South America - a brief encounter: 5 * CHILE - Temuco to Patagonia *

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Another ‘episode’ in 'our' travel experiences.

The collective ‘episodes’ (this being the fifth) describe our journey from our arrival in Buenos Aires (Sth America) from the 1st week of October for an extended tea-bag experience of this huge continent. Like home, the continent is huge. In the few weeks available to us, we can only experience a few locations - a (tea-bag) dunk here, another there, and so on. After a few days in Buenos Aires, we flew to Lima for a 'dunk' into a few selected locations. We then fly to Chile to do some more 'tea-bagging'. We'll eventually make our way back to Argentina and our departure home.



We attach a few pics to give a flavour of our journey, and some may 'flow over' past the dialogue. If we do this, you may need to manually go to the 'spillover' page to see them.



As always, if you want to 'see' more detail in an accompanying picture, click it to enlarge.

A summary (for those with limited time)...

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Tuesday saw us arrive in Temuco, some 700km south of Santiago. We picked up a hire car at the airport and headed off to our self contained accommodation. Wednesday saw us head towards a national park with a recently erupted volcano. Sadly, we opted not to adhere to the satnav instructions and finished up 'lost' in a forestry reserve. Once rectified and back on track, we experienced a series of quite surreal vistas. Thursday had us motoring in another very scenic region and also changing our plans. Instead of staying again in Temuco for a 3rd night, we opted to drive the long way to Valdivia. After an 'interesting' seafood meal, we slept well and (again) spent hours driving the long way to Puerto Varas. We stayed in Puerto Varas for 7 nights and explored both the 'lakes' region and Patagonia. while the weather was less than kind, we 'adjusted' our holidaying experience to accommodate the Antarctic blast and make the most of what the region offers.



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Wednesday 26th October; Temuco...

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We'd arrived in Temuco by air last night. At the airport we picked up our (prebooked) hire car - a Peugot. They wanted us to take a Nissan - but past experience indicated we resist (so we did with as much 'niceness' as we could muster). So, in an unfamiliar car we headed off from the airport on the southern side of town to our accommodation on the northern outskirts using the smartphone HereWeGo app as our satnav. It got us to where we wanted easily. After getting ourselves 'organised' (ie. putting on some warmer clothes - Temuco is on a similar latitude to Melbourne), going to a supermarket to get supplies, we hit the sack for some rest.



We'd set ourselves several possible 'tours' from Temuco. The one we selected was to visit Parque Nacional Conquillio. This entailed an 85km drive to Curacautin, then a 100km drive through the National Park (before another 100km return). While we accepted the 4 hour 'drive', we didn't plan on the unanticipated 'deviation'. Using the HereWeGo app as our satnav, we were instructed to veer left. Faced with a 3 way option - which left turn should we take. We took the middle and all seemed to be good. Except that about 10km along the road the app instructed us to turn left. From a really good bitumen road traversing the most stunningly green valley to a narrow muddy track, we opted not to adhere. A little later, another 'turn left' instruction. Again, a very minor dirt road. On the third instruction, the road appeared somewhat better, but still dirt. Along we went till we were halted by the drivers of 2 logging trucks parked beside each other having a chinwag. One eventually moved on and we proceeded along an 'interesting' road. After a while, another log truck, then another. Mmmm.... At least we were travelling on a lovely sunny day.



The road we were travelling on was enclosed on both sides by Eucalypt forest. The log trucks were carrying Eucalypts logs. It wasn't hard to deduce we were in a forestry area. Thought it wise to recheck the satnav. Knowing that we wanted to get to Curacautin, we checked 3 different apps. All showed we were on the right track to get there!!!!



We ventured forward, a little unsure, but relying on the electronic gear. The road gradually deteriorated, the dust trail behind us grew larger, and before long were were fighting to avoid large gravel 'shoals' on the road. We passed the turnoff being used by the log trucks and thought we were 'right'. here, the Eucalypt plantation had previously been logged and the new plantings were about 3 metres tall. The trees appeared to be Sydney Blue Gum, but on later investigation they are Shiny Gum (E. Nitens). To effect a straight trunk, they are planted about 2 metres apart.



