Sorry Bob & Nathan – but hopefully this and future news will be back to the action-packed thrill-ride updates you’ve obviously grown to expect.
Starting with 12 Aug, when we managed to get up on time to check-out. Check-out time being 1pm, that shouldn’t be difficult – but I managed to fail on my equivalent day back in March. Checked out, and put our stuff into storage. Central Santiago for lunch, and a museum. Best museum in Chile? Don’t think so. More wandering, then some red wine at the hostel. Tour guide chap tried to talk me into a one week organised bus trip. And that it is difficult to cross into Argentina down south. Not many roads, and much snow. I ignored his advice. Then – dinner time. Discovered a Viking-themed restaurant. Sweet. And, we were given viking hats to wear. Pen’s with fake pigtails. And, the mariachi at another table started playing Crowded House, I’m pretty sure. Finished dinner, then back to hostel – picked up our stuff, and found our way to the bus station. Bought some tickets, had a couple of beers, and got onto our Salon Cama class bus. The most luxurious class – and was actually pretty sweet. Not particularly good food though – and no free wine or whiskey. Getting back to Argentina is going to be so sweet.
13 Aug – arrived in Valdivia. Listened to a tout trying to sell us a room in one of her two hostels. Ushered us outside, as she’s not allowed to show photos inside the terminal. Took her pamphlet (with useful city map), and started walking. Eventually found centre of town, and headed to the tout’s hostel. The one ages away, not a hundred meters away from bus terminal. Got there, and got us a room. Kitchenette consisting of a microwave. Sweet. Then, back to town. Had lunch, and a walk. Electronic store where the method of purchase for a rather small item seemed overly complicated. Choose goods. Go to cashier. Pay for goods. Get receipt. Go to another counter, swap a copy of receipt for goods. Still – battling unemployment I guess. Then, found a secondhand clothing store. Sweet. No white linen shirts, but found myself a cotton one instead. Will do until I find the real thing. With Pen here, the local ladies shouldn’t be getting close enough to touch me very often anyway.
A couple of beers at a pub, then back to bus station. Via awful big mall. Found buses heading towards the Andes for tomorrow. And info on the local brewery. Kunstmann. Got a taxi there – but no tours of the brewery, the museum is closed, and no free tasting. Dumb. Buy food and cerveza instead. Bus back to town, buy some mixers at the supermarket (where premade “drunk kits” are available for NZ$5. 700ml bottle of rum with 1.5l mixer in a plastic bag). Back to hostel, and drink pisco while watching bad television (in ‘negative’). Find tiny takeaway joint for dinner. More pisco.
Up on the 14 Aug, and discover that breakfast is included. Scoff that, then walk to bus station. Catch next bus to Panguipulli. Couple of hours later – we’re there. Like magic. Have some lunch across the road, then book a ticket to Puerto Fuy. Where hopefully there is a ferry across a picturesque lake to Argentina. Or, at least, accommodation. Supposed to be a very very small settlement. Cervezas across the road while waiting for bus. Onto bus. Very quickly regret the cervezas – as Pen’s inadequate bladder seems to be contagious. Sleep to forget the pulsating bulging bag of processed beer in my gut. But, that can’t last. Get to within 10 minutes of destination, using every trick in the book to prevent pissy-pants, but realise 10 minutes is far too long. By this stage, however, we’re the only two left on the bus except for one local, and I’ve been reduced to pacing up and down the aisle. Last chap to get off offers the use of his house toilet (is getting off right outside). Sold. Onto Puerto Fuy in considerably more comfort. Get there – and busman shows us a hostel. Sweet – village is very very small, but with a few houses doubling as hostels. Busy season is supposed to be rather busy.
Get ourselves a room, and given linen. Make own beds – and go for walk. Ticket office for ferry seems to be closed, and the attached cafe is closed until November. Ferry is here though. Lots of snow about. Find restaurant for dinner. They tell us no food. Dozen or so workmen staying there get served food, while we drink cerveza. Second restaurant – also no food. Then I gather that there is food if we wait for an hour. Sold. Food and cerveza, and more workmen. This time – 6 of them, who bring a TV out of their own rooms in order that they can watch a soap opera. Back to hostel, and talk to an elderly-ish chap staying there. He and owner inform us the ferry doesn’t run until busy season. Next ferry is in November. Sweet. More chit-chat, and reciprocal teaching of language. Off to our room, where our beds have been remade. Our skills not up to scratch. Or they didn’t like me lumping Pen with heaps of crappy wool blankets while grabbing the sweet plush duvet for myself.
Up on the 15 Aug – and breakfast. Discover that there is only one bus back to Panguipulli – at 3:30pm. Seems odd, as there were multiple buses going the other way. And ferry/travel office had a list of more in window. But, go for walk – and keep an eye on main road into town for proof that our info is wrong. Not hard to keep an eye on main road from anywhere in ‘town’. Wander through snow. Cheesy photos on lakeside. Cheesy photos of snowfight. Classy photo of a pig. After not long, we have literally walked ‘around’ town. Check out pricey hotel. Owner or manager there speaks english, reckons there’s a bus at 1pm. So, back to hostel to wait, with view of road. 1pm comes and goes. Given fruit and juice by chap there – and the english-language channels are searched for us. Pen expresses interest in The Addams Family movie. So I’m subjected to that. Girlfriends are a hindrance. After a while, I go looking for whiskey. No luck. Instead we head to a ‘restaurant’ with view of where I’ve discovered a bus waiting. Have a cerveza – figuring just the one won’t result in yesterdays ‘difficulties’. 4pm, the bus leaves, and I soon discover I’m mistaken about just one cerveza. But, after 20 minutes or so, we have to change buses – and I take the oppurtunity for a quick colouring-in of snow. Not sufficient though, as I’m forced to take a similar oppurtunity about an hour later while stopping for passengers. Eventually arrive in Panguipulli with dry pants. Only way out of here seems to be to go all the way back to Valdivia. So – book ticket for that, and fail to find anywhere selling hot food. Yesterday’s restaurant seems to be closed for a private watching of football. They close the curtains, and the iron gates across door – soon after I ignore the “Closed” sign by trying the locked door.
Bus to Valdivia – arriving in late evening. Check out times for buses from here direct to Argentina. Low risk boring approach. Early in the morning – but we figure if we’re able to get up in time, will do so. Then, find relatively pricey hotel very close to bus terminal, and jump at the chance – just so we can get some hot food as soon as possible. Chinese restaurant next door – hot food. Sweet. Then, buy some more mixers, and back to hotel room. Drink the bottle of pisco which is a miniature Moai. Was meaning to keep it as a gift for somebody, or drink it on Rapanui. But, last time in Valdivia, discovered the same bottle on sale in the supermarket for about half what I paid for it at the distillery.
Next update – more excitement. We get up on time, and get a bus to Argentina. Fleeing the carnage of the earthquake in Peru about a thousand kilometres away.