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24/11/2013 Puerto Montt to Lanoa, Chiloé
D111, T6.5/11, Av15.88, Max60, Tot 22525, 12,726
Wet, sunny, hailing, overcast, showers, heavy rain, we had it all
Early morning in Puerto Montt saw more showers.
The internet never did work again at the hostal. We visited a cafe for those needs.
We found a great little restaurant bar doing Salmon ceviches for $3, we spent some time eating here.
At 0930 with clearing skies, we headed off and took the coast road out of town to Angelmo. Then onto Huelmo and eventually turning back to Ruta 5 before Calbuco.
The fish market at Angelmo was visited, the main produce was muscles and cockles. They had strings of smoked muscles, they looked so good but we were overloaded already.
The ride was on a concrete windy road, at times with steep little climbs.
It was a visual delight, that of riding along a coast that was a fantastic example of maritime businesses, a working port.
Detroit diesel, had a huge complex here.
Those of marinas, salmon factories, shipyards, boat building with little eateries for the locals scattered in-between, the often ramshackle buildings. The air along the way was always rich with salt, though within this were the smells of diesel, fish, both fresh and rotting.
It was nice to back on the coast. Working vessels of all descriptions were moored and docked.
There were some sizeable modern yachts moored, ready for adventures further south this summer, one could safely assume.
On the way up to the main road, I holed a tyre so that was repaired.
Up on the highway they were in the process of duplicating it. So most of the way to Pargua was on brand new asphalt with no traffic, as it was using the old parts of the highway.
Along this road we got all types of weather, at one point it was hailing, then the sun would come out. The common denominator was that it was quite fresh. You needed to be moving to stay warm.
We stopped at a bus shelter for lunch during one heavy shower. Coffee and hot chocolate were great out of the cold rain.
Once in Pargua, we literally rode straight onto the ferry to Chiloé .
This was a scenic 45 minutes. There were seals swimming in the bay and as usual sunning themselves on every available navigational buoy. Two penguins were sitting on a rock!
The sun was out for the duration. These ferries run 24 hours, ours was shared with large trucks.
Once on the island we set off for Linao on the road to Ancud.
The roads were narrow and busy. As usual now, the predominant colours were green and yellow. The yellow is the broom, now in full flower, it grows right to the roads edges.
The time now was after 1800. Once at the turnoff to Lanoa, the road was just a series of up and back down again all within a kilometre on many occasions.
The weather was a series of showers and sun. In the end we rode in full wet weather gear because of the cold and constant downpours. So thankfully, there was little wind.
We hit gravel at about 1945, the temp was really starting to drop and we were wet and cold. My gloves wet through .
Soon the pueblito of Lanao was reached. We headed to the waterfront. Asked about an Alojamiento and found just the most delightful place run by a woman on her own .
It was so nice to be in the shelter of a building. We finally stopped riding at 2030.
The sun was still out and had warmth in it.
Infact it was a lovely evening.
The alojamiente was just like coming into someones house, very rustic and homely with all sorts of nick nacks on the walls.
Best of all Norma had a piping hot gas fired shower, oh so good. In her sixties was great company over dinner in her kitchen, we both ate so much food, especially the feast size pasta Cal cooked up.
It had been a huge day, though intermingled with many interesting sites and environments.
The land use on this part of Chiloé was small farms, much dairying and fairly basic dwellings on small holdings.
25/11/2013 Linao to Aucar
D35, T3/6, Av10.67, Max54, Tot22560, 12761
Cool, sunny with fresh cool westerlies
It had been a cold night at Normas, thankfully she had given us a heap of blankets for our beds.
We were away about 0930, once again the road was a series of really steep little climbs only to come straight back down and up again. All this on gravel.
It was a challenge to ride up all these inclines.
We stopped in Quemchi at the mercardo and enjoyed a few treats like chocolate.
My soaked gloves from yesterday were slowly drying out tied onto the front panniers.
Most houses we passed had head high plastic tunnel houses full of what looked like wood shavings.
I was told they grow a plant used in perfumes and sell it for supplementary income.
