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30th
December 2008
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you all!
We left Futaleufu with a sense of freedom tinged with
sadness as we said our goodbyes to the farmers. Both of us felt like the
little Hobo´s, on the road again as we crossed into Argentina
into Trevelin, a town built by the Welsh settlers. We stayed in a beautiful
and peaceful hostel called Casa Verde http://www.casaverdehostel.com.ar/
overlooking the fertile Argentinean and Chilean valleys, where we met
James, a Welshman working to help promote the Welsh culture. He told us
quite a bit about the Welsh settlers.
The first settlers arrived on the east coast of
Patagonia in the Winter of 1864 after a gruelling 3 month trip aboard the
Mimosa that sailed from Liverpool. The pioneers were determined to find
undiscovered land where they would be able to live and retain their Welsh
language and traditional way of life away from the persecution of the
English. The first pioneers were made up of 180 men, women and
children. Following 20 hard years of
working the land in Dyffryn Camwy, 30 horse men set off to find better land
to the West. They arrived at the
mountains some months later above the town of Trevelin and gasped in disbelief at its
beauty. The area was named Cwm
Hyfryd (beautiful valley) and the town of Trevelin (mill town) soon followed.
Now some 120
years on, the Welsh communities of the Andes
around the towns of Trevelin and Esquel are still preserving the Welsh
language and traditions that there great grandfathers fought so hard to
achieve. The two Welsh schools in
the Andes are doing well, and with help from the Welsh government teachers
from Wales
are sent every year.
Most children speak Spanish as a first language,
then Welsh as a second language, with many going on to study English as a
third. As the Welsh language has a
similar structure to that of Spanish, it is remarkable how quickly the
children learn. With the added bonus
of 6 scholarships a year being given to the best learners to spend a
semester at Cardiff
University it is no
wonder that the Welsh school is thriving.
Along with education, the tourism industry is also
seeing many benefits. Large numbers
of Welsh language choirs, DofE groups and farmers visit every year to
capitalise on the spectacular scenery, and to hear the Welsh language being
spoken outside of Wales. Along with the tea houses that keep the
Welsh tea tradition alive!
After meeting Carlos, a fellow mountain biker he
helped to persuade us to head north through Los Alerces National Park, home
to 3,000 year old conifer trees which can grow up to 98,4ft high, so
despite still cycling on gravel, we enjoyed indulging in the cool shade,
camping beside lakes with our own private beaches and enjoying chatting to
other travellers, being inspired by meeting two families cycle touring with
their three and four year old children.
We passed through a dusty town called Cholila
where Butch Cassidy and his wife Etta and the Sundance Kid fled to after
they carried out bank and train robberies in the USA. In Cholila they bought
land and minded cattle being eventually being tracked down and fleeing to Bolivia
where they eventually died at the hands of the police.
From Cholila we had two glorious days cycling on
tarmac roads, passing through the hippy town of El Bolson for some tasty
ice cream and then onwards towards Bariloche, in the heart of the
Argentinean lake district. Dave is in culinary heaven as we are in an area
which was colonised by Swiss pioneers in 1895, needless to say that every
other shop here is a chocolate one!
We arrived into Colonia Suiza a lot sooner than we
had anticipated and so we were able to surprise Dave´s family and join in
with pre-Christmas festivities. Dave and I are now officially ´on holiday,´
having taken leave of our bikes for two weeks to spend time with family. We
are staying outside the hustle and bustle of the tourist town of Bariloche and staying
in a very special place which spills out onto a lake. Both of us feel
completely indulged and privileged to be waking up to sunshine and views
across the lake. We have been spoilt for choice whether to kayak, quad
bike, walk, or just enjoy the peace and quiet and spending time with
family. For me I am having trouble drawing myself away from the outside
deck where I can gaze at the lake for hours and spot humming birds feeding
just above my head. Dave is enjoying spending time with his family and
getting to know his nephew who is giving Dave a run for his money and
keeping him on his toes!
