Slipping down Pablo Neruda´s thin country

Cheryl checking out a firm butt in Temuco


The rail-motor from Temuco to Puerto Montt


The central valley of Chile (or is it somewhere in Australia?) complete with a line of blue gums in the background.


Volcan Osorno, there are about twenty of these volcanoes in the lakes district. This one looks like it needs to be climbed if I can get my hands on an ice axe, plastic boots and crampons when we return.


The view from our hotel room in Puerto Montt


The fish market at the Angelmò. Yes, they are sea urchins on the right.

After getting ourselves organised in Santiago, we had a day trip to the famous Valparaiso and Viña del Mar. The El Niño effect must be happening here because it poured rain all morning so it was a soggy, muddy Valparaiso that greeted us as we left the bus station. We were less than impressed. There is a new electric train system to Viña del Mar so we took that and found what appears to be Chile`s playground of the wealthy. Needless to say the beaches were not a patch on what we have in Australia however they do have sea lions swimming right beside the bathers!

For a change from busses we decided to take the train to Puerto Montt. What luxury, the first day was 677km to Temuco and was very fast and smooth in an electric train on continuously welded track Travelling in Chile and travelling in Peru are worlds apart. We had a day in Temuco to check out the local culture but ended up spending most of it in the supermarket.

The hotel served up the usual continental breakfast of breadrolls, jam (usually apricot) and coffee. We were getting so sick of that apricot jam that we had already started scouring supermarkets in Santiago for an alternative spread. Peanut butter, nutella, or especially vegemite would have been such a relief. And when I say coffee, I am referring to a tin of Nescafe plonked on the table (or in the more sophisticated establishments, Nescafe served in a silver bowl). It appears that Chileanos have not developed a taste for real coffee despite the excellent coffee grown in Central America. Anyway, we searched every supermarket in Santiago, Valpariaso and Temuco without luck...

After Temuco the train changed to a modern diesel two-coach rail-motor and the track reverted to the old clackety-clack rails. We had a slow but pleasent trip to Puerto Montt. The countryside all the way from Santiago was amazingly fertile. It was through the central valley of Chile and most of the way it looked we could have been somewhere in Australia. There are even eucalypt trees and cattle everywhere. It actually became a bit boring in the end. One big difference though was the area just North of Puerto Montt near Lake Llanquihue where the snow capped Osorno Volcano rises above the Eastern shore of the lake and the towns take on a very Bavarian look. We plan to return to that place when we return from the South.

Puerto Montt is very pretty and we have a great hotel that overlooks the harbour where there has been a different cruise ship anchored each day. And finally we hit pay dirt in the supermarket here, finding both peanut butter and Nutella!!! This place is famous for the seafood although we have no desire to try out the sea urchins we saw in the fish market.

Tomorrow we are boarding the Navimag ferry for our four day journey South to Puerto Natales and the test for Laurie`s stomach...