Every bay we passed was filled with aqua culture enterprises, mostly muscles.
At Quemchi we stopped for lunch on the water front.
It was great with million dollar views and crab meat bread rolls. Jaivas is the term they use here for the flesh, it was fresh but like crab very rich, but also like crab very moorish.
From here, we went to the library to use the net for half an hour.
We left town on full stomachs, believe me.
Getting to the turnoff to Aucar and still climbing followed by descents we came across the Isla de las Almas Navegantes.
We rode across a board walk spanning the few hundred metres across the water and onto the isla.
Here there was a church, graveyard and a small arboretum. Wandering about it was the perfect place to camp.
Vistas back to Quemchi across the bay were on offer. These were across hundreds of floats marking the position of the muscle farms. We found a great site on a point overlooking the bay.
A place, that would get the early morning sun.
I had eaten to much crab for lunch.
Having been off the main road for a couple of days here, the place had that island feeling about it, no one in too much of a hurry, and the ocean never far away.
We spent the afternoon reading, both of us still fairly worn out after yesterday.
Wandering around the island, it was pleasing to find out the name of this rampant bamboo so common here in this part of Chile.
It is called Quila. It infests most plant communities we have seen.
Those from the lower ranges to here on the coast on an island. Interestingly, there are still bright green parrots about often seen in flowering trees, in groups.
Callum, now has a taste for dulce de leche, so we are getting through plenty of this. He won’t touch mate, saying it tastes like grass.
26/11/2013 Aucar to fairground 6km from Castro
D65, T5/7, Av12.58, Max68, Tot 22,625, 12,826
Great day with cold southerlies
As expected we got the first morning rays, it was quite mild without the wind.
We left the island at about 0930, thanking a groundsman on the way out.
There was a mussel (chorito) factory at the enterance to the island.
We drank water from a barrel in the cemetery. Many factories here are on water courses.
Again, the road was up and down. The downhill was so quick there was no point in changing into a high gear, rather, leave it in low gear and just roll up the other side till you are at the correct speed for the low gear.
These hills are some of the steepest climbed on the trip so far, they are only short and on loose gravel they suck all our energy at a rapid rate.
Five km into the day, we stopped to buy bananas, and chocolate.
Cal is still eating Dorritos and other things he is used to.
Again, there were some really steep climbs, they really take it out of you. The day was a mix of tar and gravel, more tar thankfully.
We stopped for lunch in Dalcahue. After checking every ferretería on our way so far without finding Bencina, some was found here so we stocked up with 2 litres for the stove.
We had lunch in the local park. Here they were restoring a Jesuit church. We have passed a few old timber churches similar but smaller on the way.
Wanting to know what was being grown in low plastic shade house type structures we stopped at a farm where they were working in one.
The owner took us for a walk through his operation.
The farmer said they were growing Pon Pon, a kind of spagnum moss from the forests here. It is collected, dried and sent to Japan and China, among other countries for use in shampoos and other cosmetics.
They sell it dry by the kilo.
All the small pueblitos visited on the coast have vibrant ports, many fishing boats are tied up and sit on the beaches at low tide.
Mussel farming is huge here with large processing factories in many places.
The wind chill factor plays a big role in riding attire, out of the wind it is pleasant. In it, one needs to wear a raincoat just to stay warm in the southerlies.
Nearing Castro we needed to find a camp so as to get into the capital early.
Again getting out of the wind was an issue.
Down one track to an inlet was ideal but we just could not avoid the wind.
The inlet here got visits from Flamingos in May so the owner told me.
Back up on the highway we found another side track, this led to a paddock. In here, there were some temporary structures. Later we found out there was a food festival here last weekend. An annual event.
We set up under a tarp on a wooden frame.
Anyway some guys came along and were dismantling everything around us.
Kindly they left our little bit of shelter.
A basic meal of soup and carnita was enjoyed with coffee and hot chocolate.
The wind died down as the evening progressed. The evenings are still quite cool, beanies are still mandatory attire, for me anyway.
