ANTARCTICA to ALASKA Bicycle Journey start By INDIAN 🇮🇳 | Pole to Pole Ep.13

May the journey be completed successfully — I need your blessings. We are coming out through fire, my friend. It is so cold here that I did not even feel this cold in Antarctica. Yesterday, I cooked pumpkin curry. This is the roti. I will heat it today. Yesterday I ate it without heating. The police stopped me there. It was the very first day of the journey. Snowfall — everything happened in just one day. There is no mystery left now. I am from India. Namaste. Namaste.

This is that tribe, brother. It might be difficult to reach today. Lord Indra is ready again. This is the boss of South America. What a view, my friend! Look, it has started raining. God did not even let me eat properly. So I put my food back inside. What a situation! For the first time, I saw a cow here. Can someone even go to Alaska from here? Think about it. Here the sunset happens at 9:30 pm. The cold wind is hitting hard. Wow — and water has gone into my phone. If it does not charge now, I am stuck.

Namaskar. Salaam. Sat Sri Akal. Ram Ram ji. Once again, welcome. In Antarctica, you all supported me a lot. Today we are standing in Ushuaia, the last city of the world. From here, my journey with Dhanno is going to start. I need your full blessings.

We are heading towards Alaska with Dhanno. In our culture, whenever we start something new, we say, “Let’s have something sweet.” So today, we will break a coconut to begin this journey. It is said that before starting any work, we should take God’s name. So we are taking God’s name and breaking this coconut. Hopefully, the journey will be completed. I need your blessings.

We have offered the prasad, and now we are preparing to leave. Once again, welcome to this Ushuaia journey. There is no one here to distribute the prasad, so I gave it to a Chinese girl who was near me. I told her, “You eat it.” What else can I say? Let’s move towards a new place. I have a lot to say, but I will speak a little further ahead because there is a crowd here. People are asking, “Where are you from?” I said, “I am from India.”

We have now left our city. There is a sunken ship and many cruise ships have arrived. When we came earlier, there were not so many cruises. Now the season has started, so there are many cruises here. This is the main port of the city.

Friends, we have reached another place. This place is very historical. That Ushuaia board was installed recently, but this place has been here for years. Ushuaia is a very historic city. In 1884, when the British first came here and settled, they used to send criminals here, like the punishment of “Kala Pani” in India. There was a big prison here. Criminals were brought and left here on this island. They were made to work at the port during the day and sent back to prison in the evening. It was a harsh punishment.

There is also a native tribe here. It is said that earlier they lived even in 0 degrees temperature without clothes. They lived here for a long time before the British came. Slowly, they were wiped out. That often happens — when one tribe becomes powerful, the previous tribe gets suppressed. Time always brings change.

From here, many people take boat tours around the Beagle Channel. If you ever come to Ushuaia and want to book a tour, book it from here directly. You may get a better last-minute deal. If you want to go to Antarctica, try to book your cruise from Ushuaia during the season.

This is a photo spot, so I won’t talk much here.

Later, I returned to the hostel. You can see it there — 15,000 km away from India. Before starting the journey, I wanted to see the hostel once again. I had stayed here for 20 days in total. It is a very beautiful place with good vibes. Normally, hostels are crowded and messy, but this one was different. It had amazing views.

Now it is time to leave. Look at the weather. I have to go in that direction. Rain is predicted after 4 pm. In the next five or six days, I have to cross over and reach a place in Chile.

Everyone came to say goodbye. Thank you so much. Taking the first step was very difficult. My heart was attached to this hostel. But they say the first step is always the hardest.

I have written Route 40 on one side of Dhanno and Route 66 on the other side. Anyone who has travelled South America knows the importance of these routes. I will tell you more slowly.

Saying goodbye to this beautiful city now. In front of me is the Navy headquarters. Many expedition cruises are standing there. The one behind is World Traveller, in which Navankur had gone. The tourist season has started. Sometimes two cruises leave in one day. A naval ship is also standing here.

Now the entire Ushuaia city is behind me. We have come about 8–10 km away. The city looks amazing from here. Clouds are covering the mountains, and the peaks are snow-covered. This is the situation even though winter is over and summer has started.

Dhanno is ready for the road. The climbs have already started. There is good traffic too. It is the first day, so we will ride carefully and slowly.

A little ahead from Ushuaia, the police stopped me. They checked my passport and even took a photo of it. I tried to fly my drone there, but the police were standing nearby. It felt a bit strange.

Whenever I travel, rain always comes. On the very first day, light showers welcomed us. Today I have not set any target. The next town is 100 km away, and I probably won’t reach it because I have to pass through snowy mountains. We will move slowly and reach wherever we can.

The mountain ahead is 1,300 metres high, but the peak is hidden in clouds. We have come around 10 km so far. I parked Dhanno here to show you something beautiful. Look how stunning it is. And do you know where it is coming from?

Look at this, brother. What beautiful views! Wow. Along with the scenery, I am also enjoying the ride here. The kilometres are not increasing much, but we will go slowly. What is the hurry? Those who were in a hurry have already gone. Me and my Dhanno are just moving happily.

