Nov 15, Tuesday & Nov 16, Wednesday

Nov 15, Tuesday  &  Nov 16, Wednesday

Nov 16, Wednesday

Went out early after breakfast to go to the tourist info bureau which is just next door and which I had not noticed yesterday during my wanderings.   I spotted it from my bedroom window last night.   They redirected me to a nearby travel agency (located on the 9^th floor of a building, no advertisement outside!)  and I booked my 2-day trip through the lakes region to Bariloche, Argentina.     

The day started out all grey and cloudy, but it is sunny now at noon.   I’ll walk around and visit the very few things that are available here in Puerto Montt.   May decide to call that taxi driver for a short trip to Frutilla, a small town up the coast of the bay.

I’ve been surfing the net, getting more information about Argentina, and just found out that the airport in Bariloche is closed for 2 months for repairs.  Strange that the travel agency did not mention this to me this morning!   So I may end up taking the bus to Neuquen,  or renting a car.  Will check further in Bariloche.   {Lorraine & Shirley:  Info you should know, Bariloche specializes in CHOCOLATE SHOPS !     I may very well gain back some of the weight I’ve lost in the last 2+ months I’ve been travelling.}

  For once my hotel isn't at the top of a staircase

  Thought of Graham Muir (RCMP gang) when I heard the bagpipes playing.  This guy was quite good.   I love the mournful sound of bagpipes.

Nov 15, Tuesday 

No response to my e-mail re flights to Puerto Montt, so I called the airline directly and found out that there were still seats available on the noon flight, and I could purchase a ticket at the airport.   Checked out of the hotel and headed for the airport, where I managed to get one of the last seats.  No hotel reserved in Puerto Montt, but since I’m early in the “summer” travel season, there shouldn’t be a problem getting a room.   When I arrived at Puerto Montt airport, I went to the information desk but was advised that they did not maintain info on hotels.  A nice gentleman waiting behind me recommended a few places however, so off I went in one of the airport taxis.   The taxi driver, another nice gentleman, gave me a lot of info and confirmed that the first hotel that was recommended was very nice and offered to drive me around on a private tour if I was interested.   Hotel room available at the Grand Vincente for 2 nights.  I have a great view of the bay from my room.  

  View from my room

  View from my room

The driver told me that my flight in was one of the only ones to arrive due to the continuing smoke emitting from El Volcan Puyehue to the north.   Our flight was fine and clear the entire way so the pilot may have stuck to the eastern interior to fly here, rather than staying closer to the coast.

Spent the remainder of the afternoon walking along the waterfront, but it was quite windy so I ended up going into a few malls to window shop.   Finally found a store that had about 10 novels written in English so I’ve got reading material again.  Also bought some leggings for those cold nights I’ll be facing while travelling through the lakes region.   Found a pub for an early dinner (huge portions, could not finish the meal) and went back to the hotel to settle in.