On 2 Wheels

Torres Del Paine

2008-12-09T07:00:00.000-08:00

The Torres del Paine National Park - an area of 2,400 km² - was declared a Biosphere Reserve by the UNESCO in 1978 and is a popular hiking destination. There are clearly marked paths and many refugios which provide shelter and basic services. Views are breathtaking. Hikers can opt for a day trip to see the towers, walk the popular "W" route in about five days, or trek the full circle in 8-9 days.

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The view across Lago Pehoe at Sunrise... and at sunset from one of the many "miradors".

Torres means "towers" in Spanish and you will see pictures of the 3 granite towers after which the park is named below. Paine does not have a translation that I can find. However, Susana (our Peruvian "Andes Trail" guide) is a linguistic specialist who studies lesser known and dissappearing South American dialects and she tells me that the word Paine means "Blue" in one of the local dialects in that region of Chile... so now you know and when you visit the Park yourself, you can let the Park Rangers and Guides know that the name of their park means "The Towers of Blue"!

We cycled in from Cerro Castillo, a small border crossing from Argentina into Chile and below are some of the views that we were met with..!

We camped at Lago Pehoe in the centre of the Park and naturally I suggested a swim in the lake... it was approximately 5-6 deg C

Tomas, Rob, Kirsten, Wil, Bene, Micko, Susana, Ewald, myself and Cees (Case) having a (very) quick dip...

We did 2 day hikes, the Vallee Frances and the hike to the base of the 3 towers where there was a glacial lake. Yes, I went for a swim there too but the others were too cold to come down and take a photo of my efforts. Water temp was about 2-3 deg C

From left, Wil, Susana, Kirsten, Bene, Mick, Colorado Grande and Tomas

On the way by so we hiked up to the Salto Grande which is a waterfall between Lago Nordenskjold and Lago Pehoe. There is over 100 ft in elevation difference between the 2 huge lakes and the torrent in the narrow gap has to be heard to be believed. Mick and Tomas would not allow me to swim.

Sean Mick and Tomas waving. That was as close as we dared as the wind was howling from our backs.

...a little side story about Sinterklaus

The Dutch have an amusing tradition which is like the Chris Kindle idea. Everyone draws a name from the hat in secret and then buys a gift from "Sinterklaus" anonymously. On the 5th Dec Sinterklaus delivers his gifts which may be accompanied by a little poem or story which the recipient must read out on opening the gift...

As Torres Del Paine is a national park, hikers are not allowed to stray from the paths. Camping is only allowed at specified campsites, and wood fires are prohibited in the whole park.

In 2005, a Czech backpacker camping in the park used a gas stove and caused a fire that destroyed 160 km² of the park. Replanting, with assistance from the Czech Republic, was set to begin in September 2005.

I drew Tomas, a cardiologist from Prague in the Czech Republic and could not resist referencing the fire. I had been told by Kirsten that he wanted to learn Spanish and was looking for a phrasebook. So his present was a lonely planet Spanish phrasebook with ... a lighter and a box of matches. I also wrote him a little letter from the Parque Nacional Bomberos (National Park Service Fire-fighting unit). The letter went like this:

5th Dec 2008

Los Bomberos

Officina Nacional

Parque Nacional Torres Del Paine

Snr. Dr. Tomas,

Muchas gracias por su recente visite del la Parque Nacional de Torres Del Paine.

However, we note with some regret that you were unsuccessful on this visit. As an expression of our sincerest gratitude for the past 7 years of continuous overtime, we would like you to have these small gifts which we hope will assist you in your excellent work on your next visit to the Parque...

We also enclose a Spanish Phrasebook which may be useful...

I included some sample Spanish phrases such as "Donde Estas los Arbos?", "Soy hacer una pegunia fuego!", "De que mi accusado?", "Soy innocente?" and "Necessito mi consulate i abogado per favor"... My Espanol is basic but he got the idea!! All good fun!

Perito Moreno Glacier

2008-12-09T06:08:00.000-08:00

We stayed in El Calafate for a rest day so that we could visit the Perito Moreno glacier which I must admit, I had never heard of prior to this trip - so firstly, some of the facts...

