One Mistake = D€ad | World’s Craziest Road (Ep.22)

Just like our farmers are not desperate to go to Ladakh. Those who grow wheat in Haryana, Punjab or Rajasthan, or those who belong to villages, know that feeling. You may not get to see these mountains again in your life.

Here I am seeing many Aramco petrol pumps. Aramco is the Saudi company.

Namaskar, salaam, Sat Sri Akal, Ram Ram to everyone – many good wishes for the New Year. In Haryana we say, “New Year ki Ram Ram sab ne.”

Right now I am in Chile, in a city called Coyhaique, which lies in the middle of the Carretera Austral. The Carretera Austral is said to be one of the most beautiful roads in the world, about 1,200 km long. Roughly 600 km on one side, 600 km on the other, and this city lies in the centre.

From here, I will start riding again and move north towards Alaska. I rested here for three days because I reached on 31st December. On 1st January the whole city was closed. On the 2nd, only a few shops were open. Today is the 4th of January.

Do you know how much the hostel cost? 30 dollars per day – and that too for a dormitory room where six people were sleeping and not a single bed was empty. I have never seen so many tourists. Mostly bikers and backpackers. Caravan travellers usually do not stay here.

I met many travellers and had conversations with amazing people. My body also got some rest after three–four days. I edited one or two videos and shared them with you. Now it’s time to move again. New videos will come.

In the last two days, the weather has changed suddenly. Earlier the temperature was around 10–15°C. Now it has crossed 30°C. The locals say they do not even have fans in their houses, forget about air conditioning. They say such heat in the first week of January has never happened before. When I arrived, there was snow on the mountains behind the city, but it melted within two days. This is global warming. So please, save our planet.

Dhano is ready. Route 7, Carretera Austral – we are riding through the centre.

I wanted to get a haircut here. First of all, the price was very expensive – around ₹2,000 just for a haircut – and only by appointment. There are only three or four salons in this city. So I could not get it done. I will get a haircut later in Puerto Montt, about 400–600 km ahead, where the Carretera Austral ends. My hair has grown very long and feels strange.

When I arrived earlier, there was strong wind. Now there is no wind at all. We are riding out of this beautiful city.

On the first day I arrived, I faced a problem. I had nothing to eat and it was New Year’s Eve. By 9:30 pm the market was closed, and for the next two days most shops remained shut. I survived on porridge. At one corner, there was a burger shop. I requested the shopkeeper to give me just bread; I arranged the rest myself. So I ate bread for two days.

In this city, I have seen many Mahindra vehicles, especially Scorpio utility trucks – the cargo versions. People here seem to love them.

There is a supermarket chain called Unimarc; it is the biggest here. I bought some supplies from there yesterday.

Ahead, I will start seeing small settlements, so food will not be a big issue.

As I said, I see many Aramco petrol pumps here. There’s one right in front, and a Shell pump beside it. And that’s it – the city ends here. Now Route 7 begins again. Time to climb.

Look at the beautiful trees and the small, lovely houses. There is a mountain ahead, and on the other side flows the Simpson River, one of the most beautiful rivers here.

Let me show you something – this is the fire brigade station. It’s a small town, yet there are eight fire trucks here. Three on this side, three at the back, and more parked. Eight trucks in such a small city!

Come on, Dhano, pull strong. Let’s quietly ride 100 km today.

I have come out of Coyhaique – 810 km marker behind me. The city looks beautiful from here, settled in the lap of the mountains. I am climbing, so I am a bit breathless.

There are small parrots here, not the big ones. Later I will show you the big macaws in Brazil. These small ones are chirping and fighting with each other.

There is a wind turbine here. From a distance it looks small, but each turbine requires huge equipment, all lying around here.

This road ahead goes straight and then loops around, adding 15 extra kilometres, including 5 km of gravel. The current route has 10 km of gravel and a steeper climb, but it is shorter. Even if the climb takes one extra hour, I will still save two hours overall. So I have chosen to stay on the Carretera Austral and not take the longer detour.

