Soaring with Condors – Billy Ward’s first trip to South America on a Triumph Tiger

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I left Liverpool, England, with no real idea of what South America was actually like—but it was certainly on my bucket list. Arriving into Santiago, the taxi journey from the airport to Los Condes was an eye opener. I was surprised at how European the city felt, how modern it was. But the snow capped Andean peaks, tall and imposing over the city, reminded me I was somewhere quite different, quite special.

This was day one of a three-month adventure around South America. The plan was to meet up with “Hugo” my new Mexican amigo at Triumph Motorcycle’s Headquarters in Los Condes, and pick up two brand new Triumph Tiger adventure motorcycles. Each equipped with side panniers for luggage, chunky tires and Garmin GPS’s, the bikes looked classy, rugged and ready for anything.

Triumph Motorcycles is the iconic British brand who’ve consistently managed to associate themselves with all that is “uber cool”. From Marlon Brando and James Dean to Steve McQueen and lately David Beckham, the list of Triumph riders from the world of celebrity chic, is endless. To add my name to this list was a privilege. I pictured Che Guevara penning his Motorcycle Diaries—maybe this was my chance to be cool?

Meanwhile, back in the real world…Hugo and I had arranged to head west to the coast and then north to the seaside town of Taltal. From here we’d visit Iquique, San Pedro de Atacama and then cross into Argentina, to Purmamarca. Again, we’d ride north, this time to the border town of Villazon, crossing into Bolivia to experience the notable tourist destinations of Uyuni, Potosi and of course the highest city in the world, La Paz. From Bolivia we’d enter into Peru for Lake Titicaca and the Floating Reed Islands of Los Uros, the mysterious Nazca Lines and a home straight finale up to Lima along the beautiful Pacific coast line. Now here’s the rub—I was to do this initial recce for a month, before meeting two groups of riders who’d fly in from all corners of the world, and then do it all again for two more months! Yes—I would be leading the two groups, together with the tour company I’d be working with, Compass Expeditions, a renowned leader in world motorcycle adventures and specialist in South American travel. So with my notebook and camera at the ready—the 15,000 kilometre adventure began.

The thing about riding motorcycles is that you become part of the environment. You’re not in a metal box with air conditioning and heated seats, looking out through electric windows, you’re actually there, with the wind in your hair and the smells in your nostrils. Even the locals see you differently. You seem to be more accepted wherever you go and it makes the experience so real, so raw. Imagine driving alongside Chile’s Pacific Ocean, watching through your car window as the blue rolling seas crash into the shore line. Now imagine it again, on your motorcycle: The sea air against your face, the taste of salt on your lips, the purring of the engine beneath you—you’re not an observer anymore, you’re in the moment, at one with your surroundings. Each twist in the road a dramatic unfolding of your journey.

Of course not all drama happens on the road. Day two saw me wake early in a cheap hotel near to the beach in Taltal. A loud siren was shrieking outside. I sleepily staggered out into the street, only to be nearly run over by a police car, followed by an ambulance, a fire engine and a sea rescue truck. The siren was echoing all over the town through some sort of public address system. I asked a passer-by in my broken Spanish: “What’s happening?” Her reply sent my adrenalin levels rocketing—“It’s the Tsunami alarm”, she said.

I ran back into the hotel screaming at Hugo to waken him: “Get up, we gotta ride up a hill somewhere, pretty damn quick—there’s a Tsunami coming in—Come on! Go go go!” Hugo was now hopping around the room with one leg in his jeans, and the other trying to get into his boot! Touring on motorbikes teaches you to travel light—it’s a skill—so within five minutes I found myself nervously trying to get the key into the ignition. Hugo, boots on the wrong feet, was doing likewise as we both looked nervously inland scanning the horizon for higher ground. Meanwhile, the hotel manager was sitting in a sun chair reading the newspaper, casually sipping his cappuccino while the siren was still hurting my ears.

“Don’t forget to settle your bill, guys”, he said. “You can pay me at reception, as soon as this Tsunami Practice finishes.” Oops—so my Spanish had a few holes in it, I hope it improves as the journey continues.

