Cycling Out of Patagonia Will I Make It to Santiago? Ep.27

Don’t call it a tent – we call it a tamboo. If I say “tent”, it won’t feel like proper Indian style!

Namaskar friends, welcome to a new day. Right now I am standing at my hostel. This is Finnish bhai. He supported me a lot when I arrived here yesterday. Thank you so much for your kind support. When I came, I had no cash. He helped me arrange it. I asked a friend from Santiago to transfer money into his account, and then he gave me the cash because my dollars were also finishing. Withdrawing from an ATM here is very difficult.

Look at this Alto car parked here. There was a tornado, and someone’s roof flew off and hit here. He was telling me about it. Luckily, it only touched here and nothing major happened. It’s actually a very nice car for the hills.

Now I am leaving this City of Roses and heading towards the highway. I haven’t worn my helmet yet, but I might have to put it on once I reach the road. I have also changed my cap today. My brother even washed my clothes for me. Thank you so much, really kind of you. I truly appreciate it.

Let’s move now and meet again on the road.

They have blocked the road here. Look at the crane they have set up – very heavy-duty. They are lifting something up above. The whole road is blocked for safety. See how they have supported the crane from all four sides and lifted the vehicle properly. It is a massive crane.

I was telling you about these German houses – this one called “Ducher Villa” was built in 1885 by Germans. That house is 140 years old. It is written there as well.

It is getting hot now. I am removing my jacket. In the morning it was cold, but now the temperature is around 18–20°C. We are about to climb onto the highway. Better finish all small tasks before that, because once on the highway, there might not be proper stopping places. I have 1,000 km to ride on this highway.

Oh my God, I am already sweating and I have only ridden 2 km. Actually, the city is down by the lake, and the highway is at a higher elevation, so I had to climb up.

Let me pack this properly; I might not need to open it for a few days. The next city, Osorno, is around 90–95 km from here. I will cross it today and probably stop somewhere around 110–120 km. There is nothing much to see in these 1,000 km, so I want to ride fast. If there were interesting things, I would stop and explore, but since there is not much, better to move quickly.

Everything is ready. I have worn my reflector. Cars come fast here, so visibility is important. My cycle already has reflectors, but safety should be in our own hands. I might put on the helmet ahead depending on traffic. Too much helmet use sometimes gives neck pain, and my whole body is already tired from previous kilometres.

Now the goal is to sweat out these 1,000 km. Let’s go, Dhanno, climb onto the highway!

I enjoyed riding inside the city for about an hour. At every exit, toll charges are written – bike 300 pesos, car 900, bus 1,600, truck 3,000. One person sits at each toll booth. There is no crowd like in India.

Traffic is quite heavy here, especially trucks. Speed limit is 120 km/h, and they have allowed cycles, which is a big thing for me.

Every 5–10 km there is an exit with a toll gate, so one has to ride carefully because vehicles cross suddenly. There is a church on the side. It looks similar to temples in Fiji – yellow and red in colour, like Hindu temples.

This is a small village shop – they call it a market. Route 5 – 985 km left to Santiago. They are fixing reflectors in the middle of the road and cleaning the sides. They really try to keep the road clean.

Alright, I am getting off the highway once. I came towards a supermarket because I saw a Unimarc. I thought of buying some fruits before moving ahead, because who knows whether I will find anything later. Safety is in our own hands.

This is a small town in between. I left the highway for a bit. Look, even a China Mall is here, and the wall paintings are amazing.

I parked Dhanno and went inside Unimarc, a big supermarket. I bought plums, bread, tomatoes, cheese (you can call it paneer), and Italian salad dressing. These five items cost me ₹8,800 (local equivalent). Quite expensive.

Now loading everything is also a task. Done. Let’s go. Since morning, I have already covered around 40 km. Now I will climb back onto the highway. Even if nothing comes for 100–200 km, I have food arrangements. If you have food and water, there is no problem. Small shops for water can usually be found.

We are riding on the service road instead of the main highway because it feels safer. If a service road is available, it is better.

Come on, Dhanno, ride smoothly. Today, try to complete 150 km. At this speed of 16–18 km/h, it should be possible. I am not pushing too hard today; from tomorrow I will increase the pace.

Time for a little rest. I started peeling fruit and dropped it, but no problem – I have another one.

The target I set was around 120 km. Now 70 km are left. On this highway, kilometres are passing easily. Earlier, on mountain roads, even 50–70 km in a full day felt tough. Now it is around 12:30 or 1:00 pm, and I have already covered 50 km. The road is good and flat, so riding feels enjoyable.

On that note, let’s eat something.

I am putting my jacket back on. It suddenly feels cold. Clouds have gathered; it might rain. Better to wear it beforehand.

It’s better if a warm body gets wet than to stay cold. The temperature right now is 16°C. When I started, it was lower. Then it increased in between, and now it’s back to 16°C. It will feel a little less cold now and the ride will be more enjoyable.

