Tuesday 21 January 2014

Tips on buying a motorcycle in Chile.

This page is not really part of the rest of the blog of our Chile bike trip.  This is just so that others who may be considering buying a bike in Chile can find doing so a little bit easier.

There are a bunch of steps to buying a bike in Chile, but in reality it is quite easy.  We ran into no issues whatsoever.  We did all of this in the first week of 2014.

STEP 1 - Get your Chilean Tax ID

You need to get an RUT Number.  To get this, you need to go to the Chilean Tax office (Servicio de Impuestos Internos).  There is no cost involved in this, and we found the office in the Providencia region of Santiago to be hassle free.  We used the address of our hotel for this.  They give you a temporary number immediately, which then allows you to buy a bike.
about 20 minutes to complete

STEP 2 - Buy a Motorcycle

Find the dealer and bike you want and buy it.  Make sure the dealer has 2 things to give you right away with the bike.  The Factura (invoice) which you need 3 copies of, and the Homologacion Certificate (roadworthy certificate). As long as the dealer provides you with this, you can drive away with just these things, and wont need to return to the dealer.  Try to ensure the dealer has both of these available for you right away.  Some dealers might make you wait 3-4 days for the Homologacion, which can delay you greatly.
You have 5 days now to complete the rest of the paperwork, but you can do this at any other town in Chile.  We ended up 500 miles away when we did the rest, so the paperwork aspect of our trip never really slowed us down at all.
 We bought Honda CG150's.  Handled the roads well, but top speed is about 90kph.
Paid $1925.00 from Pro-Circuit in Vitacurra (ask for Juan, speaks English and Helpful)

STEP 3 - Register the bike

This is done at a Registro Civil office.   Best to get there at 8:30 when they open.  You will take a number and once called, they will fill out a bunch of paperwork, fingerprint you and charge you about $80. This will give you your Primera Inscripcion and your license plate.  You can now go and insure the bike.
about 30 minutes waiting and 20 minutes to complete 

STEP 4 - insurance

Insurance can be bought online.  We bought ours from some street insurance vendors from right outside the municipal building.  Insurance is about $80 for a year for a motorcycle.
10 minutes to complete

STEP 5 - Circulation Permit

Take what you have so far and go to the municipality office.  Here you get your circulation permit ($12) and are now fully registered
20 minutes to complete

You now have done everything you need to ride the bike longer than 5 days.

STEP 6 - Get your Certificado de InscripciĆ³n

From the Registro Civil.  This costs about $1 and any office in Chile will print it out for you.  It takes about a week to be available.  Once you have this, you can do anything with the bike.

We entered Argentina without this.  We had heard that it was required, but it didn't
 seem to be at all.  We also sold one bike of our 3 without this, and the new owner was going to go in and pick it up.  So, it really isn't all that required it seems, but not a bad idea to get it anyways.

To sell a bike in Chile - 

 bring all of your paperwork to a notary and they will take care of all of it for you. Then hand over ALL of your paperwork to the new owner.  In Chile the insurance, plates and everything else transfer with the bike.
  We sold our bikes to a bike shop in Chillan, and sold them for $1100.00 each.   We probably could have sold them for a fair bit more, but wanted everything to take place on a specific day and without any hassle.  In the end, it cost us $825.00 for 3 weeks and 5000 kms of use.  Plus, since the bikes we bought had been brand new, reliability never came into question.

