Southern Exposure

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 stopped at the resort of Aquas Calientes at the entrance to the park in order to finally try the hot springs that we have been missing out on despite many opportunities on this trip. We checked out the outdoor pool by the river but decided it would be too much trouble trying to change into bathing suites and disturb the peace and quiet that groups of old people were enjoying at the pool, so we opted for a private double tina (two bath tubs) for a 45 minute soak. The tubs had regular facets but we made sure to confirm that the water we were soaking in was thermal, and after adding salt and herbs to our tubs we immersed ourselves in an hour of steamy relaxation.

After our thermal session we got on the bikes and drove into the park for 20 km along a dirt road in a temperate rainforest passing a ranger station from where we were able to ride up to the crater of Volcano Raihuen. The trail had spectacular views of the cordillera and it felt very strange to be riding along the ridge of the volcano, amongst ski lifts and volcanic rocks.

We left the park around 2:30 pm, and found an unexpected dirt road turn from Entre Lagos to Ensenada, which was the direction we were planning on going, driving around the north side of Lago Llanquihue. We passed through small villages and some attractive farmland with rolling meadows. After a couple of hours we reached a paved road that curved around the west side of the lake with views of the majestic Volcano Osorno in the distance.

Our enjoyment of the paved road didn’t last long and we were soon back on the dirt road heading along the lake to Ensenada, a small lake-shore village. Matt was struggling with a splitting headache and we discussed staying here for the night in one of the cute lake bungalos, but decided to press on to Puerto Montt for the sake of making time.

Thankfully the road was paved and continued along the lake with beautiful views of the volcano. We made it to Puerto Montt around 7 pm and found the town to be pretty grim. After settling in a hotel in the center, we went to find dinner and realized that our clocks were an hour ahead of the local time. That was good news for the sleepy heads like us. Back at the hotel, we watched the second World Superbike race, which again to our surprise was won by the American rookie Ben Spies.

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 capped volcanoes and deep clear lakes.

After another stale bread & jam breakfast at the hotel we were determined and managed to be on the road by 9 am. Going out of town we finally saw the tents of the “Moscow On Ice” circus we’d seen advertised all over town. I waved hello to my fellow Russians. 🙂

After a short 60 km on R 5 we turned east into the lake district towards Lago Villarica, the biggest lake in the region. We decided not to go into Pucon, the region’s most visited town, because we had a long itinerary and did not want to lose time back tracking.

We stopped outside of the town of Villarica to take pictures of the lake backdropped by the symmetrical cone of Volcan Villarica, and continued going south around the east side of Lake Calafquen to Coñatipe. The road was nicely paved and the surroundings reminded us of home in the Pacific Northwest. We felt like we were riding on the Olympic Peninsula or in the Cascades – everything around was lush and green, the skies were clear blue, the sparkling water was reflecting the ridges of the mountains, and the neat village homes had well manicured loans with abundant fruit trees and flower gardens.

As I was riding I imagined how nice it would be to have a picnic on one of the lakes, particularly I had a clear picture of a lunch spread consisting of a loaf of bread, cheese, smoked salmon, and a ripe tomato. We stopped in Coñatipe to see if we can make my dream come true. We saw a little kitten by the road and thought it was a good sign for us to pull up to a bakery. They had a loaf of bread, a piece of cheese and a few pastries for dessert. As we walked outside, I saw a grocery store across the street that advertised smoked salmon and had baskets of fresh veggies outside. I was ecstatic. We’d gotten everything I wanted for our picnic, and now just needed to find a good place to have it.

The dirt road started immediately outside of town hugging the south eastern part of the lake. It wasn’t a bad road, but took a little getting used to after so many days of perfect pavement. It rewarded us with good views of the volcano and we were cruising along. Matt’s bike was not idling well, it was burning poorly at little or no throttle, which was troublesome, particularly since we just spent a lot of money fixing both bikes. After about 30 km on the dirt we were happily back on pavement and stopped for our picnic lunch at Panguipilli lake. Our spot had good views of the lake and its shores as well as the volcano and the surrounding mountain ridges. A herd of cows was feeding in the distance but other than that we were absolutely alone on the lake. We lingered, enjoying the perfection of the moment – the food and the scenery were exactly what I had in mind for our lake picnic.

