Coyhaique

It was a nice morning to get up a bit early and get the fire started to heat the cabin, sift through some photos and catch up on the last couple of days in my blog. It took a while - we've done a lot!

Babe getting packed up and some TLC:

The itinerary changed the moment we got out on the roads beyond Puerto Guardel. It took us a good two hours to reach Puerto Rio Tranquilo 25km away because the roads were so bumpy with washboards and potholes everywhere. At one point we were going less than 10km/hr! We had thought about taking a boat trip to some marble caves and pop out to see some glaciers but extra driving didn't appeal and it turns out that most tour companies are done for the season anyway.

So...on we carried! The new destination for the day was Coyhaique some 230km further north. It was about 50-50 gravel-pavement and boy were we glad to see the pavement. It was a slow and tough slog over the bumpy gravel roads.

Zach's been pretty jazzed about all the driving. You have to be signing up to drive 20,000km! He's been loving the adventure he's having on the road. That said, I think it's fair to say that he didn't really like today's driving very much! ;o)

The Dead Forest:

We have an empty tank now and enough fuel in the jerry-can for ~120km more. The gas station with freshly delivered petrol had a long queue of cars waiting for a drink. Unfortunately no diesel was on offer!

The locals in the province of Ayten are mad!!! They're protesting wages, infrastructure and health issues. As we stopped for a hamburger at some hole-in-the-wall at 22h we turned around to see a blockade going up and lit on fire!

Groups of young boys with bandanas over their faces pulled up gutter grates and street signs and threw them in too. Then, to make it even more difficult for fellow locals, they spread large rocks though the intersection making it an obstacle course.

Zach and I walked along the street with bonfires at either end to see what there was to see. They were chanting at the other end, rallying the troops. They're certainly making a point but I'm not sure which one. More than anything it seems they're making their lives more difficult.

In any case, Coyhaique seemed to be a bit of a war zone so we opted for a camping night in the safari tent above Babe out of town where things seemed a bit more chill.