Thursday, January 9th
Distance – 0KM
After yesterday’s excitement and the need to reconnect with Martyn and George, no one is really on the mood to ride. We decide to head out to the Catedral de Marmol (Marble Cathederals), a local attraction that is reached by boat. First order of the day is breakfast and trash bags. I’ve decide that I will go old school and wear a bin liner before I get as wet as I did yesterday. Hoggy wants them because his dry bag isn’t. MacBean and I wander the town and run into the man who gave Martyn and George a lift. We explain who we are and thank him as best we can. The supermarkets, a stretch of the term super, are not open yet. We do find a bakery open and buy fresh bread, ham, and cheese. It makes a great breakfast.
After breakfast, the cop shows up again and a couple of lads head over to his house to pick up Martyn’s bike. Unfortunately for George, his shift lever has sheared the shaft and needs an engine strip down. His trip is done and he’ll be flying home. It turns out the cop is a world champion kick boxer; he just looks hard.
El Capitan Hoggy
In Martyn’s absence, Simon assumes the role of captain. I become the translator team translator. That will teach me to pick up the Spanish for Dummies book.
Drifting through the arches.
Plate sized hamburger
Even in George’s absence, we don’t go long without food. For the second day in a row plate sizes hamburgers are de rigeur.
Tranquillo really is that. Neither of my mobiles work and we have no wifi access to Skype with Martyn. We try an Internet cafe without luck and finally revert to a real phone call to figure out plans.
Martyn lucked into a hostel, thanks again to the cop. The owners husband is a truck driver who his to Santiago regularly. He will return George’s bike. Martyn arranges a pickup to take the bike to Coihaique and will ride down to Tranquillo with the pickup driver. George is getting on a plane and Kate, his Mum, will pick him up. Everything is coming together again.
Oxymorons. Reserve wine and instant coffee.
We close the day with dinner at the same place as yesterday. Only after they have served us coffee do we realize there is an industrial espresso machine in the corner. They just don’t use it.
