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By Carl Somers, May 23, 1997

If you have come to Chile, you are probably planning, or at least dreaming, of getting to Patagonia. That decided, you have several options as to how you are going to get there. Unless you are impatient or have done it all before, taking a plane is like cheating.

It is all too easy and when you finally arrive you do not truly feel like you have accomplished anything. There are buses of course, and granted, the buses are nice as far as buses go. Some of the luxury sleeper lines (called Salon Cama) include wine and dinner, a couple of embarrassingly horrible movies and even a sort of "bed" that is actually more like a well-padded dentist's chair. Regardless, after 10 hours or so, a bus is a bus is a bus.

The fact is, for about 25 dollars more than what two people would pay for the bus trip to Temuco or Puerto Varas, they could have what amounts to the "Orient Express" of South America. That is exactly what this intrepid explorer and a friend decided to do a couple of weeks ago. What we learned is what epicpoets and mystery novelists have been telling us for centuries, that in any adventure, getting there is at least half of the romance.

Because of crushing Santiago rush-hour traffic, we both arrived at the station separately and with only moments to spare to catch our 8 p.m. train (the only one available). The gaudy shopping mall atmosphere inside of Estacion Central is nothing to brag about, but when you're arriving to take the train the unpleasantness seems to disappear. Emerging from the Metro, one is confronted with the giant iron gates separating the platform from the hustling and bustling life of lower Alameda (a main thoroughfare of Santiago).

I found our designated car, discouragingly empty of companions at five minutes from departure, and began to panic. The friendly porter calmed me as best as he could by showing special concern for my predicament. I honestly think he would have done what he could to hold the train, although luckily I was saved from having to find out by Roxanna's nick-of-time arrival a few moments later.

We were not in for the long haul, which is the 23-hour push from Santiago to what is now the end of the line, Puerto Varas, a picturesque German community on Lake Llanquihue. Instead, we had decided on the shorter 12-hour stretch to Temuco, where we caught a bus for Puerto Montt and the Llanquihue Region. This ended up saving us time since the Temuco-Puerto Varas leg of the train trip is incredibly slow, but takes only about 5 or 6 hours by bus. Our reservations were for a full departmento, or cabin. The German-built Pullman cars used in the sleeper classes are a throwback to another era, and have been meticulously maintained. All of the woodwork and light fixtures, as well as the velvet couches and curtains, are original 1930s stock. The beds are parallel to the tracks, making for a smoother ride, and will easily sleep two each if need be.

Each cabin includes a heater, which gets plenty warm, and more woolen blankets than any normal person would ever need. There is a washbasin with running water in each cabin and two clean washrooms in each car, one at either end. One of these has a shower, although oftentimes the only water is cold. As soon as the train pulls out of the station, the porters begin their evening rounds. The first knock at the door is the drink cart. Buy a soda or a beer (both Ch$500), or enjoy a cocktail before heading down for dinner. Later, the porter comes to see if you are ready to be escorted to your table in the dining car, which chances are you will share with at least one interesting stranger. At any point in the evening the porter is needed, to turn down the beds for instance, he can always be found at his station at the end of each car. The food in the club car is standard Chilean fare, including all the typical salads and sandwiches. It is of good quality, if slightly more expensive than in more stationary clime.

They do have excellent wine on hand. I bought a bottle of 1993 Concha y Toro Marques for Ch$6,300, again more than you may pay elsewhere in Chile, but still a bargain. The air in the club car is heavy with kitchen and cigarette smoke (charming at first) and if you feel like hanging around there are 3 free movies shown every night, although you must buy a ticket for a drink ahead of time.

Making the reservations is easy enough; just call or drop by the Ferrocarriles del Estado offices at Estacion Central (Alameda Bernardo O'Higgins 3170, telephone 698-6070) or at Metro station Escuela Militar (local 13). Make sure they know you want to rent the full departmento, otherwise, you may end up with tickets in the less private dormitorio class. Rates vary, sometimes drastically if you are planning to travel on a holiday weekend. Sample fares are Ch$60,400 Santiago-Temuco round-trip double accommodations and Ch$71,000 Santiago-Puerto Varas round-trip double accommodations. One way fares are roughly half as much. Master Card and Visa are accepted.

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