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You can lose everything, but nobody will take away what you saw and what you experienced...
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Nov 26, 2016 09:00 PM 7 hours on the trail to Argentina...
A big cup of coffee in the morning and rolls brought from Villa O'Higgins (no supply here!). Then I got exit stamp in the post of Carabineros and at 8.15 I started 22kms long walk to Argentina. Just at the beginning is is climb up to - some 400 m to the forested pass. Bad views because the cloudy sky and high trees around. At 11 am I saw in the far distance a famous piramide of Mt Fitz Roy. Then at km 12 (it is regular gravel road on Chilean side and well marked) I was surprised tu see the aerodromo - empty runway in the mountains.
No single house or shelter on the route. After crossing few rivers - yes there are bridges! at 12 am On km 16 I reached the border pole. Welcome to Argentina! No control, no soldiers... I started to walk down the Argentinian path, no road. It is a nightmare witl a lot of mud, swampy grass, stream crossings without bridges... But it goes through the pristine forest. First great view was at 14.30 - turquoise Lago del Desierto with Fitz Roy in the distance. Then there is very steep descent to the military post at the end of the lake. At 3 pm I got a Argentinian stamp in my passport. It 17.30 little boat came from the other end of the lake to take us for the onward bus on the bumpy road to El Chalten...
Yes, I did it!
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Nov 25, 2016 09:00 PM O'Higgins Glacier - what a views!
It was raining in the morning but when we boarded little ship at Puerto Bahamontez the sun appeared slowly. Mountain Lake O'Higgins on the border between Chile and Argentina is huge. We were sailing about 2 hours to the little outpost called Cilndarello Mancilla and then another 1.5 hours to the great Glacier O'Higgins. What a views! The face of the glacier is 3 kms wide and has a height 60 - 80 m. It was calving every few minutes.... The ship was drifting at the glacier one hour in the sun and strong, cold wind going down from the ice cap. Then we returned back to C. Mancilla. There is a border post of Carabinieros de Chile and only one family living - Senior Ricardo - offering 11 beds in the cramp cabanas. All bads were booked in advance by international group of tourists travelling with Gabriela -local guide. Ricardo put me to his barn. Primitive place, but what a fantastic view of the O'Higgins Lake and snow capped mountains! And what a new adventure!
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Nov 24, 2016 09:00 PM Cordillera de los Andes - it rains!
Yesterday on arrival to Villa O'Higgins I had beautiful sunset. Today in the morning it rains! I amlooking through the window in my cozy "Hosteria Fitz Roy" (18 $ per room with breakfast) and thinking what will be tomorrow. Tomorrow I plan to cross the range to Argentina - there is no other way...
Later in the evening: no more rain! I arranged a space on the boat which will take me tomorrow morning to the border. In the only bakery in Villa I bought sufficient amount of bread for next 2 days. I do hope that the weather will improve. There is no internet at the border area so the next message will be probably only on Monday...
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Nov 23, 2016 09:00 PM Along Rio Bravo
Do you like that western? I saw it many times in my childhood, and I like especially the song... Today I saw Rio Bravo - Chilean Rio Bravo, of course.
It was lucky day - first I find out that there is a bus in the morning going to Tortel - half way to my remote destination. Transport is scare here - I bought almost the last available ticket for the little bus to Tortel. Then the lady-cashier checked out that in the afternoon there times per week another minibus goes from Tortel to Villa O'Higgins in the Andes. Yes! Today it is operating! Lucky me, I embarked first bus (back seat, no photos!) and we drove Carretera Austral - dusty gravel road, along small lakes and rivers. Tortel is a little village on the bank of the fiord. It is reminding Malay villages on the poles. I had there 3 hours to explore this picturesque place and then minibus for just 4000 pesos took me first to Puerto Yungay, where we boarded the car ferry. The terrain is here so difficult that Chileans decided to include 12-kms ferry passage into the Carretera. It is free and tooks 40 min.. On the other side we started to drive the gravel again along Rio Bravo river... Climbing and going down. And climbing again. Did you ever drive on the gravel? So you know, how the car is "dancing" on the small stones. You cannot drive fast. Great views of the snow-capped mountains on the way and Rio Bravo - quite wide... It was 8 pm when we reached Villa O'Higginns where Carretera Austral or Carretera del Sur ends. Everything goes well!
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Nov 22, 2016 09:00 PM Sapphire lake, turquoise rivers, white summits...
I spent today 7,5 hours on the bus heading from Coihaique to Cochrane.
The ticket costs 14000 pesos - like 20 USD for 340 kms, but I must tell you that the ride is worth the price. We were going by Carretera Austral (called also Carretera del Sur, which means the same) It is the only road crossing the Chilean Patagonia. It is hard to describe what you see from the window of the bus. At the beginning it looks like Switzerland, with green pastures framed by the mountains, but after two hours you feel you are in the middle of nowhere. Settlements became rare. Soon you will see picturesque and massive Cerro Castillo (Castle Mtn). Here the pavement on the road ends. Onward you travel on the gravel - in the clouds of dust. But you see sapphire mountain lakes, turquoise rivers, snows on the mountains... The only stop on thecway was in Puerto Tranquillo. Locals went to eat, but me - I was running to take the pictures and recordings because the landscape was so beautiful and through the tinted windows of the bus you are getting little false color.
General Carrera lake is the second-large lake of South America - after Titicaca. Part of this lake is in Argentina. We were going aoong this huge lake enjoying the scenery. Then we follow the canyon of Baker River... Now I am in Cochrane - little mountain settlement. Do not trust them if they say in Coihaique Tourist Office that the onward bus to Villa O'Higgins go every day. Here they were laughing - the bus goes only on Wed and Saturdays! Should I wait here 3 days?
