21. Temuco

Blog entries, Locations

the cathedral in Temuco, with the cross on a nearby office building

Where we had to drop the tourist attractions of Temuco on our first day, because of changes in our program, due to further changes we suddenly find ourselves with time on our hands, and a full day in Temuco for the things listed in my guide book. Worthwhile here are the regional museum, with its collection of Mapuche art and artefacts, and the colourful central market, also dominated by colourful Mapuche stalls.

what one can see from the Mercado Modelo, the market that burned down ten years ago

at least some of the market function is taken over by this cow-pulled cart

Right, the market burned down ten years ago, and has not yet been rebuilt. And the museum, alas, is closed. The helpful, but useless tourist information centre – that forgot to mention that the market had burned down, when I asked directions – has few other suggestions, except for, quess what?, the railway museum. Yet another one, and this time there is a lot more to observe than in Carahue. The museum is concentrated around the locomotive depot, a huge circular construction with a railway turntable inside, where steam engines were repaired until the middle of the last century. In fact, the last steam locomotive went out of service in 1983, and now there is an impressive collection of old machines inside, displayed around a large turntable in the centre. Would not surprise me if this is another largest-in-the-world collection.

the central part of the railway museum, a turning table for trains

inside are tens of locomotives, in a circle

two of those in close-up

a few in more detail

and one in full view

there are also carriages from long ago

and a more modern, diesel locomotive

the cathedral from the outside, sufficiently Brutalist

and inside, actually quite big

with modern stained glass windows

one of the wooden sculptures in the park

and another one, equally rough

And that is it. I have mentioned the Brutalist cathedral earlier, which we also admire from the inside, this time. And there is a sculpture park, with crude wooden sculptures, a local tradition, apparently – we have seen more of those in the surrounding villages -, but one that doesn’t impress us very much. For the rest Temuco is a pretty unimpressive town, rather run down, with very few attractions. In the end, there is little left but visiting the gintoneria once more.

 

 

in the end, the gintoneria is the biggest attraction in Temuco

It started to rain again. Time to move on. The next day we fly back, and leave Chile behind. Despite the rather disappointing last day, it has been a fabulous trip otherwise, even though we couldn’t do all we had planned. Impressive Andes landscape, volcanos and mountain lakes, an abundance of Spring flowers, a true glacier and quite a few coastal villages, and serving excellent mariscos everywhere.

20. Carahue

Blog entries, Locations

a row of steam engines in the middle of the road, part of the Carahue steam engine museum

We had no intention to stop in Carahue, just a small town in between the coast and our end destination, Temuco. But upon entering town we are confronted with the railway museum, always a reason to have a quick look. And indeed, some old trains – steam engines and carriages – have been parked on the side of the road, from the time Carahue, and this part of Chile, still had an active railway system.

the small railway museum in Carahue

with its own steam engine, locomitive

and anotehr one,with a full train behind

first class carriage, with stained glass windows

and the back of another carriage

the main colelction of the steam engine museum, a tentative World Heritage Site

most engines have long chimneys, to keep the driver out of the smoke

another well maintained museum piece

the front of another one,made in Britain

there are more steam engines at the other end of town

equally impressive front

But even more enchanting is the main avenue in town, where we encounter the largest collection of steam engines in the world. Along the entire length of the street, in the middle, I-don’t-know-how-many antique steam engines have been displayed, most with enormous chimneys, one even nicer than the other. Mostly well maintained, occasionally with some colour on the wheels. And also further along in town, in the central park, and further in the town we encounter steam engines, really nice. Never seen anything before in my life.