Rechecking the phone satnav seemed to show us deviating further from the intended course. This 'course' was 'through' the forest, but there was no road. We decided that the Chilean Forestry had removed the road and made the call to return from whence we came and go back to the 'middle' option. As we reversed the direction of the car, a snow capped volcano appeared on the horizon - Volcan Lliama. This was the centrepiece of the national park we had scheduled to visit. It appeared we were way off course! Some many kilometres later, and with a car covered in dust, we eventually arrived at Curacautin.



Given the way we'd read the 'tourism' notes for Curacautin, we assumed it would be a small town. Wrong! It was - at best - a resource frontier village. Clean and orderly though it was, it didn't have the 'inviting' feel. Being late, we decided not to explore. Rather we headed off in the direction of the National Park. Eventually we got to the park entrance. There was supposed to be an entry payment, but no-one was at the gate to receive same. The dirt road was well graded and continued on through the 'wilderness'. Where there were very tall trees in the forestry area, this was lowish scrubby vegetation. Eventually we came across the 'cause' for the 'scrub' - Volcan Lliama. The volcano had last erupted in 2009 and in this area the vegetation would have burned. That said, it could also be that the pumice and volcanic ash may not be conducive to good growth. We were awed at the (now cold) lava flows (or Lahar) swirling down the side of the cone. And, in front of lay great swathes - like a stoney river course - of black pumice and pyroclastic (or Tephra) rock. The black and magenta slopes of the volcano coupled to the black Tephra 'flows' made for a surreal scenery.



We continued on and in a short while we came to a pretty lake and went for a wander. The forest was odd. There were a combination of massively large trees and small trees. What was missing was the middle sized trees. A bit further down the track we realised the 'reason'. This was at the edge of the volcanic flow and must have been subjected to some fire. Further along the forest was as we'd expect - full and aged. We'd been warned to take the road from north to south. Here we could see why. The national park road has seen little maintenance and the road was descending. There were washouts galore and it was a task just to find a course that would enable the sedan to make tracks.



The national park is home to 3 important Chilean trees; the native pine (Pehuen or Monkey Puzzle), the Antarctic Beech (both deciduous and evergreen spp.) and the Alerce . The lower forests were largely dense Antarctic Beech with some Pehuen, while the upper slopes were Pehuen and a few Alerce. After fierce logging over the past century or two, the Alerce is now on the endangered list. After the scrubby 'forest' of entering the park, we were enjoying the dense forest here - most trees having oodles of 'grandfather beard' hanging off branches.



With time marching on, we continued along the rough road. Eventually we came to the park boundary and again, parks officers were nowhere to be found. Perhaps the fee is for those who want to sleep in the area. The forest gave way to more scrubby vegetation. Not long onwards the scrub gave way to a desolate plain of jet black volcanic debris. Here and there a bit of forest, but mostly volcanic debris. One site had forest surrounding a lake (with the stumps of dead trees) caused by a lava flow acting as a dam.



We eventually met the bitumen again at Melipueco, and in the late afternoon light enjoyed the stunningly green pastures on our drive back to Temuco. After the dust and dry desert of central Peru and around Santiago, the green was like heaven. Aside from the amazingly green grass, the road was lined with massive oak, Plane, Elm and Poplar trees - to name but a few of the European transplants. We read that the average rainfall in the area is about 1.2 metres (similar to Gold Coast) but with a temperate climate.



On the short trip back to our digs at Temuco, we discussed our plans. We had another two nights booked at Temuco, but as far as driving to scenic spots, we felt that there was only one more 'major' scenic journey and anything more may be repetitive. So, the question was should we 'bolt' and head south or stay and pursue a scenic opportunity in detail. If stay, what??? We decided to depart the next day.

Thursday 27th October; To Valdivia - the long way...

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The second 'tour' in our research was the Parque Nacional Huerquehue. After yesterday's long drive, this was shaping up as a longer one. We weren't absolutely certain whether we could actually drive through this national park. A search on Googlemaps showed a route, but not the satnav apps.



