Pucon, Chile - Day 1

So I took my first bus between cities in South America from Bariloche to Pucon, and I almost get stranded at the transfer point. We stopped in Osorno, Chile, and I had about an hour in between bus rides. I grabbed a quick empanada and waited for my bus in front of the company bus sign where I thought the bus would be pulling up to. When another bus from the same company going to a different destination pulled up at about the time that mine was suppose to leave, I wondered where mine was and went into the station to ask the desk person. He made a quick call and told me that it was on the other side of the terminal and that I would have to run to make it. I was the last one on the bus and they started pulling away as soon as I stepped on it. At least I got some exercise.

One of the first things that I noticed about Chile is the amazing fresh produce selection and quality in the supermarkets. Argentina's produce in the local supermarkets across the country were somewhat lacking. The selection usually included cabbage, potatoes, onions, carrots and the like with most of the produce being bruised and beaten up. Celery would be extremely limp and predominantly brown, if you found a predominantly green one with some spring left in it when you poked it, you'd be lucky. Given, Argentina had specialty vegetable vendors which had a more favorable variety and quality although it was still below what I would expect from a country of Argentina’s resources.

Chile, on the other hand, literally a 4 hour bus ride away was a word of difference. Freshness, Quality, Variety. I felt like I was back in the states. I promptly bought about 5lbs of fruits for less than 5 dollars and gorged on fresh fruit…something that was sorely missing from my meat diet for the last month and half.

Pucon, Chile - Day 1