Dave and his Bike

Days 169 to 172.

Day 169.

Well that was quite an eventful day.

I’m pleased to be leaving Santiago actually. As much as there are some nice parts, interesting architecture and things to see and do, there are the not-so-nice bits too. All the shops are caged in; there is an abundance of neck and throat tattoos; there’s more razor wire than I’ve ever seen before; all the park and public open spaces have a distinct smell of cannabis about them. Time to go.

Breakfast wasn’t very eventful. Same toast, ham, cheese, bread and coffee. By the time I’d finally finished packing and procrastinating it was almost 0930hrs. I wasn’t in a hurry, as I’d planned a 50km ride on relatively flat roads to a hotel just before the big climb, which had great reviews. I’d also sent the route to my Garmin, to make navigating out of the city smoother. It didn’t work.

Almost immediately I got messages saying that Garmin had no compatible maps for the route. Great. Revert to MapOut and Google, and keep stopping to check. It wasn’t too bad really – pretty much the same as getting out of any capital city – just a bit stop-start, and I missed a couple of turns and had to go back. There were some great cycle paths too.

Once past the airport it was much easier. I stopped in Lampa for a coffee, and picked up a couple of empanadas for later. It seems that I’m back to roadside cafe / shack affairs, which are great when you are on the bike. Just after my break I decided to follow a MapOut route which got me off the main road. It started well, with no traffic and great views. Then the road turned to gravel – still good. Then the was a locked gate. Not good. It cost me about 12km. I turned back.

Once back on the main road it was easy mileage to Polpaico. A one horse town, with a good hotel. Not any more. It’s now a rehabilitation centre. Back to the neck tattoos. Turn around again. I grumbled to myself , checked Google for hotels and found nothing nearby, and resigned myself to a longer day. The road was excellent. Newly laid smooth tarmac, which was sadly my downfall. Literally.

There wasn’t much traffic about, so when I heard something behind me I checked my mirror. In a split second I hit a cats-eye which threw me off line, and off the 150mm (6 inch) drop off the road surface. In my eagerness to avoid the armco barrier I hit the deck somehow. I just know it hurt. I checked the usual cyclists injury – collar bone – all good. I got away with a bit of road-rash; what feels like bruised ribs; and a healthy dose of damaged pride. It probably didn’t do my back any good either. My bike is fine.

Back on the bike, and the adrenaline hit helped me along for a short while. Then at about 75km I turned left (into a tasty headwind) and started to climb. The next 8km were hell. In that short distance I climbed over 700m, topping out at 1280m altitude. I don’t know whether it was because I’m carrying panniers again, have had a week off, the after effects of sliding down the road, or am just not fit, but I really (really) suffered. It took forever to cover such a short distance – I’ve no idea how many times I stopped and it didn’t instil me with confidence for what is to come. The only positive I can take from it was that when a guy stopped and offered me a lift I turned him down and struggled on.

Once over the top the search for accommodation resumed. I stopped at a roadside café for some water, and asked them. Just around the corner was a cabaña (cabin) place which would have done nicely. However all was locked up, and a phone number to call was posted on the gate. I only have a data SIM, so that was a non-starter. The next 17km was downhill. Brilliant. It took me to Olmué in no time (apart from traffic lights at the road works). Two more attempts at cabaña, and one hotel with the same policy got me a bit frustrated, but at 1900hrs I finally found a hotel with a proper reception. And a room.

Once installed I went to the restaurant and tried the corn pie. I’m not a fan of sweetcorn, but mashed, sweetened, and used as a pie crust it’s actually pretty good. It’s a bit of a traditional Chilean dish, so I had to try it at some point and I’m pleased I did.

Arriving late meant eating late, therefore it was never going to be an early night. After phone calls and admin tasks it was soon 2300hrs – very late for me.

The coast tomorrow. Hopefully a slightly less eventful ride.

Distance cycled so far: 8493km.

Day 170.

Off to the seaside today.

I had a pretty decent nights sleep, despite my ribs being rather uncomfortable but my back was weirdly quite good. Obviously a big jolt helped in some way – I wouldn’t advise it.

Breakfast didn’t start until 0830hrs, so there was no point in rushing. I also (theoretically) have a short day today, but then I said that yesterday. So by the time I set off it was getting on for 1100hrs. Navigation was easy, but yet again I fell foul of Google and MapOut who neglected to indicate the road turning into a private track. It only cost me about 8km this time. The change in route then initiated a change in plan. Because of where I’d got to, the new route would take me to the coast at Concón, then south to Viña del Mar, which I would have to backtrack tomorrow. Since the object of the exercise was to reach the coast, I decided to ride to Concón and stop there.

It wasn’t a bad ride. A bit lumpy, but overall downhill to sea level. Obviously. Sadly the feral dogs are back. I had a couple of half-hearted attempts, then a full on chase with an angry looking beast, and I couldn’t get in a big gear fast enough so he nearly caught me. I kept passing a lady on a mountain bike, who would then pass me when I stopped to check directions. She ended up stopping, and telling me (in very fast Spanish and much sign language) that I was on the right road. I followed her to the outskirts of town (very useful), which rather resemble Immingham – a large oil refinery. Not the prettiest approach to a seaside resort.

