Our door on our bed in The Guest House.The history of the Guest House.
The Guest House on the very short O'Higgen's street.
The kitchen staff.
the Americans in the dining area.
The stove for making bread in the kitchen.
Peter waiting for the train in the station which is no longer used.
the old water towers.
Okay, so Peter "same photo" again.
A Historic building in Pueto Varas.
Lago Llanquihuer.
Historic church.
The local noisy bird.
Thursday, Nov. 18
With our egg and mayo sandwiches packed, along with crackers, fruit and yogurt, we are ready for our six-hour bus trip to Puerto Varas. We have good seats upstairs, right behind the steps going up, so I have a high rest for my feet. The scenery is lush countryside, lots of cows and sheep, and vegetables growing. Unfortunately, it is overcast. We stop at each decent-sized city along the way. Once we reach Puerto Varas, just a few minutes north of the big city of Puerto Montt, Peter quickly gets the tickets for the return trip to Temuco, we get the only taxi waiting, and the driver does not know where the street is that we are staying on. With a tiny city like this, it is amazing. Anyway, he takes us to the wrong place, then stops twice to ask people about our street. With only a few houses on the one-block street, I guess it is easy not to know.
We explore the bitty downtown. It does have a lovely walkway along the shore of Lake Llanquihuer and lots of new or refurbished high-rise hotels facing the water. The highlight - for Ruth anyway - is the glistening casino. It really is impressive with separate casinos for the smokers and the non-smokers. As so many people smoke in S.A., they would make no money if they were forced to have only non-smoking!
Back at the guest house we meet Jerry - a semi-retired computer designer of children’s games. He is a cross between John Walton and Woody Allen & Peter Sellers. Need I say more! He takes pictures of the hat I am embroidering with the names of all the cities we visit and he makes notes of the expressions that we use which are new to him. Anyway, of the group he is traveling with from California, including his wife, he is the only one who is friendly.
We head downtown, literally, to a pizza restaurant that is recommended. I have a great four-cheese, very thin crust, delicious pizza. Peter wants a ham & pepperoni and gets only ham. Whatever. The walk uphill helps the digestion of the food.
The bed is nice and cozy and there is no television here to distract me.
Friday, Nov. 19.
The breakfast is delicious with lots to choose from - sweet French toast, granola, yogurt, rich brown bread, cheese and cold cuts, fresh-squeezed orange juice, and lots of proper coffee (not instant) - eaten at a group table. While others were eating, we overhear a couple from Holland who have been to Vietnam and China and talking about how they had the trip organized by a tour company in Holland. After breakfast, Peter approaches Bart and Liesbeth and we not only get the low-down on China, they suggest our trip to Australia as well. Lots of very good information that we are truly thankful to have. They travel like us, mostly on the cheap for food and lodging, but spend the money on the things they really want to see. I hope some day they will venture to Canada and we can have the pleasure of showing them around the Kootenays.
Because it began as a rainy day with only an early afternoon of non-precipitation, we just did the walking tour of the city. The old railway station area is the most interesting for me. I could imagine the German immigrants in the twenties and thirties getting off the train, staying in the hotel across the street, and starting a new life in this - to them - strange land.
We haven’t decided what to do for dinner - maybe just finish the new - expensive $5.00 - bottle of wine and go to bed. Whatever. Tomorrow, we start north again. To warmer weather, I hope. Today when we went walking, I had my pyjama bottoms on under my woolish-pants I bought in Buenos Aires and my cheap warm sweater I bought in Lima over my golf shirt under by rain jacket and on my feet I had on Cathy‘s warm socks and my walking shoes. Unfortunately, I sent home my New Zealand sweater from Puerto Iguazu, thinking that that warm weather would continue. Silly me.
We should have some down time in Arica, so I’ll try to post next from there.
With our egg and mayo sandwiches packed, along with crackers, fruit and yogurt, we are ready for our six-hour bus trip to Puerto Varas. We have good seats upstairs, right behind the steps going up, so I have a high rest for my feet. The scenery is lush countryside, lots of cows and sheep, and vegetables growing. Unfortunately, it is overcast. We stop at each decent-sized city along the way. Once we reach Puerto Varas, just a few minutes north of the big city of Puerto Montt, Peter quickly gets the tickets for the return trip to Temuco, we get the only taxi waiting, and the driver does not know where the street is that we are staying on. With a tiny city like this, it is amazing. Anyway, he takes us to the wrong place, then stops twice to ask people about our street. With only a few houses on the one-block street, I guess it is easy not to know.
We explore the bitty downtown. It does have a lovely walkway along the shore of Lake Llanquihuer and lots of new or refurbished high-rise hotels facing the water. The highlight - for Ruth anyway - is the glistening casino. It really is impressive with separate casinos for the smokers and the non-smokers. As so many people smoke in S.A., they would make no money if they were forced to have only non-smoking!
Back at the guest house we meet Jerry - a semi-retired computer designer of children’s games. He is a cross between John Walton and Woody Allen & Peter Sellers. Need I say more! He takes pictures of the hat I am embroidering with the names of all the cities we visit and he makes notes of the expressions that we use which are new to him. Anyway, of the group he is traveling with from California, including his wife, he is the only one who is friendly.
We head downtown, literally, to a pizza restaurant that is recommended. I have a great four-cheese, very thin crust, delicious pizza. Peter wants a ham & pepperoni and gets only ham. Whatever. The walk uphill helps the digestion of the food.
The bed is nice and cozy and there is no television here to distract me.
Friday, Nov. 19.
The breakfast is delicious with lots to choose from - sweet French toast, granola, yogurt, rich brown bread, cheese and cold cuts, fresh-squeezed orange juice, and lots of proper coffee (not instant) - eaten at a group table. While others were eating, we overhear a couple from Holland who have been to Vietnam and China and talking about how they had the trip organized by a tour company in Holland. After breakfast, Peter approaches Bart and Liesbeth and we not only get the low-down on China, they suggest our trip to Australia as well. Lots of very good information that we are truly thankful to have. They travel like us, mostly on the cheap for food and lodging, but spend the money on the things they really want to see. I hope some day they will venture to Canada and we can have the pleasure of showing them around the Kootenays.
Because it began as a rainy day with only an early afternoon of non-precipitation, we just did the walking tour of the city. The old railway station area is the most interesting for me. I could imagine the German immigrants in the twenties and thirties getting off the train, staying in the hotel across the street, and starting a new life in this - to them - strange land.
We haven’t decided what to do for dinner - maybe just finish the new - expensive $5.00 - bottle of wine and go to bed. Whatever. Tomorrow, we start north again. To warmer weather, I hope. Today when we went walking, I had my pyjama bottoms on under my woolish-pants I bought in Buenos Aires and my cheap warm sweater I bought in Lima over my golf shirt under by rain jacket and on my feet I had on Cathy‘s warm socks and my walking shoes. Unfortunately, I sent home my New Zealand sweater from Puerto Iguazu, thinking that that warm weather would continue. Silly me.
We should have some down time in Arica, so I’ll try to post next from there.
No comments:
Post a Comment