Tuesday, March 17 Since this was going to be a long day’s ride, we awoke early and were on the road by 8:30. We were also trying to make it to the penguin sanctuary on the Islotes de Puñihuil, a rocky outcropping of islands on the Pacific coast west of Ancud. Two species of penguin, […]
Monday, March 16 It was a gray, wet morning when we awoke in Puerto Montt. We can’t remember who, but someone had recommended Puerto Montt to us at some point on the trip because it was circled on our map. In the morning drizzle, it had little charm and we were soon on the road. […]
Sunday, March 15 Our hostel room was very comfy and pleasant so despite our best efforts to be on the road early, we lingered a bit enjoying our breakfast of fresh berries purchased yesterday and finally rolled out around 10 am. We drove to Park Nacional Puyehue via a scenic road along Lago Puyehue and […]
Saturday, March 16 Today was one of the best and diverse days of the trip as we were venturing into the famous Chilean Lake District that stretches 340 km from Temuco to Puerto Montt. Our 2-day boredom run on the Panamerica was ending and being replaced with stunning scenery of dense forest, lush farmland, snow […]
Friday, March 13 We woke and showered to feel more refreshed and went out to find breakfast. We stopped in at the vegetarian restaurant we wished had been open the night before. We were told they served breakfast and ordered veggie omelets. After waiting for ten minutes, the lady returned with a tiny eggplant and […]
Thursday, March 12 Despite our good intentions, it took us time to tear ourselves away from our comfortable hotel room. We savored our final breakfast buffet. It was a little bit like putting Humpty Dumpty back together, but soon enough the old rhythm of packing returned and the bikes were loaded. The bell hops were […]
Wednesday, March 11 After another great night’s sleep in a proper bed, Inna and I went down to savor the breakfast buffet. My mother and aunt Susan were up earlier and had already eaten. They went back to the Plaza de Armas to watch the changing of the guard at the presidential palace. It was […]
Tuesday, March 10 We met for breakfast in the downstairs dining room around 10 am. Our favorite guest service lady was buzzing around replenishing the buffet spread and filling up our cups with tea and coffee. The buffet had an amusing selection of chocolate cereal, yogurt, cheese and salumi, tomatoes and avocados, jams and cookies, […]
Monday, March 9 After breakfast at the hotel we decided to do the final walk around the neighborhood in hopes of visiting some artist studios and artisan shops. Just like dinner doesn’t start till 9 pm in this part of the world, shops don’t open until 11 am, so nothing was open, except for one […]
Sunday, March 8 Today we were finally leaving our fine quarters at Hotel San Francisco for a two-day car trip. Our plan was to spend the night in Valparaiso and the next day head south for Chile’s Ruta Del Vino to check out the wineries in the Colchagua Valley. After breakfast, Matt and Judy (his […]