A local saying goes that those who rush in Patagonia lose time. We were delighted to hear that, because that is exactly how we experience the place. Time loses its meaning, and the great outdoors sets the agenda with wind and weather. The day on the bike is not about getting to something, but being on the road is an adventure.

We are now about halfway along 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, and we are constantly looking back to take it all in.

The Carretera Austral (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 finished in 2000. The goal of the Carretera Austral was to connect the very remote areas of southern Chile. Rumors also say that it was to position itself against Argentina. 

Today it is a route that is becoming increasingly popular among 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 a gravel road with washboard or soft gravel. Even the cars are challenged – and lose their license plates.

We love that the bike ride itself is an experience. It's 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 about an estancia (traditional Chilean farm) where the woman baked bread and made jam herself. It was 10 km. away from the Carretera Austral off a small road that led us into the mountain landscape, then over a narrow suspension bridge (that could fit exactly one car across) and finally 1.5 km. of singletrack to reach the place. 

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

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

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

We watched the gaucho slaughter the sheep, strip the wool from it with his sharp knife, and prepare it for the fire. It looked simple, but it is a craft and a proud tradition. There is no doubt that 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 replied:'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 replied warmly: 'how many eat?'No need to complicate things by putting numbers on.

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

The icing on the cake was that we met Gabe and Emma, who we ate with. It turned into a really nice evening, where we ate 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 have hoped for. 

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

Another fantastic experience came from meeting an Argentinian couple who drive around in a home-painted, fine Volkswagen Rye Bread. We first saw the car 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 ran a red light at a roadworks.

Now it was time. We drove up to them, and they were simply so sweet. The couple was also heading north, but they had spent the last 4 months in southern Chile/Argentina.
The light turned green, but the couple was waiting for us further down 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 meet. Flowing 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 go by boat when you can go by kayak. Both to get right 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 10:30 the light changed to almost evening light. We felt very privileged. 

Most of all we enjoy being so close to nature. Days on the bike. Stopping for lunch with a view of a glacier, mountain range, forest and camping all the way down to the river. And meeting other nice people along the way. 

We enjoy losing track of time, days and letting ourselves be drawn by the surroundings and the experiences they bring. The contrast to city life, which we also love. Enjoying Patagonia, which is undergoing rapid change. A development that we cannot and should not 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'.