Archives for September 2020

I need to pose some questions to the On The Road peeps:

• How would you feel about moving After Dark from 10pm to midnight?
• Would that work just as well for most of you?
• Work better for some of you?
• Would it eliminate After Dark as something you read at the end of the day?
• Would you only see the midnight After Dark in the morning along with the regular On The Road?
• Anything else I should be asking related to a time change?

Please answer in the comments.  Thank you!  ~WaterGirl

lashonharangue in Chile

Continuing south from Ventisquero Yelcho we took a short detour off the Carretera Austral to Futaleufú. This is a small town that has become an adventure destination for white water thrill seekers from around the world. Since we didn’t fit that demographic, after a night stay in a cabaña we headed back to the Carretera Austral and made our way to the tiny port town of Raúl Marín Balmaceda. 

Unfortunately that involved a ferry crossing in the smallest vessel of our trip. Unlike the others it was not roll on roll off. It had only one ramp. The ferry had room for just one other truck and our SUV. There was no place to turn the car around near the ferry ramp. I had to turn around about 200 feet up the hill, and back down onto the ferry using the side mirrors (the back was filled with our gear). I managed after several attempts that included some jerky stalls trying to work the clutch.

When we didn’t want to camp we usually found a hotel or cabaña using the internet and Bookings.com. We have a neat wifi hotspot device that we pay a flat fee for cellular based internet access regardless of carrier or country we are in.  

We arrived in Raúl Marín Balmaceda and it was pouring rain. The village is built on a sand bluff above the surrounding water. It had about four streets and none seemed more than about three blocks long. Unfortunately there is no cell service there and we had no reservation. We started driving around looking for a lodging sign and saw a man walking down the street. In our broken Spanish we asked about where to stay. It turned out he had a lovely cabaña available next door to his house. Yay!

On The Road After Dark – lashonharangue – Southern Chile Road Trip Part 3Post + Comments (34)

Raúl Marín BalmacedaDecember 10, 2018

The next day the weather had cleared. We and another couple took a nature tour in a small boat with a local guide. His English was very limited but my understanding was he had been mostly living off the land until the road and tourism had recently arrived. The boat drove around the estuary and we spotted lots of animals.