Category: Chile

Day 303: Return to Punta Arenas

We had a short journey back to Punta Arenas this morning: we caught the ferry before breakfast and the drive back to town was quick and uneventful (except for the odd herd of sheep causing a traffic jam). Our first stop was back at the Europcar Rental Agency, where Lindsay shamefacedly brought back the key to the old rental car and apologized profusely for the inconvenience (BTW – the car was still parked out front, still covered in dirt, and still had the emergency spare tire on it). Luckily for us, the staff was really chill about it (once we had reception, we were surprised to see that they had neither called nor emailed us looking for the missing keys) – they just smiled and said, “Oh! There are the keys!” They must have assumed they lost them in the office.

 

Lindsay enjoys a Nutella & banana sandwich for breakfast as we ride the ferry back to the mainland

 

Traffic comes to a halt as we wait for a horseback riding gaucho to herd his 500-head of sheep down the highway

Once the keys were returned, we had a few more errands to take care of in town before returning to our cozy B&B. We did a Google search for a post office, and ended up in the Duty Free Mall. We found a small “Express” kiosk, and were a little worried that we would have to drive to a bigger location, but surprisingly the young woman behind the counter had no problem bundling up our bag of extra clothes (the Seabourn parkas, Igor’s suit and Lindsay’s formal dresses from the cruise) and souvenirs (booklets on Antarctic wildlife and Seabourn-branded mementos), and packing them in a sturdy mailbag destined for NYC.

Unfortunately for us, we arrived at the mall around lunchtime – we had discovered by now that many businesses close between noon and 3PM for lunch – so a lot of the stores were closed while we were trying to finish up some last-minute shopping. One important item for us was a replacement dive-housing for our GoPro (the original one somehow got a small chip on the lens which splintered into a web of cracks during the cruise – so much for being “shock-proof”). Sure enough – anything you need, Chile will have it – we soon found an open camera store with a whole wall of GoPro accessories and found exactly what we needed (at the same price we would have paid in the USA, to boot). After that, all we had to do was drop off our clothes at a laundromat (since we hadn’t done any lake-laundry in Tierra del Fuego, our stuff was smelling a bit ripe) and wander around town until they were done (during which time, we discovered our old cruise ship had just returned from Antarctica!).

We returned to our B&B and kicked back in our warm, comfortable room – our epic Patagonia road trip was officially over.

 

Running some last minute errands in town: mailing extra clothes and cruise souvenirs back to the States and doing some much-needed laundry

 

Seriously – Chile has EVERYTHING. We find a camera store in the Duty Free Mall that sells replacement GoPro accessories, so we can fix our busted dive-housing

 

Looks who’s back from Antarctica! When we were in Punta Arenas two days ago picking up the new rental car, we saw the Holland America cruise ship in the harbor. Today, we see Seabourn! If only we hadn’t just mailed our orange parkas home – maybe we could have snuck back on the ship! J

 

Back at the Casa Escondida B&B, where we are staying in a private cabin this time. Our host helps us light our wood-burning stove and we relax in our cozy digs

Day 302: Tierra del Fuego – Day 2

We only had a short way to go to reach the end of the road today. First, we continued down the right hand of the fork toward the estancia Caleta Maria. The road followed a small river for about 10KM before it ran into the fiord just past the estancia. There was a decorated road block and a little table with a guestbook inside (a group of three had beat us here the day before), so we stopped for a little photo op and refueled the car with our spare gas before turning around.

 

Sunrise over Lake Cami

 

Exploring uncharted territory – literally! This section of the road has not been added to Google Maps yet

 

“End of the Road & the World” – the road ends on the beach of a fiord

 

Caleta Maria – a remote estancia at the end of the road in Tierra del Fuego

 

We’re down about half a tank as we return around to head back north, so we empty our spare gas canisters into the tank

The fiords of Tierra del Fuego

When we returned to the fork, we tried to drive down the left side of the fork, which was the new road that the Chilean Army was building to reach the Beagle Channel. Unfortunately for us, they are only 3 years into a 5-year project, so we reached another road block before too long on that route as well (although, this one had a warning sign about explosives, not a cute guestbook). We literally had nowhere else to go, so we turned around and started heading back to Punta Arenas. According to our directions, there was a possibility of catching a ferry directly from the town of Porvenir to Punta Arenas, but we couldn’t check the timetables until we had reception. Even if we missed the ferry, the route to Porvenir wasn’t that far out of the way, and we decided we’d like a change of scenery on the way back. Turns out, there is only 1 ferry per day, and we did miss it. Tomorrow’s ferry was too late in the day, so we just stopped for gas before moving on to look for our last flattybouch campsite of the trip.

 

The new road the Chilean Army is building – unfortunately, it doesn’t go very far yet, so we don’t reach the Beagle Channel

 

Lindsay takes a few walks on the side of the road to try and stretch out the pinched nerve in her leg

 

Beautiful trees in Tierra del Fuego

 

We join a herd of sheep heading down the road

 

Taking the scenic route back north, along Inútil Bay

As we were filling up on gas, a fellow driver starting pointing at our car. We looked around confused as to what he wanted…and we could not believe our eyes at what we discovered. Somehow – even though we were driving so carefully! – we got a *second* flat tire. Igor was relieved that at least this one was not his fault, as Lindsay was driving at the time. Igor switched out the flat for our emergency tire within a few minutes, while Lindsay asked the gas station manager for directions to the nearest gomería.

