From one ride to another ... a much needed bout of exercise, Brasilian Churasco slowly mounting up from a man who can't say no ... he looks like me but has next years winter stores already in place :rofl

We were lucky enough to get or on the pushbikes again and ended up doing about a 40 km ride which was great coupled with a lite lunch of Acai ….yummo.

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Ellen and I are both passionate mountain bikers and this is one aspect of travelling that we both really miss is our mountain biking and fitness.

Our day with Fransisco was around the water front with grande views of the lake, Fransisco's mate came too (sorry forgot your name)

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A pair of happy faces with Acai

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Our lunch spot

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Like

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The weapon of choice

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Finishing the day strapping the bike back on the bike

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Ciao

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Finally sitting around the pool, having a swim and doing it hard, big thanks to Augusto and Michellé for hosting us and helping us get our charger sorted and Fransisco for taking us out.

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I will also add now that Fransisco and Augusto had not met prior and through us and our travels two Tenere riders from Porto Alegre are now friends ... how cool is that, their generosity and welcoming towards us opened new friendships for them ....the world IS a great place clap:clap

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Cheers Andi & Ellen .... https://twomotokiwis.blogspot.com/ Two Moto Kiwis Alaska - Argentina - April 2012 -> Somewhere

While in Caxios Do Sul and on a ride with Mauricio and Leticia we met Dioni and Luana, they had invited us to come to their house so we took the opportunity to go see them given they had taken time to come and talk to us and make us feel welcome (very Brasilian thing) :clap

We arrived and it was stinkin hot, sitting on their front porch with mate etc we chewed the fat about travel, motos, work etc so a nice cruzy day.

The pool also called our names so what is a man to do...

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Selfie at lunch, nice food too :clap

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Later on Luana and Ellen went shopping for Sushi goodies, Dioni and I took the two trailies out for a spin, he handed me a nicely set up WR 250 R Yumaha so good times, felt like a mountain bike after Maya :rofl.

The WR 250 on the left and Luanas bike on the right

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Had to cover the Yumaha logo so my KTM friends wouldn't disown me for enjoying another brand rofl

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Dioni and I spent late avo and part into the evening zipping around the hills to various vantage points of the city, the weather was caving in and turning black without some good lightning strikes shuffling across the horizon.

Triumphant at the top WOH HOH ... no broken anything :clap

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Good times and smiles

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We B-lined it back to the car and and got the bike tied onto the trailer as it started pissing down, not that is rains in Brasil. :rofl

That evening Luana was the student for sushi and for she did an exceptional job for her first time, sorry for the shite pic, I mucked it up with the shadows

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Come bed time it was time to blow up the airbed, like a true moto head there was no pissing around with a foot or hand pump it was out with the compressor and into it :clap

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Our first real haircut in 2.5 years .... Ellen got the treatment

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Not sure what he was cutting on mine but I felt better

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Dioni, Ellen, me and Luana, thanks guys we really enjoyed our stay, our doors are open in New Zealand when we return guys, hope to see you there :clap

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Cheers Andi & Ellen .... https://twomotokiwis.blogspot.com/ Two Moto Kiwis Alaska - Argentina - April 2012 -> Somewhere

Heeee you guys, still keeping tabs & making sure you behave yerselfs

Loved the tv thing, you guys clean up real good, mmmmnnnn

Andi you & Maya gotta stop being so naughty & bashing up those poor wee defenceless cars Am really glad you all oke though.

This is the risky bit of the journey now, the last stages, we seem to let our guards down & are more susceptible to mishaps, bear this in mind, but still enjoy life to the max

Andi what is that Ariel or antennae thingy on maya, cockpit, or is she a he & happy to be banging wee cars don't remember it being there all the time though.

Rally armchairs in the Paris Dakar woooow that gotta get the silly way round boys going, bet Charley & Euwen gotta big sofa thingy with loads of little back up chairs

Guys just want to wish you both a super big Merry Christmas & a fantastic 2015 ..... stay safe ...... keep yer knees in the breeze & the rubber side down

Have fun Vince

Heya Vince

Merry Christmas mate, yeah the Brasil guys love moto travellers and for us it was cool sharing our experiences with them.

