Bike trip in Chile #2
19 February 2019 | By Marieke | No Comments
Let’s catch up with Bertrand, his bike and his STD 100 trailer on a ferry between Puerto Yungay and Puerto Rio Bravo in Chile.
The weather was quite good up till now, unfortunately the rain is joining the trip while on the ferry.
Forced to take a break for lunch in a small shelter along the road, Bertrand meets a farmer who invites him to share his lunch close to the fire.
This farmer is the owner of about 50 cows. He has no car, he rides his horse when he needs to get somewhere. He makes a living out of the meat he sells and by making ‘sogas’ : ropes used for bovine tools and horses.
Here, all houses look the same.
“They are small, with a main room, a kitchen made of wood used for cooking and heating the house. All houses here are quite isolated, they don’t receive gas or electricity. There are solar panels but they are mainly used to switch the lights on. Heating and cooking are made with fire. Getting wood is one of the daily activities here.”
That night, Bertrand finds a shelter on the road with a chimney.
Lots of wild animals cross the road of Bertrand and his bike, birds : ducks, cormorants, lots of hares and ‘huemuls’ : deers of the south of the Andes.
Finally, he gets to O’Higgins, which means the end of the Carretera Austral and the proximity with the Argentina border. There are only 60km to cycle and two ferries to take.
On the road before the ferry, Bertrand meets Pacha, a local dog that will follow him for a few miles.
Between the two ferries, things become complicated as there is no road anymore.
“I am forced to walk by the bike, but not because it’s steep, that’s why : “
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