Jaime and me where waken up a first time by a noisy dog and the carabiñeros’ car that was started and used about 90 minutes later and a second time by another carabiñeros coming for Jaime: he had another service as planned and was therefore not so happy.
We went asking what where “about me” and I understood that we had another day: while yesterday it sound like the Chilean heroes would find my pictures, I could today forget them as to much time had passed (who needed to fill out several docs before hunting??). Jaime “invited” me for breakfast, which did not raise my mood.
As I had to leave, my first thought was to get internet and wifi, the second to buy some stuff (camping gas bottle, cans of meat/fish). I asked an officer and followed his directions. The mentioned hotel had internet and wifi…and I had to learn that you need as well a third part: the key of the wifi, which nobody had. I just checked the emails to see if there were some urgent stuff and left with two bottles of water and some chocolate. Of course, neither gas nor cans.
I drove a bit in the pueblo to see if there were a free wifi access, without succes. As I knew that the school had wifi, I went there and asked. I should aks the city hall, where a lady told me they would not have, so I went back and the school director let come the specialist who gave me the code….of the city hall internet. Finally I had the three parts. I was lucky, my mom was just skype online and we could talk, until the connection broke down. I moved around to see if I got better signal. When I had nearly full signal, I still could not get emails or connected to skype… And then the battery was nearly drained. So I went back to the city hall, asking for electricity and if there were troubles with the internet: oh, it alwas like that, the connection get lost in the noon..and no, we don’t know when it comes back. But in the evening you should get the signal. I neede to leave that city and be alone in the natur, as it was getting to much. They told me I could go the next worker village, as the company would certainly have internet for their work. Yes they had. Even wifi! Remember about the third part? Sorry, nobody here knows the wifi key. I had told Franziska I would get online and it was not possible. So I used the cellphone…happy Swisscom! I hope to be able to pay the bill! It was since long that we hadn’t spoke together and it made me happy and sad in the same time. I was mentally at the lowest point and wanted to stop it and get home. That was definitively not easily possible from that pueblo…
So after the call, I decided to have some “free” days in the nature and not staying in the civilization, as I had first planned. The goal was the therms in the national parc of Isluga. As there were several pueblo on the way, I hped for something to eat (cans, rice etc). Isluga is a lost pueblo were all the people are hiding or in Colchane or hiding in Colchane. The next village is Enquelgua and have some workers doing a nice main road….for 5 couples of people living there. It situed at the base of the active volcano Isluga (few fumaroles can be seen at its side). The relatively big school is closed, the children are send during the week to Colchane. I asked for an “almacen” (shop), the women were phoning (at the house that have a phone) and would come back in 5 minutes. You know what happened. A women on the phone and 5 minutes in south america…. ;-))
In the meanwhile an old women came and she told me that she had some food. I followed her and could by a can of sardines and cookies. As I gave a little bit more, she offered me some of her soup. The weather was very windy and it was raining around and as I was really hungry and as it was cooked, I took the “risk”. Of course, she tried to sell me other stuff like a belt made of Llama or other whool etc. Quite a clever old women.
So when I left, the weather wasn’ better and rain was near. One of the worker asked me if I really wanted to continue by that weather. Of course! Rain is only a shower! (And for sure I had decided to avoid civilization where possible and to join the agua caliente – hot waters).
After one kilometer I got some drops, which dried quite fast. The road followed first a canyon and then a small laguna. Followed by some pueblo without habitants. The road rized slowly. The change of vegetation and nature was really welcome. Again, the road followed the river in a beautiful, green canyon, where a group of small Llam (Atacalpas or so) where going back alone to the a lost village and so barring the road. I lost all my velocity as I didn’t wanted to affraid them…you never know how they would react. And it was nice to by-pass them so closely.
At the end of the canyon the weather was definitively bad around. Dark clouds were coming from where I was heading and the sky was more than just dark. But my goal was set. With frozen finger (long summer gloves) I buit up the tent, put everything in place and entered just as it started to rain. I only had to cook…on the gas stove that had had a leak (remember yesterday?). I had to understand why before cooking. I tried a little bit and put some silicon, hoing it would tighten the connection to the camping gas bottle – without succes: gas was coming out quite fast. And when gas evaporate, it cool itselfs down. In my case so much, that I could remove the bottle even having a hole I was lucky that my hair did not touch the tent: a spark due to static electricity would have been explosively funny…
As I could not fix it to 100% (is it the altitude?) I put it outside, aired the tent and ate the sardine from the can and some müesli.
