Returning to a wet Chile

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Day 111: Saturday 18th October - Returning to life as a backpacker with a bump

Get up ridiculously early so I can enjoy a bath before I leave......don't know when the next opportunity will be! Pack my bags and get breakfast and at shortly after 9am its time to say goodbye to Estancia Huechahue. Jane drives me out to the road and Domingo, one of the gauchos waits with me until the bus shows up at 9.30am. Arrive back in Bariloche some time after noon, and as my next bus is in less than 2 hours its not worth heading into the centre of Bariloche so spend an hour on the internet. Its a 8 hour journey to Puerto Montt....it doesn't look that far on the map but you have to pass two sets of immigration officials along with the very picky Chilean customs who scan all the bags for sign of fruit, and drive around a few lakes which bar the direct route. Arrive in the drizzly Puerto Montt at 9pm (or that's what I thought as its actually 10pm, as its now on the same time as Argentina). As I get off the bus a woman asks me if I have any accomodation. The options in my guidebook aren't appealing so I end up following her up to her house. It ends up being a right dive, so politely refuse and leave. What now?.....this is a return to life as a backpacker with a bump! Walk towards the ferry terminal and find a hostel near there. The room isn't much better, and I don't think tourism has really hit Puerto Montt so there are no good backpacker options. Still at 10.30pm I'll stay here tonight and assess it tomorrow morning.

Day 112: Sunday 19th October - Wet Chiloe

As I got back from Argentina to Chile in one day and I had bargained for two I have a so called free day before my ferry sails for southern Patagonia tomorrow. The options were either to head for Pucon (on a lake overlooked by a Volcano) or Puerto Montt and Chiloe. I chose the latter, partly so as to be nearer the ferry if anything went wrong with transport connections and partly as Pucon I think will be similar to Bariloche. I may regret this in time to come, but the decision has been made. I decide not to leave the hostel, its okay and will do to sleep in. I'm going to be out all day so its not really an issue.

Catach a bus at 10am for Castro, the main town on Chiloe. Its a four hour journey as you spend an hour on the ferry crossing to the island. Chiloe is supposed to have its own distinct culture along with a number of colourful buildings and has been realtively untouched by the Spaniards and Chileans alike. Its quite a large island, measuring 160km by 50km so it will be impossible to see it all in just one day. I choose to see Castro and Ancud, the two main towns. Unfortunately when I arrive in Castro its raining, which although it clears up for a short while does detract somewhat from the experience. Wander around the town for an hour before I get lunch on the seafront. Work my way back towards the bus station where I catch the bus in the mid afternoon to Ancud, an hour north of Castro. Ancud is a complete washout unfortunately and for the first time since I can't remember (Guatemala maybe?) I have to resort to full waterproofs. In the pouring rain my only thought is to head back to the bus station, but can't seem to find it. Eventually I arrive and catch the bus back to Puerto Montt, arriving at 8pm. Stop by at the supermarket for some food before heading back to the hostel wet. It was wierd driving on the Panamerican highway again (it ends in the south of Island Chiloe) so long after first driving on it in Ecuador!

My experience of Chiloe hasn't been great, one of the worst days on my trip to date, but I think my opinion has undoubtedly be clouded by the very English weather. I didn't see much of this unique culture as most places were shut being a Sunday and in only a few hours you are only going to scratch the surface anyway. All the rain has undoubtedly made it a very green island! Maybe Pucon was the better option after all??

Day 113: Monday 20th October - A delayed ferry

A great start to the day, no hot water in the hostel, its raining outside again and when I make the short walk to the ferry terminal I find out that the ferry will not leave until tomorrow. This is the first real delay of my trip so I can't complain and Patagonia is renowned for them. I decide I will still take the ferry but now I have to move all my bookings for trekking Torres Del Paine back a day as the ferry won't arrive in Puerto Natales until Friday afternoon, the day I was supposed to start trekking. I still think I will have time to trek the 'W' in 4 days and get to El Calafate to see the glacier before my flight to Ushuaia on the 31st but its going to be so much tighter now. I can't afford any more delays and I may now have to trek Torres Del Paine with all my gear instead of leaving some behind in Puerto Natales....we'll see.

Try and solve in part the last of those concerns by posting some stuff back home after emailing the refuges on the trek to warn them of my delay. 40000 pesos (40 quid) lighter...ouch....after leaving the post office I catch a bus up the road to Puerto Varas. The centre of Puerto Montt is like most European cities, shopping centres, global brands, pretty drab to be honest. Puerto Varas proves to be a little better. It is an ex German colony, and it does have the feel of the Alps to it, just like Bariloche. Indeed the main church in the town was modelled on one back in Germany. Puerto Varas sits on the shore of lake Llanquihue and across it you can see Volcan Osorno. Sounds beautiful and hence the reason for my visit, but on a very overcast and wet afternoon, I see no volcano due to cloud cover and the lake looks rather grey. Certainly doesn't stand up to Bariloche in my opinion, but I've definitely caught it on a bad day. I spend half the afternoon in a coffee shop having a hot chocolate and reading a book, so miserable is it outside! Return to Puerto Montt, only half an hour away to be frustrated in my attempts to call home in an internet cafe. Spend the evening back in the hostel reading a book, looking forward to leaving this city before I go crazy and wish to return home!

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