Favourites Revisited

I do love Valpo!

It has been an exciting few weeks here in Chile. It was a week of festivals and celebrations in most parts of the country, and of course the most recent Earthquake. Just off the coast of Chile, near the town of Iquique, and at 8.3 on the Richter Scale, it was marginally less than the devastating quake in Concepcion in 2010. I felt this one on the street in San Pedro (just outside of Conce), while waiting for my bus at about 8:15pm on Wednesday the 16th. It lasted a good 30 seconds and if I was wobbling on the street I can only imagine what it would have been like in an apartment building. As I got home, mobile phones everywhere were ringing with tsunami warnings - Chile is far more prepared that they were last time, and they are still scared from the last quake which nobody took seriously. In 2010, around  5,000 people died, and there was a lot of destruction in the city - you can still see parts of the coast that were destroyed too, boats overturned, houses wiped out. This time around, there was far fewer human casualties due to the early warning system and prompt evacuations, but still damage from the tsunamis only hours after the 'terromoto.' I've felt 8 since I got here in February this year - that is only a fraction of them, as most are around the 4 or 5 mark, which really isn't much. There have been small aftershocks since last week, but it seems ok - and most people here have reacted very well to it all - unlike some Americans...

Vlapo Street Art.

Now onto happier things! I visited Valparaiso when I first arrived in Chile way back in February, and earlier this month I got the chance to visit again. My first trip in Chile was a real eye-opener and welcome to the country - it was was also where I had my first empanada, trip on a local bus and also my first earthquake! It is so different to any other city in the country, and probably unlike any around the world. One thing that stands out is the street art. Houses are very colourful, perched up on the hills with winding streets, stairs heading all the way up and the old (but safe!) furniculars for the lazy, but it is the art tucked away in corners on every possible space that makes Valpo cool. Coming back gave me the chance to wander different streets, explore previously unseen secret places, and just soak it all up again... and Valpo never lets you down for this. On the other hand, it smelt exactly how I remembered it too - like one giant pee stain that wafts up and sticks in your nose at every turn. This city can also be quite dangerous, that partly goes with the sea port, but you have to watch out at night - what you walk in and who you walk into as well. It's a special kind of charm!

Beer!

Naughty starfish...

I had my mission in Valpo though - and not long to accomplish it. I was due at a wedding at 5pm, so I struck out after breakfast. What I was looking for in particular is probably not that exciting, but it is a must see in the city for any tourist, and a photo is also needed. I had to check on the internet, ask some locals, and also climb the occasional steep hill only to find it wasn't where I thought it was. I did find it however, by following a German tour group looking for the same things as me. I tagged along for a bit, not understanding anything of course, and got some looks as if I were getting a free tour that they'd paid for, but I paid them no heed and just did my thing. What I wanted to see the first time in Valpo and never made it was the "we're not hippies we're happies" graffiti. This part of the city is full of art, and Cerro Alegre (every hill has a name) is probably the coolest neighbourhood in town, full of backpackers, pubs and restaurants, and lovely houses (mostly) away from the smell of pee. A good afternoon enjoying a cool city, then off to the wedding - who doesn't like this place!!

Santiago!

"nice view isn't it?" "si!"

If that wasn't enough, I needed to go to Santiago the following week for my visa. Yes, it had taken the Chilean government nearly 5 months to give me my temporary resident visa... but it was ready so I wasn't about to gripe. Fearing Latino bureaucracy and inefficiency, I started my run early on Friday morning. I had to visit 4 places around the city all before 2pm. Easy you say? I first had to go to my office (in the north of the city) to pick up my form to say the visa was paid for, then go back to the centre to the Ministry of the Interior where I had an appointment. Then it was to the PDI (International Police) for a photo and stamp then to the Civil Registry. Now, I was thinking that it would be impossible - I've had my fair share of these things in Spain to know better - nothing is ever done in one day. It was, and before 2pm. Well done Chile - there were lines, tickets, screens with numbers, multiple buildings, security guards and nobody spoke English, but it was done and with no major hassles! I was dumbfounded... but excited as that left me with the rest of the day to head out in to the city. I checked in to my cheap hostel ($10 a night including breakfast), which I found with no problems, and it turned out to be one of the best I've stayed at so far in Chile, then hit the streets - heading for the Costanera Centre.

two travellers.

8,000CLP ($16) to get up, but what a view!

A 'joven' enjoying the 'vista.'

