Chile, Puerto Rio Tranquilo - Rain, Rain and More Rain .... License Plate MIA

Like all the days before the day started off great.  With a quick breakfast in our stomaches and a great rest we were ready to continue down the Carretera Austral.  Along the way we stopped a few times to rest, stretch and take pictures.  After about a 150 kms we reached a small town called Puerto Rio Tranquilo.  We stopped here to have a quick bite to eat and we met a Canadian couple who were cycling the Carratera Austral.  They were telling us of their previous journey of 11 months and 17,000kms which shocked us to say the least.

With our bellys full of Empanadas we walked over to the bikes and were heading down the road a short distance to visit a cave tourist attraction along the lake.  Colin and I headed out first and were to wait for Eduardo at the cave tourist site.  We waited there for 15 minutes to then finally see Eduardo coming around the bend.  He stopped.... and told us the bad news..... He was pulled over by a Chilean police officer in town and was asked why he had no license plate displayed on his motorcycle (suprised us all).....Somehow the license plate worked its way loose and had fallen off somewhere from where we last stayed and the town we were in.

With this predicament we decided to retrace our ride and attempt to search for the plate along the dirt highway.  We back tracked 70 km´s to find nothing but lots of Cristal beer cans littered along the way.  And of course to top off this little fiasco it started to rain. Too further add to the bad luck they decided that today was the day they were going to regrade the highway with gravel after we had travelled over it already... We only went back 70 km´s because we then realized we were on the edge of running out of gas if we didnt turn around.  Back in Puerto Rio Tranquilo, defeated and tired, we searched around for a hostal.  We found a very nice cabin with a kitchen and three seperate bedrooms.  We walked over to the local grocery store and bought some food for dinner.  Long day of staring at the ground trying to avoid potholes combined with searching for a tiny BC license plate had made us tired. 

So after discussing and contemplating what to do.. Eduardo decided he would return to Santiago, Chile.  Eduardo has to file a lost license plate claim with the local authorities and has to provide this to ICBC.  Where his wife, Tomiko, will somehow obtain a new ICBC license plate and ship it to Santiago where Eduardo will be waiting for the plate to continue the trip.

Colin and I are continuing and are heading South too Ushuaia which we plan to reach within the next 7 days.  Then we begin the trip home heading North through Ruta 3 in Argentina and then to cross over in Chile to meet up with Eduardo.

We planned for everything we possibly could of planned for.  None of us ever thought of losing a license plate would be something that would provide us with a set back.  Hopefully Eduardo is back on two wheels quickly and resolve this minor inconvience.