Sunday morning. Fog banks are still struggling to completely clear the fjord. I wake up smoothly, with the smell of toasts. Don Luis, the owner of this small hospedaje (bed & breakfast South American version) is already in the kitchen. Homemade bread, homemade jam, scrambled eggs, and good coffee. What a great start to the day! The rain even finally stopped. During breakfast, I question Don Luis on life here in Puyuhuapi before and after the construction of the Carretera Austral.
He tells me how this little village, founded in 1935 by Germans fleeing Nazism, was completely isolated at the very end of the fjord, waiting patiently for supply boats fortnightly or monthly. It was doing as it could and was autonomous. Then the Carretera allowed more regular supplies. It also allowed the development of tourism. Yet, this is not Disney-World though, but some influx of people keen of outdoor and adventure, crisscrossing the southern route in one direction or the other, by car, by bike, in motorhome, by bus, or even hitch-hiking. Many Israelis, a lot of French and Germans too, and Chileans from the "North" willing to explore the boundaries of their own country.
And then at least two Belgians also, to my great joy! Jerome and Emilia decided to stop in front of my thumb up. Immediately, they make room in the minivan and Emilia moved to the back alongside their little Mateo, a year-old blonde face with a big smile. After several years on a mission in Central Africa, they are waiting for a new position for Jerome, in the field of forest management. The three of them left from Santiago late February. They will roam Patagonia for three months, along the Carretera Austral on the Chilean side of the Cordillera, then back from Ushuaia by Ruta 40 on the Argentine side.
In this quiet and peaceful Sunday, with warm little breads in my bag for lunch, I was rested and motivated after this two-night step in Puyuhuapi. And learning that Jerome and Emilia were going to the same destination and planning a short stop to take a look at the Ventisquero Colgante glacier, I was thrilled! So we spent the day together, a small hike to the glacier in the morning and drive in the afternoon under the rain again. The road is long for the driver: the rain and potholes demand attention at every moment.
After a very pleasant day of sharing experiences, we even realised they knew my blog. They visited it while preparing their own road trip in Patagonia. They dropped me in Coyhaique, the uninteresting regional capital. I stayed in a small hospedaje a bit peculiar. The owner never wanted to sacrifice her home to large distribution. Result: the big block store that occupies the entire block surrounds her house on three sides!
Monday morning. The day will be beautiful. It was announced several days ago and forecasters were not wrong. But I would not be French if I do not complain a bit: the wind is cold this morning. To avoid dying freezing on the roadside, I walk and put thumb up every time a car passes. After four rides of 5 to 10 kilometers each, Daniel stopped to offer me to go to my destination for the day. I was no longer believing. Two days in a row riding more than 200 km, nice performance on the Carretera Austral! I hope I can carry on this way. I must be on Friday at Villa O'Higgins, at the end of this Southern Route, and it's still 350 km away (200 mi) in even more remote places.
Few dozens of kilometers before Coyhaique, the landscape began to change. After the valleys and forested fjords, we arrived in more open places, dryer also, with less trees. The colors are beautiful: blue and white slightly cloudy sky, gold grilled grass, green groves, turquoise lakes and rivers, black summits, and white glaciers.
Few hours with Daniel were a good opportunity to discuss the project of hydroelectric power station (a series of five dams) where he works in the Cochrane area a little further south. For now, the government has approved the construction of the plant as such but not its connection to the rest of the network via a power line that will traverse the wilderness and inaccessible Patagonia. Opposition to the project is fierce. Environmental NGOs denounce the move of 19 families and flooding of different eco-systems impacting wildlife. And others such as Douglas Tompkins (founder of American clothing brands North Face and Esprit who acquires huge territories to help conserve the natural heritage of Patagonia) are concerned about the environmental impact, aesthetics and tourism.
By mid afternoon, I arrived at Puerto Río Tranquilo, on the shores of Lago General Carrera, beautiful blue-green lake in this mountain setting. I missed the boat ride to see the creeks but I still spent the night there. Enough road for today. I will continue tomorrow!
Note. Meanwhile the traditional slideshow (to be published in the last article of the series), you can click on the pictures to enlarge.
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