Bye beautiful Chile & MM

We spent 2 nights in Puerto Varas before my departure and Mark and Molly's continued travels. It's beautiful: pebble beaches line a serene lake with speccy volcanoes in the backdrop; hence a popular, expensive spot full of Chilean families on holiday, plus international tourists (of which we haven't seen many).

Mark and Molly headed off for 5 days of hiking on the Cochamó Valley before Molly goes back home to Newcastle. Mark will head homewards in a few weeks. We'll all see each other again soon.

I'm now back in the homeland (literally within a few km of where I was born in Melbourne), which feels awesome 🤩. It was an epic 4 flights and ~40 hours from Puerto Varas to here 😯, and lovely to be picked up by my parents at Melbourne airport. It feels so safe to be back (staying with sister Heidi for now). I'm still really happy to still be living out of a backpack for my remaining 2.5 months of long service leave - sooo lucky 😍.

I'm super happy to be on my own for this next chapter, as the family dynamic was wearing pretty thin. I've had weekly or bi-weekly mood-explosions, being reactive and unpleasant company. Oops 😬. Luckily we did so many cool things and enjoyed ourselves on the whole ❤️.

Despite my moods, I really enjoyed southern Chile as a place to travel. It's more expensive than elsewhere in South America, but still affordable, while being way more organised and functional. Most places have potable tap water, people are well educated and generally friendly. There's also commonly a sense of community; people organising themselves locally, which I loved.

It's really easy to get around too. Driving is great as drivers are generally respectful (even of pedestrians), the speed limits are sensible and roads good, with not too much traffic compared to the USA (except in the lakeside towns in peak summer). It'd be handy to have a 4WD or AWD for the dodgy gravel roads in national parks. Buses and trains are also great - generally very comfy and running frequently.

Camping is a thing, and campsites often have power, lights and covered picnic tables. There's great national parks and you can buy passes online (though info is lacking). The months outside school holidays (Jan - Feb) are quieter; so December or March would be good.

Before we'd travelled in Chile a fellow traveler asked me which place/s of our travels I felt I could live in. At the time I immediately said Australia! But now I could entertain Chile, maybe? Anyway, both Mark and I said this would be our last overseas trip, as there's so much to see and do at home. I'm still cool with that 😄.

I intend to later follow up with a reflection on all this travelling. And Mark and/or Molly might also post, so it's not over yet.Baca lagi