Chile

Welcome (back) to Chile!

I’m back in Chile again to ride the famous Carretera Austral. Here the road turns to gravel and the scenery comes to life. It’s cloudy the whole way and the rain holds out until the last 30 minutes of my ride.

I spend my first night in Puerto Puyuhuapi – a tiny little village with a beautiful bed & breakfast (Casa Ludwig – ya, the Germans settled this port). Here’s the house as seen from the dock.

The village is at the end of a gorgeous fjord.

Before turning in for the night I was reading in bed and felt the house sway. The rain had just started and I figured it was the wind. It only lasted a few seconds and then it was gone. I thought nothing of it. However, at 4 in the morning I woke up to my bed shaking back and forth. I could hear everything in the house moving and creaking. It lasted for about 20 seconds. There was no mistaking it, this was an earthquake! I checked online the next morning and sure enough there was a 5.2 magnitude quake not more than a few hundred kilometers away. Fortunately, that fine German engineered house withstood the quake with ease.

The next morning I packed up and headed out in the rain. I passed through beautiful scenery (that unfortunately was covered in clouds). Here’s a look at a waterfall in the Bosque Encantado (enchanted forest).

My camera just can’t do this place justice (and the clouds aren’t helping either). I haven’t seen land this spectacular since New Zealand.

Stunning valley.

I get some pavement and a break in the rain and decide to push on to the small village (600 habitants) of Villa Cerro Castillo. I’m enjoying this tranquillo lifestyle. I pull into town and park the bike to look for a hospedaje to spend the night. I think I’m OK behind this truck – he’s going anywhere soon.

It’s a quiet little village surrounded by enormous mountains and glaciers.

Packing up the next morning I had a break in the rain. Wonderful! Then just as I hopped on the bike it started to rain. Go figure… I battled light rain all morning. The gravel road was a little slippery and the views were tainted by thick clouds. I could see mountains going up the they were under cloud cover. It wasn’t until I looked up even higher that I saw some mountain tops poking above the clouds. All of a sudden I realize just how massive these glaciated peaks are and it’s a magical experience to be surrounded by such powerful land. Here’s a few shots from early in the day. Unfortunately, the camera can’t capture the dynamic range very well so I won’t be able to share that experience with you all. I’ll always carry with me the memories.

Stunning turquoise rivers and lakes.

Earth at its finest.

The attendant and I chit chat for a bit. I take off my riding gear. I ask if there is gas. It’s all good until he tells me that there is no electricity to run the pump. The next station is 70k down the road. 

The rain breaks in the afternoon and the sun tries to peek through the clouds. Stunning mirror lake views surround me.

Mountain berries.

Yes, please.

Incredible.

I want to live here.

There’s some road construction going on and cars have been backed up for hours. Again, it pays to be on a moto because I find a small path through a muddy stream. BRRRAAAAPPP and I’m on my way with locals cheering for me.

The magnificent country continues.

Here’s 2 video clips from riding on the Carretera Austral. (If you can’t see the video in the email, just click the link).

Video 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7kmhxgfyoBM

Video 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cCPuKSws31o 

I eventually arrive in the small colorful town of Chile Chico just a few kilometers from the Argentina border.

Here’s some route details for the Adventure Riders out there. After leaving Trevelin, Argentina the pavement ends. It picks back up about 100k south of Puerto Puyuhuapi around the town of Manihuales. There’s another 20k stretch of dirt road after that and then pavement again to Coyhaique and all the way to Villa Cerro Castillo. The unpaved section is far better than the ripio on Ruta 40 in Argentina. Just watch out for those deep gravel patches and trucks coming around the tight bends on the single lane width sections. I never went more than 300k without finding a gas station. Be sure to fill up at every station you see though because you never know if the next one will be out of gas…

Cerro Castillo to Chile Chico (around Laguna General Carr) is all dirt but for the most part it’s in great condition. About 8 hours to get here (with lots of photo stops). I almost skipped this part by taking a ferry across the lake. I’m glad I took the long way around, this was the most beautiful part.

More fun to come. Stay tuned!

Finally down at the low low elevation of 2600 meters (8,500 feet) I can begin to breath again. No longer does eating, showering, or even breathing make me short of breath. I’m in the town of Calama, an oasis in the middle of the desert. I decide to stay an extra day to regain more energy. It gives me a chance to try Chile’s national food “The Completo.” This hot dog has a bun so large that it can hold layers and layers of toppings like ketchup, mustard,  mayonnaise, onions, tomatoes, avocado, barbeque sauce, and only god knows what else. At home I’d expect to find something like this at a baseball game or at a street cart. But here in Chile you can also find it at fine establishments with eloquently designed holders.

