Not much to say

Things have been relatively uneventful since my last update, but I will update none the less.

We went camping just outside of the Parque Nacional Chiloé the night before last, which was all in all a very strange experience. We got off the bus without really having a clue what we were doing, where we were staying, and really anything about the place where we had been dropped off. We walked along the road for a while and inquired about some hostels, then ended up deciding to camp at a little place by the lake where we could enjoy hot showers (supposedly) and legal fires at our own camp site. After an unfortunate event that left molly $160 poorer and without a debit card, we decided a nice boat ride would be a good idea to cheer us up. Although there was a nice, cozy motorboat at the end of the dock just waiting to take people out on the lake, I thought it would be nice to take a row boat and enjoy the peace and quiet. "Do you know how to use the oars?" the man asked me in something that I assume must have been Spanish. "Of course I know how to use oars." "Are you sure you know how to use oars? Ok, here you go." And we were off. It turns out that the oars are really heavy and difficult to manage, and that I don´t actually have much of a clue as to what I´m doing. But somehow we managed to make a zig-zagged circle (not that that´s even geometrically posssible) before ditching our pride and bringing it back to the dock.
After our little excursion on the water, we thought one on land might fare better, so we headed out on a trail that indicated a playa (that means beach) on the other end. For the first 15 minutes I was certain that I must be dreaming, although I´m afriad my words won´t really be able to convey how surreal the entire situation was. We were walking on a sandy path through jagged shrubs and trees that looked as if they had come out of a Dr. Seuss book and stumbled awkwardly into reality. The sun was setting, making the mountains in the distance appear like a backdrop on a stage rather than massive piles of earth hundreds of miles away. Every now and then we would pass a pony -- no more than 4 feet tall -- nibbling on the scratchy grass, and every few minutes a group of Chilean people would pass us by with their arms loaded up with twigs, beer, or towels. We could hear the Pacific ocean roaring in the distance, and it seemed entirely appropriate for a unicorn to gallop up to us just in time to save us from a massive earth quake and the sky turning yellow as plants came alive and cows began to float up to the heavens. Fortunately the majority of the last sentence is fictional, although we wouldnt have been too terribly surprised if it actually happened. Needless to say, we got tired of this pseudo dream and decided to turn back. The night was excellent -- we had a glorious fire on which we cooked our little hot dogs and enjoyed a cold beer (or I did, anyhow) and then we laid on the peir listening to Sufjan and looking at the stars. When we came back to the site our neighbors invited us to come enjoy their fire, since ours was dying, and proceeded to offer us drinks, snacks, and several hours worth of fun conversation. The next morning they came over and invited us to join them for lunch, which was perfect since we had actually run out of food and only had half a container of nescafe and a jar of mermelada (jam). After lunch we re-ventured out on the dream path, which was much less dream-like in broad daylight, and made it to the beach of the Pacific Ocean. This beach was unlike any I´ve ever seen, and seemed profound in some wordless way. Molly had a good swim and we both enjoyed tossing our things in the sand and playing in the powerful waves like a pair of small children. It was awesome.

Anyhow, we made it back to Castro, caught a bus to Puerto Montt just as an intermediary stop (thank God -- it was the first place where we have really felt uncomfortable here in Chile. Some really shady guys were whistling and saying crude things at us as we were walking to get dinner. it was not so awesome) then the next morning got on another bus to another town where we caught another bus and now we´re in Futrono, trying to muster up one last hurrah for our last 3 days, although I am so tired from traveling that pretty much the only thing that sounds good right now (besides chinese food) is my own room back in Viña where I don´t have to figure out busses, hostels, or what to do with myself all the time. This month of traveling has been awesome and wonderful and all other similar adjectives, but all good things must come to an end and this one´s end is finally approaching. I will heave a huge sigh when I arrive at my house in Viña, put down my backpack, and settle into a nice conversation with my host mom.

One other thing that is worth commenting on, although it doesn´t really fall in any chronological placement, is that Molly and I have become so close that we actually think the same things a very large portion of the time. Probably 20 times or more in a day one of us says something and the other says "I was just thinking those exact words". Or sometimes we´ll say the same thing at the same time, maybe one of us saying it in Spanish and one in English. It´s so awesome it´s almost creepy.

Anyhow, I think that´s about it. I guess I had a lot to say for not having a lot to say. My appologize if it crossed the line into boring. Feel free to send me a cyber-slap.

But for now I just send you my love and these few words.
Ciao.