Valdivia

Arrived here in Valdivia last night. Valdivia is probably only 20o km or less from Bariloche but it took over 8 hours to arrive here. Spent a good hour at both border stops and both the Argentines and Chileans removed all the baggage on the bus and searched it. The drug dog must´ve spent 30 minutes on board the bus. After awhile I was getting a little nervous...not that I have anything of course, but outside the US I do not take truth and justice for granted. Got off the bus at about 2200 and was met my a fairly well dressed man asking if I needed a place to stay...and that is how I come to be sitting here in his living room typing this email. Juan Pablo and his family run a little hostel business during the summers down here. Actually, they move out of their big house into the guest house out back during the summers to accommodate more guests. I was the only guest when I got here last night but now there are a few more...2 of which came here at my suggestion after they complained to me about their hostel when I met them at a museum today.