fear fire and phones

what a week , i mananged to get my self out of Punta Arenas after a nice rest and headed north for Puerto Natales , day one went pretty well , the wind kept away for a while and i made a steady progress . after 20 km a guy offers me water and tells me in english that he thinks i am nuts . i agree with him and laugh . the cross winds pick up a bit but not to hectic and i manage 48 km and decide to find a camping spot by the lake . I have not seen anyone in ages or anythiung so when i spot what loks like and abandoned play park i go down and am suprised to find some guys building a filter or some such device . i ask if i can camp and they say no problem . nice rest , nice sleep and some hot pasta and cup of soup. before the workers leave they give me some water .



i set off early the next day and decide i will head for villa Tehuelches which is a spot on the map .
I push on and expect it after 42 km but there is nothing . i keep going as the wind is not howling and eventually i come over a hill and there is a small town , i arrive and attract a few curious look s
i ask if i can camp somewhere and after a while i get directed to a spot behind the towns rodeo .

<i chat to an old lady who is taking some children for a walk and then set up camp .  nice rolls and vienna for supper , the last of the food  ihave carrried from Punta Arenas . back to pasta from tomorrow .


i tuck in for an early night . ha who would have thought the next 24  hours would be whatthey are

. At 1;26 am my tent is shaken and i come wide awake . i hear something and look outthe air vent and see a rotund figure scurry away into the darkness . i shout  and get out my tent , pepper spray at the ready . they seem to have gone . i evntually go back to sleep sometime after 2 am . i know its after 2 am becuase i was told the genrator for the town turns off at 2 am and it is quiet when i sleep .

I am awaken again later that morning
I leave town as i am a bt nervous nw or the persons motives . (update to follow )

its 6:45 am an d i am on the road , its going quite well and i have just covered 10 km ..

i look back and see a car with flashing lights coming up behind me .
they pull over , itsthe police , one is the same one I gretted a day or so ago , so i assume this is another meet and greet
.
The cant speak english but seem to want to know if i slep t inthetown , which i did , they want to know about a fire . they want me to go back to town with them .

I agree and we head off in the car to town .

as we approach the town  i look to where i was camping by the rodeo and see only smouldering ruins .

They pull into town and drive to the rodeo and point atthe fire and look at me .

they think i burnt the rodeo down .
this is bad ,very very bad
no way they gone beive me , i get really scared .
we go to the police station and they start to interrogate  using google translate as no one can speak english .
i repeat my story to them .

eventually a fire man arrives who can speak some english .
I am intimidated and fearful for my freedom , everything seems to point to me , i am convinced the person who disturbed mre inth edark did this but the entire town seems to be looking at me as the one
he is a great help . i am emotionally wrecked bythe end of the day .
the police chiefs understanding and the translator fireman , Rapheal , were all that got me through the day ,

I will not go into much more detail at this point but eventually i was released and decide that t would be wise to head for the border , which i did the following day and crossed back into Chile . i wil re blog this post at alater stage but below is a photo from before i arrived and on from the day after i left .

the spanish version of events is atthis link http://www.laprensaaustral.cl/espectaculos/presumen-intencionalidad-en-incendio-que-destruyo-la-medialuna-d-19724
 



Rodeo before

rodeo after

My return to Argentina is awesome , i am relieved and look forward to a couple of goods days before elcalafte .

back in argentina at last . phew

the are four towns on the towns onthe map  between me and El Calafate .

1. canch cerrera - i arrive just after the border and the town exists of nothing , not a tree , not a building , absolutely nothing . 

I push on and eventually oafter 65 km i find a rad workers shed from days gone by so i pry open a gap in the already broken fence to fit my pram through. at least here is some coal and a drum fire that i get going and settle in . up side is that i only have about 30 km to Tapi Aike

My workers shed in th emiddle of now where on the road to tapi aike

2. Tapi Aike  - i arrive , nothing , ok I am lying , the is one building that is a petrol station with a couple of pumps but nothing else , no signal for phone , no trees , no where to camp .. Manage to buy coke , as you can have coke of fanta and biscuits , that's all . I push on , i hit dirt road and after 31 km i see a farm , i ask  to stay .  He speaks no english and i speak no spanish . but eventually it dawns on me that he is offering me a room for the night as opposed to my tent .

Mary ann and Jean paul the french couple who stopped and gave me water , water more water and food , and friut , vivala france

on the road to nowwhere

And who would have thought  an South african in the middle of nowhwer e, thosmas from radio kop , stopped and we chatted for ages and they gave me wate anmore water and snacks

I am thrilled and even more so when as he is opening the door to the shed behind the barn i see a bed .

I go inside my my joy turns to dismay . along the other way are hanging various animal body parts in various states of decay . 

I cant back out now after agreeing to the room and to him this seems normal . so i spend the night i the butchers room .

 what a view ,........................

route 40 ,

3.) el cirrito - nothing , one house , with municipal worker 

4.) rio bote -  abandoned hospital with one resident . i am tired and lonely and the wind is howling , it takes 2 hours to do 5km , i nearly call it all off .

and oscar the loneñly sole resident of the abandoned Rio Bote and he gave me........yes you got it .,water and more water

 eventually get to El Calafate , at last signal . i can at last communicate with Sam and the boys , i have been so lonely  an d cold .

fuck , i lost my phone , i am shattered , i cry .

the lady at the hostel feels quite awkward . she tries to help . 

Sam calls me at the hostel , lol, i cry some more . then Steve , rob and my mom all call.  

el calafte

me and the gang of bikers

Today i feel better .