10) Salut.
Here follows my accounts from the second half or so of Chile to arrival in
ARGENTINA:
(16th July cont'nd):
My was I glad to have made the right decision to leave Antofagasta the same day of arrival... for some reason, the moment I got off the bus I didn't get one good vibe about the place - seemed creepy, smelly, dirty, noisy, depressing... As I touched on in the last chapter, I merely strolled around the central grid as far as the port..apparently there is a worthy arch several Ks out of the city but I couldn't be arsed to go that far..... full stop!
(17th): Accordingly I jumped on a night bus service to La Serena, arriving at 9am here....To my delight I felt at home there...a new region again, it was characterised by much greenery, a mild temperature, a nice town centre with normal people busying around.... becoming a lot more Europeanafied now... it's still in northern Chile considering how long and slim the country is.
To elaborte, the nation is divided into 12 named regions, of which one can subdivide into the north x 2, middle / lake district and south/patagonia with tierra del fuego(antartica gateway) as a little extra chunk........
Bakck to the thread..............In La Serena, the huge arid Atacama desert has finally come to and end! There was a handy tourist info kiosko at the terminal which I made great use of first thing in the morn.....managed to select a commendable accommodation option and accumulated all info regarding sights, maps and tours available as feasible within my 3 day limit. Initially I made meself comfy at the home... again very similar in nature to the Iquique crazy family-run place....beats it on all fronts other than absence of wacky guests...this sweet cute old couple (so not "Chilean"-like in appearance hence almost British grandparent material) take in Chilean uni students and foreign exchange students/teachers alike all year through and now recently toursity muppets like moi....Husband reminds me of Papa Joe from Charlie and Chocolate factory or Pinochio's "father" lol.....so yes, they have communal lounge and dining room with kitchen use facilities and really nice boiling hot powerful showers and fully functioning electrics etc... tranquil also as outside the busy centre...
They were interested in my travels and tales.... then they prepared for me a posh biscuit and coffee late brekkie and brought it to my room on a tray!!! bless 'em lordie....Also they weren't as pushy to organise tours and have payment up front like Germans... Once freshened up, I made my way into town (no rest for the wicked) and proper Japanese style, used my map like a bible and took loadsa snaps of the square, buildings, churches, parks (one of which was a beautiful japanese style botanical and ornamental garden with water flowing in etc.... peaceful with swans, stone lanterns and all that.....garden was made to strengthen commercial and cultural affiliations with Japan and this twin city of La Serena... unusual but nice)....
what more? Arts and Crafts market, shopping mall.... did the lot... as the following day I had booked myself on an all day combo excursion entailing the Elqui valley and this star & planet watch at night from observatory tower thing.... Then the following day I planned to spend going out of the city and to neighborouring districts, one whose architecture ressembles English style...... had to do it all there and then!
Had this cool cheapo local typical dinner at this restaurant overlooking an arts and crafts plaza.. the barman/waitor was crazy and an eager foreign lingo learner so he was coming out with all these phrases in english french and spanish alike.... has a whole wall dedicated purely to photos of guests dining there over the years.. very chatty chap! That saw me through the evening alright..
18th: my 15hour wicked tour of the valley of Elqui and Mamalluca astrological research and observation centre at night.... day started by being picked up in minibus from accommodation and beginning our guided drive into the depths of the valley with various stops on the way. First main one was at this enormous Papaya and Chirimoya plantation (THE region of the mentioned fruit cultivation in Chile). With harvesting season near (August), we were able to grab a few of the fruit of the vines and sample them direct...quite mature so very sweet and tasty..more so than papaya as a juice fruit which tastes like vomit in my opinion...tis rather acidic for me and not yummy. we then progressed to the sales counter and had a roam around.....
Aboard the bus was a French Polynesian couple form the Island of Tahiti (near Fiji) as well as an old Chilean couple on vacation from the south and then 2 crazy Colombian girls (Emilia and Yasmin) now living and working here. So a nice number & mix.....
A second noteworthy stop was at this dam..... the rivers that flow through the valley (more like streams at best), are so weak that they built this dam to act as a reservoir to suppy the region with the water needed year round ie irrigation and for consumption. lovely area... by this time the sun was incredibly strong and no wind.... this is winter time too! Thirdly. we had a walking guided tour of the country's prime Pisco factory...
like brandy or whisky I guess but made from grapes, processed as one would for wine initially then transofrmed into Pisco somehow....Chilean guide was speaking so fast and with poor diction I had trouble to follow plot like man..
So we saw all the funnels and cannisters used for each key stage in the fermenting and distilling then bottling process in the factory along high tech conveyor belts and all that...stank to high heavens..some people faint apparently lol! drunk on air and oxygen-starved. easy way to get high eh.. To top all this off, we had a mini sampling sesh...goodness knows which of the dozen or so varieties I tried. Tasted good all the same. most important part of course.... Finally, we had the opportunity to purchase some freshly bottled items.. Due to practical reasons, I only took 3 miniatures away too add to my ever-increasing baggage... After an intense morning, our appetite was finally quenched in this small town Paihuano: 3 course average meal. Following on, we stopped off at Montegrande... and had some minutes to stroll around the tiny village centre......ending up in the old house/school where a Nobel Peace Prize winner lived her name is Gabriela Mistral. v famous.