Right in the middle of the financial district sits the tallest building in Latin America - the Gran Torre Santiago. Standing at 300m tall, is isn't quite as big as the Eiffel Tower (or the Sydney Tower at 309m), but still  something you can see from basically the whole city. When you think of world's tallest buildings (Empire State is 381m and the Petronas Twin Towers stand at 452m) you don't think the Eiffel Tower is that big, but when you actually see all 324m of it, you're a little shocked - it was built in the late-19th Century and quite an engineering feat. This building, although slightly shorter, is still quite a marvel as Chile is the most active country for earthquakes and volcanoes - so it is brave or a tad silly to be building the biggest 'Jenga' tower in South America? It does put the cherry on the skyline of Santiago, and makes the city look more like a world city. For people in Australia and The States, tall glass buildings are the norm - but for most Europeans they aren't, and I think it is a big deal here in South America too. The view from the top was quite impressive - city way below, the busy, noisy streets, buses, ice-cream sellers and stray dogs all but muted and frozen in time from the distance. The snow covered Andes the perfect backdrop and there was very little air pollution which is a rare thing in Santiago. The smog of Santiago is something people from here don't even realise any more - it's there in Summer because there is no rain to wash it away (it just doesn't rain here in summer... at all!) and in Winter everybody is using their log fires, so you have wood smoke covering the city, and sometimes that gets so bad that you are advised not to leave your house. Seriously. But none of that today - just blue sky and snowy mountains!

Santiago's financial district, and the Andes.

Some people may know Pablo Neruda, the Chilean poet (who died in his home 12 days after fleeing the '73 military coup), but most people visit his 3 houses as it is just one of the things you do while in Chile - like eat a 'completo' or say the wine is good. Up until now I hadn't bothered - I am not usually one for doing things because they are on the Top 10 Things To Do in a city - but I did this time. Mainly because I had the afternoon to kill and I thought I would visit this one, then see what all the fuss is about. He had 3 houses - in Santiago (in the cool neighbourhood of Bella Vista), Valparaiso and Isla Negra ('Black Island' and it isn't actually an island) - and built them himself. He contracted his friend and Catalan architect German Rodriquez Arias to help with the house in Santiago, which he named "La Chascona," The house is actually named after his long time partner Matilde Urrutia (who was a lover but became his wife) who had 'crazy' or 'ruffled' hair.

Pablo Neruda's House "La Chascona" with his and Matilde's initials.

Always one for shocking people was Pablo!

Not just a poet, but also a politician, a Communist, and an active peace advocate, even helping Spanish refugees flee to Chile via France after the Civil War. He left Chile in 1948 after an arrest was put out for him due to his political leanings, and later returned in 1952 after visits to Russia, India and China. In his later life, he built the house in Vellavista, and lived there with his wife Matilde, and won the Nobel Prize in 1971 for his work. He was unable to enjoy the house for long, as the coup changed everything. After his death, his house was sacked and flooded, but Matilde later returned to the house and fixed it all up. She continued to entertain guests like they did in the old days until her death in 1985. The house is just like it was when he was alive - funky furniture, strange art (a watermelon having a bath for example!), narrow spaces and small things like secret doors and funny decorations such as a 'Marihuanna' and 'morphine' container next to the tea set.

One of the bars at Pablo's House - notice the painting.

Perfect temperature!

Like at the baseball!

The weekend I was in Santiago was September, and Friday was the 11th. When I say September 11, most people think of the Twin Towers back in 2001. For people in Chile, it is the day that Pinochet and the military bombed the government building in Santiago, killed the current President (some people believe he committed suicide) and took over the country. A dark day for everyone, as this began more than a decade of oppression and mass killings for the regime. Although there are still a few protests on this day, and some a little violent too, nothing happened in the capital this year, although the Carabineros (or 'Pacos' to our 'Pigs') were out and prepared. What happened this week in Santiago was much better - a real Chilean fair. It was like the Easter Show in Sydney, or the Fira de San Isidra in Cardedeu - animals, carnival games and food galore! Music, food, beer, young people hanging out - like an outdoor festival back home! The games are all the usual ones that you pay to show off to your girlfriend but never win anything (and would cost you less if you just went and bough the cuddly toy anyway), but they are entertaining. The food was your usual mix of popcorn and tradition foods, mixed in with Chilean Cuchifli with manjar (a sweet caramel paste... my new Chilean love), mani (fried nuts), mote con huesillo and churros, all carried around by guys with trays like it was the World Series in the 50s. My favourite thing was the tradition Chilean cowboys (Huasos), who wore the cowboy hat and a special poncho. I was expected a bit of bull riding, but there was only chasing cows around a paddock, and a lot of chit chat between the boys. I also discovered that there are different 'tribes' of young people in Santiago. The 'flaites' I know about - they are basically 'bogans' or 'chavs' and there are loads of them here in Conce. They sit around, grow their dreadlocks, play drums, smoke (whacky) and drink (from cartons). The other group are the 'quiocos,' which are the posh kids - basically your North Shore crowd - good education, cool clothes and attitude. I might add that there is a 3rd group - posh kids who try to be bogans... ahhh kids!