Saturday 18 January 2014

The End

    We are heading to the airport, with our 26 hours of travel ahead, Chile 2014 has come to a close.  This will be the longest post of this blog, as I try to sum up the entire adventure.  Once home, I will also go back over all the blog postings and add more details, taking advantage of the real keyboard and no longer typing with 2 fingers.
     First, let me say, Chile is not a destination for everyone.  For those of you that are impatient, or want to be served at every moment of your vacation, an all inclusive in a Mexican resort probably is more suited.  Things take longer in Chile, from ordering food to shopping in a store.  However, if your idea of a great vacation includes immersing yourself in another culture, meeting locals and seeing the hustle and bustle of everyday life in a perspective different than your accustomed too, then Chile is it.
    Our trip was a motorcycle adventure, and with 5000 kilometers driven, it certainly was.  We saw the diversity of the people and the landscape (and we didn't even touch the northern half of the country).  In the central region of Santiago and Valparaiso, The culture is Latin American, metropolitan, and with a distinct European influence.  In the south, still influenced by Europeans (Dutch, German, Etc), it has a very rural feel, even within the cities.  We could have gone further   South than we even did if time had permitted, and unfortunately missed out on the huge glaciers and Torres De Paine in the extreme south of Chile.  Apparently one needs a week or more for this alone.
    If one was to visit Chile and not have the convenience of a motorcycle, I think my young German friend has figured it out.  Chile has an amazing bus system, often with double decker tour buses with fold flat, bed type seating upstairs.  Julius often plans his bus rides to be at night, saving on a hotel and taking advantage of the beds on board.  He then awakens to a new town and new sights to see.  I would think that for the more typical vacationer a 14 day trip with perhaps 3 days in Santiago, another 1 or 2  in Valparaiso, 2 in Pucon, and a couple more across the border in San Carlos De Bariloche.  With travel days in between, this would be a fantastic start.  I would also recommend planning on Valparaiso for a Sunday, as most places still close on a Sunday in Chile, but ValPo can be fun to walk around a photograph the old architecture in its various conditions of repair or decay.  The Chilean summer is opposite to ours, so January or February would be the nicest.  I also feel that Chile is very family friendly, so if you have kids, it would be a great way to let them experience all the beauty the differences of our world provides.  
   As far as safety goes, at no time did I ever feel threatened or in any type of danger (although cab rides are similar to amusement park thrill rides).  When it comes to safety, Chileans tend to be their own worst enemy, as multiple times they would try to protect us and warn us of pick pockets or other petty criminal threats.  I think they are so worried of the impression it may leave on visitors that they exaggerate the dangers.  A little Spanish would also help, as English is not prevalent, and it seems the Chileans appreciate an attempt at their language.  
    Although it wont break the bank, Chile isn't cheap.  Most things are on par with north America, with the exception of transit being cheaper, and accommodation being a little pricey. (Although hostels are quite affordable).  Oh, and if your moody without a good cup of coffee in the morning, bring a coffee press or something.  Outside of Santiago, a good coffee is impossible to find.
   in the areas of Chile we visited, it was very clean.  Although there are much poorer areas, and driving by you can see garbage for those barrios, unlike Mexico, overall it is cleaner than many areas in North America.  In Mexico, I often remember the smell of garbage.  in Santiago, only once did i experience this, and when i finished walking around the corner i saw a garbage truck doing it's pickups.
   We met many new friends along the way.  9 Chileans, 2 Brazilians, 2 Argentinians, 7 Brits, a Frenchman, German, Colombian and a Russian.  Each one of them contributed to making this a fantastic ride.   Xavier, our french friend, whose sense of humour had us laughing for hours.  His story of all of his money blowing away in the wind as he crossed the border, or wedging his bike between 2 cars lane splitting.  Xavier was fun, and someone I would love to see again.  Although he is quite accident prone it seems, and discovering he works in airline maintenance is a little disconcerting.  Julius, at 19 years old, backpacking alone in South America.  Thank you for starting that conversation in the coffee shop, and not only becoming our friend, but also something of an inspiration.  Paulo from the Chillan motorcycle shop, thank you for the gift of the wine and your company for the evening.  Unfortunately we didn't see you on our way back through and never did pickup the wine,  but we will visit again one day.  My Colombian friend Mauricio, with his beautiful Russian girlfriend, it wasn't just because Kristina has the most beautiful eyes in the Southern Hemisphere that got us talking to you (although it did help).  Thank you for translating on the boat to the caves, and with all your proud talk of Colombia, hopefully soon we will visit. My English friends, it was a blast having drinks with you.  I wish our route and yours would have crossed once more, but Isle of Man for the race sounds like a future plan.  I hope the rest of your adventure went well and without further incident.  To all the others who showed us kindness and welcomed us as visitors in their country, Gracias y incantado.  To all of my new friends, if you are ever in western Canada I would be honoured to show you the same hospitality.
    The street dogs always seemed to be entertaining but I am a little torn when it comes to them.  Although at one point they must have been abandoned, they are still accepted and treated as a part of the overall community.  The dogs wander around, minding their own business, and usually look quite happy doing it. Nobody ever yells at them to get out of the way, and when eating in outdoor restaurant, often a dog will be laying down in there, waiting to clean the floor once you leave. In bad weather, they pick doorways to lay in and you just step around them, you don't force them to leave.  All perfectly acceptable here.
    in many ways, although considered third world, Chile is more advanced than us.  In a few hotels, the door would open to your floor and all you would see is darkness.  As you move to exit the elevator the motion sensor would see you and the lights would go on.  once in your room, the room key slides into a slot near the door, and only after this will the lights in the room turn on.  When exiting the room, you take your key with you, and all the lights go out.  We ordered food once and received a little plastic box to bring to our table.  once the food was ready, the box lit up and beeped.  we then proceeded to the counter to pickup our order.    
     Not everything is advanced however.  When in Puerto Rio Tranquillo, we found ourselves without hot water for our morning shower.   Once they stoked the fire and got it going better, the hot water came back quickly.  The paperwork for the motorcycles was also a little much.  My guess is that some of this process is only recently being computerized, and in a few years the process will improve.  Wireless internet also leaves a lot to be desired, but one cool thing is that many of the towns have free WiFi in their centre squares (Plaza De Armes) and other public parks.  Even the smallest of towns always seems to have a beautiful Plaza de Armes and in Santiago, there is plentiful green space throughout the city.
   I am leaving South America with an even more enhanced view of how I've been seeing life lately.  In the typical North American way of life, we are a consumerist rat race.  We go to work and we earn, then spend on things we don't really need.  We buy houses too big for our needs, then fill the rooms with more stuff we don't require.  When those rooms are full, we either renovate with an addition, or we get a mini storage locker.  Julius, Mauricio and others we met along our way have what they need in a bag, their house is a tent or hostel.  They go to work only to save the money to once again hit the road.  They spend what they make on "life experiences", not more made in China disposable junk.  Mauricio searched Tranquillo so he could save $5 more on his accommodation, and by doing so probably added an extra day to his voyage.  It is my belief that we need to see more and do more, not own more. 

