And the lupins are later as it is colder.
Took a long time explanng to this guy that I wanted to camp in his farm. It was very windy and I was looking for a fence or something to act as a break. But after we finally understood each other I ended up in his shed. And he insisted on lighting a fire as it is getting pretty cold at night. In fact it poured with rain, so the shed worked very well! Bit of coughing, sputtering and watering eyes at first though.
They can ride horses pretty young down here.
Adios signor and thanks!
Lots of autumn colours here now.
Moss - handy for lighting fires.
Camping second night after leaving Coyhaique. In this national park the rangers leave logs that you can use. This was the sight at 2am, when I poked my head out as I thought it was raining, but it was in fact snowing. Not a good night's sleep as I did not want the fire to go out!
And in the morning everything has a new white complexion!
Carlos, a ranger, had been to see me the previous night and told me a new word that I didn't understand - "nieve" - which turns out to be snow! Also, in the morning, the temperature, -5C. Which explains why I had been getting a bit cold. Too cold for me! He took me to his lodge and we had some coffee and I put my feet next to the stove. He showed me some tracks - Fox and skunk. Puma live here as well, but did not come in my tent!
So back to Coyhaique, and a glass of wine in a warm restaurant!
Whilst here I met two people from a hostel 2 weeks ago - who said (a bit of a bombshell) that I had left my passport there. Fortunately it turned out to be just a laminate copy - but scary moment. One bus a week back up the CA.
Everyone has wood burning stoves down in the south.
Eduardo - owner of this hostal - helped a lot and we talked a bit about England and Chile. England has a bit of history with this country and some Chileans have a lot of interest in us, our language and culture.
Some shots from the plane on the way back to Santiago
There are a lot of mountains in the Andes
Back in Ventana Del Sur hostal - John(Australian) - he has cycled far and after a break back in Oz is planning more and then Africa!
Markets in Santiago.
Blueberries are about two pounds a kilo. Bought some and also strawberries to make smoothies.
Off for some music with people from the hostal. The poster is not this week - tonight it is Beethoven's Fourth.
Some comments on the wall - people seem to like it here in this hostal! Advice is "Don't sit on the sofa - you will never leave".