We celebrated Christmas eve with an asado on the
beach cooked by Dave and then spent Christmas Day on Isla Victoria, an island with National park
status and we had a feast of a BBQ. Needless to say, after about two weeks
off the bikes we think it might be a shock to the system to get back on
them on the 3rd Jan when we will be heading to discover the
Route of the Seven Lakes, a classic Argentinean route, and where we will
then soon be sadly bidding farewell to the region of Patagonia.
9th
December 2008 Kelly and Dave to be on Chilean TV!
View the
photos here http://gallery.cyclingnomads.com/#5.0
Tim and Magda, thank you so much for putting us up in Coyhaique,
feeding us up and sharing your lives with us for a few days. We both really
enjoyed seeing you both and playing with Tom and Nicole. Dave really valued
spending time with you both after such a long time and was very
appreciative of the party, being able to catch up with old Raleigh friends.
Hopefully we can return the hospitality to you one day!
We enjoyed our stay in Coyhaique, not only is it set amongst
beautiful scenery, but we had the chance to meet a few expats living in the
area and found it interesting to hear about the challenges and rewards of
living in this part of Chile. We were even invited to join a
Thanksgiving meal in a straw bale house, which I particularly enjoyed
viewing as I would love to have the opportunity to build and live in one,
one day!
So it was with sadness that we left Tim and Madga´s as we weren´t
sure when we will see them again. However both of us have totally fallen in
love with the whole of the Aysen region of Chile and up to Futaleufu, so we
may return sooner than you might think. (If you are thinking about booking
a holiday, I would definitely recommend a visit to this area, particular in
early spring or summer, which we are in now).
From Coyhaique, we picked up the spectacular Carreterra Austral
route which is renowned for its scenery. It certainly didn´t disappoint. We
cycled through valleys scattered with purple and pink lupines, following
magical rivers, popular for fly fishing. Gauchos were seen on horseback
rounding up their herds of cows.
As we left Coyhaique, the temperatures soared (again not normal for
this time of year) and for once we have six days without the wind. We have
been cycling in temperatures ranging from 35 degrees to 49 degrees Celsius.
The high temperatures meant it took us longer than expected to reach
Futaleufu so instead we took full advantage of stopping regularly for
siestas, photos and any opportunity to cool off.
The scenery is untouched here and due to the snow capped mountains,
there is water everywhere in the form of streams, tremendous rivers,
picture perfect lakes with mirror reflections and impressive waterfalls.
Being able to drink straight from waterfalls and have a dip in the rivers
and streams was a special experience that we enjoyed.
At times, we have just had to stop and breathe in the changing
scenery, shaking our heads in wonder at the intensity of the colours found
in the lakes and forests. The locals say that Futaleufu is a picture painted
by God, but I believe that this could be extended to the whole of the Aysen
region. It is incredible the changes in the landscapes we have cycled
through, rainforest with giant fern like plants, bamboo lining the roads,
fjords and mountains. We could hear frogs and watched parakeets and a
humming bird. The Chucao bird has now become synonymous with our cycling
trip through Chile, which has a distinctive sound but is always difficult
to see. Camping has been a pure pleasure and we were delighted to see porpoise
swimming in the fjords.
Everyday has been an adventure, but it has also been quite hard
pedaling too, not only because of the heat, but due to the conditions of
the roads. I can now appreciate why the Eskimos have hundreds of words to
classify snow, because Dave and I must have the same number of words to
describe the state of the gravel roads here. For certain sections on the
Carreterra Austral the gravel roads were horrendous with large pebbles or
sand lining the road making cycling impossible. This was especially
tiresome as we had an afternoon of pushing up hill for about 6km and then I
fell off on the downhill section (only my pride was hurt) as the bike
continued to slip and slide around the 19 switchbacks. I think that I am
still acquiring my `gravel legs,´whilst Dave is more balanced and
controlled. Although we pushed our bikes a fair bit on certain sections we
were always rewarded with amazing views, one of which was a hanging
glacier. We were also given a sandwich and a cup of tea by a kind man at
the top of the hill, which went down very well! Each bump and push has all
added to that sense of adventure and overcoming challenges.
