Feb 28, 2013 - Magic Mountain

Trekking in morning through the Beech Forest. Afternoon, men rode mountain bikes for 20 km and women let the horses do the work....needless to say we are a trifle sore this evening so spa/swim followed by drinks was very welcome! ************************************************************************************************************************Picked up at hotel by guide Marco and driver in nice minibus. Went via Lago Panguipulli to Panguipulli town (walked around and had coffee), then through mostly farming country to Los Lagos, on to...

Feb 27, 2013 - Journey to land of the Hobbits

Flew from Santiago to Temuco. Then transferred by fast driver to the Chilean Lakes district. Am totally jet lagged.. Whilst beng driven through spectacular scenery, lakes, volcanoes..... kept nodding off!!!!!! Now staying in Huilo Huilo which is a rainforest resort. Our room is up the top of a circular building surrounding a tree so we are in the canopy. Planning a trek in the morning, the boys will bike ride in afternoon and Anita and I will take a chance at horse riding! Food and wine here is...

Feb 24, 2013 - Southward to Pucon

Pucon is a real fun place for outdoor enthusiasts. It is situated by Lake Villaricca, surrounded by volcanoes and close to a number of National Forests. We were really stoked to get there, but unfortunately had really bad weather at first. Rain came down in sheets for the first 2 days, we were not even able to see any of the surrounding mountains. Since the weather predictions were pretty much the same for the surrounding areas and Pucon was a tourist town with lots of shops and restaurants , we decided we might manage to entertain...

Feb 22, 2013 - Pucon

2/22/2013 Off the ferry by 5:45 AM, pitch dark and heading through a city, in a foreign country trying to find the freeway, thanks to Garmin we made it without a problem. About 10 K on the ferry a very large COPEC fuel station, lots a parking, coffee shop and a great place to wait until daylight so we can head to Pucon, Chile which is one on the top tourist destinations in Chile. Absolutely breath taking views of the volcano en-route to our camping. Camping was good and the evening was great. Tomorrow on 2/23 they are having a large...

Feb 8, 2013 - Reserva El Cañi

Hiking in Cañi Sanctuary We’ve taken some side trips and will take some more along the way. The highlight at this point is El Cani. It’s a very steep hike going from dry to wet scenery and a combination of unique foliage and stuff that would look right at home in Northern California. After 2+ hours of hiking and before the final 20 minute steep ascent to the top, Lago Negro appears and makes a great lunch spot and swimming hole. You certainly need and want the break at that point. While stopping here we received some entertainment from...

Feb 5, 2013 - KodKod: Home in El Campo for February

Ten days near downtown Pucón was enough to imagine what it would be like with the anticipated arrival of Santiago’s entire vacationing population. We fled to a nearby Eco-Lodge, KodKod in the beautiful, protected mountain area of El Cani Sanctuary. Our cabaña here is bright and cozy and the people are wonderful. We just wish they could raise the roof of our upstairs loft bedroom so Lynn wouldn’t hit her head so often! Álvaro helped us find the place. He and his family (which includes countless cats and two puppies) live very close by so our...

Jan 31, 2013 - Pucón

Pucón is in an area surrounded by lakes, national parks, the Andes Mountains, and volcanoes. With its adventure spirit and summer vacation atmosphere, it is a cross between Queenstown, New Zealand and Lake Tahoe. It’s an active volcano area, so be prepared to flee, whatever that might mean (reminds us of the signs on Stinson Beach, warning about rogue waves and great white sharks). We spent the first 10 days in a cute cabaña on the edge of town and began our Spanish immersion classes. Language Pucón has wonderful, sweet, helpful people and...

Jan 21, 2013 - Vamos a Villarica (y Salimos Rapido!)

So, we got down to Villarica without incident, and then… Let us first set the scene: Villarica is the gateway to Chile’s southern Lakes District and Pucón, and we were considering a stay there if Pucón wasn’t to our liking. However, the powers that be in Villarica apparently think the onset of the busy summer vacation season is the perfect time of the year to greet guests with an under construction, ripped up main street (and the primary artery connecting it to Pucón). As you might imagine, when we arrived cars had started to back up a bit...

Nov 20, 2012 - To the Chilean Lake District

Luckily all 10 people who were stuck in a stationary lift in the hotel last night were speedily liberated so a full contingent set off in beautiful sunshine from Los Angeles. We had been encouraged not to hang around as the delights in Pucon were many. The motorway was more interesting than some with trees and agriculture on all sides but the cloud came in and reduced visibility. It was at this stage that you chronicler reached the Mirador (viewpoint) where it was suggested that we might like to view three volcanoes. It was an easy decision...

Apr 19, 2012 - Ouch, Jump, Ahhh!

Well.... sat down this morning in a cafe to have breakfast and wrote a whole section for this blog hit save and the power went down and lost the lot...so lets try in an internet cafe. We left Bariloche at around 8am very civilised and drove through some beautiful mountains. Our lunch time stop was by a river where a couple of locals were fishing and the trees were monkey puzzle, finished lunch and I felt something on my finger went to brush it off and was stung by a wasp! OUCH! One of the girls removed the sting for me and I thought it...

Mar 31, 2012 - Like a kid in a candy shop - Pucon, Chile

After making the tough call of wether to travel north in Chile towards the desert region or south towards the lake region, the boarder of Patagonia (we really wanted to go to Patagonia but that will have to wait for another trip after we win the lottery) we decided to go south. After an overnight bus ride from Valparaiso, we disembarked from the bus in a beautiful, Lake Tahoe-like, cute little town. Oh was it gorgeous, the air was fresh, the scenery lush. "We are going to love this place," we thought. We set out to find our hostel (yes, we...

Feb 15, 2012 - Pucon

1st February 2012. After surviving 10 hours on the night bus we arrived into Pucon. A quaint town. Similar to a Swiss ski resort. They do have ski seasons here though. We walked from the bus station to our hostel which was a wooden built shally and all to ourselves for the next 3 nights. Called Willy´s. It was such a beautiful town. We dropped our stuff and went for a walk. It was so peaceful and relaxing everyone very friendly. We had some lunch and then focused on the activities we could do here. Rafting was on the list for this...