The last four tourists in Patagonia

The glacier is visible from our campsite but we had to get a lot closer to appreciate how big and beautiful is really is. With many waterfalls flowing from its base at the top of a hanging glacial valley, it was well worth stopping here! The whole area is absolutely beautiful.

Given that we were going to be in the neighbourhood anyway, I checked geocahing.com before we left Coyhaique. Sure enough there was a cache on the way to Laguna Témpanos. It was Zach's first and he was game to go treasure hunting. You never know if you're going to find them or not, that's part of the fun. As you can see, we did:

On the way back from our morning hike we ran into Basha and Steve - seemingly the only other tourists in all of Chilean Patagonia. They're heading south while we're heading north. Coincidentally they're staying at El Mirador the night after next. Coincidentally, they also live in Calgary. What a small world!

They had time to kill before their ferry back to this fancy lodge they're staying in so they joined us at our campsite. We provided the picnic bench, they provided the wine. It was nice to make two new friends and 'entertain'!

The lookout point at the top of the hill and a good 3.5km hike up was worth the trip to get as close to the glacier as we could. Zach and I both watched it hoping to witness some calving but left without seeing a show. Now that nobody's looking it's going crazy up there as we can tell from the thunderous crashes we hear from our campsite. Even that is pretty cool.

In order to validate any camping trip, we have to have the mandatory fire and accompanying smokey smell. I love it. Plus it kept us warm for a bit, it's chilly here in Chile (Have I used that joke yet?! It doesn't matter though, it's STILL funny!). I always feel hypnotised watching campfires and tonight was no exception. The best part of it though is that we're here all by ourselves and it's so peaceful and quiet - except for the glacier which is just fine by me!

Zorro

After the excitement of the last few days, we were glad to have a chill day.

It looks like we're going to Chiloe after all. We were going, then we weren't and now it appears that the wind is blowing westward so we will follow it over on a ferry once we get to Chaiten. It's supposed to be a beautiful part of the country. Given our fuel situation and the ferry schedules, it seems a feasible option now. We went and booked our tickets right after breakfast today.

We opted for the 'divide and conquer' method of tackling our pre-departure to-do list. Zach dealt with Babe and I went to go play in the recently vandalized and looted grocery store. Check out their work:

I love poking around supermarkets in foreign countries and provisioning for four days of cooking and camping gave me the perfect excuse. Despite the previous night's break-in, from inside you couldn't tell anything had happened. What surprised me the most was how much it was like a Walmart in the Unimarc. They had everything there.

My arms were about an inch longer by the time I walked all the way back to the hotel with the bags of groceries. Zach was making progress with Babe but needed a bit more time. I took advantage of this time to prepare dinner.

The book is called 'Manifold Destiny'. When Zach first told me about this book, I was instantly intrigued. A cookbook on how to cook on your engine? Cool!

So...today we did a little experiment. I prepared a chicken concoction and rolled it in 7.5m of extra-strong tin foil. We then wired it on to the engine!

After a delicious lunch at Mamma Gaucho's, understandably the #1 Trip Advisor restaurant in Coyhaique, and a few last errands, we were on the road...with a full tank of fuel.

At least these road blocks weren't on fire and fully closed!

The road was paved for a greater part of the journey than we expected but just when the pavement ended, the sun went down and it got interesting. Look at this tangled string of bubblegum the Garmin plotted for us! It was crazy!

We found a beautiful campsite in an empty campground right at the base of the hanging glacier, Ventisquero Colgante, in Parque Nacional Queulat. We can hear the waterfall and even heard a few bergs of the glacier break off. Awesome! It's also one day off of a new moon and with a cloudy sky it is DARK!

The chicken needed a bit (!) longer to cook so we got out the stove and cooked it up and had a very tasty dinner. As we were cleaning up I mentioned that as a result of camping in the Rockies, I felt conditioned to move the garbage away from the campsite but I figured there was no need to here. No sooner were those words out of my mouth than I looked up and was startled to see a bold fox advancing on the campsite.

We scared him off but we put everything away and made a 'garbage piñata'. As we brushed our teeth with our headlamps on, we looked into the forest across the way and could see the reflection of his eyes looking right at us. I wonder what the little zorro, Spanish for fox, will get up to tonight!

Here's his picture (he came back a few days later too!):

Learning of the day: Wasps can eat through tin foil and apparently I sound like I have Turret's when I swear!

The answer is the garlic!

"I've got the answer!" Zach exclaimed as I woke up.

"Oh?"

"The answer is the garlic" he said referring to the garlic we bought at the side of the road yesterday while we were fishing to see if anyone might be willing to sell us some diesel.

It was still early. I needed another hint.

"There's a fuel shortage but these guys made it all the way here. They didn't drive all the way around Lago General Carrera, they..."

"...took the boat from Chile Chico!". Indeed. Zach was right. It was an alternative we hadn't considered. We only thought about going north or east. Going south didn't even enter into our minds and yet, this gave us a lot of options within our "fuel-radius". Most importantly, it gave us the opportunity to refuel.