The Glacier is located in the Los Glaciers Nacional Park in the south west of Santa Cruz province, Argentina. It is one of the most important tourist attractions in the Argentine Patagonia.

The 250 km2 (97 sq mi) ice formation, and 30 km (19 mi) in length, is one of 48 glaciers fed by the Southern Patagonian Ice Field located in the Andes system shared with Chile. This icefield is the world's third largest reserve of fresh water.

The view of the Glacier from the top viewing deck. From the face to the mountain slopes behind is approximately 14 km.

What makes it particularly interesting to visit is that the Perito Moreno Glacier is one of only three Patagonian glaciers that are not retreating.

The face of the Perito Moreno Glacier is 5 kilometres (3 mi) wide, with an average height of 60 m (197 ft) above the surface of the water, with a total ice depth of 170 metres (558 ft). It advances at a speed of up to 2 metres (6.56 ft) per day (around 700 metres (2,297 ft) per year), although it loses mass at approximately the same rate, meaning that aside from small variations, its terminus has not advanced or receded in the past 90 years. At its deepest part, the glacier has a depth of approximately 700 metres (2,297 ft).

Large piece of ice collapses as the glacier advances. The view of the glacier is accompanied by loud creaking sounds as the glacier advances right before your eyes. Then there is silence and then suddenly a loud crash as a tower block size piece of ice shears off the face and crashes into the water. As the resulting iceberg(s) pop to the surface a huge wave radiates out into Lago Argentina perhaps 20 ft high before it dissapates its energy across the lake which is almost 600 ft deep at the face of the glacier... spectacular!

It is also possible to hike on the Glacier and sure it would have been rude not to...

The Perito Moreno glacier, located 78 kilometres (48 mi) from El Calafate, was named after the explorer Francisco Moreno, a pioneer who studied the region in the 19th century and played a major role in defending the territory of Argentina in the conflict surrounding the international border dispute with Chile.

Go South Young Man

2008-11-12T08:35:00.000-08:00

Well its been a whiillleee since I updated my blog mainly due to lack of access to computers and hangovers on the days off... a photo tells a better story than my words so I will to paint a picture of our trip South after leaving Bolivia and arriving in Argentina...

We knew we were making progress and it was clear that we didn´t have much further to go...

We had to cross a few rivers - Cees doesn´t like narrow bridges and now its Geert´s turn to try the slippery pole - maybe the xtremepaddies can demonstrate how it should be done...

Time for a few relaxing moments too and the scenery is as varied as it is breathtaking...

Ouch, not a great place to sit!

The region around Mendoza is famous for its fine wines which are exported all over the world. We attempted to reduce their exports by as much as possible...

Then into the canyonlands of Northern Argentina

And then we crossed a small desert for a couple of days...

...and cycled over the odd volcano - yippeee!

Not much snow left but we could smell it!

On the right and below, you can see the 7,000 Meter Aconcagua, the Highest mountain outside the Himalaya

...Then, Once you cross the Rio Grande, you are officially in Patagonia and as the guys say "everything is better in Patagonia"

WOW! and yes they are clouds way below us

Patagonia is also famous for its strong winds which we took to mean that would be similar to a stormy day on top of Kippure. We were wrong. I will describe what happened. You won´t believe my story. There are no photos only the picture below after the rescue...

We were climbing up over a mountain pass on a paved road into a headwind. As we approached the top the wind got very strong, then it got much stronger and one of the lighter guys was blown off his bike. We dismounted and started to walk. 300 meters later we could no longer walk and our bikes were blown out of our hands. My bike was flapping at the end of my arms like a plastic bag would on a windy day. We had to crawl across the road and in behind rocks to escape the wind which would have blown us literally off the mountain. We were trapped. 2 of us eventually crawled over the pass with our bikes to get some help for the others - it took us over half an hour to get 200 meters and we had to spend most of the time lying flat on top of our bikes on the road - I kid you not, the wind was very very strong..

Scared and dirty faces after everyone had been rescued...

And then it was gone and Patagonia showed its other tranquil beautiful face...

