Washington State

October 2nd to 8th

Entering the US by ferry is a breeze. You still have to leave your fingerprints, but at least the customs officials behave like human beings and actually made us feel welcome entering the country. Contrast airport immigration... I need to investigate ferry crossings from the UK when I next visit.

We leave Anacortes via "Deception Pass" - a bridge to Whidbey Island - second largest island in the lower 48 states. Captain Vancouver exploring the region by ship in 1792 assumed the island to be a peninsula to the mainland. Upon discovering his mistake, he named the body of water separating the 2 lands Deception Pass. Conveniently, a bridge has been built since then...



We cycle south through moistly forested terrain which undulates sufficiently to keep the legs warm... It's all very picturesque and a good choice of routes to Seattle.



We cross back to the mainland on the Mukilteo ferry amidst a swarm of sea birds no doubt attracted to the feast churned up in the ferry propeller's wake. On other occasions whale and dolphin accompany crossings, sadly not today.

Time presses as we hit busy I99 heading south into downtown Seattle. We have a date to meet my brother and amazingly we manage to arrive within 3 hours of the appointed hour. I argue that 3 hours behind schedule out of 18 days by bike is close enough to be considered "on time". My brother struggles with these new definitions of time keeping, but he'll catch on....

Tourist time!! We hit the sights.... Brother Matthew and Sue....



Pike place market replete with artisans producing a range of souvenirs, and fish throwing sea food vendors....



We take an underground tour of the old city, constructed when Seattle was a supply town to miners struck by gold fever. Lacking adequate sanitation, town planners decided to construct a new city above the old one, a process taking a number of years and leading to such anomalies as roads being temporarily 30 feet above sidewalks, making crossings slightly hazardous - even resulting in several deaths. Present day buildings bizarrely show former windows and door ways scythed in half by the current street level. It's an excellent and irreverent tour run with a comedy slant - well worth a look.

We visit the Seattle's signature space needle building constructed for the 1962 World trade fair for stunning city views and impressive exhibition....



Underwater at the aquarium....



Of course we drink the obligatory coffee at Starbucks... Seattle is a great city and it's great to see my brother again for a few days....

Chapter Two - Mexico

Monday 22nd September to Wednesday 1st October

Decision made - we're gonna tour Mexico!

So we get a flight to Vancouver....

Geographers might quibble that Vancouver is no where near Mexico - but they don't know about the great deal we got with Air Canada. Does leave us the slight problem of the whole of America being in the way..... true but Vancouver is a beautiful city and well worth the odd 1500 mile detour.... We explore Chinatown, and Stanley Park - North America's largest urban park.



And I've got a new rookie to break in - me bird Sue...



For some training we flex our legs on the near vertical, lung busting 1200m climb "The Grouse Grind" in pouring rain. Normally this affords incredible bird's eye views over the city and environs - unfortunately not today.

The weather is against us - we need to go South.

So we leave Vancouver heading North. Planning is not our strong point, but too many people talk about the Sunshine Coast north of Vancouver to ignore. They are right...



The land is fragmented by inlets and undulating day rides are punctuated by flatter rides on British Columbia's excellent (and cheap) ferry system. The largest in the world apparently! Ferries tend to be at the bottom of big hills.... Strange!



The ocean scenery is breathtaking in improving weather as we drift lazily past densely wooded islands....



Nice....



Sunset at camp. Powell River...



His'n'hers bicis at Ruby Lake....



We cross to Vancouver Island at Courtenay and finally begin heading South towards Mexico. This despite local persuasion to again head northwards on the Island for Canada's answer to the Galapagos Islands - a bold claim and one we reluctantly resist. I'll never know whether it was just idle boasting.

Vancouver Island is hugely mountainous in the centre so we stick to coast where the terrain flattens and the rookie and I make good speed. Another ferry at Mill Bay takes us towards Sidney where we can take the international boat to Anacortes, USA. It's a shame to miss Victoria, but we have a deadline in Seattle to meet my brother. We meet Linda in the queue for the ferry and are offered a large slice of Canadian good nature as she directs us to her house. Our last night in Canada is spent in good company with a warm bed after delicious pizza; secure that our freshly laundered clothing will smell better for the damp ferry crossing tomorrow. Should help with immigration...

La Paz to Copacobana

Friday 1st and Saturday 2nd August

Finally managed to leave La Paz and set out for Copacobana on the edge of Lake Titicaca. It's good to ride again.

Leaving La Paz is tough. Tough because It's been a great part of the trip. And tough because the streets are mental! It's hellishly steep and cars weave randomly in all directions. So do pedestrians, overspilling crowded pavements directly into my path. I can report that my brakes work!

Emerging from the backstreets, I tackle the main autopista leading steadily upwards to El Alto. It's 3 lanes of fast moving cycle killers.... I climb 500 metres up to the sister city and am rewarded with a last view of La Paz...



El Alto traffic is worse! There are no cars here - just Micro and Colectivo buses. It's a 6 lane traffic light grand prix as all vie for passenger's attention and drivers swerve and screech brakes once prey is spotted. Equally passengers lurch and blunder in and out of traffic as they board and alight. It's all spiced up with vendors who suddenly appear in the road. Pineapple anyone...



