No tengo hamburguesas
- Feb 26, 2016
- 2 min read
No tengo hamburguesas!
It's not a statement you expect from a waitress at McDonald's. But the unexpected is often the best part of travelling in foreign lands.
My unexpected encounter with a burgerless burger joint in the dusty hot city if Talca in Chile ended up saving me centimetres on my waistline and a few thousand pesos.
Hank and I have put in our first big day on the road. The Ruta de la Fruta winds its way south from Isla Negra. In the late afternoon the vineyards of Santa Cruz appear. The neatly tendered rows of verdant green foliage line the hillsides.
Santa Cruz is a perfect place to fill up on fuel and wine in the nearby Colchagua Valley. The region is bursting with full-bodied reds. Protected by mountains on all sides, this sun-scorched parcel of vines and orchards produces Chile's best red wines.
With the temperature topping 30 degrees I’m more in the mood for a beer but I find room in my panniers for a bottle of the good stuff for later down the road.
The highlight of my one night in Talca is the wine from Santa Cruz.
On the Pan-American Highway I’m a snail. The speed limit is 120kmh with an open throttle I can reach 90kmh. Downhill it’s 100kmh and I feel like I’m really flying. Trucks and buses swoop past blasting and bumping me with a gust of wind.
At Chillan I leave the great highway behind and roll on the rural road towards Yungay. I get my first clear glimpse of the snow tipped Andes to the east. In the small town of Yungay the shady plaza is hosting a market and I find refreshment and rest.
My destination Saltos del Laja is just down the road. But it’s a sandy, slippy, slidey bumpy old road. My introduction to dirt biking is an eye-opening experience. But one I need to get used to in times ahead.
Faster is better and no fear the mindset. Hank is a star and the two of us covered in dust arrive at a campground next to the Rio Laja.
The laughter, cheer and conversation of dozens of Chilean families on their summer holiday echoes and murmurs through the trees in tune with the river. As the sun sets I sink into the cooling waters and rinse off the day’s journey.
I begin to prepare my noodles for dinner. Before I toss the bland packet into my hot water I get a tap on my shoulder. My camping neighbours won’t stand for me dining on anything but meat - lots of meat.
Their asado is smoking and before I can say muchas gracias I am offered a plate of barbecued meat. I chew, smile and chew some more.
My eyes become heavy and I say goodnight. They laugh and say the night is just starting. The loud rhythm and sway of Chilean folk music followed by reggaeton can’t stop me from drifting off to sleep.
It’s another run down the Pan-America to Temuco for Hank’s first free service. He enjoys an oil change, a bath and I enjoy a free Coke Zero being handed out at the Plaza de Armas.
Ahead lie volcanoes and lakes.
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