Several Ks on, we had again another walk..in Vicuna.... larger but still not much going on there...main attraction is surroundings and the peaceful atmosphere. Here our day tour ended and most of the crew had free time to spend eating and wondering more before our night outing to Mamalluca.
At 8pm, we were picked up to climb 1000m above sea level to the peak of the town where this famous astronomical centre is based. The skies were incredibly clear and still with stars littered everywhere so we were lucky... Come 10pm we had a short but incredibly informative and enlightening presentation about the centre, the stars and planets and moons one can see plus a power point interactive explanation of how the galaxy operates and that. Wow! From there, we were sub-grouped into smaller parties and each had their own designated guide... we first went out to one huge telescope whose mirror is only 30cm in diameter but incredibly strong... using this bright illuminous green light, our dude indicated the various stars, constellations, planet Jupiter and 2 galaxies (looking like streams of cloud in distance)...then one by one, we had a clsoer look through the scope at the above-mentioned, individually... though they were merely amplified let's say, still impressive.... Jupiter was vivid from the other stars, we saw the southern cross, scorption, sagittarious thing, 4 moons orbiting Jupiter and 2 neighbouring galaxies, recognisable as long thin streams of cloud.... the 2 curved arms of the milky way were also notable! never seen anything so clear. Our turn then came to go up to the mamma telescope and view more stuff. proper revolving domes and zoom lenses etc.. def worth every penny in my opinion.
Returned at midnight to the hostel and was absolutely wacked. Turned dwon offer to go to Casino.
19th: inevitably I lay in and around middday arrived at the neighbouring city, the 4th region's capital, Coquimbo. only 15minutes bus ride out of La Serena. Despite conflicting opinions as to how nice the place was, I was pleasantly surprised and set about exploring. Went to the mirador first
....and after a sweaty steep climb up to one of the many hills, I arrived at the Cruz del Tercer Milenio (3rd milenium cross)...close up, an ugly concrete plain imposing cross, but from far and at night with illumination, a wonderful 360o panaormaic view from lifts. Didn't wana pay the entrance fee to go up, so just observed the city from above at the first level. Could see church spires, the coast line as far as La Serena amongst other things. Kinda got lost moping around the isolated hilltop communities along windy dirt tracks and got scared by barking ill-looking dogs...........
but eventually came back down to earth and from there headed in the direction of the English quarter or Barrio Ingles. Self-explanatory from its title, the English architecture is evident. The couple of squares and several blocks were done up in 2004. 0rigin of the stlye comes from Sir Frances Drake who embarked here on his sails in 16th century?.......... area is scattered with pubs and houses like those in Oliver Twist I guess...Notting Hill area maybe?.
Then I walked further along the coastline as fas as the Coquimbo fort (Fuerte de Coquimbo). quite small and plaint but effective. nice sound of the waves crushign against the rocks and all.
After 5 hours of touring I made my way back to La Serena and checked out of the residencial. Had to pass 7 hours though as night bus leaving at 1am... decided on cinema and saw a film called Poseidon.....very short and not that gripping so not overly impressed....less romantic version of Titanic lol....
20th: As dreaded, my night bus to Valparaiso (Valpo) was somewhat delayed with one of the more dodgy companies. Nonetheless, we set one our ways and safely arrived there at breakie time. Went to the first party-type hostal the Lonely Planet recommended (El Yoyo) like and woke one of the several wacky "administrators" up who went promptly back to bed...Likewise, I crashed out in a dorm til noon.
Awake, I rang Em & Yaz, those Colombian chicks I went on tour with and since they had already arrived and were beginning their sight-seeing, I joined them. We did a tiring city walking tour - highlights were the many different ships docked in the port and harbour ranging from passenger and cargo ferries to imposing massive second hand jobbies (British bought ships used in Falklands)...
All impressive... Emilia bargained us a little power boat private tour round the harbour to get close up. Another famous thing Valpo boasts is its numerous external lifts climbing diagonally up the sides of its many hillsides. We went for Concepcion, the oldest and best allegedly. From the top we got a nice birds' eye view of the port area of the city though the skies were ominously grey. Lunch was another thumbs up - bussed it to one of the beachfronts and were recommended a delicious seafood resto. To end our outing, we passed through the main assests of they city eg parks, squares, arts and crafts fair, and went inside the remarkable cathedral. Since it was Yasmin's birthday that day, she decided to go out on the lash naturally.
We parted company and I got merry at my hostal amidst the party atmosphere before meeting up again.The hostal ppl were even cooking a BBQ on the street side which was authentic. Being a Friday night and all in this vibrant student city, we thought it best to go out lateish....mistake: first call was a write-off : landed in this posh coupley showoff salsa/jazz club with 2 different rooms and table service. After sitting down at a table moping and watching the pro's at it ie feeling inferior and out of place, we headed out for somewhere more happening. The other recommended place had a ridiculous queue so we headed for somewhere else. La Torre it was: evidently a rowdy immature student night with unique clientele. We blagged it as ignornat foreigners and were shown in. Cover charge was equivalent of 2quid but we were EACH given a free 1.5l of beer lol.?! nonsense! Music was typically studenty with the latino reggatone appearing amongst the cheese and dance. Had fun boogying but was a meat market scene.