After riding a little further on gravel, I will stop somewhere on the side and have breakfast.

Only 4–5 km of gravel left for now.

I saw some shade here, so I thought I should stop for a while. The temperature has reached 30°C. If I push too much in this heat on the very first day, it will create problems later. So I will ride slowly and steadily. There are 4–5 km of gravel. After that, there will be a downhill stretch. I will rest for 4–5 km and then continue.

It’s 12:00 noon now. I should be able to cover 4 km in an hour. After that, I’ll comfortably reach my destination. I might arrive early today. My target for today was 80 km. Now we will have brunch – a mix of breakfast and lunch. Let me prepare it and show you what I’m making.

Cucumber, paneer, onion, tomato – and this is the local bread. One of our brothers who lives here in Chile, Mr Prithvi Setia, advised me to buy this particular bread. He said this bread is slightly fermented and is good for health. So thank you, brother. I bought it as you suggested and now I’ll eat this one. He said this bread does not feel heavy in the stomach.

He also advised me to buy this paneer. So I got it. Now this has become a proper meal. There is some protein too. Paneer is basically a type of cheese, but we call it paneer. Here they just call it cheese. I don’t know exactly which type of cheese it is.

This is how the bread looks. So the meal is ready.

Today I am feeling something special. It reminds me of childhood holidays in April, when it was neither too cold nor too hot, and we used to go to the fields for wheat harvesting. Sitting down and eating food during harvesting – that same feeling is coming back. Those who grow wheat in Haryana, Punjab or Rajasthan, or who belong to villages, will understand that feeling. There is hard work, but also satisfaction that grains will come home for the family. From those grains, we would even get some money for sweets and gajak.

It’s a lovely feeling, and the food is good too. God has given me this meal with great love, so I eat it with gratitude. I do not eat non-vegetarian food. If I did, I could eat anything here – sauces and all kinds of food are available. But my conscience does not allow me. In Rajasthan and Haryana, we say, “We’ll manage somehow.”

So, the meal is done. Out of the 1,200 km route, 600 km are completed and 600 remain. Throughout this route, there is something amazing. On both sides of the road, the mountains look blue – or maybe purple. These purple flowers add so much beauty to the route. They even have a fragrance, like incense burning softly. A gentle scent flows as you ride along.

Look at the colours – black mountains, white snow, dark green plantations, and these purple flowers below. This is plantation farming. These trees will grow big, then be cut, and planted again. The view is very beautiful, and the fragrance even more so. The climb is also quite steep. I am climbing up to there. After that, just 1–2 km more, then I will ride downhill comfortably.

For the past 6–7 km, I have been walking because the gravel was very bad. Now it has ended and I can see the main road ahead. Come on, let’s go! Finally, the road is here! My hands feel so tired because gravel roads put a lot of pressure on them.

There is a small bus stop here. Maybe buses stop for some nearby village. The temperature right now is 31°C, and it feels like 34°C. I’ll rest a little. It’s 2:30 pm. I still have 45 km left. I should reach by 8:00 pm.

Nature is strange. Where I am sitting, it is 35°C. But the mountains in front are covered in snow, and up there it must be 0°C. They are just 5–10 km away. Normally, it is not this hot here. This is what global warming looks like.

I feel like flying the drone here, but there are electric wires above. It might get stuck. Still, maybe I’ll try.

After resting, I realised I had only carried 2.5 litres of water, and I drank all of it today. After one year, this is my first ride in such heat. For the next two or three months, it will be all heat. We should not complain about it. Today was the first day, so I mentioned it. I won’t keep saying it again.

This road is truly beautiful. I am not lying. I have been saying in the last few videos that it is very beautiful. My heart has fallen in love with this route.

I needed water, and luckily I found some. I bought a 2.5-litre water bottle for ₹200, and also a small juice. Since it’s the first day of heat, I need to be careful. I thought I would find streams or waterfalls on the way, but today I didn’t see any. So I have to manage like this.

The heat is clearly affecting me. The climb is tougher than I expected. It’s almost 5:00 pm and still 30°C. There is headwind too. Now I think I will reach by 9:00 pm instead of 7:00 pm.

