Where random exists boredom does not

---

Another day of travelling awaited in order to get us to Pucon and the Chilean Lake District. No such excitement with boats this was plane and taxi - should be smooth and uneventful.

Flight was delayed at Puntas Arenas, then it took an unscheduled stop in Puerto Montt before ending up in Santiago and despite booking our flights nearly a year earlier bizarrely we weren't able to sit next to each other. We then managed to get our flight to Temuco despite being shocked to see that it carried on to Pucon (our final destinateion) even though we were in a taxi for that leg of the journey, nevermind. Our fellow travellers stepped up and offered light relief.

1) In the queue for the flight we were behind an american family who as ever felt the need to tell you everything about themselves, harmless though they were this got a little tedious so we gave them some stick at the prospect of Mrs Clinton making it into the White House - that shut them up.
2) The seat anomaly afforded me a seat next to Robert from Maracaibo in Venezuela. Robert informed me he was Venezuela's top U19 Javelin thrower. Brilliant - tell me about it Bob i said. He was in Chile competing for venezuela and was learning english to try and get a scholarship for an american university. I was only too happy to help him. I gave a whistle stop tour of the UK, north good, south bad etc. and sent him on his way with a copy of Pies and Prejudice - get to grips with this big man and you're sorted i said. He informed me of a number of brands of rum to try when we reached venezuela. Good laugh to be fair.
3) On the way to temuco we were sat next to a chap from Santiago who seemed to have a good batch of OCD about him. We discussed the problems of alcohol and idleness amongst the youth of today. He spoke of his divorce and showed us pictures of his children. What does one say at moments like this?

The transfer to Pucon would have been average were it not for our guide Elmo who was exactly like Bunk from The Wire. (Now if you're not already watching The Wire get it sorted - its about the only thing to compare with Sopranos, it batters Spooks into oblivion, don't whimper, buy it and watch it.) The Bunk was on form and even took a detour to show us some trees he'd been looking for. Good man.

Pucon's not bad. Volcano dominates the view and is quality. The town is realtively compact with one main street where restaurants comepte for space with outdoor activity centres. Pizza and beer for tea. Hotel was solid and unspectacular.

25/2
Not much action today we sorted out our activities for the remaining days and chilled out at the beach. However, due to the black sand nature of the beach rather than chilling it was more like being roasted alive - the heat was oppressive and Patagonia seemed a distant memory.

Our evening meal took us to a restaurant called El Fogan with an extremely amusing waiter, who was a big Beatles fan. He promptly put on his beatles CD and sang away. Good food and splendid wine as ever in Chile - cab sauv's are on form. Early - ish to bed as we were up early for the volcano climb.

---