Posted 17 March 2007
Whilst talking earnestly to the Frenchman we unfortunately watched the last bus disappear. He said not to worry as there will be more, but nevertheless we decided to go back to the main road. There we met up again with a young American and his Spanish companion from Barcelona, both workers traveling on holiday. They had failed to persuade any of the cars leaving the carpark to give them a lift and so had followed us to the village. Almost immediately they flagged down a pick up truck with four in the cab and jumped in the back. They were a little surprised when we also got in.
Off we set at high speed on the unmade road, which was great fun until the blue sky turned to dark cloud and it began to hail with a strong cold wind. In such conditions you quickly make friends. When the driver dropped us a few miles from Castro we found that a bus would not stop, but a lone woman in a 4WD appeared and stopped. She took us right into Castro.
The next morning we went to the hospìtal to see a Dr Fernando Martin, Rolling Stones fan and proud of his English made Land- Rover driver. He was operating and doing a follow up clinic but on helpful intervention by the receptionist came to see me for a minute. He offered me an appointment the next morning. Unfortunately I had been having a lot of hip pain when walking for the last five weeks or so, but expected it to settle down on holiday. It hadn´t - oscillating daily between being fine and it being quite painful to walk. It was for that reason incidentally I missed my last Spanish lesson, Maite.
Today, Saturday, we went to his clinic and he examined me and said everything looked OK except that I hadn´t the usual amount of rotation in the joint. Since we had tickets for the ferry to the mainland tomorrow he arranged for it to be X- rayed straight away and came with us to the centre to interpret the results. He said the X-ray was good and the joint was excellent. He also told me there was no problem emanating from my spine, which is a frequent source of hip pain, and was certain the problem was simply a muscular one. The prescribed treatment was physiotherapy and tablets for muscle relaxants and inflammation reduction. The tablets already seem to be working - the physio will have to wait - but already I feel very much happier and totally relieved that the problem is not serious. It´s nice to have a second opinion. The cost incidentally was only 20.5K for 2 X-rays, 25K for the consultation, and 22K for three weeks tablets.
By midday we were at the Annual Costumbrista Fair in Castro which was packed. As usual the main attraction was food. The stalls at one end were spit roasting beef, lamb and occasionally pork over wood fires and selling huge portions of excellent local meat for 2.5K a plate. Joan and I both had beef which made an excellent change from the sea food we have usually eaten here. At the other end of the 56 stalls, they were selling sea food particularly the Curanco I had earlier. In the middle was a Red Cross volunteers stall, think WVS, who sold gateau, kuchen and coffee. A Selva Negra and a Moka with cafe made a fine desert.
Various bands were performing for TV on a large stage. The one we watched comprised keyboards, violin, cello, flute and guitar and had a pleasant soft modern jazz folky feel. There were continuous shows on stage all day. But we spent the afternoon in the Rodeo ring, the same structure as the one at Valdivia, but if that was a professional ring for gentleman farmers then this was a rustic version for the local subsistence farmers. Although charged, just 0.50K for entry there were never any horses and no cattle. Instead it was used for games and the ring was packed with spectators and there was never any problem in getting volunteers.
They started with a couple of sack races to get things going then they called about 20 young kids into the ring and made them stand in a circle. Into the middle they put a very lively young black pig and the idea was that the kids chased around the ring
until they caught it. That done they introduced a bigger more mature, still young, pig, but this stood and showed its teeth when cornered. Tug of war for mainlanders versus the islanders finished one all. They then tried a three woman tug of war, the rope having three ends each secured to a contestant by a loop secured by a bowline, a non-tightening, loop with a single turn round the thigh. Each contestant tries to reach a bottle of wine a few yards in front of them. The strong woman won with fair ease. But when retried with three physically matched young men, they tugged to a standstill and after 15 minutes a halt was called and they all limped away from the contest. If you think about the physics that is what should happen because as one contestant makes headway the angles on the rope change so he is increasingly having to beat two opponents pulling against him. In fact the young man in green from the wine district was given the prize for getting closest to winning though he was eventually pulled back to all square, well all at 120 degrees. I have never seen this done before. Blindfold contestants were then set to find a bottle of wine in the ring with only a long sweeping sticks, a task they found exceedingly difficult. Another task was set to lasso a goat in two attempts, only one man succeeded.
We noticed three waste bins where they were trying to encourage separation of rubbish into glass, plastics etc, but no-one had yet got the idea. On the other hand they are streets ahead of us really, or is it years behind, for the majority of drinks are sold in heavy bottles marked Envase Retornable.
