37.1 mi / 11.6 mph / 929 ft. climbing
Home: Dora Patricia’s Airbnb

We were up at 5:30am, not because the day was expected to be particularly long or challenging, but because we had the opportunity to keep ahead of things on this 5-day push. At our AirBNB just a couple blocks from the ocean it was again foggy enough for water to be dripping off the rooftop when we rolled out at 8:06am.

As expected, it turned out to be our easiest ride in Chile so far, evidenced by our double-digit average speed, the first time we’ve achieved that in seven attempts. The beach weekenders from yesterday had either all gone home by this Monday morning, or we quickly progressed far enough south to reach a less-touristy (and less-close-to-the-water) stretch of the coastal highway. Probably a combination of the two, it made for a comfortably-quiet road that was mostly flat, with the exception of two 250-foot up-and-down spikes to get over. A rare stretch of the Chilean coastline where the mountain wrinkles don’t reach all the way to the water.

We got into Constitución fast enough that we were able to save our packed lunches for the next day, and go to a restaurant instead. Rett independently found a place on Google Maps, but then was frustrated that she hadn’t understood how far from our AirBNB it was; I had no problem with seeing more of the city, and thought it was great how she’d found a place without my help, though the bumpy stone-embedded concrete streets and one-way street grid were a bit annoying. When we reached the dot on the map, it was a little surprising to see that it was just a “restaurant” attached to a minimarket, but then it was even more surprising to find a big banquet-hall-type room hiding behind the doors.

It was all decorated for a quinceañera and otherwise empty, so we weren’t even sure if they were “open”, but they were, and they were serving a “menu of the day”! I hadn’t even known that this economical option, common in Peru, was a thing in Chile. We both got a dish of noodles with some sort of stewed meat (not far from my mom’s “Hungarian Goulash”), and for our first actual “Chilean” food, found it flavorful (contrary to its reputation). We also got salad, bread, and for dessert, nectarines!

We got more money-saving help at the Unimarc grocery store, where the woman managing the automatic checkout keyed in the store’s code to save us $3 (a bunch of “6”s; I wonder if 867-5309 works in Chile…?)

Finally reaching our AirBNB, we found our backyard accessory dwelling to be very welcoming (if not the word’s cleanest). It included a small gift (which we couldn’t take with us), fresh fruit, candies, towels (seemingly a rarity), bath products, a host of kitchen accessories, and even a Bluetooth speaker!

With seven days of riding now under our belt in Chile, we had some experience with the route and ourselves that could inform us about our push to Christmas in Puerto Montt. We felt like we were doing pretty well, and with favorable weather behind and ahead of us, it even opened the possibility of briefly sliding over into Argentina on our way south.

Our 90-day entry to Chile runs out on February 7th. We plan to start riding Chile’s Route 7 (aka, the “Carretera Austral”) on January 2nd, and at the southern end, cross into Argentina. We might be able to do it in those five weeks, but it would be much more enjoyable if we could relax, take time off for bad weather, and not worry about a deadline. Apparently one way to accomplish that would be to fill out some online forms, pay US$100, and get a 90-day extension. But what if we end up leaving before the original 90 days are up? Does the 180-day clock remain ticking, awaiting our return? Who knows!

Another option is to leave Chile and then return, since all reports say that Chile’s de-facto practice is to give a fresh 90 days on every re-entry. Sliding into Argentina on our way to Puerto Montt would actually remove some uncertainty, save us a couple hundred bucks, and most-importantly, allow us to pass through one of the most-scenic sections of Argentina. The downside is that it’s obviously longer than the direct route to Puerto Montt, and thus would keep the cycling pressure high for the next 26 days. If we just took the direct route, we could relax immediately, including with a longer Thanksgiving break in a few days.

After discussing our options, Rett is on-board with keeping the pressure on for the time-being, trying to get to our true decision-point of Villarica as soon as possible, at which point we will re-assess (has weather or injury slowed us down?) and then make the final decision.