   Thanks to Chris and Al for joining me on this adventure.  We certainly do have an abundance of memories, big and small.  To many that we met, we will always be those crazy Canadians who rode Chile on a 150 cc motorcycle.

   I hope my children read this and decide to spend at least a part of their younger years on the road. Seeing how others live and with the discovery of available WiFi being the biggest electronic treat one finds.
   To all you you who have followed along, thank you.  I hope you have enjoyed our little insight into Chile and decide to visit yourselves one day.

January 18 - Santiago

Last full day in Chile.  I spent the day wandering around, shopping for a few souvenirs and seeing the sights.  I think I will write more just before leaving and for now share a few photos

The Palace

5 dogs sleeping under the police van, nobody is bothered by it


Cerro San Lucia

Just a cool street shot


Outdoor art/garden




Friday 17 January 2014

January 17- back to Santiago

Woke up early in Valparaiso, packed up the bikes for our final ride on them, and drove the 130kms back to Santiago.  We are meeting the guy who is buying the bikes (one of Christobal's friends) at noon, and we arrive a half hour early, so does he.  We exchange greetings, and once again, a really nice guy. We cram all 3 motorcycles in the back of his truck and head off to find a notary.

Once at the notary, out comes our whack of paperwork and an agreement of sale letter is created. We sign and fingerprint the letter and then head back to the hotel, where we finalize the transaction with the exchange of money.





 We sold the bikes quite cheaply, but it was to our advantage to not have to waste time trying to sell them.  In the end, if you consider it a rental, the bikes cost $1000 for 3 weeks. Most of the guys we met on the road that had rented paid $185 per day, plus insurance. So, although we had to settle on smaller bikes, we saved about $2500 over renting.  As the truck pulled away with my little friend in the back, I was saddened to see her go. My final odometer reading was 4861.4, so we had spent a lot of time together.
  At 3pm I wander around for a bit, but Providencia, the area of Santiago we are in, isn't the best place for souvenirs.  After a complete waste of 3 hours (although I did go to a Starbucks for a normal coffee), I decide to do my shopping tomorrow, when I can search out a little more authentic Chilean wares.  Al has the same luck as me, while Chris looks for a accommodation since he has one extra night before heading home. 

   I am now eating a Chilean dish called Churrasco Chorrillana, which is basically fries on the bottom, mixed. With onions and peppers, sliced beef on top of that, and the  an egg on top.  In Chile, the egg is often on the top of things.





january 16 - Valparaiso

Spent the day sightseeing.  First, rode the bikes up the hill of Valparaiso.  Think San Francisco but less paved roads and fewer building codes.  Next we rode the 10km to Vina Del mar and walked around the beach area, stopping for a coffee and watching the horse drawn carriages pass by.


