Patagonia and the Carretera Austral

Futaleufú

I enjoyed five days in the beautiful small town of Futaleufu. I met a friendly Dutch couple, Rob and Brenda and we enjoyed our time together hiking, sharing meals and playing cards. For two days after they left, I hiked through the mountains in search for waterfalls and great views.

This hike was adventurous. I hiked through a farm with cows on my way to see waterfalls



Futalefú

Woo Hoo



Typical home sourrounded by immense green vegetation and mountains

View of the lake near the town of Futaleufú

Thanks for the ride!

I took a one hour bus ride to Santa Lucia and waited my next hitchhiking adventure. After about thirty minutes, a jeep slowed to greet me. I spoke in Spanish as I usually do, and he responded in Spanglish. An American! He invited me to travel with him to La Junta, his destination for the day. The infamous rocky road, also known as 'carretera austral', made for a bumpy ride. We enjoyed each others company as I learned he and his sister are two of the founders of Patagonia clothing. His sister's husband, the infamous Doug Tompkins, owns over two million acres in Chile, most of which are in the Patagonia area. Doug and his wife build and preserve national parks in Chile. It is their goal to teach and set a standard in building clean parks while preserving the natural plants and animal life. All this is done with minimal to no damage to the beautiful nature. I inquired about volunteering or working at their parks for a future job. Quite the connection! I continued my journey from La Junta to the tiny town of Puyuhuapi, home to some 800 people. I camped in the back yard of a local family's home with two other Americans I met as I arrived. Sam and John go to school at Colorado college and we had a great night, enjoying dinner, beers, travel stories and some card games. The next day, we traveled to Quelat National Park to enjoy hiking and the amazing views. At the park, I met Romina and Diego, an awesome Chilean couple from Santiago that I met in Futalefú. They are traveling by motorcycle to Punta Arenas to move there for an undetermined amount of time. We hiked to the glacier together before saying goodbyes.

View from campsite in Puyuhuapi



Puyuhuapi - I hitchhiked to the park in a truck. This is the view from the truck bed.

Diego, Romina and I at the Lagoon with Ventisquero Colgate Glacier in the background

Ventisquero Colgate -- Colgate Glacier

Panoramic of Ventisquero Colgate

The following day, Sam and John left earlier to hitchhike to Coyhaique. I left several hours later and found a ride in a motor home with a French family. Ronan, his wife Karine, and two kids Gabin and Eloise were super friendly and generous. They are in the middle of a three year trip around the world, in the same mobile home which they transport from continent to continent. They are homeschooling, or should I say mobile-homeschooling, their kids throughout their journey. How incredible! While driving, we saw two hitchhikers on the road and to my surprise, I recognized my American friends! We picked them up and had a full camper on our journey south on the carretera austral. We stopped to enjoy a several hour hike in the enchanted forest to see a glacier with a waterfall pouring into a lagoon. We camped that night in Puerto Cisnes .

Ronen enjoying the hike in the 'enchanted forest'

The rainforest is beautiful with sunshine

Lagoon and Glacier!

360 view of Lagoon

Puerto Aysen

I said my goodbyes to Sam, John and the French family and hit the road again, solo. I found two different rides with nice Chileans to the small town of Puerto Aysen. There, I had arranged couchsurfing and was excited to stay with locals. I stayed with Rodrigo for three nights, and he introduced me to several friends. Then, I stayed with Marcela and her boyfriend Jaime for three nights. They live on the river with an amazing view. They are super generous and a great couple with whom to spend time. Thank you very much!

I took an hour bicycle ride outside of Aysen to see the ocean. 

A view of Aysen from a hill outside of town

Aysen

Cerro Castillo National Reserve

The morning I left Puerto Aysen, I found a ride within minutes to Coyhaique. The following day I hitchhiked with five different people before I made it to Laguna Chiguay, a camping spot and trailhead to a great hike. The last ride was the funniest, as I used a technique I learned from an alumni of Southwestern, the company which employed me to work to save money for this trip. This alumni told me in the 80's, they had to hitchhike daily to their selling areas. And to find a ride more easily, they would wait on the side of the road smiling and waving at people. When a car would drive by, they would run after the car smiling and waving their arms. Previously, I had unsuccessfully used this technique. This time it worked! The truck passed me and I ran after it. They came to a stop about fifty meters from where I originally stood. Luis and Estela are teachers from Chile Chico and are a very friendly couple. They invited me to their home when I travel to their town, and drove me to my destination. At Laguna Chiguay, I camped with two Chilean cousins, Jorge and Diego. Generously they shared dinner and dessert with me and we enjoyed a warm fire. They left the next morning for a several day hike through a park, and I hiked a shorter trek.

