0193 Coyhaique, Chile to Perito Moreno, Argentina. Wildlife at last !

31^st Jan 2015

The camp site last night did have wifi, but it was SO SLOW !!! So basically, having started at about 4 pm,  I was up till about 1 am trying to get my blog updated after several days of no wifi, and then trying to upload the photos.  And the only place I could receive a signal was if I put my computer up on the top bunk and then stood up like at a desk !!   Never mind, I eventually got most of it down, although I didn’t manage to get any photos into the body of the blog – I will try to do some of that later.

With the wifi, I was also able to access the emails and blog of a group of 8 Australian MG’s (7 B’s and one A) that are driving from Ushuaia to Vancouver.  I have been talking to them for some time as they planned their trip, giving them suggestions and ideas for their trip – I knew a couple of them from the Queensland MG Car Club. We had always planned to meet up somewhere, but having not had wifi for a while, it was only tonight that I realised that they were almost level with me, but I was in Chile and they were in Argentina ! And if I didn’t see them today, then I would have to backtrack north to catch them up.  So I made the decision to cross the border into Argentina today, and head to Perito Moreno so we could meet.  Easy – There was a crossing at Chile Chico, and although it would be a long day’s drive, it was easily doable.

0192 Lago Las Torres to Coyahaique

30^th Jan 2015

What a view to wake up to !  The snowcapped peak on the other side of the lake to the west was no bathed in the morning sun, and the lake was almost millpond smooth, reflecting all.  This central / southern part of Patagonia is certainly very dramatic scenery-wise, and the tropical forests of further north are slowly getting less dense.   I topped up the water tank in Troopie because the girl in the camp site said that the water out of the tap came straight down off the snowcapped mountain peak behind us – No tanks, no treatment – Just a 2000 metre drop down the mountain and into the tap ! 

0191 Puyuhuapi to Lago Las Torres

29^th Jan 2015

Very cold this morning – It was about 2 deg C by the time I was up and got a look at the thermometer.  I don’t think it got to freezing, but it was cold enough to make me get my Alaskan fur hat out of storage !  All was good as they had good hot showers  so by the time I hit the road after breakfast, I was ready for whatever lay ahead !  But I was still very stiff and sore in the thighs !

First thing was the roadworks that I was still not clear of – Since they were only letting the traffic go one way at a time, I just hoped that when I started out in the middle I wouldn’t meet a whole lot of traffic coming the other way, wondering what I was doing going the “wrong” way ! It turned out that I didn’t encounter anyone, (must be that “early morning” thing again – no one up yet ?!), and I made it through unscathed.

0190 Chaiten to Puyuhuapi

28^th Jan 2015

Woke up to a beautiful clear morning on the beach.  Another camper had come in after me and was a few hundred metres further up the beach.  Was feeling VERY stiff after yesterday’s exertions, to the extent that even getting in and out of Troopie is now kind of difficult.  Maybe I overdid it a bit by climbing that volcano ?  Never mind – it was worth it. 

Set off the few kms back into the small town of Chaiten when I topped off with (very expensive – Like $1.50 a litre !!) diesel, found a little shop where they had fresh bread as well as some alfoil which I had run out of, and then decided to head south out of town.  A very sharp mountain was visible due south of town and I found out that was Corcovado, at 2290 metres.  A very distinctive peak.

0189 Caleta Gonzalo to Chaiten

27^th Jan 2015

It rained quite heavily during the night, but was quite sunny by the time we got up and got moving.  The camp site was very new, and well laid out and set up (except for the cold showers !!). A cleaning crew came round and emptied all the rubbish bins and cleaned the showers and toilets, and of course collected the money !! Very impressed.  It is all part of the Parque Pumalin which stretches almost from Hornopiren all the way to Chaiten, and is owned by an American called Doug Tompkins. It is Chile’s largest Park and one of the largest privately owned National Park in the world – If you are interested I understand there is an excellent web site (Not having wifi here I can’t check it out at this time !).  But every facility I saw in the park is well maintained, well signposted, and a pleasure to use. 