Howdy pardner.

Bit of love at the rodeo.

2 Huasos having a chat.

Going back to Santiago made me reflect a little on my life here in Chile. A big city with so many things to do and see, the culture, the music and nightlife, made me think of Sydney. Sure it's busy and polluted at times, but it's also cosmopolitan, warmer than Conce, and quite beautiful too with the Andes as a backgdrop. I always strike up a conversation with someone on the metro, and being a foreigner here doesn't make you a freak. Concepcion on the other hand is a little close-minded in this regard, and people don't even want to sit next to me on the bus! You get the 5 questions; Whats your name? Where are you from? What do you do? How long have you been in Chile? And why Chile? That's about it. In Santiago it's all cool. On the other hand, living and visiting are two very different things as travellers well know! By now, I'd probably have no money saved, been sick and tired of getting the metro in peak hour, ill from pollution and worn out from going out partying all the time. Maybe the slower pace of Conce is good too - much easier to not spend money that's for sure! It lacks life sometimes though - all the students go home on Friday to their families. The bars are always the same, the 3 nightclubs seem to have 1 playlist, and the food is average. The dogs are friendly though - my new favourite is a 3 legged who walked me home at 3am the other day, and wouldn't stop jumping all over me with his 1 front paw!

Street art in Bella Vista in Santiago.

September 11 flowers for Allende.

The Carabineros.

The difference between Santiago and Concepcion could be put like this - Sydney vs Brisbane. No competition really. Ok, so Brisbane has got 'everything you need,' but does it have what you want? There is a big rivalry too - people from the capital hate the 2nd biggest city, and visa versa. They speak differently here - their voice are much higher pitched, and only get higher as they reach the end of their sentences - the women seem to be always speaking as if on helium! The weather is a big argument - Conce weather is pretty wet and cold, and you need your onion laters, whereas in Santiago it is warm and sunny, and winter barely gets cold enough for a scarf and 2 jackets, and hardly ever rains... like never. Maybe Chileans are just competitive by nature - they paint the power lines in their neighbourhood for their football teams (Colo Colo vs University de Chile), hate Argentina and think that they are better than the rest of South America (and the Copa America proves things...), but I guess everyone does the same. Sydney vs Melbourne. Australia vs New Zealand. Kirk vs Picard. You get the picture.

Blue sky.

Winter in Conce

Concepcion on the Bio Bio River.

So it's winter time in Chile, and the question is - is it chilly in Chile? The answer is yes! It is also very rainy too. Being a long country, the weather can vary though - from zero rain up north to nothing but down south. A few weeks ago was the worst - a solid week of rain in Conce, and even Santiago had it's fair share. When it rains here, everything floods, houses leak, but the buses continue to drive extremely fast and dangerously. Lose paving stones splash dirty water back up at you, holes in the pavement mean wet feet, and a lack of gutter drainage means wet everything as the cars aquaplane by, leaving a dry spot on the wall with your shape. Rain can be fun and enjoyable, but not if you have to swim to work and nobody has heating in their homes, and you have washing that never dries.

The Saltos de Laja at sunset.

A Cueca girl.

My favourite house in Conce.

This week however, the sun has come out and it looks like Spring is on it's way in Concepcion - welcome to Tropi Conce! The locals call it this because the weather can change so dramatically here - from pissing down on your way to work, to sunny skies while you're at work, to rain again as soon as you leave the building to go home. To give you an idea of exactly how wet is has been here in July - Sydney gets 9 days of rain for 56mm, compared to 173mm here, which directly translated means 30 days of Sydney rain. Nice. Unfortunately the streets aren't built for this kind of rain, even though it happens every year - it's real gumboot weather! It can get you down - I firmly believe weather plays a big part in your happiness, but you need to find ways of beating it, and using it to your advantage, such as going on a big walk when the sun does come out - make hay while the sun is shining! I managed to visit some museums other cultural events while the weather was bad, but tried my best to get out when I could.

