There are 23 replies in this Thread which has previously been viewed 776 times. The latest Post () was by Rice.
About ten years ago my sister gave me some Welsh slate which was minded in Blaenau Ffestiniog and used on the roof of her house in West Wales. I always had the intention to give it to a Welsh community or association in Patagonia and have finally been in touch with one in Puerto Madryn.
Plans begin now for a possible trip in November or December, by bike of course.
Do keep us posted on your developing plans!
Adri tolerates the bike but I don't believe she would ever put it it between us.
I wish! It's a well written article isn't it?
It's safe to say that Adri tolerates the bike and at the same time she likes to see me enjoy it. Can't say fairer than that really.
Here's an excellent map of places to stay in Argentina for motorcyclists.
In early April 2016 on my way back from Salta, in the far north of Argentina, on my trusty Jawa 350, I had a rather uncomfortable ride from La Madrid to Frias.
The day had started beautifully in the hills of Cafayate wine country, with bright sunshine, dry roads and magnificent views of the near Andes mountain range. My destination was Jesus Maria, near Cordoba, where I knew a beer, a hearty meal and a comfy bed were waiting for me.
As the day progressed and the further south I went, the cloudier it got and eventually, by about 6 pm, a fine drizzle began to fall, eventually becoming a fine but persistent rain, so I pulled into a service station at La Madrid, which is nothing more than a petrol station and a few shacks in the middle of nowhere.
It was already dark, the rain was still falling and I had to ask myself, should I stay or should I go?
There are good reasons for not riding at night in many countries - wild animals, bad drivers and very poor road surfaces. But could I really kick my heels for hours on end and wait for the rain to clear?
As I was lighting a roll-up and taking a sip from a steaming cup of coffee, sheltering from the rain under a canopy, I saw another rider shaking the rain of himself, so we got chatting.
After a several roll-ups and coffees, we decided to head for Frias - about 115kms away - in a mini convoy, with me up front because I had two decent LED spots and a new headlight and he would follow because he had hazard lights. I also had a reflective jacket over my rain gear.
So we headed out into the rain and found that safest speed was about 40 kmh because the oncoming traffic was just truck after truck, each one kicking up spray, reducing visibility considerably.
Fortunately on our right was a continuous but rather narrow hard shoulder, so we stuck to that as much as we could to allow traffic to pass us. And there was a lot of traffic, with glaring headlights and swirling rain which seemed to find its way into every part of me.
The most difficult aspect was visibility through my visor which I had to wipe every minute or so. There were no street lights and when the traffic thinned, it was just blackness and the fizzle of rain illuminated by my lights.
I wasn't scared, but I was concerned and all I could think of was the motel which I knew was down the road in Frias. Neither was it cold, fortunately, even though my gloves became like two sponges.
Finally, after what seemed like like an eternity, but in reality was only about three hours, we spotted gleaming lights ahead, just like an oasis and eventually a petrol station and the motel Queens. We pulled in like two wet and rakish outlaws, glad that we had made it safely.
We soon found a table next to the petrol station, grabbed a few bottles of Stella and sat in silence for several minutes as the rain and our heads cleared.
My mate then headed home a few kms away and I checked into the motel for a hot shower, piling up the Zs a few minutes later.
The ride to Jesus Maria the following morning was bliss!
Is this the ride that inspired the opening chapter of your book, Splinter ?
When reading it, one could feel themself riding with you!
It certainly could have been, now that I think about it 
The friend who accompanied me to Patagonia has just returned from a month long trip to Ushuaia and back. Here's his blog post.
You're never too old.
That will be you some day, Splinter !
I'm getting there!
I just did the VTV (MOT) on the bike today and the price has quadrupled from a month ago.
Also, they have now split motorbikes into engine sizes for pricing, even though they carry out exactly the same amount of checks for any size bike. Total f***ing rip off!
Last month I would have paid around $4000, today I paid just over $16,000.
Furthermore, they failed me on auxiliary spots/LEDs which for me are life savers. However, after a short chat with the young man, I produced some black duct tape, covered them up and then he gave me the pass certificate.
I whipped the tape off when he had disappeared 
That's one of the beloved grey areas that I appreciate about Argentina. It wouldn't happen anywhere else.
That’s one of the things we love about Argentina too!
My husband had to pay about 200 USD in fines to renew his expired DL.
There were two of fines from 2022 and 2023. The one from 2022 went from 60 USD (when he got it) to 135 USD (now that he had to pay it in order to renew his DL).
Moreover, since his DL had been expired for over 90 days, he had to pay a fine even on that, albeit small.
My husband had to pay about 200 USD in fines to renew his expired DL.
There were two of fines from 2022 and 2023. The one from 2022 went from 60 USD (when he got it) to 135 USD (now that he had to pay it in order to renew his DL).
Moreover, since his DL had been expired for over 90 days, he had to pay a fine even on that, albeit small.
Did he also have to do his driving test again? I know Adri did when she let it lapse past 90 days.
VTV costs in the province.
Did he also have to do his driving test again? I know Adri did when she let it lapse past 90 days.
Yes, but only the practice part, not the theory.