After lunch and back on the road, we were not able to take the eastern route we were planning to do because the road was closed due to work with explosives. We continued to the town of Panguipilli which had a neat church on the main plaza and many colorful rose bushes lining the streets. Somehow along the way Matt’s bike fixed itself and was riding normal again. Nice! [There are some advantages to a carburetor after all! -Matt]

We found a half paved half dirt road that led out of Panguipilli to a town of Futorno on Lago Ranco (the second largest lake in the region) without getting on R 5. We filled up on gas there around 5 pm and continued on a dirt road along the south eastern shore of the lake enjoying the distant high and rugged mountains and passing a few sleepy villages.

From the scruffy town of Lago Ranco the road turned to pavement and we finished our route by riding to Osorno on R 5 and then turning east towards Entre Lagos, our destination for the night. There were a lot of stands on the side of the road selling fresh fruit, honey, chicha manzana (apple cider), and jams. This area is known for their sweet fruit, so we stopped to get some for the road. At the first stand the “uncapitalist” girl refused to sell me half the berry carton, so we stopped by another one, and the nicest lady was more than happy to sell me half the carton each of raspberry, strawberry and blueberry, plus an assortment of home baked cookies. She also poured me a glass of chicha for free. The lady was so friendly and warm that I felt extremely joyous after our encounter and in a great mood the rest of the evening.

At Entre Lagos we easily found a nice and affordable hostel and walked to the peer after sun set for a picture perfect lake view. We had access to the kitchen at the hostel, so I cooked us a quick dinner of fresh salad and pasta, which we savored with big smiles on our faces. This could not have been a more perfect day!

It was late by the time we were done with dinner so we retired to sleep anticipating another great day of riding in the Lake District.

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 a piece of cheese, saying this was all she had. Nice vegetarian restaurant! Clearly we are not destined to eat well in this town, so we went next door to a cafe and had coffee and a cheese sandwich.

We rolled out back onto Ruta 5, and it was more of the same. A large, straight highway riding between desert foothills. We arrived in Temuco around 2:30 in the afternoon and found our way to the Kawasaki dealer where we had an appointment to change the sprockets. We easily found the shop, but were told they were in siesta until 4. Realizing we wouldn’t be done until 6, we looked around town for a hotel. We found a nice hotel for only a little more than we wanted to pay, and had them put our bottle of white wine we were carrying since our wine tour in the refrigerator. After lunch in their restaurant we headed back to the dealer.

My rear sprocket was beyond toast as between Santiago and here about 1/4 of the teeth had broken off. Inna’s still had all its teeth but it was not looking good. I had really hoping by putting a new chain and sprockets on in Los Angeles that they would last the trip. That was over 10,000 miles ago, and a new chain and rear sprocket were not optional. At least they had what we needed in stock.

The owner of the shop was a cool guy and he had helped many travelers buy KLRs to pick up and ride South America. We chatted about the roads ahead of us and he told us the scenery would be fantastic. We had brought the laptop with us, and while I helped the mechanic replace the chains and sprockets, Inna did some writing. We left two hours after we had arrived relieved but much poorer. I hope this is the last major service needed because spending money on parts is very unsatisfying.

We returned to the hotel and got back to work. We eased our financial sorrow by enjoying our bottle of wine. I went out to pick up some carry out while Inna caught up on email and the blog. It was difficult finding food as all of the stores were either cell phone stores or pharmacies. I did find a replacement for the battery charger for the small camera that I managed to loose somewhere. It was an ingenious charger from China that was basically a clip with two adjustable leads that could charge almost anything and only cost $8.

I was able to get ahold of the World Superbike races from Qatar, so we watched the first race and had an early night. We had high hopes for the next few days riding as we were entering the lakes district of Chile where we were told the scenery is fantastic.

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 entertained by our packing in front of the hotel, but I think the management was happy to see us depart. No more dirty riders stomping across their nice lobby.

Getting out of Santiago was straightforward and soon we were back on Ruta 5 headed south. We had just done this road in the car the day before, and it was not an exciting road the first time around. It was a divided 4 lane toll highway, and it generally went straight south.

I was having a hard time getting mentally back into the trip, and this day’s ride did not help. Hot, straight, and boring are not a good combination. We ground out the miles, passing where we had exited to Santa Cruz and continued on south. It was interesting to see how different the scenery looked from a motorcycle rather than inside a car. I was sitting up higher, and without a roof in the way I could look around at the landscape.

We arrived in Chillán in the early evening, and looked at several hotels and hostels before settling on a hostel set back from the street run by a nice old man. You could tell he was an orderly person by how clean and well organized the hostel was kept. Our room seemed nice enough and the price was right.