Laguna Chiguay

360 from peak of trek overlooking Cerro Castillo National Reserve

Chile Chico

I continued my journey and found a ride with Jose Miguel, a father that is traveling to Chile Chico for business. I spontaneously decided to hitch a ride with him to a destination I previously didn't think I would be traveling. Now, I write this blog entry under a full moon on a smooth two hour ferry from Puerto Ibañez to Chile Chico. I called Luis and Estela and they plan to meet me at the port. Life is great!

Luis picked me up from the port, and drove me to their home to enjoy an evening snack they call ‘Tomar Once.’ We enjoyed local honey, jam, avocado, milk, homemade bread and great conversations. They both teach at the local school here in Chile Chico. The next day, they invited me to lunch and we ate soup, salmon and a salad. Thank you so much for your generosity Luis and Estela!

Luis and Estela

Puerto Tranquilo

After a couple days in Chile Chico, I hitched a ride to Puerto Tranquilo. I camped out there for two nights at a campsite owned by a super nice lady named Elsa. This picture below is a view from her property. Also, I visited the Marble Caves that make this little town so popular.

Puerto Tranquilo

Puerto Tranquilo at Sunset

Pto. Tranquilo under the moon

Capillas de Marmol (Marble Caves)

Estancia Chacabuco

I left Puerto Tranquilo and travelled to Estancia Chacabuco, where the sister of Roger owns a massive amount of land. She and her husband, Doug Tompkins, are building a national park in this area. They hope to name the area, "Patagonia National Park." It is very clean and the trails are very clear, unlike many of the national parks in Chile. I  hiked and camped here for two days trekking the mountains full of fall colors.

Country & Island Lifestyle/Patagonia Begins!

Valdivia continued

I spent a couple more days in Validiva exploring the island of Mancera, the fort of Niebla, and enjoying the craft beer and the beautiful house of Andrea's mom, Julie. They all had to leave one full day and left me the keys to their beautiful home. How trusting and generous! Thank you!

Hitchiking continues with new and exciting stories

I hitchhiked from Validiva to Osorno with a man named Claudio. On our drive, he invited me to lunch with his family! I said yes, of course and we arrived to his home with a hot meal waiting for us. It was the first time for the family to really talk with a foreigner, and chileans love the US. We took pictures together and shared laughs. After lunch with Claudio and his wife Carmen, Claudio dropped me off at a gas station outside town to continue hitchiking to Fresia, where Merylin's family lives. I tried for a couple hours, yet had no luck. I decided to call Carmen and Claudio back and ask if I could stay at their place. They said yes, and I hitchhiked back to their home with another nice man. What a nice family! They cooked me dinner, let me stay the night for free, and fed me breakfast the next morning. Thank you so much!

Claudio and Carmen at their home in Osorno

The next day, I decided to take a bus to the small town of Fresia, and I arrived to the home of Merylin's family. Once again, lunch was hot and ready to eat! The hospitality here has been really incredible. After lunch, Merylin and her two siblings brought me on a trek in the hills outside their home. There were tons of blackberries which we picked to make a pastries and jam. The family fed me breakfast, lunch and dinner for two days. The family was very difficult to understand, and I felt like my spanish was weak. It is similar to the way people in the small towns of the US  speak fast, with lots of idioms and  without clear pronunciation of words. Overall a great experience. Thank you!

Merylin digs for fruit as her brother Luciano enjoys the sweetness

Hiking through the beautiful hills outside Fresia

Blackberries!

After Fresia, I traveled by bus and ferry to the island of Chiloe, which means 'place of seagulls.' Everyone I met has told me that this island is really incredible, has an interesting history with lots of stories and mythology, and a unique landscape to the rest of Chile.

Ferry Ride to Chiloe

 I arrived to Castro, the capital of the island. I was greeted by two friends of Andrea, my couchsurfing friend from pichilemu, at the bus station. Iván and Cati are super nice! I could understand them almost fluently and quickly felt better about my spanish after my time in the country. They brought me to their home and fed me a very popular snack - avocado, cheese, jam and bread. Yum! All their hospitality for the few days I spent with them was really great. Thank you friends! Afterwards, they gave me a tour of the town. The next day they introduced me to their Bolivian friend, Mari, and we went to the national park of Chiloe. At the national park, we explored the amazing beaches and got lost in the woods filled with trees of which I had previously never seen. 

