La Cumbre, Saturday

1243 Hmm. Not done it yet. Have called a few times and latest is I need to call back at 4pm. So have come to Mateos for steak & chips. I may regret this but I can't not eat all day. Because of hanging around have not been up to the Cristo Redentor statue either. Just might see if I can pop over after eating but it's all a little awkward for time.

Skype won't work over hotel wifi so ended up using my PAYG SIM to call TF and pay the fifteen quid; it 'only' cost about three quid though. TF are very good about this sort of thing over the phone, I must say - they called me back instead of leaving me hanging while they checked the price. (It still cost the same to receive the call, but the saving was in not hanging on the line.)

Bit concerned about all this and may have to get a remise to launch point and wondering what will happen about my bag if they're not providing transport. Just have to play it by ear.

1838 OK, well that was a bit random. I just flew, now waiting until sunset (possibly) to get lift back.

The flight was very cool, no problems though I did tense up a bit when the pilot started doing some kind of wobby flying; I thought it was turbulence. He could see I didn't like it and stopped; I half wish he hadn't, it might have been OK once I knew what it was. Took some photos on a 'point camera in vague direction and press button' basis.

Landing was on the same point and takeoff; he told me to put my feet up and we came down arse first. I guess that's safer than landing upright when you're not on sand and you have inexperienced passengers.

Wasn't as jittery as last time before takeoff, though the sort of glide down the 45 degree slope as we took off was a little disturbing.

Had the hotel keys in my pocket and no weird overall suit on this time so was slightly worried they'd fall out, but kept telling myself it wasn't the end of the world if they did.

View very different from in Iquique; it's all green hills and the river here, as opposed to the cityscape in Iquique.

Did sort of imagine I felt sort of queasy after a bit, but I don't know if I really did. It wasn't a problem and I just kept my eyes on the horizon if I was worried about it.

So absolutely would do it again, again, and there really isn't any cause to be worried.

I wasn't expecting to do it today; when I called at 4 (had been getting a little nervous before) it was kind of agreed we'd aim for Monday morning but that I'd call about 4-5pm Sunday in case there was a chance. I went and paid 100 deposit for a 200/night dorm to myself at another ho(s)tel nearer the town centre for Sunday night (it's 350 where I am now) which may turn out to be a write off now.

When I got back to the hotel someone asked me if I was the English guy interested in hangliding. Ended up speaking with some woman who lives at the hotel and is a friend of the pilot chap and she called him on her mobile so I could talk to him. The conditions had suddenly improved and they had been trying to get hold of me. So they came and picked me up and here I am.

It's ARS400 which is more than the guide book indicates (250) - actually the new hostel is similarly expensive (200 vs 130ish for private room shared bathroom in guide) - but worth it I think.

I may ask if they can drop me in town on the way back; I can then muse on what to do tomorrow and look into booking when I get back, which isn't likely to be significantly later than yesterday, ie midnight. If it's sunset by then I would have to get a cab into town from the hotel and I'd rather not; I'm also not quite ready to book yet as I need to decide what to do.

I may write off that 100 and go on tomorrow (it may be an option to go to Mendoza direct from here, instead of having to go to Cordoba first), but I could maybe spend the day here. I don't know if there's much else I want to do though it is sort of relaxing here.

If I do write off that 100 bit torn as the super-relaxed owner (who drove up while I was loitering at desk to inquire, and drove off again after - he offered me a lift to my hotel, but I said I'd rather walk) seemed OK and I don't want to leave him unable to rent the room out (assuming there's anyone interested; it's not like the place feels overrun with toursts) because he's expecting me to turn up, but if I do go in in person to tell him he may try to insist I pay him the other 100. So being as helpful as possible could end up costing me money. (I assume he is the owner and this wasn't a scam. Probably OK. I did get a receipt from the desk, though that isn't absolute proof it was legit of course.)

Did go up to the Cristo Redentor statue in the gap between lunch and the 4pm phone call. Few dogs en-route but no big deal. Walk up was a bit of an exertion but nothing major. The statue can be seen from parts of the town but it's not absolutely on the top of the hill. It's a little unimpressive close up but still worth seeing, and there's a good view of the town from the top. Felt a bit rushed but really I had plenty of time; I was mainly rushed in that I might have liked to go to the hotel for a bath after but it felt just a bit too tight; by 3pm or just after I was nursing a diet coke at a small cafe round the corner from the call booth place, mainly so I coud use the toilet.

I suppose rationally the 100 is gone ('sunk cost fallacy') and the choice is to stay here tomorrow night, effectively paying 100 for the night, or to go tomorrow morning as originally planned (though it was always a bit left up in the air). That, perhaps modulated by hostel availability in Mendoza/Salta, is what I need to consider tonight over a beer.

Oh, I do wonder if they gave me a parachute as part of the harness thing for the flight and just didn't tell me. No idea, except it would be the natural naive explanation for the bulk of the harness which otherwise seems inexplicable.

