22 December 1997 (Mon)
Today, I will find a tour of Paine National Park. There are many travel agents in the town, who go back and forth for a while I do not know which one is good. Then, I entered some travel agents who looks good. But there is no chance to speak so crowded many local people came to exchange money. In addition, they don’t speak English, I had been discouraged already. Some local guy translated what I want, and I said to go to a different place.
The guy takes me to the SERNATUR tourist office. Of course, there was very kind and able to communicate in English. “To go to Paine”, I said, and They told me to come here at 7:00 am. The Paine tour costs 12,000 pesos. The tour doesn’t go to the Grey Glacier.
To go to the Glacier, I have to stay overnight in the Park and walk for three or four hours. They also have a tour to walk on the glacier. Hmm, I don’t want to walk on the glacier, and I don’t like a hard tour. Walking Glacier Tour costs US $84. I asked how many people go, and he said “No, the tour is only for you”. Eventually, I decided not to join the tour. By the way, if you go to the glacier, 7,000 pesos for a regular bus, and 7,000 pesos for accommodation at the shelter cabin called Refugio.
I understood it is hard to go to the glacier, and I think a little more, I went out to SERNATUR and find out the different agents.
The next agent, Tours Miley’s owner doesn’t speak English, but the young girl speaks English well. Many tourists who speak only English come, and she is for them.
Paine tour is 12,000 pesos. I said, “I want to go to the glacier, but I heard it’s hard to close the glacier”. So, she introduced me to a tour of the Serrano glacier. The Serrano glacier is in a national park accessible only by boat, and I can go near the glacier. “Tomorrow, go to Paine, the day after tomorrow, why not go to Serrano”, She said. I decided to go both. The boat tour to the Serrano is sold only to this agent. Serrano tour costs 20,000 pesos.
I paid both by credit card. It is 32,000 pesos. It’s terrible if this is charged in U.S. dollars. I confirmed that it is charged in pesos. In Chile, every charge by credit card is in pesos.
Well, Today’s job is done, take easy rest of the day.
I exchanged some money. At a money exchange shop called Stop Cambio, US $1 equals 422 pesos. In Santiago city, it was 435 pesos, it is so-so, not so different from Punta Arenas, or Puerto Montt.
I bought food at the supermarket, checked the time of the bus, walked a little town, looked at souvenir shops, and check the harbor for the tour of the day after tomorrow.
It’s Christmas, it seems the number of buses is few. I quickly bought a morning bus ticket. it’s 3,000 pesos.