I feel like climbing these mountains. The sun has come out. Just five minutes ago it was raining, and now there is sunshine. I am out of breath, but I am enjoying it. Let me show you an amazing view. Behind me it says “End of the World.” And now I will show you the view. Dhanno is standing there peacefully. I have to ride on RN Road No. 3 for 342 km. First Route 3, then Route 40, then Route 7 which will be in Chile. Sometimes we will enter Chile, sometimes Argentina. So we will move in a zigzag way.

I have stopped Dhanno here between the mountains to eat something. This is the vegetable curry I made yesterday. Normally it should be heated, but I am eating it without heating. Suddenly I felt very hungry. The vehicle will get into full rhythm in five to seven days. Yesterday I made pumpkin curry in the hostel. I used to buy roti and cook vegetables myself. I also used to get yoghurt there. This morning I made a mistake — I did not carry enough food. I just packed the leftover curry. In the next town, I will buy more food items.

Dhanno is not fully loaded yet, and it is very cold. The temperature is around zero. Now my stomach is full. It is 3:00 pm. I cannot reach the next city today. There is a 30 km climb ahead. After that, it will become plain. Look at the trees — they are so calm. The wind is blowing lightly above.

I saw red cloth pieces tied here and wondered what it was. Look at this. Maybe someone passed away, and this was made in their memory. There is a language barrier here. If someone can read Spanish, please read it and write in the comments. I have seen this system in many parts of the world, but here it is more visible.

This is my first day on the road, and the language barrier is big because I do not even know the ABC of Spanish. Without Spanish, it is difficult here. So from today, I will try to learn ten new words daily with you.

Look at the view — such tall mountains and this hotel in front. It feels like I am going from Manali to Rohtang Pass, with the Beas River flowing alongside. If you want to feel something, you can feel it anywhere. And I am enjoying this feeling.

“How are you?”
“Namaste!”
“India!”
“Thank you!”
“Where are you from?”
“From Italy.”
“So nice!”

Someone said, “This is like Ladakh.” Someone came from Alaska.

I stopped Dhanno because it started raining. I saw something interesting — a museum made from old bikes, and also a bar. Look at this — “Made in India.” Can you see that? The seat I use on my bicycle used to run in India before it went to the UK.

This place is like paradise for bikers. Che Guevara passed through this route. After him, this route became very famous among bikers. They have kept his bike here. And look — a Royal Enfield 500cc is standing here. That really made me proud. Bikers’ gangs used to come here after Che became famous.

Music is playing, so I cannot speak much. In 1960, someone completed Alaska from here. All his details are written here. Let me introduce you to Mr Josh. Look at this — someone has done it even on a World War II vintage bike. It looks beautiful, fully loaded. This hotel has been here since 1940. Someone even went to Alaska on a simple Indian bicycle. Can you imagine going to Alaska on this?

They have also kept skis here. In 1960, this gentleman completed Alaska, and this was his bike. There is also a 75cc bike here.

I asked for coffee and came here. I ordered an empanada and a cappuccino. The price is 63 — that means around 4–5 dollars, about ₹500 for coffee. They have kept so many vintage items here. Even the toilet is vintage. Look at this old television. Do you remember this type of TV? There is a typewriter and a counting machine. A Singer brand suitcase — it is from Sri Lanka. And this system is from 1890. Amazing. The place feels so warm and welcoming.

I drank my coffee, but it is still drizzling. I need to cross a 500-metre pass. If I move, there is a problem. If I don’t move, there is also a problem. The pass is 500 metres high. I have to ride 3 km uphill through snow and cross to the other side. After that, it will become plain. But if it keeps raining, it will be difficult. There is no place to stay here, and for the next 50 km there is no stop either. So it is better to move.

I have crossed the pass. Now it will go downhill for a while. On the very first day of the journey, I experienced snowfall. Look — it is snowing. There is a viewpoint at the top of the pass. I parked Dhanno and went to the viewpoint. Wow. We now have to move along this route ahead.

If there was sunlight, this water below would look even more beautiful. But instead of sunshine, there is snowfall. It is so cold — even colder than Antarctica. I changed my gloves because the plastic got wet and damaged. I am at the top now. Once I go down, maybe the cold will reduce and snowfall might stop.

Just now it was snowing, and now look — the sun has come out. What should I do? My target is 49 km, and water has entered my phone. Now it will not charge. I am stuck. Let’s see what happens.

It is 9:30 pm. I reached a small town. Rain made my condition bad on the way. This is the first petrol pump after leaving Ushuaia. I have already ridden around 100 km. I am freezing. I will see if I can arrange some place to stay.

Actually, the problem is my phone. My SIM card is in this one, and it is not charging. Let’s see what happens. I am looking for a caravan park here. The design of this motorhome park looks very nice.

