Chile Chico is closed. The whole town! On October 12th every year there's a holiday. Apparently it's the anniversary of Christopher Columbus' arrival in the Americas, which happened on October 12, 1492. Great. So no tours. No bike hire. Nothing to do at all. I looked on the map to see where the marble caves are. I thought I could hire a bike and cycle there. But it's round the other side of the lake and 7 hours drive away. So maybe not. After speaking to people at the hostel tho, unless the lake is as still as glass, and there is sunshine, it's not worth seeing anyway. Just a piece of white rock. It's meant to be raining for next 4 days.

It's hard booking stuff to do. I can't really book ahead on the internet cos all the websites are in Spanish. It's much easier to get to a place and play charades with them. Mostly they're very patient with me. But if the place isn't very touristy, there are no tourist infos, so I then just need to ask around.

So I did what I like to do best. You guessed it. Find a hill and climb it! This time it was steps. Numbered for my convenience. I got to the top and admired the view, then saw in the distance a gorgeous looking tiny wee secluded beach. I want to go there I thought. So I walked along the path, a most definite path this time, along the cliff tops. This is what's great about travelling alone. No time consuming discussions, no compromising. I want to do it so I do it. Although having said that, Andy is my perfect travel companion. We are one. There is no discussion. We are in sync and are both up for doing the same things. I miss him today. Especially when the damn path disappeared again and I had so squeeze up against jaggy bushes to avoid falling to my death when the path became a ledge! and then clambering over huge rocks slipping and sliding all over the place right next to the waters edge! I suddenly started thinking about the people I'd passed. The woman standing alone looking suspicious. I looked to where she was glancing to see her male partner squatting in the bushes. I smiled at her knowingly then took a wide berth. The man and his dog with the dreadlocks (it may not have been his dog. The strays have a habit of just following you around in the hope you have food. I've seen one wearing a t shirt). Were they still close enough to hear my scream? I have my phone on me. As long as I'm conscious when I fall I can text Andy and he can save me.

Anyway I got to the beach safely and sat. Looking and listening to the silence. Nothing but the sound of the gentle waves lapping against the stones (yes I know it's a lake but there's still SOME movement. That's why I said gentle ok?). 2 minutes later a young couple arrived and TALKED. Noise. I left.

And that's all I did. All day. Then got back to the hostel and chatted (in Spanish, have I made it clear yet that NOBODY speaks English?) to a couple of other hosteliers (that's a word. Honest). It's freezing here at night. In fact every god damn night has been freezing. Regardless of how scorchio it is during the day. Even in Peru, in the sunshine it was roasting but even in the shade the difference was ridiculously noticeable!