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9 Mar 2015
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The sun was not out today and it was only 17 degrees when we left. It did warm up slowly all day to about 30 by late afternoon. We rode south and west and arrived after 304 km in Bagé about 1230. Almost everything was shut for Carnival, but we finally found an open restaurant with good frango asado (grilled chicken).
 Screen Shot 2015-02-16 at 8.07.15 PM by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr
 melo Uruguay 1 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr
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9 Mar 2015
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We then made it for the border of Uruguay 66 km south. Here you actually cross into Uruguay before you hit the Brazil town of Aceguá and Brazilian immigration. It is in the Federal Police building that is on the left hand side of the divided road and so you have to drive past the building and u- turn to get back there. They will want you passport and the entry paper you got when you came in. They check you have not out stayed your 90-day visa and then exit stamp your passport. There is no bike import paperwork for Brazil and so the bikes can just exit.
 melo Uruguay 2 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr
 melo Uruguay 3 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr
 melo Uruguay 5 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr
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9 Mar 2015
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From here drive past all the duty free shops and there will be a sign that says Migration Obligitorio with an arrow to the left. Here again you have to drive past and u-turn to migration. Here they want your passport and bike title and they will entry stamp you passport. There are several cambio guys here to get rid of your remaining Reals that you did not spend on gas at the BR station on the other side of town. The building next door to immigration is the aduana and we were told to go there, but since it was closed we were told to drive 1 km down the road. Here there is a booth with a stop (pare) sign. We rode up on the bikes and he just waved us thru. Well we will have to try tomorrow at Chuy, Uruguay to get our import papers.
 melo Uruguay 7 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr
 melo Uruguay 8 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr
 melo Uruguay 9 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr
 melo Uruguay 10 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr
 melo Uruguay 13 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr
 melo Uruguay 15 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr
 melo Uruguay 16 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr
 melo Uruguay 17 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr
 melo Uruguay 18 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr
 melo Uruguay 11 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr
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9 Mar 2015
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Welcome to country number 18! After crossing here the first town is Melo in 60 km. We arrived here in early afternoon after 426 km. It looks a lot like mid-Argentina here with lots of wind over the rolling hills. We checked in at the first hotel we found since we were really bagged. We were so tired we skipped dinner and went to sleep at 8 pm.
 melo Uruguay 12 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr
 melo Uruguay 22 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr
Today we had a short 310 km to the east coast at Punta del Diablo. First we headed 265 km east and south to the Uruguayan town of Chuy. It is weird because you never leave the country on highway 19, but despite that when you arrive in the town you are on the Brazilian side of customs. This made it very easy for us to go into the aduana here to get the TVIP we could not get yesterday. They did ask for our insurance documents, which luckily we had proving our monthly VISA payment for the insurance we bought in Argentina covering also Brazil, Bolivia, and Uruguay.
 Screen Shot 2015-02-19 at 7.53.47 PM by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr
 punta del diablo 2 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr
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10 Mar 2015
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There is the large Santa Theresa National Park 10 km north from here. There is no entry fee. You can visit the mirador tower, the beaches, the fort, and the gardens. There are at least 5 different camping areas with hundreds of campers set up for the Carnival holiday.
 Screen Shot 2015-02-19 at 8.49.17 PM by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr
 punta del diablo 12 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr
 punta del diablo 13 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr
 punta del diablo 14 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr
 punta del diablo 26 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr
 punta del diablo 15 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr
 punta del diablo 16 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr
 punta del diablo 20 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr
 punta del diablo 27 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr
 punta del diablo 33 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr
 punta del diablo 50 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr
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10 Mar 2015
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We then rode south again and west 188 KM to Punta del Este.
