The first thing I heard this morning was a steady plop plop on the tent which I first thought to be rain. But it seemed too heavy a plop to be rain and it continued slowly without increasing in pace like a shower of rain coming on would. Eventually on looking out, I discover that it is fog and it was dripping down off the trees which overhung the tent.

With visibility down to 100metres and no warming sun, it was a cold start in which my finger-tips were numb through winter gloves. It was well the Pan Am has a wide shoulder so I could ride in safety out of the way of passing cars and trucks which had headlights on full beam. Though soon the fog suddenly lifted leaving a clear sky and to the East, I could see a volcano cone with a fresh covering of snow.

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I reached the slip-road off to the town of Victoria around midday. I needed money and I had no food left. It was a good kilometre away from the Pan Am on concrete road which was rough and bumpy because of cracks and craters at regular short intervals. The town is a bustling place with a busy street market with fruit and veg stalls, others with cloths and yet others selling things too numerous to list. I just glanced down the market street as there were too many people to get a loaded bike through. I continued onwards in tight traffic asking the way to the central plaza where the banks are usually located. Having found the plaza and riding around it to find my preferred bank, the Carbineros (police) drive abreast of me giving me a good look over. I suppose not alot happens in a small town like this until I with my loaded bike and trailer turn up; and Is worth checking out for any criminal doings.

After making a withdrawal at the bank, I returned towards the market in search of food, but, as I'm a lone cyclist, I couldn't leave the bike to go along the street to the stalls or I didn't want to leave the bike unattended outside a Supermercado either. The bus-terminal was at the end of the market street and here I spot the word Restaurant, and when I rode over to see, discover a place where I could leave the bike by the window while inside. It was cheap with a choice of three dishes on the lunch menu. I chose battered fish and mash potatoes which filled me up well. Looking out the window when I'd finished, I notice that a big building across the road is the train-station. "Now that would be a quick way North avoiding the hum-drum of the Pan Am" passes through my mind.

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I was set for the afternoon: all I needed was something to eat in the evening. But no problem as there where roadside stalls with boards out announcing "se vende queso y pan", cheese and bread for sale. I stop at one and the friendly stallholders man and wife ask the usual question where I'm cycling to, which, I sometimes don't know myself, insomuch as circumstances can play havoc with plans. For the moment, I answer Santiago, and he sucks deeply expressing usual amazement saying "hay mucho pedalande"

The clear blue sky and warm sunshine this afternoon was a nice chance from the cool overcast weather of late but the dual-carriageway Pan An became quite hilly sweeping down to cross numerous rivers and up the other side. At one point it dropped down and crossed over a viaduct high above a river and valley below; then came the inevitable steep climb up the other side. All of this climbing was making me warm and thirsty and I wished I'd bough a big bottle of coke back in town. I only had tap-water with a horrible tint of chlorine in it. But I drunk some of it anyway when I sat down by the roadside for a well earned pause to eat bread and cheese. Little did I know then that it was only 2km more to a well laid-out rest area with a manned office with roofed picnic tables toilets and large overnight truck park. Here Is able to get water in the office which had none of that chlorine tint in it. And Is almost tempted to ask could I camp, but didn't as their was still a while yet before I'd have to stop.

I cycled for an hour more passing by a town called Muchen. And I'm writing from my tent hidden amongst trees on a hilltop above a cutting with the road below where the constant din of trucks will be lulling me to sleep tonight.