a self-supported bicycle tour through South America

Since leaving Trevelin the roads have turned Bolivian and the weather decidedly Chilean (readers, that means wet, wet and wetter).  There has been blood, sweat and tears; blood from the wrist (no I haven’t slashed them yet) caused by a fall on gravel roads, twice; sweat - think Gortex and boil in the bag rice; tears caused partly by the blood and partly by the Hound Dog [formerly known as the Mountain Goat and affectionately known as Simonsky, his Polish name, but no affection deserved in the Hound Dog instance] due to him riding on my tail and hounding me to cycle faster up the hill in the rain on gravel.  Needless to say "words" were exchanged, lunch was thrown, and "discussions" were had.  Oh the joy of the journey!

So, you now find us in Chile.  Crossing the border was interesting to say the least.  The Argentine border guards, filling in time and attempting to curtail their boredom (pun intended) took great interest in Simonsky’s black bag full of kit.  I think they suspected we were more than just your average cycle tourist and have put our names on some red alert list - I mean who in their right mind carries a sat phone, laptop, GPS and hypodermic needles and isn’t on an undercover mission?  We had three guards pull bits and pieces out of the bags, inspect them, ask what they were used for and leave on the table for us to pack back into the bags.  We have no idea what they were looking for, but they didn’t find it, and thankfully we didn’t have to empty all the bags.  I am so over packing!

The Chileans were a lot less suspicious and just asked what bag we had the food in.  Perhaps they were scouting for a good lunch, but cupa soup and day old bread rolls aren’t that appetising.  Trust me.

The day we left Trevelin was absolutely beautiful; blue skies, sunshine, hard compacted roads and even a paved section of road.  Oh what a treat.  The 17th flat tyre of the trip didn’t even dampen our spirits as we rolled into Futalefu, summer tans coming along nicely thanks, after an easy first day back on the road. 

Futalefu has become one of the top spots in the world for white water rafting.  Originally settled in the 1920’s the town completely depended on Argentina for supplies until a horse trail was built to connect it with the Chilean coast in the 1930’s.  It wasn’t until the completion of the Carretera Austral in 1988 that Futalefu became connected to the rest of Chile by road.  Imagine that!  Living in a town that was totally disconnected from any other part of the country.  Just like living on an island I guess.  Very Tasmanian.  We feel very much that we have entered the outpost zone.

  The following day, sun still shining, we headed further south to find newly graded gravel roads.  The gravel in this part of the world seems to consist of large pebbles the size of cricket balls.  This makes it almost impossible to cycle, hence the blood and the tears.  When the roads are so slow going, it makes the day very tiring, and testing.  You don’t even have a hot shower at the end of it to look forward to.  Note to self: must ask myself why I am touring through South America on a push bike!

After too many hills, and too much rain we stopped for an early day to dry out in Villa Santa Lucia where we joined the Carretera Austral.  The wood fired heater in our cabana was more than put to the test let me tell you.  We were frozen to the bone and needed time to thaw out.  We have never appreciated more the need to be dry and warm.  We are finding on this trip that it is the simple things like hot showers, and dry clothes that keep us happy.  Lets just hope we can bring such a simple appreciation of the little things back to our frantic lives when we return.

With dread we embarked on the road south along the Carretera but were pleasantly surprised to find hard packed mud roads that made our cycling consistent and smooth.  There is nothing more satisfying than watching the kilometers tick over, even if it is pouring with rain and the inclines are crippling.  Needless to say we haven’t had to carry much water with us.  It is everywhere.

Unfortunately a poor restaurant choice and dodgy fish in Puyuhuapi (where during World War II the German immigrants who settled the area in the early 1930’s were believed to be setting up a supply base for German submarines) forced an extra rest day, but we did manage to get to the thermal spas for a dip and witness a pod of dolphins playing in the fjord.  We could only imagine what you guys back home were doing!

So, after a few more days of incredible scenery, unseasonable sunshine, grueling graded roads, delicious banana cake, rolling hills and a welcome paved section, you now find us in Coyhaique.  We have also had a breakthrough.  The Hound Dog has changed his tune and now, after reaching the top of the hill, walks down and pushes my bike (with me still on it) from behind.  This IS love, and seems to be working rather nicely thanks very much!

A couple of days rest and then we are back on the road south.  Destination Villa O’Higgins and then back into Argentina.  We are finding Chile very expensive so getting back to our beloved Argentina will be a welcome change.  By the way, we are still accepting contributions to the SIJEN Adventure Fund.  See below for account details