Ride2Tale — Pichilemu, Bitcoin and a VW van: five days on the Chilean coast

"Some pauses you choose. And then there are the others."

After getting the bikes fixed in Constitución, we head north along the Pacific with a simple plan: move slowly, let the foot recover, and don't push anything. We still managed to stumble across salt marshes, a Volkswagen van turned Bitcoin embassy, and a few unexpected sandy patches.

Teo's perfectionism and a slightly complicated departure.

The morning starts well at Teo's. Right up until the last minute, he pampers the bikes: chain maintenance and greasing everything that needs to move properly. The kind of finishing touch you don't ask for, which he does out of sheer mechanic instinct. We chat for a bit before heading off with the machines in perfect shape.

Back at the hotel, loading the bikes quickly turns into a puzzle. The market has taken over the entire street in front of the hotel and the carabineros are posted at the building entrance — no parking wherever you like. We have no choice but to make trips back and forth from the car park 300 metres away. Adeline runs the laps to spare Thomas and protect his ankle, which earns her a serious heat stroke. Around noon, everything is loaded and the bikes are ready... and Thomas realises he left his front panniers at Teo's. One last round trip, and we finally take off at 1 pm.

Iloca, coastal track and salt from Cahuil

We decide to ride a bit before stopping to eat. We pass through Iloca, a quiet coastal village at the end of season: shops closed, terraces deserted. It's not unpleasant — must be heaving in the middle of summer. The seafront restaurant we'd spotted is shut. We end up stopping a little further on at a fish restaurant, much to Thomas's delight... and the fish and chips is perfect!

We set off again around 3:30 pm. Following the Pacific, we end up on a coastal track that wasn't really in the plan. Thomas isn't very confident with his ankle and Adeline keeps an eye on him. A steep climb with five switchbacks, sandy patches here and there, but we make it through. At the top, a viewpoint overlooking the ocean. Wow. We're not moving fast, but we're delighted to have ventured this way.

We get back onto tarmac and pass through Cahuil. The village has lived off salt for generations — the marshes stretch as far as the eye can see and the work is still largely done by hand. We don't have time to really stop, but the landscape is very typical.

Pichilemu, the surf capital.

We arrive in Pichilemu around 6 pm. The city is recognised as the world surf capital — at least in Chile. We've decided to settle here for a few days to continue Thomas's recovery. We'd booked a room at a hostel and when we arrive, we get a pleasant surprise: a large, bright building with well thought-out common spaces (hammock, foosball and TV lounge). Cherry on top: we have our own private room.

Of course, as soon as we arrive, everyone asks if we surf. They can't quite understand how we ended up here without being surf enthusiasts, but for our part, we're pretty happy to enjoy the wide sandy beaches for some rest and polish the website update. We also use the time to produce some social media content and particularly to finalise the six-month travel video.

Mike and the "Bitcoin machine" van

Before arriving in Pichilemu, Thomas had reached out to Mike from ONG Bitcoin Chile and "Satoshilemu" through the Club Orange app. Satoshilemu is a local project to develop Bitcoin use in the city, following the circular economy community model found in a few corners of the world. Mike invites us for lunch — we meet him around 2 pm at the Pulpa Restaurant.

Mike arrives in style aboard his refurbished Volkswagen van, soberly named "Bitcoin machine". Old van, great look — it sends. We spend over two hours at the table talking Bitcoin, travel and Chile. Then he offers to take us on a tour of the Pichilemu businesses that accept Bitcoin. We jump in the van for a VIP sightseeing trip. After touring the town, he takes us to Punta de Lobos, a rocky headland above the ocean where international surf competitions are held. There's heavy fog that day, but the setting is still beautiful. We also swing by the Cahuil salt marshes. He explains the particular spirituality of the area, the history of salt, the surfers from all over the world who make the trip. We get back around 7 pm with an invitation to eat burgers the next day. Date set. Thomas comes home with a painful foot, even though we didn't really walk much.

Ankle, low morale and a makeshift brace

Saturday morning, the mood forecast isn't great. Thomas slept badly, the foot is tender, and it's really starting to weigh on him. Five months since the bad fall in Payunia. We make a trip to the pharmacy to find a brace — he tries on a model without much conviction and the result isn't exactly satisfying. You can understand why Thomas is grumbling.

We end up declining Mike's invitation to go out that evening. The heart just isn't in it. We also decide to push the departure to Monday: it's too soon to think about off-road riding with an ankle in this state. Better to take 290 km of tarmac in a single day to Santiago and gain a day of recovery.

Blog, burgers and bags packed

Sunday, same programme. Thomas finalises the last blog posts before the big launch. It feels good to have time to update and feed the blog. Even though we draw on Adeline's logbook, it takes time to restructure, proofread and publish everything. Since we have some time right now, we make the most of it.

In the evening, to reward ourselves for all the work done, we decide to treat ourselves to burgers from Bit.Burger — the décor is entirely dedicated to Bitcoin, very cool! Adeline finishes the evening playing board games with the volunteers from Casa Kuyen, a convivial moment before departure. Before midnight, everything is packed: tomorrow we hit the road for real, heading for Santiago!