Well I feel suitably relaxed. You? I have had a lovely few days spending time with friends we made in Nakiska. Okay, so technically they’re more Andrew’s friends, but I’m claiming them as my own, whether they like it or not!
Francisco picked us up from the hotel we were staying at and drove us to his parent’s holiday apartment in Vina del Mar, which is about 5 minutes from Valparaiso (a little like Echuca-Moama). We arrived about 8pm to a gorgeous little apartment full of warm impressionist-like paintings and many other things which I will never be able to afford. We went out for dinner at a beautiful restaurant out in the bay where I was forced to drink my first Pisco Sour. The Chileans love their Pisco, although I found it a little strong. It tastes almost like ridiculously strong port, so I guess I was never really going to enjoy it. But, one glass is enough to get me VERY tipsy. Enough to giggle, feel quite dizzy, misplace a few footsteps….you know how it goes.
Afterwards we took a cab into Valparaiso and walked around looking for a reasonable place to have a drink, though gave up and went home. The next day Francisco drove us all around the area, showing us the main sights. We drove along the coast, stopping for photo opportunities (thanks Francisco!) up to Concon (another small town) and then back into Valparaiso. We parked the car and took a rickety old wooden box, I mean, the funicular up to a higher point. Valparaiso is just STUNNING. It reminded me a lot of Guanajuato in Mexico; sprawling hills slathered in haphazard houses painted in beautifully bright rainbows. It is not quite as colourful as Guanajuato, though I think that the lack of adequate foundations and waterproof roofs may be considered more important. A good portion of the town is completely dilapidated, which contrasts strongly with the other good portion of town which houses the rich. An interesting thing we noted is how tangled the electric wires are – they look like they will short out or cause a fire, but apparently it doesn’t matter that they pass through trees. They look like a painful ball of necklaces. Ever tried to untangle one of those? Shudder.
We had lunch, where Francisco deviously ordered more Pisco Sours and I was left feeling quite ho-hum. We then walked (or in my case stumbled a little) around some more, heading back home for a quiet night in. I played a card game ingeniously called Drinking Game. It was fun, but mainly because I kicked the boys’ asses. I’ve retired an undefeated champion. Of course, they had to quickly pack the game away and throw out the score sheet because apparently that erases the fact that the game ever happened. Yeah, if I was a gracious winner perhaps. BAHAHAHA. Suckers.
The next day we spent just lazing around Vina del Mar, walking along the beach, enjoying the sun and warmth….absolutely nothing. We did take a drive back to Concon to get empanadas for a pre-dinner snack. Francisco is so gorgeous – Andrew asked where he could get an empanada and he drove us all the way to Concon. Crazy Chilean! He then drove us back to Santiago (though not before stopping in at the most infuriating shopping centre in the world – not only did some people take close to five minutes to get out of a park AFTER they had loaded the car, but inside the supermarket was busier than Holy Thursday and Christmas combined. I’ve never seen anything like it. Needless to say, I was relieved when we left), dropping us off at the train station. It was just lovely to spend those couple of days with him, he is wonderful!
After spending 8 hours overnight on one of the most comfortable buses in the world (yet still not sleeping thoroughly) we arrived not-so-fresh-faced at 7am in Temuco. Nicolas, another guy Andrew lived with and worked with at Nakiska, was there to pick us up with his warmly welcoming father, Sergio. Nico had been drinking the night before and consequently looked worse than we did. We were driven back to the family home, and also met his mother Ximena and younger brother Cristobal. They are just the loveliest family, and most speak quite good English. They have just spoilt us rotten and made us feel like part of the family. It has also been a really good opportunity to learn Spanish, because they speak English they can help us more easily. It’s just been a great couple of days.
Anyhoo….they took us out to their holiday house on a lake near the town of Pucon, near the volcano Villarica. Nico’s girlfriend, Catalina also came and she drove her old Suzuki which had no seatbelts in the back and you could feel EVERY bump on the not-so-well-kept roads. Thankfully it was only an hour away!
As soon as we arrived we were handed a Pisco Sour…again!!! However, this time, it was fantastic. I don’t know what Sergio did, but the horrible edge was replaced with yummy smoothness. What a damn shame. They cooked up a gorgeous barbeque with yummy salads, not too dissimilar to what we’d get in Oz, but with a Chilean accent. We ate like kings! After lunch Andrew and I went for a walk down to the river whilst everybody else siesta-d. Two dogs accompanied us down, though one was chased away by another dog. It was beautiful, almost like the alpine regions of Victoria (minus the volcanic soil) – there were even gum trees there. I love you, gum trees. We lingered for a while then went back and Nico, Catalina and Cristobal took us to the lake. It was strange walking down a beach that consisted of gravel and black soil, but it was still pretty. We hung around for a while, the boys skimmed stones and we watched the sun set. We headed back and had a siesta of our own.
After dinner we went out with Nico and Catalina in Pucon, to a great little bar with a live band. Andrew and Nico drank Piscolinas (Pisco with coke, I think), and I had an array of cocktails. At two we thought we’d call it quits and head home, though not before Nico bought some coke to drink his father’s Pisco with. We continued to drink until FIVE in the morning. You heard me. Whoah. Not surprisingly I woke up in a not-so-good way this morning. I blamed Nico, but the bastard attempted to shirk all responsibility. Who does he think he is? I haven’t been up that late since bloody uni. Almost.
It was a wonderful night though, we star-gazed for a while. I got to see the Southern Cross, and so wonderfully bright that the coal sack was visible (a light-absorbing nebula to the bottom left of the constellation). We could see the Milky Way and thousands upon thousands of stars. It was just gorgeous. I was content with a capital grin. Until I woke up. Stupid hang-over. Mind you, Andrew was feeling more than a little ill at night…
When we got up, we had lunch and I sat there feeling more than a little sorry for myself. I’m not gonna spew…I’m not gonna spew….I’m not gonna spew….and I’m pleased to report that I didn’t. Felt like absolute bottom though. My mouth still tastes like rum. Blegh.
Before we returned to Temuco we took a walk back down to the river, this time with Nico and Catalina, and Ximena and Cristobal joined us a little later on too, bringing Coffee with them. Coffee is the family dog, who barks a lot and LOVES Andrew’s leg. LOVES. Cute dog though. We wandered around the river, I enjoyed the fresh air and they gathered some chestnuts to roast, showed us their national flower and some mushrooms. Then came the adventure of the Andrew. We had to cross the river on a slippery log which had another thin log tied up for a handrail. I thought for sure that I would fall over, but I surprisingly made it across. We meandered over the other side for a while, then crossed back over. Unfortunately we had to scoot on our bums, because Andrew crossed a little quickly, slipped, snapped the handrail, bounced off another log and splashed into the river. After a gasp of concern I exploded with hysterical laughter and cried for a few minutes. I don’t think Andrew found it quite as funny as I did. Men have no sense of humour.
And that’s essentially it. We’re back in Temuco, had a great dinner and relax and now I’m about to crawl into bed and sleep off the rest of this cursed hangover. We’re exploring Temuco tomorrow and then probably hopping on a bus for about 30-something hours to get to northern Chile. Joy of infinite joys.
The Chilean coast
Temuco and surrounds
