Day 347 Thursday 22nd August Hotel Vila Santa to KTM Dealer\Storage 3,7km

Pie said he will stop riding when our days of riding reaches one year, 365 days. So he asked me if I was going to count today as another day and add it to the total days we have been riding, sadly, I must even though we just did 3,7km today, as my own rules for counting the days are based on if I rode on the bike, and we did, I dont count all the days traveling or waiting to travel to and back from where we start and finish our trips, so today was day 347, which means Pie will park his bike and take a taxi to the closest airport and fly home in 18 days, or 19 if we work on a Leap Year.

Last night we were given Welcome Cocktails at the Hotel’s Restaurant\Bar on the 10th floor, overlooking the city, still covered with mist as the mist covered the city for a few months in winter. Then our “Fixer” arrived and went through the plan for today.

After the meeting we walked to the Circle where we found a brightly lit chicken restaurant without any wine. We did buy strawberries for dessert.

This morning we went to the 10th floor where we got strong coffee and Papaya Juice, and then the normal fried egg and bread rolls, but also 2 slices of tomato, jippyyyyy. Then we wanted to take the bikes to KTM but Pie’s bike’s battery died and we had to use our “jumper-cables” (just plain copper wire we bought from the electrician at the beginning of the trip when my bike died.)

At KTM, only 13 minutes away from our hotel, we made the job-cards for each bike with our Fixer, also a biker, doing the translation and the mechanic looking at everything we pointed out to him to do as this service, 15000km after we left Houston, is probably the last service our bikes will get before we complete this Continent. We removed the panniers and waited for the police and Custom Officials to arrive.

There was some paperwork to be done with our Fixer who will now suspend our Temporary Import Permits and the bikes may now not be removed until we return when the police and Customs will return and confirm the bikes were still in storage before releasing them and re-activating our TIP’s. When we stored our bikes in Russia for the winter we just left them and when we returned we learnt we might lose the bikes or have to pay huge import Duty on the bikes as they were in Russia longer than the allowed 90 days.  So Peens managed to get us a Lawyer who he knew from the Paragliding Community on Face Book which practiced in Samara, the town we stored and he then arranged for the customs to “look the other way” be giving then “presents” consisting of Perfume, Vodka and Caviar. We also had the same problem when we stored in Georgia, the bikes were put on a trailer by the KTM-Guy which took the bikes into Azerbaijan and returned as soon as he went through the border so that the bikes got another 90 days. So our bikes has been to 40 countries but we only to 39 as things stand today.

Tex and Pie sorted out my dented panniers ad they are nice ad straight again after all the falling over recently.

I had time to clean my riding boots. All my clothes that I did not have to throw away plus my riding-gear has been handed in to be washed and will then be packed into my 1 pannier bag tomorrow and left on the bike, provided the clothes are dry, don’t  want to find any surprises on my return in 8 months.

Pie was the 1st to throw away his pants and we convinced Peens to throw away his as well. We have been asking him to sit with his legs folded for a long time now, but he forgets and then mommies cover the kids eyes with horror screams:

It was 13h00 before all the formalities had been concluded and we took a taxi to the beach where we walked around and had a late lunch and a beer.

There were several stalls erected selling different things, including this fish-dish. The lady has them ready, but still inside their plastic-tub, and when you buy one she simply lifts the lid and gives you a fork and a serviette and then there are a few tables where you can sit and eat,

There was square, and like the rest of Lima it was spotless, seems to me the rubbish and dirt and mess is only along the Pan-American Highway and in the city of Trojillio.

This bike we found in one of the little towns we stayed, it is Chineese, and every bike or 3 Wheeler plus the majority of the cars on the road (apart from many Toyota Hilux’s) are Chineese, they copied Honda and Yamaha and made the exact bike, but just under their name. And is this not happening in the other developing countries? They are durable and half-price compared to the Japanese Brands.

90 000km

Probably still on its 1st tyre.

Tonight we are going for dinner with our Fixer and from tomorrow evening we are starting our return home, some fly on Saturday and Sunday at 01h30 (yes me, Lekker man Lekker.) I fly Lima to La Paz, then sit there for a few hours before flying to San Paulo Brazil before connecting to RSA.

I am going to do one more Blog as always from the airport just before I fly home, but I have three flights at three airports, so not sure when I will write it.

Hope you all have a great Weekend

Fleisch