November 23, 1999
Day 32 Rest Day Puerto Montt
Patrick must return to the Dentist tonight at 8pm.
Today is a drizzly rainy day. We start out early after breakfast for the bus station. We catch a 9:30am bus to Carelmapu, a fishing village toward the coast. We take a seat without yet buying a ticket. There is a bus driver and a conductor.
After we are on the road the conductor walks through the bus with a booklet of receipts and collects everyone's fare. There is a door between the driver and the conductor, and the seats on the bus. Periodically, the conductor walks to the back of the bus and either opens or closes the emergency ceiling doors depending on whether it is too hot or too col.
Along the way, the bus picks up new passengers. After continuing on, the conductor comes back with his booklet and collects the fare from the new passenger. People that want off the bus walk forward to the door and the bus stops to let them off. The ride back the conductor even wipes each window clear. It's quite an efficient system and many people rely on the bus for transportation.
We arrive at the fishing village, walk to a high point overlooking the water. A few fishing boats are headed out of the harbor, most boats it seems are still anchored. We walk along the harbor toward them main intersection of town. A fishing boat is unloading the catch of the day. Men are leaning against the building out of the rain.
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After a half hour plus in the town, we catch a bus heading back to Puerto Montt, a 2.5 hour ride and we are back in town by 3pm. We have seen part of the road we will cycle tomorrow.
We rest in the hostel, then venture out at five to the post office, collect the laundry we had dropped off on the way to the bus station, then an internet cafe to set up email. Patrick returns to the dentist to have a temporary filling in the tooth. The dentist has written a letter about what he did that Patrick will send to his dentist back home for follow up.
Tomorrow we cycle to Ancud.
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