San Pedro de Atacama for me was the first taste of rural South America with its desert, salt flats and volcanoes. The adobe oasis village is such a pretty place and although it can get quite busy in the height of the season, it seems to manage tourism well without ruining it’s simple laid back style. There’s an enduring “hippy” feel to the town, which renders it very friendly. If you like your holidays replete with dreadlocks, ear hoops and flowery frocks, San Pedro is the place for you.

This small desert town may also be your first experience of the ubiquitous Peruvian pan pipes—from hotel lobbies to restaurants, indeed to rest rooms, you’ll hear one tune in particular that will stay with you, no, maybe even haunt you: El Cóndor Pasa. Originally a Peruvian orchestral piece written by Daniel Alomia Roblels back in 1913, this melody was introduced to the rest of the world by Simon & Garfunkel’s Bridge over Troubled Water album in 1970. Now considered part of Peru’s cultural heritage, it’s the song that tourists will return home with—burnt into their musical memory.

The surrounding landscape is both magical and beautiful and includes some of the worlds largest geysers and salt flats. The gigantic rocks formations of Death Valley will undoubtedly take your breath away, and who could miss the opportunity to sip a sundowner in the surreal and lunar-like environment of the Valley of the Moon. In retrospect, with so much to see and do, we should have allowed ourselves much longer in this wondrous environment—an issue I will surely rectify on subsequent visits.

Crossing into Bolivia, then riding on to Uyuni and Potosi, we decided to go “off road” and follow a famous Dakar Rally route from Tupiza. The Dakar Rally is motorsports ultimate endurance race, so, as you can imagine, this route was pretty full on and not recommended for the average Sunday biker. Covering less than two hundred and fifty kilometres in over seven hours may give you some idea of how challenging the track was.

At one stage we found ourselves riding along a river—yes, actually in the river. We splashed and slipped our way for about forty kilometres till, lost, confused and wet through, we stopped. With darkness and imminent danger closing in we debated retracing our steps. Just then, incredibly, a bus splashed by with “Uyuni Express” emblazoned across the front. Smiling faces pressed up against the windows, grinning and waving. Bus drivers in Bolivia must be a breed apart!

Getting to La Paz late into the evening was probably a mistake—riding in rush-hour in the dark should usually be avoided, the traffic was mad. I can honestly say that riding (or driving) in most of South America, is the craziest I’ve ever seen or experienced—especially La Paz. Crazier than Marrakesh, Paris or even Johannesburg. Yet bizarrely it seems to work, as throughout the whole trip I hardly came across an accident. That said, it’s surprising how quickly you can adjust your riding and of course a massive benefit of the motorcycle is that you can nip through the traffic and get to the front of the queues pretty easily.

Ever the culture vultures, we decided to leave the bikes at the Compass Expeditions offices in El Alto—the town that sits above La Paz—and travel down to our hotel by the now infamous cable car. Wow, this is just such a spectacular experience, especially at night as the whole of La Paz is lit up in front of you. More a Disney ride than public transport, the cable car literally drops over the first platform into the abyss below. A stomach churning journey that leaves you somewhere between abject fear and pure excitement.

The next day we were back on the bikes, our destination “El Camino de la Muerte”, or as we know it in the west, “The Death Road”. Thrill seekers from all over the world flock to this notoriously dangerous piece of mountain track where one mistake can have you falling over 900 metres into the valley below. Just a few years ago, as many as 250 people per year would lose their lives this way as they went about their day to day business. Today, with a new tarmac bypass, “The Death Road” is simply a tourist attraction. Everyone wants to ride it—be it on a motorcycle or even a mountain bike. At over 4,500 metres above sea level with terrifying sheer drops there is no room for error and, if you survive, it’s a great experience and an incredible achievement. Anyone’s South American bucket list wouldn’t be complete without this—though maybe best to leave it till last.

One small negative note, the border crossings throughout the trip can be challenging. You sometimes get the feeling that the governments of each country are conspiring against you. Complicated rules that seem to change by the day can cause frustration and there’s a low level of corruption that adds to the complexity and frankly leaves a bad taste. The slow progress across the line is however rewarded as you ride off into some of the most spectacular landscapes in the world.