 Screen Shot 2015-02-19 at 7.55.10 PM by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr
This place is where the rich and famous live and vacation. We had a hotel at the neck of the point and so from the end of the road you could look at the water on both sides. This was also just a few blocks from the “hand in the sand”, which is a monument to the drowned. Also just across the street from here is the Burquebus station where you can buy your ferry tickets from Calonia to Buenos Aires. We had decided to try to get to BA a bit earlier to see our friends and to take the 3-hour ferry from Colonia instead of riding the 600 plus more km to drive around on the toll bridge. The only issue was that we could only get tickets for the 530 am sailing in 3 days time. We walked around the town to take in the sights.
 punto del este 2 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr
 punto del este 3 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr
 punto del este 4 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr
 punto del este 5 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr
 punto del este 6 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr
 punto del este 8 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr
 punto del este 9 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr
 punto del este 10 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr
 IMG_3436 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr
 IMG_3434 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr
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12 Mar 2015
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Calonia del Sacramento
Today we rode 304 km west and north to Calonia del Sacramento. We left under black skies and had intermittent rain, but it was sunny for our arrival. We had a hotel in the old city and also just a 5 min drive from the ferry terminal.
 Screen Shot 2015-03-05 at 7.37.45 PM by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr
We toured the old walled city, with the sea wall, lighthouse, and city gate.
 colonia del sacramento 3 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr
 colonia del sacramento 4 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr
 colonia del sacramento 8 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr
 colonia del sacramento 11 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr
 colonia del sacramento 17 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr
 colonia del sacramento 1 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr
 colonia del sacramento 2 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr
For dinner we headed just down the street and out in front of the place we were going there was a loaded BMW! This would be the first traveler we have met since we arrived back at the end of October. Jorge was a great dinner companion and we hope to get lots of advice from him for Europe.
 colonia del sacramento 19 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr
 colonia del sacramento 20 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr
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12 Mar 2015
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Ferry to BA
Getting to bed late at 11 pm we were kept up all night by the outdoor concert in town that was still going strong when we set out for the ferry terminal at 4 30 am. At the dock you must stop at the gate and show your ticket. They have staff to direct you from here and wave you along to the second gate where you are directed to park to the left in front of the line of cars.
 salida BA 1 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr
From here you head back and to the right to the building with the big “check in” sign. Go up the stairs and to the Burquebus check in. They will look at your ticket and give you boarding passes for you and the bikes. The next step is to go all the way to the other end of the hall to a desk on the left. Ask here for the Aduana. An official will come out and take your TVIP from Uruguay. Then head back the way you came and follow the signs to Migration. Here you get your Uruguay exit stamp and Argentinean entry stamp at the same desk. Then you must go upstairs to the passenger waiting area. Ask an official to direct you across the walkway, down the stairs, and left and back out to the parking lot. They load the bikes first and they will strap them down.
 salida BA 2 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr
 salida BA 4 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr
 salida BA 3 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr
Head upstairs and get a reclining seat and then use your ticket to get a juice and media Luna!
 images by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr
We slept most of the way there. It is a nice view as you arrive into downtown BA. It was incredible how they dock the ship stern first and then bow thrusted it sideways in-between two other ships docked there.
 salida BA 7 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr
You exit off and follow the line of vehicles to the right. Here they are checking Argentinean vehicles for customs. You will be waved ahead to a small area to park. The aduana office is on your right as you go there. Walk back to the office and give the officer your passport and title. They will prepare the Argentinean TVIP.
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12 Mar 2015
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sand roads and flat tires
From here we were headed to Tigre to meet with our friends Pia and Ramiro. We planned to go 120 km north from there to his families’ farm for an asado. The map is approximate since the dirt road from the highway is not on Google maps.
