Adventures with Kevco

Arrival in the little town of Chaiten was a tad anti-climatic. After the long sea voyage and the buses, the bizarre foliage like something out of Jurassic Park, The town itself was a small one reminiscent of a logging town. Maybe ten streets in total, none of them paved. Really had that “outback” feel.Had met… Continue reading 21 – Chaiten →

Puerto MonttChapter 20Puerto Montt is a city which is a hub for local fishing, textile, and tourist activity. It is the regions last significant outpost. The Pan American highway ends here. It is also the fastest growing city in Chile. Downtown, modern malls, condos and office towers are the new look. Away from the downtown… Continue reading 20 – Puerto Montt →

Took the day bus from Santiago to Pucon to see the countryside again. Nice voyage but not spectacular. Arrived around 9:30 pm after ten hours on the bus. Not a bad trip. Got off and tried to follow the directions to the hostel previously written down. Met a couple of guys walking along who knew… Continue reading 19 – Pucon →

An easy two hour daytime bus ride from Valparaiso brings one to the capital of Chile, Santiago. Upon arrival at the bus terminal, it was time to get acquainted with the city's metro rail system. Jordie, from the hostel in Valpariso had given me his metro card so all that was necessary was to put… Continue reading 18 – Santiago →

Vina del Mar is Valparaiso's glamorous sibling. It has a glitzy Casino which is the largest in all of Chile. It is a clean, orderly city with miles of beaches and high rises reminiscent of Miami Beach. It has long been a vacation capital for Chileans. That title is currently being challenged by several other… Continue reading 17 – Vina del Mar →

This time it would be different. Taking the overnight bus would be better this time. Booked the “Cama” or bed seat the day before. Now the seat will recline to within 15 degrees of flat. With a little planning and engineering one can inflate one's little air mattress and pillow partially to just the right… Continue reading 16 – Valpariso →

For a change I took the day bus to La Serina on the coast. The station there was modern. Had bought a ticket to Cocimbo as that's where I was told was a scenic spot to go. As we pulled into the La Serina station, happened to think to ask the fellow next to me… Continue reading 15 – La Serina – Elque Valle →

The tent pitched, the fire going, the wind switched, but still blowin', moon rising, waves breaking, chows on, smellin' bacon...(took a little poetic license... they were hot dogs). Oh well, the fire WAS going. Oddly enough a key to making the fire a reality, had been my recently acquired (and agonizingly selected for the kit)… Continue reading 14 – Parque National Llanos de Challe →

 Huasco is a coastal fishing village and a port for maybe two large vessels at a time. I was later told that these were for ore hauling from a nearby mining concern. It is not a tourist destination. This was discovered quite quickly when going to the tourist office. The guy there was helpful as… Continue reading 13a – Huasco →

That morning at the hostel I was awoken by someone talking on a cel phone. Though it was rather rude as it was 7am. Had kind of thought sleeping in would be nice as the night before at 15,000 feet I rest but did not dream much. Guess that was the body telling me something… Continue reading 13 – The Road to Huasco →