We went into town to find dinner, as we had skipped lunch to make more miles. We had a hard time finding any place that looked good, and settled on a pub with outdoor seating on a pedestrian street. We ordered a vegetarian pizza and waited and waited and waited. After half hour, we received our vegetarian “pizza”. It was flat bread covered completely with a bed of corn, with slices of tomato and green beans resting on top. We were not amused. No cheese, no tomato sauce, and no dough does not make a pizza, this is a salad on a piece of bread. What took half an hour? We refused the “pizza” and went up the street to the German restaurant, which was fast and satisfying.

When we returned to the hotel room, it was clearer why it was such a good deal. The room had a strong greenhouse effect going, it was very hot and stuffy inside. We opened the window, which was really a small door to the patio, but the room instantly filled with mosquitos which prompted us to closed it back. It was a hot, uncomfortable night’s sleep.

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 to be a more practical than a tourist day. The plan was for me to go shop for motorcycle parts while the ladies went to the mall to pick up some accessories for Inna and some wool undergloves for both of us if they had any. We’d meet up afterwards for lunch.

When I had dropped off the rental car the day before, I’d stopped by the Kawasaki dealer to check on the bikes. The steering bearings had been replaced successfully, but upon inspection the front brake pads were low. To my great chagrin, the rear sprockets were both finished as well but I hadn’t noticed. I told them to go ahead and put new pads in the front, but they didn’t have any rear sprockets.

I went off to the intersection of 10 de Julio and Lira, where the cheaper motorcycle shops were clustered. I wish we had areas like this at home. There were 9 or 10 shops all selling various parts and accessories for all types of bikes. After visiting them all, the bad news for me was no rear sprockets. If I had been paying attention I would have had my mother bring some along with all the other parts. I stopped by the Kawi dealer to remove the broken Starcom push to talk buttons for warranty exchange and returned to the hotel.

To my surprise, the ladies were still out front waiting for the free shuttle bus to the mall and they’d been waiting for half an hour. They’re much more patient than I am. We hopped in a taxi and took the long ride over to the mall. The mall was a standard mall and we could just as well have been in Orange County. Inna found what she was looking for but none of the gloves at the North Face store would fit under our winter riding gloves.

We couldn’t resist the exquisite mall cuisine after so much typical Chilean/South American food. We loaded up on iced coffees/lattes/frappacinos at Starbucks before we shopped, and when we were leaving, we decided we’d go to Asian Bistro. A cuisine with a different palette sounded so good and Inna and I were salivating over the idea of spices and curries. We had a nice family lunch together outside on the patio. I was so happy to eat vegetarian noodles in a peanut sauce, while Inna had a curried eel. Our taste buds were bursting with joy to experience something different.

After returning to the hotel, Inna and I left to pick up the bikes so we could get an early start the next day. The parts were more expensive than they should have been, but the real kicker was learning that they had put synthetic oil in the bikes. I was livid and let it be known. We had discussed the oil to be put in beforehand, and the word synthetic had never come up. I should have been more specific but I really thought it was all clear. This is very frustrating as the the red bike will now get to burn and leak more expensive oil. With nearly 20,000 miles on the bikes, switching to synthetic isn’t a bad move, but I would prefer not to waste the money on the red bike given the rate it consumes oil.

I did manage to get a 20% discount on the bill, and we rode off back to the hotel. It felt good to ride again, and even better to have a bike that steers easily. Inna had become so used to stiff, notchy steering she thought the bike felt unstable. The garage attendant at the hotel was surprised to see us again as we parked ourselves in the same spots.

We lounged around the hotel and watched a soap opera being filmed in the lobby. 5 o’clock rolled around, and it was time for my mother and aunt Susan to go to the airport. We said our farewells and they were off in the taxi to the airport. It was a sad moment for me, as it had been great to see my mother again, especially after missing xmas, and getting to see my aunt Susan was a wonderful surprise. Inna and I really enjoyed having them visit and it felt a little quiet with them gone.

We had one night of guaranteed comfort left, so we ate dinner in the hotel room and spent the evening doing our favorite past time, writing. Our wonderful vacation from our vacation was over. My back was finally starting to feel better and I didn’t notice it every time I moved, so the week off the bike had paid big health dividends.

We uttery failed and took zero pictures today.

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, and everything in between.

We had a 12 pm reservation for a horse carriage tour and lunch at Viu Manent winery. Due to a wait for our laundry at the hotel we were 20 minutes late. Not a big deal we thought, we are on Chilean time after all. No such luck. The tour operator told us stiffly that he was “terribly sorry” but the tour was scheduled at 12 and they only wait for 15 minutes, so we were too late and if we wanted, we could take a tour at 3 pm. No thanks! “For your own sake you could have at least offered us to visit the wine store for a tasting and some wine purchasing…” we thought. But he was not that smart, so we moved on to another winery that was marked with a star in our guide book.

