We don’t leave Villarica till 10.00 – 10.30, it took awhile to pack and make breakfast this first time camping. We will need to improve on this otherwise we will continue getting into a destination late at night which results in a late dinner and less sleep, which in turn could affect us riding the bikes. This has been the case when staying in hostels as well. The main part of the ride we stick to the Siete Largo Ruta (Seven Lakes Route). We head out following our trusty GPS and Maps.Me IPhone and end up on a road which is under construction for majority of it’s length, then all of a sudden turns to Rippio (dirt). Great, we have just inflated the tyres for highway cruising, we slow way down and stand up on the pegs as the heavily laden bikes are moving around a little. We stop at a great mirador (look out) for a photo of one of the seven lakes then continue wobbling our way to where the asphalt begins again. A the intersection with the asphalt we realise that our electronic navigation equipment has taken us on a very minor back road and we have now hit the most wonderful and correct road ever. The next hours are riding through magnificent country and on sensational winding mountain roads with views of forests, volcanoes lakes and mountains. We attempt some photos but we can’t do the panoramas justice. We need to make up time so reluctantly leave the superb road and head back on to Ruta 5 to Puerto Montt.
The last Copec we visit for the day I think I will take the camera out of the tank bag when I go in for a coffee etc. Off we go and an hour or so later I am thinking about things as you do when you ride and I realise I have left the camera on the back of the bike as I rode off. I can’t believe it I did this with the sunglasses back at Mandragora the day before but realised it just as I let the clutch out. My heart sinks and I let Paul know, I am so angry at myself. I can’t stop berating myself as it is becoming all to common, is it dementia setting in or is there so much going on that I am not thinking straight. My mind goes back to the Black Dog Ride to the Red Centre where I had done a similar thing with my glasses upon leaving for the ride and misplacing my wallet a few days later. I try to console myself by saying it has been hectic. Angry with myself I pull over and look in the tank bag where the camera is supposed to be. Low and behold the camera is where it is supposed to be!!! For crying out loud!!!!
As we head into Puerto Montt I get a call over the intercom that Paul has had to switch to reserve. I look down at my speedo and we have only covered around 440 km. I am not sure why this has happened but luckily we only have 10km to go. We pay our last Peaje and head into Puerto Montt in the most horrific traffic and confusing, massive roundabouts to date. We head in to the first service station and fill up, Pauls bike takes a whopping 29 litres and mine 23, somebody is not impressed!! We should get around 600km out of a tankful and by my calculation mine will do just that. I think that it is probably the Staintune exhaust as I believe for it to give the extra power it required a jet change in the carburettor, a retune and hence more fuel usage. That noisy bloody exhaust is now limiting the distance that can be covered by a tankful of fuel and will cost more over the distance to be covered. Since Paul’s bike had difficulty starting, stopped twice on the way from storage to Villa Kunterbundt and now the fuel usage there has been no comments about what a great buy the bike was and how it is the best bike out of the two!!! I will keep quiet as I still have reserves about the reliability of my bike as I am not sure of it’s history and it has done many more kms than Paul’s.
I remember that Kath and I stayed in a Hostel called Compass del Sur and thought it was in Puerto Mont but find out it is actually in Puerto Varas, 18km back the way we came. Meanwhile Paul has gone in to the toilet. I hear strange sounds coming from the toilet and don’t take much notice. They continue for quite some time, then I hear Pauls voice calling for assistance, he is locked in. I manage to get an attendant and finally get him to realise the problem. After a short time the door is opened and Paul is shown the button on the wall which releases the lock! Paul then spends the next half hour trying to Skype Beck and I stand around waiting and getting a little agitated as it is getting late and I want to sort the accommodation. Finally he texts her and we move off. We have to negotiate peak hour traffic and the murderous roundabout to get out of Puerto Mont and Paul drops behind. Thinking I will lose him I tell him to keep up in a rather straight up manner, still a little agitated from the service station.
Finally we roll up at Compass del Sur and luckily they have a room. We go around the back to park the bikes and Paul notices you can camp. He goes into the reception and finds out it costs 8000 per person as opposed to 15,000 per person for the room. He wants to camp. That’s fine I say but I am going to get the room and it doesn’t worry me that I have to pay the extra if he camps. Paul is getting a little agitated and I reiterate that it is ok, he can camp and I will get the room it isn’t a problem. He relents and decides he will also come in the room. He is slightly angry and once again I explain my position, I don’t want to spend two nights in a tent and worry about my gear when I go into town to sort things out, he can stay in the tent and that’s OK by me. In the end he opts for the room.
A small altercation but in the end we work it out, let's face it, probably not the last, two old blokes with different ideas it is bound to happen.
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