Pucon

There was a call from Gary and Sallie to reunite Team Fantastico in Pucon, as they (incl. Orlagh) were already there and Alex & I were kind of close. So, instead of heading straight for Santiago I stopped in Pucon for 3 days.

I arrived late at night (see the post of Chiloe) and got a nice hostel right next to the bus station, called Wohlenberg. The owner was from German decent. Why not stay at the same hostel as the others? It was full. Just as well, because I like mine more. And for some reason, almost all the backpackers I spoke too were either going to the other place or had stayed there. Its right across from the other bus station (each company seems to have their own).

The next day I slept in. The others had gone hiking up the volcano. This was a bit pricy, but more importantly I wanted to sort out my Canadian Visa application. There was quite a lot of information that they required, but I finally got it all together, on the second day :( I felt like I was back in the office sorting out paperwork. Even though it was a nice change, I’m glad it was only temporary.

Alex arrived a day and a half after me.

The rest of my time in Pucon I just chilled. Drank beer with the guys, slept late and walked around a bit. Pucon has a very relaxed atmosphere and the people are nice. Its a small town, surrounded by a couple of hills on the one side (in the distance), the volcano and a lake. So going to the “beach” is a nice afternoon stroll.

In proper style, we had another farewell dinner as Team Fantastico. Needless to say that the night go really late. Fortunately no early bus to catch the next day :)

I was still a bit stressed as the visa application would determine my future travel plans. And since the visit to April, in Vancouver, was the catalyst to get this trip going, the visa application was critical.

All on the bus, we headed north. Alex (who couldn’t find space on our bus) and I were getting off in Santiago. The rest heading to Valparaiso. And so our final stint as Team Fantastico ended.

The deck where I had breakfast every morning – Volcano looking over the town – The “beach”

Sunset at the beach – Not sure if this is a predator bird, but there are lots of them

Movement update - Long way to San Pedro de Atacama

Once again, I haven´t been able to get to writing all my updates, so just to keep you "in the loop." (The "My Path" page is up to date.)

I´ve just come back from Mendoza, Argentina and sitting at the Santiago, Chile bus station as I write this. I´m heading to San Pedro de Atacama today at 9:30.
Map for Mendoza via Santiago to San Pedro de Atacama (Chile)
The trip will take just under 24 hours. Hoping to get some proper sleep. They guy next to me on the bus from Mendoza freaked me out a bit. But before I get ahead of myself....

The island of Chiloe

We, Alex and I, arrived in Puerto Montt after dark. Our first impression of the place was not great, probably compacted by many people having told us that they didn’t like it. So we decided to head off. Unfortunately in our separate ways.
Hang on, I might have written about this before. This all feels too familiar…Ag well, can’t hurt.
Alex headed north for an interview and I took a bus to Ancud, on the island of Chiloe.

I arrived quite late, around 8pm. Yes I know this is in conflict with one of my rules of travelling, but after travelling for a while I have gotten used to how things are, or can be, done in Chile. As long as the place is on a travel route or a popular tourist destination (out of season), the chances of finding accommodation close to the bus terminal is good. Just arrive and ask someone local, like a vendor, where you can find a cheap hostel (“Donde esta barato hospedaje?” in Spanish). I got pointed in the direction of “Hospedaje Mimi”, right next to the bus terminal. I wasn’t in the mood for accommodation shopping, so I just went there.

Mimi is a very friendly lady. I think the hospedaje is in her house, as I saw photos and certificates on the walls of what looked like family. She did a great job of making me feel at home from the word go. She studied English many years ago, so if I couldn’t understand her, she would try explain in English or whip out her bi-lingual dictionary. She also gave me the low-down on things to see and do around Ancud and the island. And this was honest info, as she advised me against doing activities that were out of season.

Ready for my attack on Ancud, I went walking around the next day. Unfortunately the museum was closed, but a lady walked out as I arrived and pointed me in the direction of the patrimonial museum (at least that's what I’m calling it). On Chiloe there is almost no rocks to build with, so almost everything is build from wood (there is lots on the island, or used to be). The island was known for its ship building. On that point, I saw an anchor made from wood! Had rock in the middle to make it sink, but the structure was wood. In fact, I was so intrigued by the wooden churches (called Inglesia), that I wanted to see more of them.