The cars, well only one real baddy and yeah we could have done without that, Maya suffered a bit but the Jesses owned the big hit, full cred to them.

Yes must keep the guard up till the last day, the moment you don't it will hurt so very wary of that, the Ariel is to catch any kite strings, it is a sport here to lace the string with glass and try and take our motos cyclist, it is now law in Brasil to have a kite string cutter, we never needed ours but for $6 it was worth having it in case.

Eh the Dakar, front row seats for us and looking forward to it, will only chase it for two day then let then to it.

Have fun man and catch up in the new year.

Cheers Andi

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Cheers Andi & Ellen .... https://twomotokiwis.blogspot.com/ Two Moto Kiwis Alaska - Argentina - April 2012 -> Somewhere

Here's wishing you folks Happy Holidays and a safe 2015. Will be looking to read more of your exploits as you continue your travels. Thanks for the invite to stop by your place in New Zealand. I am trying to talk to a couple of my riding buds to plan a trip maybe later in 2015. I currently ride an 2005St1300. Love it but I don't think it can handle the roads like your riding. Thanks again for your photos and description.http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hubb/images/smilies/chug.gif

Heya lectron

Thanks man, appreciate your thought, have a great break too.

No problem bring mate to our place too...doors will be open.

NZ has great roads, you can pretty much ride to whole country on tar but some of the cooler is better of a dual purpose bike, nothing big needed either.

SA on the other hand....many cool places here demand dual purpose.

Cheers Andi

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Cheers Andi & Ellen .... https://twomotokiwis.blogspot.com/ Two Moto Kiwis Alaska - Argentina - April 2012 -> Somewhere

Our final day arrived, nearly 5 months after entering Brasil and planning to stay about 2 weeks.

Funny how things change and the good times we had, we still only scratched the surface, so much more we have not seen, we will have to come back and go north from Salvador.

Leaving Porto Alegre we headed the back way out to the old 101, many said it is sand, some said it was paved but really shitty and some said just gravel so we decided to find out for ourselves.:clap

Turns out it is 100% paved, the first third mint, the middle third average with potholes, the last third mint so very easily doable on pretty much any moto with care in the potholed part, way more scenic and seriously quiet compared to the BR 116 4 lane race track that the trucks take.

The potholed part

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The smooth part ... long lonely highway

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On getting down to Sâo José do Norte we arrived 20 minutes too late for the Ferry, no biggy, 1 more hour and the next one will be there then we can continue.

This gave us a break and relaxing ride across the harbor to Rio Grande before we hit it to Chuy.

Farewell to Sâo José do Norte

P1210901 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr

Maya crammed on the corner being bullied by big trucks

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Was pretty tight on the deck with some sideways slither maneuvers being required

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The last section down this part was hell, we had an ugly side/head wind that was buffeting us around like a puppet on strings, my helmet pushing to the right heavily and hurting my nose because my sunnies were pushing hard … :huh

We arrived at Chuy and where stuffed as it was very hard work … good practice for Patablowia I spose.:clap

So that my friends concludes an awesome nearly 5 months in Brasil, will wrap that up in a Brasil Sum up post....so much to say, so many to thank.

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Cheers Andi & Ellen .... https://twomotokiwis.blogspot.com/ Two Moto Kiwis Alaska - Argentina - April 2012 -> Somewhere

Exiting out of Brasil was hard but we hit the Uruguay border and got on with it, some places you hold well in your heart, Brasil is definitely one, all was easy enough and no problem although one of the Uruguayan border staff guys was very arrogant and could not be bothered with us so we were super friendly back making him feel awkward. :rofl

Getting our TVIP and stamp in we headed south in and out of different beaches and bays, although the weather was fine it was windy and cold so not many beach goers.

Playa del Moza, beautiful place :clap

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Fortaleza de Santa Teresa was one of our stops, very nice place indeed

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This guy was quiet but welcoming all the same, I think he knows the dude from Foz Do Iguassa :rofl

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The old canons lined up

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Arriving at our destination was easy with a simple road trip on tar and some short sections of gravel and what turned out to be very Uruguayan and flat.

