after another walk around the park this morning, i took off to pucon. this area reminds me a lot of san francisco and/or the northern us. there are trees (and tree farms), rivers, good roads, snow capped mountains in the distance, etc. there was even a flock of wild parrots in the park this morning (which looked and sounded very similar to those from telegraph hill).

i decided to stop by the city of temuco to grab some cold medicine and to fix my exhaust. both were accomplished for just under $15. i then got back on the highway and had my first experience with chile’s cops. the whole situation is probably normal if you’ve been here a while, but to a foreigner sounds a bit ridiculous. first, police here are called carabineros. i’m not sure why. they wear green uniforms and have old green and white cars/vans. apparently they’re a pretty powerful group here, but are also not corrupt (an oddity for latin america). so, the carabinero pulled me over, but he didn’t do so from his car. instead, he stood in the middle of the highway and waved his arms — what a strange and dangerous method. once i was on the side, he asked for my license and paperwork…i wasn’t sure what was going on, but obeyed. he then told me that i have to drive with my headlights on while on the highway. i knew this rule, and had simply forgotten to turn them back on after leaving temuco. well, that’s not quite true. i had guessed this was a law because, on the highway, everyone drives with their lights on (at all hours of the day….and night) and there are signs reminding you to turn your lights on when you enter the highway. but then, the strangest thing of all happened: he let me go…without a fine…and without asking for a bribe. what a strange country! pucon is very similar to tahoe. it sits on a huge lake surrounded by fancy houses and nice restaurants, polished wood is abundant, and most people here are the ‘yuppies’ of santiago (or tourists). one big difference is that i was able to get a room for $10….even in the 80s, in a room at the biltmore casino in nevada, we never got that kind of a deal. it’s really nice here and tomorrow i’ll try hiking around another national park.