Santiago to La Serena

Well, I made it to my first major town, La Serena in one piece! The last few days have been interesting and hard but also lots of fun. Trying to cycle out of Santiago on a Monday morning had its share of challenges but I finally got out and onto the main highway which runs all the way through the Americas (Alaska to the bottom of Argentina), the Pan Americana Highway. Once on there I was away and it felt really amazing to finally be on the road after so much time thinking about and planning this trip. I must admit I had a tear in my eye as I got underway. After a long day in the saddle I found a great campsite with a pool and relaxed for the night. Up early the next morning it started as the last finished by being chased my dogs! These are angry dogs, I mean really angry and fast dogs that really hate me on the bike. Off the bike they barely seem to care if you are there or not. Later in the day I was relaxing at the side of the road eating a snack when a local pulled up and offered me lunch at his place with his friends which was awesome. They were laughing a lot at me but we all had fun. No one really seems to speak any English so this has its moments, both good and bad. I´m learning hard but everyone has a different accent or word for the same thing. That night I spend at the beach at a place called Punta Molles, seafood and cervezas were on the menu too.
Day three was a long one riding over ever rolling hills which really started to hit me in the legs and mentally as it was one hill after another all day. In the middle of nowhere and with nowhere to camp I was getting a little worried as I was running out of energy fast. Then around the next corner was a site to behold ( check the photo), one house in the middle of nowhere. I approached and asked to stay the night and for some food. After a bit of consideration, moving of family members out of rooms and a quick clean I had a room and some great food for dinner. Up again early on day four this was going to be a very long hard day. More killer rolling hills and no breakfast until about midday. After lunch I was feeling good so I decided to go all the way to La Serena. Not a bad idea but it was 35-40 degrees and unbeknown to me I just passed the last shop for the next 5 hours!! After nearly passing out I finally found some food but still had 40km to go. They were hard fought km´s I can tell you. Anyways, I made it and will now spend the next couple of days here relaxing and sightseeing. I hope the above gives you a feel for my daily grind in the saddle.......from now on I´ll concentrate more on the highlights/lowlights than a running commentary.
Summary of riding
>Day 1 - 95km
>Day 2 - 112km
>Day 3 - 119km
>Day 4 - 184km

Santiago, Chile

Well I've spend the last couple of days hanging out in Santiago which has been great. A really friendly city with pretty of atmosphere. The weather is great but extremely hot. Way hotter than I expected so I think the riding is going to be even harder......great eh like I need it to be even more challenging!!!!
Last night I went out for a couple of beers and something to eat which was fun as I meet up with a few other backpackers. Had a couple of mas grande cerveras in an area called Bellavista which has a lot of bars and restaurants and then came back to the hostel for a couple more!
I also managed to put the bike back together yesterday after the flight over and it seemed to survive ok. I've checked and re-check all of the nuts and bolts to make sure everything is fixed on correctly and I've packed my packs yet again all ready to head north tomorrow. I've be getting up early before the real heat of the day kicks in and ride out of Santiago. Looking forward to finally getting on the bike so I hope it all comes together tomorrow with no major problems. Getting out of Santiago will be interesting as it is a pretty large busy city! I'll let you know how the riding goes after tomorrow!!!
Check out the new photos I've posted.........just follow the link on the blog home page.