Business as usual for the birds of prey and this local was found hiding under Mick and Bene´s tent...

Thats it my friends but I almost forgot, we had a party in this barrel one night even though it was a bit of a tight squeeze getting in!

Well, in case I don´t see you, good afternoon, good evening and goodnight

The Alti Plano and Surreal Salar De Uyuni

2008-10-08T11:01:00.000-07:00

The Altiplano (Spanish for high plain), where the Andes are at their widest, is the most extensive area of high plateau on earth outside of Tibet.

Its height averages about 3,300 meters (11,000 feet), somewhat less than that of Tibet. Unlike the Tibetan Plateau, however, the Altiplano is dominated by the massive peaks of active volcanoes to the west and the Atacama Desert, the driest area on the whole planet, lies to the southwest of the Altiplano.

At the end of the Pleistocene epoch, the whole extent of the Altiplano was covered by a vast lake, Ballivián, the present remnants of which are Lake Titicaca, straddling the Peru/Bolivia border, and Poopó, a saline lake which extends south of Oruro, Bolivia. Salar de Uyuni, locally known as "Salar de Tunupa", as well as Salar de Coipasa are two large dry salt flats formed as well after the Altiplano paleolakes dried out.

View into a huge Meteorite Crater on the Altiplano near Salinas, Bolivia...I see the crater lake and so have my towel at the ready...

Unfortunately, its only about 6 inches deep but very very salty and so I have a float about anyway...

This salt really stings all over... and below completely caked in salt

Our first views of the amazing Salar De Uyuni. This dried out salt lake covers 12,000 Sq. Km. (about the size of Munster)

The following morning, Monday the 6th October, we set out across the Salar well covered up to avoid being scorched by the reflected sunlight which is exceptionally strong at 3,800 Meters

Suzanna gets her first driving lesson from Didier, our medic and what a great place to learn to drive...

Everything is going well we hear Ennio Morricone whistling faintly in the background and some mean hombres arrive

When we reach Islas de Pescadors in the middle of the Salar, we realize that the group are being followed...

...by some really mean hombres

Big Micko "The Killer" and Colorado "Loco" Grande size each other up and theres bound to be trouble... Bicycle pumps are drawn and the inevitable gunfight breaks out!

...After lunch, we cycle around a bit, now which way was I supposed to be going?

Luckily, I spot a water hole in the dry lake bed and go to investigate...

Hmmh, freezing, deep and salty

And I can even float!

140 Km later, we arrive at the Salt Hotel and get the flag up straight away.

SOS Village La Paz

2008-10-08T09:56:00.000-07:00

THE EL ALTO SOS CHILDRENS VILLAGE NEAR LA PAZ, BOLIVIA

George doing one of many laps of the El Alto Village with passenger.

On Monday the 29th of September, we visited one of the SOS childrens villages in El Alto outside La Paz. The charity operates in 123 countries worldwide and the villages are based on a family structure with a number of houses within a private compound. The children from the ages of 2 to 18 years live in mixed groups of 9 in each house. Each house is run by a full time "Mother" whom the children treat and regard as their own mother and so the structure is as close to a normal family setting as is possible. The SOS village in El Alto is presently home to over 100 children who would otherwise be making it on their own on the steets of La Paz... an unthinkable but horribly real situation that many other orphaned kids find themselves in.

We can fit a few more... Bene`s new friend is keen to try out the bike

We were really impressed with the organisation. The kids seemed to be very happy, well looked after and confident in themselves. The houses were modern and well designed with facilities far better than most of the tourist hotels that we stay in on our trip. The kids all go to local schools and some of the teenagers were learning English and could tell us a little about their lives in the village.

Andre gets stuck in with the boys on the pitch

We stayed for about 4 hours playing with the kids and giving them bike rides. We were all very moved and sad to have to leave...the kids constantly vied for our attention and it was clear that they just craved love and affection, particularly the little ones.

