Américo Santos

PARA LER O RELATO DA VIAGEM EM PORTUGUÊS

CLIQUE AQUI

For 14 years I dreamt of this trip. The journey was already planned a long time ago, and throughout all those years I had acquired a vast amount of information from people who had already gone to the North Cape in different types of vehicles.

In the few that had gone on a two wheeled vehicle, there where two details that immediately grabbed my attention, excluding me off the candidate list: One; having a tourism bike, and Two; having 5000€ to spend! I don’t have a touristic bike, nor would I ever spend 5000€ on myself and leave the rest of my family at home. My objective is to show that it is possible to go on an almost 12 000 km trip with a non-touristic bike, without spending a great amount of money. This way, people can see that motor tourism is at the grasp of any one regardless of what bike they have or the size of their bank account.

                                      THE DEPARTURE

 Sunday 29JUN: I headed towards the Roca Cape so as to begin my departure in a symbolic way. Waiting for me were a few of my friends, where we sat down and had some coffee and spoke of my plans for this trip.

Monday 30JUN: I headed towards Luis Tuning (VFXira) to place new tires Continental Contiforce that I had obtained at a good price. Luis told me I could not make the entire trip based solely on those new tires.

Believe me, those words never left my mind afterwards! Well, I thought, I’m just going to have to spend another 300€ for a spare brand new back tire…

                                  1^st DAY 02JUL

 I spent the night tossing and turning. I was so excited I just couldn’t sleep. The day dawned cloudy, and threatening with rain clouds. Although I was up early, I wasted a lot of precious time packing my luggage, as I had worked until very late the day before. After loading everything, I looked at my semi-new tire that I had removed off my Hayabusa and thought: Why don’t I take it? I placed it on the scale and it weighed 5 kg. Well, I thought, I weigh 75 kg, but if I weighed 80 kg I most certainly could not leave my 5 kg at home. Right?! You go with me!

I knew the road very well, until Valladolid, so it would not be necessary to use a map or GPS, due to the many trips I took to the Pinguinos. Road works made me lose more time. Already close to Burgos, I was forced to pull over on one of the side lanes as the highway would split and change direction, and at this moment the GPS had lost its satellites, and I had no clue which direction to take. 15 seconds was all it took while waiting for the GPS to function again, when I heard a siren. I looked back and there were two Policemen dismounting their bikes. I explained to them what had happened but they were not convinced. One of them went to see my registration and said me in a threatening tone: You cannot stop here! Where do you want to go? I want to go to Irun but I do not want to pay. Ah! You don’t want to pay, then follow me! After some 20 Km with them always signalling me to keep close to the back of their bikes, I began to think they wanted to take me to police headquarters. Xiiii, right on the first day already having trouble with the Police… Suddenly the two start pointing to me the road that I should follow and wave good bye. I thanked them profusely and I felt an enormous relief. Enough of emotions for today! I stopped for the day close to 20h and decided to sleep at Picon del Conde Camping, which had good conditions and was very calm.

                                 2^nd  DAY 03JUL

The 2^nd day was very complicated due to an accident close to Irun where a truck had overturned and occupied almost all the lanes. Although I was on a bike, it was tricky overcoming that situation because of my side cases, making it difficult to manoeuvre among the traffic. The entry into France was made under rain and continued thus until Limoges. At times, the rain was so much I almost lost all sight of what was in front of me. Twice I thought about stopping, avoiding the risk of making as much km as possible in such dangerous conditions. Finally, and after taking the E-9 to Paris, it became possible to increase the pace of the trip, but as it was already late I decided to look up a camping spot on the GPS to spend the night. However, the indication that I got was that the nearest camping spot was about 150 km away. No way! I decided then to look for a place to sleep in the closest town I could find- Argenton. Upon arrival at the city centre, I found a camping sign and decided to go and see if it was worth it. The Camping was actually the greatest of surprises and it wasn’t even referenced in the Tom Tom. Through it flowed a river and even a little waterfall! I remember falling asleep this night to the sound of the river. I consider it the best camping out of the entire trip. It is called Les Chambons, and I have placed it on the GPS to share with everyone.