The next day I headed for Achao, on an island, but stopped at another on the way church (in Dalcahue). It was closed, and was told by a tour guide (that I met while having lunch) that it was closed for the season. It’s only open for 2 months of the year! At least I got my much desired Pollo Asado (BBQ chicken). So off to Achao. What the tour guide hadn’t told me, or didn’t know, the church was closed on Monday’s. It was Monday :( Slept there the night to see the church the next day. Opened at 11:00. At least I got a nice lie-in :)
Next day…church still closed! Damn. Off to Castro I went (map from Ancud to Castro), at least I knew that church is open!

I got there with enough time to have a look at the church and spend some time in it. What makes this church different from the rest is that this is the only one that was designed! But the design was done by a European architect who only worked in stone. So the stone design was reproduced in wood by the carpenters of Chiloe to look just like the design! The front is clad with tin, moulded to look like stone. Even the pillars are shaped like stone. This is some pretty impressive woodwork, even if it isn’t always well rounded off (like almost everything in South America).

I was contemplating whether to go to Santiago when I arrive in Castro, but felt just too rushed. That night Gary (Team Fantastico) emailed us to organise a Team Fantastico get-together in Pucon. I was kind of set on getting to Santiago, but thought I could make some time to see the guys. And I wanted to see Pucon.
So the next day I went to see another church just south (in Chonchi) and was planning to take a bus to Puerto Montt and a night bus to Pucon. This didn’t give me much more time on Chiloe, but since I’d seen everything I’d wanted to, I felt fine with that. Unfortunately the churches on Chiloe only open at 11:00. So I got there, looked at the church and town, back to Castro to get a bus to Puerto Montt. This is where the story gets interesting.

I had to get to Pucon and if I timed the bussed right, I’d be able to get to there by the night. Unfortunately I’d calculated the travelling time to Puerto Montt incorrectly. It would take me 3 hours to get there, not 2 as I’d thought. This would make me 30 min late for the 17:00 bus that went directly to Pucon. Crap! I was hoping, and praying, that the bus would get there early. Not likely in South America :) We arrived at 17:15.
You guess I’d be stuck….but I’ve learned a couple of things while here. Many people get on the bus in the middle of nowhere without a ticket. Probably because there is a ticket office. The pay for the ride on the bus. Instead of wasting time by going to the various bus companies trying to find a bus that was going directly to Pucon, I’d look for a bus on the platform. The direct bus to Pucon was a JAC bus (that’s the company). So I found the first JAC bus and it was going to Temuco, about 2 hours from Pucon. Great! I explained to the bus guy (not the driver) that I wanted to go to Pucon and asked if there were any busses going there from a destination along the way. He understood and told me to get aboard.
He spent some time finding out (while driving) which bus was going to Pucon. Valdivia was that place. However, on arrival on Valdivia he told me to get back on the bus. I was confused, but trusted him as he seemed to know what was potting and had been helpful till now. Apprehensively I got back on. We ended up stopping in the middle of nowhere, where the road split to Pucon. 10sec later, the bus that I’d missed in Puerto Montt was there. We threw my backpack from the one bus to the other, while it was moving. 1 hour later I as in Pucon.
This guy (don’t even know his name) sorted me out so well. He would probably say he was only doing his job :)

Prayer answered, I was in Pucon (at 23:00) but with no accommodation. While getting my map of Pucon out, I was approached with an offer of accommodation right next to the bus terminal. Sorted, I settled in for the night.

One of the creatures that form part the strange mythelogy of Chiloe – Square in Ancud where these statues are

Sketch of the workmanship of the Inglesias (churches) of Chiloe – Model of the church in Castro – The display area

The beach in Ancud – At this hostel you can get WIFE….a little bit of Engrish here :) - 1st church I saw (closed). But nice setting.

 
Many boats seem to be abandoned on the coast – The ferry to the island where Achao is - A ferry in the opposite direction

   
Walkways at the beach in Achao – Looking out over the bay in front of Achao – View from the graveyard in Achao

   
The church in Castro – From the front – Inside the nave – Intersecting barrel vaults…in wood!

