In the space below, I’ll share some blurbs about some Chileans with whom I’ve been lucky to spend some time over the past few months. I won’t revisit characters I’ve introduced in previous posts, but instead discuss some newer friends. The list is compiled in reverse chronological order.

1. Fernanda and Pipe

My stay at Fernanda and Felipe’s home in Valdivia was bookended by some major relationship events for this couple. I showed up on Sunday, the day after a big backyard party with friends and family to celebrate their upcoming marriage. On Thursday afternoon, when we parted ways, they headed down to city hall with friends to make things official. A few days later, they would pack up the car for a three-week honeymoon on the Carretera Austral. In between these events, they happily hosted a random Canadian traveller who had contacted them through the Warm Showers bicycle touring app.

Visiting Fernanda and Pipe felt comfortable and oddly familiar. Conversations flowed freely, and covered a wide range of topics. Their breezy and leafy home – replete with tasty coffee, local craft beer, and homegrown bud – conjured images of a common Canadian setting. One day, after work, Pipe and his buddies took me on a great trail ride through the hilly, coniferous forests. I would like to think that, if we lived in the same place, this thoughtful and relaxed couple would be friends of mine.

2. Christian

Christian is the only Chilean I’ve met who has lived in Churchill, Manitoba. He was there for a few months while on a Working Holiday Visa in Canada about eight years ago. To get back home to Chile, Christian sold his stuff, bought a Brodie bicycle, and spent two years cycling from Vancouver to Punta Arenas, the southern tip of South America.

Now, Christian and his wife, Kata, operate a bike shop, Rueda Al Sur, from the back of their house in Puerto Varas. They spend lots of time trip growing the local cycling community by leading trips around Lago Llanquihue. They’ve also got a baby coming soon. I enjoyed my time with them, laughing lots over Christian’s stories about navigating life in Canada and an undertaking an epic bike ride through the Americas.

3. Carmen’s family

Carmen had about a dozen family members at her place. Her niece and nephew had just bought a nearby plot of land, and a horde of extended family had shown up weeks earlier to build the house.

After too many days camping in the rain, I was looking for a bed. Like many others in the south, Carmen rents out bedrooms on a nightly basis on her rural property. It was a great place to relax.

After some good conversations on my second night, the whole crew invited me to join them for a family asado the following day. We packed up the cars, took a short ferry ride, and headed to a beautiful spot along the rio Cisnes. We barbecued, fished, ate, drank, and enjoyed the setting. A lovely, and unexpected, Sunday in the countryside

4. Jorge

I met Jorge, a Santiago guy, on a ferry at the northern end of the Carretera Austral. He has significant experience exploring Chile on two wheels (in the above video, he explains why he travels this way). We spent the boat ride exchanging stories, and inspecting the bikes. Once we landed, we decided to pedal along together for a while. We both wound up at Carmen’s, and spent a relaxing evening cooking and hanging out. The next morning, Jorge was on his way – a fleeting, yet satisfying, encounter.

5. Don Ernesto

When Don Ernesto heard a Canadian guy had pulled into his Puerto Aysen campground, he burst out of his cottage and headed my way. In perfect English, he started yammering away to me about the goings-on in Ottawa.

Don Ernesto looked a bit like a cowboy. He was a former sailor who had travelled the world from port to port in his youth (“the good old days”, he explained). He spent a number of years living in New Jersey, while his two daughters now live in Alberta. He’ll be heading there for this year’s Stampede.

My neighbours at the campground were three easygoing Chilean guys in their mid-20s who had struck up a deal with Don Ernesto, exchanging labour for free lodging. Sometimes, I would amble over to watch them work. Don Ernesto seemed to relish explaining to me (in English) that they were good fellows, but suffered from the laziness, Smartphone addiction, and general uselessness that defines our generation. I know better than to challenge my elders.