27/11/2013 From fair ground to Castró, Chiloé
D11, T45min, Av12, Max52, Tot 22,636 12,837
Up for a bit urinary relief at 0300 in the morning, revealed a misty damp morning on the way. An hour later the old tarp above us had reached saturation point. The dripping started.
It was a kind of so be it moment, aint nothing we were going to do about it.
We had decided last night not to have breakfast and head straight to Castro in the morning.
Packing up, we left the place as we had found it, as always. Not even a tea bag remains at one of my campsites. Only buried toilet paper and a bit of "business".
We were crossing the paddock by 0830. The wind had a little bit of direction in it from the salmon meal factory, riding towards it was like burying your head in a packet of goldfish flakes. That’s, if you could find one big enough.
It was a leisurely ride into Castro, we were both starving. The packet of coconut flavoured biscuits for brekky did not go far.
Back on Ruta 5, traffic was heavy, though not a problem.
At the top of the hill before dropping into town we found great hostal, the Torre de Babel.
In Puerto Montt, there was a misunderstanding with my bearing repairs. Consequently, they were not inspected.
On the way here, I could hear some grinding in the rear wheel. The bike was taken to the only shop in town.
Upon dismantling the axles in both wheels, the front ones were replaced purely as a preventative measure.
The rear well, well that was another story. The non drive side was cool. On the drive side the plastic bearing holder was gone and the bearings were like chipped marbles.The shop had no new race.
So from here, a trip by bus and ferry is to be made back to Puerto Montt, back wheel in hand for the parts.
The hostal has all the facilities one was used to, it is luxury to say the least. Callum will stay here tomorrow and visit the sights.
As I write Cal is cooking blanched veges and mashed potato with a pre roasted chook. The hostels’ oven door is not present for reasons not enquired about.
Today we found out we have to wait till next Thursday to catch a ferry from the island to Chaitén on the mainland. It only operates one day a week.
This gives us the opportunity to further explore this unique part of Chile. We hope to visit the southern pacific coast on the island.
It is so nice not having to be anywhere at any time. Having this luxury is still something so special to me. Sometimes I have to pinch myself to think, hey!, there is really nowhere I have to be today, or anyone I need to contact.
At this point in my life, it is like an intangible drug beyond further description.
There is plenty of time later in life to possibly work or just hang about in the company of others and persue the responsibility that comes with it.
These attributes just spoken about are what money just can’t buy, you don’t need much to participate in this lifestyle.
Hostals and motels are really just places to regroup at, have a shower, wash some gear before getting back to the real world. That of waking up to the morning sun filtering through my tent at a location never before frequented .
Sometimes I feel for people that work through the last exciting physical years of their lives to retire in their sixties. This little window of adventure in the late fifties is pretty damn special for me.
I feel many people in their 50's are worried about preparing financially for their future, or more to the point are still working to sustain their lifestyles.
Lifestyles where you can't smell the daisies.
I know, that if your mind is in the right place, things will always work themselves out, just as sure as a stream flows from high to lower ground.. This is ever-so important.
Having said this a persons financial position has bearings on these comments, but at the end of the day you should be the master of your own destiny, not some lecherous financial institution.
Afterall their best clients are those who have what they really can't afford, or simply don't know when enough is enough.
Though of course there are people happy doing this, or are they? of course there are...........
To have been working these few years and a few to come, would have been like scraping the icing off the cake before eating it, for me.
If my health fails me after this jaunt, so be it. In the words of Pink Floyd: “The memories of an old man, are the deeds of a man in his prime”
In short, I will have hoped to realised many dreams in this time. This realization will always be a warmth with me as I age.
The words. “I wish I had” wont haunt me at a later stage when I do have more spare time but lack the health or motivation to fulfil any wishes.
24/11/2013 Puerto Montt to Lanoa, Chiloé
D111, T6.5/11, Av15.88, Max60, Tot 22525, 12,726
Wet, sunny, hailing, overcast, showers, heavy rain, we had it all
Early morning in Puerto Montt saw more showers.
The internet never did work again at the hostal. We visited a cafe for those needs.
We found a great little restaurant bar doing Salmon ceviches for $3, we spent some time eating here.
