January 4, 2018
Hostal Campo Santy near Lenca: Starting off in the rain
We were awake pretty early this morning. I guess we were keen to get going. We were only going to leave at the kick-out time of eleven o'clock but ended up leaving before nine. We first took a detour down to the mall - again - to draw some extra cash (the next ATM we know of is about a week away at Chaiten) and to buy a plastic container to store butter and cheese etc. On the way down we spotted our first cycle tourist passing ahead of us. As we left the mall we encountered a young Chilean couple cycling the Careterra Austral, also just starting out. About ten kays further on another cycle tourist past us with not much of a greeting and even less clothing on despite the poor weather.
Did I mention that it is raining and the temperature is about ten degrees ? The weather was in fact incredibly variable and as the day went on we alternated between heavy showers, gusty cold winds and periods of bright sunshine.
The route started off with some roadworks as we left Puerto Montt and there was quite a bit of traffic. The first short climb came at about four kilometers and was followed by a bigger one later, its summit being at the eighteen kilometer mark. This second climb had us down to our low gears but a helpful tailwind did make up for the driving rain.
On the outskirts of Lenca we stopped to buy some pan and a coke for lunch and soon afterwards turned up the dirt track to take us to Campo Santy. The rain was chucking down as we arrived and we were met at the door by two French girls who were working there to help fund their travels. The proprietors immediately suggested we camp on the covered deck attached to the hostal, just as well because the camping area was one step away from becoming a lake. So we will get to sleep in relative comfort tonight.
Today's ride: 36 km (22 miles)
Total: 65 km (40 miles)
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