CULTURE SHOCK coming from Bolivia. Life here is orderly and expensive. Gas, food, and lodging are all on par with US prices. I’m missing Bolivia already….

Although my appetite is coming back, I still can’t get a good nights sleep so the next morning I head for sea level. It’s a swift ride down through the desert. Passing through some road construction I see things that I haven’t seen since the US like road cones, traffic signs, and radios to contact the other end of the construction zone. And what’s even crazier… people are actually obeying! After 4 months in Latin America this is certainly an alien sight…

Continuing on I pass the Mano del Desierto (Desert Hand). Sadly, as I’m rolling up I start signing “Get your hands up, up, up! All my single ladies!” There’s a Chilean family on holiday and so we take the usual 987239847  photos together. First just the daughter me and the bike, then with the mother, then without the daughter, then sitting on the bike, then the with the daughter while the mother sits on the bike, then the daughter sitting while the mother standing, and so on… It’s fun.

About 30 miles earlier I passed through the city of Antofagasta and I wasn’t really keen on stopping there. It’s noon and I’m just at the beginning of a long stretch of desert with no towns in between. I decide to push it for a long days ride the beach town of Caldera. All in all it’s some 450 miles on the day. Time for some real sleep – my first night back at sea level. 11 hours of sleep never felt so good! And finally, my throbbing headache is GONE!

But with all the excitement and joy I managed to break my sandal. I’ve had these sandals for over 12 years. I really thought they’d hold up better than this… They sure don’t make ‘em like they used to (over 13 years ago). So I walked with one sandal in hand  into the bank and back around town to the hotel. Why is everyone staring at me! Oh ya, I also have this ridiculously overgrown beard…

Continuing south the scenery remains… desert. There’s some big equipment out there.

Desert Panorama.

Late in the day today I looked down to notice that my right boot and pant leg were wet. Upon inspection I found that my fork seal had blown out and leaked fork oil all over the right side of the bike and the right side of me. Great…

A few more desert days on the way south (ya, there’s LOTS of desert here). I’m driving up a hill and pass a slow moving truck in a no passing zone. When I make it around the corner there’s a police man waiving me over. Here we go… It was a set up. Trucks crawl up this hill and I imagine that they’re always passed by traffic. The police sit at the top of the hill around the bend, with a clear view of the entire scene. This time I definitively broke the law and I tried a new approach. I pulled off the road and dropped the bike (on accident).  I pulled off my helmet and moaned that I was tired. I half struggled to pick up the bike and finally got around to making introductions with the police. They proceeded to explain what I did wrong. One man said I was getting a ticket. Then the other man pulled him aside and after some talking (they must have felt bad for me for dropping the bike) they let me go without a ticket!

As I pulled away I heard some loud clunking. Crap, I thought, my transmission is screwed. I take a better look at the bike and notice that it’s not the transmission. The chain is loose, ridiculously loose. So loose that I’m convinced something must have broke (axle, subframe, front sprocket, something). Nope, it’s just crazy loose. I also look at my rear sprocket in detail for the first time. They are both shot, dead. It’s only 30 miles to La Serena so I tighten up my chain and roll on. It’s clicking like crazy and I saw to myself over and over, “just keep going, just keep going” and I eventually make it to La Serena.

The next day in La Serena I stop into Tonino Motorsports and those guys really hooked me up. Without an appointment, I stroll in mid morning and they get working straight away. A new fork seal, new fork oil, new engine oil, air filter cleaning, new chain and sprocket and fixing the heated grips. They even set me up with a FREE set of brake pads as well as a FREE (Chinese) front tire! All finished by the end of the day at a fair price (although parts in Chile are almost double the U.S. price!). Let’s hope this is the last mechanical servicing of the trip.

Old sprocket – very worn!

Tonino Motorsports Crew

South south south and I reach Concon where I stay at a small B&B. The owner is taking care of 3 children displaced from the earthquake. He invites me to dinner and I chat with the kids all evening. It wasn’t until 30 minutes into our conversation that I had to ask them to talk slower so I could understand. Up until then they thought I was Chilean and they are shocked to learn that I’m from the States. It was a fun evening learning about these kids and about the earthquake. I continuously surprise myself with how good my Spanish skills are! Granted, I’m still terrible but I was able to have a conversation for hours. Awesome.

In the morning I head to the Argentina border. On the way I pass lots of women on the side of the road selling food. I’m hungry and curious to see what they have to offer. Dulces (Sweets)! The woman gives me one as a gift and I buy a second. Delicious…

I climb the stupendous mountainside up to the border. The official asks me if I felt the 7.2 magnitude earthquake that happened just 20 minutes ago. WHAT!?!? I felt nothing and good thing as I was riding up a precariously steep slope with prime rock fall… How do you like these curves?

I’m off to my last new country… #15 – Argentina! Stay tuned.