Why?
Reason number one: Holy moly our Warmshower hosts were friggin' "wicked good"! Seth and Kirsten have also done a bunch of cycling, including our anticipated route to Ushuaia and so they were full of tips and advice. Originally from the USA they were keen for a new experience and life in a different country for an indefinite amount of time. We got all cosy in their little apartment and although Big Bird looked monstrous in their living area they were so cruisy about us staying indefinitely (which normally is not the way we roll). Each day, between the four of us we were cooking up a some fantastic feasts, playing crib (oh yes, they even play crib.... good thing we've been carrying the extra set of pegs since Alaska), watching movies, sharing cycling stories, did a lot of sleeping (not together!), listening to new music, and catching up on some nagging chores such as sewing up Roland's bike shorts without dental floss (yes, yes, it's not all fun people!). We sincerely hope we see these two folks again and we have the opportunity in the future for our new friendship to flourish.
Reason number two: Bee's back is still stuffed from the wee accident cycling up to the mountain pass and border crossing into Chile. Very pesky!
Reason number three: Santiago doesn't have much to offer travellers/tourists but it would be a great place to live. Yes, it's a big city but the public transport system is excellent and so very easy to get around, it's clean, has a beautiful backdrop with The Andes and has all the comforts of home.
Reason number four: It's always good to have an opportunity to feel "normal" again (is that possible?) and pretend we are in domestic bliss being all civilised using more kitchen utensils than a pot and two spoons and even showering everyday (see you later baby wipes).
Fantastic hospitality didn't end in Santiago. The two nights we spent in eclectic Valparaiso were shared with Couchsurfing host, Iñanki. Valparaiso is famous for a dish called "Chorrillana" which is a giant platter of greasy hot chips, sliced pork, egg and cheese. Perfect biker's grub! Actually, what made it cool was eating in Casino Social J Cruz which was filled with random collections littered on the surrounding shelves and walls ranging from antique china to old car and plane parts to passport photos. We would like to especially thank him for taking us out on a road trip to some neighbouring seaside towns before heading back to the bus terminal. In fact he has tickets for a summer in New Zealand so we might get to see him again, which would be great!
NEWS FLASH, NEWS FLASH, NEWS FLASH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
We have booked our flights and now all we have to do is cycle another few thousand kilometres to get to our final destination. Let's hope we make it!
We leave Ushuaia, Argentina on 11th January. Visit Buenos Aires for two nights. Arrive in Vancouver on 14th January at 10am. Leave Vancouver 19th January at 1.30pm. Arrive Auckland on 21st January at 11.45am.
How incredibly exciting and wonderful to see all our family and friends back home again.
Some interesting tiddiley bits
- There's still a lot of dogs but they are super placid and can be found sleeping everywhere! Even in the middle of a busy footpath and on a bus.
- Buses in Valpo don't seem to run on a fixed schedule. In order to get optimum business and ensure each bus is evenly spaced out, driver's pay people to keep time and occupancy records so they can adjust their speed accordingly.
- CRIB SCORE: Belinda is still getting her bottom kicked. For South America, Husband is at 46 and Wife is at 28.
- After cycling eight months and passing through 13 countries, Roland was able to remove a sneaky thorn from his leg that he apparently collected in Mexico. He had a small non-healing wound on his shin and one day decided to squeeze the heck out of it. Much to his surprise, out popped a thorn about 1cm long. Belinda thought it was a worm at first. Ewww, gross!