We have on the evening of the 17th Novembers the Observatorio Mamalluca above Vicuña and were visited the moon and the stars through the telescope.
We were verschiedenern star images shown and stated here on the south side of the earth all on the head.
In the meantime, we also know what the earthquake destruction in the city Tocupilla had. There, yes, we had three days before the quake on the beach campiert.
From Vicuña we wanted out on the 4.779m high Paso del Agua Negro after Argentina, Japan. This winter, however, had still barring what one here herunten in Vicuña to about 600m even can not imagine, and so we had to come back to La Serena and drove the Ruta 43 to the south. The winding road leads through valleys with vines, sandwiched between bare mountains.
Only the passage of the few places proving somewhat difficult.
The road is in the middle of the city to an end and we had to get through the narrow streets to the suburbs durchfragen, where the road then weiterfuehrt.
Even otherwise we had here in Chile so all kinds of "new" road gewoehnen:
It is only left ueberholt and even the flasher,
At red lights will be, even at stop streets,
Only way streets in the right direction and
It is not hooted at every opportunity.
Only a bad habit exist in Chile but not (yet?) Is not that Fussgaenger as blind Huehner on the zebra stripes racing ....
The home of the Chinchillas we came to Los Vilos for a few kilometers back to the kuehle Coast and on the highway, we reached Santiago, the capital of the country with about 5 Mil. Inhabitants.
There were still on the same day new tires for both motorcycles and the start of the 650s wanted problems one at the next day care.
Since it is not in the city campground, and "normal" hotels are far too expensive relative long time since we once again one of our very popular Sex-Motels, right near the BMW workshop.
The next morning, the tires of the 650s again changed, because on the day the wrong person had assembled.
For the startup problems found no explanation and no solution, and so we left the city has once again towards the north-east, towards Argentina.
It was once about 40 degrees C hot, and we were pleased that it went into the mountains.
Turn to bend, the road to the 3.185m high Paso Bermejo up.
A few miles before the pass elevation in Portillo, a small ski resort with a few ski lifts is the Chilean customs.
Although only one car in front of us and no one else here was really something seemed not to go forward, because the Chilean Zoellner strike today, as we learned through inquiries, and the strikers should have at least one to two days.
Here for one to two days of camp, we found now is not so great, and we ueberlegten what we do now.
Suddenly hies it that we can pass, but got no exit stamp.
A little surprised we drove the few bends to the tunnel to Argentina high.
The Argentine Customs is also a few kilometers to the border and also because today was striked and nothing was more.
We then got permission but at least until two kilometers from the remote customs Puente del Inca driving deposits resulting from a natural bridge over the Rio Mendoza.
We rejoiced us now to a bathroom where in Puente del Inca befindenden hot springs, but that was not possible because the whole Gela end to the sources was locked, for security reasons, as it hies. - So we fuehlten not unsafe, but it was nothing ...
So we did halt only a photo of the village and bought a few foods, which in Argentina are much cheaper than in Chile, drove back to the Argentine customs get our documents again, we as a pledge dortlassen had cast a glance at with 6.960m highest mountain Suedamerikas, Aconcagua and went back again to the Chilean border.
There was one in the meantime, but still determined to work and when two motorcyclists without Argentine exit stamps daherkommen, it is the same but very verdaechtig and we were on the "boss".
After we told him our story, we had a paper issued and came almost easily at all checkpoints. Even the otherwise meticulous Gepaeckkontrolle umfuhren we just stayed, and so our illegally imported foods undetected.
Again by Santiago and on the Pan-American Highway, the only road in Chile the right direction and the south leads to a boring highway expansion is centered approximately 800 kilometers weter.
The Wueste, we now entgueltig leave, and now the mountains were green again, and again there were rivers, lakes and forests.
In Victoria the highway, we could leave and then finally went to 2.865m high volcano Lonquimay.
With huge fields of ash we came up the hill until we were stuck in the snow.
By Araucariawaelder in which besides Condoren and Schwarzspechten also Fuechse and pumas live, we came to the next Feuerspucker, the active volcano Llaima with 3.125m elevation. Here we snow blocked the way and the temperatures we noticed that the Suedwinter in the mountains was not so long gone.
Our next target was the Lake Villarrica, and there is an active volcano, the Tobias equipped with ice axes and crampons will try to climb ....
