We head down to Puerto Varas centre to pay for our insurance via Western Union. We join the line and finally make it to the counter to find the person behind the desk can’t speak English. The person next to her speaks a little and looks at our information and tells us we require a code. Off we go and try to contact Giselle, the woman in Argentina that has organised our 3rd party insurance for Bolivia Chile and Argentina, without it we can’t enter these countries. We want to pay by credit card, no go, Giselle lets us know we can do this on line. We then head back to the hostel and go though the process of joining Western Union only to find out that we can’t do what we have to with a person in Argentina. We then get a young lady in the hostel reception to speak to Giselle on the phone by a Skype call on Paul’s phone and trough a long process find out that the code is for the person to pick up money not send it. The person at Western Union misunderstood what we wanted to do!! We had just wasted 4 hours! Problem now was that it was siesta time and the office would not be open for another couple of hours. In the end, after lining up again (there was a line already before opening time) we managed to do the payment. We had a siesta time problem at the tourist office trying to find out about the ferry to Hornopiren, they seem to have siestas every 5 minutes as it was open then closed, open then closed and so on. What a day!
We did some provision shopping for our journey on the Caraterra Austral and on the way back I realised that we hadn’t printed out the insurance papers. Paul was in a hurry to get back to the Compass del Sur as he was in deadly earnest to call Beck. I headed off to find somewhere to access Gmail and print the paperwork. And so the saga begins! I find an internet cafe after visiting many likely looking shops. I sit down and printout my documents and realise a page won’t print and something is missing on another. There is confusion over what Giselle has written, something about a green leaf on the document in question. I then try to get the lad working there to print in colour. He can’t do this because he doesn’t have the password for the main computer that allows colour printing. I only find this out via a lovely young lady confined to a wheelchair that speaks perfect English. I head off to another place and am helped by a gentleman, he can print colour. It doesn’t work, the sections are still not printing and not showing up in print preview. I remember the green leaf and think, use green paper. We try this and still no use. The gentleman owning the Internet café enlists the help of an English speaking Chilean and we work out that the missing parts are not important to the insurance so end up leaving with everything but the unprintable parts. As I walk down the street I realise my reading glasses are on my head so go to put them in their case. No case! Back to the Internet café, no case, so back to the original Internet café and they are still beside the computer I had used. Oh dear!!!
We met a guy by the name of Frank Wetmore, an American from Colorado. He is 74 years young and had just finished his cycling trip here in Chile after 4 months. The last leg had been the Carratera Austral, one tough hombre. Frank was a real pleasure to talk to, excited about the trip he had just completed and life in general. He was off home soon to begin work on building his home on a new block of land he had purchased in Colorado. The guy is an inspiration and I hope I can be as fit in mind and body as him when I am that age. Paul drew Frank and the likeness was great and Frank was chuffed. I am hoping that time will allow me to stop in on him on my way through the States. Hoping for an early start tomorrow.
March 17
It is absolutely belting down, forecast indicates that it is only for the day and the 17th will be ok. For the next 6 days after that it is predicted to be rain free. Today is spent catching up on the blog and Facebook page. Low and behold an email from Giselle informs me that one of the documents needs to be on green paper, I have done this by accident through my saga the day before but Paul does not. I will have to take care of it as Paul is off doing his drawing! No need, a quick email and Paul has taken care of it. Tonight is an early one as hopefully tomorrow we can head out around 9.00am even though it will be very Chilly, so to speak!
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