Santiago - Talca; the beginning of the journey.

It took me 4 days to arrive from Santiago to Talca, my hometown. Despite all the heat and my now arm sunburns I did it fast the first 3 days. I found mostly nice things on the road and found the usual when camping in nature such as mosquitoes and strange sounds at night. I managed to reach Talca at the 4^th day in quite good shape and with the spirit up. The only problem so far, one of my knees hurt. I'll have to rest and take it a bit easier to get better. Still everything went quite good. I don't know how long this post will be but I think a bit long. Take it easy when reading.

Leaving the City, Santiago to Rancagua.

We starting pedaling around 8.30 past Thursday, and as last time with Daniel, it took us quite long to reach the border of Santiago. The now loaded bike was weighting even more than last time, but we managed to reach the border of the city in around 2 hours. The gang this time was composed by Tom, Jota, Daniel and me. Right before reaching the city limit Tom bought a watermelon, we found a nice small plaza and ate it all, the sun was hiting hard on our heads and a fruit was very welcome, time for a “technical stop” at the border of Santiago.

The face of the Negro (Mattia) when he saw me riding my bike out of the city.

Buying the watermelon.

A slice for each of us.

The gang.

Our goal for the morning was to reach Buin, meet Camila there around 11-12 and have some lunch together. The last of the lunches some said. It was noticeable how my speed was different compared to the rest of the lads. Tom, Jota and Daniel would advance much swifter than me through the wind without the loaded bikes, the 110 kilos rolling against the wind do count. Still, we arrived to Buin a bit before 11 am. Right on time and with such munchies. We met Camila and headed for lunch.

For lunch I had a couple of lomitos italianos with some fries and a couple of Canada drys at the “All-in Ramirez”. Complete and healthy lunch. The place we chose for lunch was weird. They did a lot of other things besides food. They also worked selling vegetables, doing car parking, car washing and selling exotic meats. A wide variety of things. Exotic meats... what the fuck?.

After helado at the Plaza de Armas it was time to leave. We said our farewells with Camila and left in the middle of the heat. With full bellies we would ride round 20 minutes where I would depart from the rest but on the way we found a nice and cold Mote con Huesillos, a typical Chilean cold drink. With such a heat it was a sin not to drink one. This gave the group more energy and we kept moving on for around one hour more for the last of the technical stops with me. We stopped, said our farewells and we went our own ways.

All-in Ramirez; parking, fast food, car wash, food market, exoticarnes.

Camila, a 7 up, Tom.

One of the two Lomito Italiano I had.

The gang in Buin.

The rest of the road was already known for me. The only difference now was the heat. I hate the this damn summer, I can't wait to reach the south of Chile. After the first day I found out I have to sleep siesta in order to avoid the heat. It's much better to pedal in the morning and the late evening rather than in the middle of the day. I've started taking 2-3 hours siestas in order to avoid the heat, I'm such a bum.

Soon I reached Rancagua and Sergio was waiting for me there. First Warmshower host of the road. I called him right before entering the city and he said he would go pick me up on the way. We met shortly after and he told me we had to keep moving fast. The place I had chosen to enter Rancagua was quite dangerous as he told me. I didn't know this, I just used the road we used last time with Daniel when going to Coya. He said it's rare that you pass that area without being robbed.

At his place we shared beers and stories together with his wife Marcela while their kids were playing around. They invited me to once and we planned the road for the other day. Sergio would join me for a couple of hours the next day because the way out of Rancagua was tricky.

 

The armored resting a bit.

Somewhere over there Santiago, maybe under the grey cloud.

Somewhere there, Rancagua.

He wanted me to adopt him but I couldn't. Sorry mate, had you been a kitty...

Towards Santa Cruz.

We left Sergio's house at around 8.30. He would lead the way out of Rancagua towards Coinco where he could come back to Rancagua. The way there was mostly going down because we were going towards the sea, so it was quite easy to maintain the 28 kms/h. We managed good timing and after we said good bye I kept on till 1 pm where I finally stopped because of the heat. On the way there Fernanda texted me that I was going to pass near her work place so we managed to meet and have lunch where I stopped, right next to a huge cross with Jesus Christ. After that I kept on a bit more trying to find a good place where to have siesta, I wasn't going to sleep next to a dude in a cross bleeding and trying to convince me he would resurrect at the third day. Finally at 2 pm I found a good spot and fell there because of the heat. I had my 2 hours of siesta and kept on.

Sergio testing the armored. "How the hell do I drive this shit!"

Plaza de Rancagua.

This is bizarre. You can see the balls of the horse.

Why do politicians come here?

Around 1 hour later and while going uphill I met and old man sitting in a bench who asked me if I was carrying things for trading. I asked him for water but he didn't hear and asked me where I was coming from.We started talking, but he would keep asking me if I was carrying something for trade. He was 93 and had some hearing problems, he told me how he was born and raised there and that owned a small hill since 60 years ago. He gave me fresh water and asked if I was carrying things for trade, again. It was funny every time he asked me this. We talked like for around 1 hour more. And I after I managed to make him understand I wasn't a trader he wished me farewells and greets to my parents. Cool dude.

