The Dakar Rally (or simply "The Dakar"; formerly known as "The Paris-Dakar" or "Paris to Dakar Rally") is an annual rally raid type of off-road automobile race. Most events since the inception in 1978 were from Paris, France to Dakar, Senegal, but due to security threats in Mauritania in 2008, the 2009 Dakar Rally was run in South America (Argentina and Chile), the first time the race took place outside of Europe and Africa. It returned to South America in 2010. The race is open to amateur and professional entries. Amateurs typically make up about eighty percent of the participants.
Despite its name it is an off-road endurance race, called a rally-raid rather than a conventional rally, the terrain the competitors traverse is much tougher and the vehicles used are true off-road vehicles rather than the modified sedans used in rallies. Most of the competitive special sections are off-road, crossing dunes, mud, pampas, and rocks among others. The distances of each stage covered vary from short distances up to 800–900 kilometres (500–560 miles) per day.
The Dakar route 2010, 14 stages covering a total of 8,937kms (5,553miles)
We left San Pedro De Atacama under a storm, not because of the weather but because I had a run in with the woman who organised breakfast and Richard fell out with reception who tried to charge us extra for the rooms. Our first experiences in Chile left us wary of what was in store for the next few weeks, but we were now on a mission to catch the Dakar and the first stop was Antofagasta on the Pacific coast. The ride across took us past the Valley of the Moon and more lunar landscapes, we had decided to stop for lunch in Calama and whilst we were all waiting for Ingo and Cecilia to catch up on their 'pogo stick' we got chatting to some local bikers.
Back on decent roads again.
Entering the Atacama desert.
Too much chrome, not enough dirt!
These riders were members of a local biker club and even though they were riding shiny Harleys we took the time to chat and accepted the invitation to go for lunch at a local restaurant. It was the first time in a while that we had seen expensive bikes and it was obvious that economically Chile was better off than most of the Central and South American countries we had visited so far.
The Atacama Desert is the driest place on Earth (also bloody windy!), and is virtually sterile because it is blocked from moisture on both sides by the Andes mountains and by the Chilean Coastal Range. In some areas there has been no recorded rainfall for 400 years. So we won't need the waterproofs for the next few days!
Rush hour traffic in the Atacama Desert.
Normal traffic!.
We stopped off at our first 'tourist location' to take our photo next to the Tropic of Capricorn, located at 23.5° South of the equator, it had significant importance for Richard as he originates from Rockhampton in Australia which is at the same latitude but on the other side of the world. We of course needed it for the 'set', we had crossed the Arctic Circle in Alaska, the Tropic of Cancer in Mexico, the Equator in Ecuador and now the Tropic of Capricorn in Chile. Without a boat and a couple of weeks sailing the Antarctic ocean we wouldn't be able to tick off the final latitude, the Antarctic Circle.
We rolled into Antofagasta trying to find a hotel but without much luck, in the end Gino left us all in the main square whilst he disappeared on the bike looking for accommodation. Ingo and Cecilia had gone off on their own to look for some basic digs as their budget was now very limited, Gino eventually returned and took the rest of us to a place he'd found in the city centre. Whilst we were checking in we met Dave another UK biker on his way round the world, he had left London nine months ago and arrived here via Europe, Russia, Mongolia, South Korea, the US, Central America and finally South America. Like us he was heading South to Ushuaia before flying back from Buenos Aires.
The route for the Dakar over the 15 days of the race reaches as far north as Iquique before returning to Antofagasta, where the competitors have a rest day before heading back south to Santiago and across into Argentina. We knew when we arrived in Antofogasta that we were one day behind them and hoped we would be able to catch up before the race reached Santiago. The following morning Sue and I, Chris and Melissa, Richard and Gino left Antofogasta heading for La Serena which was the finishing point of day 12 of the Dakar. Johannes and Jude stayed behind to rest as they had no interest in seeing the race and we had not seen or heard from Ingo and Cecilia since they left us the previous night. The first problem arose when Richard had to find a petrol station, we missed the first one on our way out of town and before we knew it we were heading into the desert again. Richard had no option but to go back into town and catch us up later, as it turned out after he left us there were two petrol stations 5 minutes down the road. The rest of us pulled in to get drinks and extra fuel which would give Richard time to catch up, eventually however, Sue and I decided to head on to La Serena. Chris and Gino on the other hand had been feeling rough they had not eaten since last night and were considering going back to the hotel to recover but decided to stop for some breakfast to see if that cured things.
For me, to get this close to seeing the race and then miss out would have been a major disappointment, so we opened the throttle and set off into the Atacama desert once again but 40 minutes further on we had to stop for photos at 'the big hand'.
It looks like the extremity of a giant man, buried by a monumental sandstorm. In the wasteland of Chile’s Atacama Desert, 75 km to the south of Antofagasta, a strange and unexpected sight confronts the eye. Four fingers, a thumb and part of a palm, emerge from the sand in striking contrast to the azure blue sky, called 'Mano de Desierto' (Hand of the Desert), it is a piece of art that certainly grabs your attention like no other.
