Crossing The Border

We have agreed to give Bariloche a miss also as we just dont have the time and when we get up early the next morning we ask the guy to check on times to Pucon which is where we are headed in Chile. There is no direct bus and he advises us that we will have to go to Osorno first and then change here for Pucon , this sounds perfect and the bus is at 1030 so we run down,pack our bags and head out in a taxi to the terminal. The guy in the hostel say the company is Andesmar but when i ask at the counter they arent going till 2pm i make my way along the kiosks and there is a company going at 1030 so tickets booked and were on our way. The journey takes us through the immigration, and its goodbye to Argetina, i can really say its been a pleasure , all the doubts i had about the Argetinians going to be rude etc are banished and they really do have a beautiful country, no wonder they wanted to fight for it. The scenery once again is beautiful as we wind around huge mountains and ast wonderful lakes. Half an hour later the bus stops and we are given forms to fill in stating what we can and cannot take into Chile , we fill the forms in accpting we cannot take any animal products herbs spices and large amounts of cash(we actually havent got a penny in cash so i hope we can find a cash machine in Osorno) The bus pulls up and we wait our turn to be cleared. We are all chauffered off the bus and have to take all our belongings. We form an orderly queue in the immigration office and things feel like they have stepped up a gear here. A sniffer dog is brought in and is taken to go over all the bags, its really strange how you watch with baited breath hoping he isnt going to stop at ours but he passs them but stops at another and pats his paw on the top of it. The policeman asks whos bag it is and a young guy steps out from our line, i can only imagine his backside is twitching faster than a bullet and as he opens it up its searched but nothing is found. The dog is then taken on the bus and within half an hour we have just about cleared border control. The journey to Osorno is literally another hour and i get off to go and get our tickets for Pucon while Mark collects the baggage. Inside the terminal i search for companys that make the journey to Pucon. There are just 2 and they are both full for today and tomorrow the earliset bus is 1845 . The Santander cashpoint is out of action, but i manage to get cash out of the Chilean one. After a brief discussion with Mark i suggest we head further North and hopefully can get a bus from there. We opt for a place called Valdivia. Our bus is in a couple of hours so we drop our bags in storage and head out to get a bite to eat. We order something off the menu that we dont know what it is and are pleasantly served with steak egg and chips and a homemade sauce that has chillies in which is absolutely delicious. We have really missed a bit of spicy food so Chile is going to be a very welcome change. Dinner eaten and back to the terminal , it feels like we have been travelling on buses forever without a stop so i really hope we caan get to Pucon and relax for a few days. The bus is really full of young guys dressed in suits and if it were a guessing game id say tonight is some sort of graduation as Valdivia is a large town renowned to be full of excellent colleges and universities. The amount of people heading in our direction is massive and i worry we will struggle to find a hostel. The Valdivia bus station is probably the biggest and most modern we have come across and is still under construction, but really impressive. once again i abondon Mark with the baggage while i go off to book our tickets, and manage to get one to Pucon for 10 in the morning. Its 8 oclock and we decide the best plan of action is to walk towards town and go to each hostel to see if there is any room in the inn. The first hostel we arrive to a lovely lady comes out and beckons us in. We are shown a double room that is 12 pound each for the night and is a stones throw away from the station. This place is really lovely though and the bed is beautifully made up with a private bathroom . The internet connection here is really good so i touch base with Ambi as she hasnt heard off me in a few days with having no internet and then trundle off to the supermarket to buy a few bits and bobs. We buy our essentials as well as a bottle of Pisco sour which is the local beverage here and the drink the Chileans clame to have invented (when in Rome) and make our way back to the hostel to consume our goodies.Read more