General Chile-ness

We were trying to determine what route we should take south through Chile when Claire noticed an interesting posting on the Lonely Planet website. A Dutch guy called Thomas bought some land in Chilean Patagonia and is in the process of building log cabins and such like. He is looking for volunteers to come down and give him a hand. He would supply all food and board in return for a little hard graft. As we had the time to spare we thought it might be interesting to go to this remote spot and see what is involved in setting up an eco lodge. We sent him an email requesting some additional info, e.g. will we be eating in an open barn and eating bugs for breakfast, dinner and tea? Are you an axe wielding maniac looking some Celtic blood? We got a response saying he would not be about for a couple of months as he is travelling in the U.S. and Japan. New plan required.

An interesting aspect about life in Chile is the longer days. Before we entered Chile darkness had pretty much always fallen between 6 and 7pm regardless of where we were in South America. Crossing the border from Peru we were told to set our watches back 2 hours which is unusual really as time correction for us has always been associated with passing left or right through time zones, not north south. So now it is bright until about 9pm and the days will get even longer the further south we go. Weird man.

Chile is different from other countries we have visited in some other ways too:

1. Drivers are not maniacs here. They actually stop to let you cross at pedestrian crossings. They also obey red lights and green men. Very novel.

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2. The canine population has increased significantly. Dogs everywhere. Most are very lazy, sleeping all day. Others are more aggressive, but thankfully their bark is worse than their bite (lucky we got rabies shots in Eire).

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3. Chile initially seemed a lot more expensive than other countries SA countries we have visited. But with some experience we have managed to find reasonably priced food and accommodation...and to Claires delight fresh juicy strawberries & cherries are incredibly cheap.

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4. Everywhere we have been so far in Chile clearly has a strong European influence. There is none of the indigenous dress so common in Peru and Bolivia. Nothing like same level of poverty. And here in Chile litter goes in waste paper baskets, not on the street or out the window of the bus.

5. Chileans love 80's music. It plays in cafes, on the buses etc (we hear Argentina is the same).