Costs: Matrimonial room with ensuite at a hospedaje near the corner of General MacKenna & Lautaro 11,000.
We were given a lift up to Temuco driving up from Pto Montt in the afternoon with Tony and Patricia arriving in the early evening and found a place to stay close to the centre. Next day we went to their apartment which is in the middle of being redecorated and had lunch with Tony. He works overseas and is only back for a few weeks so has a million and one things to get done in a short time. He took us on a tour of the central city, Temuco is a city on the banks of the Cautin river with a population of aprox 260,000, the Mapuche being the local indigenous tribe. Back to the apartment where Kent helped sort some problems with Tonys laptop then we headed back into town.
The next day we checked out but left our packs at the hospedaje and explored the Temuco. We found a big municipal market & a train museum and had a good nosey in the shops. We ate at a restaurant in the market which is an upmarket version of the ones in the poorer countries. Our meal was good for 1,500 ea we got a pork chop, mashed spuds and salad. Usually in Chile we buy food at the supermarket for meals as it is cheapest. We are searching for another way to back up our photos, our old ipod is full and must be near the end of its life. Kent dislikes flashdrives as backup but they may be the best way to go...
Late in the evening we caught a bus to Santiago.