2012 At some bar on 25 de Mayo; La Recova is on this street too, was going to go there but no tables free outside.

Had to switch to spare phone battery this afternoon and it's now down to 65%. Charging both may be a bit of a bugger tonight and I do want both full if I am to be 'homeless' from 10am Sunday until let's say midday Monday.

My bowels played up slightly this morning; I sort of put it down to nerves but not sure that's really the case. That might sort of argue for spending tomorrow here, as might the battery charging, but these are somewhat feeble arguments. My inclination is to leave tomorrow now I've done what I came here to do and don't feel there's anything massively desirable I could do with an extra day.

Pilot chap (who spoke English; I don't know if there's cause and effect but he lived in East Dulwich for three months) said when I said something about feeling this place was quite nice and comfortable said all English people feel that here; apparently the town was founded by English immigrants and that has influenced the architecture.

He also said they're having an unusually wet summer and it's not usually as green as this. He said England was greener and that might be true but don't know if he was being honest or trying to be nice.

He said it will probably rain tomorrow and might rain tonight. That would be yet another argument in favour of leaving tomorrow.

We also talked a bit about the dogs in the street.

Anyway, going to have a bit of a browse in guide book.

2043 This place is Cafe Silverio.

Inclination is towards Salta. Lots of interesting stuff round there and sounds like I could easily pass rest of holiday in that area. It's 18h from there to Mendoza but if I do that I am sure there's somewhere worth stopping at least one night in between. Mendoza has paragliding possibilities and as noted before the temptation of being near Santiago; on both grounds better to leave it a bit. *If it's easy* I could imagine paragliding there, but I don't want to do it so soon after today's flight and the distortion it's caused to my plans/equanimity for the last three or four days.

Salt is IIRC 12h from Cordoba, which bowels permitting should be an easy overnight run tomorrow night with plenty of time to get the bus back to Cordoba and head over to the terminal to buy a ticket. Plus 12h means I could probably be leaving Cordoba 9pm or even 8pm (so not killing too much time in town homeless with my luggage) without getting in at a totally unearthly hour of the morning.

The pilot was extolling the virtues of travelling on a whim as we drove back; on that basis I would turn up at Cordoba bus terminal and just pick somewhere. (Possibly it would be in the spirit of this to then see roughly where it is, possibly not.) This has a certain romantic appeal, but given my preference (not absolute insistence, but still) for private rooms I do like to book my hostels at least the day before. It's also the case that while serendipity often comes up trumps in my experience, a random walk isn't the best way to search a given space. (And a random walk which tries to avoid retracing its steps is not great.) I think I'm doing pretty well being as free-and-easy as I am - I have a hazy route in mind (in this case - a circuit BA-Cordoba-Mendoza-Salta) which I am prepared to abandon or modify as fits the circumstances (eg my willingness to stay on here an extra night to do paragliding, even if that means part of the proposed circuit has to be omitted due to lack of time) and tend to have firm plans for the next one or two days most of the time, but no further ahead. This being a short bummel (the more time-rich traveller has a big advantage here) I also need to keep one eye on the clock with a view to ensuring I can get back to BA in time for the return flight. (Flying back is probably an option from most place, but one I am half inclined to regard as cheating.)

2231 Just been inside to use toilet; as I suspected but wasn't sure til now, this is the same place I nursed that diet coke at 3pm. Odd how different things feel now...

2252 Just paid, 40, 50 with tip. Wind getting a bit fierce and has been for a while, kind of consistent with it raining maybe. Most people still sitting outside - not that it's heaving - and it's not that bad, just rather brisk.

Just checked and is an e-mail address on the receipt for the 100 I paid for the room tomorrow night. Think I will e-mail once on the bus to Cordoba and know I won't need the room; honour combined with practicality. Guy probably wouldn't make me pay the other 100 if I turned up in person - FFS, isn't that what a deposit is all about? - but why chance it? I actually offered to pay the whole 200, but he didn't insist. I doubt he's going to have been turning people away anyway. Shall finish this beer - nearly done - then remise to hotel. Put phone on charge, bath and then look into Salta hostels and hopefully this battery will reach 100% before I want to go to bed and I can switch the other in overnight.

May stick around long enough to have another steak at Mateo's (sometimes they print it with the apostrophe and sometimes without) before I leave tomorrow. Cheaper and better than I'm likely to get in Cordoba and it's not like there's a major rush tomorrow, given the bus onwards will be overnight and leaving 8pm at the earliest. (It was good today but slightly less ecstatic than the first; probably a combination of not being pleasantly surprised and worry that I'd be enjoying it a second time in reverse 300m above the mountains...) Plus that way I get to eat lunch at lunchtime; I can always have dinner in Cordoba but at least I won't be perishing when I get into Cordoba.

2311 Back. Some other guests on terrace - as my experience on returning to find they had been trying to call about paragliding shows - they are clearly not empty as I had suspected, if not heaving. Shall send this now and put any waffle about onward plans in next entry.