So, we've already mentioned Alex, who lent us his 4x4 to go do internet stuff. Well, generous people seemed to stay at La Suizandina.
After a well lubricated night, Donatus, a German guest, insisted on picking up the bar bill, and then offered to drive us round a trip of the country side the next morning. This was how we got drive through the longest tunnel in South America (over 4km long) and see some resplendent foothills of the Andes.
As a parting gift too, Alex gave us a bottle of cask strength Talisker whisky to enjoy at our leisure...and we've been pretty damned leisurely since then, we can assure you.
We also got the answer to the question, what happens when you get a lift off a German gelogist who works in a salt mine where they store Europe's nuclear waste? Well, you have a great few days riding round in his hired pick up truck (at one Martin was riding in the back as we had run out of room and had to give a lift to our chef from the night before) visiting remote bits of Chile.
We fetched up at Vilches (try finding that on a map) just the other side of the Andes to Payunia National Park (home of the goat herds we stayed with). As Maria, our chef /waitress/shop keeper/wife of local guardaparque, explained, you know it's remote in Chile when the election posters for candidates are non-existent in that area (they are on every lampost in most places).
Peter and ourselves stayed in a log cabin, heated by, well, logs. In true Ancient Greek style, it was here that we discovered a new department in hell's ironic punishment Division.
- a beautiful log cabin in the countryside
- where it gets really blinkin' cold, especially when you've been out in the rain all day
- however, crates of logs and wood ready to burn in our wood burning stove
- but they were all too large to fit in the stove....
- ...and the only means we had of cutting them up were by pen-knife saw blades...
We were near a beautiful (splendiforous) national park, where the park rangers were saddened we weren't staying longer (so were we!).
We also met the locals over dinner. Two local park rangers (one was Maria's husband) and two visiting Spanish Park Rangers on an exchange programme. They were all really friendly and jolly, like the guys that ran our cabana, Flor and Misile.
Fun stuff that happened in Vilches:
- food shopping. Turns out that the "supermarket" was a shed with a hatch, 3km down the road, that had some stuff to sell.
- Strangely she claimed not to have eggs or chicken, despite about 20 chickens clucking round the shed. Hmmmm.
- She did have beer, wine, pasta and fresh bread. Oh, and carrots. And local honey.
- This led to a surprisingly tasty meal of carrot pasta surprise.
- On the drive to the shop, down the "main" (read not as dirty dirt track) we had to stop until the flock of green parrots moved out of the road.
- On the way, it was because there was a calf drinking from its mother. Both of whom were in the road.
Checking out and paying was... different.
Turns out procedure for this was:
- look around for Flor and Misile. It's too early (at 9am) and they haven't arrived yet.
- go find Maria (we get the feeling nothing happens in Vilches without her!)
- who disappears...
- then reappears asking for a lift to the local doctor's (12 km away) and saying we'll pass Flor and Misile's on the way.
- Put Martin in back of truck to make space for protesting Maria.
- Some of you may be thinking this is common in Chile. It turns out not. People stared at him. A lot.
- Go find Flor and Misile, pay and say many goodbyes and thank you (at no point did anyone give any indication that their guests turning up at their front door with their mate was out of the ordinary).
Then on to the 7 Tazas - a waterfall that comes down via 7 pools. Pretty.
We said our goodbyes to Peter yesterday, after he kindly dropped us off at a town to get a bus. He went home to Germany, and we came to Pichelemu, surf capital of Chile. That probably says it all!
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