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Flying east from New Zealand to Chile, one experiences the curious phenomenon of groundhog day, having in my case the chance to live two 28th of Junes, one in each continent. Santiago was pleasantly warm after spending 5 weeks in the kiwi winter, but a layer of smog tends to hangs over the city most days.
Heading down to the chilean lake district, I realised I hadn´t escaped winter after all. Cool, wet and occasional snow... But despite this I had the right gear to brave the elements, and managed several treks in a couple of national parks , including one with 2 huge waterfalls and 5 tranquil lakes ,and another being a steep trek up a narrow dry stream bed and partial ascent of a volcano, before being driven back down by drifting snow. Virtually a tourist-free zone in July, I enjoyed undiluted hospitality in a swiss-style chalet replete with cuckoo clock, bitter swiss breakfasts and mountain biking around the countryside. Then a deserted psycho-style house on a hill behind a restaurant serving the most delicious food I´ve sampled in many a long while. Relaxing in the cold evenings in front of a roaring fire with a fine glass of wine contemplating life, the universe and stuff. Of course July was also the latter stages of the world cup. Noone was around to hear my expletives at England´s stuttering performances and ultimate exit in traditional fashion. Oh Sven, what did you do to our team of superstars. I was only 2 weeks in Chile, and visited just a couple of towns - most notably Valdivia, a studenty place with an excellent fish market frequented by a pack of giant hungry sea lions. I met a local chef in the hostal, and we bought and prepared a huge feast of fresh raw fish, ceviche, with enough to share with the other few guests and more for later. One evening, enough Kunstmann beers (german know-how local brewery) persuaded me to partake in a karoake moment from the splendid Radiohead archives. As it wasn´t Creep, noone registered my whinings. Cheque please, time to head north, to the equator in fact. After 3 more days of solid rain back in Santiago, I was more than ready to dust down my shorts and singlets again...
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