21st: taxi guided tour of Valpo's highlands and neighbouring Laguna Verde.
Rather than coughing up ripoff amounts for a tour, the 3 of us outlined our preferences and negotiated a fixed price for a 2hour or so guided ride around the city's outskirts. We scaled the hills, stopped at miradores to appreciate the view, drove along the windy and steep coastline towards Laguna Verde, a semi isolated beach town with no tourism at this time of year.... After the girls had got their shoes and socks wet due to strong unforseeable brisk tidal movements, we were dropped off in a high neighbourhood in Valpo where we would descend gradually, freestyle. On the way, we thought it only right to stop off at Pablo Neruda's house (one of 3 famous houses). This gentleman is a famous poet, writer and multi-international ambassador/political figure who was loved and admired by many in his time...Friends with likes of Picasso. Today, his old house La Sebastiana, very much still in its orignal ship-like form with magnificant view of city, is a musem open to general public. Cool.
Another late fish lunch was eaten at a restaurant beside the one we ate at the previous day haha. Come 5pm, we headed for the cities only true traditional vertical lift, Polanko, accessed via a tunnel carved through the rockface. From the heights, we scanned the skies taking in the silhouettes of the hills in the distance, the many multicoloured houses and the sea extending out...... In the eve, we had heard talk of an Easter Island party or Fiesta Pasquense, going on at a jetty. Our premature arrival at the gig was in vain but proved interesting while it lasted.... the 2 separate indigenous groups were only seting up stage and warming up instruments and voices but we heard a few tunes for free and saw an OHP video of the island's customs and scenery. Bored stiff by midnight and tired, we decided to get outta there.
22nd: made tracks to Vina Del Mar, Valparaiso's neighbouring huge city just 10minutes along the coastline. Me and Las Colombianas made our way there via overland train service and got off in a very different environment. Vina is much more elegant, expensive, green, quiet, residential and pretty much FLAT. Different also in the sense of scenery - rather than industial, naval, busy Valpo, Vina is commercial, cosmo and cultural. Knowing the steep prices of accommodation, we went straight to tourist office and ended up in this cushty hotel with Argentinian owners. Had tripple room with private bath which didnt work out that much more than the norm when split equally so yay hosay! Brekkie incl. and gorgeous shower and cable TV.
For they day, nothing much was planned but we called off at la Quinta Vergara landscape park inside which is found the huge permanent stage for the famous music festival held annually in March. Besides that, there are huge labelled trees planted from all corners of the world from New Z to US and a palace type residence now home to a museum. Can see why Jesse (American dude I meant in Iquique, north Chile) loves the place so much ...chilling and reading in park. (Incidentally, there was no news of his return to his student exchange town, so no possibility of meeting up to get to experience the student nightlife grr.) Had aaaaaaanother late luncheon - cheap mixed grill meal including a scummy "blood pudding" chunk. The girls then got a little carried away with selves and decided we were all going to go on a pointless short horse and trap ride through the main avenues leading over the bridge towards the seafront....chilly to in the back! Think was just due to novelty of whole thing. After getting a glimpse of the main landmarks and all, we made it for the shopping mall parade....for some reason I was itching to go back to the cinema again and so parted ways breifly from ma bitches and saw the over-rated Pirates Of Caribbean II while Em and Yaz shopped till dropped. That night there ended up being 2 more colombian females sleeping in our room....No, they were friends of the girls' so we ended up being in a mixed drom based setting after all haha. Was great!
23rd: Brekkie virtually served to bed.... had it brought in to our room on trays if you please...very formal lol....cheap luxury i say... had some yummy chicken paste paté thing on bread amongst other things. impressed. A lazy Sunday started off witha visit to the Fonck museum. Really enjoyed it considering how museum-orientated I am normally..... was a diverse and informative museum dedicated to revealing the archeaology, customs, flora and fauna of Rapu Nui (Easter Isle a flight away in the Pacific off Middle Chile)......stuff on show ranged from scarily life-like stuffed native mammals, birds, insects ranging from siamese lambs to spiders and jaguars..... Finally, the sun was shining so we grabbed the opportunity to take another of our personally programmed taxi circuit tours....well the Colombians did all the talking and organising.
We got a 3.5hour comprehensive tour of Vina and its neighbouring towns for the same price as our Valpo one. Baaargain! The itinerary consisted of many stop-offs: First up was the sport club bearing traits of English style eg cricket pavillion type architecture, horse race track and athletics field. Then we drove up a hill to a watchpoint from where the curvy coastline and central Vina could be admired.....even Valpo in the distance.
The skies were now clear which made all the diff....next brief stop was at Estadio Sausato and its adjacent Laguna on whch stands a flating disco...all different and noteworthy sights adding to Vina's prestige. From here, our tour took us out of the city and along two pretty coastal towns: Renaca had a long strip of coastline with sandy swimming beaches and purely restaurants side by side for a whole stretch on the main road, then Concon further out was even more quiet and exposed with nice jaggered volcanic rocks. Heading back towards Vina, we got off to browse a beachside temporary arts and crafts market set up on the green promenade. Our tour ended at the Reloj de Flores, a clock carved out of bushes and flowers.