Traditional Cueca dancing - with the traditional stray dog sleeping in middle of it.

The glass buildings of Concepcion.

Art in the University of Concepcion.

So getting out of Conce has been a bit of an eye-opener for me. Most people visit Chile and see Santiago - the big capital with it's European architecture, tall glass buildings and bustling Capitilism - you could be in Madrid. They also go and visit the mountains in the south and deserts in the north - the country is amazing in this regard! There is the flip side though - the middle part, the real Chile, the part not many get to see. I have. Catching the micros (local buses) around town is one thing - always exciting/dangerous and I am always in fear of losing my front teeth due to the frequent brake slamming - but getting out of the city is totally different. Concepcion is more or less a decent sized modern city on the surface - tall buildings, shopping malls, trains and buses, starbucks and all the shops and plazas and glass and glam, but it's still South America and Chile, so there are the people that sit on the same corner selling the same junk everyday - from the guy that only sells smelly things you hang in your car, to the guy that comes on to the bus and does his 'chocolate buena' speech and sells small bars of chocolate for 100clp (20c) which taste horrible by the way, and the hotdog lady that stands all day in Plaza Peru, the restaurant and pub part of town, and sells fried rubbish which the students lap up.

Stray dogs waiting for a feed. Strays are fine - the owned dogs bite.

There are also the jugglers and performers on busy streets - they perform while you sit at a red light, juggling fire, knives, walking on stilts (and juggling), playing music (or washing your windows) or whatever trying to get either extra cash to pay for Uni education or just easy money. People like this would be called 'scivers' in the UK, 'bums' in the US and 'bludgers' in OZ, and told to 'get a real job.' In Chile, these are real jobs as many people don't have the opportunity or education (or sometimes motivation) for anything better. Most people live in small, cheaply built houses and apartments in ill-planned, soviet-style housing estates. In some suburbs the old houses dominate - colourful wooden shacks, all build closely together, all the same, but all a little different. There are horses and sometimes cows wandering an empty field, alongside kids kicking a football. Others, the newer ones, are brick and timber, but are real cookie-cutter houses, same colour and exactly the same design, and look very much like pre-fabricated, flat-pack coffee tables straight from IKEA. Both of these are quite depressing in their own way, and the government really needs to learn how to build communities, not just cheap housing for the masses. Some of these neighbourhoods would be called 'fabellas' in Brasil, slums and ghettos in English speaking countries. Chile is so beautiful, people say, and that it true of nature with it's mountains, forests and huge stretch of coast, but sadly where people live it is polluted, dirty and generally not pleasing on the eye.

There was plenty of water due to the rain - a silver lining to the crappy weather!

Saltos de Laja.

Jean-Luc and Peggy.

In light of this, I have done just that and got out of town to see beautiful things. A few small trips around Concepcion, and everything seems fine again. One weekend trip that I did recently was to a place called Saltos de Laja. Only 1.5hrs outside of the city and a 1,500clp ($3) bus trip, it is a great little town to visit. I use the word town quite losely, as there isn't really a town, more a row of touristy shops, a convenience store, a few restaurants and a spattering of rural houses, but loads of cabañas (cabins) for the tourists that come here for the waterfalls - the real attraction. There are 4 actually waterfalls, or cataracts, but the main one is seen as you pull in to town - it's hard not to just stop on the bridge and whip out your camera and start clicking away. Most people do this, pedestrians and motorists alike, but nobody is bothered as they are doing the same.

Couple taking a selfie at Ramuntcho beach, near Lenga.

Selfie!

More selfies!

It's a short walk to the falls through of lane of stalls selling a plethora of cheap touristy goods which has nothing to do with waterfalls, and small food vendors selling completos (Chilean hotdogs) and 'mystery meat' on skewers (which actually taste quite good!). Although I have never been to Niagra Falls, I have seen pictures, and this to me is a smaller version, also minus the boat that takes you round the bottom to get wet. You can, however, get close to the water on foot for a (wet) selfie, and even swim in summer when there is far less water. I spent the day with friends, walking around and just enjoying the view - we also visited the other falls, and we were completely alone as not many people go off the beaten track here, so it was an added bonus to just enjoy it with nobody taking selfies. Overall a great little stop for the day - we stayed the night in a cabin that could fit 5 people as was only 25,000clp ($50) a night. It had a small kitchen and table, but the best part was the log fire, which I must say we kept running through the evening and stocked it up before going to bed. Being Chile, we had two dogs keep us company while back at the cabin, who we named Jean Luc and Peggy. I have a tradition of naming dogs - it's whatever name pops in to you head at the time! Always nice to have a dog or two!