So all together a pleasant surprise, on the way to Temuco.

and something else, the bridge across what is suitably called the Imperial River

19. the Auracania Coast

Blog entries

view of part of the Auracanian coast, with at the far end Missisipi

We need to get back to Temuco, to return our rented car. But rather than going in a direct line, Ruta Panamericana further north, we decide to detour in the direction of the coast, which we reach at Mehuin, a small fishing village just south of the provincial border of Auracania – the province of which Temuco is the capital. In fact we reach an even tinier village, Missisippi, located at a pretty bay, with a beach and boats moored offshore. We are too early for lunch, and too early for the boat tours that take in the penguins at a nearby island.

the Chilean village of Mississipi, located just south of Auracunia province

nets of the Mississipi beach

the beach of Cheuque, with dark sand getting very hot at midday

there is no swimming here, without lifeguard on duty

but dipping our feet in the Pacific is just about OK

Following the coast northwards, we dip our feet into the Pacific at Playa Cheuque, a long beach where we burn our feet badly on the way back from the water; middle of the day, and dark sand that gets very hot, unsuitable for bare feet, really.

the port of Queule

with the fishing boats just arriving

and offloading the crates

the fishermen cleaning the fish onboard

big fishes, rich catch

By the time we arrive in Queule, the next port, many of the fishing boats have just arrived, too, and it is a busy coming and going of trucks, taking away the catch of the day. Which is offloaded, and carefully weighted before being packed in colourful plastic crates. An entertaining scene, even though we do feel a bit of a tourist intruder in a hardworking community. To compensate, we eat our last fish lunch in Chile, really one of the highlights in this country, with the amount of fabulous fresh fish available everywhere.

on another boat, colourful crates stacked for the next trip

fishing nets onshore

The rest of the road to Temuco turns a bit more inland, and follows an estuary. We end up at Puerto Dominquez, located at the large Lago Budi, a sizable body of water probably in one way or another connected with the sea. But in a setting that cannot beat the many other lakes we have encountered this trip, much higher up in the mountains, and far more spectacular than this coastal environment.

So we head to Temuco, to finish our trip. But not before stopping in Carahue.

the large Lago Budi, in a coastal setting

with black-headed white swans

18. Osorno, the town

Blog entries, Locations

the tower of the San Marco cathedral in Osorno

Some 100 kilometres away from the volcano is the town of Osorno. There is no real, touristic reason to stop here, but the weather is miserable, not inviting for a drive through the country side, as any lakes and volcanos will not be very photogenic on a day as today. So we decide to spent the afternoon in town, and you know, we could have done worse. Osorno, too, has some old German houses, and a pleasant centre.

the Plaza de Armas in Osorno

the main shopping street is already preparing for Christmas

the Odeon, the little pagoda on the Plaza de Armas, and one of those impressive apartment buildings in the back

one of the old German wooden houses, now the Sofia Hott cultural centre

and one of the windows of one of the other wooden houses

the Visual Arts museum, another characteristic building

and a nearby building, also painted with graffiti

This is also where its controversial cathedral is located, one calling it an architectural jewel in Gothic Revival style, others calling it a monstrous eye sore. I quite like it. Its modern 1960s design replaced an earlier cathedral, destroyed by an earthquake. With its building materials mostly wood, it fits in the tradition of wooden churches we have seen in this part of Chile, yet, its use of concrete for the outside fits in with one of my favourite building styles, Brutalism.

the San Marco cathedral in its full glory

the stained glass windows above the entrance

and the cathedral from the inside, quite spacious, and quite modern indeed

the staned glass windows in more detail

there is also building in stone, 1920s style Art Nouveau

and the cathedral is not the only modern church, this is the protestant San Francisco church

17. Puerto Varas

Blog entries, Locations

a window of one of Puerto Varas’ old German settler houses

Had the weather been better, we would have reconnected with Volcan Osorno, on the other side of the lake from Puerto Varas, Lago Llanquihue. But the peak remains obscured in the clouds, this time.

the Lake Llanquihue, where under better circumstances the Osorna volcano would have been visible on the far side

Puerto Varas is a small town, its lake side quite touristic, with a small beach, kayaks for rent and several bars and restaurants. But away from the lake it has a nice, quiet neighbourhood with many of the houses of the original German settlers still in good condition. The tourist bureau has even produced a short walk, which passes along many of them. And with the sun occasionally appearing, it turns out a pleasant walk, indeed, yielding some lovely photographs in the process.

