Chile´s middle and our first biker days
Aktualisiert: 22. Jan. 2023
Pichilemu and the surfer zone
Day 28-31 (01.-04.12.22):
After picking up our bikes in San Antonio we directly followed Ronny's advice and targeted Pichilemu as our first stop. Originally we were only going to stay one night, but we decided to take a little more time for ourselves and also for a 5-hour Facetime call with friends from home, which was much needed.
Our accommodation in Pichilemu from the outside and inside (genius and chaos...)
According to our guidebook, Pichilemu was a nice, laid-back little town and a surfing hotspot. None of us surf, the only thing I know how to do on a board in the water is stand up paddling, but only when there is no wind. Or waves.
In our experience, when a town (and its waves) is popular with surfers, it usually means the atmosphere is nice and welcoming, and we were not disappointed.
Late one evening, we were looking for a small supermarket to buy water. We found one on Google Maps, but it was already closed when we arrived. This is not uncommon: the smaller the town or the stores you go to, the less reliable the information on Google is, even Google's information needs to be maintained and updated.
Twice, on our way to the mini-market and back, we passed a group of people making a barbecue on the sidewalk. The second time we passed them, they asked if they could help us, and yes, they did :). They recommended us a small store one street away that was still open and where you could buy basic stuff.
Another important thing we learned in Pichilemu is that Chile is not comparable to Ecuador in terms of coffee quality. We were lucky enough to find a small café right on the beach, consisting only of a tiny trailer and a few pallets to sit on, that sold excellent coffee and made a delicious açai granola. In terms of quality, price and view, this place was unbeatable. Unfortunately a lot of bad instant coffee followed after that 🤢
Little did we know at the time that this would be the last good coffee for quite a while.
Cobquecura
Day 31-32 (04.-05.12.22):
After our extended stay in Pichilemu, we were ready to hit the road, which was mostly the Ruta del Mar along the ocean. Most of the time we had a wonderful view, it reminded us a bit of the road between Castelldefels and Sitges in Spain. In Constitución we had a long lunch break. It wasn't healthy, but very tasty.
On our onward journey we passed many small sales booths along the road, apparently it was strawberry season. And after lunch and a bit of a guilty conscience, we decided to buy a box of strawberries that smelled delicious and fit perfectly in Helge´s tank bag.
Before heading inland and to the Argentine border, we reached Cobquecura, the last town by the sea, and decided to spend a night there. We just didn't know exactly where yet.
As for where to stay, it always depends on our route or plans for the next few days what we do: either we do a bit of research beforehand or we just look for something at the last minute once we arrive. Finding a place to stay in Cobquecura took us some time. We didn't have anything planned in advance and driving around without a set destination can be very inefficient. Some accommodations were just too expensive or closed in the off-season, and when we rang the bell, often nothing happened.
Eventually we found a nice cabaña for the night with a beautifully maintained garden and a large parking lot in front, where we cleaned our bikes after their first off-road adventure. In a mini-market we bought some food for dinner and breakfast the next day.
What we could not find yet was ground coffee for our cafetera (Moka coffee maker).
Valle Las Trancas
Day 32-35 (05.-08.12.22):
We are no early birds and since we had picked up our bikes we were still struggling to find a new packing system. After 3 weeks in Ecuador, we had figured out how to pack the one large backpack we shared and the two smaller ones perfectly.
Now the system needed a complete renewal, and we hadn't found our groove yet.
(The Emperor's New Groove, best Disney film ever!)
Consequently, we never started driving before 11am, and this morning in Cobquecura before leaving for our new destination was no exception. And there was no coffee.
We enjoyed breakfast with tea, but if you're also a caffeine addict, you know that's not the same. Under-caffeinated but with a yoghurt with fresh and delicious strawberry in our bellies, we headed to Valle Las Trancas.
The valley near Chillán is best known for its thermal springs and skiing in the winter. In early summer, the region is just as beautiful and thanks to the off-season, we were able to afford a wonderful place with the Cabaña Ecobox Andino.
All cabañas were built from old shipping containers in different colors and they kept the outside color also as main motif for the interior design like blankets and craftwork. We chose the cabaña del cielo (sky) in light blue and quickly made a new friend, the local cat. Well, we found a friend and the cat found someone to feed it (more).
Our cabaña was very well equipped and the restaurant options nearby limited, so we decided to cook on our first night and pair this with good Chilean wine, even though it was late. That meant Helge jumped again on the bike and headed to the nearest, larger supermarket, which was not within walking distance. He came back convinced that he had also bought real coffee and cream cheese for breakfast. At least that's what the store owner claimed.
When we read the ingredient list the next morning, it was obvious that we had gotten instant coffee which they used to refer to as "café tradicionál". And the supposed cream cheese was called manjar, the most popular sweet spread you can buy in America Latina, sometimes called dulce de leche. It is highly condensed milk with sugar and tastes a bit like caramel. And has nothing to do with cream cheese. Next time I would join him shopping.
On the second day, the weather was gorgeous and we decided to spend some leisure time. Helge tested the drone in close proximity to our cabaña, and after gaining some practice and confidence, he decided to take the bike and the drone for a ride to explore the valley. I was lazier and decided to explore the water temperature of the pool and swam for half an hour.
The valley ended after a few more kilometers, leading to the Centro de Ski Nevados de Chillán. There wasn't much to see except abandoned ski lifts and huge ski hotels.
But very close to our accommodation he could spot a beautiful waterfall from the road. The drone got its first major excursion and was able to capture some amazing videos of the waterfall and its surroundings. I was lucky enough to see the videos before they were accidentally deleted when copying them to the laptop didn't work out. Always double check your copies and backups before deleting the original footage. The next day, the weather was not so perfect, but still good enough to re-record some of the footage :).
The WiFi connection in our cabaña was not good enough to upload data, so instead we decided to spend our time planning the bike route and preparing for the first camping nights in Lagunas del Laja National Park near the Argentine border.
At another supermarket in the valley we got lucky and finally found some real coffee, oatmeal and dinner for the next two days.
Finally we were ready to use our tent, sleeping bags, camping stove and all the other stuff and not just test it briefly on our balcony and in the garden in Germany. Another milestone was about to come!
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