In anticipation, we headed east in bright sunshine to Cunco, then headed south to Lago Collico. Once at the lake, the bitumen stopped (at the cabin park) and a dusty road confronted us. Given what we'd experienced the day before, it appears bitumen connects towns (or in this case, a holiday reserve) and the remainder are dirt. We ploughed on and were surprised after a few kilometres to confront a laden log lorry. In fact, we passed several till at one point we passed a convoy of half a dozen. Later we realised that the convoy would likely have arrived at the destination about lunchtime - so these were the last we encountered.



Aside from the holiday reserve, there were no viewing areas or tracks down to the water for the entire length (40km). Plenty of folk had dwellings, but facilitating tourism obviously isn't a focus in these parts. We eventually got to the road junction where we punted that the road entered the national park. We translated the sign in Spanish on our phone and learned the road was a 'dead end'. Worse, looking at the satnav it seemed the road skirted the national park rather than entered it. This meant either going back or forward around the national park - both less than easy driving options.



We decided to continue on, which as it happened turned out to be much more scenic than we imagined. After a while we entered the Rio Maichin valley with the Huerquehue national park on one side and a national reserve on the other. We'd heard the valley was a de-facto reserve for indigenous folk. But, the topic of indigenous people and the Chilean government is extremely sensitive and we weren't about going on an information hunt while there. In the southern regions, the Mapucho (Chilean indigenous) have long struggled to (re)gain identity and (re)claim ancestral lands. Given there were more small land holdings, villages, community halls, etc., but still a dirt road, we got the sense this valley was quite different to others we'd travelled.



Our 'return' to Temuco took us toward Lago Villarrica and the twin towns of Pucon and Villarrica. The former is a tourist town servicing (winter) skiing and (summer) canoeing, mountain bike riding etc.. For us, the chance to have a half decent coffee (Chile has adopted the American model of tasteless filter style) warranted a stop at Pucon. But, the more pretty town is Villarrica. Just a little out of Pucon is Volcan Villarrica. We read it erupted last year - and whether in relation to the past or in preparation to the future - it was smoking hard!!! We hoped we'd be gone from the region if it became active; but were sort of quietly hoping it did so we could experience a volcano in 'action'.



The previous night we'd booked a 'hostal' in Valdivia, so after having a 'squiz' at Villarrica, we headed to the motorway and mosied down to Valdivia. The Chilean government used World bank funds to establish a motoraway from Puerto Montt in the south all the way to Arica in the north. What has resulted is a 4 lane tollway the length of the nation. With a max speed of 120km/hr, and minimal traffic, it is a quick means to travel. The cost (for motorists) is about A$0.05c per kilometre (toll booths every 80-100km).



We were fortunate having the HereWeGo app as our satnav, as the 'hostal' was located some distance down a dirt road off the main drag. In Chile, an 'hostal' is like a family run small hotel. Unlike the chain operations, these are a more friendly alternative. in this case, while the 'host' knew almost no English, she made put the effort in so we could 'communicate'. Bantering in quasi language can be fun - especially as we had a (off line) phone translation app. How modern technology has made life so much easier. Claudia (the 'host') suggested we drive to Los Molinos for a seafood dinner. Los Molinos was a 40 minute drive away. No worries, our HereWeGo app had it 'organised'.



When we eventually arrived at the restaurant, we discovered that few English speakers had visited. 'Oh, well, sign language and our telephone translation app will get us through' we thought. It did! We selected some drinks and ordered a mixed seafood entre. The drinks came as anticipated - but the entre... well... mmmm!!!



What was served was a hotpot of various seafoods, including Chirizo sausage, chicken pieces and beef cubes. The seafood was yum, but we left the red meats. Despite the 'mix', the hotpot juices were sensational - especially soaked in the little bread rolls provided. We wondered what a main may be like, but feeling somewhat satiated we decided the entre was enough.

Friday 28th October; To Puerto Varas - again, the long way...

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Valdivia is near to the coast and not part of the Lonely Planet 'agenda'. That said, we liked the 'vibe' and the fact that it was both a coastal 'resort' (for locals) and a rergionbal city servicing the wider community. There is much going for Valdivia - even if it's not on the tourist 'map'. We would have liked to stay a bit longer, but accommodation options were really tight.



