The change game

This is something I have encountered before when I was travelling before – trying to obtain small change.  I did meet up with a mate once in India and when I paid, I paid with a large note saying I didn´t have smaller.  As soon as he saw this he said “playing the change game.”.

Cash machines here just seem to give out 100 paso notes, which is I guess 17 pounds.  So not that much up some people looked shocked when handed something like this.  I was using internet cafes a lot just to check mail and colectivos and I was burning throught my small money quick.  Banks seemed to be closed so I couldn´t ask for smaller notes.  Back on track now after hading over a 100 in a super just to buy a drink and even managed to get rid of some of my small-small change.

That´s the other thing some countries you can have quite a lot of money in coins (monedas) others don´t have coins just notes.  Or do they?!  I do remember being in a few counties and never seeing a coin and then being asked for one.  Chile for example there are 1000 or there abouts pesos to the pound and there is a 1 peso coin.  What do you do with it and what is it worth in real terms.  Can you produce a coin for 1/1000 of a pound.

Pucón – Volcan Villarrica

Well with New Years and the weather we´ve been waiting a few days to climb Volcan Villarrica. While we were waiting the near by Volcan Llaima made the BBC news by erupting. Just to remind us that climbing volcanos is different to mountains. But that is a comfortable distance away and the area was evacuated.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7167639.stm

Volcan Villarrica is the main backdrop for ski town, and visible on most advertisments around town etc. But Claudio the owner of the Backpackers Hostel, where we were staying, was keen for us to see it close up. Maybe also owning the tour company as well had something to do with it. I wasn´t feeling too good with catching a cold from Lisa but it was a go.

An early morning rise and we set off at 4am in a minivan. We had done other sunrise tours and they are painful but worth it. With this climb more so, you are walking in the dark up a slog which could be done with the ski lift if it was working. You can eventually see the valley getting brighter and the outline shadow of the volcano with with the trail of smoke. At this time you can´t see the top “el cumbre”, just the snow field. After passing a ridge el cumbre came into view, and seemed close but it was much further than it seemed. The walking was not that hard, just a bit boring. I certainly done a lot more difficult climbs. But that´s not the point as this is a volcano and they almost seem to have personalities are their activity affects the local weather system. The snow and ice was coming to an end the oposite to moutains. Also it was getting hotter and some of the rock was not rock but dust covered ice.

El cumbre has the usual coating of sulphur, but on other volcanos I´d not been able to see the crator. Well I´ve seen crators but not the “hole” I´m sure there is a name for it. One thing I was not ready for was the noise. There was constant crashing and banging coming from the hole. A little bit closer inspection and you could see bits of red. It was very difficult to get a photo but I got one with a bit of red ash. I was as close as I felt safe but not comfortable, there are odd clouds of fumes that make you choke.

Getting down was quicker and more fun. We were all issued with a nappie made of cordura to protect the hire kit. There are ruts worn into the ice with peoples bums. You get the idea. Some of the nappies have Gaffa tape on as a repair. This type of repair makes the nappie more waterproof and faster. So fast that you end up bouncing out of the ruts and on to the ice.

The snow and ice eventually comes to an end and it´s a slog back down to the ski station and the mini bus back to the hostel. It felt like a full day and about 6pm certainly not 1pm, but with the exercise done for the day some guit free food and beer was on order.

As always volcanos have proved to be very interesting, mistical, scary places to visit and I think I´ve said in other posts, they are a “have to do” on a trip like this.