The answer was the garlic...kind of. Fate has a funny way of taking you down strange roads that only partially resemble your plans. The day actually went something like this:

>We eat an uninspired hotel breakfast before checking out and hear about the looting that occurred at the grocery store in town last night. Seriously??? You're just hurting yourselves there kids!
>We acquire information about the boat to Chile Chico. Tickets can be purchased at Puerto Ibañez which is a 2hr drive away and the boat leaves at 19h30. There is really no need to leave town before 16h.
>We walk back to the town centre and I dared Zach to ask the cops if they knew where we could buy diesel.
>The cop lets us know that four fuel trucks are due later this afternoon!!!
>We stop for lunch at cool sushi restaurant where I sample my first veggie sushi roll and didn't die. (See...I am a work in progress and am evolving all the time!)
>Zach wonders about the time the ticket office in Puerto Ibañez closes and calls to confirm that it's too late to drive there and make their office hours so we have to go back to the Coyhaique office here to buy them which re-opens (after siesta) at 15h.
>We're still mulling over information from the police...is it still worth going south?
>We waffle back and forth.
>We waffle forth and back.
>We go to the ticket office to buy the boat tickets as an insurance policy. Timing is getting tight here.
>We get stuck behind some guy buying about a hundred boat tickets (presumably for a tour???) and we wait and wait and wait.
>While we are waiting, one of the employees needs in to the yard and Babe is in the way.
>Zach moves Babe and, as has become a habit, he asks the guy if he knows where we could buy diesel.
>The guy replies that there would be fuel at the central Copec station in a few hours.
>Pardon me??? Zach asks him to repeat what he just said.
>100% seguro - fuel available this afternoon. That jives with what the cops said. Hmmmmm....
>After a quick team huddle and weighing the options yet AGAIN, we abort the garlic-inspired plan to head back south to Chile Chico.
>We move on to Plan Q...or was it Plan X???!!!

Right...so after that our new friend helped us find a mechanic to solder the radiator mount (again). That kept us busy for about an hour. We then headed into town to suss out the fuel situation at just the right time!

There, right before our eyes were two amazing and unbelievable sights that we wouldn't have seen if we'd left town any earlier or not talked to the police or been held up in line at the boat company!

The first sight was a shiny silver fuel truck unloading the fuel it was carrying in the Petrobras fuel tanks. The second sight was a queue literally around the entire block and wrapped up on itself two lanes wide!!!

Here is Babe in line for fuel. The guys hanging out on their car are at the front. We're starting the second lap around the block!!!

The carabineros had to show up to direct traffic to keep the peace and everything in order! Wise move!

It took an hour to get around the block to refuel. Babe was being cranky with the on-off-idling so we had to push her part of the way.

In the end we were victorious!!!

Cue: a huge sigh of relief, a happy dance and a very happy Happy-Hour! Hurrah!

Now the answer to the problem we'd been wrestling with is clear. We go north tomorrow morning with a full tank and carry on as planned! That was the best-case scenario we were both hoping for.

And while the problems in Aysen are complex, here's one solution for many people to think about to help avoid situations like the one we were in:

¿Qué puede hacer?

We woke up on the side of a dirt road this morning...as you do! Once we came down the ladder from the tent we saw the view of where we parked in the dark last night.

Nice place! The Coyhaique valley is really beautiful. It's a shame about all the nonsense going on in the province of Aysen between the government and the people.

We drove into town and found an Internet cafe to catch up on a few things and have a bite to eat. It turns out there's a CNN-Chile where the protests were top news. Just as well we got out of town last night.

We figured we'd be in town at least one more day so we found a little hotel with secure parking. We left Babe safely tucked out of harm's way while we went around and did some legwork.

Everyone we asked had more or less the same story. We don't know when fuel is expected. We don't know where you can get any. It seems their responses are genuine and that they too are equally affected. That said, it amazes me how many cars are still on the streets!

Despite months of troubles in the region and the recent escalation of protesting it seems that even the locals didn't anticipate that it would get this ugly. (And here we are! In the thick of it!) Zach and I came to believe that this fuel shortage must have come as a surprise. Otherwise, surely someone would have stocked up only to sell it at a profit? We would have definitely paid a premium to acquire it and get unstuck! In the end we had no leads.

On the way through town we came across a protest march.

All day I could see Zach's brain going over scenarios in his head all day trying to figure this out. It's an interesting challenge that we need to resolve. What to do? What to do?

We could go North and hope to come across a town that had been supplied with fuel since the supply to this area comes from the north. There are two gas stations within the distance we could cover on the fuel we had. But what if they were empty?

We could go East into Argentina like many Chileans were doing to find fuel. But the next big town was a bit out of our reach and there were no guarantees. Argentina has had its own issues with fuel shortages lately!

We could stay put and wait it out hoping for a fuel delivery in the next couple of days.

Or...???

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.

El Mirador at Puerto Guardal

Having arrived in the dark last night, we had a beautiful surprise waiting for us when we opened the blinds. This place rocks!

