1112 Didn't want to get up but managed it. Changed rooms, in new one now. Largish single bed but if anything perhaps a slightly nicer room, with a sort of wardrobe nook.
Plan is to head out soon, not a lot to see but there is a lookout point shown on map hotel gave me so may try that.
Cleaning out pockets found receipt for drinks I bought at the bar I went to with Ricardo and where I later went with the other three; 7000 for two pitchers of beer, place was Resto Bar Moe awwat C. Matriz Egaña 121
1824 At Cafe Plaza again, food was good yday and wtf. Went up to Mirador Manuel Montt, pretty cool views. Then walked round towards coast (via supermarket for lashings of fruit/vegetables) and after dithering a bit got a boat over to Isla Tengo. Wandered round there a bit, there was a sort of fair on with some guys performing some (to me) vaguely traditional Latin American music, watched that for a bit, got boat back and wandered over here.
1833 Food completely different to yday. Portion way smaller and third of plate wasted on some slices of avocado and tomato. Sigh.
1859 Not bad all the same. Getting the bill - 6000, need change from 10k. Short on coins and only 1k notes in change so tip has to be 1k. Tis OK but - as it it matters - seems a shame to tip more today than yday when food better yday. Anyway, back to hotel via shop for bottle of water and a cash machine, I have a fair amount on me but don't want to make assumptions about cash availability on Chiloe, though suspect it's not a problem.
2139 Been back at hotel for a while. Booked a fairly cheap single room with shared bathroom in Castro for Wed & Thu nights (after Mon & Tue in Ancud). Seems a good balance between trying to be totally flexible and being shafted with expensive accommodation; there are two more rooms at that approx price (£36 for two nights) at a different place, then the next available is about double that. Being slack and surfing instead of 'preparing' but not too bad. Gut feeling is that I may end up spending about a week on Chiloe and then zooming up to Santiago (about 17h nonstop from Ancud) with just one or perhaps two brief stopovers en route. My travel style very much seems to be to see new stuff but not go into huge depth trying to see everything in a given region as I can always go back and see a different subset of what's there in future.
0110 FFS, I'm not very good at this going to bed lark am I? Still, I am stone cold sober so should be OK to get up 7amish for 830am bus, it's only about 15 mins walk from here.
Anyway, v briefly what happened Fri night. Was in Cafe Real after eating when chap at next table made conversational overtures. Joined him at his table for Fanschop (sp), beer with Fanta (or a knock off of same), which was surprisingly OK. He was Ricardo, probably late 40s or early 50s. We went on for a walk round centre - I was super explicit about not going anywhere isolated etc. We ended up in that bar whose name I mentioned earlier today. I paid for two pitchers of beer, but fairly cheap. I had intended to just have one more beer after we left Cafe Real but atmosphere was quite nice so wtf. They had karaoke but it was tied in with a slightly cruel 'show' (too formal a word), very few people actually sang, I would have done a Prisioneros song given chance but anyway. Ricardo had obviously been a little drunk to start with but in there he was continually asking me if I liked the place etc. He had said he'd help me find my colectivo when we left. I sounded him v thoroughly before getting second pitcher to see if he wanted to leave. Towards end of it he was almost asleep sitting opposite me; I actually went and spoke to a waiter to ask about possibility of having a taxi called for him if necessary. Also asked group at adjacent table what time was dawn with view to possibly not having to go home in dark; it is midsummer here and gets dark v late so was moderately plausible, but they said 6am.
Anyway, I left with Ricardo and he, after sort of hanging around a bit dopily, left me to get his cab across the street. I lingered and asked a passing woman about taxis. Anyway, at this point a chap - Marcello IIRC - who (though I didn't recognise him til he told me) was the chap from next table who I'd asked about dawn and who had come out for a smoke (Chile went UK style a year or two ago) spoke to me and invited me to join him and his girlfriend Francesca and another woman called Leslie; the latter came out to join M as we were talking and I of course assumed she was his gf. Anyway, after being super solicitous that it was OK I joined them. None of these people spoke English, so good practice and fairly chuffed with myself. Spent most of time inside talking to Leslie, who was at university in IIRC Concepcion training to be a large animal vet, as M&F were outside a fair bit, and it was too noisy to speak as a group even were my Spanish up to handling a group conversation of native speakers (which it isn't). Bar shut at about 4 but we (mainly me & L from my point of view, though others rejoined us towards end) stayed to drink up. I bought couple of bottles of beer (one of which never got touched) but they basically treated me from their pitcher, not that I was drinking hugely. I don't think Ricardo was on the scrounge, he was just a bit drunk and seemed basically a nice chap and I didn't mind paying for drinks in return for the experience, but it was nice how the others were. We all got a cab back afterwards, they dropped me off first and wouldn't take any money. Oh, it was Marcello's birthday (night, ie his birthday was the previous calendar day given I met him about 2-3am).
So that was all quite nice. As I say, nothing super exciting but since I write this mainly for Future Steve wanted to note down what happened whether or not it's a particularly exciting story to anyone else.
Have sort of packed, bag contents somewhat in turmoil post dormitory and not yet repacked properly as too busy/lazy. Hopefully sort it out in Ancud at some point. Hargely a huge chore but stil needs a tiny bit of effort to get round to it.
Not tired but should probably try to go to bed soon-ish...
0205 Finally in bed... At least I got my photos all sorted up to and including today (correlated with GPS tracks, copied onto multiple SD cards, camera card empty, selected ones uploaded to flickr).
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