 Screen Shot 2015-03-12 at 7.47.35 PM by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr
The last 20 km is a sand/dirt road, which luckily for us was dry since Ramiro says when it rains just the top layer gets wet and very slick. We camped out overnight by the river after quite a few  s and a lot of meat.
 salida BA 17 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr
 salida BA 15 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr
 salida BA 9 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr
 salida BA 13 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr
 salida BA 16 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr
Leaving on Sunday late morning Daniels noticed a problem just after we left the dirt road and we pulled over to check out his rear tire that was totally flat. The Heideneu is so stiff that even at 120 km per hour it ran pretty well. That said we pulled out the pump and put in some air. We did this or used a gas station about every 20 km to limp back to Bella Vista where we could change out the tire in Pia’s dad’s shady backyard and not in the blazing 32 degrees on the side of the road. There was no puncture or tire damage, but a small hole in the tube from wear. Then it was time to use their power washer to try to get off the red mud of Brazil that dries like concrete. Sara had to scrub the suits with a brush to get it out too.
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12 Mar 2015
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Dakar Motos
Today we headed 35 km away to Dakar Motos to arrange the last details of the shipping. Sandra and Javier are awesome. The arrival there to us was even more sweet than getting to the sign at the end of the road in Ushuaia. It was such a long time coming and such a big goal to mark the end of our tour of the Americas. Here Sandra will organize all your paperwork for the shipping and give you detailed instructions for the procedures.
 salida BA 25 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr
 salida BA 23 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr
 salida BA 29 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr
 salida BA 28 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr
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12 Mar 2015
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shipping
When we arrive to the cargo terminal there were 3 others with bikes bound for the USA and the UK. The procedure went so smoothly it was awesome. First the Dakar agent meets you at the importation gate where there is parking in the shade and he gives you the documents you need for the bike.
 salida BA 30 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr
 salida BA 31 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr
You then drive over to exportation and check in at the booth with your papers and passport. You then follow the series of officials and are directed to the far loading bay to put the bike on the scale. This is not for calculation the cost, but for airline information. You are then directed to the next secure bay where there were palates set up for each bike. The official then inform you of how to prepare the bike. We had to remove the mirrors and wind screen and let some air out of the tires. They did not look in the panniers, but we were told to remove all non-motorcycle specific items, like camping gear. This is a new rule because people were showing up with bikes piled with stuff and the shipping cost is by volume not weight. Initially the rule was nothing but the bike and empty panniers, but the airlines have now agreed that parts, tools, and riding gear are part of the bike. We also left our rain gear, heated jackets, and tarp. That said, if they looked in the pannier and refuse to allow anything you must be prepared to part with it. We did not send our tent and camping gear.
 salida BA 32 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr
 salida BA 33 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr
 salida BA 34 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr
 salida BA 35 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr
Once the bikes are verified by customs they are wrapped in cellophane and marked for shipping. In the end they prepared all 5 bikes in about 2 hours.
 salida BA 39 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr
 salida BA 38 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr
 IMG_3439 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr
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12 Mar 2015
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Navicon
Day three of the procedure is to go downtown to the Navicon office to pay the shipping fee and get your waybill. From our friends place in Bella Vista this was a 50-minute train ride, a 20-minute subway ride, and a 20-minute walk for us, but luckily our appointment was at 1030. When you arrive at the Navicon office Giselle will meet you on the first floor and give you the shipping bill. The fee must be paid in cash at the bank next door and you should pay in Pesos bought on the blue market (12.9:1) since you will be charged the official rate (8.7:1) if you pay in USD. You then take the deposit receipt back to the 7 Th floor and receive your waybill. If you have not been able to exchange your USD for Pesos yet there will be several cambio guys hanging out on the corner near buy. We had changed our dollars for this huge stack of 100 Peso notes. The final cost was 2800$ US or 31,098 Pesos all in for the agent fees, airfreight, and taxes landed in Madrid from Buenos Aires.
 salida BA 44 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr
 salida BA 46 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr
 salida BA 47 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr
 salida BA 48 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr
 salida BA 49 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr
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16 Mar 2015
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Summary of the Americas and 18 countries in almost 24 month and over 100,000 km
Summary of the Americas and 18 countries in almost 24 month and over 100,000 km
Part 1 June 22, 2012- May 1 2013
1. Canada (BC, Yukon, NWT, Alberta)- This is our home and our favorite country. The beauty of the wilderness is incredible. The forests are full of wildlife and we were thrilled to be treated to a rare sighting of the Porcupine caribou herd on our return trip from Inuvik.