This little one was a little camera shy... and opposite, the uber confident Maria De Los Angeles poses with my shades

The SOS Villages charity is giving these kids a real chance in life and I sincerely thank you all for your support. I would particularly like to thank my sister Rachel`s company Lundbeck Pharmaceuticals www.lundbeck.com who very kindly donated Euro1,000 to the 2 Bike Dreams Andes Trail charities "SOS Villages" www.sos-childrensvillages.org and "Right To Play" www.righttoplay.com . This and the money raised at the table quiz will be donated 50:50 to the 2 charities along with other participants donations through the Bike Dreams organisation www.bike-dreams.com

Machu Picchu

2008-09-22T20:46:00.000-07:00

On the right, the Machu Picchu valley with the site of the ruins marked M, Wayna Picchu marked W and Putucusi marked P

Machu Picchu meaning 'old peak' in Quechua was constructed about 1460 at an elevation of 2400 M on a steep hilltop with only 2 points of access, one involved crossing a 20M canyon on 2 tree trunks with a 570 M drop below and the other was and is via a narrow high mountain pass to the sun gate along what is now known as the 'Inca trail'. Fortunately for me, a completely new fleet of 30 air-conditioned Mercedes buses were added to the otherwise difficult access points in 2006.

Three windowed temple at Machu Picchu

Photos thanks to delange.org

Theories abound as to the purpose of the Inca city and as to why Machu Picchu was abandoned less than a hundred years after construction despite it being in such a delightful location. In any event, the Spanish later arrived led by the treachorous Pizzaro but never found the 'lost city of the Incas'. It was 're-discovered' in July 1910 by Hiram Bingham, a Yale archeologist who promptly removed anything of value and brought it back to the States. In 2007, the Board of Yale finally agreed to return all the goodies to Peru once the locals agreed to follow the usual museum protocols for priceless treasures. On a more negative note, despite being declared a Unesco World Heritage Site in 1983 and in contravention of a Peruvian High Court Order, there has been an almost unbridled expansion of the tourism trade surrounding the ruins. In the 90's, a ceremonial altar was removed to create a helipad for the $800 a night Orient Express Group hotel which sits at the entrance to the ruins and more recently part of the temple of the sun was damaged by a crane during the making of a beer commercial! (See photo)

The Intihuatana Stone 'the hitching place of the sun' aligns with the winter Solstice

The obvious damage to the Intihuatana Stone caused during the making of a beer commercial...

Apparently, the entire structure is also slipping approximately a foot down the steep mountainside each year and the crumbling lower ruins are supposedly evidence of this. Doomsday prophets say that with a little help from a reasonable sized earth tremor (the region is volcanic), that the entire site may end up in the Urumbamba river. Happily, the helicopters have now been banned and hotel guests have to settle for the express queue for the Mercedes buses. Anyway, thats the blurb, here's a few of our photos...

The 3 Amigos at the top of Wayna Picchu looking down on Machu Picchu

Speeding ticket in Court 54 on Monday at 11? Sorry mate, no can do!

The steep ladders (220 foot ladder on the left) leading up to Putucusi are not in great condition and we thought a makeshift rope was a sensible idea!

Don't do it - Camelback dont make parachutes.

Climbing to Huancayo

2008-09-08T07:04:00.001-07:00

MAJESTIC ANDES

Back up in the High Andes, the teddy bear faced Alpacas are well equiped for freezing conditions

Well I'm glad to say that the Gringo Circus has arrived in Huancayo which seems a bit more civilised so I will use the opportunity to bring the blog right up to date before heading to bush camps back in the mountains this week.

In my last blog, I gloated that we had a 70k downhill 4 days ago... well did we pay for that downhill. On Friday, we had a 2700M 120k uphill into a headwind. I know its not a major incline over 120k but it just would not end and with 40% less oxygen, it was difficult. We got home just before dark after 10 hours in the saddle. All we could say on arrival is "Me duele el culito!"(My ass hurts)

And so we arrived at Cerro Del Pasco, a mining town which is the highest town in the world at 4,400M! Although tired and very cold (its winter here), Equipo xtremepaddies immediately seized the opportunity to find the worlds highest pub and so we had a pint at 4,301 Meters in bar 'Trapiche'. When we ventured back outside, it was snowing!

