For the past two weeks we’ve been riding north, away from Patagonia and the beauty of nature in the Chilean south. Our goal has been to make good time back to Santiago, because we knew there wouldn’t be much to see and we’d rather spend our time riding in more scenic areas.
While the terrain hasn’t been that exciting, we’ve experienced a different kind of beauty as we’ve been the recipients of much generosity from the people. From the first day we officially “left” the south, each day has provided some expression of kindness from the locals.* On day one, we were invited to camp in someone’s backyard. The next night, we paid to stay in a “hosteria” (kind of like a hotel), where they allowed us to use their restaurant’s kitchen, even though it’s not normally for guests. Not only that, but they invited us to eat with them at their table, and we spent the evening talking and laughing. On our rest day, we paid for a hostel, and the lady running it allowed us to do our laundry for free (this is HUGE for us!).
But the best was Valentine’s Day. We stopped in a small town called Longavi, where we were planning to look around for a campsite. But first, we pulled our bikes up to the minimarket on the corner to buy our daily food supplies. Immediately, the store owner and his son came out to chat with the “gringos.” They said they love gringos, particularly from the United States. So after chatting for a while, the guy mentions that one time they had a gringo camp in their patio. Dave, seeing our opportunity, said, “Hey, actually, we’re looking for a place to use our tent tonight. Could we camp in your patio?”
This was met by some laughter… but then the guy realized we were serious. We explained that we were planning to stop in Longavi for the night and look for a place to camp.
“Well,” he replied… “You need to talk to her.” He motioned to his wife who was checking someone out from behind the counter.
So he tells her that we’re looking for a place to camp, and she motions for us to come inside the house. She shows us the bathroom where we can take showers, offers to let us wash our clothes, and invites us to join them for dinner later. Wow! She also had her daughter give up her bedroom for the night so we could have a better place to sleep.
Although all of this was wonderful, the company was the best part. We joined the family for dinner (at about 9:30 p.m. (they have a very late eating schedule here). They grilled delicious chicken on their built in patio grill, and we didn’t get up from the table until 1 a.m. to go to bed! We had a blast talking and laughing, sharing stories about our trip and hearing their thoughts about the U.S. and life in Chile and more. We laughed harder than we had since we’d started traveling in Chile.
The wonderful family who took us in... they were so much fun!
We were so grateful for this family to take us in. For the next three nights, we didn’t stop in towns, but stopped in rest areas along Ruta 5 North. These are a lot like rest areas in the US, but even better, as they include showers with hot water! Plus, there were employees there round the clock who assured us that it was both acceptable and normal to camp there. At each of these rest areas, the staff seemed to take us under their wing.
The rest areas had everything we would want in a campground... a picnic table, a place to lock up our bikes, and a hot shower--all for free!
At one of the rest areas, the guy working there insisted on loading us up with free peaches! He gave us four, then reconsidered and added four more to the pile. He was so happy to have us spend the night there!
We had heard about the hospitality and kindness of the Chileans, and we are thankful to experience it firsthand! It was yet another expression of God’s perfect provision for us.
We’re in Santiago now, staying with a friend of a friend, running errands and working out details before we head north then east back into Argentina. We appreciate all your prayers and encouraging words!