The town itself was more like Skegness, but with empanada stalls and surf schools. I’m not making it sound very good I know, but it’s actually okay – very much a local resort, and very busy. The beach is dreadful though, especially after Australia and Thailand.

After overcoming another Google cock-up I found a hostel with a private room, and the lady who owns it is great. She insisted that my bike went in her office, then made me a cup of tea.

Once refreshed I ventured down the hill to the seafront. Not much else I can say really, other than the restaurants are expensive.

I’ve made it to the west coast. All I have to do now is cycle across the continent to the east coast. Easy when you say it fast.

Distance cycled so far: 8539km.

Day 171.

Next door to the hostel lives a dog. A bloody noisy insomniac dog. You may have guessed that it woke me up frequently during the night, that and sore ribs. I did sleep eventually, waking late at 0800hrs, just in time for breakfast. Not my favourite choice of food, but the scrambled egg and avocado was actually quite nice.

I was away just after 1000, retracing my steps for the first 10km, heading east with a slight tailwind. I really wasn’t feeling the love. I don’t know why, but again I seem to have absolutely no energy despite decent food and rest. It was an effort just to get up the 3 and 4% drags, which is not great. I found myself thinking about buses over the mountains which isn’t the best frame of mind to set out with. I’ve decided to split the climb of the Andes, about 200km, into four days in an attempt to make the altitude gain manageable. That said, I’ll still have to climb over 1700m in 30km to get to the top. I’ll give it a go.

So today was a 50km ride to La Calera, where there are several hotels shown. Once off the main road, I enjoyed it a bit more. Not much traffic, no dog chases, undulating roads and mountain scenery. I was also gradually climbing towards the big stuff, but not gaining a lot of altitude. Yet.

La Calera soon arrived. Bigger than I thought it was going to be, and industrial to a degree. The two hotels in town were both full. The hostel a few kilometres away didn’t look great, so I didn’t even ask. I did my usual ‘I’ll just carry on then’ trick, and stopped just to the east of town at a small rural shop for a drink. I gambled, and asked the shopkeeper if she knew of any accommodation locally. She promptly phoned her neighbours, resulting in me staying with Rodrigo and his son Franco (except he’s gone to his aunts, as I’ve got his bed). Rodrigo proudly showed me around his property which includes several buildings and stables , a BBQ area, pool and more, all of which he has built himself using recycled materials.

Rodrigo’s mum and his sister Elizabeth provided a huge lunch – at about 1600hrs (they live on the same parcel of land). I’ve landed on my feet with this. One thing that’s causing me a lot of stress is finding accommodation, and this is an amazing experience.

After ‘lunch’ I had plenty of time to relax on one of their deck areas whilst listening to music on a Bluetooth speaker – something I’ve missed over the last six months. A light snooze followed. At 2100, when I’m normally contemplating sleep, more eating was required. A lot lighter this time, just bread, cheese, ham and home grown avocado (the family business). Rodrigo, Elizabeth and I chatted, mostly via Google Translate, for the next couple of hours. Apparently I have a lovely aura – who knew! A great evening.

Distance cycled so far: 8594km.

Day 172.

I actually overslept. Having said I’d be up at around 0700hrs, I woke up at 0800. Breakfast was already on the table when I went in to the kitchen. I soon found out why, as halfway through eating my eggs, Rodrigo had to leave as he was busy with work. I felt very guilty about the delay. I need to change my mindset on timing here; because of the time zone they appear to have randomly chosen in Chile (only 3 hours behind the UK) it doesn’t get light until about 0800, and doesn’t go dark until 2030. So apart from my error this morning, I need to set everything back a bit and not aim to be away by 0800, and maybe finish later than I’m used to doing.

I was on the road just after 0900, sad to leave such a lovely welcoming and hospitable family. I feel truly humbled by the experience, and more aware of how privileged I am to be able to travel. Over breakfast Elizabeth asked if my passport was full. I showed her, and she wistfully looked at all of the different stamps in awe, finally saying that she would love to travel but would have to save for years. Rodrigo said that he hasn’t left Chile in the last 30 years. He is 46.

My mood was much better today as a result. I spent the day gradually climbing. Nothing dramatic, but by the afternoon I was (and still am) at over 800m above sea level. The scenery was incredible, the little roads all morning were quiet, and the wind minimal.

I aimed for Panquehue for lunch. A couple of kilometres away, the road turned to gravel, but still rideable. Then came the river crossing. It was either a ford about 50cm deep (flooded panniers scenario) or a footbridge – basically a couple of logs with some rotten boards on them. I opted for the latter. It was pretty narrow so I couldn’t just wheel the bike over, so had to take my panniers one at a time, meaning five crossings. I loved it.

Once across, another kilometre got me back onto smooth tarmac. Just when you want an empanada there isn’t one. They’ve been everywhere until now, so I had to make do with some biscuity things and a bag of peanuts. Healthy stuff. The next 25km went without incident or excitement, just 1 or 2% all the way to Los Andes (town).

The aptly named Hotel Los Andes had a comfortable double room with breakfast and a restaurant. I booked in for two nights so that I can re-charge a bit before two monster days of climbs. I made use of the restaurant, but it wasn’t what I would call pizza. I’ll try somewhere else tomorrow.

Distance cycled so far: 8665km.