Ancud, Tuesday

1254 At Balai again for lomo a lo pobre with coke zero. Only left hotel 10-15 mins ago, woke up some time before 11am alarm but then snoozed heavily before and after, got up about 1215. Actually not that bad out, hourly weather forecast says 1mm rain an hour which is tolerable, think it sounded and looked worse from my room. (I think it was raining harder and windier last night though.)

Not sure what will do today, perhaps wander up coast in opposite direction though don't want to go too far afield lest it really piss down. I got through all the main tourist stuff yesterday, I could have tried to arrange visit to penguin colony for today or done a tour of the island churches, but not desperate to do former and I will see at least one church in Castro and sort of seen one here and unusual and attractive as they are I think being dragged round on a tour in the rain might have grated a little.

Wearing long-sleeved shirt over yesterday's T-shirt inside out (washed ones not dry yet) under jacket, not sure this is necessary but equally it's not too warm.

1342 Food not bad. Bill 6800, think will head vaguely south along coast for half hour or so and see how it goes. Tipping 800 as given change. Anyway, let's go. Needed to call bank for some time and could have done this morning but didn't want to linger once got up in case missed lunch opening. No big deal.

1413 Back at hostel. Did walk along coast a bit but with the not-that-heavy-but-persistent rain being driven into one side continually by rain and my jacket not really being waterproof and my trousers definitely not figured I'd come back, may pop out again for fruit and possibly beer 5pmish. Throat hurts a bit, probably from cold. Did pop into nearby bus terminal and it seems to cater for coach-sized buses, so I really would have been better off getting my bus to Castro from there but what can you do? As long as it's not raining any more than this I can walk to the other terminal tomorrow morning without getting intolerably wet and it's all exercise...

1805 Just had Spanish lesson. Torn about going out. But I am inclining to just hanging around in my room. I wouldn't mind having some fruit, but I am not going to stand in the street and eat it in this weather, and if I do go out I want to go for a beer and I'm not lugging it into the bar with me. I wouldn't mind a beer (and the atmosphere that goes with it) but at the same time will I be able to relax if I'm worried about getting soaked on the way back or am a bit damp while I'm there?

1809 Fuck it, I'm going out, I can always turn back. Not going to be out long. No, as I write this it sounds like a bad idea. It's not that heavy. But it's just enough and I have only just stopped being damp from before and I don't want to fuck myself over physically and I might get massively soaked tomorrow morning anyway so don't want to overdo it. I also have plenty to occupy myself with here. I am a bit worried I might be dragged off to socialise or have to make awkward excuses if I stay here.

No, fuck it, I will go out, as I say I can always come back in ten minutes time.

1853 At Retro Pub. It's not that bad out at all. Serendipity threw small greengrocer's with covered outside at me so I bought and scoffed some fruit/veg. CLP2500 here for a schop, I thought the guy said it was a half litre but that would be mega pricey and rough finger measurement and calculation suggest it might be a litre. Can't remember what a pint looks like, despite drinking them in Bariloche.

1938 Nearly finished. Definitely not stopping out, though don't regret coming either. Fingers left hand bit stiff, prob from water on them as washed fruit from bottle of water in street and the cold, hope nothing too serious or aging stuff. Florence and The Machine playing, some live video. Anyway, finish beer and back. Not v busy in here, about three other tables occupied. Not staying out cos of curfew and cold and wanting to pack and have a shower and just generally not majorly in the mood and after relative excesses of last week good to pull down average consumption for a bit.

2224 Uploaded some photos and milling about in room. Few notes on yesterday's barbecue. About seven or eight of us in total. Food pretty good, chicken, pork, chorizo, some possibly potato based grilled bread and an apparently Chiloe-specific variant on that with chorizo in called something like (making the spelling up) mikow IIRC. About three visiting Chileans, a couple of Spanish women (one may have had some German connection but was fluent in Spanish, both lived in Madrid), an Italian woman and (a few people came and went at times, I doubt this adds to seven) a couple of other Chileans who might but not sure have been relatives of owner chap. His mother I think did the cooking but she didn't eat with us. There were also some huge dishes of local (I asked) mussels and similar shellfish; I took one of these and it was OK but always a bit dubious about seafood. Conversation all in Spanish; I didn't say much but a bit, and I could more or less follow (sometimes just at a 'get the gist' level) all of it, which was something if not as good as I'd have liked. Conversation generally was slightly stilted but it was OK and it was a nice gesture, especially for free (look on it as compensation for the 1000 change I didn't get - I probably said half-accidentally at the time it didn't matter - when I paid for the room, mainly joking there as wasn't fussed and the meal was worth way more viewed from that narrow perspective) and I am glad I didn't avoid it.

If not already said BTW was at Hospedaje Lemuy in Puerto Montt.

