Jan Gerben – Harley-Davidson flathead 1943 World Travel

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February 28th, Buenos Aires, Argentina

It’s thursday night when I enter Buenos Aires. A 5 lane highway.It’s dark and it takes me a while to find Dakar Motos. When I knock on the door at 9pm it’s Marcus who opens the door. Marcus! Then I begin to realize, I am in Buenos Aires, coming from Alaska, more as 30,000km. i park the bike between the big off roads, all equiped for worls travel. this is a magical place. World travellers arrive, go back, start from here. And nowmy bike, 67 yearsold steel & iron is parked between all those beautiful hi tech bikes. It makes me feel shy and proud at the same time. The bike is a story apart, for now it’s sufficient to tell that even after 30,000 km she still runs everyday like she cameoutof the factory yesterday and always, always ready for a new day of adventures.

The last couple of weeksmy website has been off air due for some time due to viruses. Couldn’t write messagesat all, so I start here where I left from Santiago, Chile.

‘That’s when I get up, and nothing gets me down’ starts on the radio as I wait in line after the police check at the Argentina customs official for my temporarily import papers for the bike. This is ‘Jump’ from Van Halen. What a welcome, I couldn’t have imagined it better for a musical welcome. I am in Argentina! After Alaska via Canada, United States, Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia and Chile, now in Pataonia, Argentina. For all the accompanying emotions I coul jump in the air.

After Santiago I drove in two days to Pucon. I drove up with Brendan and his truck. He has a beautiful Scania truck which is prepared to go everywhere. Which he does with passengers on tours through South America and especially the south and other non hospitable places (see www.vivaexpeditions.com). The bike consumed excessiely oil, almost 2.5 liter on somewhat more than 700 km. Weird, genuine Harley oil that Hope found in a lone box at the Harley dealer in Santiago. Decided to stay a day and found the leak.The valve covers were loose. I was lucky to sleep in brendan’s truck since it rained at night.

Crossed the border and met up with Eric. Met him before on a BMW in Santiago, he’s setting up a motorcycle tour business. So we decideed to travel together. After San Martin de los Andes we took the 7 lakes route. beautiful, also some dirt road, not too bad but a lotof dust. Early eening rode into Bariloche, didn’t really like the town although it’s beautifully situated at the lake, ,probably great as winter destination but not for now for me. Camped a way out of town at a nice camping at the lake. Again another bike thing to fix, my front brake got very sticky. Decided to work on it. At the end of the day at 9 o’clock we stopped, an Argentina guy and me and the brake wasn’t functioning porperly at all! So that means another day of wrenching.

Also I have to make a decision about the final leg of my road trip. Originally I was destined to go as far as I could south, nobody knew how far I would get. When I rode into South America I thought, ‘well let’s go to Ushuaia’, being the most southern place to visit. But then I met Diana in Medellin. And now I know what my destination is, going back to her in Colombia. And then I went into Patagonia. When I was in Bariloche I got the message she’s been diagnosed with cancer and very porbably has to undergo chirurgy. So for now I know I go back to help her out as soon as possible. How, I don’t now yet. I hope to let you all know soon.

The long way home, for Diana

You know I love you baby
More than the whole wide world
You are my woman
I know you are my pearl
…

Forgive me pretty baby but I always take the long way home
And I love you pretty baby but I always take the long way home
Come with me and we can take the long way home
Come with me, together we can take the long way home

(Tom Waits – The long way home)

Right now I am in Patagonia. Due to server updates I couldn’t write messages on my website. Since yesterday I again have access. Hope to write more soon.

From Esquel I will not g oto the south but east to the Atlantic coast all through Patagonia and from there on to Buenes Aires.

Santiago, Chile, february 8^th 2010

Done a lot of work on the bike last two weeks. Could have been done in a week, but I was too upset to leave. Upset about all the emotions leaving my girl behind and then she got in all kinds of trouble which I don’t like happening to her. La Casa Roja is a excellent place to stay then. The staff treats me like the lost son who returned. Also I could do some wrenching at the Harley place. altough getting there took some time. The bike broke down in the middle of Santiago. Had no tools with me, had to pick them up by taxi. The spark coil was loose so the wires were broken. Fixed that with sheetmetal the guy from the littleshop who took intrest made for me and some iron wire to fasten the coil again.The bike started at first kick, yeah!

The two mecanics, Claudio-middlename-Hope and Miguel are just the sweetest guys I could have found to do my wrenching with. After they closed we rode three up trough the city, sweet & very cool! I try to realise every day but after returning from Hope’s birthday party late at night on saturday, it dawned so strong on me how fortunate I am. Diana waits for me to come home in Medellin, people who treat me so nice like the lost son, the bike running sweet through these wide streets as if she’s born here and acting like the little charmer she is, even at two o’ clock at night we have a chat with the cab drivers.

Tomorrow I’lll leave Santiago. On my own. August changed his plan. From here I’ll go to Pucon and then across the Andes, dirt roads, to Bariloche (Argentina). There I hope to meet up with Marcus. If I do, we’ll probably go -together again, yeah!- to Buenes Aires. If not’ll have to make a decision about going all the way south or not.