Breakfast was served between 8 & 10:30. We showed up at 10:29. Afterwards we asked Stefan about a few of the nearby attractions. We were tipped off on a nearby waterfall at Arroyo Maqui and given more information about the abandoned mine which Zach had seen online and was curious about.

In the end we walked to the waterfall shortly after noon. It was a nice, warm day and we walked along the gravel road lined with rosehips. I can only imagine the perfume in the air when the wild roses are in bloom!

The waterfall itself was pretty but we couldn't cross to the side with the good view without getting soaked so we opted for a 'tick-the-box' visit and headed back to the cabin for a picnic lunch on our gorgeous veranda.

As I sat in Babe and Zach did the 'pre-trip inspection' prior to a trip into town I heard an 'oh no!'. Apparently on the drive in yesterday all that shaking caused the mount for the radiator to break so we needed to find a mechanic in town. Stefan and Louis were headed into town anyway so they led the way to the mechanic's shop.

It was amazing to observe that boys are boys no matter where you are and they inherently love trucks and cars! These guys were drooling over Babe and more than happy to help solder a part of the engine...all for the sum of ~$2US!

The mechanics drooling over Babe.

(Note Babe's emasculation with the addition of 'truck nuts'!)

We snooped around the town of Puerto Guardal. We hit the supermercados and the ferreteria. We confirmed that the gas station was closed for the simple reason that they didn't have any petrol to sell because of the road blocks. We went to a general store and gawked at the range of selection of 'things' that they had; it was fascinating! Christmas pudding, 400 speed film rolls, SIM cards, pumpkin, motor oil, tacky fridge magnets were all there. It reminded me of the Bragg Creek Trading Post where I used to work. Anything you needed was there (except the 12V coffee mug heater Zach was on the hunt for!).

After our visit to town we headed back to the hotel to pick up Louis who came with us to the abandoned mine. I initially thought he just wanted to tag along but since he and his family apparently own some of the land up here, he played the role of tour guide instead.

The mine only closed 30 years ago. Apparently they had extracted all the minerals that were there. It was interesting to see all that was still there including the old mine shaft entrance, milling area, and inside the old buildings (that are still standing). I could imagine how loud it would have been there when it was operating at full capacity. Today it was eerily silent and still; there wasn't even a breath of wind.

Zach, checking out the old factory and yes...he wore the pink paper tie all day. Love it!

Sunset, beers and rock skipping seem to go hand in hand so down we went to play by the shore before dinner. Just another day in paradise!

The end of our already full day was completed with a BBQ with the Dutch owners and a Brazilian couple also staying here. There was quite a mix of languages and accents but the wine and beers helped with everyone's comprehension! ;o)

Chile - Take 2!

The Argentinian border guys were surprised to see us again this morning and even more surprised to hear that we'd camped at the Chilean border station. Indeed!

While the one guy worked on Babe's paperwork (wow...I haven't seen carbon paper in a long time!) the other guy told us it's just as well. There's civil unrest in Chile right now over a couple of heated topics. They're putting up road blocks and causing disruptions in the delivery of food and more importantly petrol. It's quite possible we could have gotten all the way to Cochrane and not found any diesel!

Once we were sorted we headed up along Ruta 41 which runs parallel up the Chilean border towards Los Antiguos.

We stopped in town for late lunch/wifi fix. It's a pretty town. Too bad we weren't there in January when they have their cherry festival! Before leaving we got diesel in the tank and refilled the jerry-can. Given the stories we've been hearing you just never know where the next available refill will be.

Between Los Antiguos and Chile Chico is a much bigger border station. Heck - the road was even paved! We first stopped on the Argentinian side and did passport control and customs. No problem. We drove on to the Chilean side to try our luck with attempt 2 in getting through.

They also did passport control (yay-a new stamp!) and customs. Afterwards they went through the truck with a fine tooth comb looking for fruits, veggies or any meats and cheeses. We also had to have our packs scanned in one of their machines. It was thorough but fair and there was NO mention of the right-hand drive. It took about half an hour in all and then...we were in Chile!!!

Having eaten up all of our forbidden foods, we stocked up at the only super mercado open on a Sunday evening. There was a decent selection of things on offer. I've never had a grocery bill come to 22000$! It sounds like a lot but works out to about $40. There's new math to do on this side of the border.

It was a long drive from Chile Chico to Puerto Guardal but boy was it beautiful. It's likely the prettiest road I may have ever been on. The sun was setting as we twisted along the roads making it even more beautiful.

It had a few hairy spots where I couldn't look at the plunging cliff into Lago General Carrera on the right. Zach was a pro and was having fun. We maxed out at about 50km/h but I think our average was more like 20km/h!

El Mirador turned out to be a gem of a spot. We've arrived in the dark and my jaw dropped getting out of the car. The stars are spectacular! We checked to see if they had room and we got the last cabin that they had open. They're slowly shutting down for winter and they're in fact closed next week. We were really lucky.

As soon as we saw the cabin we both knew we wanted to stay an extra day. There was enough cushion in the schedule to have a few days off from driving. If so - this is the perfect spot to explore a bit more.