As always, things happen for a reason and usually better things come your way as a result of a mishap. The winery we chose to visit instead was Viña Montes, a highly successful premium wine producer of deep, rich, concentrated oaky red wines and crisp whites. Their Cabernet Sauvignon was the first export wine out of Chile, and they were the first ones to plant their vineyards on the hills (Stefano, I know you will appreciate this fact! 🙂 )

In addition, their gravity-flow winery was designed according to Feng Shui principles; and they play soothing classical music (while we were there it was Gregorian chants) in the cellar to their barrels like a woman sings to her unborn child during her pregnancy.

We were late for the vineyards tour but joined another couple for the cellar tour and tasting. We tasted four different wines, the best of which was 2006 Montes Alpha Cabernet Sauvignon, aged for 12 months in French oak barrels. Their most prized wines are Montes Alpha M and Montes Folly, which is what Judy and Susan purchased to take home.

Matt and I settled for a 2006 Montes Alpha Merlot, selected by Wine Spectator as both one of the top-scoring Merlots around the world and one of the Best Values in Merlot.

We then walked to the vineyards and sampled some Cabernet Sauvignon grapes which were quite tasty and awoke our appetite for lunch. For lunch we chose Panpan Vinovino (Bread Bread Wine Wine) just a few km west on the main road.

The sister restaurant Mistela was next door and had outdoor seating in a wonderful garden. Since their menus were interchangeable we opted for an outdoor seating and had the best lunch of this trip in the most pleasant surroundings, accompanied by a Ventolera Sauvignon Blanc we purchased a few days ago. Yay for no corkage fees!

The highlights of lunch were an eggplant casserole with polenta, Chilean style quail, salmon & vegetable “mold”, and lime meringue cake. As if to seal the restaurant’s status in the top three of the trip, a handsome cat strolled in just in time to be rewarded with left over quail and mashed potatoes for his cuteness. Happy, full and extremely satisfied we got back in the car and drove back to Santiago.

Back at the Plaza San Francisco and after a few hours of rest we went out to the Bella Vista pizza restaurant that Matt, Judy and Susan tried before. This was our last night together as Judy and Susan were leaving the next day for US.

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 boutique I was dying to check out. This place has caught my eye on the Valparaiso marketing flyers, it is a boutique of a local designer Pitti Palacios called Design for Valparaiso.

It is a gem if you appreciate one of a kind original fashion design. Pitti uses pure sheep or alpaca wool that is hand spun and then woven on old-fashioned wooden looms to create fabrics of her own design that she uses to make her pieces. Each piece is unique but belongs to a distinctly handcrafted ingenious collection. Her deconstructive look is modern but rooted deeply in traditional craftsmen weaving, fiber and textile production techniques. Being a sucker for smart fashion, I absolutely fell in love with her style.

Originally I didn’t plan on buying anything, but as I tried things on it became apparent that I just have to have a piece from her collection. It is the type of clothes you keep in your closet for ever and develop a relationship with, like a piece of art that brings a smile to your face every time you look at it. I ended up buying a dress and Judy gave me a sweater as a belated birthday present. Thank you, Judy and thank you to Pitti and her cousin for a tour of the studio and a great shopping experience!

Well, my day was made, but to make it even sweeter we popped into a chocolateria, that we spotted yesterday when it was closed. Finally, at 11 am it opened its doors to the first customers of the day. Judy and Susan went for a glass of pure chocolate which turned out to be a delicious bitterly sweet chocolate melt that reminded us of chocolate pudding but thicker, chocolateier and tastier. Matt and I opted for a shot of espresso dissolved in chocolate, it was just the right consistency and excellent flavor. Too bad the owner didn’t have her special chocolate mix to sell to us.

I had a great time in Valparaiso and could have easily spent a few more days there soaking up the city’s vibes, but it was time for us to move on.

Since we were so close to Viña del Mar, which is a famous resort town just 15 minutes north of Valparaiso, we figured we will get lunch there before moving south. Unfortunately, the morning fog was still covering the town and riding into it we didn’t think it was all that special, so we decided to get back on the highway and head to our next destination of Santa Cruz in the Colchagua Valley.