Tomorrow we go by ferry, 2 x 16K, to Chaiten on the mainland and the so called Austral highway, which comes to a dead end both north and south and is not paved. This is Chile not China so that when roads are described in the books as difficult that is most likely to be still true.
Incidentally Chaiten is quite close to Esquel, although that is east it is on the Argentinian side of the Andes, nevertheless we may try to go there to see the Welsh town as suggested by Mary's Huw, but the main objective is south to Coyhaique and a boat trip to Saint Rafael Glacier where ice is continually breaking off and being used to fuel whisky drinks for the voyeurs in small boats. After that who knows but some-one we meet will explain the possibilities -probably onward via Argentina.
Breakfast today was another good session a French couple (mother and son, who is married to a Chilean and living in Santiago) being added to our Venezuelan sisters, Korean friend, and a new found dutchman who lives near Carcasonne and on his own admission looks a bit like Santa Claus, and a Chilean family group, the conversation being English, French and mainly Spanish. I´m getting better and can understand more, at first the accent threw me completely - it still does with the locals, but still feel more at home in French even though my knowledge of the grammar is now probably less than my knowledge of Spanish.
The kitchen here, and in many hospedajes is available to residents. That evening we watched Rosa and her sister Gloria prepare two salads one of vegetables the other of fruit. One fruit was new to us Pepina fruta a sweet form of cucumber which looks a little like a small ripe yellow papaya which they were mixing with peach. There was as much interaction in the kitchen at night as there had been in the morning.
One last dawn before leaving and as usual Joan pulled up the venetian blind on our east picture window just sufficiently so it let in lots of light but still had to stoop a little to see out. The ostrich it is said buries its head in the ground and thinks it cançt be seen. I could just visualise all those dirty old men on the latest cruise liner at their port holes with their binoculars, bird watching. Imagine my surprise on looking out to see not a cruise liner but a Chilean navy warship anchored in the bay. It was camouflaged army style pretending to be a rock flying the Chilean flag. Maybe I was the target for all those young sex starved bisexuals.
The boat to Chaiten, pronounced Shite Ten, wasn't due to leave until 3pm so we spent the morning looking around the inlet and saw from much closer all the palafita houses built on stilts and watch while one received it delivery of coal, except that it was fuel from a lorry piled high with logs suitably sized for the wood burning stoves.
For lunch we went early to Restaurant Octavia which was also built on stilts with a fine outlook over the bay. The waiter owner was eating his breakfast but served us before any other customers arrived with a superb meal Corvina for me and Paila Marina, this time with red crab, and a huge avocado as salad. Forty mins later at 1.30 the restaurant filled up and he had changed into black trousers and a bow tie.
Have just seen the comment on the blog from Terry, Lican Ray, and was sad to hear his 96 year old mother had just died. My mother was born just a few months later and is still fit in body though she no longer recognises me but still enjoys being taken out. Terry, when you have written up the account of your grandfathers experiences in the Somme based on his letters, I would feel privileged to have a copy.
Whilst talking earnestly to the Frenchman we unfortunately watched the last bus disappear. He said not to worry as there will be more, but nevertheless we decided to go back to the main road. There we met up again with a young American and his Spanish companion from Barcelona, both workers traveling on holiday. They had failed to persuade any of the cars leaving the carpark to give them a lift and so had followed us to the village. Almost immediately they flagged down a pick up truck with four in the cab and jumped in the back. They were a little surprised when we also got in.
 |
| WELCOME TO A JOY RIDE- SUDDENLY IT STARTED TO POUR but even that didn't dampen spirits |
Off we set at high speed on the unmade road, which was great fun until the blue sky turned to dark cloud and it began to hail with a strong cold wind. In such conditions you quickly make friends. When the driver dropped us a few miles from Castro we found that a bus would not stop, but a lone woman in a 4WD appeared and stopped. She took us right into Castro.
The next morning we went to the hospìtal to see a Dr Fernando Martin, Rolling Stones fan and proud of his English made Land- Rover driver. He was operating and doing a follow up clinic but on helpful intervention by the receptionist came to see me for a minute. He offered me an appointment the next morning. Unfortunately I had been having a lot of hip pain when walking for the last five weeks or so, but expected it to settle down on holiday. It hadn´t - oscillating daily between being fine and it being quite painful to walk. It was for that reason incidentally I missed my last Spanish lesson, Maite.