So, let me illustrate the completely different experience we had with a flat tire in Chile vs Argentina. At first, the gas station manager started to draw Lindsay a detailed map for how to reached the tire repair shop, but just as he was about to hand it over, one of the other attendants said not to bother: the tire guy was on his way to the gas station and would meet us here! Talk about service! When we arrived, he offered to take the tire, repair it, and then bring it back, but since we had already swapped on the spare (plus it was late in the evening – we didn’t want to inconvenience this guy even more) we offered to follow him back to his shop. Luckily for us, this flat was not due to a rip in the tire – it was just an unfortunate run-in with a small but sharp rock. The gomería had the tire patched and replaced within an hour, and we were on our way. The cost? USD$6.25 (that’s including a USD$1.50 surcharge for picking us up after hours) Seriously, could Chile *be* any easier?!

 

You’ve GOT to be kidding me – WE GOT A SECOND FLAT TIRE

 

The local tire repair shop meets us at the gas station and escorts us back to his gomería, where his wife repairs the tire

 

The culprit: a teeny, little rock

By the time the tire was patched, it was almost sunset. We had just enough time to stop in a corner bodega for some cheese for our avocado wraps for dinner, before leaving town to look for a camping spot along the road. We had pretty bad luck and drove around for about an hour before we found a narrow gravel road that led through a nature preserve. We could see plenty of farms on either side of the road, so we felt a little uneasy that we might have been parking on someone’s land. We kept driving, hoping to find a spot that at least was out of view of a farmhouse window, so no one would realize we were there until morning. We finally parked on the beach of a small pond. We could see faint tire tracks in the rocks, so someone had parked here before – hopefully this pond was public access. Whether it was or not, the locals didn’t seem to care that we were there: one farmer drove by while we were eating our dinner, and we were definitely visible to at least one house. Again – big different from the nasty looks we got in Argentina for doing the same thing!

 

Our flat tire cost us a good hour of driving time – the sun is quickly setting by the time we drive out of Porvenir

 

We finally find a decent parking spot on the beach of a small pond.

Day 301: Tierra del Fuego – Day 1

In a bizarre twist of events, Lindsay woke up with a pinched nerve in her leg the *one night* we slept in a real bed instead of camping in the car. As a result, both of us were now gimps, hobbling along slowly whenever we had to walk anywhere. Good thing Patagonia is full of scenic car rides, because anything involving walking is out of the question for us! We decided to take it super easy so that we could recover in time for our dive trip.

After breakfast, we drove into town and stopped at Europcar’s Punta Arenas branch to go over our flat tire situation. We were surprised and incredibly pleased when the rental agency simply gave us a replacement car and told us they would take care of the flat tire. Even better, they were only going to charge us 50% for the replacement tire (we didn’t get tire coverage on our insurance, so we were expecting to foot the whole bill)! Igor handed Lindsay the keys to the old car so she could move all our stuff from one vehicle to the other, while he reviewed the damage report and safety equipment of the new Subaru. We were on our way in a brand-new car in under an hour – thanks, Europcar!

 

Lindsay is overjoyed by the breakfast spread: hot coffee and muesli!

 

Returning the dirty gray Subaru with a flat tire to the Punta Arenas rental office and exchanging it for a brand new, sparklingly clean white Subaru. Take two!

Since we no longer had a permit to cross into Argentina, our only option was to the southernmost section of Chile. We’ve already visited Torres del Paine National Park on a separate vacation 3 years ago, so we opted to explore unchartered territory and drive to the end of the road in the big island of Tierra del Fuego. The eastern half of the island belongs to Argentina (which we visited when we stopped in Ushuaia last month on the cruise), but the western half is in Chile and goes through some very remote country. Since we would have to cover a good 600KM after the last gas station, Luis from the Casa Escondida B&B lent us a second gas canister so we could carry 20L of spare fuel. After that, we drove off into the wilderness, heading for the end of the road (according to Google Maps) at Lake Cami on the edge of Karukinka Park. Supposedly, the Chilean Army is working on a new road which would lead through the forest all the way to the Beagle Channel – we decided to see how far we could go!

 

Our final scenic highway of our Patagonian road trip, La Ruta del Fin del Mundo, starting with a ferry ride off the continent to the island of Tierra del Fuego

 

We stop for gas at the (supposedly) southern-most gas station in Chile at Cerro Sombrero – Igor tries to proactively reduce the risk of another flat tire by letting out some air (thereby increasing the surface area of the tire)

 

Since it’s on the way, we stop at the King Penguin Park

 

There are only two viewing hides where you can watch the penguins, at a distance of 10M

 

There are about 50 King Penguins on the beach and in the grasses – some are molting, and some a sitting on eggs. The park has several ongoing population studies, and we can see that many of the birds have tags on their wings, and one even has a radio glued to its back

As we drive further south, we run into a pair of gauchos herding their sheep down the road

 

“The Draga Aurífera: It is actually a vestige of the origin of the settlement of the island. It was brought over during the gold rush. This machine performed the mechanical shovel work for the removal of dirt in the work of gold extraction. It came from England in 1904 and ran until 1910.”

 

Road trip to the End of the World!

 

“Vicuña Ranch: Located in the land of the Southern 54⁰ Parallel, founded in 1915, being awarded its first great grant in 1910 to Ramón Moisés de la Fuente, without any intention of colonization.”

