New organisation, now before each article we will name the place we cross. It would be easier to situate us.

Villarica - Teodoro Schmidt - Trovolhue - Tirua - Canete

Link to the Map

Dear All,

in this count we will tell you about our transition from the volcano's and lake's area close to the Andes to the Pacific coast. This time, however,  we will focus more on the inhabitants of those really low touristic farmer regions that  we had the great chance to meet: the descendants of the colons and the native Mapuche.

Music and dance show at the Villarica Mapuche cultural center

Araucania and Bio Bio regions, through which we are travelling in this days are the scenery of the Mapuche resistance and victory against the spanish invasors (for more information about Mapuche and the historical events occurred in this regions: link or  link ). For this reason, nowadays those are the areas where most of the Mapuche communities are settled and cohabit (more or less in a pacific and armonic way) with the colons. Those last ones obtained some (most) of the lands when the Chile annexed in 19th century the Mapuche territory. Another big part of the lands were given to the forestry industr leaving to the native people only a very little part of their ancient domain...

So we leave the last really turistic city; Villairca, in a cloudy day riding toward east. 100km asphalt road will bring us till to Theodoro Schmidt and from there the next day, theoretically..., we should reach the ocean.

The road is quiet busy but a large shoulder give us enought space to ride with security.

Cycling below a worrying dark and heavy sky...

In Theodoro Schmidt the central place monument seems to have the same problem as the Pisa tower...

The sky gently deliver after lunch the rain which promises us the whole morning...

For the second day we have in the menú: a better weather, peaceful and beautiful landscapes, dirt roads, mud roads, steep slopes, and tons of sweets blueberries... this is the life offer, take it or leave it!

Steep uphill +beautiful countryside

...and stipp downhill + beautiful lake waiting for us

Yes...definitely yesterday it rained a lot...

Mmmm, maybe we should make something for your bike, Bac?

Mmmm...sooooo sweeeeet!!!!! Today we will have a desert for our picnic!

Enjoing the lunch along the Budi lake...

Yes, the Budi lake...funny name from a quite stupid spanish translation of the Mapuche name of this place: "Budi" in Mapu language means "lake"...

Here we are really in the core of their territory as we can observe looking at the face of the peole we cross and on the artistic and cultural manifestation along the road.

Beautiful one-wood-peace Mapuche statue

A Ruka: a traditional Mapuche house

Mapuche family on typical Mapuche taxi...

Nevertheless, as we wrote before, in this region there are not only the native people. Here a big part of the land is, as well, covered of pine and eucaliptus forests for one of the main economic business of chile: wood. Apart having lost the native vegetation, apart that eucaliptus trees need an enormous amount of water to grow which is not always available, this businness create often social conflict with the mapuche which live in the same regions (a documentary about this issue and, more broadly, the mapuche identity, was recently turned: link and link)

Eucaliptus wood industry.

After Pampas, volcans and araucarias forest we traverse a less exotic region who remember us our native country: a mix of Toscana and Beaujolais...

Are we in Italy, France or Chile?

As in our countries at mid-august, here at mid-februay one can find the sweeeeetest wild berry of the season!

Daily wild berry harvesting...

In the evening we arrive in Trovolhue: a small village lost in the middle of the hills. While we are asking for a place to sleep, we meet Erik. He was backpacking through Chile and Argentinia many years ago and still keep a traveller spirit. Therefore he invites us to stay to his hause.

He is just arrived for a week holiday from the mines where he works...in Antofagasta...2000 km north from here...

He works 12 hours per dat, seven days per week for one weeke and then has a break  of one week.

Of this time he spends 2 days travelling by bus to join is family, then he stays with them 3 days and then, again, he travels 2 days back.

We wander how many other people with even less hard work rithms would offer such an ospitality for two foreigners travelling by bike ...

We are very touched by his invitation.

Sharing spaghetti alla Bolognese and beer with Erik and Ana.

Even more they propose us to remain another day to discover the area and enjoy with them the "Fiesta de las Papas", the Patatoes Festival, in the nearest town, Carahue.

Chile typical "papas"

Each year during this festival they cook the longest Patatoes cake of the world...

Ready to cook the longest patato cake of the world...

Come on!!! Or will become cold!!!

During the day Arthur plays (and loose) with Caterinaa kind of sound memory game...

Can you recognize the different sounds of seeds?!?

And Ilaria take care of Angela the youngest of the family.

Ilaria in mum version...

This festival is very popular and in the afternoon the central place is full of people.

We are the only "gringo" tourists!

Children and gringos cyclists really enjoy this day. Thank you Erik!

Also if in every encounter it's difficult to leave, it's time to carry on our bikes... but, if life wants, we will meet again!

In front of Ana and Erik house.

But seems that there is somebody who want to come with us...

Shall we bring him?

