Most Inspirational Moment
Our early morning visit to the geysers at El Tatio. Crossing the Jama Pass from Chile into Argentina. Riding on the salt flats at Salinas grandes Descending the 42 km of the Bishop's slope.
Thoughts on Group Leader
Our leader was Ale Moreiras who was an entertaining and competent leader whose professionalism and enthusiasm were an integral part of his guiding. It was evident that Ale and his co-leader, Claudio Sanuy, enjoyed their work and both worked hard, but without fuss, to ensure the tour went according to plan. In my case my wife became affected by toothache but Ale was able to find, and take her to a dentist, who saw her on a Sunday afternoon, prescribing antibiotics which allowed her to continue the tour. We were both thankful for this and I was amazed at Ale's resourcefulness. He seemed to have contacts everywhere we went and whilst some might say this was a coincidence, I think such things don't happen without effort being made to develop a network of contacts for times of need. I think Ale was the main organiser but Claudio was equally enthusiastic and the two complemented each other very well, each with skills and contacts to support the other.
Advice for Potential Travellers
There is a reasonable distance travelled on 'gravel' but this surface is much like forest trails that can be found in England. We did not encounter large rocks to be negotiated. However, unlike trails in England a lot of these are above 3500 metres and for our trip the weather was quite hot. The heat and altitude mean that all riders must be aware of how they feel at all times. Dehydration, altitude sickness and fatigue are real issues to watch out for. Enjoy the riding, the scenery is fantastic.
