5.45am Temuco
After assembling the bikes and re-packing the panniers we set of in cold wet weather!! (this might have been expected as we are now 800km further south) Took a while to realize we had arrived at a bus station not marked on any map. Temuco was a working town and we were joined by hundreds of workman cycling into work on various types of bikes including a couple with 2 stroke engines. It took quite a while to escape the industrial perimeter but, when we did, we encountered a landscape which was reminiscent of Perthshire or Shropshire. It felt so English after the dry north even the heavy showers. Even the central road markings were white instead of yellow. The fields were green with barley and corn and the hedgerows were filled with familiar plants such as foxglove, cow parsley and geranium, and the not so familiar, bamboo and nothofagus. The rain started to get heavier and we were forced to shelter in a wooden bus shelter. We had tried to find shops open in Temuco when we left but we were much too early so had relied on passing the usual roadside shops selling coke and empanadas. We passed one shop the whole way and that was shut. We were exhausted through lack of food and water and so called at the first place we came across (just before Concon) to book a cabana. It was only 11.00am! I instantly fell asleep sat on a chair (which is a first) while John cycled into town to get some supplies. As soon as John got back it was his turn to take a nap! It rained heavily the whole day but thankfully we had a wood burning stove in the cabana to keep us warm. I’m now wearing thermals and fleeces for the first time. Spent the afternoon eating and drinking and catching up on 4 days of the blog.
Cloud!
Wet!
A roaring stove.
