January 16, 2018
Villa Manihuales: A tail wind makes for an easy ride in cold weather
We decided to have supper at the hostal last night after a bit of to-ing and fro-ing with the lady of the house with regards the use of her kitchen. Supper wasn't normally available but she would rather that she made us some (and made some money from it) than we would use her kitchen, or God forbid, spend money on another eatery in the village. We ended up getting an enormous plate of chicken and mashed potato with peas, corn, tomato and pan. A bowl of grapes was tossed in at the end which was a sweet touch. Despite the soft and warm beds, we didn't sleep that well, maybe a combination of being used to our tent and the full tummies. Breakfast was included in the price and I managed to cadge some extra pan to fill the last gap. Feeling so full we forgot to stop in at the mercado to pick up something for lunch but in the end it didn't really matter.
The road to Mañihuales started off with a few dips and climbs but was mostly downhill. We knew this because late yesterday afternoon an exhausted young English couple of cycle tourists stumbled into the hostal on their way northwards. The young lady was determined not to cycle another hill that day. Nonetheless, there were a few short, steep climbs including one that reduced Leigh to walking her bike for a while. There were also a few good downhills (uphills for yesterday's couple) on one of which we maxed out at over sixty kilometers an hour, freewheeling. There was a fresh tailwind for most of the ride which helped us along although it did swirl around a lot as the route was through a steep and narrow valley surrounded by high mountains. It got pretty cold and we stayed wrapped up in our rain jackets and fleeces the whole way. I don't think cycling northwards on today's route would have been particularly pleasant.
Villa Mañihuales is a bit bigger than Amengual with many more options for food and accommodation. We immediately stopped at a Comida Rapida to enjoy a large empenade carne before heading on to one of the two campsites. We have a nice sheltered and reasonably level pitch and access to a refugio with a wood stove. I see beans in my future.
Today's ride: 60 km (37 miles)
Total: 504 km (313 miles)
| Rate this entry's writing | Heart | 0 |
| Comment on this entry | Comment | 0 |