and Moon were among the major sights. From Mexico City I actually did take a bus north, because there weren't too many places of interest on my way. While my final destination will be New York, it turned out that the 3300km bus ride to Tijuana did actually take me further away from it. But I wanted to head to L.A., to start one of the most iconic rides in the world: The Route 66.

Stretching over 4000km through the wild west and central USA, from Los Angeles to Chicago, this old highway is a dream for bikers. Usually motor bikers, but hey, I ride on two wheels, so why not? (maybe because every single days was 100 Fahrenheit or more, that's why.) But the tour was fantastic and I made such good progress, that I even build in two major detours: One north towards the horseshoe bent, the antelope canyon and Mesa Verde National Park, and another one south, to the Very Large Array (giant radio antennas in the desert), Roswell (perfect timing: Annual UFO days), and the Carlsbad caverns. I was aided in these tours by extremely friendly locals, especially the warmshowers hosts stood out from the crowd. I started using couchsurfing and warmshowers for the first time on this tour, and the results amazed me so much, that I will try to do a few of these on every tour now. Its so much nicer to directly meet and stay with local people, instead of being locked away in a hotel.

After the Route 66 I somewhat lost my clear goal, and I had quite a bit of time to kill, so I slowly cycled, very relaxed with about 100km per day, through Canada and the great lakes area, to Toronto and the Niagara Falls, to Montreal and Boston. Many detours, lots of nice forest, lakes and rivers. A good end, to a good tour. Just like the end in Capetown, New York felt like a haze, unreal. I flew home, again searching for a new goal.