Chapter 27 25 Storm Hell Patagonia

Santiago, the capital of Chile, is a city where classical and modern coexist. Next to the church full of strong historical atmosphere, it is next to the skyscrapers with blue glass curtains, but it does not appear abrupt, but has a strange sense of harmony.On Christmas Eve, the streets and alleys are decorated with colorful decorations.Our impression of South America is often the third world, full of chaos and chaos, but Chile looks no different from European countries. The cheap hotel I stayed in was a total mess, with old, battered beds infested with lice, not to mention a typical tryst hotel.Just sit on the chairs in front of the counter and wait for the rabbit, and it won't take long to see people walking by in pairs, and it's still a weekend today.All kinds of matching seem to echo the taste of this hotel: the old lady and the little white face, the bald Ojissan and the girl who looks like his daughter...much more interesting than the boring scenic spots.

To pass the time, I continued to observe the pairings coming and going, and saw a dirty kid standing at the counter, with long dry and damaged hair tied behind his head, wearing old shorts and a T-shirt that seemed to smell of sweat.I couldn't help thinking: How strange, there are also little beggars in Chile.At this moment, the other party turned around and looked this way. "Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!" It was a reunion after eight months of parting ways in Mexico.We actually went to the same hotel on the same day, almost like an appointment.Why?And Seiji-san too, and Jim too, the so-called fate is really incredible!

After helping Kiyota-kun move the luggage into the room, we couldn't wait to chat about what happened along the way on the dirty bed. "Actually, something terrible happened to me!" I talked about the process of being robbed in Peru with a full face, and gesticulated.As soon as Kiyota-kun heard it, he said: "It's not enough to watch! Actually, I just..." Then he happily told me that he was attacked by bandits in the mountains of Venezuela, and was shot with a shotgun, and a bullet grazed his shoulder. "It's so miserable..." "you too……"

Until four o'clock in the morning, we were still arguing about whose journey was harder. To welcome the second New Year on the journey, Kiyota-kun and I set off from San Diego together, and we rode together again. Every time I meet him, I take it for granted that he will act with me, and I also find it incredible.Cyclists who travel long distances like us usually like to ride alone, but he doesn't look like the type who is good at group activities. The feeling of "going his own way alone" is very strong.I didn't expect him to be easy to get close to. He opened the map and asked me "Which way to go" with a smiling face like a teenager, so I also began to have an unusual sense of closeness to him.

There are huge supermarkets everywhere in Chile, which is not inferior to Japan.Every time we see a supermarket, we look at each other, one of us smiles, the other smiles too, and then the two bikes are sucked in. There is one must-buy item in supermarkets in Chile, which is "Panda Ice Cream". It only costs about 100 yen per liter, which is super cheap, and it is considered delicious at this price.The heat outside the house is almost burning, so one person can handle one liter. After eating, the whole body is cool and comfortable, and I want to sleep.Looking at the companion beside him, he also looked sleepy.

We also kept an eye on each other's movements, and as soon as one lay down, the other followed.So we took a nap time in the shade of the supermarket. As soon as the two of us partnered up, we began to understand each other, and the pace slowed down considerably. As soon as you enter the lake and marsh area of ​​southern Chile, rivers and lakes appear one after another in the forest, and you can catch trout as soon as you cast bait.Probably because there are few people, the fish are also very honest and easy to take the bait.Of course, the trout caught is sacrificed to our Wu Zang Temple, whether it is pan-fried, salt-baked or deep-fried, it tastes delicious no matter how it is cooked.My well-built companion, of course, knew nothing about delicate matters such as fishing and cooking, and could only eat.

"Ah, it's delicious, it's delicious!" He munched on the deep-fried rainbow trout happily. ——Kyota-kun, I finally understand why you want to partner with me. A month later, we officially entered the Patagonia region. The so-called "Patagonia" collectively refers to the area south of 39 degrees south latitude. It straddles Argentina and Chile. The population is very sparse, and only the barren wasteland is endless.There are constant winds all year round, and it is also a ghost gate for cyclists passing through South America, which is famous all over the world.Along the way, we have already encountered several white knights, who gave up saying "it's not possible after all", and called trucks on the side of the road to hitchhike.

Both of us were terrified of Patagonia.Unexpectedly, once we got here, there was no wind at all. "What! It's different from the rumors." "Really." We whistled and stepped on our bicycles with ease. Speaking of which, it's really vast, and no matter which direction you look, it's a soft brown horizon, which proves to us that the earth is round.The "ao" that looks like an ostrich ran across the wasteland, raising a cloud of dust.This animal was as tall as a man, and although it couldn't fly, it ran very fast. I tried chasing it by bicycle, but I still couldn't catch it.Flocks of cats (ao) strode across the land of Patagonia in ancient postures, reminiscent of the movie "Jurassic Park".

On the gravel road, armadillos can occasionally be seen scurrying around.It is really interesting to see all kinds of rare birds and animals in this uninhabited place. One day, the peaceful days came to an end suddenly, and Patagonia finally showed its true face, which was far more horrifying and terrifying than what we had heard: the wind made a creepy sound and whizzed by violently, and we were like two pieces of paper The doll is constantly being tossed about by the wind. As soon as I fell down, Kiyota-kun passed me from the side with his body huddled and his face twisted, at a speed about the same as walking.He didn't even look at me, and walked past me in silence, with no energy left to speak.

I braced my body against the strong wind, used all my strength to help the blown down bicycle, and began to ride while moaning.Not far away, I could see my partner fell miserably on the side of the road. I passed him silently, and then I fell to the ground after riding less than 20 meters. This process keeps repeating, and we begin to feel extremely ridiculous.We were immobilized by the storm, with our heads down, and an indescribable wry smile unconsciously appeared on our faces.