At 0930 with clearing skies, we headed off and took the coast road out of town to Angelmo. Then onto Huelmo and eventually turning back to Ruta 5 before Calbuco.
The fish market at Angelmo was visited, the main produce was muscles and cockles. They had strings of smoked muscles, they looked so good but we were overloaded already.
The ride was on a concrete windy road, at times with steep little climbs.
It was a visual delight, that of riding along a coast that was a fantastic example of maritime businesses, a working port.
Detroit diesel, had a huge complex here.
Those of marinas, salmon factories, shipyards, boat building with little eateries for the locals scattered in-between, the often ramshackle buildings. The air along the way was always rich with salt, though within this were the smells of diesel, fish, both fresh and rotting.
It was nice to back on the coast. Working vessels of all descriptions were moored and docked.
There were some sizeable modern yachts moored, ready for adventures further south this summer, one could safely assume.
On the way up to the main road, I holed a tyre so that was repaired.
Up on the highway they were in the process of duplicating it. So most of the way to Pargua was on brand new asphalt with no traffic, as it was using the old parts of the highway.
Along this road we got all types of weather, at one point it was hailing, then the sun would come out. The common denominator was that it was quite fresh. You needed to be moving to stay warm.
We stopped at a bus shelter for lunch during one heavy shower. Coffee and hot chocolate were great out of the cold rain.
Once in Pargua, we literally rode straight onto the ferry to Chiloé .
This was a scenic 45 minutes. There were seals swimming in the bay and as usual sunning themselves on every available navigational buoy. Two penguins were sitting on a rock!
The sun was out for the duration. These ferries run 24 hours, ours was shared with large trucks.
Once on the island we set off for Linao on the road to Ancud.
The roads were narrow and busy. As usual now, the predominant colours were green and yellow. The yellow is the broom, now in full flower, it grows right to the roads edges.
The time now was after 1800. Once at the turnoff to Lanoa, the road was just a series of up and back down again all within a kilometre on many occasions.
The weather was a series of showers and sun. In the end we rode in full wet weather gear because of the cold and constant downpours. So thankfully, there was little wind.
We hit gravel at about 1945, the temp was really starting to drop and we were wet and cold. My gloves wet through .
Soon the pueblito of Lanao was reached. We headed to the waterfront. Asked about an Alojamiento and found just the most delightful place run by a woman on her own .
It was so nice to be in the shelter of a building. We finally stopped riding at 2030.
The sun was still out and had warmth in it.
Infact it was a lovely evening.
The alojamiente was just like coming into someones house, very rustic and homely with all sorts of nick nacks on the walls.
Best of all Norma had a piping hot gas fired shower, oh so good. In her sixties was great company over dinner in her kitchen, we both ate so much food, especially the feast size pasta Cal cooked up.
It had been a huge day, though intermingled with many interesting sites and environments.
The land use on this part of Chiloé was small farms, much dairying and fairly basic dwellings on small holdings.
25/11/2013 Linao to Aucar
D35, T3/6, Av10.67, Max54, Tot22560, 12761
Cool, sunny with fresh cool westerlies
It had been a cold night at Normas, thankfully she had given us a heap of blankets for our beds.
We were away about 0930, once again the road was a series of really steep little climbs only to come straight back down and up again. All this on gravel.
It was a challenge to ride up all these inclines.
We stopped in Quemchi at the mercardo and enjoyed a few treats like chocolate.
My soaked gloves from yesterday were slowly drying out tied onto the front panniers.
Most houses we passed had head high plastic tunnel houses full of what looked like wood shavings.
I was told they grow a plant used in perfumes and sell it for supplementary income.
Every bay we passed was filled with aqua culture enterprises, mostly muscles.
At Quemchi we stopped for lunch on the water front.
It was great with million dollar views and crab meat bread rolls. Jaivas is the term they use here for the flesh, it was fresh but like crab very rich, but also like crab very moorish.
From here, we went to the library to use the net for half an hour.
We left town on full stomachs, believe me.
Getting to the turnoff to Aucar and still climbing followed by descents we came across the Isla de las Almas Navegantes.