The drive of about four hours back through Santiago and south on Ruta 5 was pretty hot and boring. We stopped for a quick lunch at McDonalds, which we really never eat at at home, but on the road for the sake of cheap, fast and reliable food service I have to admit that we crave it once in a while. After we eat the food we wonder why we eat there.

We reached Santa Cruz around 4:30 pm and settled in our boutique hotel Vendimia. It was a very charming old mansion renovated to perfection with top line modern appliances and lots of character. The guest service lady was absolutely adorable in her French-made outfit; she was running around making sure we had everything we needed, and also spoke better English than the owner.

We all hit the pool area right away. I found a spot in the sun and worked hard to enhance my tan that since Central America has all but disappeared. Judy and Susan were reading in the shade, and Matt was typing away on the blog. We were treated to a welcome glass of wine served by the pool as we enjoyed our leisurely afternoon in the wine country. Its a tough life but somebody has to live it. 🙂

As the sun set we went to find dinner. Apparently not only on Sundays but on Mondays too most restaurants are closed. I tell you, its not easy to find a place to eat at a time convenient for you, or a normal time that we are used to at home. Places are closed on Sundays and Mondays, they don’t open till 11 am, they close for siesta from 1 to 9 pm, very strange schedules! We did manage to find one of only three restaurants that were open on Monday night that the hotel owner recommended. A parillada meat combo sounded like a good choice, since neither Judy nor Susan had tried it before. We ordered a parillada for two, and needless to say we had enough left overs for a complete dinner for two. The meat was ok, not as good as the plate we had in Salta.

We walked back to the hotel in total darkness through the deserted residential neighborhood. It didn’t take us long to fall asleep after a tough day of shopping, chocolate eating and relaxing by the pool.

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 mom) went to rent a car while I was researching our trip itinerary and making hotel reservations. By 12:30 pm we finally packed the car trunk to the maximum with our belongings and were ready to hit the road. Getting out of town and on to Ruta 68 west was super easy. We drove through the Casablanca Valley, what is considered some of the most fertile land in Chile, a narrow plain hammed in by the Andes to the east and the coastal range to the west, covered with immense orchards, vineyards and patchworks of greenery. The ride was uneventful apart from spotting a few horse-drawn carts and huasos (Chilean cowboys) on horses plodding down the side of the highway. In about an hour and a half we descended into Valparaiso’s eastern edge and after the usual muddling around one way streets and steep labyrinthine hills we finally located our hotel in the Concepcion area.

Our hotel Latitud 33 Sur was a good choice and great value, considering its central location and simple, comfortable and modern design. We unloaded the bags and set off for the city tour.

Valparaiso, Chile’s second largest city, used to be South America’s busiest port before Panama Canal. I have been looking forward to visiting Valparaiso, and my first impression was exactly what I imagined it to be, a bustling, disorderly, bohemian, charming town. Its jumbles of colorful houses nestled in the folds of its 45 cerros (hills) overlooking the ocean make it a great city for walking.

We spent a few hours walking around its narrow streets and hills, taking in the magnificent panoramas and enjoying the lovely colors and architecture of historic homes.

The two things that caught our attention right away were a great number of incredible graffiti art all over the city and the fact that locals are not conscientious about curbing their dogs, as stinky poop is everywhere.

No trip to Valparaiso is complete without a ride on one of its fifteen ascensores or funicular lifts. During our town excursion we rode three different ones, and while the rides lasted less than a minute, and the cars had rickety frames and made alarming noises, it was a lot of fun to ride them.

After the city tour we opted for a cheesy tourist activity – a boat ride around the bay. For $3 each we got outfitted with orange vests and sat in the boat for 15 minutes waiting for it to fill up with tourists.

When we finally departed we sailed through huge cargo ships and a number of Chilean navy vessels, heading north around the bay.

One of the main attractions of the ride was huge sea lions lounging around a buoy.

The boat did a circle around the buoy and headed back to the peer. The whole ride took as long as waiting in the boat, but that was probably as much as our attention span could have endured anyways.

After the boat ride we made our way back to Cerro Concepcion hoping to dine at a French bistro we noted on the way down. Unfortunately, as many other places in the neighborhood it was closed on Sunday evening, so we settled for one of the hotel restaurants that had an outside patio with a beautiful view of the surrounding hills and the water.

I finally tried the local sea bass and felt obligated to share it with the cutest, thinnest and the most fearless cat that was begging everyone for food on the patio, and melted our hearts. We all had a good laugh about the cat, making it pose with us for pictures. After dinner we walked back to the hotel and retired to sleep shortly thereafter.