Quintay Road Trippin'

January 14, 2015

We had plans, to hop a micro bus to the main bus station where, we had read, in a street behind there somewhere, we would find a collectivo to take us to the little fishing village of Quintay, about a 30 minute drive, give or take.

The micro, ever-entertaining, did not disappoint. Two rather large women got on, each carrying their own miniature long-haired Scotty-type woofballs, jostling to make change as the dog had his little black shiny button nose almost nestled into another passenger's ear as they shuffled to make change with the driver and plunk down in the seats ahead of us.

For whatever reason, the driver seemed really annoyed at the bus beside us and decided it would be fun, and safe, to jockey for position while rounding the corner at 60 kph. We 'white-knuckled' it as we barely missed scraping right down the side of it, in the turn, as passengers, including the dog-loving ladies, yelled "Cuidado" (Watch out)!

A bargain at any price, and worth the 700 Pesos for two fares, or $1.40.

From there we found the collectivo headed for Quintay. Collectivos are essentially taxis, but they pick up 4 or 5 passengers and drop them off where they want to go for a pre-set fare. They wait in lines for passengers and when the car's full they leave. One young guy joined us and after waiting about 20 minutes with no sign of any other passengers we decided to split the fourth passenger fare to get going.

Quintay is 45k away. The fare per person is 2,000 Pesos, or $4. We are the last of the big spenders, so it cost us an additional 1,000 Pesos, a whopping $2. The drivers lined up also push their cars ahead to save gas. It is hard to imagine how they stay ahead of the game when they only collect $16 for a 45k trip. We have also been known to throw caution to the wind and spring for the 800 Pesos, or $1.60 for two, to take us home from the grocery store, over hill and dale, to our door with all our bags.

I made a few notes as we awaited the other passengers...a guy in a Challenger paid two different street people awaiting the same light change - one had something that looked like Texas scratch cards for sale and the other was a squeegee guy who cleaned his windshield and proceeded to approach the hurse behind, complete with coffin, to wash his windshield as well. Even dogs' survival instincts sometimes kick in as they patiently await light changes and cross with pedestrians. Others are suicidal, choosing to take their chances frolicking on their backs mid-road.

We were on our way, and ended up on dirt roads and passed the first cows and horses we have seen in awhile. I could smell what reminded me of eucalyptus trees as we passed little villages and pine treed areas further into the country. We thought the trip to Laguna Verde had steep hills and turns, but those paled in comparison to today's. Thankfully our driver slowed down to manageable speeds for most of them.

Quintay is a really quaint little fishing village and home to a former whaling station. There's a museum there in the old buildings so we wandered through the exhibits and spent some time sitting up on the wharf watching a fisherman and just spent the day peope-gazing and taking in the sights and sounds. Dinner was great overlooking the ocean. Salmon, paila marina (check out the claw!), and rice (as well as the customary Escudos).

Pics include the ramp where whales used to be dragged up for processing, aka butchering, and of the restaurant and beach.

Later in the evening we walked up the dusty dirt road and caught a bus home. After it stalled when leaving the stop, we held our breath as it made its way up the steep inclines and hairpin turns but arrived safely back home...we're kicking ass transit-wise in this town, and getting our money's worth to boot!

We liked the feel of this place, very quaint and picturesque. A great day.