Saw Ben & Lyd from Monday night briefly while waiting for bathroom. They were also having breakfast down on terrace when I went to put my bag in storage. Vaguely tempted to get a drink but as far as I can see there was only coffee and there is also a rule here that you wash your own things up, and I don't have time for that sort of thing with the possibility of an 830 pickup.
Went down a second time to lock the bag to a wooden post in the storage room with a cable and my padlock; nearly did that the first time but stupidly didn't want to take the time. Nothing's guaranteed but it has to deter casual theft I guess.
Guy at desk called William is apparently sleeping in his van but paying CLP5000 a day for use of the hostel facilities.
Gave the phone a charge in bathroom during SS and up to 91% now. I hope I won't be using it excessively during the tour today so with luck I will be able to make it last a fair chunk of the time to Calama anyway.
Really hope I can buy some liquid refreshment today but I suspect that isn't going to be a problem. Still have a dribble of diet coke from Mon in my daypack and may have a bit of a swig at that now, but maybe I should save it.
1739 At El Santo Cervecero near (but not in; the bar there looked a bit naff) La Serena bus station. Got back from tour about 5, collected bag, shifted things round a bit and taxi to bus terminal. Saw two guys and a youngish girl doing minor acrobatics to entertain traffic at lights.
Due to slight dithering and queuing at two different company's windows, I am on the 2105 cama bus to Calama, due to arrive (I asked, but this is if memory serves) 1125 tomorrow. I think I just missed the last seat on the 2000 and I could have had semi-cama at 1830. Cama is CLP31,000 and I think semi-cama would have been CLP20,000-ish, but it's 14.5h on ths bus and if it's not totally in the backpacking spirit (though I think I am more of a flashpacker) to splurge an extra £15 quid, sod it.
Schop here seems very full bodied and flavoursome. Which is cool, but to be honest I am kind of in the mood where an ice cold Cristal mightt have gone down better. Pretty hot on the tour today but it's just right on the terrace here, sunny but not massively warm and with a light breeze.
Not massively taken with the menu here but not really feeling like a stroll I settled. Ordered some sort of pork sandwich, asking them to leave out palmito (because I'm not sure what it is, rather than because I know I dislike it) and avocado and after checking there's no mayonnaise. Sandwich is CLP4,800 which ain't cheap but it was this or the bus terminal cafe.
Took an intermittent GPS track of the tour today (I paused and resumed it just to get the individual stops down) which might allow me to GPS tag my photos.
Food here, looks OK, so gonna stuff my face. Not that hungry and already had lunch on tour but you know, 14.5h on the bus and all. Not not hungry either.
1810 I shall resume waffling. Battery down to 57% which isn't great but as I said this morning I shall fall back on Yes Man and/or the MP3 player on the bus.
Perhaps a good thing I'm not on the 2000 bus or the 1830 semi-cama. As it is I should get to the hotel around midday, which if not check in time is close, whereas if I were on an earlier bus I'd be hanging around in Calama with my bag before I could check in.
Having a diet coke, then might switch back to schopp. Will buy a big bottle of diet coke or water at the terminal for consumption on the bus. (There is a toilet, though I believe it is always for urination only - there is a sign saying that, if 'orinar' means what I assume it does.)
Anyways, the tour.
I was last to be picked up and first to be dropped off and as the tour was full I ended up sitting in the front of the minibus with the driver and tour guide. That was OK, had a little bit of chat with the guide (mostly in English) but left to stare out of the window or half nod off most of the time. (Was heartened to notice the guide doing the same on the drive back into La Serena.)
First stop was at some dam in (I assume) the river Elqui. I would like to say it was stunning but I don't want to max out on the superlatives, so let's just say it was pretty cool. We walked across the top of the dam wall. On one side the narrow river (I believe the guide said Elqui means 'narrow' in some language, possibly Quechua) in its green valley, on the other a vast lake. Took lots of photos (I went a bit nuts today in general) which I hope to stitch into a panorama at some point.
After that basically a toilet stop at some roadside restaurant/shop selling locally grown papaya products. Had it been possible to purchase an individual, whole papaya I might have bought one to eat there and then, but I don't think buying a tin on papaya 'pulpa' and/or a jar of grapes in juice fits the whole travelling light idea.
I think the next stop was Pisco Elqui itself, which (as I had somewhat stupidly assumed) is a town, not a company - it renamed itself in the 1930s or something like that. We had 25 minutes to wander around the square. The church and square were quite picturesque and it was nice and cool in the shade with the breeze but other than that it was a bit dead. Bumped into Lyd who had come over on the local bus and was sat in the square. She seemed to agree with me about the 'nice but dull' aspect, although there was a Pisco distillery in one corner of the square which did a tour and was probably something worth doing.
