The Traveling Spirit

I know I am supposed to be off on this great adventure and that I am supposed to be having fun but it hasn`t felt like that so much lately. I feel like the traveling spirit has left my bones, at least for now. I keep finding myself in a new place with absolutely no inclination to explore it. Just struggling to arrive at my hostel is all I can muster. Once there, I just want to sit, and do nothing. I don`t want to see the sights, I don`t want to explore the market, I don`t want to walk through shady parks. I just want to sit in the hostel, surrounded by people who speak at least some level of the same language I do.

Sometimes, having every day be unexpectedly different than the next is just tiring instead of exhilerating. Almost every day I pack up my things and then wrestle through a web of confusing transportation systems with no regularity between them. Then I lug my things through some unknown place and get stared at where ever I go. I`m sick of using guide books that provide mis-information or don`t give the information I need. I`m frustrated with my ability or inability to speak the language. I`m oscillating between wanting to learn Spanish and wanting to give up completely and just speak English and pretend I know nothing. But greatest of all I am disenchanted by not being able to express myself and being continuously misunderstood. It is endlessly frustrating and has stifled my desire to go on many occasions. Discovering the web of obscure buses to take to reach some pristine natural park or town at times just seems like too much work.

Yesterday I arrived in Puerto Montt. I needed to come to this port town in order to buy my ticket for the ferry to the farm. Afterwards I planned to go to a more pleasant town with hiking opportunities located nearby called Puerto Varas. I asked for directions to the ferry from the bus terminal (because my guidebook didn`t provide this information) and luckily it was a straight shot down the road along the water. When I got there, the office was closed. This really pissed me off. I`ve spent so many of the last few days with this damn ferry ticket consuming my mind and I just wanted it taken care of. Tomorrow is Sunday and though the security guard maintained that they will be open, the chances of it being true are slim to none.

But just in case the security guard was right I figured I better stay in Puerto Montt for the night so I could get up in the morning and hopefully get this ticket business settled once and for all. The listings for hostels or hospedajes (usually local people who rent out space in their houses for a low cost) in my price range was limited to only two. Both is the same price bracket I chose the one that was closer to the ferry terminal. Too bad it was located out of the range of the map provided to me in the guide book. After asking about 7 different people for directions to Calle Pudeto I finally arrived. The `recommended, renovated` hospedaje was a strange place that didn`t look like much. The woman answered the door and provided me with a set of house slippers. I asked the price and she told me $12,000 pesos. That`s like $19USD! For a dorm room with a total of 4 beds in it!

I inquired about what was included with the outrageous price and was told that an `American´ breakfast, a towel, hot showers, use of the kitchen, and internet was provided. I wanted to know what this American breakfast was exactly. She laughed at me and asked where I was from. When I answered, `Estados Unidos´ she scoffed, `and you don`t know American breakfast?´ I wanted to tell her that an American breakfast is a granola bar eaten as you run out the door and that was hardly worth $20/night, but of course, I was limited by my language once again. I tried to talk her down about the price, explaining that I am a poor volunteer and tried in the worst Spanish imaginable to tell her my sob story about arriving only to buy my ferry ticket and then finding the office closed. She didn`t budge and laughed when I told her what the Security Guard told opening on Sunday. Usually, on principle, I would turn around an leave and not even dream of paying $19 for a dorm room, but I already felt like I was having a foul day and didn`t have anymore fight in me...so I shelled out my precious pesos and then went to the room. My book didn`t mention that for $19 the hospedaje come equipped with two little poodles wearing adorable homemade dresses that made them look like housewives from the 50`s. Nor did it mention that these dogs yapped at the slightest sound.

I gathered the energy to walk along the waterfront for a while and noticed mountains topped with snow on the other side. I couldn`t figure out why in such a lovely setting, I was still in a foul mood. Maybe it was the headache that chased me for 5 days. Maybe I am just worn out. I located a small vegetable market and picked up some things for dinner. I am still amazed at how expensive Chile is. Argentina doesn`t promise to be much less expensive either and most of the farms I have contacted there are expecting $10/day during my stay, which will be difficult to afford. I may freeze at the farm I am going to next. The highs are around 68 and the lows are around 40. My sleeping bag is only good until about 55 degrees. Hopefully there will be an extra blanket or three. But I won`t know unless I try to get that ferry ticket, which I am about to do right now.