where have i been

Well youmay well ask where have i been . i have benn looking for an internet connection since i crossed back into Chile and now i have managed to fiond one on the day before i exit Chile .

Well  i left perieto merino after a fairly uneventful rest daty and headed for the border .  on th emorniog before crossing into Chile I was a bit nervous due to th eincident with the rodeo and stopped fopr coffee at los antigues before crossing . i found onlñy one shop open as it was early and it wa smanaged by a dutch girl , kerry , who spoke english . we chatted for a while and she gave me tea on the house. She told me she had friends across the border who were south african who had a smallholding. she explained how to get there .


After crossing  i made my way to the small holding but it was all locked up s o i went in search of there house in town which was alos locked up . i decided he would not mind so i went back to th esmall holding and climbed the fence and setup up camp in his work shop . i was a bit bored so i decided to tidy thework shop before settling in for the night . i awoke at 5 am the next morning and realised that while i was cleaning up all th eenvelopes and boxes had been addressed to a Javier Esponaosa AND NOT to Nick .....
i think i may have been camping on the incorredt cfarm so i disappeared rather quickly . .

In town I joined and irish austalian and his Chilean girlfriend for coffe and spent the day with them in the park while i waited for the ferry

rory , carlapaz and i 

Well rory has been around the block once or twice and kept me entertained with boxing and mma stories alll day . Carlapaz was helpful and kind in getting me a chille simm card and getting iot activated .


Caught the ferry across the lake and headed out of town and danel was kind enoughto left me set up camp in the town water work s.

danaiel and family at water works

the next two days was abasutely awesome ,. i camped alone on the banks of the rio blanco river , ran through scenery that was spectacular, was takeneto the cleaners by a sweet old lady at a coffee shop .
i asked for coffee and had some soup  and the next thing i was paying 900 peso to the smiling Flor´s

flor´s and i

I was laosnot the slowest on th eroad for achange

the next day i was 19 km before Coyhaique and decided to stop and call it a day so i knocked on the door of a house and was expecting rejection when a lady answered but she said that i could camp and the her husband loved rugby and the spingboks and he would be home later so we could throw the ball around and have some shooters .

I setup under there carport and when Gerado arrived we did not play rugby , he was as big as kobus wiesse, so i helped him asemble the new furniture he had bought ,
We ate and drank and spoke of rugby and fishing , all three of us armed with our cell phones in translator mode . I really should have learned spanish . i really should have learned a tiny bit .

gerardo , patricia and I ,- the best kind of people  people 

TI bought a rod the next day in Coyhiague and  found my self an abandoned house on the far side of town in the woods where i barricaded myself in ofr the night .

next day at the first oppotunity i tried my hand at living off the land and fishing . GREAT SUCCESS after just a few castxs

Trout for lunch 

then i spent time cooking it in the forest
 and just enjoying myself

I pushed on and i was a quite and empty day with thexception of a lone cyclist who i met on the road
He had travelled from brazil and seemed to know his way aroundthe woods . inever got his name .

As evening approached i made it to theturning and found and old fellow Oscar fixing his fence in therain .
I ask in my best spanish if i could camp and he mumbled sometihng and gestured for me to follw him .which i did .

Oscar and i 

he gave me soup amd we shared my vienans and  rools and i was set for a good evening . he went to of to carry on with his fence .
latter when he came back in i noticed that he was getting edgey and after a lot of gesturing and expalining i realised that he was just a caretaker or worker and he was not goingto stay ta the house .

I felt bad as he got quite animated and i copuld see he felt bad too .

it was akward to say the least .

I eventually eneded up in another abadoned house .


myh internet time is up .....sorry .....more pics below

down by the river 

American cyclsits who spend a good time chatting with me 

The south african family that stopped to say hi and turn out there company euroberry supplies Wedgewood with Cranberries  . michelle , vivian , mark , nic and i , matthew was teh photographer

enchanted forest 

enchanted forest 

enchanted forest 

emily . french guy and me

pensive days