Day 790, 18.04.2013,
88168 km since the beginning of the journey,
Route : Caleta Conzalo – Letepu - Fiordo Largo - Hornopiren (40 km !!)
Next to the road there is a signboard introducing another walking trail. It`s about 10 more kilometres to the port and more than two hours left until the departure of ferry. So – why not!
Here the cypresses are more than 3000 years old.
The trees are too tall to fit on the image! And while moving further only a part of the trunk can be seen.
All around everything is green. And humid. And quiet.
The walking trail has been made on a fallen tree trunk, further on there are stairs.
3000 years of age is not easy to imagine. These trees had been growing already when 3000 years ago the Bronze Age ended and Iron Age began, and when it was still more than 200 hundred years until the city of Rome was founded.
Galeta Gonzalo port. Dolphins swimming in the Gulf. Under water. In the meantime one can notice a fin and then again and again.
Basically one can spend the night here between four walls.
About one o'clock the ferry arrives.
Waiting for the ferry there are also for two cyclists from Argentina, their destination is Bariloche. And they ask if I can help them with transport –putting their bikes on the roof of my bus and giving them a lift. As after the first ferry ride there is 10 miles of road in unknown condition, and they wish to reach the next ferry today. Sure I can. There is enough space on the roof.
Just remembered Africa - the roof had been a place for yellow cans, hens, goats, and so on. The height of the load is limited only by the imagination of the load-fixer.
Another option to travel about in Chile is to rent a bus.
The right line is for of the buses.
And the left one as well.
The ferry is going to move.
While passing the banks and enjoying the landscape there is no wonder that no road has been built there. Technically it would have been possible – but at what cost?
The same place from higher, the port of Galeta Gonzalo is on the right side of the image. The picture itself is from Wikipedia.
Pelikan rising into the air.
The short ferry ride is over, the road takes through the rainforest again. The next port should be quite close, but all of a sudden all the vehicles stop in the middle of the forest. Initially, I think that it`s because of some road repairs, but the reason is much simpler. In order not to cause traffic jam at the port we wait until all the vehicles from the ferry have passed us.
The sign confirms how important the condition of the road is and shows the cost.
At this port the ferry is larger but to get on board it takes more time.
The reverse ride onto the ferry should be performed carefully otherwise one can find oneself in the water.
Some cars get onquickly, others spend more time while reversing.
Then smaller cars are allowed to drive directly to the ferry as otherwise the day will come to an end.
The shore is populated, but one can get there only over water. If to move from here directly to the east, the Andean direction, then before the Argentina border there are no roads.
By GPS the speed of the ship is 15 km per hour. The journey lasts more than 4 hours and it is dark when we reach at Hornopiren. Close to the port there are several hostels of different prices, with parking-lots or without. As the ship arrives in the evening, all passengers should be accommodated somewhere. In summary we can say that it was a ferry- ride -day.
Currently, there are four ferry links on Carretera Austral, three of them are behind and one short ride is yet to come.
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