17.11., 18.11.
I leave Valparaiso and drive on smaller roads a little through the wine valleys, sometimes on- sometimes off-road and spend the night in the small town Santa Cruz.
Looking for a place to stay I have read in the travelbook of the Lama Lodge, which is run by an Austrian-German team – or maybe not. It should be about 100km east of Talca somewhere in the forest. The description on their website is a bit poor: “Approximately 90km after Talca you are crossing the bridge ,Curillinque’. 100m after the bridge turn right and follow the road for 16km. 4WD recommended, the road is often in poor condition.” Well, the description is not quite true. 100m after the bridge ,Curillinque’ there is no diversion. The diversion is 100 meters after the next bridge. There is no sign for a lodge. I follow the gravel road.
Hard to believe, after 16km there is, in the middle of nowhere, really a Lama Lodge, even llamas are there, but no one else. Simply turning up seems not to work. I go back to the main road.
Later I found out, I did not want to go there. There is just a mountain lodge which belongs to the hostel. The main hostel is just a few miles from Talca.
I don’t want to go back to Talca and look for a place to stay in the city. I already kept my eyes open on the way to the lodge. Along the road there is a rest station with a small shop, a restaurant and a few cabanas. I stop and ask how much the night is. The lady thinks for a long time: “How much I can probably demand that he does not move on?” 8000 CLP / 12 EUR. That’s ok. Single room, bathroom, even if only cold water and cable TV.
19.11. – 20.11.
I took a very quick cold shower and was ready to go at 8am. I get on the bike and press the start button … nothing happens. What’s going on? The night was cold, probably problems with the battery. I push the bike in the sun and wait for a while. Maybe some heat helps. Unfortunately not. I take off the cover panel and check the water and contacts of the battery. Does not help at all. In one of my last posts I was surprised that the battery has not had any problems so far. I’m just glad that this did not happen in the middle of the forest.
I ask for help. The owner was approaching with his big pickup truck to give my small battery with his large one a jump start. I thought: „Maybe he is burning all my fuses.” But the bike started. I drive a few miles to charge the battery a bit, but soon realize that something is wrong. The instruments play crazy, the tachometer shoots up, the instrument lights are flashing like a Christmas tree, the injection does not work properly. „Hurray! ” I’m going back to the pension and packing the motorcycle. The owner jump starts my bike again and I just hope that I manage the 70km back to Talca to a mechanic.
After a few kilometers, the instruments start going crazy again, injection does not work too. After about 15km it kicked the bucket at the roadside.
I scream loud and angry in my helmet. There are four or five houses along the road. Where my bike died, a local, José, was working in his garden. I ask him for help. He said he knows a mechanic and phoned around. While we were waiting, we chatted a little, as far as my spanish allowed it. He told me about Chile. That there currently is a big economic upturn, that there are many raw materials and mines in the Atacama and also gold and uranium is mined in the area. I tell him about my trip and me.
No mechanic appears, even not after 1 1/2 hours and after José has tried several times to reach him. Then he said that it’s probably better to organize a pickup truck and bring the bike about 15 km further to a mechanic. I agree .. which other option did I have. José jumps on his bicycle and drives off .. and I .. I wait. After about an hour José came back with an old yellow pickup truck, a driver who is even older and two young men. I unload the bike and we put it via a ramp on the truck. At slow speed to the mechanic I can enjoy the scenery, the green valley and Lake Colbun with the wonderful turquoise water.
We reached a small village and stopped at the mechanic. Six of us lifted the motorcycle off the truck and pushed it into the yard. So I’m stuck somewhere and do my best to communicate.
The workshop belongs to Mauricio and his wife Laura, they are around mid 30’s and have a young son Joaquin, about 6 years. Mauricio is supported by his brother Santiago. The family moved about 8 months ago to this village. For 6 months they have had the land. The house is a simple wooden hut. Slowly they underpin a house around it. Mauricio and his family are good hearted people.
“Tranquillo“ (take it easy) is what I get to hear from Mauricio very often in the 26 hours I spend here.
Mauricio still served a few customers, he looks under the bonnets and repairs little things, I wait. Then he takes a look at my bike. I explain the problem. Mauricio detects that the battery is broken.
With Santiago I go to Talca, the next large city about 40km from the small village, to buy a new battery. This is a bit difficult, because the batteries they have in stock, the poles are reversed and therefore don’t fit into my motorcycle. We walk through several stores. A shop can offer the required battery until the next day.
