Our trip got off to a great start when the only bike shop in town rented us their own personal bikes. In a normal bike shop that might be the greatest honor afforded on a customer, but not this one. My bike weighed as much as I did (ok, not really), and our rentals came with no pump, no helmets, and no phone number to call in case the bike breaks. Ok, fine, this is an adventure, but I´m not going to pay you US20 for this POS.
Suprisingly, the bikes held, even when we were being chased down by crazed dogs, avoiding the occasional road grader, taxi, and tourist van, and drunken fool on a horse (I´m not kidding, must have been the liquor de oro, made with milk, alcohol, cloves, cinnamon, saffron, and anything else Chiloans can find. Yeah, I bought some, too.)
The ride was HARD. The hills were BIG. More than once I found myself cursing my bike, myself, or a nearby farm animal. But I pedaled up some incredibly steep slopes and was especially proud of myself given the terrain.
The pay off?
The penguin colony, 15 miles outside of Ancud. We took a great boat ride amid penguins, sea otters, and all kinds of birds that the guide tried, unsuccessfully, to educate me about in Castellano.
We had a great, relaxing lunch at a beachside cafe consisting of sea bass, salmon, and oyster empanadas, and headed back to town. As I toiled back, passed by several loads of tourists in cushy minivans, I smiled to myself. Days like these are the ones I want to remember from my travels. Mark and I learned a new language (if only a little), acquired all the necessary information and materials, put in the leg work, saw the site, and had a truly rewarding experience. It cost us the same amount as one of the penguin tours, but we did it ourselves and earned both our lunches and our dinners (amazing burritos at a small bar in Ancud).
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