Arriving in Peru, we rode to Puno to visit Lake Titicaca and the floating reed islands of Uros. The islands have become a major tourist draw these days, but in my view it’s slightly overdone and has likely lost some of its original authenticity. How I wish I’d visited in a previous, more naïve age. That said, Puno is a great little place and it’s usually a hive of activity with busy street markets and a fine town square.

Though Peru certainly has a great deal to offer the adventure tourist, many Europeans don’t realise that sixty percent of the country is Amazonian rain forest. With that in mind, we took a cheap flight from Cusco, out to Puerto Maldonado, known as the gateway to the Amazon. A river boat journey up the Tambopata river then took us into dense jungle, where we stayed in a beautiful eco-lodge called “Posada Amazonas”. The two days we spent here gave us to time to see the local wildlife—with a seemingly endless list of bird species, troops of mischievous monkey’s romping around the canopy, topped off with a few capybara and scary caiman lounging on the riverbank. It was a nice break from the daily riding and a truly exciting way to experience the wonder and beauty of the Amazon.

Cusco, the ancient capital of the Inca Empire is steeped in history, which is reflected in the beauty of the old Inca foundations and of course the colonial architecture. Streets and squares come dressed with intricately carved wooden balconies and ageing archaeological remains. From here we enjoyed the stunning twisty ride through the Sacred Valley following the Urubamba river to the village of Ollantaytambo. Teeming with backpackers and travellers from every nation of the world, they’re here to catch the train to what I can only describe as the jewel in the crown of the whole adventure, the remarkable and mysterious, Machu Picchu.

Be prepared to be amazed and possibly confused by this lost city, this heavenly enclave of the Inca empire. Built high up towards the snowy peaks around 2,400 metres, Machu Picchu is a credit to Inca engineering, planning and determination in creating such a wondrous city on top of the world.

Comprising of stone palaces, temples, squares and houses all stitched together with terraces and advanced irrigation systems, it’s no surprise why it’s listed as a World Heritage Site. The famous heavy stonework leaves you baffled as to how these massive rocks were moved and shaped to fit perfectly into each other at a time when there was no iron tools or even wheels. The joints appear as tight now as they were hundreds of years ago. There are many mysteries surrounding this city, not least as to why it was abandoned around the 16th century or what the true significance of the build location was in the first place. The city’s connection with the sun and astronomical events will further intrigue you, with rocks, windows and even mountains lining up with celestial events throughout the cosmic calendar.

On our home stretch to Lima, we compounded the mysteries of Machu Picchu with our visit to the Nazca lines. We took the traditional light aircraft flight over the images. The flight was fascinating and great fun. You get a brilliant view of all the images and the bizarre lines as well as great background information from the pilot, who doubles up as a tour guide. That night, lying in bed, my mind was in a whirl, trying to make some sense of the mystery of Nazca as well as the unanswered questions around Machu Picchu.

The fact that, as yet, we don’t have all the answers just adds to the intrigue of this incredibly interesting world we live in and for myself it provides the inspiration to continue exploring as much of it as I can.

For readers who already ride motorcycles, you’re probably wondering, “well, Billy, enough of all the history and mystery, what were the roads like?”. I think you already know the answer—but just in case…they were incredible, fantastic and truly awesome! Whether it’s tarmac, dirt or gravel, you’ll never wish for more amazing roads. Your life will be at one with the universe after you’ve ridden the highways and and byways of this incredible continent. You’ll find yourself soaring with condors sharing some of the freedom that these majestic creatures epitomise.

Let me tell you ladies and gentlemen, denizens of South America, you are truly blessed! Yes, to have all of this on your doorstep, all of this for the taking, all of this waiting patiently for you to arrive, the only thing you have left to do—is to pack, get on your bike and ride.

Now to pick up the other two groups of riders and do the whole thing all over again!

This article was originally published in the Winter 2016 issue of Overland Journal Europe.