On the bus again! Shipment of the bicycle showed to be a similar nightmare as in Argentina. The service is expensive and they do not care to help in packing the bicycle... There was also a risk that during the weekend the service will be less available due to increasing number of passengers and limited working hours. Therefore I decided to ship the bike to Santiago and take the morning bus to not arrive too late... I am a bit sad to not see the famous araucaria forests and the volcano Villarica, but I'm fed up with cycling and need to rest at least for a week... Also there are not too many options for traveling north in Chile. The vertical road is a very busy highway... I could go on vertical roads, cycle a bit on the coast and cross to Argentina at times... But considering all the factors, going to Santiago now is the best option...
Reflections part 4 about health and security: I have to say that despite daily fatigue and exposure to extreme weather conditions I was staying exceptionally healthy. I came equipped with two travel health kits but to date I only used one plaster and a lot of sunscreen :) Interestingly, I almost did not see mosquitoes during the 10 weeks; I used a repellent only once :) Regarding security, I was sometimes warned by people that somebody got robbed on a camping or that I should be careful cycling around, but I did not really encounter any problem. I tried to be careful, but I often left the bicycle unlocked on the road or in front of shops and restaurants... It would be potentially easy to just take the bicycle with all my things, but it did not happen... It could be related to the fact that I spent most of the time in remote places, small towns and villages... As far as I know I am not suitable food for any animal around here, so the only danger comes from people... The potentially dangerous places are large towns and places visited by many tourists. I feel really vulnerable in larger towns where I am completely attached to the bike - my mobile home... I try to not lose it from sight which at times becomes difficult to support...And this is my actual dilemma as I like to spend time with people, see how they live, and it's easier to meet them when visiting populous areas...
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