The morning after the desert sleep, and things weren't right from the start. Eventually my need to get moving overcame the unsatisfactory pack of the bike. Riding, I was struggling to get into a groove. I pushed on. 100k's later and I decided last minute to pull into a service station. The hard braking did not agree with the sandy road, and over we went. I felt ghost shadow slip away. I'm not sure how fast we were going, but it was fast enough that when my hip...

I managed to find the local mechanic. A few amigos helped hoist Ghost Shad up onto some wood blocks. The head man did an impressively quick chain adjustment and changed the oil. He refused money, but when I insisted they take the bottle of local liquor that was stashed in my saddle bags, one of them looked as happy as I've seen any man for quite a while. Riding for another few hours, climbing ad descending through the deserts hills, I arrived into a strange to...

My longest riding day to date, clocking up 520 clicks. The middle of the day comprised of riding through some more mountains, followed by some hours entering into The Atacama desert, the driest in the world. Riding through the desert on the coastline watching the sunset was quite spectacular. I am extremely grateful that my new jacket makes the riding much more comfortable.

Two days of riding, with a nights rest inbewteen. 500km's riding at times along the coast, and then finding myself making some long winding climbs through mountains, often riding through into the clouds. Arriving at night, I spent the first hour looking for a hostel. Already frustrated, cold, hungry, needing to take a slash and really wanting to get off the bike, I slowed down as to avoid hurting one of the many street dogs that have run at my bike trying to b...

"It'll be fine, I know the general direction" I thought. However my soon to be new sense of freedom was put on hold for an hour or so whilst i played a game of back and forwards through the city streets, trying to get myself and Ghost Shadow on and off the right and wrong motorways and becoming increasingly frustrated, which led me to making some very illegal but swift moves. Finally I was heading toward my first stop, Valparaíso. I clocked up the first 150k's...