Town Was DESTROYED by a Volcano… Then THIS Happened 😱 Ep.25

Good morning, salaam, namaste, sat sri akal, ram-ram ji.

Right now, we are in Chile and have reached the last part of the Carretera Austral. From here, we only need to ride about 60 km. After that, we will take a ferry and reach Puerto Montt, where the Carretera Austral officially ends.

We have two options. One is to take three small ferries and reach in stages. The other is to take one big ferry directly. The bigger one is a bit expensive, but it takes us straight there. With the smaller ferries, the timing is fixed, and you also need to take a lift between two points. There’s only a 15-minute window for vehicles to move 10 km, and I won’t be able to cycle that in 15 minutes. Then I would have to wait a whole day. So we’ll decide after reaching Chaitén, a small town ahead.

Last night we camped here. This is our tent, and Dhanu is standing there. Now I’ll pack everything up. After a long time, I had a very good sleep. Let me show you the view from here – it’s absolutely beautiful. Today there are some clouds. We may struggle a bit in these 50–60 km because strong winds are expected, and it may rain in the evening.

Look at this view – there’s a lake here, and all around are snow-covered mountains. The mountains in front also have snow, but they are hidden behind clouds right now. It’s stunning. I was sitting here until almost 2:00 am last night, just enjoying the silence and the view. These are the real joys of travelling on a cycle. If I were in a car, I would have simply passed by and never known what I was missing.

I’ll try to fly the drone, but the wind is strong. I won’t take a risk because earlier I already lost one drone in a lake. I woke up at 8:30 am today – didn’t even realise it was so late because of the tree shade and clouds. No direct sunlight, so I slept deeply.

Packing is done. I’m ready. I didn’t wash my clothes last night – that was a mistake. With all the sweating, they’re getting dirty. Since I’m riding only 50 km today, I’ll wash them later.

On the way, I met a cyclist I had seen earlier in Cochrane. Last time he wasn’t cycling; I met him in a hostel. Today he was on a bicycle. I asked him how he reached ahead of me. He said he came to Chaitén and hired a bicycle from there. Now he is heading south. He saw many people travelling by cycle and felt inspired to try it himself. He started yesterday from Chaitén and already looks tired today!

I’ve never seen so many cyclists anywhere else. Groups keep coming – four or five together. Many of them are girls. It’s impressive.

There’s a lake on one side and a river flowing out of it, so naturally there has to be a bridge. Look at this iron bridge – single lane. Only one side can cross at a time. They could have made it wider, but traffic here is only heavy for two or three months during tourist season. After that, it’s almost empty. Still, the bridge is beautifully built.

These flies here are very irritating. You can’t even stand still. Once they sit on you, they bite and it hurts. I’m also seeing the last glacier of this region. After this, I may not see glaciers again until I go much further north, maybe after a year or more. For the past five to six months, I’ve mostly been around ice and glaciers, so I’ve developed an emotional connection with them. This feels like saying goodbye.

I even saw a farmer riding a horse with four dogs. He must have gathered his sheep and cattle with their help. He was wearing a traditional local cap. People here feel happy seeing travellers.

The glacier ahead looks as if it’s coming directly onto the road. It’s so majestic. Our turn has come – we’ll take a left towards Chaitén. Only 27 km left. We haven’t booked the ferry ticket yet; we’ll do it there.

I had been looking at a glacier from about 10 km away and thought I would fly my drone when I got closer. But just before it, there’s an airstrip. Drones can’t be flown near airports. Also, a national park starts from here. There’s an entry ticket if you want to visit the glacier – a 20 km loop trail. It’s called Glacier El Amarillo.

The last 25 km will be tough because the wind will be head-on and strong. As you move closer to the sea, winds become stronger. No problem – even if it takes four hours instead of two, we’ll reach.

We found a nice spot to stop and cook. We still had rajma curry from yesterday; I just needed to make fresh rotis. I had to roast them directly on the gas because I threw away the frying pan earlier. Lunch is done, and everything is packed.

Since New Year, starting from Cochrane, I’ve covered 400 km. There’s an aeroplane placed here as an attraction. It crashed near the airport years ago, and they brought its body here. Now people stop for photos. It has become a tourist attraction.

Mountains are slowly ending now. After 510 km, the mountain region will finish, and the sea area will begin. Winds will grow stronger there. Only 15 km left to today’s target.

Four… three… two… one… done.

The mountains are gently sloping down towards the sea. The fourth one still has snow. The third has none. The second has almost flattened. And the last one seems to be standing there like a safety guard for us.

What a beautiful farewell from the mountains.

They have started welcoming us into Chaitén – so, welcome to Chaitén!

We reached at around 2:30 pm. By then, we had completed 55 km. Now I need to find either a camping site or a hostel. Before that, I will check the ferry tickets. If there were a ferry today, I would leave today itself. First, let me find the ferry terminal and check whether tickets are available. Otherwise, I will have to check online.

