boats waiting for the tide along the fjord coast of Contao
Those locals who claim that, if it rains, it only rains briefly, were wrong. The next two days it continues to rain, incessantly. We make our way back, up north along the Carretera, back to Puyuhuapi, back to Chaiten, and back onto the ferry to Hornopiren. Glad we have seen this stretch of the road earlier, because now there is not much to see at all. And we do feel for the many cyclists we meet, along the way and in the guesthouses where we stay. Cycling with beautiful weather is one thing, but in this constant downpour you must be quite determined. Luckily, most are, even though they occasionally use the bus stops to shield from the rain.
the rain of the past few days has created lots of excess water in waterfalls that hardly existed a week ago
for most of the way back to Hornopiren we have rain
which at least helps to keep the dust down
along the Carretera Austral there are plenty of signs warning for bicycles
the chains on the ferry provide for a colourful picture
on the ferry, back to Horopiren, the weather slowly improving
larger fishing boats awaiting high tide
a fisherman on his boat in Tentelhue, small fishing village along the fjord
overview of the harbour of Tentelhue
with fishing boats tied to the shore
occasional view of the bay, here with moss-covered rocks
and guess what, there are dolphins in the bay
they even operate in groups
but are fiendishly difficult to capture on photographs
It clears up a bit by the time we get off the ferry. We find accommodation in Contao, a small village on the edge of a fjord, from where we explore the coastal road, passing through fishing villages like Tentelhue and Queten. Much of the road is actually sheltered from the sea by bushes, making it somewhat difficult to appreciate the views, but there are enough spots in between to enjoy the beach, and occasionally the dolphins cruising just offshore – taking pictures of them proves more difficult, as each time they surface we seem to be just too late!
one of the several wooden churches in this area
the last ferry of our trip, a short crossing to La Arena, on the way to Puerto Montt
where we find the end – or the beginning – of the Carretera Austral
From Contao, which is close to where we first reached the Carretera Austral, we continue further north, on another ferry – less than half an hour, this time – to reach Puerto Montt, technically the beginning of the Carretera. This last, or, if you like, first bit of the road is significantly busier than the parts further south, more prosperous, too. Not surprising, if for anything you bring to or from further south, you need a string of ferries to do so.
next: Puerto Montt