We didn't do that, instead we got the bus on to a 'solar restaurant' for the included lunch. They (allegedly, and it's probably true) cook all the food in these solar furnace gadgets they have out at the front. I had the goat and rice and it was pretty good actually; the portion was surprisingly substantial.
After that, if memory serves, we did a somewhat desultory 'distillery tour' at Pisco Aba (something like that; small artesanal distillery that only produces 20,000 bottles a year). Our guide showed us some stills in one room and described the basic process, then in the next room (full of maturing barrels) we had a taste of a 68 degree (dunno if that's percent or one of those US-style systems) 'tasting only, not legal to sell' (there is a legal cap at 50 degree) Pisco and then one matured in burnt apple (?) barrels at something like 50 degrees. The second was noticeably smoother but both were so strong (if not unpleasant) it's hard to say more. We also got a small sample of a 12 degree bottled 'Mango Sour' (I guess this is some kind of bottled cocktail or alcopop) and you could buy bottles (apparently at a third of the regular retail price, at least for the premium stuff costing CLP10,000 for a 750ml bottle there). 330ml bottle of the Mango Sour was CLP1,000 and I was vaguely
tempted
to buy one for immediate or short term consumption but I didn't.
After that we stopped off at some tiny relocated village near a closed railway station. Name something vaguely like Gallechaus but not that. Views there were also very cool. There was also this little presumably-abandoned black dog (puppy?) which got a lot of attention, followed us round and jumped in the bus with us as we were about to leave.
I think that was it; I guess the definitive record is the photos and the GPS track together. Oh no, before G-whatsit we stopped off for 20 minutes in the main square of Vicuna. Pleasant enough spot but 20 minutes was far too long. There as in Pisco Elqui I was taking photos more out of boredom than because there was stuff worth photographing. I did seize the opportunity to pop into a shop and buy a bottle of cold diet coke, which went down a treat.
(That reminds me; when I got back to the hostel - in Av Vicuna - with Marian that first night, we were speaking in Spanish for some reason. I said I'd been worried the taxi driver would take me to Vicuna instead of Av Vicuna - I didn't say I had therefore started with just the name of the hostel and that turned out to be enough - and the receptionist chimed in and said that had actually happened to a Brazilian tourist. Poor chap.)
1834 Battery at 54%. Think I've bashed out most of what I wanted to say, or at least all I can remember right now. Time hanging a bit heavy - earliest I want to go to terminal is 2005, I reckon - but will try to chill a bit, maybe spend some battery on Our Mutual Fried and have another schopp.
1841 Oh, in the morning we also stopped off in the small town where Nobel Prize-winning writer Gabriela Mistral (think I remembered that right) was born and/or lived when young. Tiny museum there and also a moderately cool church.
Other point of note is you could see some astronomical observatories dotted around, though interestingly not always at the top of the mountains (eg Mamalluca). I think there was a full day tour which included Mamalluca, presumably at night. If I end up back here on my return to Santiago I might see if I can do that, it might be quite cool. Presumably it's more of a 'see the equipment' than 'see that stars' affair.
Oh, I noticed while waiting for the bathroom this morning there was a wifi network name and password pasted on the wall over the internet PC. All I can say is when I tried in my room the first night on my phone I saw no networks, but to be fair it might have worked had I sat in the lounge next to reception. No big deal as it only cost me CLP400 for 40 mins at the internet cafe, just noting it to be fair. (Though equally, I don't remember them mentioning it on hostelworld, and you'd think they would. Meh.)
Actually, having just checked e-mail on my phone (I am far from clear people are getting my outbound messages for some reason) and run out of credit, I guess it cost me more than that 'cos I could have used their wifi instead of overpriced roaming mobile data. Still. May or may not top up tonight to send this, but I should have wifi at the hotel in Calama so I might hold off, on the grounds that I can't accidentally dribble away credit while I don't have any.
1905 Wore my cap today but not before, and as always happens I have a mild sunburn on my head where there's still hair (but it's short and/or thin) and I don't put any sunblock. No big deal I guess.
Finding it hard to relax. Also not that it matters, I don't know how much the beer is here but I bet it's pricey. Could easily be looking at CLP10,000 for this snack and a few drinks. Doesn't really matter I suppose and I guess I should therefore try to relax, enjoy and get value for money. :-)
1947 Just asked for one more schopp after which I shall head to the terminal. Worried I have somehow got the time wrong or something but guess it's not the end of the world if I have. Reading Yes Man here to save battery (41% now), it is also helping divert my attention enjoyably.
2011 Just got the bill. 10k plus tip. Puts the cama premium into perspective ;-) The schopp is "Santa" so I should remember that next time I want something with a bit more flavour. 1k for the diet coke, 4.5k for the sandwich and 1.5k for each schop. Tis OK but Dana Classic Rock Bar this ain't. Have quite enjoyed the subtly classy quality in a way.
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