The road continues up and down in the hill. Until the next village, Tirua, it is only good Ripio with no cars and relaxing views on the countryside... 

Up and down along patato field, of course!

As we said before, we only cross few vehicules, most of them really unusual for us...

Carts for the wheat harvest

Here it seems to return back in the past of 100 years.

Local people mainly use bullocks with carts to transport the materials, at least you don't have to take care of petrol prize and engine mantainance...

Traffic jam on the local hightway

And also to plow the ground.

Environmental friendly agricultural machine....

The objective of the day is to join the pacific coast, but we need energy to manage it. We stop at the "service station" to tank up with the local fuel Mote con Huesillo.

Break at the service station

Here is the recipe of this tastefull beverage: link

The famous Mote con Huesillo

But maybe was not really necessary to recover energy, as now it's only downhill until the Ocean.

Are you ready?

Go!!! 

Here we are!!!

We easilly join the sea that we are dreaming since a little while.

We really enjoy the ride we had till here and don't regret at all our itinerary: nice scenary, few trafic and good ripio.

Question:  what a cyclist could want more?  

Answer: A good meal in a nice sunny place with no wind!

Exactly like this!!!

The only point is that here the coast has beautiful, romantic, HIGH cliffs...

that means that when you are at the sea level,  a hard uphill is just waiting for you...

we learn it today and have remind lessons of this crucial point basically everyday in the next 10 days ride...

Come on! What a brutal after lunch start! I'm still digesting the avocados! 

But even if it is hard and steep the view makes us forget the effort... 

One of the nicest road until now.

...we are enchanted by the wilderness of this coast...

Look at the road not to fall!!!

Few km after some a nice surprise is waiting for us...

People are seat around a strange machine and call for us to join them...

Are we in a Kusturica film scenery or what?!?

They are a mapuche family waiting to start threshing the corn! 

On the left  the corn is pulled inside the machine and on the right people fill plastic bags with the grains

The owner of the machine control the whole operation from the hights of the farm tractor

Tomorrow they will do another thrush session in another place...

Now we have just to bring 15 bags each of  50 kg of wheat back at the hause...

Luckily we have good helpers with us...

It is 5PM and it is a bit late to start cycle again...therefore the family invite us to remain for the night.

In front of our guest hause

As soon as we arrive at their hause  they prepared for us the "once", the chilean interpretation of the english afternoon tea: tea (of course!)+fried eggs+home made sopaipillas (fried pastry)...

Just to not risk to get hungry before the dinner...

While waiting we get to know the other member of the family. In total they are 10 people living here: the Senora Floria, her husband Alejandro,  four of their seven sons, whom two are here as well with their wives and kids (four in total between 1 and 6 years old)...

We propose them, being the hause a bit crowded, to sleep with the tent in the garden: NO WAY!

As we are the hosts, we receive the grandparents sleeping room: the only one with glasses on the windows instead of plastic paper...

Playing in the kids in our room...

The day after we are already ready to leave again, but we couldn't resist to the numerous "ja se van?!?" and the proposal to experience a  XIX's century style corn cutting session: pure sickle and hand job!

Here it is our today working place...

Vamos a cortar el trigo!

But pay attention to the fingers!

Well done Arthur!

Nice, but what an hard job! Handhache, backhache...descansamos un ratito mirando el mar!

After cutting we wrap the corn with the super resistant "pita" leaves  and make plenty of small bunches

Then all the member of the family come and help to collect the bunches or, depending on the age, supervise the work...

Fast! Let's we bring all under a shelter before the rain comes!

The next day we want to leave, but according to the family, after the hard work of the day before,  "tenemos que descansar"!

Therefore we remain a third day and we spend it...

...exploring the coast with the eldest brother...

...learning typical recipes like the wonderful "pastel de choclo"...

...and enjoying an amazing sunset...

Finally the fourth days, depite the sad faces of our friends, we decide that is really time to leave...

Last hug with the queen of the hause: la Senora Floria.

Seems that also the nature doesn't want that we leave this little corner of the world out of the time...

...but finally we manage to reach the main road and continue our travel towaerd north and toward new discoveries...

Happy rider n° 1...

Happy rider n° 2...

Now the cliffs leave space to km of beaches that at a first look appear like a paradisiac and peaceful place were to relax, but...

...nobody is on the beach...why?

The answer is the first new discovery of our travel and it is actually not so nice like the ones of the previous days.

We have reached the part of the coast that on the 27th of February 2010 was affected by the second strongest earthquake registered in Chile and one of the strongest of the world.

After the earthquake a tsunami impact the coast.

All that happen during the night.

(link)

People are still afraid and have strong souvenir of the event, moreover there is still a lot that need to be rebuilt in term of touristic infrastructure and finally the television didn't give the news of the places that were ready againg to welcom tourists. Conclusion:

...only dogs and few local people are on the street of this village that, in the past, was full of tourists...