Outside El Alto things calm down - flat roads of new tarmac. It's a bucolic scene with a massive backdrop....



Still plagued by overloaded Colectivos....



I camp as I reach the edge of the lake. Or rather I find another abondoned building to "borrow" for the night. The cycle gods provide again. This is prime lake shore property....



Next morning starts with a climb away from the lakes and then back for the first memorable views of Titicaca...



Then a drop down to the boat station at Tiquina for a quick crossing on boats held together with duct-tape and hope...



Another gruelling climb away from the boat crossing before the breathtaking 8km descent down into the beautiful Copacabana sunset...

Lazing about on boats

Thursday 17th

We have time to get another spectacular 2 hour breakfast - it´s good to stock up the old calorie count. After again getting 3 different prices for the boat - this time from the ticket office staff we find out the boat leaves today at 5:30 - even we can´t miss that.

The crossing is memorable as we finally move out of the Pampas and start to see some real terrain. The mountains loom large in the distance and the sunset is a fiery warning of what is to come.





A 2 hour crossing gets us in to Punta Ibañez by the light of the full moon. We find a free camp site, but are more ambitious than that. Buying provisions at the local supermarket, we enquire and get the offer free accomodation on the floor of a storage outhouse behind the supermarket.... shared with a family of stray cats.



How could we refuse such a luxury dwelling. Good sleep - big day tomorrow, the Carretara Austral and the start of the steeps....

What Time is It..... Ask a Policeman

Wednesday 16th

We need to cross the border and cycle just 15kms to Chile Chico to catch a ferry across the lake. No problem. Except we ask several different people about the ferry times and get the following "3pm", "4pm", "not today", "not tomorrow"?. We ask the price and get the folowing "30 US dollars", "15 dollars", "very expensive", "25 dollars". We also get told there is a 13 dollar charge to use the road??

I´m starting to realise that Argentines give misinformation about Chile and vice versa - they are not on the best of terms and border towns can be tetchy. We surmise that the ferry goes in the afternoon, costs less than 15 dollars and the road might just be free - like the other 1000 miles so far!

We settle in for a little tent fixing and a long leisurly 4 course breakfast - eggs, cereal, toast, porridge with Julian another crazy American who´s WALKED from Ushuaia - now that´s crazy. He teaches us to fish and gives us some hand made lures...



And then Martha - the kleptomaniac turns up looking distinctly guilty. We decide to give her a hard time, partly because she´s the number one suspect in the sock investigations, and partly, I admit just for sport - she´s not a nice person. She cracks in a most amusing way and storms out.

Not so amusing when the police turn up 5 minutes later. Martha accuses us and Carlos of going to hit her, plus victimisation. It´s all getting very entertaining when the site admin get involved as well - I just watch and play the dumb foreigner (an easy part, I admit), No entiendo - I don´t understand, but it´s clearly emotional. I debate about getting the camara out, but decide against it.... it might not go down too well with the cops.

I get the low down from Michael later - "Sticky Fingers Martha" who has also been impersonating a site worker is to be evicted and Carlos´s who dog turns out to be a stray he adopted is also evicted for eating too many tents - he got Julian´s as well.

We decide not to take up the offer of free accomodation and leave for the boat.....
and miss it by 20 minutes. It did go at 3pm - 3pm Chilean time which is an hour behind. We would still have made it but Michael got a puncture on the way, but at least it does go tomorrow.

We camp in the municipal site which is amazing complete with BBQ pit. Mmmmm steak and chorizo.

Adios Tierra Del Fuego

Wednesday 19th
Glad I got some cash yesterday as the only bank in Porvenir only accepts mastercard. Not too great for a guy packing Visa. And I am going down with some kind of lurgy so need a proper bed in the cheapest hostel available. Hotel Central charges a fortune at 13000 pesos (about 13 quid), but by agreeing to not sign in I manage to knock this down to 7000 - a bargain in my condition. Including breakfast of course.

Ask 3 people here and get 3 different times for the ferry. 9am is the distinct outsider, with midday and 1pm joint favourites, so I decide a leisurely breakfast is in order before cycling the 5kms at 11am.

Met Stephan and Eva, a German couple staying in the same hotel and touring on some heavily modified ancient BMW Boxer motorbikes with about 450,000 km between them. They agree to keep me alive by feeding me for the entire boat crossing as my money is now gone. And a couple of Spanish cyclists are also heading in the same direction.

We are joined by a school of about 12 dolphins (I think dolphins go to school?) for a couple of miles which is just great as they are literally 5m away. The crossing is smooth as well as for once the wind has died. Apparently the crossing is often cancelled, or at least more of an ordeal for a landlubber like me as the sea boils and swells.

In Punta Arenas the campsite hostel is full, the next place is closed as the owner has just died, so I end up by coincidence sharing accomodation with Stephan and Eva again.

Meeting up with the Spanish cyclists, we clean out an eat as much as you like restaurant for the next 3 hours. These places should ban people on bikes, I think I eat 8 courses and all for about 4 quid. The best way to beat the lurgy is to bombard it with grub.....