 

Wildflowers decorate the quiet remains of Estancia Vicuña

We reached Karukinka Natural park by late afternoon. Unlike most of the other parks we have visited, this one was not a national park developed by the government, but rather a “greenspace” purchased and created by a corporation: Goldman Sachs, the investment bank. We’re not entirely sure what the motivation was for the creation of the park (Pure altruism? Unlikely. Good PR and off-setting CO² emissions? Perhaps.), but we came to the conclusion it’s not a very well-planned out park. There were barely any miradors, and no hikes that we could see (although, to be fair, we skipped the information center as it was already getting late and we didn’t want to admit our intention to freedom camp to the park staff) – the whole park seemed to just be a gravel road through the forest (where there were a lot of cut-down trees – not sure if it was for logging or debris from initially clearing the way for the road).

 

Karukinka Natural Park – a private park donated to the Wildlife Conservation Society by Goldman Sachs

View of the valley from one of the few miradors

 

Tierra del Fuego has a beaver problem, thanks to European settlers who thought it would be nice to introduce a non-native specie so they could harvest them for fur hats. As a result, many of the rivers in the area are damed up with mud and sticks

Despite all this, there were surprisingly a lot of people in the park! It was already quite late by the time we were searching for a camp site, but we kept passing cars driving in the opposite direction (odd, considering this is technically a dead-end road – what attraction are all these tourists coming from so late in the day?) and it seemed that every shoulder on the side of the road already had someone parked in it! We spotted a sign for an estancia around 9PM that advertised that it had camping available, so we opened their 3 gates and drove all the way down to the farm house. Perhaps the owner was simply annoyed that we were driving up so late in the night, but when we asked if we could camp on their property we were told they were “full.” Not for nuthin’, but there were plenty of spots on their land where we could have flattybouched. But after taking a look around, we decided we didn’t want to stay there anyways – it was kinda crowded and the outhouse looked pretty gross – at least in the wilderness we can just pee in the open with fresh air!

We drove all the way to the end of the road (according to Google Maps) and saw that a new road indeed veered off to the left. Luckily, we found a well-hidden turn-off about a minute down the new road, where someone had clearly camped before (there was an old campfire ring on one side of the site). With the last bit of light we had, Lindsay whipped up a quick dinner and we started to get our sleeping bags ready for the night. As we were getting into bed, Lindsay made a horrible discovery: an extra set of car keys in her jacket pocket. WE ACCIDENTALLY DROVE OFF WITH THE KEYS TO THE OLD RENTAL CAR. The poor staff at the Punta Arenas Europcar were stuck with a dirty car with a flat tire parked pretty badly outside their office for at least two days! We felt so guilty, but there was nothing we could do about it at this point.

 

All the good flattybouch sites were taken! We finally found a hidden campsite at the very end of the road, just in time for sunset at 10PM

Day 295: La Carretera Austral – Day 6

According to our Google driving directions, it would take us a good 9hrs to reach the Argentinean border, which was just fine with us! We still had a day’s worth of fresh fruit and vegetables with us and there was a good chance they would be confiscated at the border, so we decided to take it slow today and camp out one last night in Chile. That way, if the rest of our food did get taken, it would be early enough in the day that we could find an open grocery store in Argentina to buy dinner.

We took our time driving north, stopping for random photos on the side of the road and a 3hr. lakeside pit stop where we had a chance for another eco-shower and “au-natural” laundromat. (Hey! We may be flattybouches, but we refuse to be stinky hippies!)

 

Making our way north in the morning, when Igor decides he MUST take a picture of the cows on the side of the road

A picture of cows. I guess we should frame this, or something.

 

Lake Esmerelda: tranquil and crystal-clear waters – perfect place to stop and freshen up!

 

The lake water is warm enough that Lindsay and Igor are able to fully submerge for their “baths” – we even washed our hair!

 

After we wash our clothes, we take a break for an hour or so while they dry in the sun

As we folded our clean clothes and started to pack up, Igor made a terrible discovery: his favorite Bolivian hat was missing! We searched all over the beach and emptied the car, but it was nowhere to be seen. We tried to remember when he had worn it last – he definitely had it on this morning – could he have dropped it on the side of the road when he was taking pictures? We turned on the camera and reviewed the photos from that morning to see if we could find a clue. Sure enough! When we zoomed in on the shot from the cow photo-shoot, *there* was his hat, lying in the road! Luckily, it was only 20min away, so we backtracked and found his hat. Sure, it had been run over by a few cars and had a little cow poop on it, but other than that it was safe and sound: IT’S A CHILEAN MIRACLE! We stopped at the lake one more time on our way north so Igor could give the hat a good washing before we continued on our way.

 

We review our pictures from that morning and confirm that Igor’s beloved hat fell out of the car while he was snapping shots of the stupid cows. We drive back and find the spot – luckily no farmers/bikers had picked of the hat in the meantime!

We reached the turn off for Paso Roballos in the early afternoon and soon realized that Google Map’s estimated driving time was WAY off – we were too early! Instead of taking us the expected 9hrs, we would easily finish the drive in under 5hrs. We were actually disappointed to be so far ahead of schedule, as Lindsay really didn’t want to enter Argentina and lose all our food (seriously, we had a perfectly ripe avocado – it would be such a shame to let the border agent have it!), so we decided to call it a day at 3PM and just enjoy some R&R on the scenic road.

BTW, we had that avocado for dinner and it was SO GOOD. Totally worth it.

 

Leaving the Carretera Austral for the narrow, barely used Paso Roballos route toward Argentina

 

The landscape changes dramatically into wide open grassy plains, where we finally see guanacos!