– Place where the train used to stop. Now a historic garden – Random boat on the shore

 
House are build on the coast on stilts, called Palafinos – How to make a lock out of wood! – Wooden prop! (these guys are good)

  
Me with the average height of the indigenous people :)

 
Second open church - Inside

Mimi and me (the lady where I stayed in Ancud)

Carretera Austral – Heading north

Back in Cochrane the craving for internet beckoned. Surprisingly the connection was pretty good. We both received good news via email. Alex had been accepted to an job in Columbia and I had received an awesome invitation letter from April to aid my visa application (thx April). North was the goal, we would set off in the morning.

We woke up with good weather and not that cold bite in the air as when we went to Tortel. Great day for hitchhiking! We knew the bus was passing at 9am, so started hitching at 8:30. Being pretty confident that we would get a lift, we ignored the bus and waited. And waited. And waited. Damn! By 13:00 we were not happy with our decision. Many cars had passed, but all (apparently) local traffic. Fortunately a German couple, with their dog, gave us a lift in their campervan. Our aim was to get to Puerto Tranquilo by nightfall, but it didn’t look good at the moment. The couple were going to Puerto Guardal, where we have been, so we got off at the intersection with the road heading north. Walking the Austral…again. Nice! Its a different and great experience, knowing that you are in the middle of nowhere…alone. Alas this wouldn’t last (or should I jump for joy). We got a lift 30min after being dropped off, which was going all the way to Puerto Tranquilo! Great stroke of luck.

Puerto Tranquilo is just that…tranquilo (chilled out). Very small, right next to a lake. Great setting. The main attraction here are some caves that can only be reached by boat. This sucked because the boat is really expensive for two people. So we decided to skip it. Rather just enjoy the tranquillity of the place.
Next morning we headed for Coyhaique, the largest town in the Austral. You could call it the capital. There is more through traffic in Puerto Tranquilo and the busses passing through arrived at about 11am. This gave us much more time to get a lift. Once again not many cars. When the 1st bus stopped (there would be three) a French girl got off. She had been working in Patagonia and had a way about her. Friendly and gets what she wants. Reminds me of someone…. :) Since girls get lifts easier than guys, we put her to the task. In 5min a pickup arrived and she sweet talked all of us into a lift. Damn she was good!
The couple we got a lift with were going to Coyhaique and flying back to Santiago that afternoon. Cool, we were sorted. The French girl got off in Villa Cerro Castillo, along the way. At the next town the couple wanted to go have a look at some lakes, so we got out. 20min later we got a very fast lift to Coyhaique :) So fast in fact, that we could catch a bus to Puerto Cisnes (Coyhaique is not a nice place). So we made it further than hoped.

Puerto Cisnes is another fishing village, slightly off the main drag of the Austral. I did not care for the place much and would’ve like to sleep in Puyuhaupi, but such is life. Weather was crap the next day, so we took the bus to Puyuhaupi in the afternoon. Spent the morning catching up on some emails and some research for the upcoming part of the trip. To be honest, this is the first place along the Austral that I just wanted to get out of. I had a bad feeling about it, fortunately only a feeling. Nothing bad happened.

Puyuhaupi is a much nicer town with a homey feel. It was founded by Germans after WW2, which you can spot if you look really close. The roof design is unique to this part of the Austral with the type of roof called “Puyuhaupi style.” The houses also have nicer workmanship (but that's not difficult for the Austral). This is my favourite place along the Austral.
Close by is a national park with a couple of interesting things to see, but since the weather didn’t play along we missed out. The weather has really played havoc with parts of this trip. Eish.
Since Alex and I were both keen to get north, we hopped on the afternoon bus to take us a far north a possible. Villa Santa Lucia would be our destination. We were now so close to Chaiten, where the ferry departed to Chiloe, we could almost smell it. To our disappointment, the bus driver told us that the ferry to Chiloe ran that morning. Missed it by 1 day! The ferry was going to Puerto Montt the following day, with a bus driving through Villa Santa Lucia on the way to the ferry. What did we have to lose by trying to hitch? Nothing, even though it was already 18:30, and dusk.

