So after our crazy long, but not as bad as it sounds, bus ride from Lima to Santiago we had five or so fantastic weeks in Chile.
Our first night in Santiago found us in a funky hostel hanging out with some Aussies, Kiwis and a few locals drinking beers and having a good ol´laugh until 5am!! Not my style, but believe it or not, I was there!! Well that subsequently ensured that we were going to spend a second night in Santiago after a very long sleep in.
After many hours of research we departed the city and headed west for the coast! In two days we were in the cool, beach town of Pichilemu. As we descended into the town we met a German, Ralf, who was walking and powersliding (like inline skates) down the coast. We had the pleasure of sharing our travels and journey with him for a few days as we´d leapfrog each other and even got to spend the night with him in Lipimalvida.
We got to swim in the ocean- well, it was more of a quick dip and camp in some lovely spots along the way. There were a few very poorly maintained ripio (dirt) roads to challenge us, but the coastal scenery was stunning- and a pleasant change.
We finished the coastal route in Cobquecura and spent the night with a lovely family who invited us to stay at their place for the night after we enjoyed some delicious humitas for lunch. And then, they cooked us one of the most perfectly cooked piece of salmon for dinner. I was in heaven, it melted in my mouth.
We then bussed down to the next cool part of Chile, finishing the bus ride in Victoria and then riding to Curacautin, which turned out to be a gem of a place. We spent four nights there visiting hotsprings, national parks, volcanoes, beautiful rivers and stayed at a super-cool hostel where we got to cook up some fantastic pork that we found in town on their amazing grill (one day you´ll see the photos!!).
Then we headed south through Conguillio National Park (amazing place!!) and then to Melipeuco where we met some cool guys that have a tour company and we ended up going back into the park and doing a full moon hike on the lava fields and then riding out back to their place- all under the light of the moon-fantastic!
From there we took a terrible dirt road through some more spectacular scenery and through some quaint little towns. Volcanoes, forest and lakes. We spent a couple of days in the touristy town of Pucon where we found some great food and tasty drinks and then we headed back onto some more dirt roads through more spectacular scenery. We hiked up to a glacier and went to a really beautiful hotsprings with waterfalls and heaps of little pools all set in a canyon.
From there, our intention was to try and go see Jack Trout in Panguipulli. But we encountered some rain and he was stuck with a group of clients, so we enjoyed Lincan Ray for two nights- with the best chocolate ever! And then we ended up going to Panguipulli anyway and it was the last night of a festival where we got to enjoy some local food, beers and got to see some great live music- even a cover band of a band I discovered in Curicautin- who were great. We met a super-cool American family who are living in Mendoza, but currently bike touring for a few weeks and got to spend some time with them. Hopefully we meet up with them again when we make it to Mendoza.
We then planned to ride around Lago Llanquihue and head south on a supposedly beautiful coastal, dirt road before heading into Argentina. Well, we made it halfway around the lake- more spectacular views- and then the forecast was rain, rain and more rain for at least a week.
So, suddenly, at the last minute with no research, we changed our route and headed east into Argentina. Now, once again I can´t complain about the breath-taking views- and they have been some of the best, but we were on a route that required riding and ferrying, which we were excited about, until we discovered the ferries were run by one company that even runs the little town/shops on the route (big monopoly!) and it´s aimed at rich tourists that want to travel between Puerto Varas and Bariloche- expensive! So, it was bittersweet. And we did have to ride in the rain for two days.
Now we find ourselves in San Carlos de Bariloche, Argentina.
Chile, we loved you. The cheap, but tasty wine- even in boxes, and the great local foods and produce. We met some great people- locals and lots of fellow travelers. The volcanoes and scenery took our breath away. We realised that previously we had done a lot of riding town to town just to get somewhere before we got to Chile- and then we learnt one can also ride just to see amazing sights.
So, now we´re here to explore Argentina. Show us what you´ve got!!