Feeling weary and in need of saving a little, we all agreed on buying ourselves a nice carton of chilean table wine and some crisps and made full use of our cable TV facilities back at the hotel ie watching movie in our jamas (pretty decent "Enemy in the House" with John Travolta).
24th: boarded a Santiago bound bus and arrived to the smog and clouds of the capital an hour and half later in a chaotic bus terminal......Colombinas ended their journey here as had to return to work in Curico so I wished them well...... checked straight in to the Casa Roja hostel no hesitation...everyone raves about it and it's always full. Though a bit over-priced, it certainly compensates with facilities and services - huge communal kitchen with 3 of everything like, separate dining hall, passages and halls with seating areas, Tv, ping pong, annexed travel agency, nice unisex toilet/shower blocks, cheap nice full brekkie and spacious comfy dorm beds....what more could a backpacker wish for?!
By the time I had dumped gear and check in, I wasn't too motivated to go explore the city that afternoon, espcially since it was a Monday ie museums and touristy shit all closed completely as if Sunday. What I did manage to achieve was basically a once over of the main square and beautiful cathedral, obtain a map and info from tourist office, stroll the pdestrain arcades and catch a glimpse of some other governmental and judiaical buildings...only a fraction of Satnaigo. All very European-American in style and feel. I was really surprised just how much influence there was. Certainly didn't feel as if I were in Chile as I knew it before. Distances were pretty long though so I ended up returning via the clean and effective metro.....Just as I was about to enter the hostel, I bumped into Steve (other guy I met in Iquique and then again in San Pedro)...Chatted for a while and caught up before plonking our butts down in front of Tv to watch an entertaining Miss Universe final.
25th: Having put my name down to go skiing in Los Andes the night before, the conditions were extreme so was unable to go skiing that day in one of the countries best resorts (La Nevada). Snow was falling like soldiers on a world war battlefield thus the road was closed down goin up the mountains. In drizzle and cloud and nippy temperatures, I compromised by doing a self-planed once over walking tour of some of the capital's landmarks. The day started by climbing Cerro Santa Lucia (hill). I had the pleasure of seeing the capital as a faint ghost city but the overall picture was good eg skyscrapers, outlines of mountains....The green hill with a small plaza, several statues, mini waterfalls inside, is randomly plonked just east of the city centre so it was a little weird. Surely a nice refuge on a busy sunny working day at lunchtime. Completely deserted of course as raining but I was determined to give the city justice.
Secondly, I visited another of Pablo Neruda's houses "La Chascona" in the Bellavista barrio - a district defined by nice cafes, restaurants, bright buildings....... The other side of the Mapocho river bisecting the city, it was just as impressive as the Valparaiso house, very narrow, creeking floors inclined and carved like a ship's deck with winding staircases and collections of all description. After the guided tour, I made my way to the nearby Parque Metropolitano set on a another huge mound, the largest open space in the city. That afternoon I had booked myself in for a wine tasting session at a renowned vineyard several dozens of Ks outside Santiago. To pass the time, I had a look at the national zoo within the park's confines.
Contrary to other gringo's impressions, I thought it was great..... Animals from all corners of the globe side by side whose enclosures gradually followed the hill up on several platforms.Was rushed for time so didn't get to see it all but took pics of polar bears, sea lions, camels, elephants, hippos, lions, kangaroos you name it.... Aall right in the heart of the country's smog-ridden and noisy capital, but sufficiently distanced and in adequate surroundings....There was this huge multistorey bird cage sanctuary with natural flora in it... Was as if the birds were flying free over the city... the range of birds would have satisfied the avid birdwatcher for sure.
So in the aftee, I jumped on the user-friendly metro and headed for the "Concha Y Toro" winery. I had underestimated the timings and distances somewhat so I got to the last train station when I should have been starting my tour. The connecting bus service made me half an hour late so I switched to a tour in Spanish.....The outing consisted of a video presentation on the area, country's wine products and areas of grape cultivation etc and history of this particular vineyard...
before tasting one fine red wine in the proper manner... 3 distinct stages:
(1) hold the glass properly and swirl the wine to expose the flavours for 10mins after a bottle has been freshly opened - oxidation and all this lark...... (2) slant the glass 45degrees adn observe the colouring and reflection of the wine and smell to get acquainted with its properties. (3) taste...... we couldn't really go walkabout as it was boggy and drizzling still so had this done under cover opposite the grounds. Tooka photo or two of the vineyard from a distance but nothing more.
After the first tasting session, we were given the wine glass as a souvenir and proceded inside to the storage area where the different barrels were found from varying harvests....then came an explanation of the difference in use of the French and American style barrles with differnt wood and lengths of use and ageing to obtain naturally different smells and tastes eg vanilla, chocolate, cherry..... From here we had aour second red taster...generous third of a glass in fact.... very different from the first one but fine all the same. Thirdly we made our way to the cellars where we had a more in depth talk about the area and it's history including a non-scary overhead narration about a dark legend/myth. Our excursion ended with the chance to try more varieties at a posh bar, at a price of course.... tapas and chocolates were also on offer but I declined. Similarly, the staff in the shop were very keen to sell off their pricy bottles of varying sizes, types and years..... I was content with my glass and thought I could always buy a cheapo bottle from a local supermarket bearing the winery's label at least!