The work of Chilean sculptor Mario Irarrázabal, the massive sculpture rises 36 feet atop a base made of iron and cement, the piece was constructed at an elevation of 3608 feet above sea level yet despite its isolated and arid location, it's a must stop for those travelling along the Panamerican Highway.
Sadly, the hand suffers from the scourge of graffiti and has to undergo regular cleaning sessions.
Bloody tourists!.
We discovered later that rather than go back to the hotel and risk missing out on the Dakar, Chris, Melissa and Gino paid a truck driver to take them and the bikes south to La Serena.
Sue and I on the other hand had no option but to grind out the 900km through the Atacama, it was going to be a long day!
More desert highway.
And more desert, imagine how we felt looking at this landscape for 10 hours!
Oooh! the Pacific Ocean.
After about 5 hours riding we noticed some unusual activity on the roadside, there were, what looked like road workmen in hi-viz clothing stood around taped off areas and I commented that it could be the remains of the rally. Shortly after that we noticed a helicopter above the sand dunes a few kilometers off to our left. Something had to be happening and as we turned on to a straight leading into the town of Copiapo we could see what was obviously part of one of the rally stages in the distant dunes.
A mile further on we came to an abrupt halt at a road block, as we waited for the all clear the competitors came out of the desert and onto the highway. It's worth explaining at this point that all the vehicles in the rally use public roads to travel between the special stages, they should also abide by the same rules of the road as everyone else but it soon became clear that the Police were turning a blind eye to anything that looked like a race vehicle. (we didn't look anything like a race vehicle but we also took advantage of the cop's lenient attitude).
Sue and I were already tired and we still had 300kms to go but for the rest of the afternoon we got a real buzz riding amongst the competitors, we were able to comfortably keep up with the bikes and quads but the cars and trucks would fly past doing 'silly miles an hour'.
In Copiapo the roads were lined with spectators waving and cheering at anything and everything including us!
The rest of the ride to La Serena was pretty much the same, people would wave and cheer as we rode past and when we stopped it wasn't long before we were surrounded by onlookers wanting a photo of us, or them stood alongside BOB. By the time we reached La Serena most of the competitors had arrived but the place was still packed.
We knew that to see the start of the next day's stage would mean getting on the road for 6:00am so It was a quick dinner and off to sleep. Next morning we'd arranged to meet Richard after he went 'walkabout' the day before but by 6:30 he hadn't appeared so we left to fuel up and head for the start of the rally. We arrived at the petrol station at the same time as the competitors, the big sponsored teams have their own fuel supplies for their riders but the amateurs have to get their own gas. We of course let them jump the queue.
Even at 6:30 in the morning there were people wanting photos.
We chatted to Christina Meier, one of the few female riders and Sue kindly donated her coffee. Christine would eventually complete the Dakar in 85th place as the leading female competitor.
Despite the camera compensating for the lack of light, when we finally set off it was still dark and the riders had to be at the start of the stage 120kms south by 7:30.
At the toll booths the riders had to pay for the bikes themselves.
By the time we arrived at Pena Blanca for the start of the day's special stage most of the bikes had already left so we had no choice but to ride on and catch them at the next viewing point at Canela Baha. Before we left we met up with Jerome from Vancouver Island, Canada who's doing pretty much the same as the rest of us, heading south.
Jerome and his 1997 BMW R100.
At Canela Baha the rally stage wound it's way through a dry river bed and at certain points the riders were almost down to walking pace due to the difficult terrain, this gave us the chance to get really close to the action. I got told off by the race officials for standing too close to the race but when you see the photos and video it's clear the riders rode all over the place trying to find the best route through the stage.
OK maybe this competitor got a bit too close!
Here's a slideshow and a video of our day with the 'Dakar'
Carol, from the US, on his way home after getting to Ushuaia.
Time for more photos.
The last stop of the day before we rode to Santiago was to visit the bivouac, the official rest area for the riders at the end of each day. We had hoped to blag our way into the compound but security was too good, instead we bought a few souvenirs and headed into the capitol.
This last stunning photo of the race is the winner of this year's "Shot of the Dakar 2010" competition.
Today had been special, to get to Chile at the right time to see the race first hand had been hard work but the chances are we will not get the opportunity to see the Dakar again. The whole atmosphere surrounding the Dakar was what made the day so good, the chance to ride with the competitors, the crowds of spectators and those brief moments when you are the centre of attention for hundreds of people all wanting to know about us (well BOB actually!).
Santiago was planned as a place to sort the bike as there is a main BMW dealer in the city, the day after we arrived, I met up with Chris and Johannes and took BOB for a service. The dealership turned out to be a real 'Mickey Mouse' affair, when we asked the service manager how much it would cost for a full service he replied US$1,000! no sooner had we exclaimed "How much" than he dropped the price to US$500. It should have come as no surprise as we had now become accustomed to Chilean concept of value for money, namely there is none! Chile is listed as the 30th most economically competitive country in the world and 1st in Latin America, however, the high prices do not attract high levels of service. Maybe we were expected to pay those prices because we were foreigners, either way we made it clear to the service manager that he would lose three customers unless he got 'realistic'. In the end it cost me a couple of hundred dollars for the essential service items but that was not without problems, of our three bikes that were taken there in the morning only mine was finished at the end of the day.
