Puerto Natales - Punta Arenas

After 3 lazy and scenic days on the ferry we arrived in Puerto Natales and used the strong tailwind to get a lift down the Routa 9. Wind is mainly blowing from sth between north and west, and it can only rarely be called a breeze. There`s not much traffic (until further south around Punta Arenas), the road is good and the landscape is wide... while it`s great to see kilometers ahead with sun + wind in the back, it`s sort of a mental test if conditions change to hail and headwinds... concentrate on your front wheel, forget about the circling vultures and keep breathing!

Most of the land along the road is fenced private property, but it`s no problem to stop at an estancia along the way and ask for permission to pitch up a tent - there usually is a cosy spot on a shared pasture with bulls, sheep and horses.

There`s only 1 spot along the way to shop, Villa Tehuelches. We ran out of proper food (i.e. 2-minute-noodle-soups) and all there was to buy in Villa Tehuelches were expensive sandwiches, cookies, soft drinks and milk. After all it`s not too bad to feed on cookies and porridge... by the way, some estancias may also sell some homemade food if you ask nicely.

Lago Llanquihue

Chile's "Lake Disctrict" is definitely worth a visit:

We took a comfy overnight bus from Santiago to Puerto Varas and cycled around Lago Llanquihue anticlockwise in 3 days. From Puerto Varas to Saltos de Petrohue the road is sealed and in a very good condition. Chilean drivers are really friendly, honking and waving and cheering... there are also long stretches of undulating, dusty gravel roads in the eastern/ northern part of the lake.
Characters of the villages vary enormously depending on the amount of visitors - anything from expensive tourist shops to simple tin shacks. The adjacent national parks offer many opportunities to explore.

This was a great start with a lot of sun, superb views of volcanos, bits of native forest, jumps into chilly waters and plenty opportunities to enjoy "Apfelstrudel" from german settlers. We arrived in Puerto Montt after 230 km to catch a ferry down to Puerto Natales.

Santiago de Chile

Start of the south american odyssey in Santiago de Chile - a fascinating, colourful, lively place with far too much to discover for a 2days-visit...

West Coast

it's not ALWAYS raining at the West Coast...
River crossing, Franz Josef Glacier, White-fronted tern on Pancake Rocks, beach near Westport

Haast Pass

My best day of cycling in New Zealand: Hawea to Haast, passing Lake Hawea and Lake Wanaka, crossing bits of Mount Aspiring National Park and Haast Saddle (i.e. the Southern Alps). About 130 km with numerous waterfalls, river-views, steeeeeeeep sections, runaway-vehicle-driveways. A couple of lookout-walks along the road, 3 (?) DOC-campgrounds (didn't check them) and the best: Cafés in Makarora.
Me + the bike happened to be the centre of attraction for a couple of chinese guys (for a few seconds at least). So this is what it feels like if other cultures put the camera in your face without asking.

Caples Track

Southern Alps are the place to be in NZ. Well, NZ is the place to be really, but once you're there, love the outdoors + mountains and don't mind funny weather - then it's the Alps. The Caples track is a great tramping opportunity, though the adjacent Routeburn and Greenstone tracks are more popular (and less steep). Upper Caples Hut is the place for international table tennis matches.

Mavora Lakes

The Mavora Lakes track is a farm road from Walter Peak to Highway 94. It's more or less 100 km one way and can be done in both directions, easily. There's bus transport from Queenstown and Te Anau to the southern end of the track and a steamferry connecting Walter Peak with Queenstown. It's a pleasant ride along a well-maintained gravel road - possible with a normal touring bike. I went from north to south: The track follows Von River, climbs steeply to a plateau with wide views of the surrounding mountains and then gradually leads down to the turnoff to Mavora Lakes. Both Lakes have good basic DOC-campsites - and the sandflies know this.

The southern part is a little less scenic, mostly farmland, with some cows for company. I was lucky to spot one of the rare pancows (panda-cow-crossing), a breed that's still being kept secret but might help in the future to get rid of the introduced eucalypt trees.