Ferries and borders have one irritating thing in common I find; the people planning to use them suddenly get driven to push to the front of the line as soon as they see them.
When it came to the six hour ride from Chaitén on the mainland to Castro, the capital of Chiloé Island we were the last vehicle to board, and there was room to spare despite the jockeying and palpable frenzy among the waiting drivers.
We went through this at the border between Chile and Argentina north of the Straits of Magellan with a number of cars but most notably a Dutch couple our age. They raced to the border post beating us by a few minutes, they rushed into the building while we got ourselves together and they tapped impatiently to places in front of us in line (locals aren’t immune to the disease and another driver had also raced us).
They had no dog so they had but two stops in line to our three. We smiled at them and they looked away avoiding eye contact, us four the only non locals in the building…and then they started haranguing the passport inspector. We sighed and waited. By the time we had finished, and cracked a few jokes with the officials (“You have a dog? Oh dear, no dogs allowed…” Gasp of horror and much laughter before directing us to the agriculture office) out we strolled to find the Dutch couple with all their belongings strewn on the ground for a minute inspection of every blessed thing. We handed over our bag of prohibited fruit, chatted about our trip and passed the weary Dutch reloading their Toyota camper. They were not pleasant people to us or more importantly, the officials so got what they deserved. We’ve crossed paths since and they still avert their eyes. I’m not saying you have to like us but I am saying trying to bully or hurry border officials or anyone else rarely works unless it works against you.
So I got up at six, took a shower and drove out of the campground into the town Chaitén as the sky started to lighten up. It was raining, sometimes hard and sometimes drizzling and the winds blew across town in sudden violent gusts.
Faced with a six or seven hour ferry ride Rusty needed a walk and time to find the exact right spot to take a dump. What better place for a dog walk early on a Sunday morning than the town square equipped with a rain proof bandstand and lots of garbage cans?
I don’t know if the photo below illustrates my point but the gusts were powerful. When we first got him Rusty was scared of wind and hated rain which I attribute to his early life abandoned in the Everglades. Once he figured out I was ready with a towel and he had a comfortable bed to retire to he lost his fear of violent outdoor elements. Which on this Sunday morning was I admit a bit of a drag.
Eventually he found the exact right bush and produced what I was waiting for and the day could proceed according to plan.
The ferry to Castro was supposed to leave at 9am and we had been told to show up to load at 7:45 am. It was $320 for us two and GANNET2 but Rusty rode for free and was not allowed out of the car on the crossing. On the other hand we were free to ride aboard GANNET2 so we did and kept him company.
With time to spare Rusty and I walked the waterfront and I looked out at the volcanic deposits from 2008 that moved the waterfront from where I was standing to a beach about 400 yards out.
A weird, pleasantly undeveloped no man’s land.
After a few days of brilliant sunshine it looked like a good day to travel.
We got back to the loading dock at exactly 7:45 and found a crowd of vehicles including just three trucks all ready to go nowhere. Hurry up and wait.
Foot passengers getting off the ferry in the slashing rain. Locals treat rain as hardly an inconvenience. I need more practice.
I made a cup of tea for myself and left Layne breathing evenly while Rusty had a last quick sniff and pee. He showed his mettle in the four day ferry ride to Puerto Natales so I wasn’t stressed about this all day affair.
Goodbye to the black volcanic beaches of Chaitén.
There is WiFi in the lounge and cafeteria area midships but we had our ebooks ready. In the event we had some cell service as we left Chaitén and it resumed when we started threading the islands on the approach to Castro. I suppose I could have set up Starlink had I had a reason to, as the sky was clear above us.
“Whoever hurries in Patagonia wastes time”
I find short haul ferries tedious as they require appointments mostly or lining up to wait to get onboard without a reservation, and then all the faff of loading and unloading but if you are going to drive remote areas sliced up by fjords and mountains ferries are inevitable.
Strapped down hard:
Rusty got his walk then we got lunch. Mussels to start.
I had braised brisket and fried gnocchi.
Layne had crab and corn pudding, a traditional fish which can be excessively rich and sweet but in this case was properly balanced.
In South America seafood is often paired with seafood which is not allowed in the US. Too bad for you because it’s a delicious combination.
We walked back to the dog in the van and I took off for the Lider (Walmart) supermarket. And yes, it was a bit of a hike. And Sunday night it turns out is a bad night to look for fresh vegetables fruit lettuce. Boo hiss.
We stopped at a Copec gas station and got gas for one tank and water for the other. 30 gallons and we are not going to dehydrate for a bit.
Then we parked at a free camp next to a tongue of tidal water north of the town of Castro.
What a beautiful spot.
This guy was enjoying it with his dog and his thermos flask and his cup of maté, dried leaves, a drink that is Patagonian but is usually seen in Argentina.
Too many young people enjoying Sunday night before the work week. Otherwise it was lovely. And free.
PS I noticed my Saturday and Sunday posts went astray while I was in a minimal WiFi zone over the weekend. Apologies but they are posted.