P1210935 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr

A humped back bridge

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Our shock had been giving us grief and had spat itself only 3 months after having a rebuild which was disappointing, also to add to the pain there was actually only a little over 1 months actual riding time, we took it to a suspension shop who took it part in front of us, very little gas and very little oil that was extremely black too.:cry

The suspension shop said I looked extremely unlikely that the shock had never been apart let alone serviced etc, the main seal looking as old as the hills.:huh

I was gutted at this point given it was supposed to have been done however our new mission was to make it as right as we could so it received new seals, orings oil and nitro this time in front of our eyes, the suspension shop also saying the shock was not that greater condition.:eek1:eek1 ....I could see this too.

I was feeling pretty shafted given it was literally only one months riding time and we had been fed a bunch of bullshit after we queried it over email.

The shop who "rebuilt" it for us then said it was overloaded but also having put it through all the wrong conditions, wet, heat etc (which the shop new about and supposedly rebuilt to suit us!!!), (actually we were in a dry desert at 3000 meters which was cold and dry) at this point I will add the shock we took out prior was knocking only not leaking or anything else but we had to get on with it to get it sorted...frustration plus.:cry

Maya was almost due another valve check so we did it as we had access to a workshop where I could do the work so I was very happy about that, we did change some shims opting for larger clearances than spec, a little more clicky but better in my books, we also changed the factory 42 for 45 pilot as she was running slightly lean and a notable change in temperature was had.

IMG_4014 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr

Some usual maintenance, carb balancing, adjustments, cleaning etc and we were all good.clap

I had my final bottle of Guarana too with my rum, not sure how I am going to get on now without Guarana :cry

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Living here was psychogoat ... he was a bit different eh

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We had our first Uruguayan Asado which was very nice indeed

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The kittens even got to have some of trimmings...dedicated look on his face

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Cheers Andi & Ellen .... https://twomotokiwis.blogspot.com/ Two Moto Kiwis Alaska - Argentina - April 2012 -> Somewhere

Our GPS was the next mission, it had stopped working in the center of the screen, Garmin sent us a refurbed unit down to Uruguay, the unit being $167 USD, someone in Garmin very uncleverly wrote an invoice for $486 USD so customs raped us for $220 USD, I was very pissed, the guy at customs was a total wanker and seriously unhelpful so no matter how nice we were to him and much evidence we gave him to show the cost he would not even help so he just saw a loop hole and took it, Uruguayan customs rate right up there with Bolivianos in my book.

We had to shovel out all the money we had just drawn out of the bank, they do not accept USD (like the rest of the country), credit card (like the rest of the country), debit card (like the rest of the country) or anything just Uruguayan Pesos, they have no wifi so we could do things easily and no access to phones or anything, talk about bloody helpful!!!

Being up in Montevideo we were lucky enough to have met Miguel from ADV rider and his wife Silvia and their three children, very very nice people and he rides Jawas, totally cool machinery.

Miguel and Siliva

IMG_4097 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr

Miguel and I having to ride 3 km away to find wifi so we could show customs our bank statement etc, twice this happened.

P1210941 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr

Miguel did his best to help us too and was astounded at the lack of help from customs and their attitude so we were not the only ones.:huh

We did a moto tour with Miguel around the city which was cool and we spent some time chatting about life and things, very nice indeed.

The famous MONTEVIDEO sign

IMG_4069 by twomotokiwis, on Flickr

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Miguels Jawa

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At one of the local churches, this one was a monster and sat on the skyline and visible from Miguels

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Miguel also organised an asado with some local moto friends, nice food again clap

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Their pet hamster it played hide and seek with the kittens, was cool to watch them play...in Peru they would have it for lunch tho :eek1

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Beautiful private courtyard ....nice place to sit, relax and enjoy mate

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Big thanks to Miguel, Silvia family and friends for making us welcome, even more so in a BIG city this is golden clap

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Cheers Andi & Ellen .... https://twomotokiwis.blogspot.com/ Two Moto Kiwis Alaska - Argentina - April 2012 -> Somewhere

I did the same thing to my then fiancee after the postal service returned the first box to me in a barrel shape .
just insured it full value so when she recieved she had to pay more on duty then I did originally for the ladies slacks.

Heya yokesman

Assuming then she is now your ex

Classic, yeah the postal stuff can get you right hard in the pocket, we snt an email to Garmin so will see what they have to say.

