Sun 16th Nov: Puerto Montt

I´ve decided to stay on here for the day. After breakfast I paid up for a second nitght, and then promptly went back to bed!! I lazed for most of the day reading, snoozing and watching TV. (I don´t have the energy I used ta!!) I watched most of Hull v Man City.

I got up and out around 5.30pm and went out to get something to eat. It was a bit cooler today, overcast for much of it but has cleared up this evening as I make my way downtown towards the bus terminal. I get my ticket to Pucon for tomorrow morning. It wasn´t as busy as yesterday but still there was a sizeable crowd milling about. All the winos were back, this area obviously being there main haunt. There were vendors selling sticks of grilled meat. Their grills sizzling, sending out plumes and aromas of cooking meat. Couples and families, many dressed up were out for their evening stroll. There are lots of dogs in Puerto Montt. Some look a bit mangy and underfed but for the most part they appear to be the happiest, jolliest and laziest dogs I´ve seen. They seem to have the run of the town, not in an agressive way but as if the whole town were their playground. They frolic around leisurely, weaving around the strolling humans. Then, spotting a convenient patch on the pavement, they stretch out for a delicous little snooze. Even the odd dog that decides to make the effort to bark follows this with a long yawn, its tongue dripping with contentment. It doesn´t so much lie down after this as slowly keels over, with a look of heavenly bliss as it settles itself. Another quick yawn and the dog is asleep, serene as a couple of toddlers run around it.

I get a meal in a family run restaurant - Dona Mila´s. This was a simple basic eaterie fronting the main thoroughfare down near the ferry terminal. It was quiet this evening. Two other tables were occupied with some people sipping beer and wine as they chatted. Three generations of the family were out the back in the kitchen area and by the sounds of it had their living quarters upstairs. Two of Dona´s little grandkids came out to play in the main restaurant floor. They came over to stand and stare beside the white gringo. They got all excited as I responded to their approach, saying "Hola" and asking their names. They didn´t respond but ran away shrieking with excitement before sidling up beside me again, all smiles now. Very quikly Nana Dona put an end to their adventure, hauling them back into the kitchen, their shreiks of laughter turning to howls of protest as their fun was abruptly cut short.

I had salmon steak with chips and a bottle of water. For some reason she wouldn´t serve me any cerveza. As I left Don Mila´s some fairly serious incident seemed to have occured as a crowd of onlookers had gathered to watch as police vans and motorcycles sped past, their sirens blaring, into an adjacent residencial area. I left the crowd of onlookers and strolled into the town centre. After a quick look around darkness began to fall and I decided to head back to my room. I´m looking forward to Pucon and enjoy another night of sleep in my single room...... with tv!!