- Santiago, Chile and environs
- Coyhaique, Patagonia
- Easter Island
- Flooded in San Pedro de Atacama!
After a very “hot” time in Santiago, we were ready for some cooler weather. And we definitely got it when we arrived in Cohaique, the capital city of the province of the same name, in the Aysén Region of Patagonia. This area is surrounded by snow-covered mountains and is blessed with large numbers of lakes and rivers (including the Simpson and Coyhaique). When we arrived, it was bright and sunny, with the temperature of around 62 degrees. Here we met some other friends for a week of fly fishing (the area is known for its gigantic rainbow and brown trout). We stayed at the Cincos Rios Lodge (highly recommended if you ever plan a trip down this way) and would make daily trips around the compass points for our fishing for the day. What we hadn’t counted on was the large amount of rain, gale-force winds, and cold. Even the fishing guides were somewhat shocked and dismayed as this weather had a deleterious effect on the fishing (and our individual comfort!). Having said that, we were intrepid fishermen (and women) and braved the elements to try our luck.
Often, it took up to 1.5 hours to get to our fishing spots, but nobody complained because the scenery was staggeringly beautiful — snow capped mountains, fjords, beautiful forests, and lots of both familiar and unfamiliar plants. In some of the mountain lakes, we had to use jet boats to get around, both because of the distances to be traveled and the scale of the wind and waves. As we were to learn, rowing for the guides in these conditions is pretty exhausting. On our first day of fishing, we had an interesting experience. We were getting ready to get into our jet boat, when Deb decided she needed to pee. She was prepared to go “pioneer woman,” but our guide said that he had some friends at the top of the hill and that we could use their bathroom. There we met Hortensia and Lucha, an older couple who lived there year round and worked their farm/ranch. In their annual cycle, they would grow a lot of food and raise their sheep, then shear the sheep and go into town to sell the wool to buy enough food to last through the winter, and then get snowed in for around three months. Anyway, after we used their bathroom, Hortensia brought out tea and homemade bread, jam, cookies, and cheese. We were stunned. We stayed and chatted with them for about an hour, and then left to go fishing. When we offered them a little money for the food, they wouldn’t take it and said that this was just a sample of Patagonian hospitality.
On one of the days, the ladies went off for an adventure of their own, visiting an estancia (essentially a large ranch) close to the border with Argentina. They toured around the ranch, saw some gauchos at work, and even saw some pictographs of native handprints from around 3000 years ago. Unfortunately, they hit a construction delay on the way back and, more unfortunately, their van had a flat while waiting in the backup (I guess it could have been worse!).
The week passed both quickly and slowly — quickly, as the days flew by and slowly as you froze your butts off in the boats, throwing cast after cast and having very little luck (read: lots of fishing and not much catching). Even our most experienced anglers had a tough time of it. Standing for 4-6 hours/day while casting and trying to stay upright in the wind and waves took its toll on me and I ended up taking a few days off to rest my back. Luckily, there was a massage therapist who came to the lodge. She kept me on my feet.
We have one more day to fish and I will provide an update if anything dramatic happens. Despite our lack of fish volume, we really enjoyed our time here. We loved the scenery, met a number of new friends, and enjoyed learning about the local history and culture. But now it’s time for a little warmth. On Saturday, we head back for a short stay in Santiago before heading out to Easter Island!
This entry was posted in Chile, South America, Travel, Uncategorized
I am a traveler and sometimes clay sculptor, following a long career working in consulting. My work allowed me to travel the world extensively and I was hooked. Today, I travel with my wife/best friend to explore new places, meet new people, and learn new things.
