18/04/04- 20/04/04 Valdavia, Chile

Crossed over to Chile and our first impressions were that the Chilian lake district looked a lot like the south east of England. I am sure that it was just the contrast with Argentina and that we are the only people on earth to think that, but parts of it did remind me of home. We were due to stop in Osorno but one look at the place and we decided to head straight for Valdavia. On arrival we were press ganged into staying and the worst hostel on earth, but it gave us an opportunity to test out the sleeping bag covers. Valdavia is fantastic, the buildings are all really old and colonial looking, like something out of a wild west film, which is made even more authentic by the fact that the whole place is clouded in smoke so it appears sepia. They also have sea lions at the quayside waiting for the fishmongers to throw them scraps and amazing birds presumably doing the same.

The woman who ran the hotel / hostel thing we stayed in was a right freak. She was always on at us to do a boat tour and when we told her we were leaving on the last morning she went spare over breakfast- which also meant as a consequence we didn't get any scrambled eggs; her portly maid didn't stop giggling and the walls of bathroom billowed out in huge hemispheres. They also had an unhealthy obsession with horses. I think the hotel woman's husband was sleeping with the plump maid. Recommended.

The town itself looks like a picture of your home town c. 1907. I know as I have seen pictures of all your home towns from that time.