From then on, everything was sun and pain till I got to Santa Cruz. Well, it wasn't really painful, but I started noticing my knee was hurting a lot. I started realizing I was taking it too fast. As I'm not really counting how much kilometres I'm advancing, I'm just pedaling as much as I want. The first day I did around 110 kms. The second day I managed to pedal 115 kms. Quite a lot considering I planned all with 60 kms per day. At this rate I'm gonna cross the whole continent in less than a year.

Siesta place.

I didn't know this place existed! :O

Quite a nice town.

I reached Santa Cruz and stayed with my second WS host. Roxana is a girl who left the career of Biology and started working in tourism.She's doing tours around the wineyards, doing mountain bike tours in the hills of Santa Cruz and also around Chile. Right after arriving I headed for the veggie market, for some reason my body was begging me for tomatoes with garlic. A couple of hours before reaching Santa Cruz I started picturing in my mind a huge dish of sliced tomatoes with garlic  and olive oil. I couldn't stop thinking about it so for once I had my prize of the day, a banana, tomatoes and avocado. For washing my throat?, a nice cup of tea, one whisky, a glass of white wine and 2 beers. It's funny how everything escalated quickly. Roxana's brother was going to have a whisky so they offered me one, the rule is, you never deny whisky, so I had whisky. Then Roxana's mother recalled she had a white wine and offered me some, it was a nice late harvest, I couldn't skip the opportunity to try it out, so I had some. And then Roxana told me she was going to a local pub with some friends and invited me, ah what the hell, tea, whisky, wine, some beers won't do harm. And they didn't. The pub was really nice and the music was cool, no shitty things such as reggaeton gasolina crap but mostly a place to talk and have a drink. I met nice people and had fun but my body started asking me to sleep, at 2 am I needed to sleep so we left.

The road.

Drawings on the hills.

Third day, finally wild camping. 

I started the day at 7 am. At 8.30 I was ready to depart and so I did. I thanked for the hosting and said my good bye and left towards Lolol. Lol. I had a nice climb outside Santa Cruz but as always, if you have to go up, you will definetely go down at the other side of the hill. I reached the nice speed of 50 kms/h down the hill. It's amazing the speed the bike reaches while going down the hill, I feel like driving a small motorcycle. Mid in the morning I found a mobile vegetable market from where I bought a whole melon and had it all. Middle morning snack to keep on till midday.

In Lolol I bought some sweets at the local “OMG” shop, what's the deal with this town?. The lady that sold me the things actually said OMG when she saw me cycling with the all the things under such a heat. I then told her g2g and she replied gl and I left. lol. Brb. xD. (nerd :P)

Santa Cruz down there, somewhere.

Towards Lolol.

The "OMG" store.

After Lolol I started heading for the Maule Region but the pain on the knee would hit plus the road south had no trees on either side. It was 1 pm and I the siesta time was calling. At 2 pm I found an attempt of forest where I had my 2 hours of siesta and lunch. I started noticing the lack of houses and people now. The road went gravel and started crossing hills with less houses. After crossing this small group of coast mountains I arrived to the valley of Mataquito near the city of Curico where people started showing up again.

No trees where to have siestas.

No trees where to have siestas!!!

Some shadow where to have siesta.

At the end of the day I had managed to pedal 96 kilometres. Good thing I had decided to take it easier (irony). My knee was hurting less than the day before though, a good sign, but still was hurting. After entering a gravel road I found what seemed to be an abandoned house near a small artificial lake they use for watering the valleys. The house was indeed abandoned and seemed suitable for me sleeping in the surroundings, so I did.

As it's summer and the weather is nice, I didn't mount the tent, I decided to sleep under the stars. When the sun was finally away mosquitoes started attacking me, but definitely I thought it would be worse. I made of myself a cocoon with my sleeping bag, tried to sleep and left all the garlic I must have in my blood deal with the mosquitoes. Finally a night of wild camping and with it, the sounds of the countryside. At the distance I could hear a party with its characteristic Cumbia music mixed with some Mexican Rancheras. No gasolina crap either. Somewhere near the small lake, a tree full of birds, fighting I suppose, and maybe a pig being killed by some aliens that would come later and abduct me. Seriously though, it sounded like a pig being killed, I think it was the birds, they were big and fighting before sunset and made really strange sounds. Over my head, a mosquito trying to find a weak spot in my face to suck some blood. At the distance, a small dog barking, but weirdly barking. This kept on for around 1 hour, so many different sounds I'm not used to. Then the small barking dog started getting closer to my location, slowly till it was somewhere behind me. The small barking dog had a problem though, it was barking for its inside. A weird and perturbing sound that wouldn't let me rest. I thought it was a dog and that maybe would try to steal something from me or maybe bite me so I yelled to him; “what the fuck man, I'm trying to get some rest here, go away”. It got instantly quiet and after I flashed my flashlight at it, went away. Later in the night I would hear it again, flying over my head towards the distance, then I realized it was a damn bird! Doing that barking sound, such a weird bird, I wish I could have seen it better.

