I won’t spend much time writing about this day, because not much happened. We checked out of the cabin at 11 and thankfully, we were allowed to leave our things there in the office, because our bus wasn’t scheduled to leave until 945 that night. Yuck.
So, we spent the day walking. We walked around the center, and I had been wanting to get a closer look at the monastery, so we walked toward the volcano and up a street. Really, we walked up and up and up. Turns out it was the wrong street to the monastery, but it ran alongside it. Instead, the street took us to a huge statue of Christ overlooking the city, with several rows of chapel benches. I sat and watched Jesus for a while as I ate my green apple, and then I walked to see the city. Just below us were three beautiful cemeteries. I think it kind of freaks people out, but I really thought it was a very pretty sight.
We walked back through the town looking for something to eat, and when we couldnt find anything that pleased the both of us, we settled on Antu Mapu again. You’ll remember it was the restaurant mentioned in one of my previous blogs.
After lunch we walked some more, and some more, and sat at the lake and walked some more and some more. A few hours later, we went to a cafe for some coffee and kuchen, and when they didn’t have kuchen we asked for the raspberry torte. It was delicious. Then it started to get dark, so we left and walked a little more.
We stopped and asked directions for the bus station, and then went to get our backpacks from the cabin office. I was so exhausted, so even though we had over three hours to wait, I suggested we go to the bus stop. So we walked several blocks and I crashed, or tried to crash. The station was cold, and Ale kept leaving to take walks and the station got a little busier, so I sat up and started reading the book I brought with me.
Ale came back with bread and cheese, and we made sandwiches, just in time for a dog to push her head through the station door and see us. She sat wagging her tail, and we fed her little bits of sandwich, and Ale coaxed her outside with some salami. She just came back a few minutes later.
The bus eventually came, and I slept quite well. I woke up once every hour, but seeing the time, and being on a quiet bus, it didn’t take much to fall back asleep. I was in the aisle, so I stretched my legs out and propped my feet on the chair in from of me. I switched seats with Ale just before 6 am, and realized he must have been suffering. This bus had traditional seating, so it was a little more cramped than our last ride, and the guy in front of him had his seat all the way back. It was a tight squeeze. So the last two hours he got to stretch a little.
We were served juice and cookies, and then we were back in Santiago, and I couldn’t have been happier. I was ready to get back to the delicious food, back to our family, back to our nieces and nephews here.
Sunday and Monday we spent with our nieces and nephews, because Monday they all left for Egypt after weeks of being here. Sunday we went to a big send-off barbecue for them, and the weather was perfect. It was a very sad departure, because they are all amazing, and we spent so much time with them, so I am attached. I will miss them.
This week we have a dinner, a doctor’s visit, and a birthday. And possibly a tea time on Sunday afternoon. Probably won’t make for good blogging, but keep your eyes open, just in case.
