Chili Chico to Puerto Guadal

I got up nice and early with my backpack all packed and a smile on my face ready to cycle and explore ALL day. I walked in the sunshine to the cycle hire shop only to find it was still CLOSED! What the? With a heavy heart I went to the tourist info office. Maybe there will be another bike hire place. No. There wasn't. Any tours today? No.

GODDAMNIT!!!

So there's nothing to do in Chile Chico even when it's not a holiday! Fine. I can have a foreign temper tantrum in the shop or I can wait till later in my room. Later I think. Ok so what's the best way to get to Cochrane then I asked. You have to go to Puerto Guadal, then stay over night, then transfer to and head back up to Coyhaique (where I was the other day remember?) which is North (I don't want to go North again!!), then get the bus from there to Cochrane. WHAT? Ok I simply don't believe her. I will go to Puerto Guadal today, stay overnight, then find a way!

I get the feeling it's going to get harder and harder to travel the further south I go. My intention is to get to Puerto Williams which is the furthest South town IN THE WORLD!!!! How cool is THAT? And I was meant to be there at the end of my 1st month so I could spend 2 months going back up through Argentina.

It's collect laundry day today! I am definitely appreciating things LOADS more. I went to the launderette, which is actually someone's house, collected my 1kg of clothes (I know that cos it's £2 per kilo and she weighed the bag in front of me), walked round the corner and allowed my face to fall into the open bag. Just smelling the clean! Oh the joy!

OMG Guess what I bought? I actually bought an actual purchase. My one and only (well apart from the overpriced bracelet I bought in the jungle). A teeny weeny HOT WATER BOTTLE!!! After last night, lying there for probably 2 hours shivering with my sheets and duvet and an extra blanket and another extra blanket, fully clothed with even my HAT on I decided never again!! I can't WAIT for bed tonight!

Bus from Chile Chico to Puerto Guadal. 2.5 hours. £8

Minibus. Gorgeous as usual, journey. Bit weird tho. We stopped a few times to pick people up (inc their MILLIONS of luggage). Then we were on our way. An hour into the journey in the middle of nowhere we stopped. There was a guy at the roadside with his 4 dogs (or not) and his horse a few metres away eating the bush it was tied to. He and our driver exchanged a few hushed words at the drivers window then a large package was given to him. The horseman smiled at me as we went on our way. Another half hour passed and a similar thing happened with another guy, with chickens surrounding him this time (and dogs of course). Then we stopped completely in the middle of nowhere to let a teenage boy and his 3 huge boxes off. He wandered off to nowhere.

We got to the tiniest of villages. I found a restaurant. It said closed (I know that word now after barging in to a cafe one time smiling and asking for coffee and got shouted at cos the sign clearly said CLOSED!!!) but I saw the owner and exchanged words and she invited me in and made me the most gorgeous pizza.

I have my own room! Sheer bliss. I can finally dry my knickers!