Strangely enough there were more cars on the road than I expected, but going the wrong way :| An older looking gentleman stopped to pick us up, but he was only going halfway to Chaiten. A lift is a lift, so we took it. There was very little place in the car, but he was nice enough to make space. Alex and José, our lift, hit it off. By the time we arrived at his destination, he was nice enough to check for accommodation for all of us. There wasn’t any. So he drove all the way to Chaiten! Mmm…something different about this guy.
It turns out he is a salesman and visits this area about 4 times a year and rarely gives lifts. We ended up sharing a cabin and then cooking together. Well, Alex and I did all the cooking, but he bought a nice Chilean wine. Fair deal. It turns out this guy isn’t you average salesman. Well yes he sells household stuff, but he was really insightful with a great sense of humour. We all got along really well! I was a bit disappointed to have to say good bye, but it was a great end to our trip along the Austral. We had made to Chaiten. The town that had been burried under volcanic ash about 2 years ago.

Unfortunately Alex and my paths will split here, as he has to go to Temuco and will go to Chiloe before heading to Santiago. It has been a great trip, but all good things come to an end.

Waiting for a lift in Cochrane – Lunch on the road – Water is really blue here

Walking is tiring :) – Postcard pictre – And another

Church in Puerto Tranquilo – Yes it was cold in Puerto Tranquilo. REALLY cold!

Farmers russtling cattle, in the road (notice even the women get involved) – Puyuhaupi square (every town has one) – Nice house in Puyuhaupi (not “Puyuhaupi style” roof).

Some of Alex’s pics:

Getting desperate for a lift in Cochrane – Puyuhaupi – A long day (Villa Santa Lucia)

Our “end of trip” feast – Feast with José

Carretera Austral – Hillbilly South

The town of Caleta Tortel is nestled in a small bay on the southern part of the Austral. Alex was going through a map of the area and read that Tortel has no roads in the town, with only wooden walkways between the buildings. “Sounds good. Lets go”. (map)

The southern part of the Austral is the most beautiful, but there is also the least amount of traffic. Especially at this time of year. Hitchhiking would probably not be the best option, so we took a bus. 3hours to cover 130km...yes, the road is that bad.
Tortel is just what they said it would be…and a bit more. Everything is build out of wood. Walkways, houses and boats. Gives it a nice charm. A warm feel, even though the weather does its best to try keep that warm feeling from you. We didn’t see many people, they were probably hiding from the cold.

There are a couple of small bays along the town, which is build at the water’s edge. Its difficult to spot the “centre” of town. Shops are badly marked and I guess the only telltale sign that we were at the centre was the two official buildings (they look new compared to the others). Municipal building and the cops. But being out in the cold for long enough, we found a little old lady’s place that served tea. There we go an introduction to Tortel’s history.

The town was started in the 50’s to harvest Cypress wood that had been burned in the surrounding areas. 5 families settled here and made a living by collecting wood by boat, there were no roads here at this time. Every 3 months the navy would come past and collect the wood, taking it to Punta Arenas. Each person would receive credit for the wood they collected and exchanged for supplies.
During the dictatorship of Pinochet, much of the Austral was build including the road to Tortel. So the people here love him (probably the only people that do).
Sounds all hunky-dory…well, that is where the story gets weird :) Arriving at the hosteria I noticed the first sign, but didn’t think anything of it at the time. The lady who’s establishment it was, had really crooked teeth and a kind of child-like manner. The town didn’t have much “new blood” coming in on a regular basis. So I guess the town’s original 5 families mixed a bit…too much. As isolated as this place is, they people are not very conservative. Children move in together at about 13 and start having children. And there was one case of one brother killing another for their sister! (fine only the one case) Our host had a 10 year old grandchild by the time she was 42! See how thing got a little warped? At this point in time I just wanted to get out…but no bus until the next day. And being so isolated, the chances of a lift were bad.

We did lots in the town (at least that we could find to do). Walk through the town, chat to locals, take a short hike up the hill behind the town, sleep, eat….think that’s about it. No bars or any nightlife to talk about. We were stuck here for 2 days until the bus would be able to take us back. Eish. At least we got to see the “deep south.”

Sunrise the morning of departure – Bus driver stopped for a short view – Along the road

The Austral – Arriving in Tortel – The supermarket in Tortel

View along the walkway – The "main” harbour – Exploring the town

 
After Torres del Paine, we said no more hiking. Off we went – The aerodrome – My “hiking boots” after the hike

 
Random cool dog – On our way back to civilisation