 

We pass a fancy hotel on the side of the road, where a huge herd of guanacos is calming munching on the lawn

 

The Paso Roballos route is stunning – a scenic, twisting road that stretches out into the horizon

Even though it’s early, we decide to call it an early night and camp in Chile one last night. Even though there are no trees for privacy, the road is so empty we don’t even worry about parking out in the open. Instead, we find a shoulder just big enough for our car and enjoy the expansive vista

 

We spend the rest of the afternoon catching up on computer work, then break for some card games & magic tricks. Lindsay even teaches Igor how to properly shuffle a deck of cards

 

A gorgeous view for our final night in Chile

Day 294: La Carretera Austral – Day 5

When we woke up, we saw a beautiful rainbow stretching across the horizon – seems like a good sign! We optimistically took our camera out of the rice bag and turned it on…IT LIVES!!! We gave each other a celebratory high-five as we packed up and continued our scenic road trip, jubilant that we had a working camera to document the experience.

 

A rainbow appears over our campsite as if in celebration over our salvaged camera. With a HUGE sigh of relief, we continue our way down the Carretera Austral

We arrived at the end of the road at Puerto Yungay just in time for the first ferry of the day at 10AM. It’s a bit chilly outside, so Igor stayed in the warm car while Lindsay ran out to ask the Chilean Army guys standing nearby how much and where to buy tickets for the ferry. Their answer? IT’S FREE. How many times can I say that I love Chile?

 

We reach the final ferry of the road at 9:45AM, just in time for their first crossing of the day. Loving the price tag (“Gratis” means “Free”)

 

The Río Bravo ferry operators must be Tetris masters – Igor backs into the boat as they yell instructions to him in Spanish

 

Puerto Yungay fades into the distance during our 45min crossing to Río Bravo, where we only have another 100KM of gravel road to go until the end of the trail

This last section of the road to Villa O’Higgins was basically a dead end street – even though the country of Chile continues further south, the ONLY way to reach the cities of Puerto Natales (gateway to Torres del Paine National Park) and Punta Arenas (the southernmost city on *the continent*) is by crossing into Argentina. Igor noticed some mention of a crossing near Villa O’Higgins called Río Mayer during his research online, but we couldn’t find it on our Google Maps – we made a mental note to ask someone in town about it after we finished the drive. After all, if we could make the crossing today instead of backtracking to where we were yesterday, that would be much more convenient!

 

There’s not a lot of traffic in this area (it’s basically a dead end road), so the livestock often wander into the road without much care

 

Water, water, everywhere! We drive past tons of roadside waterfalls and fiord-facing lookouts

 

Snow-capped mountains and derelict old fishing boats along our final stretch of Ruta 7

 

We’ve reached the end. Sad – it’s a bit anticlimactic. There’s not much here except a small boat dock with a handful of navy boats and a small passenger ferry

 

We top off our fuel at the LAST gas station on the road, in the cute and über remote village of Villa O’Higgins

While there was a tourist information booth in the town square in Villa O’Higgins, it was still empty, even 20min after the posted “lunch break.” We found a large hotel with an excursion desk out front and figured they wouldn’t mind answering some questions for us, even if we weren’t guests. We met a really nice American working behind the counter who told us about their boat rides to the nearby Great Glacier (very weather dependent and takes a full 8AM-8PM day to visit – guess we won’t be tacking that on to our activities for today), and the two options for crossing into Argentina from Villa O’Higgins. First, yes – the Paso Río Mayer exists, but the reason it doesn’t show up on Google is because it is a *footpath* only! Second, there is a ferry…but again, for pedestrians only – no cars. Turns out, there are A LOT of tourists who either bicycle or *hitchhike* the Carretera Austral.

(We have seen many of them on the road, and we just shake our heads in confusion. The bikers look miserable: there is way too much car traffic kicking up dust to make it enjoyable. Plus, they are alternately sweating bullets trying to climb steep hills in the sun or drenched in the passing rainstorms. And the hitchhikers? OK, didn’t their parents tell them how fucking dangerous it is to get into a car with someone you don’t know?!? Also, how is it fun to spend half your day standing on the side of the road outside of the nearest town, waiting for hours for someone nice enough trusting enough to pick you up? Finally, can anyone explain to me the incentive for a driver to pick up a hitchhiker? Are they expected to help pay for gas? Or do they just get a free ride?)

Oh well, looks like we were going back to plan A: backtracking to the Paso Roballos. We drove back to the Río Bravo-Puerto Yungay ferry for the final crossing of the day at 7PM. Funny enough, the *one* time we knew the schedule ahead of time was when we arrived 2hrs early AND the boat was running 45min late. We had a loooooong wait in the car.

 

More gorgeous scenery during our return drive to the ferry

 

There is one final land crossing into Argentina (X-905) off the Carretera Austral near Villa O’Higgins, however the Paso Río Mayer is not open to cars – only pedestrians, bikers or horseback riders

The last return ferry of the day at 7PM is practically empty (only 4 cars and 4 bicyclists)

Crossing the Mitchell Fiord via ferry boat

 

It’s the Golden Hour as we cross the fiord – Igor keeps getting out of the car as the light just gets better and better for photographs

When we finally reached the main road, it was already 8:30PM. Unfortunately, there were not many shoulders off this section of the Carretera Austral, and the few miradors we did find were not very private, nor super scenic. We decided to stop for a quick beans & canned veggie dinner before driving along another hour to find a comfortable spot. We got delayed during our search when we were flagged down by 3 farm kids who had a flat tire. (We were a bit sketched out when they started waving us down at 10PM, but we didn’t want bad karma – all the guide books plead with travelers not to be a dick and leave someone stranded in this remote part of the country. The crime rate is almost non-existent down here, and – who knows? – it could easily be us with a flat tire tomorrow.) Unfortunately, we were no help as they didn’t have a spare tire to replace their flat and we didn’t have an inflator in our emergency kit. Luckily, they weren’t in the middle of *nowhere* – they had pulled over in front of a farmhouse and we could see the owner walking around so we knew they could probably ask him for help as well. (Although, the guy was walking around with a running chainsaw, which also contributed to our initial unease…)

We finally found a *very well hidden* parking spot next to a river underneath a bridge. Fully confident that no cars could see us from the road, we finally rolled out our sleeping bags and went to bed.

