Dear Chile

Día 20: A short letter of love, rain and an impudent canine (44km)

Chapter 3 Fjordlands (6/6)

Komoot GPX Unidentified field near Lago Llanquihue-Entre Lagos (44km)

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Firstly, a newsflash!

Changes Afoot at 10,000km Arriba. New features coming soon.

• Posts reducing to twice a week

• More days covered per post

• Guest writers

• Interviews with transcontinental riders

But for now, back to the hot stuff (Chile).

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Dear Chile,

Gracias por the bamboo thicket protection from the rain this morning.

Gracias por solpaipillas con chili,

Por freshly baked bread and mermelada de cereza,

and an abundance of avocados.

Gracias por the generous amigos we made along the way,

Por the majestic fjords,

the ferries that flitted us between them,

Por the mighty volcanoes and their lack of explosions

as we passed.

The fresh air,

the heavenly lakes

and the sheer scale of your beauty.

Gracias por the greatest five day ride of our lives in wild Patagonia.

We shall never forget the 16 nights,

spent wrapped in canvas,

under your stars.

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And,

A brief ode to a dog.

You scrabbled up to waist height on a platform.

Played the most endearing game of high fives

with Jake.

You begged for bread (most cutely),

and you were refused.

But at the end of the breakfast, as the rain lashed down,

he saved you a small piece of his,

which you triumphantly trotted off with,

carried out onto the sopping grass

paused, dropped,

examined it closely,

before you looked back,

vindictively,

Straight Into His Eyes,

And pissed on it.

…

I salute you with all my heart.

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Some days on the road are less glamour and more hustle. We skid into Entre Lagos (Between Lakes) after 40+ damp kilometres. Jake slept in an uncovered tent last night and fortunately, the rains didn’t come. But it can’t go on like this.

After an unsuccessful afternoon trying to hitchhike over the mountain pass, we’ve called it quits and will get a bus to Bariloche. We were both very excited to test our new calves on a proper col, but the combination of tent deficiency and horrific weather prediction ended that dream for now. The rain forecast tomorrow makes Noah’s toil seem like puddle splashing.

Fortunately, we are the pair of bikepackers God hath chosen to save from the murky clouds.

A local bus journey to the regional city of Osorno, home of Chile’s greatest export Alejandro, follows.

A cosy guesthouse, another delicious cooking session from Jake, and a burning furnace to warm our socks soothes our souls.

It’s my first night in a bed since our São Paulo stopover, 22 suns ago.

As we snuggle down, the land of Messi calls. To Argentina we will be driven, with the promise of tents new and empanadas spicy.

To Chile, we will be back.

Nos vemos pronto.

End of Chapter 3

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If you enjoyed Chapter 3, why not like or leave comment on the Día you enjoyed the most? I’d love to hear from you.

Or, even better, send this to someone who you think would read it and perhaps take a similar leap.

You could even tell me about the travel day that changed your life here.

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See you next week!

Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Instagram | Komoot

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