A local proverb says that those who hurry in Patagonia lose time. We were absolutely delighted when we heard that, because that is exactly how we experience the place. Time loses its meaning, and the great nature sets the agenda with wind and weather. The day on the bike is not to reach anything, but to be on the way is an adventure.

We are now approx. half way on the iconic Carretera Austral route, which winds from the small cozy town of Villa O'higgens in the south to Puerto Montt in the north. The road passes through beautiful mountains, turquoise rivers, glaciers, forest and temperate rainforest. We experience all four seasons in one day with sun, wind and rain. It is incredibly difficult to choose things from, and we are constantly looking behind to get it all.

The Carretera Austral (the road to the south) is 1200 km. long. The huge and challenging road project started in 1983 and the last 100 km. to Villa O'higgens was completed in 2000. The goal of the Carretera Austral was to connect the very remote areas of southern Chile. The rumors also say that it was to position itself against Argentina. 

Today it is a route that is becoming more and more popular with tourists. The areas along the route have a fantastic and interesting history - and it is simply so beautiful.
60 percent of the road is gravel – once again we were so happy with our bikes. They are made for the terrain. We have met several cyclists who toast the man who invented asphalt. It is really challenging with small wheels, thin tires and luggage on dirt roads with washboards or soft gravel. Even the cars are challenged – and lose their number plates.

We love that the bike ride itself is an experience. It is not about getting from a to b, where we then have to see a tourist attraction. The road itself is unique. And offers adventure through a simple need for food or through meeting interesting people along the way. 

An example of this is that our gas burner broke. Dinner therefore consisted of a can of tuna, a tomato and an unripe avocado. The next day we had to hunt for some food that didn't need to be cooked. 

We had heard of an estancia (traditional Chilean farm) where the woman herself baked bread and made jam. It was 10 km. away from the Carretera Austral, out of a small road which led us into the mountain landscape, then over a narrow suspension bridge (that exactly one car could cross) and finally 1.5 km. singletrack to reach the site. 

Estancia Rio Nadis is the most idyllic place out in the middle of nowhere with horses, sheep and cows roaming freely. Kitchen garden and fruit trees in the garden. And the best home-baked bread and homemade calafate berry jam. 

It is a German woman and a real Chilean gaucho who run and live on the site with their two children. Everything is home-built and made of wood. We saw almost no plastic. There was a calmness in the place which was magical. We quickly agreed to stay an extra day.

We were lucky enough to have the couple make asador for another group of cyclists. It was high on our wish list to try a real asado – whole roasted lamb over a fire. We were allowed to participate. The smile reached from one ear to the other.

We saw the gaucho slaughter the sheep, take the wool from it with his sharp knife and prepare it to go over the fire. It looked simple, but it is a craft and a proud tradition. There is no doubt he had tried it before. 

Kenneth asked the gaucho how long it takes to prepare a lamb for the fire. He looked at us and answered:'he didn't know that, because he didn't have a watch'. Kenneth tried again to ask how many people there are in such a lamb. The gaucho answered warmly: 'how many eat?'. No need to complicate things by adding numbers.

For the next 4-5 hours, three generations – father, son and the grandfather sat by the fire and looked after the lamb while passing around a cup of maté (a tea-like drink that is drunk through metal straws and which they absolutely love).

The icing on the cake was that we had met Gabe and Emma, who we ate with. It turned into a really nice evening, where we gorged ourselves on lamb (Kenneth eventually had to say no to more meat), gaucho bread (which is bread fried in lamb fat), potatoes and salad from the garden, homemade salsa and homemade brandy. An absolutely perfect evening and an asador that we could only hope for. 

The next day, both Gabe and Kenneth independently seem to be able to hear a sheep calling its lamb. But you don't have to think too much about that. 

Another fantastic experience arose from the meeting with an Argentinian couple, who drive around in a home-painted fine folkcart rye bread. We saw the car for the first time in Ushuaia, and we have seen it several times along the way. We saw the car again in the town of Cochrane and on the way out of town we caught up with them when they stopped at a red light at a roadworks.

Now it was now. We drove up to them and they were simply so nice. The couple were also heading north, but they had spent the last 4 months in southern Chile/Argentina.
It turned green, but the couple was waiting for us further along the road. Where we would have turned off to take the back road through Argentina to Chile Chico. 

They convinced us to continue along the Carretera Austral as it was one of the most beautiful things they had seen. It brought us to a huge waterfall where the Rio Baker and Rio Nef flow together. Effervescent and overwhelming in its colors and power. 

It also took us to the town of Rio Tranquilo. Here it is possible to see marble caves made by the water over millions of years. It is truly spectacular and very different from what we have seen so far. From the harbor you can take a boat out to the caves. But why sail in a boat when you can sail in a kayak. Both to get all the way into the caves and because it was a great way to do something other than cycling.

We were not only lucky with sunshine and a calm turquoise lake. The condors flew back and forth to their nest on the mountain and there was a small solar eclipse. At At 10.30 the light changed to almost evening light. We felt very privileged. 

Most of all, we enjoy being so close to nature. The days on the bike. Stop for lunch with a view of a glacier, mountain range, forest and camp right down to the river. And meet other nice people along the way. 

We enjoy losing track of time, days and letting ourselves be drawn by the surroundings and what experiences they bring. The contrast to city life, which we also love. Enjoy the rapidly changing Patagonia. A development that you neither can nor should slow down, but with the hope that we as humans will be good at taking care of the raw nature. 

Right now we have spent more time in Patagonia than expected, but as the saying goes says: 'those who hurry in Patagonia lose time'.