Travelling back to the hostel in the dusk, I had an intersting encounter with a local delinquant. In the main square, I was chomping away at a pastie (empanada), when this foolish teenager who looked either simple-minded, drunk or rude, suddenly demanded it off me....literally said "give me it" not in threatening manner though. thought that funny so just handed it over half eate. the cheek!
Wondering what constructive activiy I could do that evening, I stopped by at the municipal theatre asking after productions currently on. not tempted by the ballet, I saw posters advertising the Lord of the Dance......... unfortunately, this had ended the weekend before at the stadium's arena stage..would have been spectacular.... Ended up getting takeaway Domino's pizza with English Steve and sitting in front of the TV again.....very original but needed the rest. My main concern was to assure my ascent to the ski resort the next day or the day after.... with weather condiditons still very unfavourable and hardly any names on list interested, I weighed up my options and decided to go with the hostel on the Thursday 27th, my last day in the capital...rather than organising it solo and risking disappointment. The weather was due to clear up Thursday and thought may as well go up with company from the hostel. Had all kit ready to go and all.....
26th: hmmmmmm a second day wonering around another chunk of the capital in the RAIN and cold......this time round though, I certainly exploited the metro network and used it at every chance lol. I awoke to the news that the road to the better ski slope was still closed and it was still snowing heavily thus not good for recreational use. Glad......the sights I got in included the O'Higgins Park where the stadium is, a small theme park and walking circuits. everything was semi waterlogged so this wasn't bright of me....
Following on, I discovered the judicial/admin/governemtnal ministery area of La Moneda..... saw the oddly shaped stock exchange thing, the governemtnal palace, and different ministery buildings. Very European like here with soldiers patrolling round... Pm: went back to the municipal park zone to TRY to see some of its vast area beyond the zoo..... had no choice but to take up the wagon-type diagonal lift straight to the summit rather high up... then at least could walk around up there and try to come down on foot. The mist was thick and the rain constant so only saw a church, huge statue of the virgin visible from street level, and a faint panaorama of the city, river and mountains. Again, definitely superb on a fine day but not for stubborn me!
At 680m up with a helter skelter type main road descent down, I opted for the cable car route down to another side of the hill.....there was so much more to see eg botanical gardens, park, waterfalls, plazas, but just was not feasible...... the cable car ride was merely serving as transport as the windows were misted over with rain drops on the glass...with the thick vegetation and trees I scraped past, it didn't seem as if I was in a huge smog-ridden capital city. It took a good 20minutes to get down again and I ended up in the middle of nowhere lol.... my map didn't reach this zone so I followed intuition and attempted to find way back to the centre.... I was in a rich district, full of small cul-de-sacs and semi detached decent housing with lamps on streets, green patches and little traffic. Again, starkly different form the centre. It was a good way to unintentionally get a feel for this neighbourhood lol.....
Sure enough, found way back to main avenues before long and from there went to the general cemetery and central market to finish off my circuit. Well, the cementery was nothing like anything I had even seen before..... each family had their own plot dedicated to their deceased but it wasn't just a family coffin spot... No, they each have this locked up ornate religious hut building thing like a mini sanctuary wth flowers and decorations around. inside are resting several members of the family...looks v posh an expensive but guess they just v religious. So by the time I had returend t the hostel I was pretty soaked but glad I had done the basics just to say so lol. Felt rather in need of socialising that night so went out in the local Brasil district to a couple of bars and bought a couple of 1.5l bottles of beer..... no time to eat but we seemed to be served salty popcorn by default for each round. odd but welcomed as substitue for tea. Then we made a trip to the offy and took home some beverages to the hostel.... then came the task of packing!
27th: Well I must have got rather merry as the following morning I couldn't remember paying for my ski hire and woke with a headache, dehydrated and all......... The day was crystal clear, sun shining and heat pleasant.. no clouds in sight or smog so the city had a whole differnt feel to it upon sunrise at 6am ish... pretty actually... mountains surrounding it on all corners..... left for ski resort at 7am and was snoozing in the minibus, half taking in the sights around us on our climb up to the mountains. had to put chains on the bus half way up as the roads were still being cleared of the inches deep snow that had been falling the two days before. was rather dodgy but made it up fine... the roadway to La Nevada was gonna be shut until lunchtime so in the end we had to settle for La Parva resort next door after all...second best out of 3 apparently.
The drinking and lack of sleep took its toll on me as I wasn't motivated to spend a whole day on the slopes being the beginner-intermediate I am. From what I could gather, the runs were quite good but I only succeeded in spending the morning slot pathetically descending a couple of slopes, stopping to take photos more than get into the skiing part *ehem*.....had. a couple of falls and a very near full speed collision (brushed against me) with some clumsy crazy Chilean trying to cut ahead of me..... chilled with some of the group in the restaurant for the rest of the day reading, chilling, chatting and in front of fire......glad I made it in the end but not in the best conditions or situation lol.... reminded me of skiing in Sierra Nevada, Spain near Granada two years ago.... Also, didn't wanna over do it since had the joy of travelling 11 hours south to the lake district in middle Chile that night on night bus.... What I deemed ample time to get to hostel, freshen up and get to bus station on metro turned out to be a mad rush..... the return trip back to Santiago took like 3 and half hours since the roads were chocka with traffic and we often came to a grinding halt on the mountain hills in the pitch black. o wel.
