Hein
Welcome on my travel blog. Hope to keep everyone updated as much as possible. This time it is going to Chile with the bike. Hope to have a nice time on the Carretera Austral. Maybe you join me. Hein
Travel Blog Posts
January 30th 2010
A cycle holiday needs some cooling down. That is what my battery of the camera thought when i went on a last trip to Frutillar on the lake Llanquihue. I heard a lot of stories from people having vacation on the lake and making tours with the bicycle. On my trip to the German settlement of Frutillar with the German Colonial Museum I saw only one. The views on the lake and the vulcans were very nice but I can not show. Cheesecake and Capucino or Leche con Cafe Instanteo were double priced but the name of the Cafe was ´Guten Appetit´. Brassbands were playing constantly and very good. The operahouse was in reconstruction so it could not be visited. The place felt a lot like a popular village somewhere in Germany on a sunny sunday ... read more
January 29th 2010
In the morning it rained. Pablo was still in a good mood. It was the first time in his life that he cycled over a border. The glacier was out of sight in the clouds. Breakfast was rice with a taste of chicken and an energy bar. The road was very bad but the atmosphere was good and after 2 hours Pablo reached the Argentinian border on 1022m. Down to Lago Frias. At the Argentinian border we were wiser. We collected in one time the stamps for going in and out the country. Pablo made a nice picture with the Argentinian border control. We made new friends. A small shop in Rio Frias which accepted Chilean pesos but everything simple costs mille pesos. You some times get the feeling that if one sees a stranger it ... read more
January 29th 2010
Next morning a trip over Lagos los Santos to Peulla. The mosquitos were sleeping and so was Misael. I was just in time to reach the boat with a retour ticket for 22.000 pesos which I would not use going to Bariloche. On the boat I met Pablo who wanted to go to Puerto Bles on the same route ´Cruce Andino´. The boat left late. We arrived in Peulla a quarter to one. The village and the boats all are part of one company so everything is expensive. Nobody could tell us when the boat we had to take on the Argentinian side left. So we went on the bike in a very nice valley of the river of Peulla. The only bad thing about it all were the black flies. You will not find it ... read more
January 29th 2010
Tuesday 26 januari. In the morning back to the repair man and the wheel looked good so at midday I headed for Petrohue. 81 km from Puerto Montt. The start was not nice. Coming into Puerto Varas it was better. A nice paved road along the southside of the Lago LLankuiwy at with the views on the vulcans of Osorno and Colpago. German settlements of long ago. Even some small parts of cyclepath along the road. The wheel was still not wright so I had to do some extra work to make it roll good. In fact a protection tape between the wheel and the tire was the problem. Because it was not connected wright. The outer tire made strange turns. I was glad to have find the problem because there was still some bad road ... read more
January 29th 2010
Puerto Montt seems to be the centre of a lot. Cruises around the cape. People going to Patagonia and Chiloe. Sunday was a quiet day. Could not bike. Shops apart from the Malls were closed. In the Malls they served good capuccino and torta so it felt like a Brabant sunday in Puerto Montt. After almost a day I found one libreria where they sold books. And it is strange if you find a book in an other language than Espanol. The Chileans do not seem to read a lot. Also papers are mostly the local lightweight free news and little ´real´papers. Lots of free walking dogs in the place. It doesn´t look too good but the locals do not matter and most of them have a sleepy character. Angelmo was nice to vist although every ... read more
January 24th 2010
There was no fanfare in Puerto Montt but at midday I reached Piazza the Armas in Puerto Montt the beginning of the Carretera Austral. Only 28 km from my hostal it was a question for me if the wheel would carry untill the end. As soon as I arrived in Puerto Montt I went searching for an adress to change the wheel. here was one who had my size but it had to be spoked again so I have to wait to monday to go on for a small trip between the vulcanos and lakes north east of Puerto Montt. ... read more
January 24th 2010
From Hornopiren it was a long day or two short ones as I had seen on the map. The ferry at Puelche had to be reached before 20.00 otherwise you could not cross for that day to Arena. The day started out bad for the bicycle. A spoke had tore the wheel open so it was difficult to center the wheel. I tried an hoped for the best. I was already on 23k when the wheel did not turn anymore. Daniel a mountaibiker of Hornopiren and also working in the bikeshop in Hornopiren showed me how to reach Puerto Montt with the bad wheel so I could go on. The road was not bad but with this wheel condition I had to drive carefully which is more or less impossible on these roads because there is ... read more
January 24th 2010
The weather started out beautyfull. I still had to rush to the ferry because I did not arrive in Chaiten as planned. I was curious after the Chilean ´Pompei´. It sure had it´s blow from the Vulcano. The gouvernment wants people to leave but a lot of people want to stay. What is wise and where is the heart. If I could choose between La Junta and Chaiten I knew where I would stay. The 27 km went smoothly and I still had enough time to take some pictures in Chaiten. On the boat I met Elly - Canadian Dutch - maried with Ramiro from Chili. After a life of work they traveled all trough Chili. On the boat also Sue and Mike from Florida whom I met earlier on the Yelcho sendero. The German couple ... read more
January 24th 2010
One of the phrases you were taught very early on highschool that it could be raining cats and dogs in England. Not only in England. Just out of my bed checking the weather, even before 8 o´clock already an Italian was on his way to the La Junt. Leaving the caring Hospedaje in Villa Santa Lucia and having said goodbye to Rafo and Jan who were also Southbound. Immediately, il cime de Santa Lucia started. The first Spaniard I saw on the bike came down the hill. It did have nothing to do with Tre Cime di Lavaredo so I could reach the summit of about 625 meters cycling. On the top a Swiss lady of a travel agency was awaiting the 8 cyclists out of Switzerland. They did not climb any faster than I did ... read more
January 24th 2010
I wondered in my memory that the sound of the village of La Junta was equal to the government of the time of Pinochet. I did not know and maybe there were more meanings to the word La Junta. But in the end it was to honour this government that the village got the name. There was a sort of statue at the North-side of the villag that was so ugly that I did not even take the picture. At breakfast I met my second Dutchmen on the Carretera from Groningen with his Spanish girlfriend. They took off for a year just to travel from the South to the North. Going out of La Junta crossing was lovely, another orange bridge and back in a very green valley with the sound of water. Sometimes you think ... read more
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