December 2, 2024

When six hungry cyclists arrive after a 100 km ride from Villa Cerro Castillo to Chelenko Lodge, you simply cannot serve them a meager nouvelle cuisine single-course dinner. Unfortunately, that’s exactly what happened last night.

We all went to bed hungry but hopeful for a hearty breakfast this morning to prepare for another challenging stage of almost 100 km.

After Pierluigi insisted on a more substantial breakfast, a tray full of bread finally arrived—but with no toppings. Better than nothing.

We set off promptly at 8:00 a.m. and quickly reached Puerto Rio Tranquilo. There, we booked a boat tour for tomorrow to visit the famous Marble Caves and made up for the missing calories at a restaurant on a charming terrace in the town center, overlooking the port. It was lovely.

From that point on, the last 40 km were stunning in terms of scenery, with clear skies and radiant sunshine over General Carrera Lake, also known as Lake Chelenko. The name Chelenko seems to derive from the Tzoneca language: Sheluen meaning storm, and Koi meaning lake or lagoon.

This lake is the largest in South America and closely resembles what Lake Garda might have looked like 2,000 years ago—beautiful and wild.

The final kilometers, with full stomachs and a very challenging ripio, were a true physical and mental test. However, we all felt satisfied when we arrived at the cabin on the lakeshore—a fantastic spot where we’re now all relaxing.

We just hope the camper manages to climb the steep slope from the lakeshore to the road tomorrow. But we’ll worry about that then! For now, we’re enjoying this incredible sunset and the plentiful pasta in bianco prepared by our trattoria-style chef, Pierluigi.

A significant improvement compared to yesterday’s nouvelle cuisine and an empty stomach!