We rode across a board walk spanning the few hundred metres across the water and onto the isla.
Here there was a church, graveyard and a small arboretum. Wandering about it was the perfect place to camp.
Vistas back to Quemchi across the bay were on offer. These were across hundreds of floats marking the position of the muscle farms. We found a great site on a point overlooking the bay.
A place, that would get the early morning sun.
I had eaten to much crab for lunch.
Having been off the main road for a couple of days here, the place had that island feeling about it, no one in too much of a hurry, and the ocean never far away.
We spent the afternoon reading, both of us still fairly worn out after yesterday.
Wandering around the island, it was pleasing to find out the name of this rampant bamboo so common here in this part of Chile.
It is called Quila. It infests most plant communities we have seen.
Those from the lower ranges to here on the coast on an island. Interestingly, there are still bright green parrots about often seen in flowering trees, in groups.
Callum, now has a taste for dulce de leche, so we are getting through plenty of this. He won’t touch mate, saying it tastes like grass.
26/11/2013 Aucar to fairground 6km from Castro
D65, T5/7, Av12.58, Max68, Tot 22,625, 12,826
Great day with cold southerlies
As expected we got the first morning rays, it was quite mild without the wind.
We left the island at about 0930, thanking a groundsman on the way out.
There was a mussel (chorito) factory at the enterance to the island.
We drank water from a barrel in the cemetery. Many factories here are on water courses.
Again, the road was up and down. The downhill was so quick there was no point in changing into a high gear, rather, leave it in low gear and just roll up the other side till you are at the correct speed for the low gear.
These hills are some of the steepest climbed on the trip so far, they are only short and on loose gravel they suck all our energy at a rapid rate.
Five km into the day, we stopped to buy bananas, and chocolate.
Cal is still eating Dorritos and other things he is used to.
Again, there were some really steep climbs, they really take it out of you. The day was a mix of tar and gravel, more tar thankfully.
We stopped for lunch in Dalcahue. After checking every ferretería on our way so far without finding Bencina, some was found here so we stocked up with 2 litres for the stove.
We had lunch in the local park. Here they were restoring a Jesuit church. We have passed a few old timber churches similar but smaller on the way.
Wanting to know what was being grown in low plastic shade house type structures we stopped at a farm where they were working in one.
The owner took us for a walk through his operation.
The farmer said they were growing Pon Pon, a kind of spagnum moss from the forests here. It is collected, dried and sent to Japan and China, among other countries for use in shampoos and other cosmetics.
They sell it dry by the kilo.
All the small pueblitos visited on the coast have vibrant ports, many fishing boats are tied up and sit on the beaches at low tide.
Mussel farming is huge here with large processing factories in many places.
The wind chill factor plays a big role in riding attire, out of the wind it is pleasant. In it, one needs to wear a raincoat just to stay warm in the southerlies.
Nearing Castro we needed to find a camp so as to get into the capital early.
Again getting out of the wind was an issue.
Down one track to an inlet was ideal but we just could not avoid the wind.
The inlet here got visits from Flamingos in May so the owner told me.
Back up on the highway we found another side track, this led to a paddock. In here, there were some temporary structures. Later we found out there was a food festival here last weekend. An annual event.
We set up under a tarp on a wooden frame.
Anyway some guys came along and were dismantling everything around us.
Kindly they left our little bit of shelter.
A basic meal of soup and carnita was enjoyed with coffee and hot chocolate.
The wind died down as the evening progressed. The evenings are still quite cool, beanies are still mandatory attire, for me anyway.
27/11/2013 From fair ground to Castró, Chiloé
D11, T45min, Av12, Max52, Tot 22,636 12,837
Up for a bit urinary relief at 0300 in the morning, revealed a misty damp morning on the way. An hour later the old tarp above us had reached saturation point. The dripping started.
It was a kind of so be it moment, aint nothing we were going to do about it.
We had decided last night not to have breakfast and head straight to Castro in the morning.
Packing up, we left the place as we had found it, as always. Not even a tea bag remains at one of my campsites. Only buried toilet paper and a bit of "business".
