Belated journal entries. Written longhand

During the middle of my trip I wandered to the Termas de Corazon hotel/spa.  I wrote a journal entry longhand as I waited for the pool to open, but I didn't have the time to type it out during my stay in Chile.  I now enter it here for your reading pleasure.

26/3/2011
Today was interesting.  Fun, but mostly interesting.
Los Juncos is an odd hostel for me.  Technically, it is a guesthouse.  It is far from any urbanization, except for a small village.  The street to one side is long and straight, so cars tend to speed down it.  Vineyards on both sides of the street.
Hostel has wifi, but no common computer.  I guess I could use a net cafe in Los Andes, but that requires a cab or bus ride.  I must make arrangements for Vina de Mar, and to change my [airplane return] ticket.

27/3/2011
I awoke and waited for breakfast, as listed on Hostelworld.com.  There was none.  Meals are odd here, for one must provide for oneself.
I had a little meal of fruit, coffee, and Powerbar.  Then I spent the day wandering with Claudia and Nicolas.  They were scouting locations to shoot their short film.  Claudia has lived here for a month for her project.  Nicolas is not a boyfriend, merely a production partner.
We explored very rural river areas.  One was full of junk and the remains of fires; clearly a gathering place for nighttime hijinx.  Three puppies lived there.  They were rib-showing hungry.  I split a non-chocolate Powerbar among them.
There was a nearby silo, a set of four silos.  Claudia climbed inside one.  She asked me to scream for her sound test recording.  I was too self-conscious to scream.
On teh embankment of the river, at the bridge, was a puppy carcas.  I did not want to photograph that.
Later, we took a bus East to another river.  On the local road a herd of sheep passed us.  Further down was an old bridge with flood monitoring station.  It is a great location!  Easy to access, yet quiet and remote.  The bridge provides high ground and camera dolly capability.  Picturesque with good visuals, like this one willow tree.  We explored, then returned.  We had hotdogs and empanadas from a roadside stand.
We parted ways in Los Andes.  They returned to the hostel and I bought groceries.

29/3/2011
Yesterday I did a tour/tasting at Vina San Esteban.  Magdalena (my hostess' daughter) gave me good directions of the area.  Afterwards I returned to Los Andes and climbed the hill to the Virgin statue at the summit.  It reminded me of Cortona, except there are no hilltop cities here.  Los Andes is just a town.  I am in no mood for museums.
Claudia and I had a pleasant evening with supper and watching internet videos.  We chatted using the Google Translator.
I slipped and fell in the bathtub that day.

Today I ventured out to see the pottery, chicharia, and the thermal baths near Vina San Esteban.  I bought five good-luck pups at the pottery, and .5L of chicha at the chicharia.  They usually sell in full litres, but that's more than I wanted to carry in my pack.  So, she filled up a handy .5L bottle for me.
I wandered on down the road.  I passed two restaurants, both closed.  I arrived at the Termas de Corazon resort/spa/hotel.  If you find a thermal spring, buy the land and build a resort on it.  It's a goldmine.
Lunch and a pool pass cost me $25000 pesos.  I'm here; may as well take a swim.

Greet the heat: hot tub, eat soup, wear a parka.

I am surrounded by old people at the lunch buffet.  The music is oboe, elderly renditions.  The pool re-opens at 15:00.  I'll swim for an hour or so, then return to Los Andes.  I'll use my hostess' computer to check reservations, bus schedules, etc.  Mendoza, Argentina or Vina del mar?  Depends on lodgings and money.
There was one cute female chef at lunch.  I was very warm to her and I think she reflected the feeling.  It was good to find a peer among the elderly.  Now to swim.  Hopefully the thermal will ease my bruises.
---Afterwards I learned the thermal may have been fake.  It was a disappointing pool.  That $25000 is my most regretted purchase from my trip.  Again, there were no young people.  I was hoping a coupole of babes would show up and be thrilled to see me, the only other young person there.  None did.