I arrived in pucon not really knowing what I had signed up for or what I wanted to do... South chile was never part my plan but I was gonna enjoy it... Today was a big day, poss one the most important in my history, I had just visited Easter island and was full of life...
So I arrived at the cottage looking hostel with couple hours before it could/would happen... Il always remember the day I arrived in pucon, first meeting Gabriel the argentinian mr meoggie, Tomas and mateo the giant brown dogs, the open fire, and view of the live volcano all because today was the day my beloved Charlton athletic won promotion back to the championship... :-) was a day of celebration and brought back fond memories of my dad and how much I truly miss him....
A couple days in I got invited out with Daniel a friendly, enthusiastic and absolute gentlemen from Barcelona Spain... He invited me on a hiking trip to the national park leaving at 8am and walking quite a few km's through a forest like park with lakes and wildlife... It was a good day and one we later repeated but without the company of our other spanish friends xavi and mariana... They where good people that I had the pleasure of bumping into across south America a few times...
A couple days in, whilst siting on the sofa watching English premiere league and singing songs about drogba's dad selling watches and him washing elephants I heard the sound of a motor bike pulling in the yard... Little did I know how much this would change my life... For nathaniel was a Californian lad through and through, he loved the outdoors, BBQs, bonfires, animals, carpentry, English pipes and great music... We got on like a house on fire...!!
We sat drinking beers, smoking pipes, chatting about and to women, I tried to educate him about "soccer" he should by now know all the words to plenty of football chants, we would swear like sailors and mainly sit and gossip about an Aussie "tart" that had got her feet under the table with the owner of the hostel... The wicked witch of the east was very cunning and to be fair over friendly... We would gossip like two old women over the garden fence on a summers day, all that was missing was the rollers... Pints of tea where drunk and jobs where done, trips to the supermarket for Danish pastry, beers, and potato chips where almost daily..!! Some days I didn't need to leave the garden or the hostel...
The hostel was popular with a lot of English folk, most would stay longer than expected as we would make them feel part of our family... We would cook dinner as a group, drink as a group and laugh at and with each other... There was bond 007 (always up to no good) dirty Dave the back door basher (was actually Dutch) and various other guys that all got a nickname from myself and nathaniel who by now I could say was like a brother to me...
The live volcano in the distance would smoke and have visitors every day but even with all the people that climbed and said how great it was, I never once wanted to climb it... I would use cost as an excuse but really I didn't wanna miss out at the hostel or my friend... We had a bromance :-) haha... One afternoon while sitting trying to decide if I wanted pastry, cookies or crisps nathaniel informed me that 4aussie chicks where due to check in... We made a bonfire that night, played great music and moaned about the wicked witch being a b****... We was pretty drunk when they first turned up, the bell rang like it did, the dogs barked and Jose went and answered the door... I was in the process of creating a massive hangover for the next day and making a great playlist of music that had some great bands from both sides of the pond thanks to mine and nathaniels knowledge...
The four girls checked in and came straight out to join us, they got beers, snacks and tried to add a musical influence but as everyone knows Aussie music is s***..!! I mean come on, Kylie..?? That night me and nathaniel decided to brand each other with a hot rode from the fire, a scar that my tattoo of travelling with be inked round... It hurt like fcuk but looks wicked now...
The four girls turned out to be great company, we all watched films, played stupid games, got drunk, cooked and enjoyed life... One the funniest things for me in my life so far has to be the bed trick that me and nathaniel played on Monique... I sneaked upstairs and meet nathaniel, we moved the bed supports and then laid the Mattress back on top.... We was all downstairs watching a film and had forgotten about the whole thing... As we was going to bed I lost it, I literally lost control of breathing, speaking, and laughing... Nathaniel was biting his tongue but I had to go downstairs to try compose myself... I was crying and she hadn't even sat on the bed yet... The plan worked to perfection because the whole room erupted when she feel through her bed... I didn't stop laughing for ages after and luckily for us we was only ones in hostel because we would have surly woken everyone else If we wasn't... Monique was a great sport, the girls had thought me and nathaniel had taken drugs because how much we was laughing...
The nights where passed with getting drunk, smoking pipes and eating steaks from the BBQ... We did rolly pollies down the corridor, we held each others ankles and like the pair of clowns we are, rolled over and over through the hostel... It was great to have come to pucon and gained more than just another album of photos...
We left pucon together and went back to Santiago to celebrate little legs birthday there... Nathaniel would soon have to return home and I was heading north of chile.... It was an honest mistake but he left without his passport and I had to post it down to the hostel so he could return home... The day we parted company was as hard as leaving home... With my hand on my heart I can say i miss nathaniel and i hope to see my friend again, some time really soon..!! He will always be welcome in my home or to join me on the open road... He would have been welcome in anyone of my sisters, mother or aunties bed... As we say in England pure gent...
I still miss my friend, our nights around the fire and the music we shared... I hope that I educated him on the libertines and football songs but most of all I hope he is happy and successful..!!
I was lucky enough to spend a week or so more with the 4 Aussie girls before we parted ways in north chile... They were almost sick of me I'm sure, I had calmed down a lot since i had started moving again and my friend had returned, the open road wasn't ready for my full on approach to life, it needed time to get to know and understand me, I was calmer and was taking everything in, just like a Biscuit in hot tea, too long was too much and not enough left you wanting more... I was happy getting ready to meet an old friend before heading to Bolivia...

Next instalment: beach drunks, moon valley, and bus station sleepers...

Peace out much love Mick xxx