A day on the Road Dodging Earthquake road construction
Sowell Family's Travels on Gijima
Skipper: Tim Sowell Admiral Tracy Crew Sean & Alex
Fri 11 Jun 2010 03:05
We took off this morning in the car, under clear skies heading north west to
coast, on an attempt to get to a coast town west of Santiago which we had a
cruising friends living there. We wanted to take the scenic coastal route
which the logic seemed good until we saw and got into the practicality. As
we headed along the roads we continued to see houses crumbled, and road
holes and bridges in different states of repair. This slowed the pace, and
then we lost 40km going to a river and finding a bridge in no pass mode so
we had to back track and go around. So a trip to the lunch town should have
been 2 1/2 hours ended up closer 4 hours, and we found ourselves on so many
detours, with debatable signs. Then we headed north along the coast and
again got lost doing a couple of loops as the signs were all Temporary and
we did a couple of 20 km loops, but as the sun set over the escarpment we
descended to Vin Del Mar on the coast descending the steep hills surrounding
the port/ beach town. By chance we found the suggested hotel, tied and a
little thin on nerve side we settled in before dinner with our friends. The
road trio and country the first 3 hours was spectacular and so was the run
along the coast, it could be Laguna Beach 30 years ago, shambles of houses
with character on a road hanging to cliff just above the beach. We put the
trip down to another one for experience, as this country was hit by a major
earthquake and is still recovering out in the country they are doing it on
their own, and it will takes years to get back.
Dinner was at Sushi Home, the first Japanese we have had since leaving
California 6 months ago, and Jim, Lilly and their son Carib (8) met us, Jim
is an Australian mining engineer who came to Chile 18 years ago met Lilly
and settled down. We met him with his sister (Jane) in Mexico 5 months ago
in an anchorage, as Jim was helping out with Jane's trip, they are the
Australian couple on a cat with boys same age as ours. Jim is now looking to
go cruising himself again in the next 2 months, he is about to go buying a
boat (cat) and will take 5 years wandering.
It was a great dinner of ideas, discussions, and questions why, and what to
do, when a couple of like minded but different people get together, it was
great to catch up, and now having seen so much of this part of the world we
could appreciate his two worlds. He and Lilly and Carib will have a lovely
time cruising as Jim has years of experience having cruised the world as a
child.
Nice to catch up with friends again, and travelers again.