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The South American Odyssey
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The South American Odyssey

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    La Brujula de la Cuerpo

    1 janvier 2018, Chili ⋅ ⛅ 11 °C

    The 1st place we looked into was La Brujula de la Cuerpo. It is a grill restaurant but has an amazing variety of cakes and ice-creams. We decided to stay and have our food here. It was a good decision because the food was great and the awesome desserts made it all worthwhile. While waiting for the food, we did our room booking as well using booking.com.En savoir plus

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    Mirador Palafitos

    2 janvier 2018, Chili ⋅ ⛅ 15 °C

    2nd day of the year, we woke up a bit late and got ready to leave by 12 pm. We drove to the viewpoint of the stilt houses nearby (Mirador Palafitos). It was raining a bit so we stopped for a short while before driving to the main plaza for some breakfast. Today, the place was packed with cars amd vehicles. We had to go around the plaza twice, but we still couldn't find any place to park. Eventually, we found a place in one of the side roads and walked from there. The 1st restaurant we came across from there was again the La Brujula de la Cuerpo. We had a good meal and desserts there before walking around to see the town.En savoir plus

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    Huillinco

    2 janvier 2018, Chili ⋅ ☁️ 15 °C

    From Castro, we drove to Huillinco towards the west on the way to Cucao. Cucao is one of the very few towns on the West coast of Chiloé. The Pacific Ocean passes through a narrow channel and forms the Cucao lake and then through another narrow channel forms the Huillinco lake. Huillinco is on the shore of this lake.
    It was raining and extremely windy when we reached there around 2:45 pm. We stopped for a short while before moving on.    En savoir plus

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    Cucao Nature park

    2 janvier 2018, Chili ⋅ ☁️ 15 °C

    We reached Cucao around 3:30 pm and drove past the town to the nature reserve. We missed it completely. There were no boards or entrance marked anywhere. We made a u turn and drove back hoping to see it as marked on Maps.me. Just where there was a trekking trail marked on the map, we saw a small wooden gate. It was closed but not locked. We parked our car on the side of the road and started the walk. There were lovely wooden walkways and thick green foliage around. After a while Hristo and Maria went a bit ahead of us. Its then that a guy running behind us caught up with us. He told us that we needed to move our car to the proper parking and that we needed to buy the entry tickets. He explained where the parking and the reception was.
    We were getting late since we needed to catch the mainland ferry at Chacao about 160 kms away and then drive another 60 kms to Puerto Montt to return the car by 7 pm. We had less than 3.5 hrs to do this. If I went back, moved the car and then came back, it would take me about 30 min, so I told the guy that the car keys were with my friends and we'll catch up with them and then move the car. We continued further into the reserve. The dunes viewpoint was just about 400 mts from where we were.    En savoir plus

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    Back to Puerto Montt

    2 janvier 2018, Chili ⋅ ☁️ 15 °C

    We reached the sand dunes viewpoint bit didn't see any sand dunes. Whatever dunes that must have been there were gone now. It was a normal view of the Pacific Ocean and the beach. We quickly walked back to the entrance and drove off towards Chacao.
    We managed to get on to the 6 pm ferry but realized that we would be a few minutes late to return the car. We called them up but were told that they close at 7 pm and we could instead return the car at the airport office where they are open late. We reached Puerto Montt at 7:15 pm so we had to drop the car at the airport.
    We dropped off the girls at our hostel and drove to the airport. There we didn't have any problem with the return. The guys at West rental were very friendly and helpful.
    Since the buses further south are very infrequent and we were at the airport, we decided to check out the car rental options for the next few days. We wanted to rent the vehicle here and drop it off at Coyhaique from where I could catch a flight back to Santiago to fetch my new passport. We checked all the car rentals at the airport but the good ones were all fully booked. Some of the local ones had vehicles available but the cost of returning the car at Coyhaique was more than double the cost of the rental. The rental for pickup amd drop at Puerto Montt was quite reasonable but we would then have to drive 700 kms back which didn't make sense. By the time we were done checking with the last of the car rentals, the collective buses to the town had all left. We went around the airport to find an alternative but found only the private transfer van available. The cost of the collective van was 2500 CLP per person and the private one was quoted at 5000 CLP per person. We didn't believe that there were no collectives anymore so we went to the information desk and asked. There we were told that there would be another collective at 11 pm. It was already 10:30 pm so we decided to wait. Weirdly, the ticket booking for the collective was inside the flight exit area. We weren't allowed inside and were told to wait till the next flight when they would open the gates. By this time, the news of 2 foreigners looking for a ride back had been radioed all over so the main manager of the collective company (Turistour) came over again to sell us a private transfer. He told us that the next collective bus is at 1 am. When we asked about how the people arriving at 11 pm would reach the town, he said that there were no flights at 11 pm. We figured the guy was trying to fool us and told him we'll wait till 1 am. Eventually, another guy came wjo seemed to be a friend of theirs. He had a car which he was taking back to town and wanted to make some quick money. He agreed to drop us at a total cost of 5000 CLP. We agreed and got a ride in a nice Mercedes at the cost of a collective transfer. Interestingly, when we paid, he gave us a receipt of the amount and with Turistour as the agency. We didn't get what was going on but we had made it back safely at no extra cost.
    By this time, all the restaurants in the town were closed. Even the place where the girls were eating had closed and were not serving anymore. We found a bar opposite that was still open and ready to take one last order. We ate there and reached back the hostel at around 2 am.
    The owner was still up and complained that we had just wanted to go to return the car and had not shown up till 2 am. On top of that, the price he was quoting was different than the one we had got at booking.com. The same issue again. The price we had got was in USD and their machine didn't allow transfer in USD and the conversion rate he was using was way higher than the market rate. On top of that, he wanted to charge us 19% VAT which we knew was for locals and foreigners staying more than 59 days in the country. We told him we'll pay him in the morning and that I would contact booking.com to resolve this issue. We were told that the checkout time was 10 am and that a late checkout would be charged as an extra day. I wrote to booking.com about the issue and asked their opinion on what to do. After that we slept.    En savoir plus