Sean, Bene, Mick, Kirsten, Len & Ewald in the worlds highest unheated pub (we think). Check out the altimeter showing 4,301 Meters - Johnny Foxes take note!

Bene (sun-kissed from the 36C temperatures a few hours earlier) decides to record our short visit to Cerro Del Pasco... what a STAR!

And the following morning was a cold start to a 134km spin through the Andes while staying above 4000M.

Sean & Mick making plans for a new ski resort in the Andes... and the scenery is spectacular! Below 7am on the road again...

Down at 3,600 M, the sun warms us up a little

Andre shows the off his road rash and celebrates becoming the 8th official member of the Xtremepaddies awarded for bravery in this case - 17 intermuscular stitches after 4 or 5 hours standing on the side of the road and not a whimper out of him. Fortunately, it wasnt his drinking arm and his general performance has not been affected!

FYI - The Xtremepaddies was formed when myself and Mick skied over the roof of an inhabited house in St. Anton on a powder day 7 years ago - a relatively small 15 foot drop into fresh snow -- but then we had only just learned how to ski! This remains the basic entry requirement but we will always consider outstanding achievements - evidence required. Don't be stupid though - thats for the Darwin Awards. S.

Adios amigos.

Cordillera Blanca - The High Andes

2008-08-31T10:25:00.000-07:00

The Cordillera Blanca - the high Andes has 24 peaks over 6,000 Meters

Sorry I have been out of touch for a while friends...have cycled up from Huaraz into the Cordillera Blanca Andes. We have been doing lots of uphill cycling and hit 4,950 M last Monday which is well higher than I have been before and especially on the bike...

We have been bush camping and sometimes staying in small villages for the last week or so. We camped out at 4,200 Meters on Sunday night and the temperature dropped from a pleasant 32C to -14C after dark! Everything froze solid -even bottles of coke... Thanks Damo for the Northface Snow Shoe sleeping bag which kept me alive.

There is lots to report over the last 2 weeks and hopefully a few nice photos too.

Camped here (above) and only met one Tarantula but he was shy like myself and got away before I could get him to pose!

Ewald, our mechanic forgets to take his bike off the roof-rack again!

Surf Mecca - Huancayo

We dropped down to the coastal town of Huancayo about a week ago. Its a surfers paradise and myself Mick, Bene and Andre (one of our Dutch friends) managed to catch a few waves.

Attempting to demonstrate "the pop" after a few too many Pisco Sours in the local in Huancayo ... and the following day catching a few waves with Mick Bene and Andre.

We also attended a party at the ´´Casa del Cyclistas´in Trujillo which is a famous outpost for (mainly lone) bikers on the South America trip. Lucio, the proprietor and Perus best cyclista hosted us at a party to celebrate his 1,000 th guest. We all became friends and Lucio donned his gear the following day and cycled with us to Huaraz over the next 4 days.

Lucio and Didier (DJ) lying down pose outside the Casa de Cyclistas in Trujillo

Carreras de los Gringos

We stayed a night in the small market town of Caraz for a night and decided to liven the place up a bit. The local form of transport is a 3 wheeled 125cc motorcycle taxi that can hold 2 passengers behind the driver - a bit like the tuc tucs in Thailand. So I organised ´Carreras de los Gringos´a 3 lap race around the main plaza in town. We found 3 likely young lads who would be up for a race and lined up at the traffic lights on the Plaza de Lármes, Caraz. The locals didnt know what was happening but soon turned out in large numbers with the roars of the 125 cc engines and screeching of brakes. We tore around the plaza with the Gringos hanging out on the corners to keep the outside wheel on the ground. It was great craic until the cops turned up to interupt the fun and the drivers had to bolt for side streets to avoid losing their licences. We managed to talk our way out of spending the night in the local slammer by buying the cops a few beers and explaining to them that its an old Irish tradition to race donkeys around the square when you visit a new town. We hope to repeat the race in other towns and get a bit of a league going!!

