tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-54632369994751706422010-03-28T20:38:41.391-07:00A solo motorcycle journey through the Americas, by Los Angeles based Turkish photographer Serdar Sunny Unal.Serdarnoreply@blogger.comBlogger133125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5463236999475170642.post-19568202588219079112010-03-19T23:03:00.001-07:002010-03-19T23:03:51.410-07:00

When Project LA2BA got rolling on December 14, 2007, it was planned to be a five-month expedition ending in Buenos Aires. As of this writing, I have covered over 2.5 times the planned distance through 15 countries in 22 months, and am about to conclude this spectacular journey. What started as an adventure turned into a lifestyle, and the guy now writing these words is a significantly different

Serdarnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5463236999475170642.post-49337038508999390522009-10-25T20:01:00.000-07:002009-10-25T20:02:40.310-07:00

Valparaiso - Mendoza: 300 milesMendoza was only one long ride away, and as usual, crossing into Argentina felt like getting back home. The first thing to see was Cerro de la Gloria (The Hill of Glory) at Parque General San Martín. Or was it the second, after Carlos' shop?The Hills of Glory. Well, ok, so my interpretation may be a bit off.Just like the sprocket job, the steering bearing

Serdarnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5463236999475170642.post-2459284297744049672009-10-24T09:38:00.001-07:002009-10-24T09:38:45.949-07:00

Lican Ray - Talca: 365 milesTalca - Valparaiso: 245 milesAfter pausing the long boring freeway ride for a night in Talca (where Simon popped up again!), we continued north, to the smelly yet beautiful port town of Valparaiso. The highlight of Valparaiso for moto-travelers is Enzo & Martina's Villa Kunterbunt. It's a beautiful house that quickly becomes your home, and the party pad. They also

Serdarnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5463236999475170642.post-60787319979793941262009-10-24T09:36:00.000-07:002009-10-24T09:37:35.137-07:00

Valdivia - Pucon: 110 milesPucon - Lincan Ray: 30 milesWhen we took exit S91 off of Highway 5 towards Lago Villarrica, we thought we were heading for this tiny, tranquil place called Pucon. But even before the town of Villarrica, we found ourselves locked in heavy traffic which indicated otherwise. Pucon indeed turned out to be this touristic hot-spot and we caught it in-season. The place is

Serdarnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5463236999475170642.post-40800471148058799062009-10-24T09:35:00.002-07:002009-10-24T09:38:02.639-07:00

Centinela - Valdivia: 100 milesA fast boring ride on Highway 5 got us to Valdivia. Great churros on the street and an animated fish market with resident sea lions were the highlights of the city. And popped up Simon! (Our Simon, not Viedma Simon, not Dan's Simon) Below: ValdiviaNext : Pucon 

Serdarnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5463236999475170642.post-75880949826173201392009-10-24T09:34:00.001-07:002009-10-24T09:35:07.790-07:00

Puerto Varas - Centinela: 50 milesAfter getting pampered for three nights at Andreas' Helmut House in Puerto Varas, we headed north to complete our clockwise tour around the lake, and camped by the water at Centinela, just before Puerto Octay.Frutillar is like a baby Puerto Varas.Little church with shingles.Wooden shingles are a staple of architecture on Chiloé Island and around here.The volcano

Serdarnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5463236999475170642.post-31524595331344998332009-10-24T09:33:00.000-07:002009-10-24T09:34:33.920-07:00

San Martin de los Andes - Entre Lagos: 190 milesEntre Lagos - Puerto Varas: 130 miles (long way around the lake)Before crossing back into Chile, we took a leisurely ride south to Villa la Angostura for lunch. Parked on the main drag, Richard took his time preparing a gourmet sandwich, then made the mistake of turning his back to it for a second. The restaurant it is then. When we left for the

Serdarnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5463236999475170642.post-3162416713706705602009-10-23T13:24:00.001-07:002009-10-24T09:39:12.929-07:00