Casa Brintrup, one of the old houses

Casa Horn, a wooden house from 1932

Casa Yunge, also from 1932

another window, not sure now from which house

Casa Tampe, from 1937

and these two are not even part of the walking tour through Puerto Varas

16. Puerto Montt

Blog entries, Locations

the fish market in Puerto Montt includes some fascinating species, like this ‘prehistoric’ fish

Puerto Montt is not a particularly attractive town. But it is the first big town in a while, so we decide to brace the traffic – not too bad, after all – to get some supplies, and change money. And then we drive on, along the coast, to the Angelmó neighbourhood, where the port is, and the fish market. And, not unimportantly, the fish restaurants, where we have another lunch feast from all those products we have just seen in the market down below.

entrance to the fish market and restaurant area, Angelmó in Puerto Montt

wide selection of fish and shell fish

including reineta, merluza and corvina

like my favourite, congrio

many of them have been cleaned for sale already

even octopus is being found in the market

and what about enormous blocks of dried seaweed

there is also space for sweets, home-made jams and the lot

and in the restaurant, above the market, very small, but equally tasty, coquilles

and this is from above, an impressive collection of shell fish

outside the market some seals entertain the tourists

but they are really here to fight over scraps of fish

even though nobody is supposed to feed them

another family looks on from the shallow water

We are not the only ones having a feast, a group of seals are waiting outside the market for scraps of fish they receive from the fish mongers inside. They are obviously being treated well, despite the sign saying not to feed them!

the one attractive part of the artesanal market is the sweets section

the street along the harbour is full of painted houses

many containing artesanal stalls or restaurants

even though not have opened yet, ahead of the highseason

The Angelmó area is also one of the biggest markets for handicrafts, and endless row of stalls selling all kinds of woodcuttings, woollen capes, and tourist trinkets. The kind of stuff you find everywhere, usually not very original, and much of it of dubious quality. At least it doesn’t seem to come from China, here. The row of houses that hold many of the artefacts are actually much nicer, many of them painted with images of birds or other scenes. Colourful, and worth the detour.

15. Contao and the Coast

Blog entries

boats waiting for the tide along the fjord coast of Contao

Those locals who claim that, if it rains, it only rains briefly, were wrong. The next two days it continues to rain, incessantly. We make our way back, up north along the Carretera, back to Puyuhuapi, back to Chaiten, and back onto the ferry to Hornopiren. Glad we have seen this stretch of the road earlier, because now there is not much to see at all. And we do feel for the many cyclists we meet, along the way and in the guesthouses where we stay. Cycling with beautiful weather is one thing, but in this constant downpour you must be quite determined. Luckily, most are, even though they occasionally use the bus stops to shield from the rain.

the rain of the past few days has created lots of excess water in waterfalls that hardly existed a week ago

for most of the way back to Hornopiren we have rain

which at least helps to keep the dust down

along the Carretera Austral there are plenty of signs warning for bicycles

the chains on the ferry provide for a colourful picture

on the ferry, back to Horopiren, the weather slowly improving

larger fishing boats awaiting high tide

a fisherman on his boat in Tentelhue, small fishing village along the fjord

overview of the harbour of Tentelhue

with fishing boats tied to the shore

occasional view of the bay, here with moss-covered rocks

and guess what, there are dolphins in the bay

they even operate in groups

but are fiendishly difficult to capture on photographs

It clears up a bit by the time we get off the ferry. We find accommodation in Contao, a small village on the edge of a fjord, from where we explore the coastal road, passing through fishing villages like Tentelhue and Queten. Much of the road is actually sheltered from the sea by bushes, making it somewhat difficult to appreciate the views, but there are enough spots in between to enjoy the beach, and occasionally the dolphins cruising just offshore – taking pictures of them proves more difficult, as each time they surface we seem to be just too late!