On this part of the route we have now begun to see more passing tourists,
on bikes, motorbikes, camper vans and hitchhiking. Many have stopped to
chat and we have enjoyed meeting them. We also met our first British couple
who had driven down from Alaska on their way to Ushuaia. (Jonny you must
get out here on your motorbike).
Dave and I might also be on the Chilean National TV this Thursday or
Friday, apparently you can view it online www.canal13.cl. We think it might
be on the news. Cycling through one village we were stopped by a car and
asked if we could be filmed and interviewed about our thoughts on
travelling through Chile from a tourist point of view. Dave put on his best
Chilean accent and I tried not to wobble too much on my bike! Naturally we
gushed about how much we enjoyed visiting this part of the world.
We are now staying just outside of a village called Futaleufu near
to the Chilean-Argentinean border and where many of the Welsh settlers set
up their farms. This area is very special to Dave and one that he has been
drawn back to over and over again. He first visited this region 11 years
ago when he acted as an interpreter on Raleigh International, helping to
build a community centre. He became firm friends with two farmers, Nolberto
and Jorge, whom we are currently staying with for the week. They have been
very keen to share and show us their way of life here.
The whole valley was terribly affected by the Chaiten volcano that
erupted earlier this year, a volcano that had been classified as dormant.
So it was with great shock that Dave and I learnt about it on the news. We
had managed to get a message from Nolberto and Jorge to say they were
alright and weren´t too badly affected, so it came as a bit of a shock to
us both just how much lava ash is still around. With a bit of wind it
lingers over the whole valley. It is along and on the roads outside of the
town (which the locals have all cleaned up) and still evident in the
fields. The ash clings to everything-hair and clothes and the rivers are an
eerie milky blue colour. Reflected in the sunlight it dazzles your eyes.
We have been listening to people´s stories as they explained that
they thought that when the volcano erupted they thought that it was the end
of the world as a dark cloud formed, ash rained down and it was dark for
about a week. The farmers had to use candles during the day as it was so
dark. On the farm where we are staying, about half a metre of ash landed on
their land and was then covered in thick snow.
Many people lost their animals in and around this area as the
animals were unable to feed and reach the grass. Thankfully for our friends
they had recently built a barn and were able to house and rotate their
animals in it for feeding, otherwise they would have lost their livelihood.
With lava on the mountaintops and heavy snow, followed by rain, a large
landslide occurred on the mountainside adjacent to the farm where we are
staying and it completely devastated a large part of their land in heavy
rockfall. It is no wonder they said that they felt like giving up and
selling everything.
Dave and I feel humbled by their experiences and determination to
carry on and also somewhat ashamed that we hadn´t quite fully grasped the
enormity of their situation, so we are trying to give them assistance in
anyway we can. They have received a little compensation from the
government, but as in a lot of situations such as these, they are blighted
by administrative problems.
It is sheep shearing season at the moment, so I have been shown how
to shear a sheep by hand. Shearing is essential for the sheep, but importunely
for the farmers, it now costs more to shear the sheep than the money they
get from the wool. The farmers get paid 50 per sheep sheared. Two years ago
a kilo of wool would have brought in 40 pence per kilo, but in today´s
market the wool is worthless as nobody wants to buy it. The demand has
declined with use of more synthetic fabrics, so sacks of wool lie in the
barns unsold and will eventually have to be burnt. It is a sad situation.
Due to Dave´s arrival a celebration was arranged and an asado planned
(BBQ of a whole lamb). We were invited to be part of the whole process,
from rounding up the sheep in the fields to watching how a lamb is
slaughtered and prepared for the BBQ It was very interesting to watch and
we felt honored. Once gutted, the whole of the lamb was placed onto a stake
and left by the fire that Dave had prepared and it was left to roast for a
few hours. We were then given knives and invited to tuck in and carve off
the pieces that we wanted. It was delicious and nothing was left to go to
waste.
Well, I am now off to check on a little chick that has been born
with a poorly leg and try and give it a little food, Dave is helping to dig
a hole to place a water tank in to make watering the new greenhouse a
little easier.
We will be leaving on Sunday and heading towards Bariloche in
Argentina where we are looking forward to spending the Christmas period
with Dave´s family.
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