Stage Six - Santiago, Chile to Ushuaia, Argentina
March 6 - 23, 1997
Date: March 6-7, 1997 (Flying the Friendly Skies of Lan Chile)
Flights to and from South America tend to include one very long overnight connection. We flew to New York City from Toronto and boarded a plane (Lan Chile) for Santiago, Chile. Once on board we found out a stop in Lima, Peru would be our actual first stop. This hour layover made the duration of the flight only 12 hours. We all looked a little rough when we finally arrived at our hotel in downtown Santiago.
Final Trip Preparation
The hotel we booked was the same one I had stayed at three weeks prior. The VW was parked safely in the underground parking lot. I knew my way around so my stops at: CSAV Shipping Company, Concha Tourism Office and Noranda Exploration went quickly. I picked up email messages at the Noranda Office. Lindsey had several from her classmates in South River, Ontario.
I went back to the hotel to pick up everyone (they had crashed as soon as we checked into the hotel). We took the metro downtown to get a feel for the city. Fairly modern, clean and bustling with people were our impressions. The subway is well designed and a popular way of getting around this city of nearly 5 million people.
Susan Hardy from Noranda told us we could use her computer to email messages back to Lindsey's classmates. We went back to her office and Lindsey spent 30 minutes composing emails to her friends. Getting an email from Chile was a unique experience for kids from a small town in rural Ontario.
Date: March 8-10, 1997 (Santiago to the border of Argentina)
We headed out early to begin our southern journey. My thoughts were to take everyone over to the Pacific coast and enjoy a little sunshine (it was snowing and very cold when we left Toronto). Heading to San Antonio we traveled along the coast of Rocas de Santo Domingo. We saw our first sea lions and had lunch at a nice beach resort town called Algarrobo.
From the coast we headed back towards the heartland of Chile. Route 5 is the Pan American Highway and we joined it to head south through Chile. This busy highway is the main road for commerce and travel in Chile (remember Chile is a very narrow country). The climate of the central valley south of Santiago is ideal for the production of fruits, vegetables and wine. Many of these products are exported and have been a boom to Chile's economic development.
The further south you get the more lakes and trees become the dominate features of the terrain. This area down to Puerto Montt is one of the most beautiful areas of Chile. We turned east at Osorno to head into the Andes Mountains and the border crossing for Argentina.
An area worth visiting (we spent the night) is Puyehue. About 80 kms (50 miles) from Osorno this area is famous for its Piscinas Termales (Thermal pools). No sulfur smell, just nice hot water. Beautiful scenery throughout this area. Try a hotel other than the Hotel Termas de Puyehue (definitely overpriced).
Date: March 11-12, 1997 (Argentina border to Baroloche)
Welcome to Argentina - the last of the 14 countries visited on the trip. We picked the best spot to enter as the Puyehue Pass and the lakes towards Baraloche were spectacular.
The combination of the Andes Mountains (some snow capped), beautiful blue lakes and tall pine trees make this area an incredible scenic tour. We had lunch overlooking a beautiful lake and beach. The water was very clear with different shades of blue reflecting brilliantly in the sunlight.
Baraloche/Lloa-Lloa
There are two distinct tourist seasons in Baraloche. The ski season( July & August) and the school holidays (January & February). We missed the school holidays so the town was quiet and accommodation easy to find. About 20 kms away is a ski area and Baraloche serves as the hub for tourist accommodations and attractions. The town has a bit of a Swiss look to it with several buildings that don't quite fit in.
If you are a chocolate lover - this is heaven! Many stores either make it or sell it. The chocolate displays in the window will drive you crazy. Lindsey and Kathy did their best to sample as many different types of chocolates as possible on a two day chocolate blitz.
On our second day we did a driving tour to Lloa Lloa. This area is just to the west of Baraloche along the lake. We stopped for lunch at a five star hotel called Hotel Lloa Lloa. (We ate in our VW in the parking lot!) This is Shangri La. The view here and in the surrounding area is as beautiful as any on the whole trip. Kathy and I both said, this is someplace we will return to. The hotel is perched on a hill that offers incredible views in every direction. If you are ever doing a South American tour - make sure Baraloche and Lloa Lloa are on the itinerary.
