Temuco / Chile

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It has been a while since I made a blog entry and the reason for this is that not much has happened during that time except some travelling and being in a new city – Temuco.

After my last entry in Antuco and the awesome trip with Stella and Walter up to the volcano and the lake in bad weather I headed the next day back to Los Angele. When I woke up that day it was absolutely stunning weather and I tried in vain to get another lift to the volcano. It was Monday so there were no tourists or other backpackers around to hitch a lift or organise transport. A real shame as I really wanted to see the area in sunshine. Ah well, you can’t have it all.

So I took a local bus back to Los Angeles were I booked into the same place I stayed before. After I dropped my stuff off I went to the bus station and purchased a ticket for around $3.40 for a 4 hour ride to Temuco. What a bargain. The rest of the day I spend in the city just walking around. What a change from the time I was there before. There were people everywhere and you wonder where they were hiding a couple of days ago.

The next day I walked the short distance to the bus station and took the 4 hour ride to Temuco. And it was raining cats and dogs, so the view was minimal and not much to see. After arriving I took a local bus to my next place. It’s called Hostel Tante Silvia and is a real gem. The place is run by an elderly lady called, yes you guessed it, Silvia and the place is cosy and relaxed hostel. There are a few rooms and they are well maintained and clean. And Silvia, who doesn't speak a lot of English is just the mother one needs on the road. The minute I had my backpack down she gave me hints and tips about the place, had a map ready for me with all the important sites circled. So I can only recommend this place when you are in the area.

Temuco itself has not much to offer. It is a major university city and is also a major transport hub. They only have two museums here; an indigenous one that is very small and doesn’t show much except some pots, weaving and a few old Spanish weapons and nothing in English again. The other one was a transport museum with some old trains and not worth the time or effort to get there. I thought it was a major museum and it took me about half an hour to walk there is pouring rain. By the time I got there I was soaked and it was bloody cold.

This morning, after I answered some e-mails and just had a coffee on the balcony, I bought my ticket to the next destination and just tried to hunt down a rain cover for my daypack. No such luck; the only one I found that fitted my day-pack was broken. Ah well, next time.

So as you can read nothing too exciting. I am slowly settling into the backpacker life and my Spanish is getting a bit better. Not that I can hold an conversation as yet, but I can order all the essentials, ask my way around and get the hang of how much things cost when the people tell me. Mind you the menu in the restaurants are still a hit and miss; so far more hit than miss.

So what do I think so far from Chile?

Well I rather like it even if it is not what I expected. To begin with Chile is the country that is economically the leader in South America. I was expecting a poorer country and a cheaper one as well. But everybody tells me that Chile is the most expensive country on the continent. And going around the shops one can see that it is only about 10% cheaper than Australia. So I am looking forward to go to the cheaper countries soon.

The people I have met here so far are great. The guys and gals in Santiago and Conception were a real treat and friendly to no end. And they helped me a lot to settle in. The people on the streets are a bit colder than I expected. But maybe that is because I am most of the time so far in big cities. Well time will tell.

You do see homeless people around but so do you do in Australia or any other western city. The one thing that shocked me are the street dogs. They are everywhere. Some of them are rather good looking dogs. I was told that people buy them as puppies and if they don’t want them anymore just put them on the street. Sad creatures. A couple of times I just sat down with them and padded them. The look they give you is priceless; just a big thank you and full of emotions. I wish I could give them all a pad and a hug. It shows you that not animals are the worst creatures on this planet, but human beings and what we do to this world.

The weather so far is mixed with the only constant being the cold. And I mean cold, especially at night. When the sun is out it is warm IN the sun but in the shadows it is still cold. We also have heaps of rain and even hail. And when it rains the streets are covered in water and the motorists seem to have a lot of fun spraying the people…….

As I mentioned before the big surprise was the German influence here in Chile, especially in the south. The settlers that came here around 1850 made a big impact and you see German names and signs everywhere. Here in Temuco some of the buses are painted in the German colors and the drivers have the German flag beside the Chilean one. And the influence is getting bigger the further south you go.

Anyway I am on my way further south and it is a long way to go to the southern tip of Chile. I am at the start of an area that is called Patagonia and the area is one of the most beautiful and breathtaking areas in the world; volcanoes, mountain lakes, glaziers, spectacular mountain ridges, etc. Google it if you can’t wait for me to post my upcoming pictures. What I have seen so far is nothing on what is coming up. So I can’t wait until I see it in person.

Tomorrow I am on the road again to a place called Villarrica. It’s a small town on a lake and the gateway to some more volcanoes, thermal springs and some good trekking. Time to get the trekking shoes out……



Anyway, have fun wherever you are and stay in contact. Love to hear from you and I hope I don’t bore you to death with my blogs……

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Comments

[Sylvia]

Welf, glad you are well on your way, getting to now new people and places. But a special thanks to you for sharing this with us. Keep your sell safe your sister

[Carla D.]

Passed over here
The boring here is me, who always give loooooong "History classes", mostly about immigrations around the world and South America - my favourite subject. Don't get surprised: Chile, Argentina and Brazil have strong German influence. The same didn't happens in Uruguay. That immigration to us was like Irish in USA, for example. If you are impressed with the influence in Southern Chile, just wait to see what happens in South Brazil - to the point, as I told you - German and Portuguese are official language together (a kind of affirmative action local governments promoted over the years in those cities). Funny is this process started much before than Chile and it is still today, from all migrant groups, the ones who keep their traditions the most. When Germans are faced with this reality in South Brazil the reactions are diverse: it's like seeing their image reflected in a mirror... Word of someone Portuguese/German/French/Italian/English

[Welf]

Keep them coming. I read them all and appreciate your efforts. They contain some very good info. Thank you