That means, I can not move on today. On the way back I asked Santiago whether there is accommodation in the village. No, there is not, but he asks his brother if he knows someone .
Back in the village Mauricio says, “Tranquillo, first we have dinner, then I have some more work to do, then we’ll see.” So I have dinner with Mauricio, Laura, Santiago and Joaquin. Outside on a small wooden table, which threatens almost to break, I get a giant plate of lentils with sausage.
Mauricio works until it gets dark. He is a jack of all trades, looks under the hood, analyzes, detects and fixes every problem in a few minutes. Laura told me that people from all over the area come to him.
While Mauricio and his brother were working, I talk with Laura. Tell about Austria and my journey.
Later in the evening some relatives pass by. I can stay with them. After Mauricio has finished his work, we drive to the relatives. We have dinner once again. On TV they show the soccer match Brazil vs Chile. Chile lost 2-1. I can stay in one of the beds in the room of the sons.
After we had breakfast the next day, I showed on the internet where I come from and a few things about Austria. Before we go to Mauricio’s home and workshop, we say goodbye to the family. I wanted to leave some money, but they did not let me.
Some people passed by with their cars at Mauricios workshop. Mostly with small problems. I’m sitting in the yard watching him work. While people waited for Mauricio and Santiago to fix the problem, they surrounded me and asked me about my journey. Every one of them said goodbye with a handshake, sometimes with a hug, and wished me the best for my journey. I can not remember when I’ve seen such warmth from people that I’ve met just for a few minutes.
In the early afternoon Santiago and I pick up the battery in Talca. We put in the battery in the bike and check if everything is working. The bike is running and power is ok. “Tranquillo, now we eat and then we finish the bike.” So I eat one more time with the family, this time a giant plate of spaghetti.
Mauricio was happy that he could work on a BMW. Our meeting is an experience for me and for the family. Laura took pictures of him connecting the battery and the other equipment.
While Laura and Mauricio picked up Joaquin from school, I packed the bike and got ready for departure.
I asked Mauricio how much it was. „Tranquillo“, he did not want anything. I cannot leave that way. I was welcomed and cared for, they gave me shelter. Pretending I have to go to the bathroom, I left some money in the house. We exchanged contact information, took a few photos and said goodbye.
In the late afternoon I drive about 300km to a ski village about 70km east of Chillán. In the transitional period the village is almost empty. The snow is gone, the winter visitors as well, the weather is still cold, the summer guests have yet to come. Most shops and accommodation are closed. In the large hostel there are only two people working. Once again I feel like I’m in the movie „The Shining”.
21.11.
Today I will stay on Panamericana and stay overnight in Temuco, a bigger city. I need long socks for the cold weather and a post office.
22.11., 23.11.
A 400km “day trip” over Lonquimay to Pucón, turning left after Lonquimay on the 181, taking the R-95-S and S-61. It is an excellent ride through a wonderful landscape. About 150km on mostly good gravel roads. Sometimes you can go 80kph, in the rearview mirror a cloud of dust. Sometimes you have to take care not to crash into cows and sheep crossing the street.
Somewhere on the road there was a vintage car rally. At a short break, an old car passed me with high speed. I tried to catch up, but lost it in a village. I saw another one and organization vehicles. I made a few rounds and tried to find more, but did not succeed, so I continued.
Pucón is a tourist village. Hostels and tour organizers at every corner. It is located on Lake Villarrica and there is the nearby volcano Villarrica. But I need people around me to whom I could talk. I was mostly traveling alone the last couple of weeks. In the hostel I meet an Irish girl I’ve met in La Serena. Also a dutch woman, who was also in the hostel in La Serena.
While I was unloading my bike in front of the hostel, an Austrian from near Braunau stopped. He is living here for 20 years and spends each summer in Austria and comes back for the summer in the southern hemisphere. Before he moves on, he said tomorrow it will rain. He can see it in the clouds and he was right, it’s raining today.
Thank you for reading, Juergen.P.S. Not every journey ends happily. The motorcycle of Lauren and Adrian from Australia, I met at the airport in Bogota, was stolen in San Carlos de Bariloche in Argentina. After the thieves tried to start the motorcycle unsuccessfully, they threw it into a ditch about 1 1/2 km further. Unfortunately it was damaged in a way that a repair would have taken too long. Lauren and Adrian were 11 days before Ushuaia and a couple more from Buenos Aires and would have gone home soon.