The Super Bowl

Puerto Natales, Chile

The gringo bar in Puerto Natales that was airing the Super Bowl was called The Point. Some American ex-pat ran the bar, and his ex-pat brother ran the hostel next door.

The bar was streaming the game over Wifi, and the signal kept going out. Patagonia is pretty far away from everything, and the internet service there is notoriously unreliable. There was also no sound, because the owner insisted on playing classic rock instead.

I was drinking giant mugs of beer and chatting it up with a young Eagles fan the next bar stool over. I also met a cutish American woman two barstools over, but a guy from my hostel swooped in between us and I lost track of her.

From what I remember it was a really good game. Tom Brady dropped a pass, Nick Fowles caught one. Justin Timberlake did a tasteful Prince tribute at halftime. Not that I much care about Prince, or Justin Timberlake. I think the second half was dramatic...

*

The next morning I woke up early and walked to the bus station with a sober Chinese woman from my hostel. I was mega unsober. But I made it to the bus.

I curled up on a bus seat, plugged in my earbuds, and smacked *shuffle* on my music app. A young occupational therapist-in-training swam into view. She sat down and I killed the music so we could chat.

She asked me what I do and I told her that currently I was drunk, homeless, and unemployed. That seemed like a pretty good pickup line.

We were on our way to Torres Del Paine, the most popular national park in Chile. Her plan was to do the O-circuit, an 8-day trek around the entire park. My more modest plan was to attempt the W, a 4-day trek.

Before arriving in Puerto Natales I hadn't planned on "trekking" or even been familiar with the term outside of Star Trekking. But everyone else was doing it.

So I'd found some hiking poles and bought a bowl and a spoon and here I was with Sara from Asheville having that same conversation again about what makes occupational therapy different or better than chiropracy or osteopathy or just good old fashioned physical therapy. That conversation never arrives at any conclusions by the way.

Sara and I were starting our treks at different points in the park, so we said our goodbyes at the park entrance. I crawled back on the bus and re-engaged my earbuds.

The bus dropped us off at a dock with a coffee shop. I bought some instant coffee and shared a picnic table with a gorgeous Justine from France. She didn't speak any English, so I told her all my theories about the world in my broken Spanish:

1. The ingredients for curing a hangover: Bread, Water, and Time. She countered with Bread, Observation, and Time. We tossed that one back and forth a bit.

2. Wallets belong in the front pocket

3. Miserable people make better art

She told me she thought the boat cost $50, but I was pretty sure it only cost $5 and convinced her to come with me. Except it cost $50 and she bailed at the dock. I considered just paying for her boat ride, but I'm glad I didn't because logistically it just wouldn't have worked out given that she had to leave later in the day. She was super cute and intelligent though. C'est la vie.

On the boat everybody went up to the deck to watch the lovely landscape slip past. I went down below with the luggage and took a nap on a bench. Before passing out it occurred to me - I couldn't remember who had won the Super Bowl!