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South America » Chile » Magallanes » Punta Arenas
February 20th 2012
Published: February 21st 2012
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book I am now reading: Operation Mincemeat. the true story of deception in WW2 that saved countless thousands of allied lives. became a film - The man who never was.
Personnes Ingles I have met so far - ZERO.

I remember some time ago someone asked me, when I came back from travelling Vietnam, where next dave?
I wasn´t sure at the time but I guess, looking back, a small seed was sown by my history teacher, Mr Pratley. A most wondeful man, full of stories and making history come alive. A joint geograhy-history project completed was about the Inca civilisation in Peru, and included in this was geography of the region, the Andes that form the backbone of the continent, how it this huge mountain range affects everyday life to chileans, peruvians etc. I guess I must have promised myself, all those years ago, to go to the Andes and see for myself, such was the history lessons of Mr Pratley.
so late last year I heard a radio show about Patagonia and then saw a TV show on I-player during a quiet night shift about Chile. My memories of school came flooding back. I was sold and booked the tickets. It all just seemed right.
I booked the flight down to Punta Arenas, which is almost as far south as is possible and is a town on the Straits of Magellan. So called by the first person to navigate through them from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean, thus avoiding Cape Horn further south. Personally I reckon he got lost, shouted to a kind chilean stood on the shore "Estoy perdido", and thus got lucky having been shown the way, but there you are. The chilean who help him fades to obsurity, Magellan the dimwit compas reader gets the prize.
Up early and bid farewell to my fellow hostellers. I guess the three brazilian girls in my room ( 3 brazilian girls and me in one room, go figure!) were kind of glad to say farewell as I was a little farty last night, but they were polite enough not to mention it. However picked up good information about the shortage of TEFL teachers in Brazil from fellow hostellers with the world cup/olympics coming up. emails exchanged.
So off to the airport and guess what, the same crazy bus driver. still crazy? you betcha. driving to the airport a bus pulled up alongside.there was clear history between the two men as fists were waved and then the other bus veered violently left trying to force us into the oncoming traffic. Emergency braking and much sounding of horn. maybe some latin american extra-marital hanky panky, but it did cause a small kerfuffle amongst the passengers. the good news is I should not have to use that bus again, don´t want to chance a third time.

anyways getting on the plane I was wearing my london fire brigade t shirt and a young man in his twenties sat next to me was a bombederos (firefighter) from Punta Arenas. It transpires he, Victor, fought a huge blaze in the Torres del Pine region of Southern Patagonia last year , started when some stupid tourist disposed of his toilet paper by burning it, rather than bury it bin it. Victor, a brave chap indeed. We spoke about the fire service and those in it I know and he offered me his lift into town with his father when we arrived. result. saved 8000 pesos.

my luck was well in when the seat I had tried to sort out in the UK was a window seat. amazing views all the way (thanks Plum.)
but leaving Santiago in glorious sunshine we soon hit cloud, thick and stratus. No views to the ground. Despite staring out of the window for an hour no break at all.
Fell asleep to I-pod on shuffle. Not sure why, but after about 90 mins the plane tilted to the right and on my shuffle was Adagio for Strings by Schumann. I opened my eyes and looked out of the window. Uamazingly a huge break in the clouds. The Andes as I imagined them over Torres del Pine. Magnificent, dark, snow capped mountains and glaciers a wide as I have ever seen and streching as far as i could strain my eyes. Deep valleys with water flowing from the glacier and snow melt. Nuture at its most spectacular and beautiful. Apart from witnessing the birth of my three childen, up there with the best I have seen, including the Mirror lake of Lake Wanaka in New Zealand with Nicola Holland in 2009. The superlatives I could use would fill the next page, but I cannot as it left me speechless. With the classical music playing in my ears and the most unbelievable sight I have witnessed for many a year before my eyes I confess I a tear formed in them. Thoughts of my history teacher, Mr Pratley all those years ago, and here I was, witnessing it for myself.

And then, when the music came to and end, the clouds closed over once more. I am not a great believer in a higher power, but know that something must be out there beyond what we can see. I suppose that at that moment whoever that is parted the clouds, put on some sublime choral music and made me open up my eyes. So whoever you are, thanks, and when I get there personally i will buy you a beer.

Landed safe, lift from Victor the bomberderos (fireman), and his dad Victor the journalist and now professor (worked for the BBC in the Falklands war in 1982)

hope to catch up with Victor Jnr tomorrow. He wants to pracise his English on me, and I my spanish on him. Its cold down here and its going to get colder. Sorting out a trip to see the pengiun colonies tomorrow and then ferry for two days to Peurto Williams, as far south as i can go without getting wet.

And in case you were wondering, the next song that came on, when the clouds folded and the Andes were lost was, unbelievabely, Ship of Fools by World Party. I thought of some of my old managers, 14000kms away. Well it made me smile.

adios amigos y me gusta vos trabjo.

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