However, close to the town square was the Cathedral Church of San Ambrosio de
Linares, one of the most beautiful buildings in town. This was indeed a Roman
Catholic country. Again, I spotted a surprising number of cathedrals for such a
small village.
After locating an affordable establishment with cable TV (for Ernest) and storage
for the bikes, Ernest, as usual, lit his petrol stove and cooked pasta. The cooking
process took place in the bathroom; not very hygienic, but delicious, nevertheless.
Linares - Talca – 56 km
The day came with a slight headwind which hampered our efforts. After 56
kilometres and feeling lethargic, Talca, situated in the Maule region, the largest
wine-growing region in Chile, made a perfect overnight stop—it was time to taste
their wine.
Talca wasn’t only home to several wineries, but also a university, which sounded
pretty good to me. Regrettably, Talca was another place severely damaged by the
February 2010 earthquake. All budget digs in the older part of town had been
destroyed, and empty lots remained where those hostels once stood. It was quite
shocking to see such devastation.
For the past three days, our overnight lodging was in towns affected by the
previous year’s earthquake - Chillan, Linares and Talca. Even at the recently re-
opened hotels, the open doors didn’t close, and the closed doors couldn’t be
opened. Seeing the collapsed buildings and empty plots remained a sad sight.
There wasn’t much to do in Talco but walk to the Santa Isabel supermarket (in all
towns) to get supplies to make supper. I guessed earthquakes weren’t new to that
area as I learned the name Talca means thunder or a volcanic eruption in the
Mapuche language.