Another toll gate has come. Here it’s more expensive – ₹100 for a bike, ₹350 for a car, and ₹650 for a small truck or mini bus. That’s quite high. I just hope they don’t charge me extra. I’ll happily pay ₹100 if they let me pass smoothly. There is a bit of a queue here as well. It’s all cash; there is no proper card system here.

Now I can see farming starting around this area. I noticed maize fields behind me. That means agriculture is quite strong here in Chile. On 106.5 FM you can even get fruit information announcements. Wow, maize crops everywhere. Advertising has also started appearing. I am starting to feel really good.

We have already covered around 80 km today, moving at 70–80 km per hour. This region is called Los Lagos, and now we have reached the city of Osorno. Since morning, we have covered around 90–95 km, and it’s 3:40 pm now. After crossing Osorno, I will look for a petrol pump. It’s a big city, but it stays to the side of the highway. We passed by it.

My target was 150 km today, so I am thinking of riding another 50 km. First, I will stop at a petrol pump and check if there’s any place ahead to stay – maybe another petrol station or a camping site. Camping sites are rare here.

There are very few petrol pumps. In 100 km, this is only the second one I’ve seen. In India, you get one every 20–30 km. But the difference here is that at these petrol pumps, you usually get a supermarket or grocery shop as well.

Great news – there’s a Subway here. Subway is like a paradise for vegetarians. I bought a half-foot sub for $3. It’s usually expensive, but here it’s cheap. It has all vegetables. I also took coffee. I’ve eaten now, so I’ll continue riding.

About 25–30 km ahead in the opposite direction, there’s another petrol pump, but I’ll go forward instead.

Oh wow, they are selling watermelons by the roadside! Who remembers my Africa series where we used to eat watermelons? One man has brought a full truck of watermelons. I have already eaten, otherwise I would have bought one. It’s nice that people sell things along the road. Slowly it’s starting to feel like India.

Someone else is selling pizza as well. Come on, Dhanu, push a little more – another 30–40 km. Tomorrow we will reach Temuco, which is around 200 km from here.

Look over there – all agricultural equipment is displayed. Tractors too. I even saw Kubota tractors, the Japanese brand that has also come to India. It has collaborated with Accord. In the coming years, you’ll see many of these tractors.

“Papas” means potatoes. A sack is being sold for 5000 pesos – around ₹500. They are red potatoes. Many vehicles are parked selling potatoes. This area has very good farming. I’ve also seen maize fields.

Tomorrow night we will reach Temuco on the Pan-American Highway. Today’s ride has already reached around 150 km. I am riding fast. My current speed is 25 km/h. I’ll ride another 10–15 km. It’s 7:30 pm now, so I’ll ride till around 8:00 or 8:30 pm. Let’s see how many kilometres I can cover.

The wind is from behind today, so it’s not troubling me much. If it were from the front, it would slow me down. A tailwind, even if slow, doesn’t stop you.

Tomorrow, about 700 km will remain in this 1000 km stretch. I’ll try to cover 190 km tomorrow and then slow down gradually.

There’s a huge river down there. On the opposite side, there’s a petrol station, but I’ll stay on my side. Otherwise, I’ll have to go 4 km ahead and 4 km back – 8 km extra. It’s better to go 4 km ahead on my side. Sunset is at 9:30 pm, so there’s no hurry.

Another toll has come – in 160 km, there have already been three major tolls. And if you exit from the side roads, there are separate tolls for that too. This is Highway Number 5, the Pan-American Highway. Just like in India, trucks are parked casually on the roadside.

At this toll, it’s 3600 pesos for cars and 1100 for bikes. Many trucks are lined up. Who can stop us? Come on, Dhanu, cross the toll.

There’s another petrol pump showing 4–5 km ahead. If I find space there, I’ll stop. I even saw a helicopter landing area here.

Tomorrow we will reach Temuco. Today I’ll stop here. I’ve reached this petrol pump. It’s almost 9:00 pm – 8:50 pm actually – and the sun is still shining on my forehead. I’ve taken coffee. I’ll drink it and then decide what to do.

160 km is a long distance. Today I’ve done around 165 km. Tomorrow’s target is 190 km. There’s nothing much on this route – just highway for 1000 km. So I want to finish it in 6–8 days.

I asked them if I could pitch my tent here. They said I could set it up here or at the back. This place looked better to me; the other side is full of junk. There are five or six dogs roaming around, but they won’t trouble me. I’ll sleep peacefully. There will be some road noise, but that’s fine.

Sunset has already happened. It’s 9:40 pm. I was just sitting and relaxing for a while. Now I’ll pitch my tent, eat something, and maybe use the truck drivers’ shower facility if they allow it for a small fee. It will be good to take a shower. All the truck drivers are parked at the back. Cars are on this side.

So I’m setting up my tent now. The tent is ready. I didn’t even fix it with pegs because there’s no wind. Even if wind comes, this area is protected. Now I’ll spread the mattress and arrange some food. I’ll remove my shoes, wear slippers, eat something and sleep. I’m quite tired.

So let’s end today’s video here. Stay happy, stay busy, stay joyful and stay healthy.
Jai Hind, Jai Bharat. Love you all.