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There are still a few places we hope to visit, such as Cerro Castillo and a large waterfall, but the heavy rain does not make it attractive. We continue and make an effort to enjoy the scenery from the car. At least we get to see a beautiful rainbow, a sign that the sun is somewhere behind the clouds.
All around us are volcanos. I could spend the entire day taking pictures. the scenery is spectacular.
This area is home to the Huemules, a deer mule, which was used in the early days by the pioneers for transport of goods and people. Other than that, there is little wild life. A fox with a black tail end entertains us as it crosses the road in front of us. There are no comournful shrubs or trees. Mostly pine trees, rivers, waterfalls, giant rocks. An obvious signs of exploded volcanos.
The clouds are slowly disappearing and the sky clears. As I get out of the car to take another picture, I feel the warm air, not a breeze of wind; total silence.
But as soon as we approach Puerto Ingeniero Ibañez, the strong wind almost prevents us from getting out of the car.
It’s one om by the time we reach the port, the ferry is already loading up for the 3:00 pm departure. There may not be space for us. This place si so small, where would we spend the night and what will we do all day?
All we can do is wait until we hear what the verdict is. Two large trucks are being loaded up and we are told they have five more cars to load up before us. “Just wait here, and we’ll see if we can take you or not”, we’re told. It does not look good.
Four of the five cars are on board, number five gets squeezed in. We discuss the possibility to drive to the next village for the rest of the day and to spend the night. Then we get a signal to drive up to the ramp. How on earth will they get us on board. Will our tail stick out into the water. If we had a Smart, we could fit in sideways. Sideways, that’s exactly what they have in mind. Inch by inch Ramiro is guided, back and forth, left and right. The car does not fit. They instruct some fo the other drivers to move their vehicles up a bit and put us in like one more sardine in the can. There is just enough space to open the door on the passenger side to get out of the car.
After a quick lunch in the car, we go to the small viewing deck and are able to spend the entire .25 hours of the trip outside enjoying the sun, the scenery and the fresh air. It’s actually quite warm.
We arrive in a very quiet, rustic Chile Chico, which got its name from it micro climate, similar to that of central Chile. Except for the strong winds, this is the perfect climate.
We buy car insurance for Argentina and settle into the very first hotel we see, knowing there are few choices.
A Rotary sign indicates that there is a club here. We wonder when they meet as we enjoy meeting Rotarians from the various places and also need to do a make up. We can not find it on our list of clubs in Chile, and Ramiro asks around. The words goes around quickly and soon a police man directs us to the school. He knows the teacher is a Rotarian. “If you go there, you will find Ivan”.
Ivan is not there, but a secretary makes a quick call and before we know it, Ivan stands in front of our nose. All we wanted to know is when Rotary meets. But Ivan is so excited to meet Rotarians from Canada. He has already spoken to the Club President, a young female judge and first female President of the club. We visit her at her house and talk Rotary. This club normally meets on Friday night, but tonight there is no meeting. Very few clubs meet over the summer months, because everyone has left town.
Ivan has other plans, He likes to take us on a tour to town. First to the view point for a view of the valley. His wife Laura joins us and we drive to the new Border crossing, still under construction.
We drive along the coast line to the river, while learning a lot about the area and its people. This river separates Chile from Argentina.
Chile Chico has less than 2,00 people. Most of them work for the Government and usually only stay for a few years. The mian industry is fishing and Cherries export. While in all other regions of the country the cherries are done, here the harvest is in full swing. We stop at one of the orchard and buy some of the black variety.
Ivan has one more plan. Meanwhile we have picked up his wife Laura and we go for a visit to the house of another Rotarian, who happens to be the Governor of this region. Chile is divided into 12 regions, covering more than 1 province. These regions all have a Governor. A rather high position in the political world.
We receive a very warm welcome and after a glass of fine wine we are asked if it is alright if we eat at 10:30. We did not expect to eat, we had planned to go for a nice long walk and fix something from our cooler, since we are not able to bring meats or vegetables into Argentina.
Everything is prepared in no time. Ivan is in charge of the BBQ which is in a building on the side of the house. With the strong winds, BBQ outdoors is almost impossible we are told. I lend a helping hand while we talk.
As we return to the dining room. The Governor has a big smile on his face.
“You came for a Rotary meeting? OK, let’s have a Rotary meeting”. Pointing at the large club banner on the wall, he quickly placed here.
As we return to our hotel at 1:00 in the morning, the air is warm and there is hardly a breeze.
What a wonderful evening this has been and so unexpected.
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