In the southern part of the this region (the Los Rios region - of which Temuco was the 'capital') there were plenty of lakes, few roads and even fewer accommodation options. We opted to head the the next region; the Los Lagos region (the lakes region). The tourist (and accommodation) 'capital' was Puerto Varas on Lago Llanquihue. Given the late search for accommodation, options were limited. We opted for an Airbnb residence a little way out of town. We wanted to depart Valdivia and drive through a recently promulgated coastal national park; Reserva Nacional Valdivia. Valdivia is set on a large estuarine catchment and to get to the park appeared to require a longish drive to get to the peninsular on the other side of the waterway on which Valdivia fronted. Our satnav suggested a route, which we followed. The village (Corral) that 'begins' the journey to the 'park' looks out over Valdivia. But, the very slow dirt road to Corral took over 3 hours. It wasn't the distance per se, (though at the speed we were limited to, it was) rather that the roads department used 'road base' containing small river rounded stones. The result was like driving on marbles. The slightest turn on the steering wheel (at, say, 25kph resulted in a massive slide. Not good!!!



Once at Corral, we decided that to continue may have us arriving at our destination past midnight. We opted to take the ferry back to Valdivia. We wish we had have known about the ferry before we left our accommodation!!! The journey from Valdivia to Puerto Varas by the tollway was uneventful. Even so, the roadside display of Chilean Firebush and Lydian Broom was stunning. The Firebush is endemic but especially large and bright in this region. The contrast of ultra green fields, bright red (small) trees and yellow shrubs was exquisite.



The owner (Miriam) of the accommodation we'd booked in Puerto Varas didn't speak English. Moreover, Miriam didn't (or wasn't accustomed to) provide an exact address so we could use our satnav. Fortunately, Miriam offered to meet us at Plaza del Armas and lead us to the residence. We were led to a typical Chilean housing estate where small residences were located in close proximity - much closer than we are accustomed to in Australia. The dwelling was of a similar size to a relocatable home in Australia. In this case, it was a 3 bedroom home. As we'd observed in our travels, a large number of Chilean families call these dwellings 'home'. In some respects, we called ourselves fortunate to experience a house 'type' that so many Chileans considered 'normal'. In the small 'lounge' was a combustion wood heater. Despite arriving in late sunshine, the quite cool evening saw us enjoying the warmth it generated.

Saturday 29th October; Puerto Varas - and surrounds...

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At the eastern end of Lago Llanquihue is another volcano - Volcan Osorno. We'd seen it in late afternoon the previous evening and thought we'd go look today. But, Saturday opened to cloud and the summit of the cone was obscured. Even so, we'd been advised the drive around Lago Llanquihue was worth the fuel. So, that's what we did.



On the northern side of the lake is the village of Puerto Octay which has an 'attraction' a waterfall known as Las Cascades. Along a lengthy (and bumpy) dirt track we arrived at the carpark. A 20 minute 'walk' upstream' along an often wet and boggy track led us to said waterfall. In this case, the result was spectacular. Not only for the waterfall, but also the riverine vegetation.



On returning to our accommodation, we discussed our options. We had booked 'this' residence for only 2 nights. We could head north or stay. We liked the ambience of the region and decided to stay. Using Airbnb again, we booked a 'lodge' a little out of town for a further 5 nights - starting the morrow.



Despite where one is in the world, the cost of eating out can eat into one's budget. One of the attributes of self contained accommodation is that we can self cater. That entails a foray of supermarket 'options'. We've learned that a good 'picture' of what locals eat is via the space given in supermarket aisles to various foodstuffs. In Chile, it seems the status quo is 3 meats and one vege!!!! Unlike Australia, the focus appears on 4 components; meat, flour, oil and sugar. Given the preponderance for fried foods, the flour makes pastry which wraps meat stuffs. Empanada - which is a staple - is a pastry covering of pre-cooked foods and is either baked (al forno) or shallow fried (fritas). Other than onions (for Empanada), potato and beans, few other vegetables obtain 'staple' status. The avocado is more popular than pumpkin, but they are bland and watery compared to what we have at home.