3^rd  DAY 04JUL

For having lost a lot of time due to the rain, the previous day, I decided to leave earlier, which was so difficult because of the stunningly beautiful place I had uncovered the night before. I thought about making the trip through the colourful French villages. In this way id save on the toll gates, and id see alot more than just a simple highway. The villages are in fact really beautiful and in one of those villages, in a gorgeous esplanade, I had my ´´café au lait avec un croissant´´ With the passing of time and with so few km conquered, I decided to abandon the idea of wanting to get know a few more beautiful villages, and entered the AE towards Paris. When I was approaching this great metropolis, I was indeed very shocked by the confusion of existing lanes and the amounts of traffic that go through them. It was here that I became extremely grateful for having a GPS, otherwise… The Eiffel Tower is truly a majestic workmanship! I continued my journey then into Belgium, where at a service station, I met 3 bikers at the ages of about 50 years who were headed to SPA to attend a classic motorcycle race. As soon as they saw me, I noticed that they hadn’t stopped talking about me or pointing fingers at me. Surrounding me, they asked where I was headed: North Cape I said! Immediately one of them jumped up as if he’d just won something. This man had bet with the others, after having seen the spare tyre on my top case, that I was travelling very far. They took a few photos to show their friends, that along the way, they saw a Hayabusa that was headed to the North Cape.

In Belgium the thermometers reached 31, 2º C, and the heat truly invited a bike ride, it was however, a pity the asphalt was of such poor quality. A Few km later, and I was already entering Holland. It was far more difficult leaving Holland due to yet another accident, plus endless tunnels and constructions on the roads that continued for hundreds of Km, withholding the possibility of driving above 70 km/h. Finally I arrived in Germany, and it was here that the falcon was finally able to spread its wings. The power of acceleration of this predator is incredible, but I had to control myself, not only because of the side cases but also to be able to save the tires. After having found a camping site where I would spend the night, I asked the owner to keep my spare tire until my return, to which he gladly agreed.

I could have left it in France, but I decided to play it safe, plus if I substituted it in France, it would be far more expensive, than if I did so in Germany.

4^th  DAY 05JUL

Today was finally the day that I was going to enter the Nordic countries. It would be a long day and not very productive in relation to km, because of all the ferry connections.

At the autobahn until Puttgarden, I caught some very intense traffic. It seemed like most of the Germans had chosen that day to begin their vacations. Once I arrived at Puttgarden, I searched for a supermarket to try and stock up with the maximum amount of food possible for the days that I would be spending in the Nordic countries. Now with the bike fully loaded, it was time to go to the terminal, to catch the first one of the 2 ferries. The terminal was packed with incredible amounts of traffic. I was so lucky I was on a bike, because we have a lane just for us and we are the first to enter and exit the ferry. When purchasing the ticket, it is not recommended buying the round-trip ticket, as the Danish normally have a few promotions, making the return ticket cheaper. I was astonished at the amount of bikes there were to embark. All of those bikes were well loaded and there was a variety of models. The people on these sides are very amiable and you notice a certain empathy with the bikers, so they don’t find it odd if from time to time, they are approached by someone who is curious in knowing where they come from and where they are going. I was becoming very popular, not because of the bike, but because of the number plate that nobody recognised.

The Ferry is like a walking a Vasco Da Gamma Shopping Centre. It is incredible, the amount of stores, coffee shops, restaurants etc… It takes about 45 min and is a true pleasure going on that trip, especially in those conditions. Once at Denmark I drove little more than 130 km until Helsingor, where I would catch another ferry to Helsingborg in Sweden.

I filled up my gas tank in Germany so I wouldn’t have to exchange money in Denmark, but it was a bad idea, seen as though the gasoline was cheaper in the Nordic countries.

