THE GOLDEN HIGHWAY

Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Our hostess has been so friendly and pleasant. Not only did she welcome us with a handshake last night. After talking with us for quite some time, she gives us a big hug as we leave. We did not get to see much of the town by daylight and decide to visit the fort and the viewpoint over the bridge.

By the time we’re back on the Autopista again it’s almost noon. We have no idea how far we will make it today towards Concepcion, for one more visit to say goodbey to the Contreras family.
After three hours of highway, we have enough. It’s too boring and there are too many toll booths. Near Temuco we stop at a Copec service station/rest stop  where Ramiro makes another attempts to locate his brother through another family member.
There is a Pronto at the rest stop and we decide to get some lunch there rather than preparing our own. Mine is a lot healthier than Ramiro’s. I have not had a good healthy salad for weeks and this is my change.
We discuss our route once again an decide to go west towards Concepcion via the principal road rather than Autopista and explore an area we have not been yet.
Ramiro wants to take a short nap first. I use this as a chance to go for a quick walk on a lovely little country road, full with blackberry bushes. Behind me is a line up of volcanos, which I identify as Tulhuaca, Lonquimay and Llaime. Lonquimay is smoking like a chimney, just like the one near Colima, Mexico. A series of cerros (mountains) are in the same line up, but we were told, that when they do not have a crater they are not volcanos, even if they look like one.

 

 

After passing a number of small towns and enormous wheat fields along the Golden highway. (named such, not because there is gold but because of the wheat), we enter the town of Purén.

On the corner is a small tourist information booth. Half a dozen people approach our car as soon as we drive up, all wanting to give us information on places to eat or places to visit or just giving us advise. There’s one hostel and one hotel in town. We settle for the hotel, which also serves as one of only two restaurants and banquet hall. They only have four rooms. We pick the one on the second floor with the thick quilts. It looks so cozy and inviting, I am ready to spend the rest of the night here with a bottle of wine and some finger foods. But we have not had our daily walk yet, and go into town. The square is just like any other, with its vendors, children playing and old folks on benches chatting.

We catch up on the latest news on TV and after the weather report for Santiago, where it is 40C we figure that it is better to head for the coast, where it will be a lot cooler.