When we started this cycling trip, our main hope was to make it to the central heart of Chile: Santiago.  This massive city is home to 40% of the country’s population, or 8 million people.  It felt like a bit of a victory just to navigate safe entry into the sprawling metropolis!  We had expected the approach from Santiago to be a bit boring at best, but it turned out to be varied and lovely, with the exception of the chaotic final approach.  In this entry we will cover the days from Pichilemu to the heart of Santiago.

Day 125: Pichilemu to Litueche (62 km / 39 mi)

Between Pichilemu and Santiago lays the coastal mountain range, and today we got to climb up and over.  The main event was a 2,000’ (650m) climb that wound through tree farms and past fields, with good views back down towards the coast.  We were dreading the climb a bit, but in the end it was fun!  The grade was gentle and at the top was a pizza restaurant where of course we stopped to eat lunch.

We flew back down the other side with Andes in the far distance.  The scenery immediately changed from vast tree farms to big open ranges with dry scrub brush.  We passed many little settlements and sheep farms.  We even randomly saw an emu in a field! 

It was difficult to find a hostal to stay in the town of Litueche.  Apparently the nearby highway is undergoing an expansion, so most of the hostels are full with workers.  We ended up in a place that was safe and friendly, but noisy.  Our rooms were above the kitchen of the bar next door, so the music and the smell of fried food wafted over us during the night.  It ended up being definitely in our bottom 3 hostal experiences.

Day 126: Litueche to Lingo Lingo (45 km / 28 mi)

Despite being tired from lack of rest the night before, this was a good day.  At the top of our morning climb we saw a small parking lot and stopped for a quick rest. Jason made a joke about the empty picture frames being some kind of modern art exhibit. Then I confirmed his suspicions by explaining that yes, it was! You stand in the middle and different wind turbines are viewed through their frames.

After that, we descended down to the famous Rapel hydro-electric dam.  As we flew down the road we saw a group of two dozen day riders on an organized trip riding up, complete with support vehicle. 

We rode across the massive dam looking down at the drop-off on one side and the reservoir on the other.  Jason had a good time explaining power generation to the girls. 

On the other side we wove through huge expanses of avocado and lemon trees.  We stopped at a small minimarket for ice cream, soda, and avocados from the area.  It was exactly what we needed before the last push to our hostal in a very small rural town.

The final roads were small and beautiful, winding along through small farms and homesteads.  Our destination in the tiny settlement of Lingo Lingo was a family-run hospedaje and greenhouse.  We were welcomed with fresh juices made of raspberry and strawberry, and we met a whole pack of the family’s dogs (from naughty puppies to senior collies) and cats (at least 3 or 4 kittens)!  With the headlines about hantavirus in South America the owners wanted more cats to keep their home free of rodents. It was a very lovely opportunity to chat with the owners about life in small-town Chile.

Day 127: Lingo Lingo to Melipilla (51 km / 32 mi)

We chose a longer route on a side road for this approach to the city of Melipilla, and it really paid off.  We spent a delightful morning riding alongside the river Maipo and passing hillsides full of huge cacti.  It was almost surreal to be there riding past the cacti when we had started so far south in Tierra del Fuego.  We really felt that huge distance as we passed the desert flora. 

It was a Saturday, so we expected to find lunch spots along our route, which went through many small towns.  There were certainly parties happening, and soccer games being played, but no open restaurants!  In the end, starving and hot, we grabbed sandwich supplies from a minimarket and turned down a long driveway to have a little picnic.  A geriatric and friendly German shepherd watched us hungrily until we finished.  Then we gave her a stack of cheese leftovers as a reward for her patience.

One big hill remained between us and Melipilla and the road was busy with no shoulder.  We managed to find an alternate road with a wide bicycle lane that took us right to the top before rejoining the main highway.  Once we were flying down the descent we had no choice but to take the lane and slow down traffic.  In the US, this would mean angry drivers. Somehow though, no one honked in anger and when we eventually found a place to pull of and let traffic pass everyone smiled and waved at us as they drove by.  What a difference!

The city of Melipilla is only an hour’s drive from the huge city of Santiago.  About 60% of the residents commute to Santiago for work.  Jason managed to track down a house to rent for a couple nights in one of the fancier suburbs.  The owner met us at the house and invited us to eat lunch with his family the next day.  Of course we said yes!

Day 128: Rest day in Melipilla

Our typical rest day is to do whatever chores or tourism in the morning, then relax all afternoon.  We had to flip the routine for this day though, since we had the invite for Mother’s day lunch. 

It was an absolute treat to be welcomed into a Chilean family home.  We met the three kids (ages 6, 8 and 18), talked about the schools in Chile, and about the ‘hustle’ of Chileans to figure out ways to make money.  They made ‘Pastel de Choclo’ which translates as ‘Corn Cake’ but is actually akin to Shepherd’s pie with polenta in place of mashed potatoes. (And it is delicious!) By the time we headed home the girls had ridden scooters around their cul-de-sac and we were all tired.

Day 129: Melipilla to Lonquén (41 km / 25 mi)

We had very carefully planned today to stay on separated cycle paths for nearly the entirety of the ride.  It was flat and boring, for the most part, but it was very safe.  There was a lot of traffic, and the cycle path fluctuated in quality, but it brought us through increasingly busy towns in the periphery of Santiago. 

We stayed the night in a countryside AirBnB that was behind not one but TWO gates, neither of which we could open on our own.  People around this area are very concerned about the crime in Santiago, so security is a top priority.  We felt a little bit like hostages, but safe and comfortable hostages at least! 

Day 130: Lonquén to Santiago (44 km / 27 mi)

This was the big day!  We had again planned a route of separated cycle-paths for all but a few kilometers. 

The morning dawned…  foggy. It wasn’t ideal, but it wasn’t bad enough to stop us either.  We rolled through the last of the countryside on a separated bike path.  At one point we saw a truck take a turn too fast, and because it was piled high with wood pallets they spilled out into the road.  At another point a truck carrying fruit blocked the cycle path completely, and the owners kindly offered us a handful of grapes for each girl. 

Soon the countryside feel evaporated entirely and we were in the industrial outskirts of Santiago.  The cyclepath continued, but factories lined the road on both sides.  We stopped for a quick lunch at a busy empanada stand.  One of our tricks in choosing where to eat is to go where the local workers are.  It hasn’t failed us yet.

The true ‘city’ started when we crossed the perimeter highway on a pedestrian overpass and dropped down the other side.  Remarkably it was a 3-revolution spiral bicycle path that led us into the city.  We started to cycle past more and more apartment buildings, and then eventually we were in truly chaotic and hectic commercial areas.  At one point a street market took over the cycle path and the street nearby was filled with cars parading by (honking) as part of a funeral procession.  We turned around and skedaddled.

Finally we entered the true center, complete with busy bus stops and cobblestones.  It was with great relief that we finally turned down the street where we were staying.  By good luck and persistence on AirBnB we had rented an apartment in a small historical building on a quiet sidestreet in the area of Providencia.  It was close to many of the city’s hospitals and thus had so many options for food.  There was also a secure parking area for our bicycles!  The girls quickly collapsed on the couch to play Zelda while Jason and I went downstairs for cookies and a latte.  We made it!