Camping has been a mixed experience... The first campsite was a little copse of trees beside the paddy fields but it was a very bad choice. There were lots and lots of sand flies and mosis. I escaped reasonably unscathed with about 50 bites. Some of the guys were so badly bitten that their legs swelled up and they got very sick for a few days and couldn´t cycle. The next campsite was on the banks of the Rio Santa high up in the Andes where the air is so thin that a Mosi cannot even take off let alone carry a payload of haemoglobin so that was much nicer. We swam in the river (washed) and saw some great shooting stars.

The serious climbing then started with 2 days of over 5 hours climbing before lunch. This took us up over a 4,900 Meter pass. Our reward was a 70k off-road downhill on Wednesday afternoon (I kid you not. We had to take breaks to get the feeling back in our hands. On an unfortunate note, Andre had a bad tumble and wrecked his right forearm and muscle... he accepted the 17 stitches with his usual good humour but he will be off the bike for a couple of days...

Len Spratt (my Canadian roommate) celebrates making it over yet another 4,000 M pass

We are off at dawn in the morning to climb 2,400 Meters back up into the peaks. We are already at 2,100 here in Huanaco. I have mounted a camera on the front of the bike so with a bit of luck, I will be able to upload a downhill video at the weekend.

On the road, you know this is where I like to be...

Ciao for now, Sean

Quito to Cuenca Week 1

2008-08-15T15:14:00.000-07:00

From Quito to Cuenca

Finally the serious business of cycling South started. We headed along the Pan-am highway staying in the towns/villages of Latacunga, Guamote, Riobamba, Incapirca and then the city of Cuenca in the Southern Equadorian Andes.

The Pan am varies between being a perfect 3 lane motorway near Cuenca to little more than a dirt track in the mountains - yet it is the lifeblood of the Andes. It winds like an economic artery through the centre of Equador. A few miles away from the road is like a step back in time - the people rely on small scale agriculture to survive. Living conditions are much as I imagine they would have been in country villages in Ireland in the early part of the 20th century.

The towns along the roadway are all involved in servicing the trucking (and tourist) trade that passes along the highway. And the attitude and perspective of the people in the road towns is quite different to the people of the country villages. In Guamote, the locals were very friendly and genuinely interested in finding out what we were about whereas the 'road people' were more interested in sizing us up to see if they could scam a few $.

Anyway, photos tell the best story of the week to date...

Firstly a country bus fills up at the gas station... I counted 25 on board and they seemed happy to pose for the photo...

The ride from Latacunga to Riobamba took us over a high mountain pass on the shoulder of Cotopaxi volcano. It was 6 deg C and we were not expecting a wet wintery Irish day. The climb took us up to just over 4,000 Meters for the first time.

But the next day, we were back in the sunshine. This is where we stopped for lunch just off the Pan am on the way to Guamote.

Benedicte prefers the sunshine!

These 2 little kids wandered over the hill with a couple of pigs in tow. They were more than happy to share lunch with us and we were able to send them on their way with a bag of goodies.

Below is the Temple of the Sun at Incapirca. This is the most important Inca settlement in Ecuador built in the late fifteenth century when the Inca expanded their empire into present day Ecuador.

Trust the Paddies to find the local pub in the village of Incapirca... we shared a bottle of Zhumir with the locals - its a bit like peach schnapps mixed with Poteen. Nice though.

Below is the magnificent cathedral of Cuenca.

The Start @ Mitad Del Mundo 8th August

2008-08-09T19:03:00.000-07:00

THE START...

Well, we are on our way... the race started at the Mitad del Mundo (Middle of the world) which is the name given to the monument marking the Equator. The 18 riders were sent on our way by the vice minister of tourism for Ecuador who blew up a bike tube ( the bike equivalent of popping champagne!). The first day was a relatively easy 60km spin out to the monument and back for the official start.

BIKES LIE STRADDLING THE EQUATOR

"Were not that heavy!"

QUITO

Quito is a crazy city of 2 million people which has a name for being a bit dangerous for muggings etc. However, I reckon you have much more chance of being milled by a car, bus or truck. The locals are completely crazy drivers - more of that later.

