SANTIAGO, CHILE 04.02.2023

Finally, the weekend for Franzi and the opportunity for her to show us something new. But we also wanted her to discover something new for herself. Cajón del Maipo was a sort of compromise because she had not been there in seven years. The Rio Maipo flows from the mountains that form the border with Argentina (Cordillera de los Andes) and runs through a valley where small towns have been established, mainly relying on tourism. As this popular region is only 25 km southeast of Santiago, it can easily be reached by public transportation. That's good because the people of Santiago (Santiaguinos) enjoy spending their free time here, camping, hiking, cycling, or rafting in the summer and skiing in the winter. That's where we wanted to go, and it should be a day that made Karin and me realize that without Spanish, we can't do much!

But first things first: we went to the metro and took three transfers to reach the Florida stop. This is where the B 72 bus was supposed to start its journey to the valley. After searching for a while at the bus station connected to the metro end station, we found out that Santiago's public transit app had not been updated for two years, and the bus would depart near the Mercedes stop. No information without Spanish! So we went back two stations and started searching again. Where could a bus stop be here? Franziska also didn't ask everyone on the street, and a friendly older gentleman sent us to a parallel street! Where could a bus stop be here? We had to ask the right person. The older couple sent us a bit further down the street and pointed out the stop in front of the church. No information without Spanish! On the way there, an older man who had apparently overheard the previous conversation approached us and gave us the good tip to wait on the left in the next street, as the bus there would not be as crowded as at the other stop. No chance without Spanish!

A little later, we were sitting in a small Chevrolet and driving on bumpy roads to the lake. Along the way, the man showed us a small cement/gypsum factory where he worked and would have to go back to in the afternoon. He seemed to be involved in the tourism industry as well because he raved about multi-day horseback tours in the landscape, which he had already undertaken with visitors. Each participant had a horse, and they were all accompanied by a donkey carrying the equipment. But not in the summer, as it would be too hot for both humans and animals. After a short hour of driving, we arrived at the lake and understood why Franziska was so determined to come here! We had never seen such a turquoise water surface before, and the contrast with the dark mountains surrounding the lake made the impression even stronger. It must be even more intense in the late afternoon light! In Chile, water rights are privately organized! The state has no direct influence on planning, storage quantities, and all the complex decisions associated with water management. Franziska pays very little money for her water, and there are no additional charges for wastewater either. That's why many Chileans, despite water scarcity, handle water very casually! Our driver also mentioned that he comes to the lake for fishing and catches salmon here. I imagined what it must be like to sit in a small colorful boat on this large turquoise surface and cast the fishing line at sunset!? Oh well, there was no massive dam. Rather, a very high embankment made of stone rubble, probably with a concrete core? On the way back, we made a short stop at a small waterfall. As always at such attractions, there were many selfies with "Instagram contortions". South Americans simply love this type of photo. We liked the stop at a small pipe from which ice-cold drinkable water from the Andes flowed!

So we returned to San Gabriel at the planned time to catch the bus, which only runs once an hour from here, and our driver was almost punctual for work. On the way there, we had already decided to have dinner on the way back. Not in the overcrowded main villages, but away from them. The buses also depart from San Alfonso back to Santiago every half hour, so we ended up in El Manzano at the restaurant "El Terral" by sheer coincidence. We had apparently found a good restaurant. The street with the buses was right outside the door, the seats in the garden were shaded, the menu offered selected delicacies (rabbit, thin strips of beef cooked as desired, etc.), and they had a truly fruity sangria on offer! We sat there so relaxed! Beautiful!

The rest of the journey home was once again in a bus that kept getting more crowded, and at the final stop, there was a proper metro connection right away! Everything on this day fit perfectly! Including the ending on the balcony!