 DSC00766 (24 of 458) by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr
2. USA (Washington, Idaho, Wyoming, Montana, South Dakota, Nebraska, Colorado, Utah, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, Tennessee, Louisiana) There is just so much to see here in the USA you could spend years. Highlights for us included the Gravelly range road in Idaho and Montana, riding the dragon in Tennessee, and the incredible landscapes of Utah.
 Camp site off the Gravelly - Version 2 (60 of 458) by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr
3. Mexico (20 states)- Our three months here were not enough. Stay away from the coasts and visit the Colonial cites and pueblos magico of central Mexico. The drive to Calakmul is certainly worth it. You will not be hassled, robbed, or killed here despite what you will be told by everyone you tell that you plan to cross Mexico. Highlights include the amazing people and the food, which is the best in Latin America.
 Aduana (114 of 458) by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr
4. Belize- After so much hype it just did not live up to expectations. If we were to do it again we would skip it and spend more time in Mexico or Guatemala.
 Belize 17 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr
5. Guatemala- This is the place you should allot most of your CA time. There is stunning scenery, a vibrant culture, and amazing food. Be sure to visit Sumec Champey, Nebaj, and Tikal.
 DSC06583 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr
6. El Salvador- There are so many cool places to explore in this small, but awesome country. DO NOT BYPASS! It is well worth the visit.
 Fr Gränsentill Santa Ana, Salvador 062 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr
7. Honduras- We opted for the double border crossing in a day and only rode the 200 km between El Salvador and Nicaragua. The only unsavoury event of the entire trip was here at the Northern border, where we were forced to pay 10$ per bike for decontamination that costs 2$. The decontamination office was closed, but a large group of men surrounded us and demanded the payment. We figured pay and get out of there.
 border Honduras 4 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr
8. Nicaragua-The north of the country has some great mountain riding. Driving up to the edge of an active volcano, a trip to Ometepe and a few days kicking back in San Juan del Sur make the country well worth the visit.
 matagalpa to managua 23 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr
9. Costa Rica- HMMM well we have been here before and seen most of the eco sites and so I think this visit was a disappointment since the riding here is not that interesting and there is little in the way of cultural experiences. Our visit this time to Costa Rica was about relaxing beach time.
 Nuevo Arenal 26 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr
10. Panama- There are some great mountain roads here, but there is little culture outside of the expat life. I would visit Bouquete and El Alton de Valee. Both sides of the canal are certainly worth a visit. It was a highlight country for us since we finally met up with our Scottish friends Gino and Fiona and made new friends with Pia and Ramiro from Argentina.
 panama city 43 by Worldwide Ride.ca, on Flickr
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Check the RAW segments; Grant, your HU host is on every month!
Episodes below to listen to while you, err, pretend to do something or other...
2020 Edition of Chris Scott's Adventure Motorcycling Handbook.
"Ultimate global guide for red-blooded bikers planning overseas exploration. Covers choice & preparation of best bike, shipping overseas, baggage design, riding techniques, travel health, visas, documentation, safety and useful addresses." Recommended. (Grant)
Ripcord Rescue Travel Insurance™ combines into a single integrated program the best evacuation and rescue with the premier travel insurance coverages designed for adventurers.
Led by special operations veterans, Stanford Medicine affiliated physicians, paramedics and other travel experts, Ripcord is perfect for adventure seekers, climbers, skiers, sports enthusiasts, hunters, international travelers, humanitarian efforts, expeditions and more.
Ripcord travel protection is now available for ALL nationalities, and travel is covered on motorcycles of all sizes!
What others say about HU...