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    To Hornopiren

    3 janvier 2018, Chili ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C

    We woke up at around 9:15 am and got ready quickly. The owner wasn't there but his wife was there. She was a bit more sympathetic and polite. She agreed to the price of 58000 CLP we had wanted the previous evening as long as we pay by cash and cancel our booking.
    We told her we had written to booking.com and were waiting for theor response and that we'll pay by 10 am if we don't hear back. In the meantime, booking.com called my Swedish number since I had given that in the booking. Shuchi asked them to call at my Chilean number. Just a few minutes before 10, I received their call and was informed that these guys were allowed to charge the 19% extra since they had not registered their property for exemption. Plus the agreed rate was always in USD and the hostel was allowed to charge any reasonable rate. So basically they couldn't help at all.
    So, as agreed with the lady we paid 58000 CLP in cash ans she canceled our booking.com as a no show.
    After that, we walked over to the bus terminal to look for buses to Chaiten, our next destination marked on the route. There was only one company selling tickets all the way to Chaitén and we were told that the bus left at 7 am everyday. So basically we would need to take the bus the next day.
    Not wanting to get stuck in Puerto Montt for another day, we went to the harbor to see if there were any boats to Chaiten. We were told there were 2 operators having ferries from Puerto Montt.
    Navimag office was about 200 mts from the bus station. They had ferries but they were going all the way South of the continent without stopping anywhere.
    NaviAustral had a boat leaving for Chaiten the next night at 11 pm so we went back to the bus station.
    We decided to go at least halfway to Hornopiren. There were 3 buses going there and the 1st one of them was in an hour at 2:30 pm. We booked our tickets for the bus and then Hristo and I went to the town to withdraw some cash as it would've be harder to use cards South from here. We caught the bus on time and were off to Hornopiren. The way passes through a fjord where the crossing is via a ferry. We reached the ferry between Caleta La Arena and Caleta Puelche around 4:15 pm    En savoir plus

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    Hornopiren

    3 janvier 2018, Chili ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C

    Around 6:30 pm we reached Hornopiren. It was raining heavily. The bus dropped us a little outside of the village. We walked to the harbor around 250 mts away. There was an information booth cum cafe there. We went in and found the lady didn't know much English but was very knowledgeable about the surroundings and the road conditions etc. She told us that there was no ferry for that day. But the next day there was one at 10 am to Caleta Gonzalo and one at 4:30 pm (only for passengers) to Leptepu and a free connecting bus to Caleta Gonzalo. She also told us about the places around Hornopiren that were worth visiting. Another key information she provided was that South of Chaiten there had been a landslide and that ot had been closed for 15 days and won't open for another 2 months. The alternative was to take a ferry from Chaiten all the way to Puerto Balmaceda amd then take the connecting bus to La Junta OR to take the bus to Yelcho lake, take the connecting boat across the lake and then the connecting bus to Futaleufu and then take the regular bus from Futaleufu down South to La Junta or Puyuhuapi.En savoir plus

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    Hornopiren promenade

    3 janvier 2018, Chili ⋅ ☀️ 14 °C

    The church for the village was right next to the main square. Painted in orange and green, it was totally made of wood. From the main square, we walked 2 streets away to the promenade. There were many lovely wooden houses on the way. At the harbor side, we saw very thick dark clouds and we could see it was raining heavily in the fjords.En savoir plus