Today, Saturday, we went to his clinic and he examined me and said everything looked OK except that I hadn´t the usual amount of rotation in the joint. Since we had tickets for the ferry to the mainland tomorrow he arranged for it to be X- rayed straight away and came with us to the centre to interpret the results. He said the X-ray was good and the joint was excellent. He also told me there was no problem emanating from my spine, which is a frequent source of hip pain, and was certain the problem was simply a muscular one. The prescribed treatment was physiotherapy and tablets for muscle relaxants and inflammation reduction. The tablets already seem to be working - the physio will have to wait - but already I feel very much happier and totally relieved that the problem is not serious. It´s nice to have a second opinion. The cost incidentally was only 20.5K for 2 X-rays, 25K for the consultation, and 22K for three weeks tablets.
By midday we were at the Annual Costumbrista Fair in Castro which was packed. As usual the main attraction was food. The stalls at one end were spit roasting beef, lamb and occasionally pork over wood fires and selling huge portions of excellent local meat for 2.5K a plate. Joan and I both had beef which made an excellent change from the sea food we have usually eaten here. At the other end of the 56 stalls, they were selling sea food particularly the Curanco I had earlier. In the middle was a Red Cross volunteers stall, think WVS, who sold gateau, kuchen and coffee. A Selva Negra and a Moka with cafe made a fine desert.Various bands were performing for TV on a large stage. The one we watched comprised keyboards, violin, cello, flute and guitar and had a pleasant soft modern jazz folky feel. There were continuous shows on stage all day. But we spent the afternoon in the Rodeo ring, the same structure as the one at Valdivia, but if that was a professional ring for gentleman farmers then this was a rustic version for the local subsistence farmers. Although charged, just 0.50K for entry there were never any horses and no cattle. Instead it was used for games and the ring was packed with spectators and there was never any problem in getting volunteers. |
| CHASING THE PIG |
 |
| RIDES AROUND THE SHOW |
We noticed three waste bins where they were trying to encourage separation of rubbish into glass, plastics etc, but no-one had yet got the idea. On the other hand they are streets ahead of us really, or is it years behind, for the majority of drinks are sold in heavy bottles marked Envase Retornable.
|
| DELIVERY NOT BY COAL BUT WOODMAN |
Incidentally Chaiten is quite close to Esquel, although that is east it is on the Argentinian side of the Andes, nevertheless we may try to go there to see the Welsh town as suggested by Mary's Huw, but the main objective is south to Coyhaique and a boat trip to Saint Rafael Glacier where ice is continually breaking off and being used to fuel whisky drinks for the voyeurs in small boats. After that who knows but some-one we meet will explain the possibilities -probably onward via Argentina.
Breakfast today was another good session a French couple (mother and son, who is married to a Chilean and living in Santiago) being added to our Venezuelan sisters, Korean friend, and a new found dutchman who lives near Carcasonne and on his own admission looks a bit like Santa Claus, and a Chilean family group, the conversation being English, French and mainly Spanish. I´m getting better and can understand more, at first the accent threw me completely - it still does with the locals, but still feel more at home in French even though my knowledge of the grammar is now probably less than my knowledge of Spanish.
 |
| VOLCANO at CHAITEN but not the one that erupted after our return |
One last dawn before leaving and as usual Joan pulled up the venetian blind on our east picture window just sufficiently so it let in lots of light but still had to stoop a little to see out. The ostrich it is said buries its head in the ground and thinks it cançt be seen. I could just visualise all those dirty old men on the latest cruise liner at their port holes with their binoculars, bird watching. Imagine my surprise on looking out to see not a cruise liner but a Chilean navy warship anchored in the bay. It was camouflaged army style pretending to be a rock flying the Chilean flag. Maybe I was the target for all those young sex starved bisexuals.
The boat to Chaiten, pronounced Shite Ten, wasn't due to leave until 3pm so we spent the morning looking around the inlet and saw from much closer all the palafita houses built on stilts and watch while one received it delivery of coal, except that it was fuel from a lorry piled high with logs suitably sized for the wood burning stoves.For lunch we went early to Restaurant Octavia which was also built on stilts with a fine outlook over the bay. The waiter owner was eating his breakfast but served us before any other customers arrived with a superb meal Corvina for me and Paila Marina, this time with red crab, and a huge avocado as salad. Forty mins later at 1.30 the restaurant filled up and he had changed into black trousers and a bow tie.
Have just seen the comment on the blog from Terry, Lican Ray, and was sad to hear his 96 year old mother had just died. My mother was born just a few months later and is still fit in body though she no longer recognises me but still enjoys being taken out. Terry, when you have written up the account of your grandfathers experiences in the Somme based on his letters, I would feel privileged to have a copy.
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