CHILEAN PATAGONIA

The trip continues on Chilean land, and after finishing that second bicycle trip from the Metropolitan Region (Santiago) to what would be Chillán, I decide to return home after 700km of pedaling.

When I got home, I made the decision to go as far south as possible, Punta Arenas, the Southern Zone of Chile, looking for new horizons and new challenges, thanks to my good friend Jorge Guajardo who extended his hand to me to get to his house and looking to start a business, I managed to stay three months in that city, where I spent good and bad moments, moments that helped me continue forging the person I am today, at that time my bicycle also accompanied me, which I had to sell immediately. to leave the city.

At a certain moment where I just wanted to keep moving, keep traveling, keep experiencing new challenges, I took the backpack that has accompanied me since I began my nomadic life and I started the trip from the road hitchhiking, I remember that that day it was snowing, without However, nothing mattered more than moving and knowing my limits, from one moment to the next I found myself in the city of Puerto Natales, where I would begin the adventure from South to North through Patagonia.

CALETA TORTEL

It was time to board the ferry that would take me to Caleta Tortel, 42 hours of travel through fjords and incredible landscapes that seemed straight out of a story, I had the opportunity to see an incredible sunrise while I was there. On the other hand, I had to disembark at 4am, which means that it was completely dark, what was even worse is that I did not know where I was going to stay at that time, since Caleta Tortel does not have streets, but rather docks, so to speak. Somehow, which I had to improvise and ask, walking for a couple of minutes with a flashlight lighting the way, was where I ended up sleeping under a bus stop type roof, where I spent a couple of hours with my sleeping bag before of dawn.

COCHRANE

My time in Caleta Tortel was very brief, since I was heading north, that was when I decided to start walking since there were hardly any cars passing by, I found myself walking with two backpacks, not even knowing if I would arrive that same day. To my next destination I only walked being optimistic and improvising every minute in that beautiful place, to my surprise after several minutes I managed to get a couple of cars to take me where I would finally arrive at my destination called Cochrane, a place where I stayed for approximately a month. I worked as a gardener at a campsite that was next to the river, Camping Aquasol was its name, it is a place that I recommend 100%, not only for the place but also for the attention.

My time at Cochrane helped me a lot for my growth as a person, as a human being, since I learned to value the things that really have value in this life, like a plate of food or having a place to spend a night.

QUIET RIVER PORT

I continued advancing towards the North of Patagonia, this time I was heading to a place appreciated by many, I am referring to Puerto Río Tranquilo, an extremely beautiful place with landscapes that mark you forever, there was General Carrera Lake, with a surface of 1,850 km2, a place where you find Glaciers, the famous Marble Cathedrals, and wonderful places in its surroundings, a place that is mandatory to visit if you are in Chilean Patagonia.

I don't know if all this would have been possible if it hadn't been for the Altamirano family , relatives who extended their hand to me at that time, I was sharing with them for two months, they were in the process of building their house, no one but them Together with their children they built what today is their home, in that place you only felt peace, in the middle of nature, an enviable place where many would like to live, I have no doubt that at some point in my life I will see them again to thank them again, for many experiences that I lived with them, customs that you only see in the South of Chile, unique experiences that continued to contribute to my personal growth as a human being.

EL MAQUI WATERFALL

Already following my trip I was making way for my next destination, which was in my plans to go to Chile Chico, it was approximately 164km away, it would not be easy of course. While I was walking along the road, someone took me and left me at a point where they told me about some waterfalls called El Maqui, without even knowing where they were and in the middle of nowhere, I began to explore to see if I could find something, until in One moment another vehicle arrived which was a boy who had been driving, he told me that he was heading to the waterfalls, so he gave me the chance to leave my things in his car and walk to the famous El Maqui waterfall, after starting to climb the mountain for a few minutes, we finally arrived at an extremely beautiful place that was totally worth visiting.

However, that day I couldn't get anyone to take me, so I had to choose to spend the night in the middle of the forest, in the middle of nature, near the waterfall, so I wouldn't have any problems getting water, no doubt One of the best experiences I can have is camping in places like these, feeling disconnected from practically everything and knowing what I am capable of.

BOY CHILE

My time in this little town was not for long, I was only passing through since my real objective was to get to Cerro Castillo, I remember having camped in a camping area so I could leave my things and go out to explore the town quietly, I didn't have much to do. to do the truth at that moment, so I had already made the decision to leave the next day, but in order to leave that town I only had two options, if I did it by land I would have to turn around and it didn't seem like a very good idea. , so I opted for the second option which was to cross by ferry to the other side (Puerto Ingeniero Ibañez) in order to continue my trip. Chile Chico is a beautiful town and the truth is that to get there you don't get tired of admiring the landscapes that the road gives you.

VIEWPOINT OF THE IBAÑEZ RIVER FALL

Once I arrived on dry land again, I proceeded to look for a place to see where I was spending the night. The truth is I don't remember at this moment the name of the place where I stayed, however the owner of the place told me that there was a place nearby. which I could reach on foot, in this place I would find some waterfalls called Salto del Río Ibañez, according to this person the place was not very far, however I had to walk a couple of hours to get there, it was a long walk under a fort sun, but without a doubt every landscape that crossed my path was totally worth it even if I had to walk for hours.

