Once
again, full credit to Leo for his persistence and ability to motivate
various Chileans to go far beyond the call of duty. The clutch was fixed
(again a long story) while John, Marlon and I did 'the tourist thing' and
went shopping for souvenirs.
It
was interesting to see how many cactus souvenirs were on offer - that's to
say, souvenirs made out of cactus wood. I can appreciate that people use
local natural materials to build their houses etc, but felt uneasy about
buying these souvenirs when the conservation of cacti & succulents is such
a hot discussion topic in the hobby.
The
cactus supplying the material is Echinopsis (Trichocereus) atacamensis,
or perhaps Echinopsis pasacana, as the wood is usually imported
from Bolivia these days as local supplies are running low.
The
main event of the day was John Ede being embraced by a hairy hippy
smelling of alcohol, right in the middle of a crowded street. John was
wearing the red strip of his favourite football (soccer) team: Liverpool
FC as today was FA (Football Association) Cup day and Liverpool were
playing in the final. His new friend turned out to be a scouser (native of
Liverpool) who had settled (or had got stuck in?) San Pedro and had been
following the game on the radio. Liverpool had just won the cup, which at
least explained why John joined in with the strange dance in the middle of
the road and then treated Marlon and I to a drink.
So, no cactus
habitat stops today, but what a lot to look forward too!
