Carretera Austral part 3
A little bit before dusk we reached Chaiten. The first people I noticed on the street were Eli and Gilad. I got out of the car and went with them to examine the destroyed part of town.
On 1st of May 2008 the little volcano that the local people used to consider to be an ordinary mountain had erupted. It was in the evening and the dust covered everything so quickly that it was impossible for people to leave the town with their cars – they were evacuated in the morning with the help of ships. After a while the dust that was gathered at the mountain had stemmed many of the streams. That way little water basins were formated and during a torrential rain the whole quantity of water unjammed and went in direction of the town carrying the whole dust. The river was in flood, it expanded its bed up to 200 meters and it destroyed streets and houses on its way.
As we were walking through the town the volcano still fumed over the mountains turning grey around. Part of the city appeared almost normal if we exclude the deserted houses. But the other part, where the water had passed, was destroyed. We walked on streets that were trampled down in the dust. Only the remains of the buried houses jutted out. The other houses that were situated next to the river bed were partially or completely swept. The town’s port was still functioning and about one hundred of people continue to live in there – without water and through electricity from the generators. Only they know why. Probably the few signs I saw written on the walls explained it all – I love Chaiten, “Chaiten is neither to be replaced nor to be sold”.
I spent the night at an enormous room at a luxurious hotel with a panoramic window that looked to the ocean bay. Of course it had been abandoned and its doors were wide open for everyone who wanted to get in – for free. The night was echoed with weird sounds of some birds or frogs and the sounds of the buzzing generators that were not so weird.
In the morning I took a more serious look at the town in order to take pictures. That was not possible to be done in the evening. About ten o’clock the two Israeli had gone out to wait. By the time I returned from the hotel with my rucksack they had already disappeared. There were a boy and a girl from Argentina who were waiting at their spot. However, I went to the exit of the town where there was a stop and I began to wait there. The traffic consisted mainly of local cars that were going to and fro. A drunk uncle stopped in order to explain how he was going to Puerto Cardenas but first he had to ask for gas from someone. Then he said that the gas would come the following day. The other interesting thing was a truck that was going to the town. As I was looking absent-mindedly at the truck I saw that a long piece of iron that stuck out of the truck’s carriage. I thought absent-mindedly that this thing would hit the parked pick-up. At this very moment the iron crashed at full strength into the car and flew out of the truck. It stopped and got back. A small crowd of gapers was already gathering by the pickup altogether with the police that have arrived fast. That was the same truck that had crashed into the ditch the previous evening. Obviously neither the driver nor the pick-up owner had any luck whatsoever. The latter one had his rear lights broken and his door and fore wing smashed.
Late in the afternoon a car with an Argentinian family drove me until Puerto Cardenas where Max and Coby were waiting at the stop. The last time I had seen them was at Cochrane. They were waiting at the opposite direction and soon they were picked up. I myself decided to sleep under the shelter and see if the weather would not be better on the following day. The village, if it could be called a village at all, consisted of a few houses. Anyway, I could buy bread at one of them. In general all over the Carretera Austral the bread is made on spot – nobody bothers to deliver it by trucks. There are usually panaderias at the little towns or the bread is being naked at the supermarkets. At the more little villages you can buy bread from some house that serves as panaderia. In such cases there is no bread at the supermarkets.
The weather really was better in the morning. It was better to such an extent that at least it didn’t rain… continuously. (I can’t help myself not to explain how difficult it is when you feel like going to the bathroom and it is raining all the time). I’ve been hitch-hiking and since no one would stop I decided at least to have a walk and take some pictures on my way. In five kilometers when the rain had grown unpleasantly stronger a pick-up driver felt sorry for me and I continued my journey through the rain forest on the other side of the window. We passed by Santa Lucia where it was seething with hitch-hikers. We stopped for a short-break on the other side of the lake Yelcho. Then we went on until Futaleufu. It was amazing how fast the landscape change as we moved in the direction from east to the west. Only 50-60 kilometers were enough to replace the rain forest with rarer lenga forest and the mountains became barer. There was strong wind blowing at Futaleufu and clouds were coming – it looked like rain.
bet 365
15 Mar 2022 @ 14:59
Актуални новини за футболист №1. Следете последните новини от днес за futbolist1. Ще бъде обявен треньор №1 на България и неговите подгласници. Ще станат ясни и най-добрите футболисти в българското първенство за 2022 г.
