Villarica

After we ended up spending an extra day in Puerto Montt meeting Jim and Karyn…

We spent the night back at our truck parking area north of the city and left as close to the crack of dawn as we could.  It’s hard getting up early in this climate as I find my bed infinitely preferable to the cool morning air. 

I find the PanAmerican Highway (Ruta5) in Chile mesmerizing even though on this section the pavement was occasionally lumpy and uneven. 

The road most closely resembles a freeway in the European Union with similar signs and markings and orderly traffic that allows Team Lost tourist momentarily they are in South America. 

Even though occasionally you can be startled by some decidedly non freeway traffic: 

We paid about $11 for the three hour drive. Divide Chilean pesos by a thousand and add five percent for US dollars.  On the official rate 3500 pesos is $3:66.  I’d calculate in my head as $3:50 plus 17 cents.  Or I’d just figure it’s a “bit more” than $3:50. I’m rather slap dash when it comes to money. I don’t fit the mold of the heroic Aryan male head of family projected by our new leaders at home. My little lady controls the purse strings to keep us from going bankrupt. 

Layne was lamenting the absence of roadside food such as we found in Mexico and just then past the toll booth we found breakfast. It was not at all Mexican being slightly bland, and had I not been lazy and had Layne not been in a hurry we might have paused and doctored the sandwich up. It did the job; I got scrambled egg and Layne got machada, shredded beef. Hot sauce we’ll add another time. 

Onwards and upwards. The reason for the rush was to get to a vet’s office in Villarrica to get Rusty an appointment for a medical checkup. His 60 day border crossing permit we got in Punta Arenas expired on 10th February so he’ll need another to cross into Argentina next week. Businesses tend to close for lunch so we had to get our skates on. 

We were listening to our favorite audio book author Michael Connolly but Layne kept dropping off and napping such was the excitement of smooth pavement and not much scenery. 

The final half hour was an easy cross country drive on a pastoral two lane road. 

There is no wild passing or road rage in Chile but I pull over when I can, mostly at nicely paved pull outs at bus stops. 

And yes we are getting used to snow capped volcano backdrops. Those are the Andes and the border is in there somewhere; Chile is a long narrow country. 

Villarica is a tourist town in a lake but it wasn’t as jam packed as some places we’ve visited this summer. This is high season, summer vacation time and Argentines and Chileans are seeing the sights. 

I parked on the sidewalk -as you do - and walked round the corner to the vet’s office. It was noon and we got an appointment at one pm. They were efficient and thorough and gave Rusty a complete check up for  $16. He is in excellent health with clear heart and lungs though he still doesn’t enjoy a thermometer up his bum. He is steady at 52 pounds as he has been all the way. 

And then we got his health certificate and I walked off to find the agriculture office called SAG (Servicio  Agricola y Ganadero - agriculture and livestock services) the federal agency responsible for keeping disease out of Chile. 

Of course I didn’t pay attention to the map. Had I done so I’d have noticed the SAG office closes at two in Villarrica. As it was I wandered around in the 80 degree heat enjoying window shopping and checking out the stores and not noticing I was walking the wrong way. Well done Team Lost. 

We tried to use a free camp spot recommended by iOverlander but it was packed with beach goers.

Miraculously we found an open spot on the street nearby and decided to spend the night as the recommended waterfront parking lot wasn’t clearing out any time soon. By this morning the street was empty. 

This morning at dawn the street had cleared a bit but now we have to go and camp in front of the office to get Rusty’s border paperwork started. We have a ferry reservation to Argentina to catch on Tuesday afternoon. And a lakeside campground reservation to enjoy until then. 

My Dinner With Jim

It was a strange day yesterday and the photographs will attest to that; the sort of photos that normally might be -ahem -discards. 

Our home in Puerto Montt a truck parking area of no particular merit except it’s mostly empty and we can sleep peacefully here. It works for us. 