Here is a small temple. They have temples here too. There is a statue inside, and people light candles. There is also a place to sit.

It’s 6:30 pm. I thought the road would be fully paved. Only 10 km was paved; the rest is gravel. It’s very difficult to ride. We could have come from the other side. The highway was there. Carretera Austral was this way, but there was also a national highway. I made a mistake and ended up riding 50 km of unnecessary gravel. But it was also an experience.

My lips have become dry, probably because of the heat all day. Now only 12 km are left. I will reach soon. The road is good now. I have covered 1,640 km towards Santiago. We will go till Santiago in Chile and then turn aside.

Only 7–8 km remain. It’s 7:40 pm. I should reach in half an hour. The gravel roads really exhausted my hands today.

I stopped at a small bus station inside what seems like a village. A camping site is showing just 500 metres ahead. I’m going there.

Oh wow, there’s a river here. So friends, I have reached the camping site. Look at this place. It’s beside the river. I will pitch my tent here and then maybe take a dip in the river.

First, let’s set up the tent. Bathing can wait.

The tent is ready. Now it’s time for a bath. I’ll put the mattress inside later. I’m thinking whether to bathe in cold water or warm water. Since I’ve been in the heat all day, warm water seems like a better option.

I have taken my things. Look at this dog – about 2.5 to 3 feet tall. Its owner has gone inside.

He won’t go inside. He’s waiting for his owner. This is the park right in front of my camping place. And look, there it goes – an eagle. You can normally spot eagles here. Let me show you. There, see?

It’s 10:00 pm and it’s still not dark. Now I’ll cook something in 10–15 minutes and then go to sleep and take proper rest. See you in the morning.

That was my night’s stay. I’m awake now. It’s 7:30 am. I need to leave by 8:00 am. It will get very hot here, so I can’t afford to be late. I’ll pack my things now. This is my sleeping bag. Everything is set. Now we’ll leave. I need to fill water from there and then start.

Dhano is ready. Even after hurrying, I’m still 15–20 minutes late. The sun has become very strong already. Today the temperature will go up to around 32–33°C.

We’ve left the campsite. This was our campsite. Just as I exited, I saw a natural city park. Look how they are protecting the plants. In the beginning, it’s very difficult to protect plants. They’ve covered them with cloth so that direct cold or sunlight does not affect them. Once the plant grows strong, it survives on its own.

Inside the park, they’ve made wooden designs – everything is made from local wood. Look, they’ve made a wooden helicopter, a boat, and even a train. It looks very beautiful. It’s a small park but very well maintained. The gateway is also nicely built. Dhano is parked outside on the road.

I was waiting for a shop to open so I could buy something to eat for the journey. About 60–65 km ahead there’s another camping site. I plan to go only till there today because after that there’s a steep mountain pass. I won’t attempt that today. It’s too hot. From tomorrow the weather will improve. Today it will be 32°C, but tomorrow it will drop to around 20°C. See how much difference that makes.

Here’s a petrol pump. I’m thinking of having a coffee here before leaving. Someone was selling coffee and bread and asking me to take some. But I decided to get coffee from the petrol station instead. It feels a bit safer. The coffee cost ₹200, and I bought a muffin too so I don’t ride on an empty stomach.

I didn’t find a place to sit earlier, so I’ll sit and eat properly before leaving.

After coffee, I left the town. About 5–6 km out, I reached the town’s entry gate. From here, we have to continue on Route 7. From there, if possible, I’ll catch a ferry to Puerto Montt. If not, I’ll have to travel another 100 km and take three ferries.

Today I’ll go only 55 km till Villa Amengual. Not very far. Tomorrow there’s a climb, so I’ll take it easy. It’s too hot today, and even 55 km will take the whole day. I was hoping to reach by 2:00 or 3:00 pm, but the total elevation gain is 900 metres in just 55 km. That will be tiring, especially in this heat. I’ll rest somewhere for two hours in between.