The fishing village of Tumbes.

The boats of Tumbes.

Tumbes, near the port of Talcahuano.

A local bus away and you're in small fishing towns around the city. Tumbes is one such place, and if you're in Conce, you should visit here. A small harbour filled with colourful boats, all with their own unique name painted on their bow (Don Juan I, Don Juan II... etc), it plays host to quite a large number of day-trippers - possibly more people visit it than people actually live here. Known for it's seafoood, you can basically only buy seafood and if you want empanadas, they will have to be seafood too. I bought a bowl of 'Pyura' which still to this day I am not sure what it is, apart from a red, squishy sea thing that closely resembles a mass of organs jammed into a shell. Yes, I ate (nearly) a bowl of it, cold and raw as it should be (apparently)... and got sick the next day. My rule is - just because you're on the coast does not mean the food is fresh, and you don't have to eat seafood. If you walk in the forest, you don't have to eat squirrel just because it's from there.

The beach in Winter.

A Turkey Vulture smelling for food.

A secret cove near Lenga.

Being Winter now, I am missing the sun, and every opportunity that arises I am out trying to get sunburnt. Well, not burnt, but some vitamin D at least. Last weekend was sunny and warm - 14c in the middle of winter! I jumped in a car with some friends and went to the beach. The beach itself, Ramuntcho, was an hour's walk from the parking lot of a small village called Lenga. You have to hike up and around some steep hills on a kind of penninsula (and mind the sheer cliffs), the peaks of this outcropping are also referred to as 'les tetas del Bio Bio' or 'The Tits of the Bio Bio.' The secret beach was a good find, and I only got there thanks to local knowledge. Chilling out on the sand, watching and listening to the waves but not getting in cose the water is always too cold, and having your emapanadas stolen by a stray beach dog - ah Chile! The water is always cold here though, that's a fact - the current that carried Nemo to Sydney is warm from the equator, then it goes down, sweeps along Antarctica, then up to Chile, cold enough to make your bollocks go back up in. Don't get me wrong - it may be cold, and not great for swimming - but it is a wonderful sight, and the wind and waves are very powerful and great to just watch from a distance. As far as wildlife in Chile goes, it's basically stray dogs and birds. The dogs not so exciting, but it is a bird watchers dream here - especially for larger birds. You see condors in the mountains and smaller birds of prey around the city and coast, and this day I saw a Turkey Vulture soaring over the beach smelling for food - yes, smelling, unlike the 'Old World' vultures that use their keen bird eyesight. I did wash my feet in the waves, so I was safe.

Looking out at the Pacific from Ramuntcho beach.

There are a few more adventures to talk about, such as my trip to the Piedra de Aguila (Stone of the Eagle) a couple of hours south of Concepcion. Cold, and snow in parts, it is a great place to do a bit of hiking and you get a great view from the top of the rock - volcanoes and oceans of trees. There are some other cool things to do around here too - like visit a real-working coal mine under the ocean (one of the few in the world), which is on the list. When Conce turns on the weather, it is lovely. When it rains, and gets all foggy, you even wish you were in Ireland for the weather. The rain is mostly over, and the weather will only get better, so more hiking and more trips soon! When the weather is good, Chile is a beautiful country!

A Conce sunset.

The Chilean Snowies

So a long weekend was coming up, and the weather in Conce has been very cold and rainy, so that left me little choice - a trip was in order! Deciding to go on a trip, see a new place, meet new people, is the easy part - where to go is more difficult. With a few options relatively close by - the beautiful (everyone says so!) city of Valdivia a bit further south, south again to Puerto Montt and Puerto Varas, or east to Chillan and the mountains. I decided on the mountains - a chance to get away from noisy, busy cities, do some hiking, see some snow in Chile and just have a bit of a hermit's weekend away from people.