Date: March 13-14, 1997 (Peninsula Valdez)
We left very early on the 13th to put in a 1,000 km day. Heading south, then due east we crossed the whole of Argentina in one day. Our destination was Puerto Piramide on the Peninsula Valdez. This sleepy little town (population 100) is the starting point for numerous tours of the peninsula. One of our main objectives was to see the killer whales (Orcas) on the north point. We were told that the killer whales come into feed on the seal pups only at high tide. After several people gave us conflicting high tide times, we settled on the one most mentioned.
Tour of the Peninsula
We hoped to see penguins, sea lions, elephant seals and whales all in one day. With some luck we hoped to plan our route to catch the whales at high tide in the north point.
This large peninsula off the east coast of Argentina is incredibly flat and unattractive. It is treeless and covered with small sagebrush like bushes. The sheep are numerous and often wander onto the road. If it were not for the colonies of wildlife that inhabit its coastal waters, nobody in their right mind would go there.
Luck was with us on this day. We saw sea elephants, sea lions, penguins (up very close) and a killer whale (Mel was his name). We arrived at the north point just before this solitary male came by to check out the food supply on the beach. A large colony of fur seals were just in front of us but the killer whale slowly passed by without attacking any seal pups. He did stay in the area and we watched him swimming in an area called Orca Channel. Several people were there and a scientist name, Miguel, filled us in on his past three years of studying killer whales around the world. As it turns out, Mel eats about 3-5 seal pups a day. Once in a while he enjoys an elephant seal. Lindsey didn't like the idea of Mel munching on these cute seal pups. A good lesson on the realities of the "food chain"!
About 3 in the afternoon we headed south to put some miles in toward our southern destination. We stayed at Rada Tiley (just south of Comordora Rivadavia) in a campground.
Date: March 15-17, 1997 (The final drive to Ushuaia)
This was one of our long drive days (840 kms/500 miles). What is interesting about this day is how uninteresting the Patagonia landscape is. I found the Atacama dessert more attractive than the arid and flat scenery of the Patagonia. Nothing but small scrub brush and lambs for miles and miles. Every 70 to 100 miles a sheep station would appear. Other than that and a few small towns, the flat landscape was the most boring of the whole trip. You have to like isolation and sheep (there are 30,000,000 in the Patagonia) to live in the Patagonia southern Argentina. We stayed overnight in Rio Gallegos
One More Dusty Road
This is the day we drove the final (600 kms/360 miles) to Ushuaia, Argentina. I was hoping the scenery would change and sure enough it did. When we crossed the Strait of Magallan to the island of Tierra del Fuego the scenery and wildlife greatly improved. Yes, the sheep remained but cattle, birds, hawks, foxes, were abundant. Guanacos (llama like animals) and Nandus (small ostrich) were also seen grazing by the roadside. Mountains began to appear and beautiful trout filled lakes were busy with fisherman. We also saw our first glacier as we arrived in Ushuaia. Tierra del Fuego is definitely an outdoor paradise.
The drive to Ushuaia was a long day. It took us 12 hours to go 600 kms/360 miles and cross two border crossings. Several stretches were hard packed gravel and the final 60 miles a very rough and dusty gravel road.
Coming around the corner to see Ushuaia nestled against the mountainside was exciting to me. This was the city at the end of the adventure and also the southern most town in the world.
Ushuaia
Located on the Beagle Channel on the side of a mountain, Ushuaia serves as a port to ships traveling to Antarctica. Somewhat dusty and lacking the look or feel of a modern city, Ushuaia has brightly colored buildings and homes made of various materials. It seems to be in the stage between being somewhat rundown to developing for a growing tourism industry. Driving is tricky as the streets are on steep hills and mostly one-way. The right of way depends on who has the most nerve. The main street through town (along the port) is a raceway for cars in a hurry. I had a very close call at 5:30 AM on the morning we were leaving.
Lapataia National Park (The roads end!)
The day after we arrived in Ushuaia, we celebrated two special occasions (Lindsey's birthday and also the final drive to the end of the road). We drove to Lapataia National Park along Argentina's Route # 3. This is the actual end of the highway.
It was exciting to be there with my family. They had traveled with me through much of the journey. When I was traveling on my own - they had to take on extra duties at the camp (especially Kathy). It was an amazing feeling to be together and stand on the spot of land which represents the end of the journey. I bought a bottle of cheap Argentina wine and we toasted the trips end.
We capped off the day with a birthday party for Lindsey. I had arranged to have a cake prepared at a nice restaurant in Ushuaia. Lindsey was surprised and the waiters sang her a birthday song in Spanish.