After a short time in Vina, we decided to head back to Valparaiso and check out more of the sights there.  With a richer and longer history, Valparaiso has some amazing Architecture.  We spent the entire day wandering the streets, taking photos and enjoying the culture.  At one point, I go to a store and buy a cheap package of hot dogs, feeding some of the street dogs as i go by. 



   Late afternoon, we started to head back to the hotel, and stopped at a bar on the way for a beer.  sitting outside on the sidewalk seating, we meet 2 Chileans sitting at the table next to us and start a spanglish conversation.  Nice guys, so when we order our next beer, we add one to our tab for them.  Another few minutes goes by and they end up sitting with us.  We have a good 2 hours of conversation with Alex and Luis, both longshoreman in Valparaiso.  when it comes time to say goodbye, we ask for our bar tab and get told it has all been taken care of.  Apparently our new Chilean friends had paid our entire tab.


   After a late dinner, we head back to the hotel.  Al takes a little of his leftovers and finds a grateful dog.  In the morning, we ride about 130 km back to Santiago, where we sell the bikes.

Thursday 16 January 2014

January - 15 to Valparaiso

Went back to the bike shop in the morning to get the bikes, and ended up making a deal with Christobal, the owner of the shop, to buy the bikes once we are back in Santiago.  Today we are making the long ride of about 500km to Valparaiso, a port city on the coast near Santiago.  Valparaiso and another city, Vina Del Mar are basically attached to one another.  Valparaiso is very old, with lots of tradition and architecture, Vina to the north is the newer, oceanside playground for the rich of Santiago.
   We left Chillan at about noon and headed north. Our route just cuts through the south and western side of Santiago before heading tO the coast.  We hit the Santiago part at about 5:30' rush hour!  At one point, in about 5 or 6 lannes of traffic, the gps lets me know the name of the road to take and I have to cut quickly across 3 lanes of traffic for the exit.  once I have made the road, I look in my mirror and see that Al and Chris didnt make it.  I park in front of the next gas station I see for about an hour, but they dont appear.  I guess this would be a good time for them to use the GPS's they have for the first time instead of just following!
  I head back on the road and make Valparaiso at about 9:30.  I stopped and wait where the GPS directions ended, hoping they might show up there.  After about 30 more minutes, I decide to get a hotel, finding a nice one near the centre square.
  In the hotel room, I connect to Wifi and get an email from Chris, they are in Valparaiso, at a gas station.  I let them know where I am, and they pull in at about 11:00.   Seems they got crossed up in Santiago for a while, and in the end used the GPS and found there way here.  They also had help from some friendly Chileans giving them directions.  Chileans are friendly and helpful it seems, except when driving.  when driving, they are complete psychopaths, with absolutely no regard for anything outside of their little cage.
  tomorrow, we will sight see these twin cities.  Here is a couple of views from my hotel window.
Looking left

Looking right


Tuesday 14 January 2014

January 14 - back to Chillan

Not a lot to report on today.  we left Pucon and found our way back to the main super highway.  Our plan was to go back to Chillan to the shop we used before, as the 2nd service on the bikes is long overdue.
  The super highway is a toll road, with a toll about every 100 kms, costing $1.20 per bike.  To help speed things up we usually take turns paying, and they either let all of us through at once, or sometimes open and close the gate for each one of us.  It is done fairly inconsistently.  At one toll, it was my turn to pay, and when we reached the front of the long line to pay, i have the lady my money,  The gate opened and Al went through.  As she was handing me my receipt, she suddenly starts screaming "vende uno vende uno", I turn to watch Chris riding through and the gate closing.... It boinks off his head, and crumples at the base of the arm inwards.( i guess a safety mechanism). Alarms are going off, the girl is still screaming vende uno vende uno.   Once i see Chris is fine ( but confused) i apologize to the girl and let her know the last toll booth sent us all through together.  she, in a less panicked voice just repeats "vende uno".   With the alarms still going off, and with all the people behind us now finding themselves in a closed lane, we got the hell out of there.  sure glad we had Chilean license plates so we didn't make Canadians look bad.   Once on the road again, suddenly i saw how funny the whole thing was and was pretty much in tears laughing to myself in my helmet for an hour or so.
  Made it to Chillan, and the bikes are being serviced.  We get them back first thing in the morning.  i had thought this shop was interested in buying them and gave them a better price that we would get in Santiago, bit it looks like they may not want to (its a long drive for them to go get them).  Our friend from the previous stop here, Paulo, is on vacation.  would have been nice to see him again, but the other guys are nice too, and seemed happy to see us back.