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Published: January 5th 2009
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The Rio Baker
KJ getting her shred on After 3 days of feasting in Coyhaique we departed feeling rejuvenated with bulging panniers filled with our xmas treats. We left with a howling tail wind and almost sunshine. Just before we left town we popped into the ´Aysen - Reserva de vida´ information centre, to learn more about the ´SIN REPRESA´battle, and were lucky enough to find a very passionate American woman to answer all our questions in english. It´s such a emotive topic with the locals of Patagonia we have had many lengthy conversations about the dams but alas in Spanish and we were struggling to peice it all together.
Chile lost ownership of it´s water rights when Pinochet had power, and now multinational companies plan to dam many remote and untouched rivers, including the captivating Rio Baker, a river we followed from it´s birth to its delta. When it started it was the color of dissolved copper sulphate crystals then we watched at the first confluence as it mixed and became milky green. The refugio we rested at for a few days and the surrounding farms will be 20 meters under water if goes ahead. Then incase it wasn´t bad enough the huge power lines will travel
2,300km almost half the length of this long thin country, right through beautiful Patagonia, to sate the appetite of the power hungry capital. It will then stake claim to being the longest source to use power generation in the world. There has been some awesome protests in response, almost every store we enter has a ´´sin represas´´ sticker on the front window. They recieved thousands of submissions against the plan but how strong can the voice of the few that live here be against their capitalist government and huge companies? The multinats have 9 months to make adjustments, plus the governement elections are next year, but this land is not safe yet.
After some huge desolate river valleys where the road lay on the beginings of a rainshadow copping the wind and speckled rain, we travelled through the country between hielo de norte and Lago General Carrera or Lago Buenos Aires depending on which side of the border you stand. It was dry, barren country with an azul glacier fed lake. We spent christmas eve on it´s shore in Bahia Muerta, sampling the local ¨pan de pascua´ christmas cake with left over coñac butter of course. We woke way
too early on christmas morn not to sound of excited kids like most people but to the calls of the rooster right outside our tent. Lunch feasting were further round the shore of the lake at Rio Tranqillo, shared with a swiss cycle tourist who happily chatted for hours, he maybe needed the company a little more than us.
People seem to travel here either by toyota hilux or by horseback, there´s not much in between. It´s quite something being passed by a white brown patched hourse being ridden by a stern crisp man wearing a beree or poncho and being follwed by 3 scruffy dogs. Dogs are ubiquitous here, always free to roam, usually very friendly and welcoming. One poor cyclist was followed 140 km over 3 days by the same dog. Unfortuately we took off from the conversation first and so the energetic pooch followed us! Luckily we had a super downhill on our side, but I do wonder where he ended up.
After weeks of dubious hygiene, eating new and mysterious foods from various street vendors, it was bound to happen sooner or later. For some reason foremost in my mind at one of our
rides into the thown of Cochrane was the image of the dodgy hot rotisserie chickens that supermarkets in NZ have for sale. So when, later that day, I am confronted by a tray of of roast chicken portions sitting on a counter uncovered at el supermercado I had to try one. So why during our ride heading out of town way it KJ not me, that was inflicted with food poisoning? Avocado and Mayo overdose perhaps? So it was that our short day became even shorter as a hasty camp was made. With KJ gallently managing the final 10 km's the following day we reached Refugio Rio Nadis around miday and settled in for serious R&R. What a place! Here we had a proper rest day with out all the distractions the town and villages we have stopped in. With no power or internet, just a rustic wee hut with a wood stove for heating shower water and cooking. We took a break from our schedule to drink copious amounts of tea, forage for wild strawberries, and just sit and admire the surrounding mountains and mighty Rio Baker.
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