28th: The night bus was the best yet "semi bed executive" class, but it was a vvvvv cold ride.....when I arrived in Pucon, I was amazed to see clear skies and no rain......seemed to be havin a lucky run of good weather against the odds of the season... pure rain, cold, wind.... the town was very very pretty.. tranquil.... reminded me of swiss, german or french country hamlets..... basic centre grid of streets and all the village like shops with a bias towards tour agencies of course.... the country-like housing had smoke coming from chimeneys and all that... got a real winter wonderland feel for the area after wondering around the nippy centre for a whole hour with accommodation lists, I landed right on my feet and this sweet lady's house with guest rooms for lodging.. very helpful, non business like appraoch.. chatted away about the area and all that. very interested in my travels. genuinely friendly.. room was like a box but cosy. had kitchen facilities, gas heated shower, and good company.. no more needed. Aga powered by wood as fuel. very authentic and rustic... was only 5mins walk from the stunning lake Villarica...
Had tried to get the seemingly cheapest accommodatoin on offer but by no means the most basic digs (house right on shore with full ammenities?!), but no one answered. I was more than content to have the reception I got and the company of 1 other gringo at my place. even got discount for being a non chilean traveller. peak season is THEIR summer hols ie DEC-JAN so all good.
Pondering over and over exactly how long to hang around in this picturesque town...weighing up time factors, potential weather hazards and money issues.... priority was to find out weather forecast and check out tour options since the area has sooo much to offer...... went to a couple of agencies who had rip off prices, but in the end I was grabbed by one company offering a special combo tour 2 for price of 1: tour of the zone in bus followed by sunset bathing in natural hot springs (termas)....was practical so didn't hesitate to jump aboard.... we got a short guided tour of the surrounding countryside of Pucon including several smaller lakes, 2 interlocking rivers (Turbio & Trancura), Ojos de Caburga (several streams of water entering a common pool) and many cascades/rapids on the rivers ideal for hardcore rafters. We finished up at the Caburga lake behind which reside the country's A-list celebs include the president... The lake has natural beachs but now in winter the tide level has covered them considerable. interesting.
The imposing white-covered but active and smoking Volcan Villarica (Volcano) could be seen from differnt angles inthe near distance. Strange contrast of pumping smoke seeming to come from a white-covered cone-shaped mountain in between purely green landscape. Weird. Knew I was going to overstay my allocated time there but didn't mind it one bit! Though the wind was strong and nippy, one didn't notice it at all in awe! From there we headed to the hot springs or thermal pools, very rustic and varying in temperatures considerably..
all water coming down from the mountains so fresh as. This was the ideal way to chill out after a hectic time in Santiago and an overnight bus.... got inside one external pool which was like 50 degrees no joke. took me 10 whole mins to get in and then couldn't move for fear of scolding. was nice stationary though. The other pools were warm and luke warm, 2 covered pools and 2 external muddy/gritty hole type excavations lol. loved it! stars were appearing as the sun set which added to the experience. All worth it after all. Wound down well then got early night.
29th: No rest for wicked attitude....enrolled the same night with same company to climb the massive Volcan Villarica for a rather expensive fee... Though we were glad to have been blessed with the sun and no rain, the conditions proved too treacherous like.... a third of the way up the mountin mid morning, still within the confines of the ski resort (chairlifts almost around us etc though resort closed), we just had to head back.... were kitted out like men climbing Everest with poles, ice axe, goggles, waterproofs and layers of clothing and ample food, we had lived a little of the experience at least... The winds were beyond gale force, and we had approached the main ascent to the crater with steeper slopes and inches and inches of snow to contend with as well.. Visibility was poor, snow was swirling everywhere and the wind was biting..it was hard to stay upright.... all other agencies had decided the same so no one could reach the summit that day.. peace of mind haha!!! There was a good 5 hours climbing left to do so we would have rached the summit beyond the cut-off point of 3pm anyhow....crazy! soooo instead we took time climbing down and took many photos of the area and volcano .impressive topography.
No refunds available of course so we agreed to stick around at the foot and myself, a fearful Irish lass Sarah and a Chilean bloke Gonzalo built snowmen and continued to wonder around in our gear etc... bit disappointed but glad to be back to the ground. By the way, the active volcano has apparently been long overdue an explosion but the warning scale indicator is at low right now!?!?! don't know how reliable this may be lol! Even though we only got a third of the way up, I was shattered from all this malarky....... later that afternoon I wondered around the centre of Pucon some more and bumped into the 2 english guys I wenton the pampas/savanna tour with in Bolivia lol.... Ian and Taz had been in Pucon for a few days and had bypassed most of Chile hence our random meeting... They mentioned they were going to the Huerquehue National Park the next day, another of the main highlights of the area.... Conscient I should really leave the next day in the evening latest, I ended up deciding to go with them and booking my bus to Puerto Montt. Night I just ended up taking refuge in the house and chatted to my fellow resident, an erratic German girl..... that was nice enough of course....
30th: after a short bus ride to the park entrance, the three of us Brits went off exploring on a trail alone instead of hiring a guide. we were informed at the entrance that due to the weather of course, most of the park was inacessible (snow-covered)...that was fine for me as I could only spend 5 hours max in the confines which was enough.....we took the 7km "3 lakes path" which began in woodland/forest areas then led into wet boggy land and finally up windy narrow passages clearly identifable form the clearing work done by the rangers. Felt like we were in the Chronicles of Narnia/The Snowman film with branches and leaves with snow or frost on everywhere...dodgying around and ducking below all this.... very slippery also....
