Day59-Playing Turísticos In Ushuaia, Feb 24, 2011

Start & Stop: Ushuaia, Argentina (Day 2)

Mileage:  No Riding

Hotel:  Hosteria Foike. Gobernador Campos No. 1554. Ushuaia 9410. Argentina

Fuel: $3.267 Argentine Peso /l liter ($0.82 USD/1 liter) or $3.09 per gal!

Currency Exchange: $1 USD = $4.02 Argentine Peso

Weather:  Overcast, cloudy and very, very windy!

Dean: Woke up this morning to raging wind!  Gusts up to 40 MPH!

We are in R&R mode getting ready for an early departure Friday.  The heavy winds have us edgy and pensive.  The gusts shake the little Hosteria.  Our route takes us back out on Ruta 3 over the little pass, around to Rio Grande, San Sebastan, the Argentina/Chile border crossing and on the 90 miles of 257-CL unpaved road to Bahia Azur (Puerto Espora) ferry where we ride west to Punta Arenas.  A total of 400 miles.

From Punta Arenas we have a short 165 miles to Puerto Natales.  If there is some time, and the V-Stumpasourus is cruising at 50 we plan to ride out to the Paine National Park.

Lisa: Dean says ‘short ride’ – at the speeds were are forced to travel, around the block isn’t ‘short’. Add in the winds and the mountainous terrain and the gravel to the ferry and it’s looming as a very long day.

Herbert, Mario, Lisa, Jose, Sandy, Dean & Eduardo.

Eduardo is very proud of his Pisco!

Eduardo pouring pisco for all of us!

Lisa's food fetish continues! This is a chocolate ice cream bomb.

Lisa, Jose Roberto, Dean -- Jose, Venezuela, is riding a Suzuki GN 125. He is heading towards Brazil & Uruguay!

Jose on his Suzuki 125. Ahh … to be young and free.

Dean, Heidi, Julio, & Lisa -- Julio & Heidi had been riding 2-up on a Honda African Twin. The Twin ships home to Ecuador and they leave on a 10-day Arctic cruise.

Eduardo (Peru), Lisa, Mario (Chile), Dean after the restaurant closes.

Dean: This is our last night in Ushuaia.  We (Lisa, Herbert and I) plan to meet Heidi and Julio again for dinner at 8:30 PM.  Matias (Vina del Mar Suzuki dealer) writes on our blog “there is a rider with ‘big huevos’ “Tocando Latinoamérica” on Facebook who is in Ushluaia.  He is kinda stuck.  No money, no gas, no job.  Could we help him out?”

Jose Roberto is “Tocando Latinoamérica” from Venezuela on Facebook.  He is on a Suzuki 125!  He rides then works for a week or so.  Then rides and works for a week or so.

I get on Facebook and send Jose Roberto a Facebook mail.  Met us at the restaurant and we’ll buy you dinner,  So the three of us (Lisa, Herbert and I) headed to “La Estancia” BBQ restaurant to meet up with Jose Roberto (the crazy kid on a 125) and Heidi and Julio (Honda African Twin).  The restaurant is packed!  We check in and wait for a table.  Heidi, Julio and Jose are no-shows.  So we invite Sandy, a Canadian, who is waiting to get into the La Estancia restaurant too.

The four of us begin our all-you-can-eat BBQ lamb, beef, and buffet for sides and salads.  Sitting next to us are two guys, Eduardo (Peru) and Mario (Chile), who explain how this all-you-can-eat dinner works.  Lisa chats up with these guys.  Suddenly in walks Jose Roberto and we make room for him on the end of the table by moving our table up next to Eduardo and Mario’s.  Now we are 7.

The two guys are business friends and Lisa learns that one of them makes/bottles his own Pisco — a very unique grappa like wine.  Basically a strong, colorless grape brandy.  For the last four weeks, and all over Chile, Bolivia and Argentina we see ‘Pisco Sour’ drinks on the menus.

So Eduardo decides we all have to experience his Pisco and Mario gets up and leaves.  He returns with a bottle of Pisco and we all get a sample taste and toast to new friendship.  In the middle of all this, in walks Heidi and Julio.  Now we are 9.  A new bottle of Pisco appears.  The conversations are evolving, 2-3 different discussion going on all being interrupted with Pisco toasts.  The kid, Jose Roberto, hooks up with Herbert and exchange info for his Uruguay leg.  Now that Julio/Heidi’s ride is over, they give no longer need riding stuff to Jose.  Keep in mind that Lisa and I were planning to leaving at sunrise tomorrow.

Five separate group/individuals, that did not know each other before Ushuaia, somehow comes together for evening of laugher, moto talk, friendship and fun.

Lisa: What a great finish to our Ushuaia visit.  Part way through the dinner, Eduardo makes a comment that this is the first time he’s seen Dean smile.  It was true – Dean was having the time of his life.  We just marveled at how this group came together, how it melded and what a wonderful evening it was.  Everyone was laughing and sharing stories, not all moto related, and then made plans to see each other again during their various visits to the States.  Eduardo will be arriving at Casa Landry sometime in April and we will continue the fun. We plan to see Mario next week when we drop the bikes off in Santiago for the long trip home.

Obviously we made a grown up decision to NOT leave at 6AM and somehow it didn’t matter.  I could have stayed up all night talking and laughing but the restaurant closed an hour earlier, all the staff had gone home and the owner finally asked us to break it up.  We said our long goodbyes in the semi-vacant street and took endless photos to commemorate the fun.  For me, this is the very best part of travel and it could not have been a better evening.