 

We are starving by the time we get off the ferry, so we pull over and make dinner at a mirador while we still have a little light. We then drive for another hour before we finally discover an access road leading to a riverbank – it’s well-hidden from the road by a bridge and a thick row of trees so we feel safe crashing for the night

Day 293: La Carretera Austral – Day 4

We left our riverside oasis around 8AM that morning and drove toward Lake General Carrera. At 870KM² it is the biggest lake in Chile and the second biggest lake in South America. It straddles the border between Chile and Argentina (where it is called “Lake Buenos Aires” instead). We arrived in the lakefront town of Río Tranquillo in the late afternoon and refueled at the local COPEC. We were ahead of schedule and a little tired of just sitting in the car all day, so we decided to take a walk around town and investigate the long line of excursion desks sitting by the beach – if there are *this many* tour operators, there must be something interesting to do around here!

 

Sunrise in our beautiful riverside campsite

 

General Carrera Lake (AKA – Lake Buenos Aires on the Argentinean side)

Turns out that one of Río Tranquillo’s biggest attractions is the Capillas de Mármol (Marble Chapels) – a collection of colorful caves and formations in the lake, formed by the weathering of the water and wind against the side of the rock. We booked a 1.5hr boat ride for USD$15pp to see them – seemed a little hokey, but a good way to kill a little time and get out of the car. For some STUPID reason, it didn’t occur to us that we would be in danger of getting wet (even though the tour operator gave us each a pair of “windproof” suits) so we left our waterproof pants and bags in the car. That would prove to be a HORRIBLE mistake.

However, the initial ride out to the Capillas de Mármol was pleasant and dry as we were travelling with the current. After about 20min, we finally reached the caves – they were actually pretty cool! The original rocks were a composite of limestone and marble, but the elements had broken down most of the limestone over the centuries, leaving beautiful formations of marble and calcium carbonate behind, making for some awesome photo-ops!

 

We reach the town of Río Tranquillo so early in the morning, that we decide to check out the row of excursion agencies lining the lakefront

 

All dressed up in our wind-proof pants & jacket for the boat ride on Lake General Carrera

 

Igor is impressed when the boat actually drives *into* the marble caves

 

The surface of the caves has a gorgeous, bubbly texture

 

The swirls of color inside the Capillas de Mármol are simply stunning

 

So far, our visit to the Capillas de Mármol has been a pleasant surprise!

We were on an excited high as the boat turned around to go back to Río Tranquillo – this time, against the wind. Our tour guide (who did not speak English) said something to the effect of, “The return ride can be rough – hold on to the side of the boat if it gets too choppy. Also, you might get splashed,” or at least, that’s how Lindsay translated it to Igor. We giggled with delight at the first few bounces, and even tried to record the huge swells on the GoPro, but then shit got real. Anyone ever go to SeaWorld theme parks when they were a kid and remember the “Splash Zone” during the whale shows? Well, it was like that. Over, and over, and OVER again. We were completely drenched and freaking out about our camera which Igor tried to protect by hiding it inside both his down jacket and the tour’s windbreaker.

When we finally arrived on shore after a good 45min of constant bouncing and splashing, we crawled out of the boat like pitiful sewer rats. We dropped off our borrowed gear at the company’s yert and looked ourselves over: everything we were wearing (hats, jackets, pants, underwear, socks) was soaked. We got into the back seat of the Subaru and changed into a dry set of clothes. Even though the camera had a few drops on it, it turned on OK when we tested it so we breathed a sigh of relief that at least one item had remained safe.

 

We are all smiles until the boat starts heading back toward Rio Tranquillo – the rough waves completely drench us (and our camera!!!)

 

We change into a dry set of clothes and lay everything wet on the dash to dry as we drive away

Since we had a lot more time to stretch out our itinerary, we had been discussing which route to take. Our initial plan had been to veer off into Argentina the next day, crossing the Andes at the Paso Roballos crossing, however that would mean missing the final 250KM of the Carretera Austral. Since we had tons of time, we decided to change our plans and drive all the way to the end. But before we could do that, we needed to get in touch with Igor’s mother, as she had been tracking our progress via the GPS Spot daily (sometimes it seemed she was tracking us hourly – she had an eerily up-to-the-second knowledge of where we were at all times…). If we suddenly started driving in an unexpected direction, we would get panicked emails asked if we had been kidnapped. J We were feeling cold and hungry and decided to get a hot meal at a restaurant in town that had Wifi, so we could send an email with our new route info.

