Life on the road(eo) – Puerto Rio Tranquilo

Life on the Chilean rodeo circuit is no picnic; rough and tumble; a never-ending grind of dust and dedication, ponchos and leather boots following the tour as it winds its way south, donde el diable perdio su poncho. How have we come by this dear understanding of such an event? In the five weekends that we have spent on the Carretera Austral we have found ourselves spectators at four rodeos! Our first was in Futaleufu as previously mentioned. Following this we caught the show at Puerto Rio Tranquilo. This tiny town is located beside the gorgeous and insanely turquoise Lago General Carrera. We thoroughly enjoyed both the rodeo itself and the stunning (studding…???) view from the pride of the town, the recently (cow)-pleted media-luna (stadium). Additionally we took the time to visit the Marble Caves. This collection of caves & arches located on the shores of Lago General Carrera are created from the marble cliffs’ erosion due to wind and waves. The combination of the white marble, blue water and sunshine makes these caves a magical sight. Later we visited Valle Exploradores to view the glacier of the same name. The road wound though pristine forest alongside a ridiculously beautiful river with small tranquil lakes. Our only company was the occasional grazing cow. We hiked 20 minutes up a hillside to be greeted with an amazing view of a glacier almost directly below us. We could see the glacier winding its way down a valley and around a curve to deposit its till where we stood. Everywhere was evidence of glaciation, with mounds of soil and massive boulders being transported by the ice, all in a day’s work for a glacier busy creating a new valley. We have seen many glaciers to date but this was a unique view for us and really helped us to appreciate the process of glaciation. 

Yes that is a pig, and yes this is the main drag of the town of Puerto Rio Tranquilo. Life moves at a much slower pace here and we love it.