Crossing the Border

The ride to the Argentina border was amazing. I rode up tons of switchbacks, surrounded by steep, jagged mountains, crossing through the Andes one last time. I made it to the border without any issues, and my forged documents slipped through just fine. But 15 minutes into Argentina I passed a truck in a no-passing zone right in front of a police checkpoint that I somehow completely missed. They stopped me, took my ID, and told me I could only get it back after facing traffic court the next day. They also warned me about hefty fines and penalties for the violation.

I felt a bit of dread at that moment because the police absolutely had the ability to check the validity of my forged insurance papers but luckily, they never asked. Thankfully, corruption runs pretty deep here in South America, so after a $100 bribe and promising to keep quiet, I was back on my way just a 45 minute delay. My destination was Mendoza, and I rolled in just before dusk.Læs mere