In 1986–87, at 24 years old, I set off on my first long bicycle journey—following the Pan-American Highway north from Chile toward Alaska.

The original story was published in Swedish as På Cykel från Chile till Alaska. I’m now releasing a tightened, Substack-length version: the events and dialogue are true, while the text has been edited only for structure, pacing, and readability.

This is Part 1: Chile — the island of Chiloé, strangers who helped (and stared), the shadow of Pinochet, a failed volcano attempt, and the first warning from the desert wind: Camanchaco.

Read Part 1 here: https://explorermikaelstrandberg.substack.com/p/chile-the-wind-that-kills