December 1, 2024

A 75 km stage from Villa Cerro Castillo to a lodge on the road to Puerto Rio Tranquilo. We were quite apprehensive about today’s route, which was almost entirely on ripio: 60 km of gravel roads and 15 km of cobblestone. Surprisingly, the ripio was mostly kind, with only short stretches of larger, loose stones slipping under the bike wheels.

We set off under sunny skies with the wind and arrived under clouds. Along the way, we encountered the usual mountain landscapes with streams and waterfalls.

There were two truly memorable moments today that we’ll carry with us for a long time.

The first was an impromptu picnic in the camper. Gigi, the group’s cook, made what he could with what we had. He sliced about twenty tomatoes, seasoning them with coarse salt, as there was no fine salt available. Alongside that, we had salami, cheese, chips, and olives. It was a wonderful moment—simple, almost piled on top of one another in the tight camper space, we felt the group’s unity and harmony. All this with an ‘80s music playlist curated by Sebastián, our amazing young Chilean driver.

The second special moment came when we arrived at the lodge and discovered there was a thermal area not far away. It wasn’t easy to get to: 3 km of biking over riverbed stones, a swaying suspension bridge, and finally 2 km on a winding forest trail.

The many slender trees in the forest made eerie creaking noises, like doors opening, as if they were about to break at any moment as we passed. Our gaze kept shifting upwards, wary of falling branches, while also staying downwards to avoid the trail’s abundant large animal droppings. We found ourselves wondering what kind of creatures could produce such massive evidence. Over these days, apart from dogs, we hadn’t seen any animals at all. So, it wasn’t exactly a relaxing walk.

But it was absolutely worth it! We finally arrived at the thermal pool: fantastic! Complete relaxation in 40°C water, with a submerged bench where you could comfortably sit and float. A truly unique spot surrounded by nature.