Motorcycle Explorer December 2014 Issue 3 | Page 100
That whole day I may as well have been on Mars, with just the
occasional Al Paca and Llama showing their face to remind me
that I was still on Planet Earth. The moon was in the sky for the
early part of the day and it reminded me of something someone
had said when I was on the Utah Salt flats, "Look! You can see
Earth from here!”
At one stage I pulled well off the road to look at some interesting
looking rocks. It’s not that I’m particularly interested in rocks, it
was more that I had nothing to do and all day to do it. I think there
may also have been some worry starting to creep in. I wasn’t in
any hurry to get to the Ruta 40 - it would be tough enough, soon
enough without me rushing to get to the start of it. There were
very few tracks or trails around the area and I wondered how long
it had been since anyone had come over to take a look around. In
a world so packed with people, it’s hard to believe anywhere
could still be so empty.
As the wind picked up, the view was dominated by the wind
blowing the rising heat shimmer from the rocks and desert in the
distance. I’ve never been anywhere like it.
The Chile Argentina border at all crossing points is as easy as a
border crossing as you can get. All you need is your passport,
your vehicle title deed and your drivers license. There is no
hassle, no fixers and no problems. Nobody spoke English at the
Paso Jama crossing but I had enough Sesame Street Spanish to
get by. The Argies are a great bunch, really friendly and can’t help