January 2nd. started off dull and cloudy and eventually descended into drizzle and finally proper rain. The advantage of this was that the horseflies decided to take the day off and we could finish the ripio at our own pace. At the tiny hamlet of Puelche, which has a ferry we picked up the asphalt again. Continue reading
30.12
From Entre Lagos we headed south to Lago Llanquihue. This lake is so enormous that it is difficult to see the other side in some areas. It is home to large tourist centers such as Frutillar and Puerto Varas but we decided to give these a miss and take the quieter (hopefully) road on the other side to a small town called Las Cascadas. Continue reading
We started cycling back to Chile on Boxing Day passing Bariloche then backtracking to Diana Haupe. Again once we had passed the residential build up we noticed the strong westerly wind coming straight off the lake Nahuel Huapi. Continue reading
As the forecast predicted the weather was fine and the wind had died down. We left San Martin de los Andes using our old friend the Ruta 40 starting at km 2212 (the number of kilometres to its end in Uschuia). Continue reading
8th. December
The route from Temuco to Villarrica was very a scenic pastoral one. There were cows in fields, farmhouses and the houses of the rich with large gardens. We had hoped to ‘wild camp’ along this stretch of road but it was all fenced off as private property, even taking a comfort break proved difficult. Continue reading
26.11 – 11.12 And now for something completely different… After the Lagunas route we had originally intended to cross back to Argentina but the cost of coach travel there was very high. With the added complication of having to send the bikes separately and at extra cost we decided on continuing our journey through Chile. Continue reading
The reason for going to Bolivia was to cycle the salt flats at Uyuni, spend the night on a small island in the middle of it all – Isla Incahuasi or House of the Inca – and then to continue on the so-called ‘Lagunas Route’ through the south-west corner of Bolivia into Chile and San Pedro de Atacama. Continue reading
November 15th
We left Tilcara feeling better and rested but the stomach problem had not been resolved. We decided we would have to visit the pharmacy next day (Monday) to try and get some drugs. Continue reading
We first visited the cactus garden next to the archaeological ruins. On display were different varieties of cactus of different sizes, many of them either in flower or about to flower. Continue reading
Heading North Despite still feeling delicate we headed off next day and managed 40 kms including some height gain to the town of Vulcan. Just before we reached the town borders we met fellow cyclists Marcelo and Patricia (http://ciclistaviajero.com). Continue reading