WHERE WILL WE SLEEP TONIGHT?

Friday, January 1, 2010

It’s overcast as we leave Concepcion at 11:00 am. The air is warm and humid.
With the help of the family we decide what route to take and follow the Bio Bio River south, taking us away from the coast.
The country side is gorgeous with tall, slim trees, rolling hills and lots of green.
On our left is the Cordillera de Nahuelbuta and on the other side the Andes, the mountain range which separate Chile from Argentina.
We’re in a 75 kilometer wide valley which is getting narrowed and narrowed as we continue further south.
Our longitude and latitude here in the south is roughly the West Virginia area in the Northern Hemisphere.

It’s very quiet on the road. Today is a holiday and most families are at home celebrating. Life in Chile is all about spending time with family and lots of food.

We are entering a different area all together, with a large variety of trees, ranging from cherry to apple orchards to entire Eucalyptus forests. These trees are used for its lumber as well as for its oil.
When we finally have an opportunity to pull over to stretch our legs and breath the fresh air I can smell the Eucalyptus trees.

We turn away from our main route south towards the coast again to visit Capitan Pastene at the recommendation of Tanya. It’s a very quiet narrow, bumpy road full of potholes. We have no idea what we will find here.



The town appears to be asleep, every single store is closed, even the service station. We had really looked forward to an Italian meal, but have to settle for a backseat picnic from the coolbox.
We leave the car behind and walk through the village of 2,000 people, which was established in 1904, when 10 Italian families settled here.
The town is named after an Italian captain, who sailed the Pacific seas.
Most of the houses built in those days are still standing, some are being renovated, many in desperate need of a coat of paint or a replacement of lumber.

We see many Italian names here. The main street has a number of Italian Restautants, but they are all closed. The tourist season will start any day now. We’re just a few days too early. We’re somewhat disappointed but nevertheless appreciate the view here. I’d love to go for a long walk down the country road. listen to the birds and smell the fresh air.

We had back south east in the hope to find a place to sleep. It take us four hours, every town we enter is closed for the holidays, even the hotels. Metals gates are in front of every store, restaurant and hotel. I wonder if Ramiro has any Rotary friends here.

We continue to Victoria, which is larger than some of the other towns. Even this city is dead. Ah, there is at least one small corner store open. We buy some fruit, tomatoes, avocado, tuna and a big chunk of cheese.
The man tells us about a Residential that may have a room for us. We check it out and are reminded of the Casa Particulars in Cuba. At least in those we had a fridge and private bathrooms. We may have no choice but stay in one of these houses, but I think I prefer to sleep in the car. We continue to drive around and at the edge of town we see a sign for accommodation. The gate is closed, but there is a phone number.
We Learn that the owner is in Pucon and will return tonight. But perhaps a family members can let us in.

One hour later we finally get to see the place. It’s perfect. A large lot with a number of cabins with private bathroom and large window.

“What about supper?” Ramiro asks after we enjoy a glass of wine outside in the sun. “Just wait Ramiro”, we may not have a hot meal, but with the tuna, avocadoes, tomatoes and mayonnaise we have I should be able to do some magic. The plastic plates from the super market, cutlery and wineglasses provided by Lan Chile and the can opener, knife, bottle opener and two spoons I always carry in my makeup bag, come in really handy.