Pucon

Whizzo!

I caught on overnight bus to Angol, south of Santiago (or STGO, as the marketing people say), to go to a national park nearby.

I arrived before dawn and had a wander, eventually getting into the tourist office at 8:45 to find out that the one bus to the NP left town at 4pm each day. So, I said "Screw that" and went back to the bus station to go early to Pucon.
Pucon has a lake, a volcano and assorted forests etc. It´s a major tourist place.

Anyway, I´m sitting out on the lawn of the hostelly thing in a very comfy chair watching clouds on the volcano and a bee licking the rim of my tea mug.
I think it´s about time I got a girlfriend.
Someone to tap on the shoulder and say "Hey, look. There´s a bee licking my cup."
And then we´d watch the bee for a while, happy that we were making each other´s life richer minute by minute. (Earlier she had pointed out blackberries growning amongst the dog roses. We ate some of them.)
Then we´d, like, totally make out.

Hmm. I haven´t put much thought into this girlfriend idea.

Wanted: Girlfriend. Must like insects and, um, berries. Oh, and totally making out. Preferrably not obscured by cloud. Bilateral symmetry desirable, but not essential.

The 7am volcano climb didn´t happen this morning due to inauspicious weather. So I watched a doco on pirates while waiting for the bik ehire place to open at 8:30. The suggested bike routes total 42km. It was tempting to return, having ridden all of them, cry "We rejoice!" and then collapse. Sadly that requires me having stamina.

I did 17k in four hours. I rode back the hire place, ready to cry "I´m knackered" and collapse, but they were shut for lunch.
I bought a selection of empanadas instead.

Athenian Dignatory: I wonder how Marathon is going?
(enter runner)

Runner: Sorry I´m late. I had a hotdog.

AD (prompting): So....?

R: We rejoice!
(runner collapses and dies)

AD: Remind me not to eat those hotdogs.

Bike riding is infinitly preferrable to horse riding. Sure, you hurt at the end of it, but that´s because you´re making Calves of a God!, and the Thighs of a Titan!, and unfortunately the Crotch Sweat of de Devil!

A hawk just flew overhead and landed on the roof. I saw quite a few hawks on my ride. Also plovers, ibis and egrets - all doing quite well from the paddocks (cows, sheep, goats) that abutt the steep forested mountains. The large lake is fed by a number of swift rivers that run over pebbles and fine volcanic grit.