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.
