It looks like it's been a while since we updated our little diary!
So, we met the amazing owner of Chilewheels Adventure to rent a motorbike after our trip in Mendoza, Argentina! This startup is worth at least a short presentation. Andres was working for years in theaters to build scenes, but this business was decreasing and he was looking to do something different. As he loves to travel, he thought about transforming cars into living spaces for travelers in Chile — like campervans! His son, very nice young man (Manolo), helps him with deliveries.
We saw one of their campervans in a parking in San Pedro de Atacama — that's how we discovered them. Andres was very welcoming. He took us up from the metro station and offered to spend a night inside one of the campervans. But we were looking for a moto, to go anywhere, especially off-road. Lucky us, Andres had just started the motorbike business. We left one of our bag packs at Andres' place as he could directly send it to our final destination. Very useful for us.
The Plan and the Ride
Our overall plan was to drive along the seaside to the south, and come back in the middle of the country to do the lake region until reaching Puerto Montt, Chile (the north of Patagonia!). This is what we did in 11 days. It was sooo good to be free and independent. We missed it so much because it's not easy everyday as a backpacker to go whenever and wherever you want!
We started to ride after lunch with a good weather. Our first destination was the seaside — the famous city of Valparaíso, Chile. When we reached the seaside, it was better. We slept in an amazing place with a view of the sea and a lighthouse. What a good start!
Valparaíso
Chile: The Beautiful and the Sad
We crossed so many nice and silent forests, the seaside was incredibly beautiful and the landscape of the lake region was breathtaking. However, everything was not perfect. We also saw bad stuff: many forests burnt or cut, and it was very difficult to reach most of the lakes as everything is privatized... It's even a problem for the people of Chile. Oh yes, and the people of the South of Chile were much cooler with us compared to the North.
The road conditions in Chile are quite good and we had 80% of the time good weather, even if it was cold on the motorbike. We didn't have any accident or trouble with the motorbike. Globally a smooth but a little tiring adventure.
Bodega Bandido Neira
When we were close to Concepción, we did a nice round trip to visit the bodega of Bandido Neira. Felipe welcomed us like a member of his family and we spent a really nice moment with him. We tried a few vines, visited the forest close by (and met a big spider) and the vineyards, and came back for a very good lunch. Felipe even offered us one bottle of wine each! It was really perfect for our next evenings in nature :-) Thanks again for everything!
Wildlife, Camping, and People on the Road
Most of the time, we found very nice places to drop our tent — in a forest, or in front of a lake or the ocean. Only one night we went to a hotel to rest and take a shower :-)
We had a few nice moments with animals. There are so many birds, especially eagles, during all our trip. We had a very specific time with deer. We also saw a big spider, a very tiny frog, dolphins and so many lovely dogs everywhere! At least, in Chile, they love dogs.
The last 2 days were a bit boring for us because it was raining a lot! We couldn't see much of the lakes and it was riskier with the motorbike. We thought about extending 3 days to go to Castro but it wasn't worth it. So, we dropped the motorbike. Malono welcomed us with tea to warm up. Chilewheels Adventure is a very nice and honest company. Feel free to contact Andres!
Now it's been 2 days we are resting in Puerto Montt and we are preparing our last month of our world trip! Mixed emotions to be honest with you...
October 18–30, 2018