New Years Eve and are shims connected to the thigh bone!

'$25000 for dinner, you must be joking'. 'Welcome to San Pedro' I'm quickly told. Ok, it only equates to 25GBP but still, we're in Chile and 25GBP is a bit much to pay for a three course dinner with only a Pisco Sour and Champagne at mid-night to drink thrown in. We opt for a 15GBP three course dinner with no Champagne but music all night. Shame I only make it until 11:30pm before the mix of red meat, melted icecream, alcohol (And not even that much) and altitude takes its toll. It's stuffy in the restaurant so Mike has no problem leaving either and we head back to the hostal to drink our own alcohol, you'd think I'd learn, and celebrate the coming of the new year by ourselves. But the sound of the fireworks is too much to resist and we take a stroll in the fresh air. I have to say, San Pedro has been one of the coolest places I've celebrated New Year's Eve. It's all very chilled and relaxed, locals and gringos walking around the streets moving from effigy to burning effigy, fireworks going off around your feet (OK that bit can be a little scary but not as scary as what I've spent in London on my mate, Mark's, balcony) with drink in hand but very few drunks. A very nice way to welcome in 2007. I hope you all had a suitably happy New Year's Eve celebration.

Pre-burning, our Wickerman!

So what's to do in San Pedro? Not much except hangout with other hippy gringos. Or you can head out of the village to an assortment of activities. We decide for New Year's Day to take a ride to the Lagos about 80km or so down the road. As usual, this is an adventure in itself as my chain derails and jams. Fortunately it doesn't break. This incident is qucikly followed by Mike getting bogged in sand, not something you want to rectify at this altitude. Ahh, the joys of motorcyle travel. And all this just to be told we can't have lunch by the lake because the birds are breeding.
It is a small world however and we do happen to bump into a couple travelling overland. Him in his jeep (He's been travelling around the world for 9 years. First on a motorbike than after a year long break to work bought himself jeep). She, Martina, travelling around on a motorbike for the past 5 years. I say a small world because if my chain hadn't derailed we wouldn't have passed them. And also because when I first looked into getting kitted out for this adventure, Martina had her bike advertised on the overland website, Horizons Unlimited, and I nearly bought it off her. Plans change and she is still riding it and I bought another one. But it is weird to think that I'd emailed this complete stranger over a year ago and now through a random incident, I actually meet her. About an hour later, they've convinced us to ride through Bolivia thus changing our own adventure entirely.
A chain de-railment isn't the KLR's only concern. Just outside of San Pedro you can also visit Valle de Luna, particularly pretty at sunrise or sunset. The wet season has hit Bolivia and with it brings clouds and a bit of rain to San Pedro, usually in the afternoons. So we opt to get up early and view the Valle at sunrise, without the tourists. Just our luck but we choose the only morning it's cloudy. The setting is still pretty but not as spectacular as promised by the guide books. Not to worry, after sitting for an hour or so waiting for the sun to make an appearance, we continue our ride through the valle. A bit of a grind and a crunch later and I'm left very little clutch. It's not my morning. I get it into 3rd and hope to god the clutch cable doesn't completely fray on the 15km ride back into town.

So we're heading into Bolivia hey! This is the part of the trip that scares me the most. Especially with the wet season kicking in. I look at the KLR workshop manual and decide it's time to do some serious maintenance. Plus fix the problems already present. For three days, the KLR resembles an insect as it is pulled apart, checked over and in some cases put back together. We moved hostals to where we can work on the bike under shade and on concrete. I'm setup near the outdoor kitchen and this provides me with constant company as I work. There is quite a mixed bag staying at the hostal from the self proclaimed oldest backpacking Israel (He was nearing 70, so may be he was the oldest), to an extended German family, a lovely couple from Portugal, two crazy Dutchman, aren't they all, and a motorcycling Dutch couple who were on vacation without their bikes. Mike does some work to his bike before moving onto mine. I need the moral support if nothing else as I attempt to check my valves, realise the reason the brake fluid is low is that there are no brake pads left on my rear brake calliper (just as well I tend to use the front brakes more) and attempt to figure out what is wrong with my speedometer. So while Mike fixes my speedometer and diagnoses the problem with the brakes, I replace the clutch cable and attempt to check the valves. Damn it. Unlike Mike's, they're not good. This means a 200km round trip back to Calama to get some new shims (I only found out what these were when I pulled the engine apart and read the manual but hey, doesn't it sound like Iknow what I'm talking about, almost!) and new brake pads.
We'd planned to head into Bolivia the following day and after having the brake pads rebuilt and shims ground down - you have to make do when there aren't parts available in the whole of Chile - we get the KLR going at about 9pm that night. There is a small cheer from Eric and Nanette, the Dutch couple, Andreas and Kristina who've also arrived in San Pedro, and of course Mike and me when I turn the key and the KLR starts first go and suprisingly, with no weird noises. Phew! I admit, I almost have tears of joy at hearing the engine start. It's the first major work I've done to the bike by myself and I can't believe that I haven't wrecked the engine.
Bolivia here we come!