A Tale of Two Drivers

The drivers in Chile are superb. Santiago, like all large cities, can be a little harried, but by and large, the drivers are excellent.
1. They know where their cars are
2. Respect for others on the road
3. Courteous, we moved over on the highway to allow a truck to merge, when he got past us, he blinked his hazards as thanks
4. Good passing etiquitte, when they pass, it is generally in safe zones, and they leave plenty of room between you and the car
5. They drive quickly, but with respect to the conditions

There are exceptions to this, but I have not seen many.

When we went towards and into Argentina, the story is a little different.
1. They are all impatient
2. Car control is limited
3. They pass in downright stupid locations (and come very close to you. I had to slow down and weave to avoid getting clipped by a tour bus)
4. They tailgate

Therefore, it is oddly appropriate that thir license plates have a horizontal black bar running through them. Again, there are exceptions to the rule, but it seems like someone sent a bunch of Albertan drivers down to teach the Argentinians how to drive.

Days 23 - 25 - Bringing it Home

A quick hop from Los Angeles to Talca to another Apart Hotel (Basically a condo rental). Boring city, a mall 500m away where we could buy food, and that's about it.

The next morning we headed to Los Quenes via Curico, where the square has 60 Canary Palms planted. Nifty place to sit and eat for a little bit. Then we continued on to Los Quenes which was gravel for about 20 km, then the last bit was rough gravel, but offered spectacular views of the mountains.

After some astronomy opportunities, we slept and arose early to make it to the Montes Winery in time for the early tour, so we could miss the rush hour in Santiago. There is a second road that leads to Los Quenes, which fortunately is used by the mining industry, so it is in much better shape than the road we took in. We arrived well in time despite some backups on the secondary roads. The tour was good, we got to see the cellar where the premium wines are stored in barrels (and they play music to them 24 hours a day. Seriously).

Heading back to Santiago, we had 180 km to ride, and gorgeous weather to do so. We took the back highway into the city in hopes of avoiding traffic and getting a better view. Frankly, from the little bit of big city driving we did, I'm glad we avoided at least some of it. The Chileans, while excellent drivers, arn't quite sure what to do with a motorcycle that is almost as wide as a car. That and the KLRs heat up to the point where I was concerned my pants were going to light on fire from the heat billowing from the engine.

Thankfully, the GPS made no errors and shepherded us in.

For The Game Of Thrones Watchers

Central Square In Curico

River Near Los Quenes

Sunrise In Los Quenes

Montes Winery

As the music gently weeps over the barrels

Bikes returned

Days 19 - 22 - Storm Chasing

There is little fun to be had while riding through rain. What enjoyment exists is elusive at best, and non-existent in most cases.

We left Ancud, believing that we had timed the showers. This was true, right up until the ferry began to dock on the mainland, when the skies opened up. Donning our rain gear, and in the process turning ourselves into moving traffic pylons, we headed north towards Puerto Varas. Unfortunately, we followed the band of rain for about 50 km, getting significantly wet until we gave up and stopped under a bridge. Eventually the skies cleared and we continued on. After filling up with gas just before the town, we figured that the 5 km we had left was a short enough distance to make it before we were rained on again.

This proved to be an incorrect assumption. As we were going slowly riding in town, there was no slipstream to keep the rain going around us, and simply got all our gear wet. Fortunately, the hotel (1920s German colonist house) was splendidly warm.

The rain continued the next day, though at first it appeared to be dry. We pulled off the main highway towards with the plan to see three of the seven lakes (A group of lakes in Chile), and possibly two more, but the rain dashed our enthuisasm for the additional distance.

As we drove through Paguinpulli, I saw a restaurant that met two conditions:
1. It had a roof
2. It was open

We pulled into the parking lot, which turned out to be several inches of loose gravel, and the owner (Luis) dashed out to help us move the bikes to the more solid parking, then invited us inside, and promptly moved a number of chairs and hung our wet gear to dry.

It is not often that I am willing to drive a significant distance for a meal, however I encourage anyone who is within distance to go to El Mirador (S 39 38.578, W 72 20.426) and eat. Stopping in randomly, we had the best meal we have eaten in Chile and Argentina. I can here the critics saying that it was because we had a welcoming place to come in from the rain, but by the time the food arrived, we were already warm, dry and happy. Both of us had the Chicken Curry with rice (Chile grown) which was delicious to the point that my mouth is watering as I write about it. I should also mention that it happens to be built on a hillside and overlooks the lake.

Our bellies full we continued on as the rain had reduced itself to mere mist. Had it been dry, and there been no traffic (an accident backed up most of the 30km before Villarica), the road would have been a dream ride. As it was, we puttered along in second gear and admired the scenery.

Just after we arrived at the hotel we were joined by a Swede who is on a multi year trip around the world. Ken left Sweden in 2012 and rode all the way to Thailand, then shipped his bike and left Valpariso (Near Santiago) a few days ago, and by luck, was at the same hotel. Over dinner we shared our experiences with the roads and things to go see in Sourthern Chile, and taught him a few Spanish words (He speaks none).

The following morning, we aimed to wait out the rain for a couple hours by walking around the town, visiting an antique store that had been closed the day before (Some nice stuff, all unfortunately expensive), then set out when it looked dry.

Now, one would think that bringing a meteorolgist with you would result in good forcasts. It seems that the southern hemisphere is different enough that it merely gives a false of confidence, what we think is right, isn't. It rained all the way up until we hit the Routa 5 (About 60 km), and despite waiting under a tree for some time, the rain didn't lessen much. The hop to Temuco was short, and allowed us to go see the railway museum (It was closed), and wander around the town enough to realize that it is like Edmonton, if you don't work there, or have family/friends there, your reasons to end up there are pretty limited. So after a good sleep and a hearty breakfast (Nectarine pie among other things) we made the hop to Los Angeles, Chile, which is also a town like Edmonton.  So we left and returned to El Rincon, the location we stayed our first night on the bikes, and have spent the afternoon drying our gear and wandering the extensive property.

Under the bridge

Inside the El Mirador

The Curry

They grow everywhere down here

A view of the common room in Villarica

The Honks of Chile

The drivers here use their horns more than back home. I classify them into three categories:
1. Idiot! What do you think you are doing?
Tone: This is an angry honk, can be long and sustained, or a series of blasts.
Meaning: Used in impatience when stuck and they feel traffic should be moving, when pedestrians don't move quickly enough.

2. I'm here!
Tone: A polite little beep
Meaning: Primarily used to let other drivers know they are passing.

3. Good to see you!
Tone: Varies, can be short, long or a series (usually less than three) of blasts
Meaning: Nice bike, car, person on the side of the street.
Easily confused with the other two.