Everybody in the group had found separate accommodation when they arrived in Santiago, Sue and I were in a hotel in the centre and the rest were scattered around the city. We eventually moved Hotels and ended up staying at the same place as Richard and Dave, who had now joined us for the ride south.
Santiago was planned as a place to sort the bike as there is a main BMW dealer in the city, the day after we arrived, I met up with Chris and Johannes and took BOB for a service. The dealership turned out to be a real 'Mickey Mouse' affair, when we asked the service manager how much it would cost for a full service he replied US$1,000! no sooner had we exclaimed "How much" than he dropped the price to US$500. It should have come as no surprise as we had now become accustomed to Chilean concept of value for money, namely there is none! Chile is listed as the 30th most economically competitive country in the world and 1st in Latin America, however, the high prices do not attract high levels of service. Maybe we were expected to pay those prices because we were foreigners, either way we made it clear to the service manager that he would lose three customers unless he got 'realistic'. In the end it cost me a couple of hundred dollars for the essential service items but that was not without problems, of our three bikes that were taken there in the morning only mine was finished at the end of the day.
Everybody in the group had found separate accommodation when they arrived in Santiago, Sue and I were in a hotel in the centre and the rest were scattered around the city. We eventually moved Hotels and ended up staying at the same place as Richard and Dave, who had now joined us for the ride south.
Santiago's old quarter.
Dave, us and Richard.
Opposite our hotel was a row of buildings that housed the infamous torture house. Known by its former street address, Londres 38, the house was the headquarters of Chile's Socialist Party until Sept. 11, 1973, when Augusto Pinochet ousted Socialist President Salvador Allende and Pinochet's forces took over the building. Nearly 100 dissidents, (many of them young members of the Revolutionary Left Movement political party) died after they were taken to the house and tortured during interrogations. The government bought the house last year with the intention of turning it into a museum.
In front of the building the cobblestones have been taken up and replaced with plaques commemorating those who were tortured and died during the early seventies.
The next few days were spent resting and sorting out where we were heading over the coming weeks. Sadly whilst in Santiago Chris and Melissa had split up, with Melissa returning to the States and Chris had started travelling south on his own, Richard had to move quickly in order to meet a deadline in Buenos Aires and he and Dave left together the next day. Gino had met a old schoolfriend (female) and decided to stay on in Santiago. Johannes and Jude left the day before us to visit friends in the wine growing region south of Santiago which left Sue and me to play catch up again. We had been in touch with those in front of us by text or email and arranged to meet up in Osorno, so we left Santiago early for another 900km day!. The ride down took us through the wine region with vineyards blanketing the hillsides but the roads were full of holidaymakers and at petrol stations the lines of cars were 10 deep, not unlike a bank holiday back home. We finally reached Osorno after another 12 hour day only to find Chris and the others had left already...Bugger! Dave emailed us that evening to say he had reserved a room for us the next night over the border in Argentina and would meet us there (hopefully?). So tomorrow would see us entering our sixteenth country of the trip so far but we would cross the border between Chile and Argentina another 6 times.
The border crossing out of Chile was straightforward, they even had numbered instructions to help speed things up. Speedy borders? now there's a contradiction of terms, almost as bad as 'Military Intelligence' or 'Peace Keeping Force'
There is then a 22km ride through 'no man's land before the Argentine border, there I got another young border official who thought the world owed him a living, when he finally got off his mobile phone he took an instant dislike to my attempts to speak Spanish (which I thought were quite good!) I tried to be as diplomatic as possible but he was so intent on making his point (whatever that was?) that he gave me the wrong documentation and put my nationality down as Irish. What a bloody insult!
This is our old pal Oisin, he's Irish and mad as a box of frogs..look at him, you wouldn't even want a link to the same web page never mind nationality!!
Having said that if you want a good read try his Blog.
http://backtobroke.blogspot.com/
The border crossing out of Chile was straightforward, they even had numbered instructions to help speed things up. Speedy borders? now there's a contradiction of terms, almost as bad as 'Military Intelligence' or 'Peace Keeping Force'
BOB waiting patiently at another border.
There is then a 22km ride through 'no man's land before the Argentine border, there I got another young border official who thought the world owed him a living, when he finally got off his mobile phone he took an instant dislike to my attempts to speak Spanish (which I thought were quite good!) I tried to be as diplomatic as possible but he was so intent on making his point (whatever that was?) that he gave me the wrong documentation and put my nationality down as Irish. What a bloody insult!
Having said that if you want a good read try his Blog.
http://backtobroke.blogspot.com/
As anyone knows who's travelled across borders in far off lands, the paperwork needs to be right and it was my fault I didn't check it out until later. True to form the 'cock up' would cause problems further down the road.....
So into Argentina for the first time, land of the Gaucho,Tango and World Cup football cheats! (it still hurts) Oh! and one step closer to Ushuaia.
You guys are truly making me very jealous now. Take care.
ReplyDeleteI'm just exhausted reading this blog but it must be exhilarating for you two!
ReplyDeleteGreat reading just get home safely!!