Wednesday, April 6, 2011

Hitchhiking from Valdivia to Santiago de Chile

I woke up pretty late that day as in the house wasnt any heating and down in the part of Chile is quite cold already during the night. The house I was staying was very pictoresque and as well the inhabitants of it,which actually is called Hostel Latino in Valdivia. The girl did CS and somehow even though she looked like a nice person to meet up,we didnt match very well.And kind of absence of CS spirit was touchable in the air and I felt over there like an intruder. Though and though I got up at 10 and managed to leave about 12. I tried to buy
some enthel card - the recommended phone operator by all chilians like the best (in coverage and services) and cheapest on in Chile,but wasnt successful.
As I found out yesterday,really everything is very comercial here in Chile and the prizes of different things and products from the same company could highly diverse even inside of the company and I bought the same type of card for 3500 pesos,when in Valdivia they offered me it for 5000 and in Punta Arenas for 7000. Sometimes my brain really stops how this could be possible.
Then I tried to change money,and as my strategy which I learnt in Puerto Natales is never go to Casa del Cambio or they will try to pull down the skin from u claiming whatsoever and even getting angry that u dont want to accpet their rate. I went to bank,where I have waited more than hour to get a little bit more (as I got tricked by not much educated guardian,who doesnt really understeand the charts written on a wall,but well,what happened happened). And I walked out of the city,well tried to do my best walking out and hitchhiking at the same time.

857km
When I got to some crossroads where one part of the cars were going north and other continued south I have just sit down tired (there was no place for cars to stop) and tried to lift my thumb. And u know what? In about 3 minutes one small van stopped and two guys jumped out with a huge smile if they can take me somewhere. So we went. Here in Chile I especially get a question,why I am traveling alone and how comes that the girl is travelling alone. Why I am not going with some other girl? Though I dont know any other girl who would be willing to do the same as me and even havent heared about any. Anyway,if u would know about some,let me know! :)
Anyway - I started about 3 pm from Valdivia and had more than 800 km ahead of me to the north... But as the road had to be just on highway,I just put the ticket on my fortune,that I will make it   somehow...

Got out of the car full of funny guys at Loncoche with invitation to go to visit a family of one of them ,though then they had to go to Temuco and be there at maximaly 5 o clock.
I was quite aware of a time so,I just bet that I would be lucky and somehow I was and wasnt. Even on a exit to the Lancoche I lifted up my thumb walking toward main highway and the truck going on a main road stoped - first car. This easy it havent even been in England :)



Later on when the  truck driver just had to go somewhere close to Chillan even loosing too much time,moving myself very slow being already 8 o clock and dark I stil had a hope and was runnign around one gasstation where they tried to charge me for going to check my sore eye in a mirror of bathroom. Leaving the place with words u had to tell it before me entering inside,slammed the door.
Anyway,people in these areas are very nice,and whoever I asked except of some guys who looked that they are too important to talk to me,everyone even in passing cars was really really nice. I got offers from different trucks,but none was going to santiago. In 10 minutes I took one of the offers and jumped in.
I really had a good time calking to this driver as he was originaly kind of emergency/ambulance driver,but he changed the job one month ago for driveing a truck. Money is money...
Well,but I have learnet how to labor a child in emergency ;)) As he was giving as well the courses of first aid in different situations. Good soul and family person with a lot of hope and the heart from gold :)
It got too dark and too late and I still had it 300 km when we stopped,almost midnight and I knew I would come about 3 am,not good for Nouss (my CS lady from Ivory Coast who speaks as well brazilain Portuguese :) who was waiting for me in Santiago. I managed to send a message and accpeted to spent the night in a truck on a lower bunk. Yeah,u would say,this is very dangerous situation,never stay down,but this person was really good guy and only reason why I couldnt sleep was,that he was snoring a  lot.
I felt asleep one hour before we sterted to move on again and then when we stopped at 10 I had it like 80 km on to santiago,still with idea that I would have to wait till 7 till Nouss will get home from work.
Got offer to go to descarga and then can continue to Santiago,but u never know how long it takes to descargar something from a truck and I just jumped out with a wish of good day and good journey and crowled around gasstation where I found written on a door - Wifi :)
Ok,get in,ordered something to eat from the menu and opened my laptop. Did some stuff for a while almost sleeping,packed the things again and ran around the gasstation. It was absolutely empty and the cars were even comming different direction to the petrol stands. There had to be some way out on oposite direction. So I standed again on highway - hitchhiking on highways in Chile is absolutely normal and its not forbidden - obviously (I have seen many people hitchhiking especially on highway from all age cathegories in Chile).
Was nice sunny and warm day and everything around started to look like south of france of mid teritory of Spain. I have managed to stop a  truck in half an hour. And the driver with question,do u know Santiago?
And me,so I look like I am Chilian? got really disappointed as he picked me up thinking of getting in some expert for Metropole of Santiago. As well fresher in truck driving especially to the huge city.
He spent quite a long time explaining me why Chilian man prefer or like chubby girls but well...
Everybody to his own taste,isnt that truth!
And we arrived. At about midday I found the metro station on some subburbs and got to the centre to try to do some things I had to do for a long time.

Notice that the highway looks like in Spain,is beacuse the spanish built this
chilian highway :) Even the marking is the same like in Spain! :) 



4 comments:

  1. Valdivia is one of my favorite places in the world, and I'm sorry you didn't like it much.

    As for the comments about travelling alone, I don't think it has much to do with gender - as a young male living alone in Chile I CONSTANTLY receive questions about how I be away from my family, and I think what?? I'm 27 yo!! But it's a very family-centered culture here. Best of luck on your journey.

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  2. Hey Michael,
    I didnt say I didnt like it,I just havent found the proper people to enjoy it,that sometimes happens. I wanted to write a small article as well about Valdivia itself as I made some photos with my phone as my camera is dead at this moment and I will try to go to let it fixed today.

    The thing is, u get this question everywhere,but especially here it has some really wierd undertone,like something : How u dare? Which I have already noticed when I was in Uruguay,the same undertone. And when I tell them that I live out of my family from my 19 as I went to university,they are not able to understeand (especially here in chile). Its very curious for me to hear especially that even people in about their 30ties lives with their parents (as I have been to one reunion of chilians who speak portuguese). This situation is quite tipical for southern europe and especially Italy.

    Bueno,ya para acabar :)

    Muchas gracias por tus deseos y que te vaya bien en todo que haces :)

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  3. Unos amigos y yo hicimos dedo este fin de semana, y me recordé de ti... pero, ¿dónde estás?, ya pasaron dos semanas de silencio... una señal de vida porfa...

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  4. Hola:)
    Estoy en Santiago,intentando hacer algun dinerito. Problema es que como estoy con visa de turista y por mi mucha suerte,cuando ya tenia todos los papeles escritos y imprimidos perdi el telefon.
    Queria escribir algo sobre Espanol Chileno,pero todavia no lo tengo complejo... Solamente en mi cabeza. Las otras cosas de aqui,hize algunas fiestas de comida eslovaca,todavia debo los platos a algunos amigos,y de lo otro,intento hacer lo que puedo,para ganar un poquito de dinero. El plan es hasta ahora quedarse hasta fin de mayo. Y despues,voy a ver. Si conseguiria ganar bastante dienero antes de 10 de mayo. Salgo mas temprano ;) Desea me suerte

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