0188 Hornopiren to Caleta Gonzalo

26 Jan 2015.

It was a great little camp site by the river in Hornopiren – “Camping Bosque Nativo”.  After a good hot shower (but why do they put the taps down just 6 inches off the floor ???), set off to catch my “long” ferry from Hornopiren to Leptepu.  As I left the camp site I saw a couple more of “my” eagles in a field, although I thought they looked a bit bigger than the ones on my car yesterday, and when I put them onto the computer I could see their beaks were also quite different – Hmm – Adults and babies ?  Or a different bird ?   It was trying very hard to rain, and in fact, by the time I got to the ferry at 10.15 and joined the queue, it was bucketing down.    Thank goodness it held off while I was packing up camp. 

0187 Volcan Osorno to Hornopiren. Eagles 'n Fings !

24-25 Jan 2015.

I ended up enjoying two nights of R&R in my little campsite outside Ensenada, and got lots of small (but important) things done. Changed the fuel filter, did my laundry (most from before Christmas !!), made a few changes to storage methods inside in preparation for 1200 kms of dirt road, and, most important of all, after a 5 day hunt through every corner of the car, found a money pouch containing quite a few of my $’s which I had put away so safely before I went back to Australia for Christmas that I couldn’t remember where I had hidden them !  So that was a big relief as I was seriously starting to believe I had done my increasingly frequent (age related ?) trick and left them lying around somewhere !  Also I fitted a few of the minor spare parts I had picked up in Aus, including finishing my “legless chair” which works perfectly – Thank you for your help, Jamie !!

0186 Chiloe - There and back !

21-22 Jan 2015

(First of all, just a note.  For the last few posts I do not seem to be able to do the mapping of each photo that I normally do, which allows you to see my route for each day.  Don't know what is going on, but will keep trying.  Just so you know I am trying to do the map !!)

 

Woke up early and got moving – No reason to hang around here. Had another first time camper next to me last night – This time they had a caravan they had rented, first night on the road.  They had been trying to put out the side awning and had ended up with a real mess with he awning flapping and the side bars coming to pieces.  It was the same awning as we used to have on our Winnebago to I went over and showed them how to do it !  Nice little camp site though – And good showers and toilets (most important ! (As regular people on here will know from my past similar comments !))

0185 Angostura, Argentina to Ancud, Chile

20^th Jan 2015  

Once again I never saw a soul in the campsite before I left at 9 am !  Plenty of time and peace for a leisurely (hot !) shower and breakfast before hitting the road to head towards Chile (for the 3^rd time !).  It was such a beautiful view out over the lake from the back of Troopie – If they had had wifi there, I think I might have stayed for one or two more nights.  Just beautiful.  That is what camping is all about – Waking up with million dollar views.  I actually went to sleep with the back doors open last night because it was such a lovely sight, but it got a bit cold later on so I closed them !

0184 San Martin de los Andes to Villa de Angostura

19^th Jan 

I reckon that the coldest time of the night is just before dawn.  It certainly was this morning !  I woke up at about 4.30 am and was quite snug and warm in my sleeping bag, but within half an hour or so I was getting really cold and had to reach for the blanket.  When I eventually checked the thermometer the sun was already coming over the mountain tops, and it was still only 2.4 deg C.  I don’t think it actually froze, but it was cold !!  And then, because there was a heavy dew, as soon as the sun struck the bushes around me, the heat caused instant clouds of steam for about 5 minutes as it dried all the moisture on everything – The dunny looked like it was on fire !   Or something !!

Didn’t have far to go today so was looking forward to a nice relaxing day……..

0183 Colonia Suiza to San Martin de los Andes

18^th Jan

Once again, virtually no one stirred in the camp site until 9 pm !!  One almost feels guilty starting the car engine at 9 am to leave, in case you wake people up !  Once again, when I woke up a couple of those Chimango eagle type birds were fossicking around next to my car – They seem to be the local garbage scavengers !  Fernando and Max were just getting up as I was about to leave, so at least I got to say goodbye to them – Cecelia and Juan were still asleep ! I had checked the map and it seemed that there was a longer alternative around the shores of the lake, and when I checked with the camp host, he confirmed it was a road I should take.