VILLA CERRO CASTILLO

Finally I managed to get to Villa Cerro Castillo, I met a couple of people who were heading there from the same area where I was, luckily for me they agreed to take me without any problem, which would save me a lot of time. Being there as usual I used to look for a place to stay, generally I always camped in a camping area to have access to water and other amenities, the idea was to face the mountain, conquer it, get to know it, so I was right choosing an area camping to spend the night.

The next day it was time to face the mountain, it was a trek of approximately 4 hours to the summit, it was very hot that day, but as always, it did not matter, at the top of the mountain there is a lagoon, in which bathing is prohibited, it is a very touristy place where you find people from many countries wanting to reach the summit, the path takes time but it is worth every second, if you are a little lucky you can see a Condor prowling the sector.

COYHAIQUE

The journey has been long, an endless journey through Patagonia. Leaving Villa Cerro Castillo I head to the city of Coyhaique to continue exploring new places and have new adventures, I remember having made a couple of friends in that city, they were from Germany and were venturing into Chilean lands, foreigners always tend to have a good time. It generally vibrates, since they are on the same page as you, traveling, getting to know each other, making new friends, and anything positive that comes your way. Coyhaique is a city where many people from the surrounding area have to go to get supplies. with food, since they generally live more isolated than usual. On this tour I went to the Dolbek brewery, which is precisely located in this city, so it never hurts to visit it if you are a beer lover.

HANGING SNOWDROP

Up to this point I have already advanced around 1607 km, throughout that journey I have already experienced a million things, and the truth is that a large part of the trip has been all hitchhiking, which has not been easy.

Before arriving at this place I remember perfectly that it was a truck driver who took me there, however during the trip we were stuck in traffic due to the work they were doing on the route, so we decided to go try our luck and try to fish. something from the river, I was traveling with a jar and fishing line that my Uncle Choche had given me in Puerto Río Quiet, and although I didn't have much luck that time the truck driver did, he managed to catch two fish that we did that same moment with the kitchen set that I was traveling with, and that moment alone made the trip even more fun.

Finally, once I arrive at my destination, I start walking towards where the Hanging Snowdrift would be, but when I arrive I find that the park was closed, all those kilometers traveled to not be able to enter seemed completely crazy to me, I sat for a while thinking about what to do with my things, until a vehicle appeared that was in the same situation as me, we decided to stop by since we were there, I left my things in his car and we went to explore this famous place where you can't get enough of see the wonders that exist, the incredible nature that gives you everything, after doing the entire journey we returned to the car and luckily for me they took me further north so I could continue on my way.

FUTALEUFÚ

I find myself further and further north in Patagonia and that only says one thing, that the trip is coming to an end.

So far I can say that Patagonia is one of the most beautiful places I have visited, unfortunately it is somewhat expensive to visit but it will always be worth it, my time in Futaleufú was practically visiting the places where I no longer had to pay, since that for any activity you had to have money and it wasn't cheap, so I decided to visit La Piedra del Águila and the Mirror Lagoon , places where you don't really need money, however to get to La Piedra del Águila you have to take a long walk. Not very extensive, on the other hand, the Mirror Lagoon is practically in the town, but if you want to have a more luxurious view then you have to walk at least 30 minutes.

CHAITEN

The truth is I don't remember much how I got to this place, I only know that it was Christmas, therefore it was a holiday, not much to do, I camped in a camping area and bought some wine and some things to eat to spend a different night. The next day I rented a bicycle from the owner of the campsite, so I decided to go out and explore and headed towards Santa Barbara beach, a beautiful beach where I was practically alone, a very nice beach by the way that was approximately 12km from where I was, therefore after all the pedaling and the fatigue that I brought, I just wanted to get to the sea and enjoy the rest of the day that I had left.

HORNOPIRÉN

Now almost arriving at my final destination, I have to board once again to get to the other side. I remember that because it was a holiday, there was a bus that was heading to the destination, where it cost approximately 10,000 Chilean pesos, transportation was included and the ferry crossing, so I didn't think twice and left where I was, until I reached Caleta Gonzalo, which would be the ferry pick-up point where we would have to wait at least an hour.

I don't remember exactly how many minutes the ferry took to the other side, the only thing I know is that my great friend Victor Cerna would pick me up, since he was in the city of Puerto Montt, where we worked together, once When I got to the mainland we chose to go to a place called Rio Blanco, a place that was precisely in Hornopirén, from what I could find out it was a very beautiful place where it was obligatory to make a stop at that place, as always you had to walk a distance. little but nothing out of this world, when we arrived at the place we were surprised by what we were seeing, the water had a different color, it was turquoise blue and it was very cold, however with the heat it was there a swim in that place wouldn't hurt at all. place.

END

The end of my trip through Patagonia comes here, of course I visited some places in between and visited a couple of friends who extended their hand to me, but a large part of the trip has been this very summarized, Patagonia is a place that you must visit at the same time. at least once in your life, landscapes that seem straight out of a story, a lot of nature that allows you to disconnect from the city or what you do in your daily life, a dream trip that I hope to visit again in the future.

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