Chile

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Our first port of call in Chile is San Pedro de Atacama. This tiny town is an oasis in the middle of a saline lake, now evaporated. Again it was time to relax after the extreme days before. The food and drink gave us a taste of what was to come with yummy steaks, Chilean wine and the best budget meal of chicken and chips for less than 2 quid! After a couple of days chilling out we managed a tour to the Valle de la Luna (Moon Valley).
Moving on to La Serena we came back to civilisation - there was a shopping mall and McDonalds! - a stark reminder of the difference between the previous countries, where we’d seen people living in mud brick houses living off the land with very few luxuries, if lucky electricity and a tv. La Serena is a beach town and has some of the largest observatories in the world - pity it was cloudy while we were there! The only excitement came from a small earthquake that woke me at 1am - my roommate slept right through it.
Santiago came next and a tour of the wineries made for a good day out; learning about Chile's wine making history while sampling crisp whites and robust reds - it’s a hard life 😊
Heading further south we arrived at Pucon, a small town surrounded by mountains, volcanoes, and lush green forests - a sight for sore eyes - hadn’t seen much in the way of greenery for quite some time. Even though it was spring, it was rainy with dark nights which actually reminded me of autumn evenings back home. In the heart of the Lake District and set on the foot of the active Volcan Villarrica, Pucon is a place for outdoor activities so I went horse riding with 2 other girls - both who’d rode horses before, needless to say I had to throw caution to the wind and gallop to keep up with them - well maybe not gallop but trot very fast at least - either way it felt fast! Aching the next morning I still managed to get up at 6 am to climb the local volcano - yes, I must be mad - which I was telling myself the whole way up - 7 hours up! Coming down was faster cos you could slide part of the way - with only an ice pick to slow you down but after that it was a hard slog traipsing through the thick snow one step at a time! But it was worth it - I think.
Again heading further south we arrive at Puerto Varas, which is a really nice and small city located in front of the Lake Llanquihue - again surrounded by mountains and volcanoes - I’d seen enough for a while so chilled out walking around town and had for dinner one day the best pumpkin soup ever! The steak and chocolate pudding that followed wasn’t bad either!
Just what the doctor ordered before heading out to Argentina.

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Comments

[Alison]

Well Done
Hi Sam Well Done You, I'm very imressed at that climb. Glad to see your enjoying yourself, keep up the fun. Luv Alison xx

[Steve]

Congratulations!
Congratulations on the climb! You're looking fantastic...all the execise is obviously keeping you fit, careful not to sample too much of that Chilleon wine! x x x Best wishes Thailand Steve X