Valparaiso to Santiago, Saturday, 19 January 2013, Day 200

Phillys Back up truck with a couple of spare tyres you did not think this was a solo effort!

So I needed to go to Chile capital Santiago I was not sure I was going to stop there or not but Daisy needs a service and I might get see some of the Dakar Rally so a short run from Valparaiso to Santiago. Its cold damp and misty when I leave and is like this all the way to Santiago so I do not see much of the scenery so stick to the motorway all of the way. I head to a Hostel I have an address for check in there chat with the guy and he says there is a Motorcycle event in a park round the corner because of the Dakar Rally so that this afternoon itinerary sorted and he says that the finish and podium of Dakar is just round the corner in the other direction so that Sundays Itinerary sorted as well but first an Oil filter and a service for Daisy that needs to be sorted. I headed to the street the nice chap in Vina del Mar had told me about and he was a right loads of Motorcycle shops of all shape and sizes all I need to do is find the Suzuki one. I find one and they are just shutting but if I can come back on Monday they can do a service and yes they have all the parts I need and they give me a price for the work. So I check a few other place and the labour quoted seems to be in the ballpark and they are the only Suzuki dealer I can see on the street so will come back on Monday and get Daisy sorted.

Back to the hostel out of my bike gear and walk to the park expecting a big motorcycle gathering but all I find is a theme park I am on the wrong side of the park so I walk round the huge park and find the event. It turns out to be the park ferme for the Dakar Rally so it is all fenced off you can see in from a distance but you are not allowed in I did try to blag my way in but failed. You could see the competitor’s vehicles coming in off the final stage as the road was closed of but it is not that interesting so I took some photos and I went for a walk to a huge market and shopping mall I had seen on my way into town and I then went for the food hall for my dinner and than walked some more and finally back to the hostel sitting in there in a nice backyard updating this.

Finally caught up with the Dakar

Santiago, Sunday, 20 January 2013, Day 201

Does my bum look big in this ?

On my 200^th night on the road and they finally got me bed bugs Yuk! I have been bitten all night at first I thought it was mossies but none around and as I am talking to a French girl in the morning she said she had been bitten to and it was the dreaded bedbugs. It is a shame really as this is a nice hostel a bit tatty in places and the folks running it are very friendly and helpful but been eating alive all night is not very appealing. I have another night here but the French guy in the room is leaving and he said he was not bitten so will knick his bed tonight and see if that works.

Alex and Andrea are in town so I try and make vague plans to meet them at the Dakar Rally but in a strange town and allegedly 1 million people are expected for the finish the chances of this happening are slim to none.

Nice Sculpture!

So I walk into town to the finish podium but again I cannot get to close as its ticket holders only there is loads of road which has been closed of where the public can see the vehicles and competitors go past and the ceremony is from 10am till 4 pm so that 6 hours as everyone gets to stand on the podium but it is not very interesting to watch so take a few more photos and then go for a walk around Santiago which is quite as it’s a Sunday and the roads are all closed for the Dakar. My walk takes a good couple of hours Santiago is not really exciting me pleasant enough but just another big city nothing to write home about well the bits I have seen.

I am hot and tired from the walking and I have another watch of the Dakar it is getting to the tail end of the competitors and the crowd has thinned a bit but still boring. I walk home find another food hall for me tea and then back to Hostel working on you guess it to work on this never ending chore called Phillysbigtrip.wordpress.com

I am not looking forward to going to bed tonight as I was not that fond of my new bed partners I do hope that this other bed is bug free.

Sitting chatting and updating the blog in the yard at the back of the hostel very pleasant and nope I did not meet up with A & A but may see Alex tomorrow while getting the bike serviced as he needs some work doing on his bike as well.

Santiago Cathedral

Santiago to Pichilemu,Monday, 21 January 2013,Day 202

Phillys is captain of this boat tonight ooh aah me hearties!

No problems with bugs last night which is a relief I had a few moments but I think a lot of the icky moments are in my head not in reality but I am glad to be leaving.

Daisy is getting a good seeing to today oil change new oil filter and air filter and a bit of TLC. They reckon it going to take a good couple of hours so I go for a wander down the street where I bump into Alex trying to source some bits for his bike and some tyres. I look after his bike and kit whilst he goes to each of the many bike shops on Lira looking for the best deal. When he done he comes to the shop where Daisy is being sorted and asks if he can use the workshop to change his oil, oil filter and air filter they say yes no problem as he is buying both these items there so he sets to work on his bike and Daisy is being seen to by the mechanic and I just hang around doing what I do best and that is to look pretty. I could probably do the work on Daisy my self but I choose not to as I rather someone else takes the responsibility who knows what they are doing and they can spot something serious that I may have missed and it if it goes wrong than I have some one else to blame other than me

    

Alex posing for the cameras

Good fun hanging around workshop watching and occasionally assisting while folks fettle with motorcycles. It about 1pm when Daisy is given the all clear and I am ready to roll Alex is still busy. I want to get out of Santiago one because of the bedbugs and two is that so far it has not really turned me on so I have decided to head to the beach which is about 200km away.

Say Tata to Alex who I will meet down the road as I had lent him the money for his oil filter and air filter as his credit card was playing up and I make my way out of Santiago. Its dull and overcast and scenery not much to write home about but I am glad to be on the move again and Daisy is feeling a bit fresher after the work that has been done.So thanks to Jorge of Promotors in Lira Santiago for squeezing us in at short notice and letting Alex use your workshop facilities cheers mate.

Dakar folk also heading home

As I left late its quite late when I get to Pichilemu and I have an address there but when I get there the prices are a lot higher than what I was expecting so I ask them why and they say oh you are talking about staying on the boat that’s not here but its just down the beach. Me a bit confused but we walk down the beach together and in the distance perched on cliff overlooking the beach is a house shaped like a boat and that is what is going to be my home for the night.

Great Boat Shaped Hostel on the Beach!

      

    

This was a folly built years ago as a teahouse to attract tourist to Pichilemu and has been converted into a hostel 3 floors top floor 8 bed dorm window all around with views over the sea and the beach fantastic, Middle floor also great vistas communal area and on the ground floor separate 4 person dorms no windows this is where I would be staying as it was the cheapest option.

The first thing that needed doing was to break down the door that had been shut for years so that we could get the bike into a secure courtyard so Christian (handyman and custodian of boat) set to work with a hacksaw cutting through a rusty padlock so Daisy was safe for the night. Then I found out I am the only person staying here tonight so I have the whole place to myself no staff just me which is cool as well as scary as it perched on a cliff on its own and quite a large old building so could be a few scary moments tonight as I am scary wuzz 🙂

http://www.surfhostalbackpackers.cl

So after I checked in I went for along walk around town looking for a Chinese that had shut years ago just because I fancied a Chinese I ended up having a Pork Sandwich which was also good and got back to my mini palace by the sea at about 8.30pm and as I said earlier I was on my own so spread my stuff out got the music on and I was thoroughly enjoyed having my own space with no one else to bother me. I sat in every chair looked out of every window as the views of the sea where spectacular then it got dark so put every light on and I jumped at every squeak and noise that I heard and there where a lot.

Finally went to bed one downside to staying downstairs was it was damp and there were lots of mossies so from bed bugs to mossies I am not sure what I prefer.

Surfing how difficult can that be then!