The best of luck and the worst of luck

I chose to rent a car in Bariloche so I could hit all the places on my list in my last week in the Lake Region.  After agonizing over flights and bus schedules, it just didn't seem right to waste much of my last 2 weeks waiting in bus terminals. Besides . . . I'm trying to take time for myself, right?  So a rental car and a road trip sounded perfect.

I booked one night in Villa la Angostura so I could take in the uber-famous Route de Siete Lagos, and then would continue on to Pucon, Chile before heading south to Puerto Varas and finally back to Bariloche to return the car.  I had no fixed itinerary other than I have to be back in Bariloche by the 4th to return the car.  It would be rambling at its best.

As I'm packing up to leave the Bariloche hostel that I've now stayed at 3 separate times, I politely say below to a girl with her computer open, and ask the standard traveler's questions:  where are you headed?  It turns out she was literally in the process of buying a bus ticket to Villa la Angostura and then had to find a place to stay (she's couchsurfing).  Hmmm.  A solo girl traveler going to the same tiny town, and clearly is on a budget if she's couchsurfing.

So I offered her a ride to Villa la Angostura 1 hour away, where we would part ways there.  It felt like the right thing to do and I have benefited so much from others kindness in South America.  Here was a chance to pay it forward.

It was the best of luck.  Moula turned out to be delightful.  A Morrocan girl who has lived in France long enough to have a French passport, who speaks very good Spanish and English.  We it it off immediately.  She road out to the rental car place with me, we climbed Cerro Companerio together because it was on her bucket list.  And that was my good fortune because it turned out to have the best view of the Lakes in the area.  By the time we reached Villa la Angostura, Mouna and I had hit the first 2 stops on the Route de Siete Lagos and realized that we operate on the same wavelength.  Anybody who consistently wants to wander off the path at the exact same moments as you is a rare find indeed.

She decided to join me for the next day of my pre-set itinerary:  The Route de Sieto Lagos en route to Pucon.

After dropping her off downtown somewhere, checking in to my hostel, I wandered into the very cute town to buy groceries for dinner.  Right before reaching the grocery store, I dropped the case with my phone in it while admiring the chocolates through the window of a gourmet chocolate store. I stopped in on the way back, just for 1 bite.  The girl gave me the solo piece of chocolate for free :)  So I waltzed down the sidewalk back to my hostel, savoring my free gift of chocolate, with an entire evening to myself and gorgeous weather in this gorgeous lakefront town.  I felt very lucky indeed.

When I reached the hostel, I found my phone had landed very badly when I dropped it.  The screen was cracked and, despite trying for over an hour, would not let me unlock the phone at all.  This is a BIG problem.  My phone is my camera, my map while driving, and my only tool for jotting down notes and emails and everything else I need while traveling.  It was also the only way I had to reach Mouna  - through WhatsApp.  I had no idea where she was staying and had no way to reach her.  I was frantic.

Then I overheard 2 French girls speaking.  I introduced myself, explained my problem, and they suggested messaging Mouna for me.  Good thing all my contacts are backed up in the cloud at least I had her number!  A couple hours later, Mouna sends me an email and all's well.  The French girls were a life saver.  I was very lucky to have run into them.

It turns out I was also extremely lucky Mouna decided to join me because I am now phone-less.  That means I am now map-less.  If she hadn't joined me with her step by step directions, I would have missed half the lakes the next day and probably gotten very lost at least a couple of times.  As it was, we spent an extremely pleasant day and saw all of the lakes!  We arrived at Pucon just in time to get the debrief for the next day's Volcano excursion.  We lucked out on timing at the border.  She says she feels lucky to have run into me, not just because of the ride, but because she had never heard of Pucon and would never have done the Volcano otherwise.  We've been having such fun together that I now consider her a good friend and she will rejoin me for a day in Mendoza when both of us are in transit 5 days from now.  It's things like this that only happen when you're traveling alone.

It was the best of luck and the worst of luck.  All rolled into 24 hours.