0182 Lago Nahuel Huapi to Colonia Suiza

17^th Jan  

As usual I woke up at about 6 am, and no one else in the whole campsite was stirring.  I went for a walk around the campsite, and down on the beach, and the early morning views over the lake were just superb.  And down on the beach I found another one of those ground-walking eagles fossicking in the sand – He found something as I caught him with it in his beak as he waddled away !!  I think the bird might be a Chimango, and these was also confirmed by someone I spoke to, even thought it doesn’t quite look the same !  It will do for now, anyway !

0181 Lago Puyehue Chile to Lago Nahuel Huapi, Argentina

16^th Jan 2015 

The campsite in Entre Lagos had filled up after I arrived, and when I woke up this morning there were only a couple of spare spots !  All Chilean.  I am not used to the locals all getting out and going camping – So far from the Mexican border south, it has only been “foreign travellers” doing the camping.  One couple next to me, about my age, were obviously first timers – They struggled with the tent and I think it took them about ½ an hour to blow up their new (still in a box) air mattress ! Their tent was smaller than my Alaska one !!  Anyway, when I woke up at 6.30 am after a great night’s sleep, not a soul was moving.  Normally campers are early risers, but not ro here – it was about 8 am before any one stirred !  No one even rushing up to the loo for an early morning pee !  So I was showered and breakfasted before anyone else was up.  Maybe it was because it was suddenly totally overcast – A complete contrast to the last few days with not a cloud in the sky. 

0180 Chillan to Lago Puyehue

15^th Jan 2015

Well, that was a busy night !!  Although they didn’t keep me awake too much, there were some trucks that were obviously having trouble getting round the corner where I was parked, and because they had to keep reversing, it was their reversing bleepers that woke me up !!  I finally got up to check what was going on (this was about midnight), and found that the problem was not me, but another truck that had parked in a no parking area, thus making it hard for other trucks to get round the corner.  So I decided to make sure none of them came any closer to me, and I jumped into the drivers seat and drove up onto the grass verge – Now there was no way they could blame me !!  No more truck problems, but at 2 am there was a knocking on Troopie’s door, and when I peered out of the curtains, it was the Carabinieri de Chile, with the lights on their van flashing !!  Uh oh – What now ?

0179 Santiago to Chillan

14^th Jan 2015 

Slept late, and then when I got to the showers for a cold shower, there wasn’t even any water !! Grr.   Went hunting, and managed to get it turned back on, but just as I was about to get in the shower (well, sprinkle a bit on me more like – It was very cold water !) it went off again.  Not willing to end up all soapy and the water going off again, I gave up, filled the car water tank up (yes, the water to the normal taps was working OK !!), and set off.  Hardy is a young lad in the camp site and speaks very good English, and has been very helpful to me in translating for me.  I also learned a new word from him – Manguera means Hose !!  Thanks for your help Hardy – Keep the English going – You are doing so well. 

0178 Back on the road again.....

0178  Back on the road again…..  13^th Jan 2015

Damien dropped Janet and I at the airport on Sunday night – Janet to catch the midnight horror to Queensland, and me to Sydney and then on to Santiago.  I tried to get into Premium Economy for the long Sydney to Santiago sector, but the flight was fully booked.  So instead I upgraded both Janet and I to Business Class on our respective flights to the east coast because……Why not ?  I got a just -renovated plane with full lie flat seats, so slept the whole way to Sydney !! We had all been out for a very good hamburger in Scarborough on Sunday evening  before we went to the airport, so I didn’t need more food while on the plane !

0177 Christmas in Perth, Australia

19^th Dec – 11^th Jan 2015

Well this has been a great 3 week break  - After 8 months on the road, a break from travelling, a break from speaking Spanish, a break from driving, and a rare chance to catch up with the entire family and of course to meet Olivia for the first time, the latest addition.