First impressions of South America are crowded, polluted and ridiculously cheap - Myself, Mick and Bene who are doing the race with me went for a 4 course meal in a local restauant in Quito and I handed in a $20 bill - I got 15 dollars and a handful of change back!

THE BASILLICA

Also, there dont seem to be any rules - anything goes. We visited the Basillica - a fabulous 200 year old cathedral which is a magnificent building currently being renovated. They charge $2 to visit, a substantial contribution here. For that, you get 'access all areas'. We could climb the builders scaffolding and we were literally hanging out of the top of the spire on the outside with the builders. check out the photos.

"Texting the girlfriend - look at the width of his scaffold

a 2 by 1!"

This is the view down from the spire - on the outside. Mick has a good grip of my jacket! Note the yellow taxi below...

This is what the inside of the roof of a cathedral looks like.
Note the construction details of the arched ceiling features

And inside - sun streaming through stained glass windows

Saturday at 7am the race started - South for 11,000km to the Fin del Mundo in Ushuaia, Argentina. The start was a 500 vertical Meter climb out of Quito. 500 Meter climbs are the bread and butter of mountain biking. However, this involved negotiating the busy and polluted streets and there is 30% less oxygen in the thin air...we have only been here for 3 days and it will take a week to acclimatise to the altitude. It was difficult. The traffic on the Pan American Highway South was absolultely crazy - it makes Roman teenagers look like grandad out for a Sunday spin. The road was covered in roadkill. The road is a 3 lane highway in either direction but not a motorway - so there are uncontrolled junctions all the way along it with trucks pulling out into 3 lanes of traffic moving at ridiculously high speeds. We came across one serious accident - a truck had come down a steep hill which meets the 6 lane highway at a T junction but his brakes had failed and so he simply drove straight across 6 lanes and turned over. Miraculously, he didnt hit any cars but we did not stop to see what condition the driver was in...

The road is completely crowded with all sorts of old cars and trucks that are long past their sell by date and is just a big cloud of black smoke which is not so nice to cycle on. Fortunately, we only have 1 more day on the highway and then we head off road - I cannot wait...

Bananas displayed in the market at Latacunga where we are staying tonight

Table Quiz on Wednesday 16th June, Dublin

2008-07-18T11:42:00.000-07:00

Quiz Night a Great Success! Thanks to All.

On Wednesday the 16th July 2008, I hosted a fund-raising Table Quiz for the 2 Andes Trail charities. Although lots of friends and family were away on holidays, there was a fantastic turnout with 17 tables entering the Quiz. The MC for the night Mick Synnott kept us all entertained and did an xcellent job on running the quiz on the night. On the night, with the entry fees and raffle, we collected the princely sum of E1,310. That's US$2,078 which will go along way when added to the funds raised by the organisers (Bike Dreams) and the other participants. I would like to thank each and every person who attended. I sincerely appreciate your support. The group will be visiting an SOS village in Chile during the trip to see how the funds raised are used on the ground to help orphaned and dis-advantaged children.

I would like to particularly thank Mick Synnott, Ed Hurrell, my sister Rach and James Creasey. Without their help, the event would not have happened. Finally, thanks to management and staff of the Russellcourt Hotel who provided the room free of charge which will ensure that all funds raised will go directly to the charities.

The Andes Trail Overview

2008-07-17T08:58:00.000-07:00

“The Andes Trail” starts on August 9th 2008 at the Mitad del Mundo monument on the equator just North of Quito, Ecuador. This cycling expedition is organized by Bike-Dreams and covers a distance of 11,000 kilometers in more than 4 months.

We hope to arrive safe and sound after 128 days of cycling thru five countries in Ushuaia, the most southern point of South-America at the plaque which marks the 'Fin del Mundo'.

The distance of the daily stages vary between 60 and 160 kilometer. As the race is off-road, we expect conditions to be rough. We will climb high through the mountains getting up to 5,000 Meters and spending 3 straight weeks above 3,500 Meters. Temperatures may vary from +40C to -20C.

The riders will be accompanied by 2 support vehicles and we will camp most nights with the a couple of nights a week in small local hotels/guesthouses. It will be quite and adventure!