It was close to 30ºC in Denmark, and it was soon evident that asphalt in the Nordic countries was far more abrasive. The heat was so intense, you could see the Danish at the service stations semi naked.

Acquiring the ferry ticket that would take you to Sweden could be paid in Euros. Once in Sweden, I searched the nearest ATM to withdraw enough money for the days that I was going to remain in the country. I only prayed that the machine didn’t swallow my card. In any way, if it did, I was prepared for that eventuality. One can never be too careful or prepared! While refuelling the bike, I realised that it’s actually very easy to calculate the exchange of Crowns to Euros. For example: 150 SEK is approximately 15€. It’s easy, you just remove the 0.

On that day I decided to take advantage and drive a few more km toward Stockholm. I closed the store at 20h in the first one of the many excellent Swedish Camping spots. The Camping places in Sweden besides cheap, (the most expensive being 15€) have excellent conditions and great part of them are situated by the shores of lakes or by the sea.

5^th  DAY 06JUL

The 5^th  day was one of extremes: the worst and the best. The day dawned cold and cloudy, and my goal was to explore Stockholm. A few hundred km after having left the Camping, the atmospheric conditions had gotten even worse. It was now intensely cold, and the rain was pouring. I still had 300 km ahead of me before I reached Stockholm, when I began to think it was best to cancel the visit. Those 300 km became martyrdom. There was so much water that it would enter any tiny opening that we had in our clothes. My gloves that said waterproof   became 100% wet, and because of this I began to lose sensitivity in my fingers. I stopped at a service station and drank about 3 very hot coffees. I remember thinking…if driving those 300 km was becoming so increasingly difficult, then how would the next 2000km be, that I still had to accomplish until I reached the North Cape?

As I approached the city of Stockholm everything changed. The rain stopped, and the cloudy sky gave way to a beautiful clear blue sky. I was indeed impressed by the architectural beauty of the city. After the short visit I made, I truly felt pitiful for not being able to have time to get to know the city better. I consider Stockholm one of the most beautiful cities in Europe. Not to be missed!

Ending the visit, it was now time to make a few more km and if possible, prolong a little more, the evening drive hours, to try and make up for lost time of that morning. It worked! Although it was cold, it did not rain and this helped me so much. It was 21 hours when I arrived at Sjotorpet Camping, 20 km from Sundsvall. After the tent was mounted and the bike chain was oiled, it was time to take care of me. I went and took a very hot bath, had supper and I remember that, although it was already past midnight, it was still as clear as day, allowing me to write the summary of that days journey, outside my tent. Beaten by the fatigue, I closed myself inside my Häglofs for low temperatures, placed a blindfold on my eyes and fell asleep listening to the sea.

6^th DAY 07JUL

It was a super well slept night. After the tough bit I had gone through the previous morning, I felt great and full of energy. It was a relief to have seen that all my efforts not to fall ill had been a success. Falling ill on this trip was out of the question.

I hit the road on a cold morning, but with blue skies and little clouds. The pleasure of riding my bike in those conditions, contemplating the wonderful landscape surrounding me, made me feel blessed. If I could, id stop every 5 km for a kodak moment, but it was not possible. As usual, a lot of motorcycles go past me throughout the journey. It was still possible to drive several km with a group of 3 Germans, but the hunger pressed and so I stopped at a rest area to have lunch. After satisfying the hunger, I hit the road, and 40 km ahead, one of the Germans bike was on the ground, extremely damaged, with his friends all standing by.

I arrived at Finland’s border in Tornio. From here it was Euros again. The majority of the bikers continue through Sweden. I do not censure them, travelling through Lapland is far slower. The roads are covered by radars (and all well visible) basically forcing one to have a constant low km average. It wanted to try and make the maximum amount of km as possible, so that the next day I could make the final leap into Nordkapp, but the maximum I was able to obtain was until Rovaniemi. I stayed at the cities Camping sight by the river. It had excellent conditions and a privileged view over the city.