"This site is the BIBLE for international bike travelers." Greg, Australia
"Thank you! The web site, The travels, The insight, The inspiration, Everything, just thanks." Colin, UK
"My friend and I are planning a trip from Singapore to England... We found (the HU) site invaluable as an aid to planning and have based a lot of our purchases (bikes, riding gear, etc.) on what we have learned from this site." Phil, Australia
"I for one always had an adventurous spirit, but you and Susan lit the fire for my trip and I'll be forever grateful for what you two do to inspire others to just do it." Brent, USA
"Your website is a mecca of valuable information and the (video) series is informative, entertaining, and inspiring!" Jennifer, Canada
"Your worldwide organisation and events are the Go To places to for all serious touring and aspiring touring bikers." Trevor, South Africa
"This is the answer to all my questions." Haydn, Australia
"Keep going the excellent work you are doing for Horizons Unlimited - I love it!" Thomas, Germany
Lots more comments here!
Diaries of a compulsive traveller
by Graham Field
Book, eBook, Audiobook
"A compelling, honest, inspiring and entertaining writing style with a built-in feel-good factor" Get them NOW from the authors' website and Amazon.com, Amazon.ca, Amazon.co.uk.
Back Road Map Books and Backroad GPS Maps for all of Canada - a must have!
New to Horizons Unlimited?
New to motorcycle travelling? New to the HU site? Confused? Too many options? It's really very simple - just 4 easy steps!
Horizons Unlimited was founded in 1997 by Grant and Susan Johnson following their journey around the world on a BMW R80G/S.
Read more about Grant & Susan's story
Membership - help keep us going!
Horizons Unlimited is not a big multi-national company, just two people who love motorcycle travel and have grown what started as a hobby in 1997 into a full time job (usually 8-10 hours per day and 7 days a week) and a labour of love. To keep it going and a roof over our heads, we run events all over the world with the help of volunteers; we sell inspirational and informative DVDs; we have a few selected advertisers; and we make a small amount from memberships.
You don't have to be a Member to come to an HU meeting, access the website, or ask questions on the HUBB. What you get for your membership contribution is our sincere gratitude, good karma and knowing that you're helping to keep the motorcycle travel dream alive. Contributing Members and Gold Members do get additional features on the HUBB. Here's a list of all the Member benefits on the HUBB.
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helps answer the question - Why Go? Inspirational stories by veteran travellers Greg Frazier (5 times RTW), Peter and Kay Forwood (193 countries), Tiffany Coates (Mongolia Mayhem) and Rene Cormier (University of Gravel Roads).
Get Ready! covers planning, paperwork, medical and many other topics! "Inspirational and Awesome!" See the trailer here!
What stuff do I need - riding gear, clothing, camping gear, first aid kit, tires, maps and GPS? What don't I need? How do I pack it all in? Lots of opinions from over 150 travellers!
break down language barriers, overcome culture shock, ship the bike and deal with breakdowns and emergencies."Just makes me want to pack up and go!" See the trailer here!
Grant demystifies the black art of Tire Changing and Repair to help you STAY on the road! "Very informative and practical." See the trailer here!
Ladies on the Loose! For the first time ever, a motorcycle travel DVD made for women, by women! These intrepid women share their tips to help you plan your own motorcycle adventure. They also answer the women-only questions, and entertain you with amazing tales from the road! Presented by Lois Pryce, veteran solo traveller through South America and Africa and author of 'Lois on the Loose', and 'Red Tape and White Knuckles.'
Cotton or synth sweat-wicking t-shirts with the cool Horizons Unlimited graphic on the front and a snappy slogan (changing every year) on the back.
Show your route on your panniers. Great conversation starter when you meet people on the road!
Motorcycle and travel books to inspire and inform you!
The definitive guide to planning your motorcycle adventure! This insanely ambitious 2-year project has produced an informative and entertaining 5-part, 18 hour video series. "The ultimate round the world rider's how-to!" MCN UK.
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