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Nov 21, 2016 09:00 PM Coihaique or Koi-aike - remote Chile
Coihaique is the capital of Chilean Aysen Region in Patagonia. Surrounded by high mountains, with only 40 000 inhabitants makes a feeling of the last real town before the frontier. Simpson River goes below the settlement heading to the 88 kms-far fiord. There are rapids and waterfalls on its tributaries.
From the little bridge on Simpson River you can see the big rock called Piedra del Indio - It has a profile of an Indian. I was climbing back to the hill above Piedra - there is a nice view point overlooking the river, I found the place and... taking the pictures I was unexpectedly bitten by the agressive dog. In Chile there are herd of such homeless dogs and they do nothing. Shame on you, Chile!
What should I do? Go to the doctor or to the police? Fortunately my jeans were enough thick and strong to protect my body. Large hamatoma remained...
Little bus goes from the center of the town to Aysen. I took it for 1200 pesos to disembark at Salto Virgen - two-tier waterfall (lower about 12 m, upper some 15 m) Nice place! Then, walking back to Koi-aike I saw the rapids on Simpson River and Velo de la Novia fall. Hitchhiking seems not to be popular in Aysen Region: 40 cars passed by in half an hour and did not stop. No 41 did - gracias, amigo! And shame on the other drivers!
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Nov 20, 2016 09:00 PM Chacabuco - 30 minutes too late...
I know that just today at 8 am from Puerto Chacabuco little catamaran goes with the tourists to remote Laguna San Rafael. I was planning just to jump from boat to boat to go with them for the full-day tour.
At 6 am I was already ready for disembark. But all local fellows were still sleeping and the ship was still sailing long Chacabuco fiord. I was so brave to go to the bridge. The officer there did not speak any English but my Spanish was good enough to understand that we have delay and we will reach the port at 8.30. And sorry, but he can do nothing...
Bad luck! At 8.20 on approach to the port I saw the catamaran sailing opposite direction.
Well, as I always say: apert from good planning and experience the traveller need also a big portion of good luck!
A day tour to the lagoon was a side-trip - it dooes not harm my main Carretera del Sur itinerary.
Puerto Chacabuco is just a sleepy little port with a great view of the snowcapped mountains. There was was waiting a bus to nearest township of Aysen but I decided to use a minibus directly to Coihaique on Carretera dreaming about the shower after hard time on the ferry. We were driving more than an houre in the pastures landscape, then along the thumbling river. Blue sky and strong sun. Time for thr little rest and laundry!
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Nov 19, 2016 09:00 PM Sailing Patagonia
Ferry ticket cost me 17300 pesos which is cheap regarding the lenght ot thd trip. Naviera's ticket are subsidized by Chilean gvt. and so far they charge from foreigners same price like from locals.
But let you know that it is not a luxury voyage. You have your chair like in the plane (no cabins) but to spend such a long time in one room with 150 other people snorring, caughing, baby crying you must be resistant.
In the middle of the night twice or three time the ferry is calling little settlements, the light is switched on, ther is the noise...
But... If the weather is clear (I had a strong sun) the views are breathtaking. You will see snowcapped volcanos, mountain ranges, rocky and lush-green islands and islets. And that was what I expected!
At the back of the ferry there is little open deck to enjoy the scenery and I spent most of the day there. Tea, coffee and noodle soup I was cooking in the toilet. There is cafeteria for passengers but they charge 1000 peso for little cup of coffee or 1600 for sandwich...
People from Naviera office told me that we will reach Chacabuco at 6 am tomorrow. I believe, I will survive also the second night...
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Nov 18, 2016 09:00 PM Wooden churches from UNESCO list
On the big Chiloe Island there are more then 50 churches. 16 of them - built in 18 & 19th century are on the UNESCO list as a samples of unique architecture. I always wanted to see them. Without car rental it is difficult to see most of them since they are in the countryside and even on the little islands spread around.
To see good representation you can take a bus to Castro - the capital of Island, leave there your backpack in the bus terminal for 900 pesos and after visiting Castro (interior of the cathedral is closed for restoration) took the minibuses to Dalcahue, then to Achao and after returning to Castro - to Chonchi. Yes, churches of Chiloe are different and worth to see.
In the evening I reached Quellon - little port on the soutnern coast of the island to board the ferryboat of Naviera Austral sailing to Puerto Chacabuco on the Chile mainland. I will spend aboard the ferry 2 nights and full day sneaking in the fiords and between the islands of Patagonia.
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Nov 17, 2016 09:00 PM Bus and ferry to Chiloe Island
Is was sunny morning when I said bye--bye to Gustavo - my host in Puerto Montt. Before going to the bus station I visited the office of Navimag shipping company. My journalist credentials were presented and I received the deep discount on their sailing. Great! It is worth to write for the journals for such a privileges :)
Almost every hour from Puerto Montt bus terminal buses go to the biggest island of Chile - Chiloe. The ticket cost 4000 pesos (at the moment 1 USD is worth 653 pesos) After an hour of friving we reached Pargua where is the ferry crossing. Walkers do not pay for ferry. For bus passengers the cost is included in the cost of the bus ticket. We spent about 40 min crossing the passage. They offer even free wi-fi on the ferry. Half an hour after landing our bus reached city of Ancud. Ancud was first capital of the island. Now it is atmospheric little town with few churches, museum and many timber houses. Remains of Spanish Fort San Antonio are worth to see. Sun and flowers around... But terrain is hilly so I walked few hours up and down around to see places and people who are nicer here then in Santiago. Tomorrow I wi?l see famous wooden churches of Chiloe...
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