Sunset was getting closer.

Where I slept.

Gravel, Heat, Huasos, Pencahue, Talca. 

I woke up at 6 am. It was already clear and I could see everything around me. I had a nice sleeping night after all and for that day I would reach Talca. I started moving around 8 because this time I would face mostly gravel roads through the hilly countryside of Talca and I had to make good use of the morning and non heat hours. Right after leaving my sleeping place I met the “owner of all of this”. I had started pedaling and I saw a pick up truck I had seen the day before. The driver honked at me and did some light signaling so I could stop. He asked me where I was heading to and where I had slept because he saw me the day before while entering this road. I told him my story and asked where he was from, then after a mild laugh and a smile he said “I'm the owner of all of this.” doing in circle with his index pointing all the hills and lands around us. He smiled at the thought of owning all of that. He was nice and wished me luck and departed. I got the impression he was really happy owning all of this.

After a couple of hours riding thinking about the life of the owner of all of this I met a huaso riding his horse towards his mother. He was going to do some plowing for a short summer harvest. He told me the owner of all of this wasn't really the owner of everything but of just half the valley. There was another owner which owned the other half of the valley. He explained me how there were several families living around these valleys, working the land for the “owners of all of this”. They get to live there for free as long as they work the land and do tasks for every owner of all of this. They get most of the things from the land and get money for the work done so it's quite a great deal for them.

After a hilly section of up and downs, ups and downs and more up and downs that made me hate whoever designed that road for not going through the valley instead of the hill I got to the paved section. It was already late and siesta time but I decided to keep pushing in order to reach Pencahue.  The thought of a completo or a Lomito Italiano motivated me a lot so I kept pushing.

The bike likes to pose for the pictures. Ready to depart.

Stealing some water from the drop watering system that waters trees and other vegetables.

The valley of one of the owners of all of this.

Some horses doing their businesses.

Once I reached Pencahue everything was closed but some small place for general things. The completo had to wait so I sat next to the plaza when an old man approached me and asked how much I would ask for my motorcycle. He was and old timer and confused my bicycle with a motorbike. When I told him it was a bicycle he opened his eyes wide open and asked me where I was coming from. He didn't get it at the beginning but after a while finally understood what I was doing. He told me how he was single and free to do whatever he wanted and that he had to stop drinking alcohol because it hurted too much his liver. It was 2 pm and he was doing some time before going to the church, at 6 pm. He had nothing else to do in the rest of the day so he liked to wander around the plaza waiting for the church time at 6. I told him I had to sleep siesta because the heat was killing me and went to sleep in a bench.

Gold mine in the hills of Pencahue. Hidden but closed due to some accidents.

 When I woke up I finally had the completo I wanted to have. I then saw a man surfing the web with his phone next to the town hall. I asked him if there was some free wifi signal and he told me he worked in the city hall so he knew the wifi password. He procedeed to give me the password of the network and I got some internet. Soon he started talking to me and told me how he hated all the communists of this world because they are all lazy fucks. “Those motherfuckers want everything for free without any actual work, who the fuck do they think they are, now they chose Bachelet, this country is going to go bankrupt soon. Everything will go to hell thanks to this damn commies”. He then proceeded to talk about Pinochet and other generals and started to watch youtube videos of the Chilean army, the Pinochet funeral and the Chilean militar parade. Extremist guy. After a while, for some unknown reason, he asked me if I liked beer, I said yes. He then proceeded to open his suitcase, take out a 1 Lt bottle of cold beer and a glass, passed me the bottle and the glass and said; “serve yourself”. Shit, a cold beer with this heat, thank you very much sir. I had two glasses and after some more talking I left.

I met this guy going down hill. He saw a video on youtube with this kind of bikes, liked the idea and built one himself. This was his testing day with this kind of tribike.

The last 15  kilometers towards Talca were fine, pavement again and all went well till the highest point before reaching Talca. Going down Cerro la Virgen was awesome. 4 kilometres of paved downhill and my bike reaching the highest speed so far; 60 kms/h. I wonder if I will be able at some point of reaching more than 60 kms per hour. I don't think I've been able to reach more than that with this bike.

So far all has been good. I can't say I have had bad things on the road besides the heat and the sun hitting too hard on my now not so white arms and legs. Gladly I have this expedition like hat that covers my neck and face from the sun. First part of the road done. Next goal, the summit of Descabezado Grande.

It will take a while till I write again on the blog. Next friday I'll leave for the Descabezado Grande Volcano with Jota and Maximiliano. After that I may write a bit about the volcano.

If you want to see more pics of the road, check out this link: click here!

Be safe on the road.

Cheers!