So, January and February are the HIGH SEASON in Chile (it’s their “July & August” – height of the summer). Today was a MONDAY (not a weekend and not a holiday). Despite this, only TWO restaurants in town were open for lunch at 1PM – everything else (including the minimart) was closed. REALLY GUYS? Whatever, fine – we check out both places. Even though both of them had a “Wifi” symbol on their windows and had a strong signal coming from their location (which we could see on Igor’s phone), both turned us down when we asked for the code as we tried to order lunch. You know what? We’ve had it with this town. We would rather eat our cold apples and chips on the road then patron either of you overcrowded cafes.

 

Getting the hell outta Río Tranquillo. However, our anger at Río Tranquillo starts to lift as we drive round the edge of the lake. No doubt, Lake General Carrera is incredibly beautiful (especially from afar!)

Look at that water! It’s so blue, we have to remind ourselves we are not in the tropics, and those dark patches are shadows of clouds, not coral reefs

Teal blue water from the glacial run-off in Lake General Carrera

Lake General Carrera – seriously, we just can’t get enough of it!

 

Finally crossing the bridge and leaving the lake as it narrows into a river

About an hour down the road we made a detour to a charming little village on the other side of the lake called Puerto Guadal, hoping to find an open café with Wifi. We didn’t see anything, so we pulled into the town grocery store and asked the kid behind the counter, “Is there anywhere in town that has Wifi?” He looked at us like we were stupid and slowly said, “Sí.” Lindsay tried to clarify, “Is there anywhere were *we* can use the Wifi?” Again, “Sí.” The kid smiled and told us to give him our phone – he signed us into his store’s Wifi, free of charge! Now there’s the Chile we know and love! While Igor typed a note to his mommy, Lindsay ran around the store picking up enough groceries for the next three days – now that we weren’t crossing the border, we didn’t have to worry about our fresh fruit and veggies getting confiscated.

 

Stopping for more groceries in Puerto Guadal

 

Why did the chicken cross the road? To get back to her chicks!

Everything seemed to be going our way at last! We continued down the road for a few more hours. Near sunset, the landscape started to get really dramatic, so we pulled over and took out the camera to take a picture…only the camera wouldn’t turn on. We’ve been using this camera pretty heavily during the last year and this isn’t the first time it went on the fritz – usually taking the battery out and putting it back in again does the trick. Lindsay opened the camera to bounce it, but made a terrible discovery: Water. Inside the camera. FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK. Somehow, some water must have slowly seeped in since our boat ride that morning! Even worse, we’ve already turned it on and taken pictures several times that afternoon, so the hardware has probably fried!

We pulled into the next town of Cochrane and bought a bag of rice, desperately hoping a night in the rice bag would suck out any remaining water. With our fingers crossed and hoping for the best, we continued our way south, pulling over when we found another secluded campsite off the side of the road.

 

More dramatic scenery as we continue our journey south – too bad we have to take these pics on the cell phone L

 

We find another secluded campsite off the road and enjoy a healthy dinner of tomatoes & beans with an avocado sandwich

Day 292: La Carretera Austral – Day 3

After a peaceful night’s sleep parked in our fiord-facing mirador, we woke up to a lovely surprise: since the fiord was connected to the ocean, there were sea lions and dolphins swimming right in front of our campsite! They were a little too far away for us to get a good picture, but we enjoyed watching them play around as we ate our breakfast.

We took off around 8:30AM and made our way to Coyhaique by noon. Coyhaique was a HUGE city, with a university, Costco-sized grocery stores and a strong 3G data signal. Unfortunately, there was also a lot of traffic and not many parking spots, so after we picked up a few essentials we got back on the road and ate lunch on a quiet shoulder outside of town. We continued our drive south for a few more hours before calling it an early day at 4:30PM.

 

Driving around the fiord in the early morning light

 

“From this place you can see the River Cisnes coursing through the valley, it is 160KM from its source at the mouth of the Puyuhuapi Canal to the south of Port Cisnes. With a basin of 5,196km² of surface area, this part of the river increases considerably, creating sections of backwater and fast moving rapids. The surrounding vegetation is mainly made up of species of evergreen forest.”

 

Lindsay runs out into the wildflowers to take a picture of some wind turbines – harvest that natural energy, Chile!

Another glorious day in Patagonia

 

Pulling over to the side of the road for lunch

 

“Native Huemul: The Huemul Deer is native and exclusive to the Southern Andes, and is in danger of extinction. It is distributed from central Chile to the Magallanes region, today the largest populations are found in this region and in Aysén. In Aysén and the Castle Peak National Reserve you have the possibility to observe this beautiful specie in the Southern route in its natural habitat, which is a privilege and pride of this region and we invite you to support the conservation by taking care and driving slowly through this habitat.”

 

Looking for the elusive Huemul Deer as we drive through their supposed habitat – we saw nuthin’

 

Summertime in Patagonia – the land is covered in wildflowers

 

“The Devil’s Slope Viewpoint: From here you can see a majestic panoramic view of the imposing Castle Peak which is 2,75m in height and covered in snow and dense forest. Below, you can see the winding curves of the Ibanez River, which is over 88KM in length, flowing into the General Carrera Lake. Reflecting nature, the winding and steep curvy pass of the Devil’s Slope arises, opened by the first settlers who travelled in this virgin and inhospitable Southern route.”