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    Cabañas Oelckerls

    3 janvier 2018, Chili ⋅ 🌬 30 °C

    From the the harbor, we walked to the cabañas Oelckerls. This, we had been informed was the only bar in the village and might still be open for food. They had very lovely wooden cabins for 4 people and were actually cheaper (at 30000 CLP for 4 persons cabin) than the one we were staying at. But it was 2 kms away from the harbor. It had a nice bar, restaurant and disco along with the cabañas. The rest of the gang decided to stay for dinner while I had had enough stuff at the cafe so I left back for the cabin, had a nice warm shower and slept by the time the rest came back.En savoir plus

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    Stuck at Hornopiren

    4 janvier 2018, Chili ⋅ 🌬 30 °C

    We woke up and got ready by 9 am. Thr girls and I went to the restaurant opposite our cabin and ordered break while Hristo went to the ferry office to buy the tickets to the 10 am ferry.
    He joined us after a while and told that there was a que for the tickets when he reached but then there was an announcement that the 10 am ferry was postponed due to bad weather and that a fresh announcement would be made at 12 pm.
    After breakfast, we came back to the cabin and slept for a while more. Melinda and I woke up at 11:30 am went to check at the ferry office. There, we were told that both the ferries had been canceled due to bad weather and heavy storm at Caleta Gonzalo. There was a que for buying the tickets for the next day so we stood in the que. There was a que of cars and trucks standing to get on the ferry. All these people would be stuck at Hornopiren since there was no alternate route to travel South from here. I messaged Hristo to extend our stay at the room since we had seen a lot of people walk past towards the town but he was still sleeping it seems since he didn't receive the messages.
    In the meantime I continued standing in the que. There was total chaos there. No one knew what was going on inside the office bit since I was around 15 places behind, I didn't leave my place. After almost 2.5 hrs when I reached the front of the que, I was informed that they were 1st giving tickets to the people whole had the cancelled ferry at 10 am, then the ones who had it at 4 pm and then only after that, will they give the tickets to those who didn't have one. There was a separate que forming for the 'new tickets people'. I moved and stood there. My number was the 2nd bit we would have to wait till the whole main que was over and tickets altered for the ones who had their ferries today. The whole thing took another 2 hours. Around 4 pm, they announced that the ferry tickets for the 10 am ferry the next day were over and that people would have to buy tickets for the day after. On asking the details, we were told that only the vehicle tickets were over bit there still were some left for the passengers. Finally, around 4:30 pm, we reached the counters and were able to buy the tickets for the 10 am ferry the next day.
    Just when I reached the counter, there was a ferry coming in and we could see a heavy storm behind it. On inquiring, we were told that only people in the ferry were getting off. This ferry would not be going back.
    Just when we left the ferry office, the storm hit the town. We ran and took cover in the information booth cum cafe. The rain beat down like crazy. We couldn't see more tha 5 mts outside. I was quite tired after standing in the que for 5 hours so we sat and had empenadas, cakes and tea at the cafe. There was a short window when the rain reduced a bit so we left back for the cabañas. By the time we reached there, Hristo and Maria had left to have food.
    It rained the rest of the evening and we stayed indoors with the fire burning in the fireplace and keeping us warm and cozy. We watched some movies on the TV. We had a late dinner at the restaurant opposite the cabins and then slept off.    En savoir plus

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    10 am ferry from Hornopiren

    5 janvier 2018, Chili ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C

    We woke up and had our breakfast at the restaurant opposite the cabin. We reached the harbor just before 10 am. The ferry was already there and the vehicles were getting onto it when we reached. We showed our tickets and were let in. It was a big ferry with a lot of places to sit. The rain had finally stopped by early morning so we went to the outer decks to enjoy the last views of Hornopiren before we left.En savoir plus

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    Sea lion and dolphin in the bay

    5 janvier 2018, Chili ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C

    Since the ferry was fully booked, it took them longer than usual to get everyone on board. While we were waiting on the upper deck of the ferry, we saw a sea lion playing in the harbor nearby. After a while, we saw a dolphin swim by the ferry. It was still very cloudy but the rain had almost stopped by now. The ferry finally left the harbor around 10:40 am.En savoir plus

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    Amazing views on way to Leptepu

    6 janvier 2018, South Pacific Ocean ⋅ ☀️ 29 °C

    There were stunning views of the fjords on the way. This place was as beautiful as the fjords of Norway just the heavy overcast sky was spoiling the actual beauty of the place. The sea which would jave looked emerald green on a sunny day was grayish and dark. After about 2 hours of the ride, we realized that the ferry was not going to Puerto Gonzalo but taking an inner route via the fjords to Leptepu. On enquiring we were told that the storm at Caleta Gonzalo had still not subsided so this ferry was taking the more protected inner route that the evening ferry takes. Since our tickets were till Caleta Gonzalo, we would have to take the connecting bus from Leptepu to Fiordo Largo and from there, the connecting ferry to Caleta Gonzalo.En savoir plus

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