CHILE

1 305 Kilometres - 27 Days

1–2 January - Puerto Montt

Waiting to be 100% confident on my feet, two more days were spent in pretty
Puerto Montt. I lay watching TV while Ernest polished off two bottles of whiskey and
a case of beer. I realised nothing had changed and wondered how long it would take
me to face reality!

Puerto Montt’s weather was relatively mild, and I was happy to be out of Patagonia.
Unfortunately, Patagonia wasn’t as picturesque as predicted. All I remember was a
ferocious wind and a hike that went very wrong.

By afternoon, a reasonably strong earthquake hit Chile. Mercifully, it occurred
pretty far north, and only a moderate tremble was felt in Puerto Montt. Our rickety
guesthouse swayed from side to side, but luckily no damage was done. Surprisingly,
no one seemed perturbed about it.