Date: March 18, 1997 (Trip to Punta Arenas)
We left early in order to not be late for the car ferry at Provenir. This ferry takes you to Punta Arenas, Chile and saves about 180 kms of driving. About two hours out of Ushuaia we came upon a solo cyclist headed north. Just shortly past him we came upon his support vehicle. A bright yellow VW camper.
We stopped to investigate the purpose of their trip. The side of the van had Cape Horn to Alaska so I had a special bond with them as we talked. The group was from Hungary and they were traveling to raise funds and awareness for victims of Muscular Dystrophy in Hungary and around the world. The cyclist was from Hungary and he was going to average 200 kms a day. They planned on arriving in Prudhoe Bay, Alaska in July. We shared some travel tips and I gave them my contact person in Fairbanks, Alaska. It was an amazing feeling talking to them - I Knew what lie ahead and I knew what an incredible challenge lie ahead for the cyclist.
We finished our drive to catch the ferry at Provenir. Our ride across the bay to Punta Arenas was highlighted by an escort of a school of dolphins. We landed and found a hotel in the downtown area near the Plaza de Armas.
Date: March 19-20, 1997 (Punta Arenas - Good Bye VW)
Our two day stay in Punta Arnas was busy with laundry, cleaning and preparing the VW for its trip north via a container ship. We also had to get ourselves set for the trip to Torres del Paine National Park. Punta Arenas' main attraction is its port where many products produced in Southern Chile are shipped to other parts of world. Unlike many port cities (where the port area is run down and people have to be careful about where they walk at night), Punta Arenas is a very clean and attractive city. Tourism is growing and there are many hotels and tours available.
I was completely amazed at the difference between the time and hassles I endured at the port in Colombia (Buenaventura) and the ease and efficiency of the port of Puenta Arenas. In 45 minutes I had taken my van into the port, filled out an inspection inventory sheet and drove my VW into its container. It took me 12 hours over two days to complete all the paperwork to get the van out of the port in Colombia. My advice to anyone (if you have the option) is to land somewhere, other than Colombia, in South America.
Date: March 21-23 (Torres del Paine National Park)
Located just north of Punta Arenas (about 250 kms) is one of Chili's most beautiful natural wonders. Torres del Paine National Park is a photographers utopia. Its windswept landscape has magnificent mountains and beautiful glacial lakes. The towers (torres) are one of its prominent features. The hike to the base of the towers is the ultimate experience for travelers visiting the park.
We spent four days at the park in a hotel called Explora. This was our family treat - kind of like we made it to the bottom now lets splurge a little. Staying at Explora is more than splurging a little but certainly the first class way to see and experience the park. Its all inclusive set up includes guided tours wherever you go and horseback riding trips to many interesting sites. Gourmet dining with an incredible view of the mountains and sunset were a great way to end your day.
I signed up for the 7 hour hike to the towers and back. The rest of the family went horseback riding. This hike is difficult in parts but high on my list of things to do once in your life. The last 40 minutes of climbing over a huge boulder field made the view at the top all the more exhilarating. There is a small glacial lake at the base of the three huge rock towers. No hotels or souvenir stands up there, just one of natures most beautiful natural settings. Looking up I could see condors soaring in the beautiful blue sky. This area and the hike to the towers are well worth the effort of traveling to the bottom of Chile.
The Trip Home
We all know that the trip home would be a long one. Actually about 33 hours long. Our plan was to enjoy the trip as long we could and return in one straight shot. Our straight shot included 8 hours of driving, 15 hours of flying, and 6 hours waiting in airport terminals. We definitely looked a little road weary by the time we made it home to Sundridge.
Posts from this trip.
I want to say this is the road from hell but I know we have many more miles to go. This winding, hairpin filled road traverses the top of the Sierra de Juarez Mountain. Several times we drove in and out of the clouds. In one spot we came upon a serious truck accident that had traffic backed up. There were mangos and papayas all over the place. I'm not sure the driver made it.
What lied ahead of me was 1,100 kms of grueling and hot driving. The road ahead was through the Atacama Desert - one of the driest place on the earth. The landscape looked baked and tortured from the heat. Inside the van it was 105 degrees F (40 degrees C). I didn't dare turn the air conditioner on for fear of taxing the engine any more than it already was.
