Copapio

Kayhryn >> The morning began apparently too early, as we attempted to find a laundry to do some washing. Forgetting that nothing opens before 10am we headed off, only to walk aimlessly around for half an hour. We then moved to our second task of finding someone to fix the broken indicator light casing. Having approached every shop that appeared to specialise in such things we gave up and purchased another light, a hack saw and some glue to do the job ourselves. Returning to the mechanic, with our friend Dan interpreting over the phone, we were shown the stuck valve, and then taken again to the second workshop where the part would be checked and fixed. It seems that Chiliean mechanics are particularly vague people, unable to state how long it would take for the part to be fixed, or the engine reinstalled, so we committed to return again the next day. After finding the mining museum to be 'unemployed' (thats what the sign said) we spent the afternoon looking for magnets to craft some fly screens for the windows at night (so we could have ventilation without getting tangled in a net or malaria at night) This task, like our search for a dust pan and broom appeared almost impossible, as

some things seem unheard of in Chilean retail! Eventually we found a game of magnetic dominos, in a shop that almost specialised in fridge magnets! With little else to do, we wandered back to the hotel for another fun filled night of watching movies on the laptop. Copapio is the capital of the region and has a population of around 200 000. It's dry, dusty and well...small. It was built on a river, which has now dried up, the surrounding countryside is dominated by the many dried up vineyards, orchards and green houses. It's most famous for the 2010 mining accident, when 33 men were trapped underground in a copper mine for 69 days before being rescued. On our last trip through the town we did however spot a cow being escorted down the road by men on horses, perhaps a sign of just how small the town is...