Life on the road(eo) – To Villa O’Higgins

We spent a rainy 2 nights in Caleta Tortel, a town set in Jurassic Parkesque scenery, immense cliff faces, rainforests, and of course glaciers. In addition to the immense scenery the town is set along a fijord and is built on stilts and boardwalks. In order to get around town we had to navigate the maze of boardwalks along the water and stairs through the hillside, it was a unique experience. We had a bit of trouble getting out of town, but once at the fork in the road it took only 4 minutes to get our next ride. A father and son duo from Valpariso picked us up. They were on a 3 month road trip for the son to see the amazing landscape that his country contains and for the father to collect seeds of all the different native plants. Arriving in Villa O’Higgins we were only mildly surprised to learn of the upcoming rodeo! So our day was spent watching the wauchos (cowboys) perform with glacier covered mountains as a backdrop. Our evening spent drinking pisco and Coke and dancing to the live band in the gymnasium of the school, much to the entertainment of ourselves and the locals I am sure. It was a perfect way to round out our time on the Carretera Austral.