Ruca (del mapudungun ruka,’casa’) es el nombre de la vivienda tradicional de los mapuches, pueblo que habita en los actuales territorios de Chile y Argentina . Ruca (from Mapudungun ruka, ‘house’) is the name of the traditional home of the Mapuche, a people who live in the current territories of Chile and Argentina.

Some days are sunshine and roses, while others are rainy and cold. Two days ago, we had sunshine and roses, but yesterday, we got 140k and 1100m of cold and plenty of rain. Fortunately, there was no wind, but the last 40k was on a hectic two-lane highway with almost bumper-to-bumper traffic roaring at 110kph and throwing up mist as I rode on a narrow shoulder. I can’t say I had fun yesterday. However, we arrived in Villarrica, the start of Chilian Patagonia with its beautiful lake and the perfect cone volcano. At least they tell me the lake and volcano are there, but right now, we have a thick and low cloud cover, and you can only see a little of the lake and no mountains.