Lets go climb a Volcano

---

Day 11-13

A 2750 metre high active one.....but before that lets rewind a few days

After the cani and hot springs day, our legs felt pretty sore and so we decided to have a chilled day. Well as chilled as you can be in 30 degree heat! We hobbled round Pucon, found the most chorlton place to have lunch (very 'knit your own lentils' as Em's mum would say) and waited till 6pm to go to the beach when it had cooled to 29.5 degrees (seriously it stays hot here until 10pm at night!). We came back to the hostel and met a couple called Anna and Ed - we had some good northern banter and got drunk on our terrace together. I managed to scare Ed by declaring it was 3am when in fact it was only midnight (they had to get a bus the next morning). Apparently swimming in the lake with my watch on was not such a bright idea, even though it is an ironman watch, figure? Top tip of the day provided by Ed and Anna -to get rid of the dogs (we keep being followed round all the time!!) you smile and say 'sale' (pronounced salay)!

Woke up - tummy's gurgling. Turns out eating slightly pink burgers (before hot springs - we even mention inhaling them) is NOT a good idea... Well you can imagine the rest. This day was spent no further than a 5min dash back to the hostel. Luckily the day was a bit cold and cloudy and so we planned the next stops in our trip. However on the plus side Em and I managed to scare off a few dogs today...

After setting the alarm on my watch for 6am - we woke up thinking it seemed light for before six. Ironman watch struck again and we quickly realised that it was 6.35... with 10 mins to spare we frantically packed our packs before dashing to tour company (luckily literally over the road from our hostel) to go off to the Volcano.

The walk up the volcano starts off with an optional chair lift ride up 400 metres... We took the option as the alternative is hiking up what can only be described as a plus size version of an ashtray's contents. Then a quick demonstration of how to hold the ice axe and what to do if you slip (dig the pick in and grab on apparently) and then we began the ascent. Even though you zig zag your way up (due to steepness) the climb was more a test of endurance than fun. We did 3 blocks of 1 hour with a 15 min stop in between. Like walking on a stairmaster for 3 hours basically - worst part was on a ridge in hour 2 when the wind was so strong it felt like we were going to get blown off the mountain.

We chose the tour company as we heard they set off earlier and get to the top first - what we didn't realise is that to get to the top 1st, the guides push you pretty hard. We watched the other groups taking loads of breaks with envy! No-one spoke during the walking, except for the odd cry of 'rock' in spanish at which point you have to work out whether there is a piece of volcanic boulder flying at you... we saw one rock miss a girl by millimetres. As we neared the top, we were hit with a choking blast of fumes. It makes your eyes and throat burn. Finally we reached the top and the views were amazing. With some trepidation (how the hell were we going to get down) we began our descent.

Now came the fun/terrifying part (Simon/Emily's point of view) of sliding down the steep slopes on your bum (we were given goretex nappies, trousers, gaiters, coats and gloves) on a plastic tray. Basically doing a black ski run on a tray! I threw myself into and got called 'kamikaze' by the guide and got told off. Em tried to go slow, went out of control, lost her glasses and then tried to insist on doing the rest without the plastic tray - however boot camp guides weren't letting her do anything to slow the group up.

After what felt like 5 minutes of sliding we were finally back at the van feeling very grubby (who knew volcanos cover you in grit) . Our group got back at 3.15 and the guides drove past other agencies beeping their horn to announce they were back first. We couldn't help feeling like pawns (or prawns as Em would say) in some sort of rubbish gladiator-style game. Whilst it was an experience we can't say it was wholly joyful (although the sledging was pretty awesome)!

Finally we watched the sun set over lake Pucon... Pucon has been lots of fun, made better by our lovely hostel La Bicicleta, where we were made to feel very welcome. Next stop we move south to Valdivia (in search of colder climates to remind us of Manchester)

---

Comments

[Lyndy]

Sooooooooooooo jealous!! and even more glad to see you're having a really exciting time....you're my hero for sliding down that slope - I would have demanded sherpas or summat!! You're missed, very much Lyndy x