7^th  DAY 08JUL

That morning I woke up really early 06h and something caught my attention: the temperature inside the tent was abnormally low. As soon as I pulled open the tents zip, the frozen air on my face made me fear for the next 800 km I had ahead of me until Nordkapp.

I hit the road towards Inari. It was one of those typical rigorous winter days that make u feel like you don’t want to even get out of bed, let alone get out of the house. It rained and one thermometer indicated +5ºC, meaning, I was travelling at a temperature close to 0ºC (air displacement). I knew I had to make as many km as possible no matter what it cost or how hard it was, but I was unable to drive for more than 100 km at a time, without having to stop at a petrol station to drink hot beverages. I remember the second time I stopped I couldn’t even pull the clutch handle and the bike went to a standstill. It was then that I decided to use everything that I had in my side cases to protect me from the bitter cold, even dirty laundry. This made it possible for me to make more km without my body temperature cooling down so fast. From Inari onwards, everything changed. The rain gave rise to a radiant sun and to a far more bearable temperature. Even the landscape, that until that time had been a little disappointing, (in virtue of what I had read about Lapland) gave rise to a knockout beauty of flora and fauna. It seems like we have travelled through time and that we are carried to an inhospitable region where nature hasn’t suffered any human influence. It is visions like these that reward all the bad moments that we’ve had. Lapland is magical! It was from here that the reindeers had started to appear frequently. At the beginning I laughed so much and stopped so many times to observe these animals, but afterwards I began to have doubts. They are not reliable, and we never know what they are going to do. One minute they can be sitting calmly for 5min in the same place, and then the next, they suddenly pull out at full speed, eyes almost popping out of their sockets as if a predator had appeared. The problem is when you see them running in your direction (they weigh 70kg). I remember once, a reindeer began to run away right by my side (I could even see the white of his eyes glaring at me) if I picked up speed, he’d pick up speed, if I braked, he braked. I never thought id compare a starting race: Hayabusa versus Lapland reindeer. The Elks are something else, these animals are about 3 meters, and weigh over 600 kg. Their bellies are the height of our bike helmet.

The arrival at Karigasniemi and the consequent entry into Norway is made on a very narrow secondary road in a constant up and down. Here we can increase the speed due the complete absence of radars. I had lunch in Karasjok and the weather remained excellent. The mountains around me, covered with snow on their tips, glowed with beauty. Through the GPS I tried to find an ATM to withdraw Norwegian NOK. I was withdrawing money while a German couple admired my bikes license plate. I told them I was Portuguese and that I had come from Lisbon. Suddenly they began to laugh and I couldn’t understand why. He calls to his friend that was on another bike and says to him: you have come the whole way bragging that you drove all the way from Switzerland to Nordkapp, and here we have a friend who came all the way from Lisbon - Portugal. It was an almost general outburst of laughter, while our Swiss friend only sketched a smile.

I refuelled the bike, and prepared for last the 100 km. Only, in that meantime, the weather had already gotten worse again. A glacial cold and an intense mist were hindering visibility. There was so much moistness in air, it seemed like it was raining. Until Nordkapp, we still have to go through 4 tunnels, two of which are more than 4 km long. The tunnels have bad illumination, as well as a more than 9% inclination and with the ground draining water, this becomes extremely dangerous for a two wheeled vehicle. As the weather was so horrible and with such little light, I decided to stay at the Nordkaap Camping, in the hope that I would have better luck the next day in taking some photos. This done, I decided to rent a Bungalow with air conditioning, a small reward for being able to arrive there in extreme climatic conditions.

8^th  DAY 09JUL

This morning I awoke late. I gave myself the luxury of not even bothering to set the alarm-clock. After all, I was only 24 Km from my destination and from the place where I would take the photos I so desired. At first peek from the bungalows window I noticed that weather was the same as the day before. 

