Hot springs and on to Santiago

Following all of our strenuous effort climbing Villarrica, we had the opportunity to relax minds and relieve aching muscles that same evening. Final activity organised for us in Pucon was a trip to some hot springs nearby. So, about 12 of us piled into a minibus and off we went. Once there, and after we negotiatied the masses of steps to get down to the pools, we spent a lovely relaxing 3 hours in and out of the three pools: cool, hot, and phew what a scorcher!

Then the following morning it was time to say goodbye to the truck for a couple of days. The good news from Santiago is that my camera is repaired and ready to collect. The bad news? The office closes for easter at 18:30 on Thursday which coincidentally is the time we are scheduled to arrive. So, I decided to sample South American public transport again. Once again I was impressed. Bus had lovely comfy reclining seats, plenty of leg room, & DVD player. Also got served tea (which amazingly for this part of the world included a cheese sandwich - no ham in sight for once!) during the 11 hour trip, and all for the price of 6500 pesos which converts to about GBP 6.50. What was even better after two and a half of weeks of travelling on a full truck, was that of the 44 seats on the bus, only about 12 were occupied at any point in time. Had room to stretch out and catch up on some sleep.

Arrived in Santiago late in the evening, and found I had an additional luxury - the hostel dorm I booked was empty except for yours truly. So, Thursday morning was spent heading out to Olympus to pick up the camera which now works beautifully. All of which gave me an extra half day to explore Santiago. This was time well spent, because lots of places closed their doors for the weekend at close of play on Thursday. Managed to do a bit of sightseeing over the next two days. Included visits to many churches, the cathedral, a museum on Pre-Colombian art, and a couple of view points overlooking the city. Obviously when the truck arrived, on Thursday evening, alcohol also came into the equation. Thursday night was another goodbye to friends made, and Friday became an introduction to seven new happy campers. Saturday was also special as it was the Birthday of one of the people who had just joined us. Hope we didn´t get you too drunk Olivia. ;-)