Bariloche - San Martin de los Andes: 100 milesWe started out on the paved 237 (Ruta 40), then took the scenic, dirt, 63 over Caleufu which connected us to 234, and reached another pretty tourist destination, San Martin de los Andes.San Martin de los Andes now visible at the end of the bay.Pretty. Expensive.Next : Puerto Varas 

Serdarnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5463236999475170642.post-89979071093730416662009-10-23T13:23:00.001-07:002009-10-23T13:51:29.401-07:00

Chaiten - Trevelin: 140 milesTrevelin - Bariloche: 215 milesFollowing the Futalefu river east, we were back into Argentina. This would've been THE place to do rafting, but clearly spoiled by endless beauty day after day, I wasn't even stopping for pictures. What's another day in paradise?After a night in Trevelin, we took Ruta 71 through Los Alerces National Park instead of the main road, but the

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Puyuguapi - Chaiten: 130 milesThe volcanic eruption in Chaiten about a year ago had not only destroyed the town but also eliminated one of the most popular access routes to the island of Chiloe. The ferry service which had only recently been restored was now infrequent and the town of Chaiten still in state of emergency. We decided to visit the place even if it were a dead-end and find out what

Serdarnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5463236999475170642.post-10115238424818836782009-10-21T21:27:00.001-07:002009-10-22T16:25:22.984-07:00

Valle de los Exploradores - Coyhaique: 175 milesCoyhaique - Puyuguapi: 160 milesOn the way out of Puerto Rio Tranquilo I had to face a nasty fact: Kat's final drive was shot, and we were pretty much in the middle of nowhere.The original front sprocket had been replaced back in Rosario at 18,000 miles, but the after-market item that replaced it was now gone after only 6,300. After serving a

Serdarnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5463236999475170642.post-80374357455337155172009-10-21T21:23:00.000-07:002009-10-21T21:56:27.227-07:00

Puerto Bertrand - Valle de los Exploradores: 70 milesApproaching Rio TranquiloAfter a boat trip to the Marble Caves, we headed towards Valle de los Exploradores on a small road that is still work in progress. About 28 miles into the ride, and not long before the road ends, we reached our target: Thomas and Catherina's self built hosteria. Their cozy place is still truly secluded, but that may

Serdarnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5463236999475170642.post-9268746236350284762009-10-21T11:39:00.000-07:002009-10-21T11:48:12.418-07:00

Los Antiguos - Puerto Bertrand: 105 milesWe crossed the border at Chile Chico, and traced the coast of Lago General Carrera, which was called Lago Buenos Aires right before the border. A southbound turn on the Carretera Austral shortly took us to a rather empty Puerto Bertrand at the edge of Lago Bertrand. We checked into a small guest house run by Alicia, who seemed to wear her chef's hat 24/7.

Serdarnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5463236999475170642.post-25629701447910518492009-10-21T09:02:00.001-07:002009-10-22T16:26:41.383-07:00

Bajo Caracoles - Lago Posadas: 75 milesLago Posadas - Los Antiguos: 110 milesHad I been alone, I know I would've just continued on the "comfort" of the absolutely boring Ruta 40, and arrived at Los Antiguos that day. Luckily I had an adventurous ride partner who was more interested in exploring and less concerned about arriving. If I learned anything on the trip, it's to note but be skeptical of

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Estancia La Siberia - Bajo Caracoles: 150 milesMore Ruta 40After our daily intake of Ruta 40, we found what we were looking for. The only pump in 200 mile radius sits in front of a little store in a small village called Bajo Caracoles. The relief came when we got served, as this "pump" is known to be picky with customers. But the real source of satisfaction was the real coffee machine. The make

Serdarnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5463236999475170642.post-85775526407968759582009-10-20T21:57:00.000-07:002009-10-20T22:00:15.243-07:00

El Chalten - Estancia La Siberia: 135 milesWhen you look at a map and trace Ruta 40 up and down, you hardly find anything on it. You could possibly ride on that gravel all day long and not have a witness (had it not been for the moto-traveler crowd!). After El Chalten, we had a long way to go until we got anywhere, and even the closest village was more than a day's ride away. Riding on this

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El Calafate - El Chalten: 140 milesWe hit the road as a pack of 5, leaving Leo behind where we found him (chatting with the Colombian chick at the internet cafe). The road was paved (surprise), and the views spectacular. Just so it doesn't ever go forgotten… When we arrive at the somewhat busy campsite at destination, I pull in last, and choose to stop on the worst section of the uneven ground.

Serdarnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5463236999475170642.post-9719593337726541222009-10-20T12:33:00.002-07:002009-10-24T10:05:32.556-07:00

Puerto Natales - El Calafate: 175 milesWe set out together again heading north on carretera 9, and pretty soon came to the crossroads. Up ahead lay the spectacular Torres del Paine National Park, and to our east was the Argentina border and Ruta 40 leading to El Calafate and the equally spectacular Perito Moreno Glacier. This is where you do not make a choice, and take both in turns. Cecilia did

Serdarnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5463236999475170642.post-8699614371323014602009-10-20T12:33:00.001-07:002009-10-20T12:34:48.671-07:00

Punta Arenas - Puerto Natales: 150 milesThe day out of Punta Arenas started with a fill up (of gas AND lubricant of course). Cecilia was patiently waiting on her bike while I was putting on layers and layers of clothing, when, THUNK!.. She'd suddenly found herself on the ground! It's nothing unheard of really. It was like that time when Anibal had stopped and parked the shiny F800 on Ruta 40 to

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Ushuaia - Punta Arenas: 400 milesOnce I was back in road-worthy shape, we hit the road with Cecilia. But leaving at noon didn't get us to Porvenir soon enough for the 5 pm ferry, so we had to ride a long loop in the cold and then the dark (and it was all my fault because I didn't want to stop and camp when we had the chance). When we finally arrived Punta Arenas, the flier they handed out from a

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San Sebastian - Ushuaia: 220 milesThe $26 room in San Sebastian came with some mean bed bugs, and the border crossing back into Argentina took an hour and a half. But the food stop in Rio Grande made things look up, if only because I actually could find an open restaurant when I was hungry (more on that later). Then we started our approach to Ushuaia, and I discovered that I was having a

Serdarnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5463236999475170642.post-34546378832452939032009-10-14T14:40:00.001-07:002009-10-14T17:54:11.690-07:00

Los Antiguos - Puerto San Julian: 410 milesPuerto San Julian - San Sebastian: 415 milesHaving discovered that riding on 40 would not be any more scenic than on 3, I decided to zoom down to Ushuaia on the comfort of tarmac and give myself some time there before it all got crazy for Christmas. And hence our sudden turn back east which might look odd(er) as marked on the map. Other than its

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Sarmiento - Los Antiguos: 220 milesShortly after leaving Sarmiento, there it was: The legendary Ruta 40. And if it was as bad throughout as the section we entered it, we might be in for some trouble.The road surface did improve after a while, but the desolate scenery did not follow suit. At least not until we left 40 behind and approached Los Antiguos on the coast of Lago Buenos Aires. The shiny,

Serdarnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5463236999475170642.post-83577517334424752502009-10-14T14:35:00.000-07:002009-10-14T17:06:33.882-07:00

Camarones - Sarmiento: 280 milesHeading south in Patagonia, you have two options: Take the straight, boring, windy, black top, Ruta 3; or the famous, potentially dangerous, also windy, gravel, Ruta 40. The catch is that if you want to see anything worth seeing, you have to take 40. And hence our sudden turn west which might look odd as marked on the map. Settled between Musters and Colhue Huapi

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Puerto Madryn - Camarones: 220 milesPuerto Madryn and the traveler folk left behind, I continued south to see the magellanic penguins at Punta Tombo. Shortly after Trelew, I caught up to Andreas and Saskia, so it still wasn't back to solo riding. When the tar gave way to dirt and gravel, we were already pretty close to the funny bird colony. Below: Magellanic penguins at Punta TomboThe dirt ride

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