The last 24 Km were made under simply horrible weather. It rained tremendously and the glacial cold felt like needles pocking my body. The gusts of wind were so strong that at times I had to drive with my body and bike inclined against the wind. There was snow everywhere and reindeers. Of course! The landscape was desolating with very little vegetation. When covering those last km in those conditions, I couldn’t stop thinking that I was facing the peak of Summer in the Nordkapp. If it’s like this in July, then I can only imagine what it’s like in October. But as incredible as it may seem, some people actually live there. In fact, the city of Honningsvag is only a few km from Nordkapp.

Suddenly, amongst the mist I see a sign: Nordkapp. It was covered in stickers, left by the innumerable visitors from all around the world who had wanted to leave a mark of their presence. I stopped and took a number of photos right next to it, but this wasn’t the most important point of the entire trip, that was about 200 meters from there, and to get there I still had to pay another toll gate fee of about 20€. In other words, just to be able to get to the globe made of iron and take a photo, we will have to pay 3 times: 2 in one of the tunnels (there and back) and 1 to have access to the place. The park was packed with caravans and tour buses. There were few bikes there, not more than a dozen. The appearance of those who had arrived there on two wheels was rather “funny”. Our appearance mirrors the marks of the many km undertaken, of the adverse atmospheric conditions faced, of the accumulated fatigue of the many hours mounted on a bike. Meanwhile, we would just look at one other and smile, without practically saying a word. Words were unnecessary, as I already knew exactly what each one of them was feeling at that precise moment.

The access to the globe was completely packed with the amount of people there patiently waiting their turn, to claim for themselves the monument for a photo. There were many people who took flags and spread them out at that moment. As soon as they had done so, people would clap hands and they would try and guess the country to which they belonged.

Finally it was my turn to climb the stairs that gave access to the monument. Unconsciously, the minute I got there, the first thing I did was to take off my gloves and touch that iron globe, and immediately a waterfall of feelings flowed through my mind. The emotion of the moment touched me deeply…

On my way back home I met a couple on their Goldwing 1500.

I consider it to be an enriching experience at all levels. I travelled through Portugal, Spain, France, Belgium, Holland, Germany, Denmark, Sweden, Finland and Norway. I drove close to 12 000kms in the most varied types of atmospheric conditions: sun, rain, cold, snow, from temperatures of 32ºC in Spain to +2ºC in Norway.

This was not only a 15 day trip of about 12 000kms, these were days of adventure in direct contact with other people, other cultures, other customs, and the indescribable beauty of the landscapes saluting me daily. I will never forget…

A VERY SPECIAL THANKS TO MR. LENNART

 I wish to thank Mr Lennart from Pajala - Sweden who is a very kind man who helped me on this trip.

On my way back home I had a very serious malfunction on my Hayabusa. The gear shift selector spring broke and I was stuck in the middle of nowhere. I only had 4th and 5th gear and I drove about 100kms in that condition.Thank God I met Mr Lennart who took me to his home and helped me repair my motorbike.

Mr Lennart you were like an angel sent from heaven to help me. I thank you with all my heart. God bless you!

ADVICE

To all those that have not yet been but are planning to go to the North Cape, ill leave you with some advice. Do not go if you have a limit on the days you can spend on this journey, you should leave sufficient amounts of days as reservation for the unthinkable. One of the main factors that condition the number of km made daily is the atmospheric conditions. There should be a perfect understanding by the participants of the rigid discipline necessary in terms of time schedules. I would get up everyday at 06:30h and would normally end the day at 20h. Even with so many available hours, sometimes I would have to keep on driving after 20h. Always count on a lot of rain and a lot of cold from Sweden onwards. If you opt for camping like I did, take with you material of excellent quality, and do not face going to the North Cape as just a simple touristic trip, but rather as a test of physical and mental resistance.

Américo Santos

 americosantos@portugalmail.pt

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On this same year, 2 Dutch guys went to North Cape on winter time (February). Take a quick look of their VIDEO