After leaving the park the sun never came out. The temp never came up. By 10:30 I made it to the Chile/Argentina boarder, at Cancha Carrera. It is a small town of 3 blocks by 4 blocks. It took me only 3 times to find the gas station on the edge of town. The station attendant, an 8 year old boy, was happy, friendly and very talkative. Before I could take his picture his mother called him back into the house to help with something. If you look closely in front, by the head light of la poderosa, you can see the little door where he passed the gas hose out to me. It was the best gas station I’ve found yet.
From there I went looking for food. There are 2 places in town to eat. The bigger one which had 2 cars out front, and the little one that had smoke coming out the chimney. I went to the smaller. The nice little lady said lunch was no where near ready, but maybe she could round something up in an hour or so. I said that would be fine, I only had an hour or two to El Pargue National de los Glaciers. The dinning room was cold, because it’s little heater had not been lit. She invited me into the kitchen to sit by the fire while I waited. She made tea for the 2 of us and we chatted. Then the home made buns came out of the oven. They were served with real butter and fresh chile. Then, the egg-drop soup arrived, followed by lamb stew on noodles. All the while we talked about her first grand child, her kids, the ranch, life in the states. I did not order any of it, I had just asked if she was making lunch. She just kept tending the fire, serving the food and dotting. I don’t think I could have gotten Pops out of her kitchen. .
I was the second person to cross the boarder that day. After signing all the paperwork for the Chilean customs officer, which includes 4 signatures, he said “ Y las llaves, por favor.” I looked at him oddly, while getting the keys out of my pocket. He pointed to the last signature and said in perfect English. “ I now own you motorcycle.” I started laughing, handed him the keys, and said, “Buena suerte, y no olvide a cambiar el acete, esta un poco quemado.” He handed back the keys and laughed “ Entonces, que tenga un buen viaje.”
The sun never came out and the temperature never made it above the mid twenties, but it was 82 and sunny.
Uncle Walter
Ps. Syd, I know Pops got that, but can you translate that for Butts. Thanks.
Hey Walter ~ thanks for the mention (above). I am following along and my Spanish is serving me (about as you would expect). I am enjoying the blog (and feel a personal pride in how it is taking shape). The pictures are outstanding and good stories too. This sounds like an adventure that I would enjoy, except for maybe sleeping in the park with wild horses and freezing conditions. Permanezca la caja fuerte y disfrute del día ~ Butts
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