Now it is 11 pm, and finally I have reached a place to stay. How I found this place — don’t even ask. Let me show you first…

Look at this. Dhanno is standing here. This is a storage warehouse for a bakery. The owner is a cyclist. He runs this bakery and used to be a cyclist himself. So whenever cyclists come, he gives them a place to stay. The bakery is very big — I will give you a full tour later. But right now it is 11 pm. As soon as I arrived, I took a shower. I was extremely tired. It is the first day of riding after almost two months.

There is another cyclist here as well. He is from Argentina. He ran out of money, so he is working here at the bakery for three or four days and then he will continue his journey.

I will cook some food here after moving this brother’s bicycle. Then I will eat and rest a little. Actually, I just need to survive tonight because heavy snowfall is expected. I did not set up my tent outside because I did not want to get stuck in snowfall on the very first day of my journey. I already faced snow during the day; I did not want to face it again at night.

Tomorrow morning, I will explain in detail how I found this place and why I came here. I will also talk about this city. I will continue making videos, but I will try to make one video for every two days because when I speak for 15–20 minutes, it becomes a 30–40 minute video. It is better to upload every other day. I will try — no promises. But I hope this journey will be enjoyable for you. It is definitely enjoyable for me.

Right now, I am making Maggi. I had stopped eating it, but tonight I have no other option. It is already midnight and I have to wake up early. It may snow at night, and tomorrow I must leave because the next city is 107 km away. There is nothing in between — no place to camp. So first, let me eat.

Good morning, friends. It is 10 am and I am preparing to leave. Look, this is the bakery. We slept inside the warehouse. I spread my mattress and sleeping bag there and slept. Dhanno is standing inside the warehouse as well. I have packed everything and now I am ready to leave.

Before leaving, let me show you the bakery. It is very big. The owner used to be a cyclist, so he supports cyclists who come here. There are other cyclists here too. One German cyclist named Martin stayed here last night. His bicycle rim is broken. He travelled in India — Ladakh, Manali, high mountain passes — back in 1999. At that time, even many Indians did not know about those routes. There were no proper maps or GPS. Today we have Google Maps, but back then it was completely different.

This city is called Tolhuin. It was established in 1972. Before that, there was no city here. It was built as a transit town because there was no city between Rio Grande and Ushuaia. The bakery opened in 1980 and has been running ever since.

It snowed all night, but now the snow is not visible. It is 11 am and it has started drizzling again. I filled water from their dispenser and said goodbye to the bakery. The town is small but beautiful. It is a planned city. There is even a church at the corner. Rain has started again.

This area used to have a native tribe. There are statues here representing them. Now I will get back on the highway. I do not know how far I will reach today. 105 km seems difficult because there will be strong winds and it is already late — nearly noon.

We have entered National Route 3. I noticed something interesting — every time you enter or exit a city, there is a police checkpoint.

We are now in the Patagonia region, in the province of Tierra del Fuego — which means “Land of Fire”. When Europeans first arrived, they saw fires burning here and gave it this name. So here we are, coming out of the “Land of Fire” — not from fire, but from strong winds!

I met some cyclists from the USA who were going to Alaska. They warned me that some parts of the road are very rough, with big stones, almost impossible in places. That made me a little worried because I am carrying a lot of weight.

Rain keeps coming and going. Just five minutes of heavy rain, and then bright sunshine again. It has happened almost ten times since yesterday. Now 70 km are left and it is already 3:30 pm. If the wind stays manageable, I may reach Rio Grande by 9:30 pm.

I stopped on the way to cook something. I made chickpeas with some special masala. I will share that recipe in another video. I was in a hurry because of the cold. The biggest problem is that after eating, you feel like having tea — but there is no tea here. I only had one coffee in the morning.

Rain started again. I could not even finish eating properly. I packed my food and moved on. Rain is a real problem here. One side sunshine, the other side rain. It is unpredictable.

I saw cows for the first time here — dairy cows, the kind we call “foreign breed” in India.

Sunset here is at 9:30 pm, so that helps. Many bikers ride on this route. Every ten minutes, I see two or three bikers.

We are now close to the South Atlantic Ocean. We will ride alongside the sea for some distance. Only 40 km left.

It is 6 pm now. I have about three hours before sunset. I booked an apartment for $35 because there were no hotels available. It looks nice. The view is amazing. The sunset colours are beautiful.

I bought four bananas and some milk. After riding 110 km today and 100 km yesterday — 210 km in two days — without proper riding practice for months, it really exhausts the body. But once the goal enters your mind, you push through. To reach Alaska, you have to ride like this.

It is 9:30 pm and it is still not fully dark. I have reached my room. For $35, this is a great Airbnb-style place. I can cook and wash clothes here. There is a nice bedroom and bathroom. I am completely exhausted. As soon as I lie down, I will fall asleep.

Now I will take a shower, cook food, wash my clothes, and say goodbye to you for today.

If you liked the video and if this journey inspires you — if you understand what dedication means — please leave a like.

See you tomorrow with a new video.
Until then, stay happy, stay busy, stay positive, stay healthy.

Jai Hind. Jai Bharat.
Love you all.