I don’t get couples who want to do everything together. And, worse of all, I don’t get why, after more than 15 years together, Nicolas thinks that we are one of those couples!

He asked for at least one day of fishing while we are in Chile, which is why I booked so many days at the Lake District. I figured he’d get to go fishing on one of those days. I should have known that, not only did Nicolas expect me to join him, he expected me to take part and enjoy myself!

Okay, backgrounder: When Nicolas took me to Moulin Lasnier in France, to the river where he grew up fishing, he thought that, by my demeanor and the way I handled myself, that I was a natural. Nevermind that I didn’t actually catch any fish or that my line kept getting tangled in the brush. For him, I was just having a spate of bad luck.

How could I break it to him that, while I was casting my line, my mind was actually traipsing amongst the clouds, far away from the numbing cold of the river? How could I tell him that the only time that I care about fish is when it is on my plate? I’ll leave the catching of them to other people, thank you.

(Okay, I might also care about them when I am diving or in a big-ass aquarium but, unless there’s a great variety of them and they are doing spectacular things like fire-breathing or swallowing sea lions, I get rather bored with them very quickly.)

One of the things that kept me entertained on our fishing trip was the cooler full of goodies.

Anyway, on the day that Nicolas was going fishing, we knew it was going to be a rainy day and a rainy day in Chile isn’t just a rainy day. It’s a fucking cold goddam rainy fucking day. Pardon my French.

Ominous dark clouds in the distance.

And stupid me started making noises about not going along a little too late. The owner of the fishing lodge had picked us up from our hotel, the guide was there, and we were all dressed and ready to go. I’m sure that if I had put my foot down earlier, Nicolas would not have insisted, but I didn’t think about it until I, literally, started getting cold feet.

And everyone assured us it would be a lovely trip. And it was. When it wasn’t goddam fucking raining.

I nearly died. At one point, I was doubled over, trying not to freeze to death, when I noticed that the rain wasn’t rain. I tried to scream, “That’s not rain! That’s ice!” It would have been my Soilent Green moment, except that I was muffled by my scarf.

When the sun would come out, first, I’d dry the seat, then my mitts and the seat of my pants at the same time. By the time everything was dry (which wasn’t very long), it would start raining all over again.

I was so miserable, tears started rolling down my cheeks without my meaning to. When the sun would come out, I was so overjoyed that I’d practically jump up and down the boat. I could finally take in the beauty of the river. I took so many photos that Nicolas thought that I was having a good time.

Taking a break in the sun.

Later on that evening, I finally sat him down and set him straight. I told him that, no, I did not like fishing and that I may never go fishing with him ever again. He was in such a good mood that he took it well. He thanked me for organizing the great day that he had and sharing it with him.

And, truly, while I was taking photos, Nicolas’ happiness was so palpable on that river that, for a moment, I could almost see him as a young man, traveling to the farthest, wildest places on the planet to fish. It was his love of fishing after all that brought him to the Philippines in the first place. (Pansukian was originally intended to be a fishing camp and not the high-end resort it eventually turned out to be.)

Nicolas is happiest when he is on a river, fishing.

With the brown trout.

Nicolas’ first salmon! He caught 11 fish in total – the most, according to the guide, was 14, so Nicolas wasn’t too far off the mark. He released most, but I insisted on keeping three different kinds for dinner.

Nicolas was having such a good day that, when I left him at the casino for less than an hour to shop for more warm clothes for Patagonia, I returned to find him with a pile of money. He was most definitely on a roll!

That evening, the owner of the lodge organized for our fish to be cooked at a local diner. We had a rainbow trout, a brown trout, and an Atlantic salmon. It was one of the best meals we had in Chile!

Salmon ceviche.

Baked rainbow trout and fried brown trout, with buttered rice. Yum!

It turned out to be a very good day after all.