We have another great breakfast and start to load up the vehicles. There are 2 dogs hanging around outside. One is a cute tan and white little dog who is very shy and is constantly trembling. We find out his owner was the maid’s mother who recently died. They were both indoor dogs owned by a women who gave them care and attention. Now she’s gone and they are left outside to kind of fend for themselves. Wish we could take them home with us… A boat ride to the Marble Caves starts our day out. We all bundle up in warm clothes and rain gear including rain pants. Mari Ann says we look like the Michelin Man. But we did not need to be so pessimistic–we had nice weather on the lake. Lake General Carrera is a beautiful, huge, glacier-fed lake.
It rained last night and there has been new snow in the Andes. The aqua lake with the snow covered Andes looks incredible. The view of the mountains is nearly 180 degrees. Some of the rock cliffs along the water’s edge are made of marble. The waves have cut caves into the shoreline and also into several large rock masses off shore.
We’re taking boats to see these caves. It’s truly marble. The water has eroded the marble so that it looks like someone has taken a chisel and carved out the walls. There are eroded areas that form “windows” in the cavern’s outer walls. We visit several caves and take photographs.
Rex says we’re going to a rock formation that looks like a Labrador retriever
and on the way Mari Ann sees a rock outcropping that looks like a blood hound. Rex doesn’t quite see it but the rest of us do. And the Lab’s profile is distinct too. We see a pair of Steamer Ducks
in the lake. They’re pretty distinctive. They don’t flap their wings to take off; they wind them up like a baseball pitcher or steamer boat wheels. We also see Upland Geese, Black-neck Swans and Yellow-billed Pintail Ducks. After our boat excursion we’re on the road again headed to the town of Cochrane. Toileting activity is as rustic as it gets when we’re on the road. There can be a lot of joking about that activity. Karen only has a short stay behind the bushes. Bill says “that was fast.” She says she’s been practicing peeing fast. Bill says “you’ve been practicing for 68 years and you’ve finally got it!” On our way we stop in the little village of Puerto Bertrand to pick up our next driver, Jonathan. We meet him at his girlfriend Maryann’s house. She and her 5 dogs and 1 cat greet us warmly. The smallest dog is named Tugboat and she carries him around like a baby. She found him abandon at the dump, a practice that Rex says is common. She rescued 3 of the other dogs as well. One dog and the cat had just recently wandered in. Maryann has just purchased the property and she was delighted to show us all the great renovations she’s done. The neatest thing was the kitchen. It had an old wood stove that keeps the house warm and warms the water. She also had a nice modern stove for cooking. The most interesting part were the counters. The kitchen counters were made from plywood glued together, sanded and sealed–so the edges of the plywood look like layers of wood. It looked really great! Maryann is the caretaker of a very large estancia near her home. She pretty much stays full time at the estancia. A very rich lady owned the place but she has not been there is 7 years! It is on the Baker River and our next destination is Baker Falls on the estancia’s property.
There is great controversy about the 7 proposed hydroelectric dams (the damn dams). At least one of the dams will be built on the Baker River, the largest river flowing into the South Pacific. It will be a crime to destroy the beautiful rivers and the areas the dams will flood. Apparently the dams have been approved BUT the transmission lines have not been approved so there is hope. Also if things are delayed for another 2 years the next administration may stop the project. The falls are incredible; lots of camera shutters are snapping. We have a nice time talking to Maryann and enjoying the dogs. We ask if she’s coming with us. She says no; she needs to chop all the wood in her front yard–and it’s a lot. What a woman! We’re off to the remote town of Cochrane and the Hotel Ultimo Paraiso. It’s actually a town with a few amenities that we’ve not seen yet–like an ATM. We get some cash and the receipt indicates that the cash account balance is about $2,500 less than it should be. I don’t need this! We’re in the wilderness with one phone (that was supposed to be our cheap call phone) that doesn’t work and another phone that costs $3.50/minute to call the US. So I try to put it out of my head. Dinner: Pisco Sours, of course! There is hare on the menu–bring it on! No, they are out of hare. Lamb? No, sorry. Out of lamb. Now I’m mad! So I order what Rex called a “heart attack on a plate.” It is a thin streak topped with an egg and smothered in wild mushroom sauce. It’s not bad but I can only eat half. That was the first night that we realized that Jonathan will eat anything and everything. That very thin man has a hollow leg. He ate his own “heart attack on a plate” and finished half of mine. We all got a taste of what life on the road with Jonathan is like. He is a crazy, silly, motivating, caring and entertaining man. Everyone loves Jonathan and he adds a lot to an already wonderful trip.