valdivia, niebla, isla de mancera y corral

I left Panguipulli to cycle 70km through the countryside where I raced a tractor and lost as the uphill road prooved too steep, and arrived in the small town of Lanco to stop for the night.

The next day I pedalled the remaining 60km to my next destination, the riverside town of Valdivia, once home to one of the biggest commercial and strategical ports on the Pacific Ocean during the Spanish colonization.

I arrived around lunchtime as the weather was starting to get worse, and after a}having lunch I found a nice camping neare the centre.

I spent the afternoon and the evening walking around the city centre, visiting the markets and having a drink and some food, around this area "marisco" is the speciality....everything seafood basically.....

After a windy night I woke up a bit later than usual and after packing my stuff I started the 17km ride to Niebla, the first town on the Pacific Ocean just outside Valdivia.

On the way there I stopped to the must-see Cerveceria Kunstmann, a typical Chilean beerhouse, with a typical Chilean name and a typical Chilean atmosphere.....another great contribution left by the many German migrants in this region !!!!!

After talking to a few people, drinking a couple of pints and eating a typical Chilean sausage and krauts sandwich I left to complete my journey and arrive in Niebla in the early afternoon, to find a nice and cheap camping before going for my first swim in the very cold waters of the Pacific Ocean.

In the evening I visited the Feria Costumbrista, a festival celebrating the local cuisine and traditional music and dances, there I had a lovely grilled salmon and tried homemade Chicha (an alcoholic drink similar to cider, made from apple juice).

On the following day I visited the Fuerte Niebla, the remainings of one of the castles built in the bay to protect the city of Valdivia from being attacked by unwanted visitors such as pirates or enemy armys.

I then took the boat to visit the Fuerte de Isla Mancera, and admire the beatiful view from the top of the hill overlooking the beaches, before taking another boat to the town of Corral and visit the biggest Castillo of the all defensive system and watch the recreation of the battle of Corral, one of the most important battles of the Chilean Independence War in 1820 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capture_of_Valdivia).

I spent the rest of the evening in Corral, watching the fireworks and a parade of colourful boats decorated with lights in front of the port.