At least today there’s no gravel. Yesterday’s gravel was terrible.

You see those small flags outside houses? That means rooms are available for rent. You can also go towards Argentina from here. I am riding almost parallel to Argentina – sometimes 10 km away, sometimes 40 km away.

If I had taken the Argentina side, it would have been completely flat – plain roads. But not as beautiful. So I chose this tougher route. We may never see the Andes mountains again in life.

There are so many tourists here. In villages, almost 70% of the houses are rented out or used as hotels or Airbnbs. Look at that mountain – green on both sides, black rock in the middle, and white snow on top. Stunning.

I’ve covered about 20 km. Forty kilometres remain. I should reach by 4:00 or 5:00 pm. Then I’ll have time to edit a video. That’s the biggest problem while travelling – either I travel for two days and edit on the third day, because after riding from morning till evening, it’s very hard to edit. By evening, I’m exhausted. The heat makes it worse. In the cold, it was easier. For the next few days the weather will be fine, but after Puerto Montt, towards Santiago, the temperature will be around 35°C with high humidity. Here there’s no humidity. Also, since we are in the mountains with glaciers nearby, even slight heat often brings rain.

Another big problem here is flies. They bite through clothes. I don’t know what they’re called, but they are quite dangerous and very irritating.

I refilled my water and continued.

I hadn’t planned to stop, but the view ahead made me pause. Look how beautiful that mountain is. Cyclists are passing by. This place is a paradise for bikers and cyclists. It’s a 1,200 km incredible route.

We are now very close to that tall mountain. It stands taller than the others, so it has its own identity.

Alright, friends – Japanese peanuts, roasted peanuts. Let’s eat and rest a bit. Twenty-five kilometres remain, and it’s 12:30 pm.

Just like bikers in India are excited to go to Ladakh, here in South America people are eager to complete this route. There are many cyclists and bikers. Just 2 km away, there is snow on the mountain, and here it’s 35°C. Nature is amazing – 2 km away it must be close to 0°C.

Look at that mountain – it looks like half of it has been cut away. Now the area has changed. The region is the same but the municipality is different. The name “Lago Verde” means Green Lake.

Yesterday there were purple flowers on both sides of the road. Today they are yellow. The colours keep changing. Below is the lake, then green hills, then black mountains and snow on top. Beautiful.

I’ve reached the town around 2:20 pm. I thought of going 8–10 km further, but why rush and then struggle to find a hostel or campsite? I’ll rest here first.

There’s a bus turned into a café, and another café there. Work is going on here. Now I’ll look for a campsite after resting for 5–7 minutes.

The police have set up a barrier there. A campsite is showing nearby, so I’ll go there. It’s a small town with a monument of horses and dogs. Looks lovely.

I tried finding a mini market, but here you often have to ring a bell for shops to open. I didn’t find much – just some orange juice.

There was only one campsite in this town, but it wasn’t very good. So I decided to move ahead. About 7–8 km further there’s another campsite. Tomorrow there’s a rough descent with bad gravel, so I need to be careful. A cyclist warned me about it.

I found a bed for around ₹2,000. Camping would have cost ₹1,000, but since I have to wake up early tomorrow, I chose the hostel. It’s near a river and very beautiful.

I’m cooking rajma (kidney bean curry). I don’t have tomatoes, so I’m making it without them. I’ll heat some rotis and eat.

There are 4–5 cyclists here. Everyone is cooking their own food and resting. Those who came from the north are very tired because the northern climb is all gravel. So everyone is preparing to sleep, and it’s not even 8:00 pm yet.

I had planned to fly the drone, but the wind is too strong. So maybe not today.

In the Patagonia region, there are so many birds. I see them during the day, but it’s hard to photograph or film them. Different birds sit on every tree. You can even see parrots here. There are different types of plantations, and they’ve displayed full information about each bird species.

Overall, today was a good day. Food is done. I planned to fly the drone, but the wind is strong, so maybe not.

Let’s end today’s video here.

Stay happy, stay busy, stay cheerful, stay healthy.

Jai Hind, Jai Bharat.