The highlights were 2 waterfalls and 2 watchpoint openings allowing panoramas. I knew I wouldn't reach the end of the only open path within 3 hours in time to catch the bus 2hours later, so we went more slowly than some other groups.... the waterfalls were powerful and beautiful.... one had smaller waterfalls entering pools then a main one crushing down and spraying us..... from the watchpoints the whole width of the lake and surrounding landscape were visible as was the volcano in the distant background... an ideal painting opportunity for the keen artist...precious!
After chomping at lunch quickly, I said my second goodbye to the English couple and scarpered back to the beginning... Had 2 hours to kill in Pucon before transfer down to Puerto Montt so I walked the shore of Lake Villarica and took more photos....activities weren't going on so it was nice to see it "unspoilt". Spent the last bit of time with the host family who I was sad to leave frankly.... the woman reminded me of my great aunty Mary visually!
6 hours later, I arrived in P.Montt, the end of the Lake District and gateway to northern Chilean Patagonia alike... here the mainland splits into the Island of Chiloe etc and other islands on the pacific side and the Carretera Austral starts benneath P.Montt. At 10pm, the port town was damn cold...... had been recommended a hostel form the Pucon lady so I just taxied it there not taking chances. Aaparently fake hostal-promoting folk linger around the terminal and take you out to remote areas and the rest is left for the imagination.....Was greeted by this posh but crazy (originally Buenos Aires born lady) who asked me to take off shoes and gave me sandals to wear as if I were in a German household etc... upstairs I had my bed with electric blanket waiting for me.... niiiiice treat not rejected.....
31st: Awoke unsure what to expect from the town in terms of weather or things to do......... spoke with the landlady and weighed up options... she had 2 cute but hyper dogs - mother & daughter dancing champions apparently... many photos of them around the kitchen and they were spoilt rotten.... Shakira and Cookie they were...
Anyway, I heard there was a 10hour boat leaving that lunchtime for Chaiten on the Carretera Austral....otherwise I could get a bus straight to Bariloche, Argentina...or stick around... The weather was still pretty fair despite forecast for rain/snow/wind/cold so I jumped on the ferry without thinking too mch about it..... Was the only foreigner aboard the pretty reasonable car ferry and had a good seat... mainly went on it to defy nature and say I had been to Chilean Patagonia in the heigh of their winter whilst the UK had been "suffering/revelling" in a long-lasting heat wave lol...... knew transport from isolated Chaiten to the bordering town of Futaleufu wouldn't be daily and heavily weather/demand dependent but wasn't bothered at this stage.... Hmm....... was happily exploring the decks and taking in the coastal and insular scenery...
As the ugly and boring Puerto Montt/Chilean mainland faded in the distance, soon came blocks of land to the left and right of the ship.... headlands of Chiloe Island could be made out half way along the journey with mountains appearing inbetween the green mounds.....sunset was a great orange/purple over towards the Chiloe direction. Had onboard refreshments and TV and 2 nice Chilean girls to ask advice from....... Got to Chaiten at 10pm and immediately felt the sub zero welcome....-15oC? luckily enough the deal is that free public minibuses drive down to collect passengers arriving from north and drop off northbound passengers alike.. so I just jumped in 1 van and headed to his home....again a great family set up in Hospedaje Anita...... had my own small box wooden room in the attic...was glad to be indoors....Anita has 4 teenage kids and was putting up other national folk when I got there so I was just an addition to the whole affair... Her kitchen had an aga in it and all, so was loving it. Didn't takew long to take shelter in my bed. Slightly antisocial but tough.
1st: The fun begins.. Welcome to a world semi cut off from the rest in the sense of transportation..... kinda took it for granted that I was gonna get a bus the following day or morning the day after but oh no. After my basic brekkie served by the maid, I headed to the joke of a bus terminal... staff werent even there, just chilling in their shack of a house next door..... was informed the next bus was late afternoon on 2nd for Futaleufu (Argentine border town pretty much parallel in latitude) or morning of 3rd down to Cohaique (12 hours south along the stunning Carreterra Austral and near another Argentina border down ie middle Patagonia)...Well I was kinda freaked by this news and that a change in weather was due any moment potentially affecting the transport lol.. Ferry back to Puerto Montt was on Fri 4th and there was only 1 daily flight back there with 10passengers only lol... Hmmmmmmm There and then I knew I had made a little mistake in going that far south in the country but instead of venturing further south still and subsequently reducing time in Argentina, I booked the Futaleufu bound bus for the 2nd meaning I had to pass a day and a half there..... no toursit around at all so felt unique............ many businesses and restaurants closed due to virtually no need to be open lol except Nov-April....weather coooooooooooooooooooooooool and windy otherwise.......
not much entertainment so I made friends with the Canadian bus company owner and pursued to accompany him for the afternoon since his Chilean wife and kids were away on vacation......Niko was cool but strange... proposed we go to nearby national park or glaciers far out but I preferred staying indoors and asked info on the region... Finally, he offered to take me round in his van....I mean, Chaiten consists of merely 6 rocky road running north-south and about the same east-west for 1km max.. Evryone one knows each other scenario....... got to see the town park, and museum proudly guarded by the military..... had free once over tour of the museum detailing the engineering masterpiece that is the "Carretera Austral", as well as historical elements on the area. The Carretera (road) streches tens of Ks south linking isolated settlements surrounded by mountains and small lakes/fjords. Was hoping to get at least a bus ride half way down but schedules weren't on my side.... had a fine steak for dinner to warm the cockles up.... was only guest of course lol so good service....spent night doing lazy stuff indoors obviously.