The supermarkets we visited catered more for bulk purchases than the small meal option we were looking for. If we wanted chicken, we had to buy the chopped portions of 2 chooks. Similarly, beef tended to be presented in 2+ kilo parcels. Unlike Australia, the beef and pork appeared more to be torn from the animal than cut into presentable portions. Marrying our observations of supermarket options with that we've experienced in restaurants, we've come to the conclusion that Chile has yet to join the modern food 'revolution'. On many counts, Chile is locked into a early/mid 20th century approach to food consumption; it's something to fill the 'tum' rather than a gastronomic/taste experience.

Sunday 30th October; Puerto Montt...

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As it was only about 20km away, we decided to head further south to Puerto Montt - the 'capital' of the region. The weblink to Puerto Montt shows it has had some troubled times. Though the 'capital' of the Los Lagos region, the city stands guard over and services the more southern Patagonia.



Facing the ocean and supporting a quite large fishing fleet, the city itself is quite pretty. Being Sunday - and Chilean family lunch day - the local families were out in force at the restaurants adjacent to the fishing fleet. There is also a fresh seafood market in the location and we got an education about the Chilean preferences for seafood consumption. Though fish spp. were evident in many stalls, it was the array of shellfish/filter feeders that dominated. Many were familiar - Crabs, Abelone, Mussels, Clams and Prawns - but a couple had us scratching our nuts. Two items were highly prized; a barnacle and a Pyura. We were reticent to have a taste as per Chilean style, but did buy some Mariscos (seafood) Empanada's that contained the prized items.



We wandered a bit further west - towards Isle de Chiloe - but refrained from taking the ferry across. We'd read that the island hosts many Mapuche and they apparently prefer to keep the island Mapuche. Whether true or not - to date we've only experienced enjoyable exchanges with Chileans - the tenor of the article was to explore elsewhere. But, as the afternoon was turning out 'picture perfect', we went exploring locations to take snaps of the very many snow capped volcanoes of the region.

Monday 31st October; zilch...

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Overnight a storm rolled in and on awakening little could be seen from the picture window other than a light grey mist and sleet/ice travelling at an acute angle.



Even if we wanted to go out in the car, we'd have not seen much.



With a cosy wood combustion heater and an ample supply of wood, today was a stay put day.



Puerto Varas is a little further south than Hobart. It's been more than 25 years since we'd left Melbourne and moved to the Gold Coast. We'd forgotten about these miserable days and this brought back memories of one reason why we originally decided to leave.

Tuesday 1st November; Patagonia...

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The notion of visiting Patagonia is a bucket list item. But, to be honest, the idea more springs from the most southerly end; around Terra del Fuego. But, upon reading about the Chilean part of the region, the region is more noted for (1) isolation (2) fiords and islands and (3) spectacular mountain ranges. Oh, and COLD!



That Patagonia begins a little south of Puerto Montt meant that we 'had' to go visit. There are two ways to visit from where we were staying; ferry or road. We didn't know the details of the ferries, but had read they were controlled by one company (after privatising the state owned entity) and there were doubts as to reliability and whether to pre-purchase tickets or not. The road option was long, but it also went via Petrohue (on Lago Todos Los Santos) so we opted to 'do' the road trip. Before leaving Australia, we had been contemplating (re)entering Argentina via the Petrohue option. It meant a bus to Petrohue, a ferry across Lago Todos Los Santoas to Puella, a bus over the mountains to Puerto Blest, then another ferry to Bariloche. Though expensive, it was the thought of a 13 hour journey in trying conditions that dissuaded us.



Starting out in cloud, the skies 'opened' as we entered Petrohue. There is no actual village here. Rather a couple of holiday hotels, many holiday homes and a small ship departure point. The area is wedged between Volcan Osorno on one side and some extremely steep mountains on the other. The higher parts had been given a decent coating of snow from the day before. Though cold, it did look pretty.



Continuing on into Patagonia, we stopped for lunch at a small fishing village of Los Ladrillos. The fishing used to be 'farmed' salmon but that has been wiped out because of unsound farming practices. Now, much effort is being spent on alternatives such as mussels. There was only one lunch option; Empanada Mariscos (shellfish empanada) and an ale. The price here was 1000 peso's. Had we been able to get a salmon empanada, the price would have been 6000 pesos.



We continued on but were somewhat challenged by an ever darkening sky. The annual rainfall in this region is about 2 metres, so sunny days are few. Even so, the vista's of steep mountains and snow capped rugged peaks coupled to the darkening sky made for a brooding ambience.



