After 5 days I found a place with a reasonable internet connection.
Sun 17.1.2016
The rain stopped and sun was coming out in Chaitén and a nice road partially gravels and partially paved with nice canyons, cliffy walls and much green is bringing me to La Junta. i
I enjoy the Termas Ventisquero Puyuhuapi
before I drive to the glacier Ventisquero Colgate. As I have seen the entrance oft he national park camping I wanted to return, but
Below you will find my trip from Santiago to Chaitén.
In the meantime I’m in Chaitén, a very boring village which was fully covered by the near volcano Chaitén in 2008. The street is exactly how I imagined the famous Carretera Austral. I got immediately a very to La Arena to La Pechua. And the street changes from paved to dirty road unexpectedly. Only the Chilenes know why they do it in this way. The spooky scenery is impressive and I got the first ferry boat without any problem. The rain became stronger and I put on my rain protection even if I haven’t have a good sensitivity in my fingers it was warm and dry. My full concentration was necessary again because deep road holes and the bad weather was not the best combination. As the office for the next ferry got closed by 7 p.m. and I arrived at 7.30 p.m. I had to look for an accommodation for the night and I did find a nice (and probably the smallest room in my life) place around the corner. I was very happy because the weather was awful. I could stand up very early the next morning at 7.30 a.m. to buy a ticket for my motorbike and myself to leave at 10.30 p.m.. This gives me enough time to pack all my stuff and have a breakfast which was included in the price of $10.000 (~€14,-). It is amazing how punctually Chileans are. Exactly at 10.30 a.m. we have left Hornopirén and 5 hours later we arrived in Caleta Gonzalo. Now again take out the air and go for the next 45 km to Chaitén on a gravel road. Arriving there I was really disappointed. This village is almost dead.Probably due to the fact that the volcano Chaitén covered the whole village in 2008. I got petrol (which costs here more than in Europe: $925 ~ € 1,35) but finally no money from the bank because the add 2 decimals to the request which means that they ask for $20.000.000 instead of $ 200.000. This issue with Chilean peso will end up in no money. Luckily I have some left. I stayed in a nice hostel after a got the hint in a restaurant. For $12.000 I can sleep dry and without building up the tent again in the rain:-) Tomorrow I will head to Coyhaique.
After 2 days on Chiloé where I found a beautiful camping site near the pacific next to the national park I had to travel back to Puerto Montt because no ferry was available for me and my motorbike.
The national park was a little disappointing because the indigenous don’t care about the nature and oil is at many places. A trail on my map was final a forest road and therefore not as nice as hoped. I went back to the beach and spent there 2 hours. 
Castro is a really nice village with a pretty wooden church. 
Driving back in the evening it happened. A deep road hole… which I saw the day before but now it was too late. I smashed into it and… luckily nothing happened with my wheel nor with the rim. Only my windshield extension flew away. And due to high grass I couldn’t find it.
It rained the whole night (but wasn’t that cold than the night before where the temperature went down below 10°C) and just in time it stopped in the morning.
I could pack a dry tent and headed back to Puerto Montt.
The street workers were just cutting the grass and so… I found my windshield!!
The weather forecast doesn’t look good and I took out all my rain protection.
With the begin of the carretera austral in Puerto Montt I have 24.000km on my speedometer (start was at 21.500km in Valparaiso) and I’m 1.100 km south from Santiago.
The next challenge will be to get a ferry on the way down. And hopefully the rain stops 🙂
After driving around almost all lakes in the so called Lake District I ended up in Puerto Varas, a little village near Puerto Montt in the south. On my way I passed so many nice places with various types of ground and beautiful birds. Let’s have a look.
Over last days I spent 2 days in Rari and changed my bike into a horse.
This place was like a paradise and I met Johanna who I first met in Salamanca.
From there I rode down to the National Park Conguillio where I first struggled with the sand.
And so I couldn’t watch and drive at the same time.
My next stop was Laguna Blanco.
Unfortunately I couldn’t find the Laguna and finally I was happy that I didn’t fall.
As more than 50% is gravel I decided to make a 2 day stop at a camping near Lican Ray at the Lago Ranco.
Not each day to built the tent is really something I appreciate 😊 With a gorgeous nature and dreams of hedges I headed to Termas Puyehue.
V
After the baptism of the bike (its name is now La Flecha Negra – black arrow), I headed in the Ruta 5 to the South.
Since the highway is boring and costs money I asked my Navi system to show me other roads. And immediately I came to the first gravel road :-). Beside some sand in the bends the most difficult part is to watch after dogs (mostly homeless). In the moment you stop, people are around me. And a man from South Tirol came over and we talked in German. Finally he asked me if he can help me somehow. This is the experience I made in the first day already: people are so friendly and helpful!
As the rain came into the mountains I decided to change my way to the sea, which was a good idea. Wonderful roads (gravel as well as asphalt) are in the area around Licantén.
On a camping place in Laguna Torca I spent my first night. In this moment everything is absolutely perfect.
Now I am on the way to Panimavída to visit a girlfriend who I met in Salamanca. Perhaps I will change my bike into a horse for a day…
Today was D-Day and I was really exited. Fernando was so kind to drive me with his car to Valparaiso very early in the morning. When we arrived in the office of the transport service (one room on the 4th floor) we met 2 French and 2 Swiss bikers who were waiting as well for their papers.
Fernando, Fernanda, Emilio and Pepe showed me Santiago from the top of Cerro San Cristóbal.
From there you have a great 360° view over Santiago.
The next day we all walked to the northernmost glacier in Chile called El Morado in the southeast of Santiago (90km). It took us four hours back and forth and it was absolutely worthwhile to do it… but decide by your own…
Happy new year!
And mine started perfectly. After a nice farewell surprise where Claudia, Petra, Daniela, Thorsten und Henning came to the airport to say goodbye and making sure that I’m really leaving Munich, I had a smooth flight to Santiago via Frankfurt, Santo Domingo and Panama. Read More
Panamericana 2016 