ALBIREO
22 Feb 2010 @ 16:48
Много яко! Аз бих стоял поне две седмици на това място, за да направя възможно най-много кадри. А и като си имаш безплатен луксозен хотел…
По едно време и аз се опитах да те следя чрез системата на гугъл, но срещнах трудностите на другите опитали. Е, вече ще е по-лесно.
Давай смело напред!
cmonster
20 Feb 2010 @ 18:53
Ааааа мерси Иване,
Видях, че си сложил линк с позицията в Google maps. Това е голямо удобство и така нещата стават супер профи. Още веднъж мерси и успех.
won
20 Feb 2010 @ 17:23
Да снимаш в черно и бяло е много добра идея - атмосферата на града е по-достоверна. Така изпъква и единствената цветна снимка в групата - тази с розата и надписа залепен на прозореца…
Отново благодаря за преживяването, което споделяш с нас!
Успех по пътя!
Славена
19 Feb 2010 @ 17:22
Как му струи злобицата на Владиката, не е истина.
Явно не може да се мине без такива индивиди.
Vladikata
19 Feb 2010 @ 10:09
Kак си с бюджета тука само приказки а сигурно пари йок.
Айде, през pay-pal всеки по 1-2 лева да даде, а не само безплатно кино
itilien
18 Feb 2010 @ 15:39
Ok, shte pisha originalnite imena na gradowete… to i az ne znam shto gi pisha na bylgarski… po-lesno e na ispanski.
Snimkite gi imam i cwetni, no reshih, che cherno beli presyzdawat po-dobre atmosferata
cholla
18 Feb 2010 @ 07:48
Чайтен изцяло ми напомня за Припят и на мен… много ми е гот да гледам снимки от подобни призрачни градчета, където времето е спряло от раз. Представяш си какво е било преди това и т.н. кофти че си ги щракнал всичките в черно-бялата гама, любопитно ми беше как изглеждат в цвят…
Късмет Ванка и напред!
pepa
18 Feb 2010 @ 00:44
Аз се опитвах да следя маршрута в началото, докато беше на източния бряг, в Ушуая, но се отказах. Намерих някои езера, но не можех да намеря от коя страна на езерото се подвизава. Ако не го затрудняваме с това…
cmonster
17 Feb 2010 @ 22:41
Здравей Иване,
С голям интерес чета приключенията ти. Пътеписа ти е супер. Успоредно с това се опитвам да проследя маршрута ти в Google maps, но това не винаги е лесно т.к. не изписваш оригиналните имена на местата през които минаваш. Понякога по 10 мин ги търся щот ти криволичиш по картата като пияница след мощен запой. В случая се ориентирах по надписите, които си заснел. Сигурно ще си кажеш - мен дъжд ме вали тук, вятър ме духа, студ ме мъчи а тоя и удобства иска да му създавам :)). Но няма как братче, ти си си избрал тази съдба а ние тук пътуваме чрез теб. Драсвай ако може оригиналните имена на местата през които минаваш. Желая ти здраве и хубави приключения.
kolov
17 Feb 2010 @ 21:02
Анастас
17 Feb 2010 @ 20:14
Доста апокалиптично изглежда този Чайтен
Сашо
17 Feb 2010 @ 10:48
Сивата гама преобладава в темата…но живота има своиството винаги да продължава
pepa
16 Feb 2010 @ 20:58
Сигурно така изглежда края на света:)
Bear Grills
16 Feb 2010 @ 20:39
Яко. Напомня на чернобилския Припят.