We continued along the dirt road enjoying the varying scenery and the very occasional backwoods type farmhouses. We were probably about 3/4 hour from Hualaihue when we wondered whether we should continue and hope the ferry would be available, or turn around. We decided that an extra 1 1/2 hours should the ferry not be available was too much so we turned around and made our way back to 'civilisation'. Our decision had a good aspect in that when driving forward we missed some of the stunning scenery that one only sees on the return journey. And, for whatever reason, periodically we had to stop for herds of goats with little kids that were not there as we headed into the region.

Wednesday 2nd November; Patagonia, again...

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We'd taken the back route yesterday and upon our return, the weather closed in. By morning, we were wondering whether the day would brighten. Fortunately, the skies cleared and we headed off to Puerto Montt to 'travel' the Carretera Austral - THE Patagonian highway.



As we continued south along this coastal route beside the Reloncavi Sound, each fishing village appeared to vie for the title of 'most decrepit'. The occasional beaches were the round stones from the mountainous rivers. In some little bays, fishermen had collectively bulldozed these stones into a small breakwater to protect their small boats. As we progressed, having noticed some 'characters', we began looking for the most 'characterful' exemplar. There is something about fisherfolk that allows them to take on 'interesting' postures / clothing / decorations. Long beards, ballon pants, beanies, weird pipes, you name it and we think we saw it.



Like the previous day, the weather began 'closing in' and when we came to the (partial) end of the road at a ferry terminal (that took motorists across a fiord), we decided a warm fire and beer at our digs was more appealing.

Thursday 3rd November; Towards Temuco & Valdivia...

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Tomorrow we depart Chile and have to return the car to Temuco by midday. We decided to (again) spend the night at Valdivia so we could explore the area a bit more. We'd not been able to visit the coastal national park and we thought the coast road north of the city warranted a further look. It's a 3 hour drive on the tollway to get from Puerto Varas to Vildavia,



The day opened wet and miserable. We wondered whether it was worth rushing to go look at drizzle! We decided not, so enjoyed a little more time in front of the wood fire. Eventually leaving around noon, the sky appeared to be clearing as we headed north. As we neared Valdivia, the heavens opened again so thoughts of a scenic drive disappeared. Searching Tripadvisor, we found a craft beer pub and spent the latter part of the day enjoying great craft beer (best we've experienced in Chile) and dinner.



Tomorrow Cordoba (Argentina).



A late addition... Up until yesterday, the weather for the Valdivia and Temuco regions were supposed to be wet. Our departure day opened foggy and soon cleared to a magical day.

Reflections...

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The Lakes district of Chile afforded us a glimpse into 'normality'. To date, we'd been in definitive 3rd world parts, in dry and dusty environs, in high altitudes, in cold climes, in hot & steamy jungles and in each location while we enjoyed the experience we were a little out of our comfort zone. Here, in the lakes district, it was sort of like being back in Victoria. The (relative) humidity was within our 'normal', the vegetation somewhat familiar, and hospitality encouraging.



We really don't know how many sunny days the region experiences. Only about a third of our time in the region was sunny, another third, cloudy but bright and the remainder godawful. But, then, being so close to the antarctic, it obviously has a greater impact here than at the Gold Coast. In hindsight it wasn't the weather per se that was an issue. Rather, it is our preconceived notion that holidays are about sunny days and 'enjoyment'. And, we learnt from the dismal weather that we needed to adjusted our thinking about 'holiday'. Relaxing in front of a wood fire and chillin' out listening to jazz on the wifi with an ale is just as enjoyable as racing around looking at the 'scenes'.



The last paragraph is revealing. Weather plays such a big part of holidaying. here we are talking about weather not what we've seen / experienced! We've noted the green and temperate climate. We've not noted how much we enjoyed the national park (reserved) vegetation, the snow capped volcanoes and the lakes.



Not noted is the fantastic car we hired - a Peugeot 2003. Plenty of power (turbo diesel) great comfort and a really nice driving style. About the same size as a Corolla or Golf, it handles all road conditions with finesse.



All in all, we've really enjoyed ourselves in the Lakes Region.

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