An early
start to what will be a long day travelling south, then north, to
our final destination in Chile before heading home. We have
breakfast (with fried eggs!) sat round the table in our room. Our
luggage is collected from our room, and we already checked out last
night, so all we have to do is walk to the van waiting to take us to
Punta Arenas. We’re hoping that the company on the bus will be quiet
so we can snooze through the long trip and simply watch the last
views of Torres del Paine and Patagonia (for this visit at least!)
We’re in luck; the only others already on the bus are the dour
Franco-Swiss couple who don’t say a word to anyone, not even to each
other. An older German-Canadian couple joins after us, which luckily
doesn’t leave room for anyone else, or rather for just two but then
it’s full. Nigel and Mhairie are just behind and go for the other
bus, looking a bit disappointed at not being able to join us. There
is no conversation in the bus for the first part of the journey,
just Ness and I exchanging the odd word with each other. We take it
in turns to cuddle up with each other. We remembered the fluffy
pillowcase which is now providing good service [just stuff anything
soft, e.g. fleece, in it, definitely on our packing list for the
world trip!] We get good views of the Torres del Paine as we drive
further and further away from them.
After a few hours we pull in at the café where we stopped on the way
to Explora. The other van is right behind us. Nigel and Mhairie come
over to our table and we have sandwich and coffee together. It turns
out they have the British traders in their bus and are now rather
miserable. The traders stayed up drinking till late and didn’t get
out of bed on time for the van so they had to wait for them. Back in
the van we strike up conversation with the German-Canadian lady
behind us (her husband is riding shotgun). She’s got a funny face,
perfectly suited for gurning, but very friendly and looks are
deceiving. [Actually, I had her down as a Downs Syndrome sufferer,
but was totally wrong]
Again we drift off to sleep or just stare out of the window, now
with views of wide open Patagonian landscape. There is nothing to be
seen apart from some low bushes and grasses, with slowly rising or
falling plains, and hills far, far in the distance. I must have read
quite a bit of Bommel on the trip.
At Punta Arenas the Explora lady joined us for coffee while we were
waiting for our plane. We’re the first at the check-in queue (from
our van), not by design, just as it happened. The queue rapidly
built up behind us. It pays off though as we get row 1 on the place.
We get our last views of Patagonia as the plane takes off. A dog is
walking around near the front of the plane, on the tarmac, without
any indication of an owner or tag and by the look of the ground crew
it seems obvious that it’s a stray, but no-one does anything about
it.
From the plane we get some great views of the campo de hielo sur,
the gigantic snow and ice flow which branches out into the various
glaciers we have seen in Chile as well as Argentina last year. We
stop at Puerto Montt. It amuses me when one of the British traders
tries to get one of the seats on row 1 vacated by passengers getting
off here but is told the plane will be full with the new passengers
being collected at Puerto Montt and to resume his seat. Great views,
now unobstructed by clouds, of Volcan Osorno. On the flight to
Santiago we also get great views of Volcan Villarica. Typical!
We arrive on time in Santiago. At the baggage reclaim we briefly say
goodbye to Nigel and Mhairie, then find our transfer rep, Maria
(can’t actually remember her name) She and a driver will take us to
Zapallar, a 2½ hour drive. We head north on the Panam, with
intermittent conversation and commentary from Maria. The landscape
is drier than the south but still very green, although most of the
grass is a dry yellow. We drive past many farms and agricultural
places. Maria tells us about chirimoyas, a kind of fruit we haven’t
seen before, green in colour. We react incredulously when she tells
us that Chile exports flowers to Holland! It stays light for a long
time. En route we stop at a stall selling fruit and vegetables and
buy a small cherimoya and drinks. Maria is impressed by my Spanish.
We turn off the Panam road to head towards the coast. The clouds are
dark and hang low above the hills. With the fading sunlight it makes
the mood foreboding. We can just about make out the sea in the
distance. Maria and the driver aren’t exactly sure about the
location of our hotel. We turn into the centre of Zapallar, then
back out and continue on the coastal road.
Our hotel is a bit further along the coastal road, set on the rocky
wooded slopes overlooking the Pacific. It’s smart but uncomplicated,
slightly dated. Before going to our room I ask for Maria’s help to
find out about local rodeos. On the way we passed a banner
announcing a rodeo at Puchuncavi. Apparently there is one on
Saturday, like every weekend during this time of year, so all we
need is the transport to get there. Our room overlooks the Pacific,
below us is the hotel garden and swimming pool. The beach is a short
walk away. I had been expecting something more “beach resort” style
but, happily, this is more private and stylish. We have drink in the
small wood-panelled bar, then go for dinner in the high-ceilinged
but comfortable dining room with black and white diagonal tiles. It
feel very “Riviera”. Dinner is excellent fish (crab and salmon for
Ness, clams and bass for me) There are just a few others eating,
including a British/Scottish couple we meet briefly in the bar later
on (shut by then…) The woman nearly has a heart attack when I
introduce myself and offer to shake hands! “Huuh huh huuh”, and she
extends her hand as if it is the first time she has ever done so.
They are planning to leave again in the morning on account of all
the works going on outside the hotel and along the beach. See what
tomorrow brings.
(Written
while sat on the beach at Zapallar, the sun slowly setting, on our
last evening in Chile, idyllic)
(Typed up
while sat on the Coventry-to-Euston train at the end of the day,
glorious clear autumn weather outside, 4 Oct 2004)
