"Press" On, Amigo!
The wait, indeed, is the hardest part. We are back in Puerto Montt, anxious to board the overnight ferry to Chaiten and then a bus north into Parque Pumalin. There are no roads connecting the Cochamo or Puelo valleys to the rest of Patagonia, hence our return to the bright lights & big city of P. Montt where one may purchase such rarities as dehydrated “carne de soya” (aka TVP) at the well-stocked American style supermercados, while enjoying the omnipresent sounds of 80’s rock. It has been quite some time since I’ve heard this much Traveling Wilburys!
Lex and I had a restful couple days up in the Lakes District, where we camped first by Lago Todos Los Santos in Petrohue and then by Lago Llanquihue in Ensenada. The Lakes District is quite picturesque, but also a bit more touristy than the pristine wilderness of Patagonia where, for example, one may drink water unfiltered from mountain streams. A few more years and the Lakes District could easily resemble “Lago Jorge” back in New York. One similarity to upstate NY is the abundance of apple trees, including the small grove we slept under last night. We had some tasty apples, witnessed a few nice sunsets, and also got to hang out with another cute cat. (Hello to Sam!)
Cat Lady!
After Parque Pumalin, we are looking to head further south to the hanging glaciers of Parque Nacional Queulat, after which we’ll make our way to the Argentine side of Patagonia. Beyond then, there will be a long-distance haul up to the Salta province in NW Argentina before we eventually cross over into Bolivia to begin our language studies. We’ll probably spend all of April in Bolivia, if any of our readers are considering a trip south!
Andes Not The Mint dot com 
The pump lives on. Watch out for those ferile cats.
Yes! At last, you experience true freedom of the press. I’m happy to report that the metal disk filter works like a charm. Beautiful pics!
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