By Boat and Bike to Cochamo (Chile)

San Carlos de Bariloche on the shore of Lago Nahuel Huapi is the main town in the area and famous for its chocolate (thanks to the Swiss and German settlers who found themselves very much at home here). After two nights, I was ready to continue my journey. I rode to nearby Puerto Panuelo and took a boat to Puerto Blest, in an idyllic setting at the western end of one arm of the lake. After a quick 3 km ride, I boarded a second boat and crossed Lago Frias, where some scenes were shot in the Che Guevara film " The Motorcycle Diaries". Then came a tough 25 km ride over a pass marking the border between Agentina and Chile. Mt Tronador, at over 3400 m the largest mountain in the area, rose up to the south. I followed a river valley down to Peulla on the shore of Lago Todo los Santos in Chile and caught a third ferry across the lake to Puerto Petrohue, where I spent the night. The beautiful lake, with the two volcanic peaks, Volcan Orsono and Volcan Puntiagudo dominating the horizon, is a truly impressive sight. 

I finally reached the sea for the first time in the journey at the little village of Ralun, and spent the night in Cochamo, a fishing village further down the coast.

So far, I've ridden about 550 km, so the warm-up is over and now I'm officially in Patagonia. Gravel roads have replaced asphalt, the sunny weather has come to an end, and I still have a couple of thousand km's to go. 

The 3 peaks of Mt Tronador from Lago Frias. 

This spot at the eastern end of Lago Todo los Santos reminded me of the area around Glenorchy in NZ. 

Bike ready for the boat at Peulla.  

Volcanoes Orsono and Puntiagudo from Lago Todo los Santos. 

Volcan Orsono from my camping spot in Petrohue. 

At the seaside - the little fishing village of Cochamo. 

Sunset in Cochamo. 

From Villarica (Chile) to San Carlos de Bariloche (Argentina)

After an overnight bus ride down from Santiago, I arrived early in the morning at Villarica and set about reassembling the bike. Most things were okay and a quick trip to the local bike shop sorted the other minor problems out. Finally, I was riding. I spent the night in the pretty town of Pucon, 26 km from Villarica. 

The box will soon be history.

Hmm, got a bit of work to do...

Up and running at last. 

Pucon.

I rode my first pass of the trip, Paso Mamuil Malal at about 1200 m, which marks the border between Chile and Argentina. From there I followed the "Siete Lagos" route past many beautiful lakes to Sam Carlos de Bariloche. I fueled myself on prime Argentinian beef, each steak bigger than the last. 

Hola Argentina!

Volcan Lanin

Hot and dry. 

From the paddock...

...to the pan. And from small...

...to big. 

One of the many lakes along the route. 

Remote farms with dangerous guard dogs. 

Another lake. 

I never had better fruit than from this guy. The watermelon was the best I ever had. 

Lake Huapi Nahuel, on the way to SC de Bariloche. 

On the Road in Chile and Argentina

I arrived in Santiago de Chile in the middle of the night, after a multi-hop flight from Panama via Bogota and Lima. The bike arrived too, although a few bits were protruding from the box. All things considered, it survived the journey well. Two wonderfully helpful Colombian ladies helped me to organise a taxi to my accommodation, and it all went very smoothly.

During my 3 day stay in Santiago, I got organised for the trip south. That included making a rough plan of the route. In order to have a chance of getting down to Ushuaia before the end of March (when it would already be too cold) I plan to take a bus south to Villarica and ride from there. I will to ride to Pucon, then cross a small pass to reach Junin de los Andes in Argentina. From there I'll follow Ruta 40 south to San Carlos de Bariloche via the "Siete Lagos" route. I will return to Chile by taking boats across 3 different lakes with cycling in between. First Lago Huapi Nahuel, then Lago Frias and finally Lago Todos los Santos in Chile. From Petrohue at the end of Lago Todos los Santos,  I'll take the Caretera Austral south.

With my foot that I hurt in Costa Rica returning to normal and a bit of basic Spanish under my belt, I'm ready to go. 

A Man A Plan A Canal, Panama

Now say it backwards :-) This was something that was written on the wall of one my classrooms at school, and now I finally had the chance to see it live.

Nicolas returned to Spain for Christmas, and Muriel and I travelled south to Panama. We stuck to the Pacific coast, which was having fine weather. We visited the hill towns of Guadalupe (near Cerro Punta) and Boquete, which were both relaxing escapes from the heat and humidity on the coast. 

Peaceful Guadalupe with its verdant gardens and abundant fruit and vegetables was a real highlight. Muriel bought a cheese fondue from Switzerland and so we had a little Christmas celebration. 

In Boquete, we made interesting trips to some natural hotsprings and a working coffee plantation and roastery. 

Back down at the coast we made our way to the surfer town if Santa Catalina, from where we organised an overnight trip to Isla Coiba. This was a tropical island paradise, with great snorkelling perfect white sand beaches and jungle. Back in Santa Catalina we rang in the new year 2015 with a delicious meal and a few drinks with travelling friends at the beach.  

Panama City with its impressive skyline was a huge contrast to everything we'd seen in Central America thus far. We stuck mostly to Casco Viejo, the old part of town, which is where many of the main sights are. We made some interesting side trips as well. To the Miraflores Locks on the Panama Canal, to Isla Taboga in the harbour and a great trainride along the canal to Fuerte San Lorenzo on the Carribean coast. It guards the entrance to the Chagres River. Now just ruins, it once stored the gold that Spain had plundered from Peru prior to it being shipped back to Spain. As such, it was a juicy target for pirates such as Captain Henry Morgan. 

Sadly, the Central American part of my journey is over. It was a fun trip with two cool friends. See you guys back in Switzerland!

Just outside Guadalupe with Volcan Baru in the clouds. 

A beautiful garden in Guadalupe. 

Swiss fondue outside on the steps on Christmas Eve. 

Hummingbirds on the balcony of Los Quetzales Lodge in Guadalupe. 

A cozy room inside the lodge. 

Coffee in the hills outside Boquete, Panama. 

The finished product. 

Sunset at Santa Catalina, where we welcomed in the new year. 

Sunrise in Isla Coiba. 

Paradoxically, this island paradise is also home to a former penal colony...

Only the most disobedient were actually locked up; the others worked in isolated labour camps. 

The island and those around it have some amazing snorkelling and beaches. 

Another beach perfect beach. 

Panama City's skyline. 

Casco Viejo in Panama City. 

Slow-motion excitement at the Miraflores Locks on the Panama Canal. 

Locomotives guiding the next boat up to the lock. 

Isla Taboga: One of the best hotel room views ever!

View to the pier on Isla Taboga. 

On the Panama - Colon train. 

Early-morning canal traffic as seen from the train. 

The view of the Caribbean coast from Fuerte San Lorenzo, the mouth of the Rio Chagras to the left. 

Amongst the ruins. 

A captured English canon. 

Downtown Colon, a rundown place with a very different vibe from the rest of Panama.