We were up early but then discovered the gas was not on so there was no showers, water for washing up or burners to make coffee on. Not a soul was about so we ate breakfast with tea – not a popular thing with Joan. Eventually we saw Jose in the garden and he sorted out the gas. As it was Xmas day we exchanged gifts. We had opened our main presents from our families the Friday before we left. We never buy each other much at Christmas – just a token gi...

We tidied up the cabana and left the key in the door as we saw no one around. The road out of the national park was much quieter than on the Sunday we had arrived. We were held up by some roadworkers who had been tarmacking sections of the road and painting white lines badly and somewhat unnecessarily as most of the road was just gravel. We headed further south to Talca, where, as the guidebook says, the phrase "London, Paris and Talca" is painted mysteriously o...