The twisty road of the Devil’s Slope

 

The jagged profile of Castle Peak

 

Cruising down the Carretera Austral

 

“Dead Forest” – Igor has to stop and takes pictures of the dead trees

Normally we like to keep driving until dinnertime, but Lindsay slammed on the brakes when Igor found the PERFECT campsite in the late afternoon. It was big (you could easily fit 5 cars), private (hidden behind a row of thick trees and bushes), and had water access (a very clean river). It was still warm and sunny when we pulled over, so we decided to take care of business. It had now been 3 days since our last shower and our bodies and clothes were starting to smell pretty ripe (TMI?). While the sunshine helped us to strip down, the water was way too cold for us to get in all the way. I’ll let you imagine how we managed to get clean. Suffice to say, we felt very refreshed by the end of the ordeal.

Our favorite campsite of the trip! A secluded spot next to the river, hidden from the road behind some dense trees

 

We call it a day really early, giving us plenty of time to wash our clothes and even take a “Polish shower” in the frigid stream. Hey! It may be primitive, but it keeps us from being stinky!

 

Taking pictures of our little oasis, and chilling a bottle of bubbly in the river

 

When it starts to rain at night, we hang our damp laundry over our heads as we tuck into bed

Day 291: La Carretera Austral – Day 2

FLATTYBOUCH, n. A gypsy term: one who goes from place to place living in a van during the summer months. Also called a flatty.

We learned a cool word during a rousing game of “Liars Club” when we were on the Seabourn Quest, which perfectly illustrated our descent from ultra-luxury cruisers to homeless bums. I know y’all are feeling sorry for us sleeping out of an SUV, but I gotta tell you, it’s a lot more comfortable than it sounds! We slept in ’til about 7:30AM when the sun was fully out and it was too bright to keep our eyes closed. We took our time having breakfast and reorganizing our supplies. However, when 9:30AM rolled around and there still wasn’t any sign of a park ranger to collect camping fees, we figured Chile was just giving us one for free. LOVE this country!

 

Breakfast time at the Cascadas Escondidas Campground

 

Lots of bikers were packing up to leave as we explored the campground. There are two short hikes to some waterfalls, but we have to pass as Igor is a gimp

 

We pass two more pretty campgrounds on our way to the next town – good to know this highway is so camper-friendly!

The waters of Lake Blanco were a perfect mirror in the morning

 

We pass by the trailhead for an all-day hike near Michinmahuida Volcano. Since it doesn’t look doable in flips flops, we’ll have to save it for next time

So, our original plan for this road trip was to stop in 4 different parks and do day hikes over the next two weeks. Unfortunately, when Igor had to wear his hard boots during our travel day from Buenos Aires to Puerto Montt, it ruined all the healing progress his foot had made during our month on the cruise ship. Since we had a diving trip coming up in a few weeks, it was essential that he recover, otherwise he wouldn’t be able to wear fins and wouldn’t be allowed to dive in strong currents.

As a result, all hikes were out of the question for the next two weeks – this trip is now literally all about the ROAD throughout Patagonia. On the bright side, it meant that we had a lot more flexibility in our schedule and more time to finish longer stretches of the route. Today we passed through Chaitén – a coastal town that was completely destroyed when the nearby volcano of the same name erupted in 2008. Although the Chilean government insisted that all residents permanently evacuate, 25 people came back a year later and started rebuilding. Now the town is well on the way to recovery, with a gas station, hospital, grocery store, and plenty of cute hostels and restaurants.

After visiting town for a few hours, we continued down the road at a leisurely pace, stopping to take pictures whenever we liked. Even though there was a lot of construction going on, there was more than enough eye-candy to fill up our camera memory card.

 

Igor is enchanted by the spooky, dead trees leftover from the Chaitén eruption back in 2008

 

We roll into the town of Chaitén just before lunchtime and pick up a few extra groceries in the shadow of the ominous volcano

 

We are ahead of schedule, so we treat ourselves to a sit-down lunch in a yert. Feelin’ pretty hippie!

 

We get a far-off glimpse of the Amarillo Glacier as we pass by Pumalín Park

 

Driving around the Amarillo section of Pumalín Park

 

Stopping to admire more glacier-capped mountains during our drive

 

Driving over the Yelcho Bridge

Lago Yelcho sparkles in the Patagonian sunshine

 

Beautiful scenery during our Carretera Austral road trip

 

Pastoral cow pastures and baby-blue glacier-fed rivers in Patagonia

Seriously…well this gorgeous scenery ever end?

 

We’re driving an average of 10 hours per day, so we get a little goofy after a while

We started looking for camping spots around 7PM. The first campground we pulled into was already full. The second paid campground we found was just outside of the Queulat National Park, but we passed as the facilities look like an absolute dump. (The owner left a broken toilet and a broken down bus in the middle of the campsites. We’re not paying USD$10 when we can just pull off the side of the road for free!) Apparently there were better options inside the park, but the entrance was locked after 6PM so we had to continue driving for another hour or so.

As we drove around a scenic fiord, we noticed several empty miradors (viewpoints). Sure, there was zero privacy, but the views were excellent. We decided to give it a try – hopefully police wouldn’t patrol the highway at night (we haven’t seen any cops or park rangers outside town limits so far) and knock on our windows while we were sleeping. A handful of trucks and cars passed us while we made ourselves some dinner (a few tooted their horn to say, “Hello”), but all traffic died around 9:30PM, giving us peace and quiet as we went to sleep.

 

Screw campgrounds – we stop at a mirador around 9PM and decide to park for the night

 

Canned beans and avocado wraps: dinner, dinner, dinner!

 

Flattybouchin’ in Chile.

Day 290: La Carretera Austral – Day 1

Even though we felt like sleeping in, we had a lot of errands to run before leaving Puerto Montt this afternoon, so we rolled out of bed and hit up the buffet breakfast before running across the street to the mall.