Getting to Chillan should be easy, but as you know, nothing is particularly easy in this country. The bus trip is only 1.5 hours from Concepcion to Chillan, and very cheap (p2,500 = $5), and that went fine. Jumped off at the bus terminal in Chillan and found out that there is another terminal on the other side of town, and that was where my bus was leaving for the mountains. I hiked across town, asking direction often  - you need to ask multiple people, and I find that the more people you ask, the more instructions line up and you finally get to where you're going... it's like a game of 'hot and cold' where you're looking for something, and everyone else is yelling out 'You're getting warm! Warmer!" I managed to find it, and book my bus, but just missing one I had to wait more than an hour for the next. Wandering around Chillan waiting for my bus, I realised how 'normal' Conce is - it's a decent sized city, but this town is far more 'Chilean' and less cosmopolitan. The terminal is across the road from the markets, which I wandered through but had to get out quick - far too crazy for me! I found a supermarket to buy some bus snacks, and afterwards sat on the church steps to try and get some peace and quiet... ah but this is Chile! Busy streets, Micros (the local buses) zooming around in worse condition that the ones in Conce, market criers selling their wares, general hustle and bustle like only South America can do it, and when I thought it couldn't get any worse, a drunk came to my spot at the church, mumbled something, then fell over a meter away from me and went soundly to sleep... or at least I hope he was sleeping. I moved on and decided to wait at the terminal.

I'm sure I have mentioned bus terminals in previous entries, but this one needs to be mentioned. Chile, and the rest of South America, run on buses - they are the beating heart of transport here. Anyone and everyone travels long (and short) distances by bus - locals and tourists. At these terminals, the mind boggles at how it works - sometimes I feel that I am the only one that is stressed and confused. First you need a ticket - and the whole place is filled with ticket booths from many different companies. There are more than one booth for each company, spread out over the place, and I haven't worked out why, but I do know that there are always long queues, the service is slow, and the press of humanity is nearly stifling. Outside is just as bad - people fill seats with bags and food waiting for their ride home, stray dogs are a given, buses coming and going with no regard for people walking near them and the people equally not caring how close they are walking behind a moving 2-storey bus. I got my ticket (p2000 = $4) and waiting, lucky to have found a seat. A television was on, which also showed the time - there aren't normally clocks at these terminals, which you would think be a good thing to have when you have got a bus booked for an exact time (not that they ever arrive or leave in time). The television was playing music videos from the 80s, and I got to see "Born To Be Alive" and "99 Luft Balloons" in it's original German. The television itself was from the 80s too, I was sure. My bus pulled up, late, and I jumped on, only to kick someone out of a seat - the benefits of buying before the bus arrives! Off I went - another 1.5 hours to the mountains and peace and quiet!

Just a little cabin for the weekend...

Wood fire heater and a great kitchen.

The hostel's chill out room.

I arrived in Valle de les Trancas at around 7:30pm, and it was dark already. I got a nice view of the sunset on the mountains from the bus, and was looking forward to a nice cold beer and a warm bed. My hostel, which I didn't book for of course, turned out to be full. Why don't I book you ask? Where would the fun be in always knowing you have a room for the night? And besides, I never know where I'm going to be tomorrow. So anyway, the hunt for accommodation began - me wandering up and down the one street in town, trying not to slip on the ice and snow, and getting told 'no' at every hotel. Things weren't looking good, and I was starting to get angry with my 'happy go lucky' attitude to booking, but at least my building frustration kept me warm. I stopped in a minimarket to ask if they knew of a place, and as luck would have it they knew a guy. The shop was full of overly-noisy Brazilians buying all the beer they could carry, and I was nearly ready to walk out as they were rude and everywhere, keeping the 3 guys in the store busy, but I managed to ask a clerk, and he rang someone for me. I was then given directions to a place where I could stay - all in Spanish. I wasn't given a name for the place either, but headed of with the directions quickly scribbled in my small notebook (not Google Maps but sometimes better!), into the cold and dark night, ice on the road and barking dogs everywhere. My Spanish has improved a lot lately, and I had written everything down correctly, got the guys phone number, rang for help and eventually made it - to the coolest hostel I have ever seen!!

Frozen in time - a leaky hose becomes something beautiful.