2nd: one more morning to pass in this exposed, isolated tiny (provincial CAPITAL)....
Now the rain and thus snow further north had well and truly come.....awoke half fearing cancellation of bus or delays etc.... but was convinced not a problem.....actually attempted to walk along the seafront to get a view of what was beyond... nothing much....went to see Niko again and hung around a bit talking about all sorts to pass time..... also spent time with the host family as well but I had seen pretty much all of the town that was sanely achievable on foot. The second stressful event happened on our way to Futaleufu.... the bus was a clapped out people carrier with only 4 other passengers inside.. I mean it had been suggested to me to try to hitch hike all the way there the day before or ask at the petrol station... but was unlikely anoyone going that way at this time of year and I didn't fancy stadning outside in the bitter cold with heavy suitcase and sticking my thumb out for ages.... haha... could have been cool....
Aaaaanyway, this old banger decided to conk out on us on several occasions along the way.... the road was bumpy, the vehicule smelly and poorly insulated..once it got dark it was thoroughly depressing.. at least I could converse in their native lingo and work out what was going on... thankfully, the bonnet was raised and the water/petrol levels all topped up etc and we went on our way...they thought it was the battery initially.. I mean we were in the middle of nowhere in the sleety rain...took us 4 hours to reach Futa...From there someone aboard told me to run for a nearby residence which I did instantly.. The owners gave me one hell of a welcome and charged me half of what I was charged in Chaiten with a supper, tea, all thrown in front of me. I was treated like I had just been saved from a shipwreck or mountain emergency / natural hazard rescue lol... they too had this lovely aga puffing out smoke an radiating heat... the set up reminded me of my paternal grandparents farm and guesthouse when they had it running....
The old couple and neice fussed over me and insisted I kept warm.. Next door, the 80year old husband resumed entertaiing his punters in their "pub"... poeple were owning their pisco and beers lol whilst I dined in the kitchen feelin a little awkward... Then I suggested putting a mesage on the radio for someone who was crossing to Argentina the follwing day to come pick me up and be so kind as to take me there as the BUS was leaving on 4th, a day later lol..........differnt company and not at all in sink with my arrival here but oh well.. thus is 3rd world life...... was soooooo funny to hear my message on the radio... "this foreigner is looking to get to argentina tomorrow. if someone could call el campesino and drop by"........ main source of local communication..... had one response an hour later but the prospective driver wanted the equivalent of five pounds.. the cheek..... should be free with a little offering on my part but not a rip off.... thought stuff it, Il get the bus and make the most of my pampering.....
After one drunken local alcoholic had to regain composure in the couple's kitchen (they are heavly fined if found drunk on street!), I made way up to room which was cold as but had many blankets.... private shower........
3rd: awoke coldest yet. apparently the UNHEARD of cold wave has ben the coldest they can recall *eeek*.... around minus 15-20degrees or whatever.... got free brekkie in the morning and got escorted to the road which leads to the river...the main asset of the zone for arguably the world's most scenic and best rafting!!!!! otherwise the city was frozen over and mountains clouded over..at least the snowhad stopped and I could walk around the ghost town. everyone was topping up their agas "estufas" and keeping well indoors apart from poor outoor manual workers like....spent the second part of the day in the internet caf writing this novel and laughing at my humbling authentic and eye-opening experiences...........but secretly glad to be leaving for Argentina the next day on another suspect bus service...... felt so at home that I was using the kitchen and offering them my dishwashing services and all that.. bless them indeed.
4th: day started in pouring rain at 7am............ Climbed aboard another people carrier and had an unnecessary interesting time at the border which had like no1 else passing through lol. a little shack with a tabel and that kind of environment if you please. but had hard time from Aargentine oficals nonetheless.. trying to find out wehre i lived..... then scanning my dozens of stamps to work out the validity of my entry.... then getting my name wrong.. bah!!!!
nice views of greeny brown flat pastures on way to Esquel on Argentinian side. passed through the Welsh strongohold of Trevelin but unfortunately my mini holdback in chile has prevented me from getting to know that area. another time, another trip to Patagonia completely methinks..... still, the feel was completely different from the chilean side... there was still snowy patches around but people going obout normally in a PROPER town lol... back to civilisation. then I managed to get straght on bus to Bariloche where I could have arived from Puerto Montt days before had it not ben for my patagonia impulse. spent aftee chilling and oprganising trip to Buenos Aires via another town above Bariloche, now in lake region.
Will be spending next 2-3 days here then have joy of 20hr bus ride to the cpital where I will meet friends and stay for 5 days.... cant wait but also semi looking forward to returning homeand semi lamenting my 3 weeks ish remaining....
Over and out.