Castro

Castro

After a quick trip to the southern end of the island in Quellon, I traveled to the northern part of the island to stay with another friend of Andrea, Paloma. A psychologist that works on the island, she welcomed me to her home with great hospitality. She has interesting stories about working with Mapuche, the indigenous people that live on nearby small islands near Chiloe. The next day, her French friend was visiting as well, and Ode and I hitchhiked multiple times finding our way to remote beaches and an amazing restaurant where we enjoyed delicious and fresh seafood. It was a super fun time, and I felt I learned a lot. Through conversation, she unintentionally reminded me how amazing it is to travel solo, and the effectiveness of maps to find cool places. This non direct advice had come at just the right time as a couple days previous I had begun to feel homesick and lonely for the first time on my trip. I felt revived and ready for the next part of my trip - Patagonia!

Dalcalhue- A fishing village north of Castro, here I ate salmon...

Salmon with potatoes, salad and peach juice -- yum!

Patagonia Beginnings!

I traveled 3 hours by bus to Puerto Montt, and 30  minutes after arrival, I boarded the overnight boat ride to Chaiten. It was very difficult to sleep, yet I survived the rainy 13 hour boat ride and we arrived at noon the following day. I hitched a short ride from the port to the small town and needed to make a decision as to whether I would stay there, or keep traveling. I tried to find a map, but the information kiosk was closed for three hours, so I began asking hostels prices for the evening. While walking slowly to hostel to hostel, I saw a Chilean local for the second time. He had a big smile, a weathered face of about 65 years, huge ears that stuck out from his head, and about 7 teeth. I said hello and he said something I couldn't understand. I could have kept walking, but I felt something special about this man. I walked back to him to ask him to repeat what he had said. After we conversed for a half minute, another man approached us on his way to enter the building we stood in front of. He asked if I needed a hostel (I was carrying my backpack) and I said I had a couple offers. He said he'd match any offer and he had a bar. I agreed to stay the night and put my pack down. 

I walked down to the bar and saw 3 foreigners in the corner. I walked over to them and introduced myself to find three Americans. English! Ah.  They were fly fishing guides from Montana and California, and one of them knew a couple good friends from Southwestern! They recommended I visit Futaluefú, a small town near the Argentina border. I had heard previously about this famous rafting town from a friend in Nevada. I felt overwhelmingly excited as they explained rafting season had another month. 

I walked to the tiny bus station to ask for departing times. At the bus stop were two Chileans of university age. I asked of they knew when buses would leave for Futaluefú and they said a bus would leave in 4 hours, but they were going to hitchhike instead. I immediately decided to join them, grabbed my backpack from the hostel, said thanks to my new American friends, and walked trough the continuous rain with Fabiola and her boyfriend to the main road. 

We hitchhiked two times and found ourselves at El Amarillo hot springs, the intended destination of the couple, and for many other tourists. What an experience! We enjoyed the hot springs with a light rain falling and views of mountains and luscious green vegetation. I decided to stay with them for the night to camp. We ended up catching a ride from the hot springs with the man that worked at the entrance to the springs. On our drive, he offered us to stay at his place for the night. Awesome! We arrived to his country home, and he let us stay in the tiny home behind his house. A kitchen, a wood burning stove for warmth and cooking, a table and chairs and room to lay down for the three of us. Perfect. We cooked a simple meal of rice and eggs, played some cards, shared laughs, and went to sleep listening to the continuous rain. 

View of rainy and beautiful Northern Patagonia from back of truck while hitching a ride 

Hitchhiking with friends in back of truck while raining

The next morning, still raining, we ate eggs, cheese, bread and fruit before parking our bags in preparation for my hitchhiking. This time, we were traveling in opposite directions and we said our goodbyes. I found a ride with a couple that we had coincidentally met the previous day at the hot springs. They drove me halfway, and I found another ride from a family from Sanitago traveling directly to Futaluefú. Beautiful country! Upon arrival, we talked to the information kiosk and acquires maps. I decided to stay in a hostel, the first time I had paid for accommodation in weeks! When I walked inside, I met the only other tourists there, a super nice ditch couple named Rob and Brenda. We became friends quickly and took a hike and spent the evening together. Also in Futaluefú, I shopped around for the best deal on rafting and cruised down one of the biggest whitewater rivers in South America. What a cool experience! Incredible scenery, huge rapids and a day full of sunshine. 

View of Futaleufù

I will continue traveling south on my way to the national parks of San Rafael and Torres del Paine, as well as other towns I don't know the names of yet. 

Life is great. Thanks for following!