I have now entered the town. Let’s first go to the ferry office.

Here we are at the ferry office. I checked the booking. There is no ferry on Sunday. Today is Saturday, and there is no evening ferry. I got a ticket for tomorrow night. The ferry leaves at 1:00 am and reaches Puerto Montt around 8:00 or 9:00 am – it takes about 8–9 hours. The ticket cost around 80–90 dollars.

If I had not taken this direct ferry, I would have had to ride in stages and take three separate ferries. The problem is that two of those ferries run with only a 30-minute gap between them. It is almost impossible to cycle from one point to the other within that time. I would have had to wait an extra day. So I chose the direct ferry from Chaitén to Puerto Montt, which covers about 150–200 km by sea.

I had kept my passport inside my cycle bag, so I took it out and showed it for the booking.

Now I have reached a camping site. I will pitch my tent here tonight. It costs about ₹800 for one night. I have already been here for an hour, just sitting quietly near the sea. I did not even feel like taking out my phone or camera. I simply enjoyed the moment. It rained for a while, and everything is wet now.

This is a small camping site, but quite a few people are staying here.

I have now completed 1,050 km out of the 1,200 km of the Carretera Austral. The remaining 150 km will be covered by ferry instead of taking three smaller ferries. So we have completed the Carretera Austral peacefully. That calls for a small celebration. I went out and had a pizza. Vegetarian options are limited here, but pizza works.

Chaitén is a small town and quite different from the rest of the route. Every house here seems to be either a hostel or a restaurant. There is even a tsunami warning system installed. If a warning is issued, sirens connected by satellite will alert the entire town. This area is at risk of both volcanic activity and tsunamis.

I am back in my tent now. Let me show you how I sleep. I use a mattress, then my sleeping bag on top, and a small pillow. Sometimes I use extra support under the pillow while using my phone, then remove it before sleeping. It is lightly drizzling outside, so I cannot work properly. I can at least transfer data or upload stories on Instagram. You can find me there as cycle_baba.

It is 8:00 pm. Sunset will be around 10:00 pm, but I will rest early today.

Later at night, I packed up my tent because the ferry leaves at 1:00 am. There was no point paying for another full day at the campsite. It rained all night, but in the morning it dried up a bit, and I packed everything by around 11:00 am. I flew my drone for a while and then charged it.

Let me tell you something important about Chaitén. In 2008, there was a massive volcanic eruption here – the eruption of the Chaitén Volcano. Around 5,000 people were evacuated. Thankfully, there was no loss of life, but the town was heavily affected. Even today, volcanic activity continues. That is why you see so many clouds around the mountains – a mix of steam and cloud formation. A special geological team constantly monitors the area. This region remains on alert for both volcanic eruptions and tsunamis.

The Carretera Austral project started in 1976 from this region. In the park here, you can see volcanic stones displayed – rocks formed from volcanic ash and lava. There are statues of important naval and army officers as well.

I have now reached the final stretch of the Carretera Austral. Just 1–2 km more and I will reach the ferry terminal. It has been raining for the past two hours. The beach here is small and not very impressive, but the sea has already begun. The weather here is unpredictable – yesterday it was extremely hot, and today it is cold.

By 9:30 pm, I headed towards the ferry terminal. It opens around 11:00 pm. Many vehicles and bikers were already waiting. There are at least 20–25 bikes here. Since there is no road connection beyond this point, everyone depends on the ferry. Technically, it is Sunday night turning into Monday at 1:00 am when the ferry departs.

The ferry is double-layered. Trucks and heavy vehicles are loaded below, and passengers sit above. All vehicles are tightly secured with chains and hooks. Even bus tyres are strapped firmly.

I was given seat number 27. There are rows and rows of seats, all fully occupied.

After 8–9 hours at sea, we reached Puerto Montt around 10:00 am. Finally, I feel like I have entered a proper South American city. Colourful buildings, cruise ships, coffee trucks, even railway engines nearby. For the past 3–4 months – since early October when I went to Antarctica – I have mostly been surrounded by mountains and nature. Now I am back among people and cities. From here, the real game begins.

I was also advised to be careful around bus stands, as petty theft can happen here. Until now, I could leave Dhanu anywhere without worry. From here onwards, I need to stay alert.

So friends, we have reached Puerto Montt. The Carretera Austral starts here and ends here. Out of the 1,200 km, I cycled about 1,050 km. Around 40 km earlier I had taken a lift due to a closed road, and about 150–160 km were covered by this ferry.

Now a new journey will begin from here.

With that, I end today’s video. We will meet again in the next one. Until then, stay happy, stay busy, stay cheerful and stay healthy.

Jai Hind, Jai Bharat.