Cheers Andi

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Cheers Andi & Ellen .... https://twomotokiwis.blogspot.com/ Two Moto Kiwis Alaska - Argentina - April 2012 -> Somewhere

Uruguay seemed to be a fixit stop, for us but thankfully this was the last of it.

The next step was to pick up our Jesse Luggage mounting that Norbert and Greti Adventure South America had bought down from the States for us, these were in Colonia so we hightailed it up, Colonia is a beautiful town but extremely spendie (toursity).

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These old dolls now sitting in the street as potplant holders, the car in front a dining area for the restaurant

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The famous cafe shot

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After our site seeing of Colonia we picked up our parts we made our way to a camp ground only a few km out of town by Rio de la Plata....not a wee creek either I will add. :eek1

The weather was still and calm so we headed for the river, the water was soothingly warm and nice to swim in, no pics this time as I had no togs and you fellas don't wonna picture of my white fluffy cleavage or Andiconda rofl

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Cheers Andi & Ellen .... https://twomotokiwis.blogspot.com/ Two Moto Kiwis Alaska - Argentina - April 2012 -> Somewhere

Setting up camp we made a small fire to cook our sausages, we had only just finished tea and was photographing the storm over on the Argentinian side when the camp owner came over and said pack everything up and bring it under cover as it was about to get nasty.

Camp was at the top of the bank, this is the Rio de la Plata

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I had removed my case and had it in pieces spread all over our picnic table and chair … I mean work bench , I had almost executed the necessary repairs so it was a hell quick put back together and clean up which I did. :clap

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This is what was treating us across the other side ..until it came to our side :rofl

Ouwh it is beautiful

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Ouwh it is getting closer

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Ouwh it is looking a bit black

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Enter camp owner now

We heeded the camp owners good advice and with no time to spare took our gear, Maya the tent with everything in it in under cover in the main covered area, just as we bought the tent in down it came (thought we left Brasil).:rofl

Big winds, lightening, thunder, heavy rain, branches flying and all sorts, we were very appreciative of our good host letting us know and letting us come under cover, then we had to resort everything out as we bought it in in handfuls of unorganized bunches…. a small price to pay to have everything dry and clean.:clap

A peaceful night was had once the weather blew through leaving everything outside flowing and wet with the added bonus for us the temperature had dropped the good part of 10 - 15 degrees making it nice and cool to sleep.

The morning after :evil

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The following day was a clean and clear ride back down the coast having got everything we needed to make the best of the damage repairs, our intention to take in a bit more of Uruguay before departing south.

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Cheers Andi & Ellen .... https://twomotokiwis.blogspot.com/ Two Moto Kiwis Alaska - Argentina - April 2012 -> Somewhere

Having got all our needed stuff sorted and done it was time to relax a little.

Heading for the coast we made our way back down to La Paloma where we had been offered a beach house to stay, by way of timing we decided to stop for 3 nights, the owner doing some maintenance work we offered to help given his generosity of helping us.:clap

There was two outside walls needing water blasting and painting, both of which he had. We set up the water blaster and set too blowing the old paint away and ripping all the loose stuff off ready for painting, given it was mid 30’s it dried real quick allowing us to colour it in and make it look nice again:clap, stoked to be able to help him as he had a lot to do in a shortish time frame and I am pretty sure he appreciated an extra couple of hands to bring it up smart.

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We took a tour along the beach road north and took in some sights, there are huge sand dunes which is a tourist attraction, the beach was covered in these small balloon like things

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A nice casual walk around the town at night led to a lighthouse at the point.

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In the town center there is a whale skeleton which is pretty cool, when you get to stand beside it you get to feel the size of these things clap

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Cheers Andi & Ellen .... https://twomotokiwis.blogspot.com/ Two Moto Kiwis Alaska - Argentina - April 2012 -> Somewhere

Great to catch up on your travels ,love the storm and light house shots .fantastic .Seams you have met some wonderful folk in Brazil .Anyhow great you are still having (mostly )a good time .pity about the bloody shock .until next time YDF Noel
P.s also now on ADVrider under the name breezealong

Oh forgot wishing you a fantastic new year ,lets hope we meet up some place this year