one of the several wooden churches in this area

the last ferry of our trip, a short crossing to La Arena, on the way to Puerto Montt

where we find the end – or the beginning – of the Carretera Austral

From Contao, which is close to where we first reached the Carretera Austral, we continue further north, on another ferry – less than half an hour, this time – to reach Puerto Montt, technically the beginning of the Carretera. This last, or, if you like, first bit of the road is significantly busier than the parts further south, more prosperous, too. Not surprising, if for anything you bring to or from further south, you need a string of ferries to do so.

14. Coyhaique

Blog entries, Locations

on the way to Coyhaique

If you think this entry is going to be about the town of Coyhaique, the furthest south we get on the Carrera Austral, you are mistaken. There is really not much to write about Coyhaique, except that it’s only tourist attraction is a monument to the sheep herder, and that it has – confusingly – a main square which is in fact a pentagon. Highly unlikely for any South American town, which is always laid out rectangularly. Oh, and Coyhaique is significantly larger than everything we have so far encountered along the Carretera, with some 50,000 inhabitants it is obviously the local centre for a very large area.

part of the Carretera Austral

with spring flowers and mountain peaks

initially still a little cloudy

covering the higher peaks

but increasingly clearing up

occasionally putting the very tops in direct sunlight

a waterfall, Cascade de la Virgin, along the road

the monoment for the sheperd, the only touristic attraction of note (??) in Coihaique

the Carretera fringed by purple spring flowers

which also extend considerably beyong the road only

and form a great contrast with green trees and white mountains

No, most of this entry is about the area around the town: we are heading back north, but have decided to make a detour of an hour or so, to travel from Puerto Chacabuco to Coyhaique – a spectacular road, once the rain has stopped -, and only then turn north, via Villa Ortega back onto the Carretera Austral. An if possible even more spectacular road, especially since the sun starts appearing, as well. At one stage we stop, and see all around us, in four directions, snow-capped peaks, the one even more dramatic than the other. I am sure they all have names, but I have not been able to identify the individual mountains – it doesn’t matter, really, we just enjoyed the views, which are impossible to fully capture in photos. And all of this amongst an explosion of spring flowers; sometimes we drive through a corridor of purple lupines, with some white and pink for variation, at other times we are surrounded by deep-yellow bushes. Fabulous, and I suppose we are lucky, once again, because this flowering doesn’t last long, of course.

Never mind that later, and for the rest of the day, the rain returns.

just another nice picture

a wooden bridge, limiting the weight capacity of the Carretera

and a gate towrads one of the farms

one of the small rivers we cross, the one under the wooden bridge

some of the higher peaks along the route

and one of the nicer ones, in the sunshine

13. the San Rafael glacier

Blog entries

the front of the San Rafael glacier

From Puerto Chacabuco one can book a boat tour to the San Rafael Lake and Glacier, a full day affair. We are a bit uncertain about the idea, because the tour is not cheap, and there is no refund should the trip be cancelled. The weather forecast is 100% rain. But then, when else do you get the opportunity to go to the base of a glacier without serious mountaineering, in a comfortable seat, instead, on board of a well-stocked catamaran?

from Puerto Chacabuco it is some 200 km west and south through the fjords, to the mouth of the glacier, the pinkish spot in the left lower corner

on the way, almost entering the Lago San Rafael

So we boarded the boat, at around 8 am, for a five hour one way journey to Laguna San Rafael, which was filled with floating ice blocks of varying size, and to the San Rafael glacier at the far end of the Laguna. With breakfast and lunch served on the way, and whenever the weather permitted, a view from the outside platform, enjoying the fjord landscape. The 100% rain turned out to be 100% chance that it will rain, but not that it would do so permanently.