We were working to meet a guy I knew in Key West a decade ago who was vacationing in Argentina with his wife Karyn, and were driving a rental car to Puerto Montt to cruise the Carretera Austral.

Forest fires in Argentina have closed several border crossings so they got caught in a huge backlog at the one crossing that was open. Consequently we didn’t a fruitless day postponing lunch until dinner as we waited for them and our plans to drive north got delayed. 

No big deal and we see some good mussels by ourselves for lunch and Layne and I shared a cake dessert plate when they arrived for dinner. Make it work…

They said hi to Rusty and checked out GANNET2 which is the sane Promaster as their commercially built camper they use to tour the US and Canada. I tried to reassure them that driving around South Snerica safe, always with common sense of course, but I’m never sure I’m believed. It’s hard to break down that fear of Latin America I find. 

We can left Puerto Montt for the last time this year maybe as they drive south to take the ferry to Hornopiren.  On the way Layne managed to catch a photo we have consistently missed on our way out of town, snoopy the rock. The light was bad and we were going 50mph but she got me the memory. 

Wednesday we want to be camping among the lakes near Pucón. Petals we will have a story to tell. 

Doing Stuff In The City

Team Lost and the Big Top. We were at the mall in the outskirts of Puerto Montt and realized the circus had come to town; and I don’t mean us.

We left our beach camp Sunday at noon and drive three quarters of an hour south to Quemchi where lunch was awaiting us. 

It’s our favorite eatery in this part of the world and we enjoy it as a treat. On this our third visit we had oysters and clams to start. 

I had roast lamb…

…my favorite and lamb had crab claws her favorite. 

Flan for me (I said this is a special meal for us):

…and chocolate cake for the chocolate queen. 

Rodolfo and Paz seeking perfection in local products. Nothing they say is raised more than 60 miles from their restaurant. 

The local fishing fleet. 

Layne slept on our way to the ferry. I drove enjoying the pastoral scenery of this island. 

The ferry was waiting. They’re building a bridge to replace the 25 minute ride but for now three  ships circle the strait providing continuous 24 hour service. 

You drive on, a crew member comes by with a credit card ms hind and you $21 for your van and at the other side you drive off. No fuss, no standing in line. 

As we arrived in Pargua another ferry was leaving and then our ramp hit the cement landing pad and off we went, by chance second off the ferry.   



“Improving Chile” on the PanAmerican Highway. 

Volcanoes everywhere. You get used to them sitting in the background. 

Puerto Montt again. Last scene in November - before Ushuaia. 

We went to the mall to do some shopping. I saw my old neighbor on 36th Avenue in Santa Cruz advertising a store. Jack O’Neill, inventor of the wet suit, now in Patagonia. 

Lunch. Mongolian beef and not bad. 

Rusty needed his nap time aboard. 

Ram 1000. My fantasy solo camper. It’s got a diesel engine so you’ll never see it in the US. The Promaster City, similar, has been discontinued because Americans don’t like small cargo vans. 

The suggestively named hardware store. A huge Home Depot with a bit of everything, camping gear, lumber, tools, work clothes and paints and electrical stuff and appliances. Pretty amazingly comprehensive. 

I needed Bruce to waste time with me talking rubbish about manly stuff. 

Then we went to get gas and at the Copec they also have a drinking water tap. Fill the thirty gallon tank. Give the station dog some treats (when Rusty wasn’t looking).  

Horatio stopped by. He’s emigrated from Spain and runs his motorcycle rental agency dropping off motorcycles for clients around Chile. He loves RVing. 

Cool! Hot showers for 85 cents each. Delicious. Thank you Copec. 

And then some food shopping at jumbo. We spent the night, too tired to sleep, at a truck stop. 

That was a busy day. Haircuts on Monday. Lunch with a friend on Tuesday and then the lakes and fresh Rusty paperwork to cross into Argentina. It’s always something on the to do list. Phew…