So, moral of the story is DONT BOOK! Well, OK, it is a good idea to book sometimes, like the start of the ski season which was this weekend... but it does make your life more exciting, and I have never had to sleep on the street either. Ok, so airports, back seats of cars and hotel lobbies, but never the street! Yet . So I sat down with my beer and my chips for dinner, and enjoyed being warm and having a bed for the night - I was content! I wasn't going to freeze on the street! Up early the next day, and ready for a hike to the refuge at Shangrila - about 6kms away. An easy hike, but the path was completely covered with snow, and as there were no signs, I had to hope that the person in front of me went the right way. I made it ok, and sat down to have lunch on the roof of the abandoned cabin, chilling and enjoying he view. People were camping nearby, but being Chilean they couldn't do it in peace, and a family who had hiked up just before me were pulling out their cameras and phones and striking silly poses for selfies and whatnot. Apart from the people, it was a perfect spot for relaxing - there were 2 stray dogs waiting for me to drop some of my lunch to them, but at least they didn't make any noise, and were much friendlier than the people.

After this short hike, I decided to head to see a waterfall before retiring for the day at the hostel. Along the way, 2 Brazilians stopped in their car and offered me a lift to the ski slopes. Why not? I have hitch-hiked before, and it is (relatively) safe to do it here in Chile. So up to the ski slopes to have a look around, and we even saw the waterfall on the way. This is where all the people were - this weekend was the start of the ski season. Although I wasn't skiing this time, it's always cool have a few beers, watch people fall over on the snow, and think how much money they are spending to fall over, and for all the equipment they have to rent for themselves and their kids. I was very, very happy with my $20 a night hostel, and didn't need to be sleeping right up here in the ski resort. The hot springs are also right near the hotel - the natural Termes of Les Trancas. I did think about jumping in, and it was only p8000 ($16) which is cheap compared to the ones in Pucon which where more around the $60 mark. I decided not to, as they were crowded and loud - music is always playing in Chile (most supermarkets have it blaring out the front, to attract customers... yeah I know), and of course the people were noisy too... there was even a 'pool' bar. Far too touristy for me... the smell of sulphur I can handle though, but surely you go to a hot spring to relax, right?

The following day, after a bit of a lie in, I decided to set off on another hike, a solo one. I came to the mountains for a break from everything, and I would get it. I started off following a path that a guy at the hostel had partially hiked the other day - and hand-sketched in my little journal, I was worried about finding it, but decided to keep going an just enjoy it. On the way, I found a house that had a big leak in it, spraying its water all over some trees and shrubs on the side of road - normally this would just leave a big muddy puddle, but in this cold, it had frozen the whole tree and all the small plants around it - just like the movie Frozen! I found the hidden path in the tree line that lead to the top, so no problem - now it was just up and up. This path was just up - no rest for the weak here. I plugged away, and although the views got better, it just kept getting harder - and it had nothing to do with the amount of wine I had drunk the night before... I sat down for (another) break, and I bumped  into some French hikers. They were stopping here, as further up the snow got really deep. I'm not much of a quitter, so I made the decision to finish what I started - and besides, if they weren't going up, I would have the top to myself! Ha! So up I went, up to where the condors soared and the French dared not to go.

Washing day the the Shangrila Refuge.

Although I came across knee-high and sometimes thigh-high snow, it was worth the trip to the top. There was just me and the radio station, the sun and snow, and nothing but complete silence. The best place for lunch and some down time. The peak offered a great view of the valley - from this vantage point Chile is quiet and relaxing, no noise or traffic. It was hard not to stay up here all day - I had made myself quite comfortable. I'd built a snowman, brought my book to read, had my camera, and was nearly ready to live up here - but as the sun started to go down, the temperature dropped, and I knew I didn't want to face the walk back down at dusk. The walk down wasn't as tough as the way up, but I still fell quite a few times, and had to crawl out of my foot hole. It was well worth it - I came back down with a sense of peace and relaxation that I had come here to find. A party at the hostel was just starting to kick off when I got back, but all I wanted was peace and solitude. I let them have their loud fun, not begrudging them, but still feeling what I got from the mountain. 

Being with nature is something really special - sometimes hard to find a place and really do it - and something everyone should do from time to time. Don't all rush off and do it at the same time though! All you need is a day here, a weekend a month, and it will take away some of the big city stress, frustration and anger with your job, and fill you with hope and good feelings. So, waiting for my early morning bus back on the Monday, I was happy. I met a Scottish girl also catching to the bus back to Chillan, and we had a nice chat on the way back - we did start speaking in Spanish at first though! We chatted and shared experiences, then we got on separate buses and went home - when you are happy you leave yourself open to meeting good people and good experiences. I got easy connections back to Conce, and was happy to be home too - the hallmark of a great break!

The Nevadas de Chillan.