Trying to cross an international border on a motorbike can be stressful. There’s voluminous paperwork one must have in order and zero tolerance for errors; one misplaced, incorrectly stamped or misdated document is all it takes to get rejected. But in South America where corruption is rife, all the paperwork in the world may not give you a green light unless palms are greased first.
So, you can appreciate my trepidation as I leave squeaky clean Chile, one of the least corrupt countries in the world, and approach Argentina—a country where “payoffs, kickbacks and government corruption are considered part of everyday life,” according to the New York Times.
But I’ve got a secret weapon: My mother is Argentinian and I have a good grip on the Spanish language. As I present my paperwork at Paso Rodolfo Roballos, a remote border crossing in the middle of nowhere 2,250 kilometers southwest of the capital, Buenos Aires, I make small talk with border officials about how I’m returning to my mother’s land, about the beautiful scenery, about motorbikes, the weather... anything to prove my Latin credentials. Whether or not the chit chat has any impact is impossible to say. But after a final cursory glance at my passport, the man who holds my fate in his hands stamps it and wishes me a safe voyage before adding, as an afterthought, that I should take care in the wind.
Esta historia es de la edición July/August 2017 de Adventure Motorcycle (ADVMoto).
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Esta historia es de la edición July/August 2017 de Adventure Motorcycle (ADVMoto).
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor? Conectar
Stuant Gregory IS IT AN ADDICTION?
Five-Time Dakar Malle Moto racer
INTO THE MUD
Strategies for Successful Off-Road Riding
CHASING PEAKS IN THE HIMALAYAS
It was 2:00 a.m. on my fourth day in India. My eyes blinked open in the dark of a hotel room in Drass, a town in the Himalayas on the Indian side of the border. Yesterday was our first day riding on a six-day trip through the Himalayas, and my brain could not process everything I'd seen and experienced.
Angels and Demons RIDING TWO-UP SOUTH THROUGH ALASKA
A not-so-warm welcome as we entered Hatchers Pass from Willow to Palmer, Alaska.
EXPLORING THE THRILLING WORLD OF RALLY RAID
A GUIDE TO GETTING STARTED
MOTORCYCLE MAINTENANCE
LESSONS LEARNED ON THE ROAD
White Desert
Riding Across the Frozen Landscape of Siberia
Kitti and Martha Forget Black Dog CYCLE WORKS
How do you start something from nothing? That’s what Kurt and Martha Forgét did when they created Black Dog Cycle Works (BDCW) out of their garage 16 years ago
Essential GROUP RIDING Tips
FOR ADVENTURE RIDERS (ON OR OFF THE ROAD)
MAKING MEMORIES
Kevin and I initially met in the Marines. We have been riding together for a few years, and riding BDRs the entire time. Our first attempt at a BDR was in Utah, where we were completely unprepared and significantly ignorant of our capabilities. It led to some interesting moments conquering Lockhart Basin where we developed our backcountry motto: “Less Gear and More Water.” We document our rides on our YouTube channel, “Be Gone for Good.”