Can I just say for the record how AWESOME Chile is? Anything you need, Chile will have it. We had a long list of supplies to pick up before we drove off into the remote reaches of Patagonia and Puerto Montt was the perfect place to stock up. The Ripley Mall had all the camping gear we could have wanted (although admittedly, it’s more expensive than in the USA), plus toiletries and groceries. The one thing we couldn’t find in the mall was a DC/AC power converter for the car so we could keep our laptops charged on the road. We asked a few electronics stores for recommendations and within 30min we were directed to PC Factory which had even our most random necessity. CHILE RULES.

We checked out of the hotel just before noon, picked up the rental car and a spare gas canister and officially started our road trip at 1PM.

 

We were so exhausted when we arrived at the Vincente Costanera Hotel last night, we didn’t have a chance to notice how cute it is! We enjoy a waterfront view as we stuff ourselves on the buffet breakfast. We almost wish we were staying longer

 

Last minute shopping in Puerto Montt gets us everything we need – even a power converter for the car!

 

We pick up our 4×4 Subaru around noon, pick up an empty gas canister (all guidebooks recommend carrying extra gas in Patagonia as not all towns have gas stations), and we are off!

So, we had never heard of the Carretera Austral before this trip. We had actually planned to take a road trip down Route 40 in Argentina. “Ruta Cuarenta” is touted online as one of the most EPIC road trips in the world – the highway runs the whole length of Argentina starting from the border with Brazil at Iguazu Falls in the north, down along the Andes Mountains, ending in Patagonia in the south. The whole road takes a good month to drive, so we were only planning to drive the last 1,500KM of the road from Bariloche to El Calafate.

During the Seabourn cruise, we met Luciano Bernacchi, an Argentinean member of the Expedition Team who was from El Calafate – we decided to ask his option on our route to see it there were any attractions we were missing. He surprised us by recommending we actually *skip* the majority of Route 40 and drive down the Chilean side of the Andes Mountains instead on the Carretera Austral – a 1,250KM scenic road (mostly gravel) that rivals Australia’s Great Ocean Road, South Africa’s Garden Route, and California’s Highway 1 it terms of breathtaking scenery. Well, hell – if even the *Argentinean* is telling us not to bother with his mother country, then we’re staying in Chile as long as we can!

 

Cruising down the winding road of Route 7 – the Carretera Austral

During our first day of the drive, we actually spent more time on ferry boats than we did on the road. Given that the terrain in southern Chile is so mountainous, there are several places where the government just couldn’t continue the road (unless they dynamite through the mountains like China does), so the only way to continue was by boat. Unfortunately for us, none of these ferries have their timetables or prices listed online, so we gave ourselves an extra day in our itinerary, just in case we missed the last ferry. Turns out, we were incredibly lucky, hitting each ferry within an hour of its departure time!

 

Just in time for the 2PM ferry at Caleta La Arena

 

Ferry #1 is a pleasant, 30min ride across the Reloncavi Estuary

 

We drive another beautiful stretch of highway before we get to the town of Hornopirén

 

Once again, luck is on our side and we are just in time for the last ferry of the day at 4:30PM

 

It’s a lovely, sunny day – perfect for a boat ride through the Chilean fiords

 

The forests covering the shore are so dense, there was no way for the Chileans to keep building the road – hence all the ferries

 

Ferry #2 is a LONG one: 3 hours! After a while, our eyes get numb to all the gorgeous scenery

 

The sun sparkles on the surface of the water as we sail through the fiords during the Golden Hour

 

Near the end of the ferry, we pass a few houses nestled into the hillside and some fish farms in the sea water (this area of Chile is known for salmon production – Chile is now the second largest producer of salmon in the world). We look closely and see a sea lion sitting on one of the bright orange buoys near the fish nets

 

After we get off the ferry, we only have a 10KM drive down a gravel road to our third and final ferry of the day

Sitting in our car on ferry #3 – today we spent more time sailing than driving!

We finally reached land at about a quarter to 9 – time to find a place to camp! During our last trip to Chile in 2015, we had planned to tent-camp in the desert around San Pedro de Atacama, but found it was too cold and windy to sleep outside, and ended up sleeping inside our SUV for a week. Ghetto? Yes. Comfortable? Surprisingly, yes! We decided not to even bother getting a tent this time, and just picked up some cheap 0⁰C sleeping bags and bunker down in our Subaru.

As we were driving away from the ferry, we constantly had our eyes peeled for a shoulder off the side of the road where we could park for the night. We found 1 or 2 decent spots that didn’t have “No Camping” signs next to them, and we were just about to turn around when we rolled up to an actual campground! Hey, we get to be legit! The campground was pretty small – only about a dozen sites – but it had a clean bathroom and a sink for washing dishes. Lindsay asked one of the campers where the owner was and how to pay for the site, but it turned out the ranger was already gone for the night. She suggested we go ahead and camp and perhaps someone would be along in the morning to collect fees.

Hey – if no one was going to demand payment in return for a campsite, we were not going to lose any sleep over it! We grabbed the *last private site,* whipped up some dinner and toasted our first night on the road with some Chilean bubbles (it’s no Nicolas Feuillatte, bit it’s not bad!).

 

Another stroke of luck! We roll into a campground and grab the LAST campsite just as it starts to get dark.

 

Lindsay whips up some tuna & avocado wraps for dinner, which we wash down with a bottle of Chilean bubbles