We were crossing the paddock by 0830. The wind had a little bit of direction in it from the salmon meal factory, riding towards it was like burying your head in a packet of goldfish flakes. That’s, if you could find one big enough.
It was a leisurely ride into Castro, we were both starving. The packet of coconut flavoured biscuits for brekky did not go far.
Back on Ruta 5, traffic was heavy, though not a problem.
At the top of the hill before dropping into town we found great hostal, the Torre de Babel.
In Puerto Montt, there was a misunderstanding with my bearing repairs. Consequently, they were not inspected.
On the way here, I could hear some grinding in the rear wheel. The bike was taken to the only shop in town.
Upon dismantling the axles in both wheels, the front ones were replaced purely as a preventative measure.
The rear well, well that was another story. The non drive side was cool. On the drive side the plastic bearing holder was gone and the bearings were like chipped marbles.The shop had no new race.
So from here, a trip by bus and ferry is to be made back to Puerto Montt, back wheel in hand for the parts.
The hostal has all the facilities one was used to, it is luxury to say the least. Callum will stay here tomorrow and visit the sights.
As I write Cal is cooking blanched veges and mashed potato with a pre roasted chook. The hostels’ oven door is not present for reasons not enquired about.
Today we found out we have to wait till next Thursday to catch a ferry from the island to Chaitén on the mainland. It only operates one day a week.
This gives us the opportunity to further explore this unique part of Chile. We hope to visit the southern pacific coast on the island.
It is so nice not having to be anywhere at any time. Having this luxury is still something so special to me. Sometimes I have to pinch myself to think, hey!, there is really nowhere I have to be today, or anyone I need to contact.
At this point in my life, it is like an intangible drug beyond further description.
There is plenty of time later in life to possibly work or just hang about in the company of others and persue the responsibility that comes with it.
These attributes just spoken about are what money just can’t buy, you don’t need much to participate in this lifestyle.
Hostals and motels are really just places to regroup at, have a shower, wash some gear before getting back to the real world. That of waking up to the morning sun filtering through my tent at a location never before frequented .
Sometimes I feel for people that work through the last exciting physical years of their lives to retire in their sixties. This little window of adventure in the late fifties is pretty damn special for me.
I feel many people in their 50's are worried about preparing financially for their future, or more to the point are still working to sustain their lifestyles.
Lifestyles where you can't smell the daisies.
I know, that if your mind is in the right place, things will always work themselves out, just as sure as a stream flows from high to lower ground.. This is ever-so important.
Having said this a persons financial position has bearings on these comments, but at the end of the day you should be the master of your own destiny, not some lecherous financial institution.
Afterall their best clients are those who have what they really can't afford, or simply don't know when enough is enough.
Though of course there are people happy doing this, or are they? of course there are...........
To have been working these few years and a few to come, would have been like scraping the icing off the cake before eating it, for me.
If my health fails me after this jaunt, so be it. In the words of Pink Floyd: “The memories of an old man, are the deeds of a man in his prime”
In short, I will have hoped to realised many dreams in this time. This realization will always be a warmth with me as I age.
The words. “I wish I had” wont haunt me at a later stage when I do have more spare time but lack the health or motivation to fulfil any wishes.
 it had been a big day for us and it wasn't over yet.
The ferry to Chiloé from Pagua
 Normas kitchen
 Firewood keeps many people warm, Pon Pon houses on left. Typical dwelling on island
 Dead meat, Quemchi. Andes looking east, in the background.
 On our way to Isletta Aucar
 Typical Jesuit architecture on a small scale.
 Waterfront, Dalcahue. ferry going to isla Quinchao
|
 The coast south of Puerto Montt. Near Angelmo
 Muscle farms everywhere.
 Hard work!
 Cangrejo!
 looking back to Quemchi
 Such a rampant weed, though it has some uses.
 Pon pon, a native spagnum moss. Its collection and its subsequent sale is causing environmental problems in the islands native forests.
It can take 15 years from seed to grow,.
 The pad, hobo central! 7 km out of Castro.
Salmon meal factory in the background.
|
Outskirts of Castro at low tide