the lake, with lots of ice blocks floating, that have broken off the glacier

they are quite sizable

random shaped

some tall, some flat

and deep-blue in colour

our first glimp of the glacier

And indeed, on approaching the glacier we had a dry spell, even some sunshine, and this is how it stayed for quite a while. Except that when it was our turn for the zodiac excursion to the base of the glacier, the captain determined that the weather had deteriorated such that it had become too dangerous. I hadn’t noticed any changes, but the captain’s word is the law. – personally, I think he thought the whole thing took too long, and he wanted to get home in time.  As compensation, we were allowed five minutes on the bridge, whilst the catamaran was getting as close as the captain thought responsible. Which was pretty close, in fact.

and the glacier in full width

and then the rain threatens

and obscures the view in minutes – same location, he

the ice expedition, collecting glacier ice for the drinks later

this one is still to big to fit the glass

an early group assembles in the Zodiac

for a look up close, at the glacier

sometimes the weather turns, quickly, like a moment of snow and hail minutes after bright sunshine

we were obviously not as well equiped as this young lady was

as our Zodiac excursion is cancelled because of deteriorating weather, we are invited on the bridge, instead

whilst the captain tries to get as close as possible to the glacier

and he does get close, indeed

so close to observe the surface of the glacier in some detail

just to late to capture an ice block falling off, only the resulting cloud of water is still visible

at this intriguing ice cave, in the middle of the glacier

ah, and the obligatory selfie

before we can finally enjoy a whisky on the million-year-old rocks

And then we turned around, made the five hour journey back, treated to more food and drink. Amongst which was a whisky with thousand-year old ice cubes cut from the glacier that afternoon, by the first zodiac trip. Perhaps. Great trip, though!

the long way back is coloured by a beautiful rainbow

12. Puerto Chacabuco

Blog entries, Locations

we are slowly reaching further south on the Carretera Austral, aiming for Puerto Chacabuco

We continue to Puerto Chacabuco. The mountain scenery is equally spectacular as before, but in a different light. Sometimes dramatic, with the clouds hovering above the highest peaks, and sometimes enlightened, as some sunshine manages to get through. Most of the road is actually in pretty good condition, only part of it is ‘ripio’, although in some parts the question is not if, or when, you are going to hit the potholes, but more like, which ones are you going to hit to avoid the others. For most of the road there is very little happening, no villages, a few houses, a bit of cattle, but mostly the road, at one moment climbing up to a not-so-high pass and at other times following the river Maniguales. View of the mountains comes and goes, but it is never boring.

beautiful scenery: waterfalls and flowers

and occasionally a horse parked along the road

some of the views of high mountains obscured by clouds

but this mini-ventisquero is obvious from afar

a view from above over the Rio Cisnes, which accompnies the Carretera for a while

the fast-flowing Cisnes river at what is called Piedra del Gato

just in case, they will tell you which way to go: only two possibilities

occasionally there are larger houses along the road

these people have their pans drying

sometimes the clouds rise high enough to observe some of the mountain peaks

and allowing for expansive views, as well

snow clearly visible, now below the clouds

Puerto Chacabuco, not the most enchanting town along the Carretera Austral

even the central plaza is not very attractive, certainly not in the rain

We reach Puerto Chacabuco at the end of the afternoon, about as far as we go on the Carretera. Where all the other places we have seen so far were enchanting, if small, Puerto Chacabuco is the pits, and small, and not just because of the rain. It has all the hallmarks of ‘end of the road’, and in a way it is. This is where we would have wanted to arrive by ferry from Chiloe, or would have liked to depart to Chiloe, one way or the other, a thirty-hour crossing. But partly because of the difficulty booking, and partly because, having been on the Hornopiren ferry for several hours, we are now somehow a lot less keen on long ferry crossings, we consider this the end of the road for us, too.

But before we turn around, we have one more excursion to do: the San Rafael lake and glacier.