Will have to pack - I always seem to act as if it's a huge chore not a five minute tops job - tomorrow morning as clothes washed yesterday still damp. Tis OK. Being really slack about reading guide book to see where I might go after Castro so I can book accommodation or what there is to do there or stuff generally.

2244 OK, forced myself to look at guide book. I had seen some mention of a ferry off island which had some interest. This is to Chaiten, which for the moment I assume is acceptable at least and from which I could get a bus northwards. There is a boat from Quellon which both the guide book and the owner chap here (may be called Roberto but not at all sure) say is dangerous. It leaves on Thursdays at 3am. Yeah, right. I fancy hanging around somewhere dodgy and getting to the port at 2am. OK, I could get a taxi and I'm sure it would be fine. But anyway, I am in Castro Wed & Thu nights and I don't intend to prolong my stay on Chiloe another week after that. It's cool and I may well stay a few days more but I don't have forever, plus it seems to me the sort of place where serious outdoor wet weather gear is desirable, especially if you want to go off walking etc. Possibly somewhere to come back to from that perspective on a shorter, more focused trip carrying more specialised gear.

Anyway, they also in high season (now) do a boat from Castro, but that leaves Sundays at midday. Now I suppose I could possibly consider that; would need to check but I suspect there are things (including daytrips further afield) I could occupy myself with in Castro for an extra two nights. But the question is, are there any free seats? Oh, both trips take 5h approx.

Yes it seems they do, the website even seems to handle foreigners and it's an affordable CLP12000 for the trip. Let's have a quick check on hotel availability in Castro and Chaiten before probably booking.

2300 OK, that's not happening. My hotel in Castro has one cheap room free til Sunday, but my usual web sites can't do any better than £88/night (for a quadruple room, with I think no option on sharing) in Chaiten and the guide book also says accommodation is scarce. Buses seem local-ish and require connections elsewhere to get on the main transport routes. So given my rough plans for this trip, I don't think that's a good idea. That's cool but doesn't help me decide if or where I need to book for Friday night.

Anyway, I should move towards a shower before it's too late. Let's try to reassemble the mess of disturbed sheets on the bed so I can get in ASAP after and then I can always continue to look into this/surf slackly from in bed.

2337 OK. I noticed when looking at Castro on booking.com that apart from the place I had already booked Wed/Thu night, the next cheapest option was... not cheap. Details in a bit. Anyway, having noticed there is a bus to Valdivia taking about 8h from Castro while browsing guide book (Santiago is about 16h) and having looked at Leslie's recommendations from Friday night and seeing it contains Chiloe (ie here), Valdivia and Concepcion (also Pucon, Villa Rica and Puerto Varas, which I will probably omit on this trip but who knows) and checked locations on map, I inclined to extending in Castro for one night (I don't want to assume the bus out will be overnight, so I only have 1.5 days/two nights with previous booking) as it looks fairly interesting even if I don't do any tours (as I say, Chiloe is perhaps to be revisited with more appropriate gear, though this taster is nice anyway), then taking bus to Valdivia. Concepcion is north of there (as Leslie said, but wanted to check not mistaken when noted down or whatever) so I may stop there also en route to Santiago. Anyway, for now the plan is an extra night in Castro then bus to Valdivia and 2-3 nights there. Not booking that yet as have a day or two in hand plus want to see what bus arrival times are so as to know whether the first night there has a first day of activity or bus preceding it. This itinerary might (it's bit loose due to unknow bus details) also see me arrive in Santiago on a Thursday or Friday, which would be handy. I might or might not stay in Santiago quite a while (4-5 nights) but we will see.

Anyway, I got the last single room at the same price as previous booking in my hotel in Castro. That is £18/night. Same place has a double room at £36/night which is tolerable I guess. Then the next cheapest *seemed* to be several hundred pounds a night, but I forgot to order by price (not that it made any difference to what I booked). I normally notice this but because I had already booked somewhere there it came up first in the list without me having to sort by price instead of by recommendation. There is another place with double rooms at £22/night, for example, so it's not as 'phew, I got that room' as I thought. But obviously better to be in same place all three nights (even if I don't get to keep same room, though can't see why I wouldn't) to minimise hassle and maximise free time.

Anyway, may surf a little as not tired but that's the next little bit of the trip sorted out anyway. This also probably sees me at Santiago having only been in Chile two weeks, so if I only do Calama (for the mine I missed last time, though maybe the distance will force me to stop off a couple of other places) in the north that is about right to spend three weeks in Chile which was my rough plan (plus having dropped the Patagonian exploration idea, I think I was only in Argentina about two weeks, which was about what I originally planned before the Patagonian plans suggested I might spend three weeks there).

I should perhaps look into that mine tour a bit ahead of time in case it's only certain days or I need to book but not doing it now of course. If I can't do it not the end of the world, though by same token if I can't I may take a different route up towards Peru, though probably not. Could even fly. Anyway, now definitely not the time for this.