Villarrica / Chile

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For once it wasn’t raining when I arrived in Villarrica and I was a happy little camper. After about an 3 hour ride from Temuco I arrived in Villarrica and the sun was out in all its glory. After checking my stuff in a hostel that looked like a Swiss alpine ski lodge (more to that later), I walked down to the lake and was greeted by the most fantastic volcano. The volcano’s name is Vulcan Villarrica and is about 2847 meter above sea level. The last time this baby popped its top was in 1971. The volcano is still active and apparently you can see lava inside the crater once you climb up to the top.

I just sat at the lake for a while and took in this beautiful sight. It is now every day one can see a volcano, and an active one to top it off. I wonder when he will start spitting again… Hopefully not when I am around.

Now to the hostel I am staying in; as I said it looks like a Swiss ski lodge. The former owner build it himself and coming from Switzerland it makes sense that it looks Swiss. Everything is made out of wood and during the years everything shifted around, so all the floors are warped. The main room has a fire place and it is really nice just to sit there and do nothing but thinking. Normally there are people around but this time of the year is dead. So guess what; I am on my own again……

The new owner, who has this place since about a year as the Swiss couple went back home, is a Chilean former solicitor that had enough of the city life and bailed out. I had some very interesting conversations with him about life in general.

As it was Friday night I was going to the main square to conduct my favourite hobby – people watching. Just sitting somewhere and watch the people is one of the best experiences one can have when travelling. I have to say that the Chilean people are very affectionate towards each other. You can see couples holding hand while walking, just chatting away or kissing and cuddling each other. I have been to a lot of countries but here it is very obvious and it is nice to see.

While sitting around and watching people I heard some loud music coming towards the tow. Expecting a Chilean dance troop I got my camera ready. But it wasn’t a cultural dance group but a sort of school parade with Fancy costumes and dressed up vehicles. A straight Madi Gras one might say. There must have been four or five different schools and they all tried to out chant the other school. It was fun to see. And as usual colourful and with lots of loud music. Thank god not American crap but home grown.

Saturday greeted me with the normal weather. Rain, rain and more rain. And heavy as well. So not much to do except download some movies and watch them. I did get out and bought some long thermal underpants as I am sick and tired of being cold. My pride had to step back in that case. The last time I wore these things were when I was a kid and I hate them with a passion. But since I am getting into colder territory I need them.

This morning I got up and while it wasn’t raining it was pretty cold and misty. Having spent the previous day doing jack shit I was determined to do something. So I asked the owner of the hostel what can be done in weather like this (all the tours and climbs are not happening) and he suggested the thermal springs. Good idea I though; doesn't matter when it rains when you sit in one of them. Problem was that no tour from Villarrica was going to the springs that are about 70 km from here.

So I hopped in one of the local busses to a town called Conaripe (1100 pesos, about A$2.20) and there I organised a guy to drive me up to the springs. And what I ride it was through the mountains on a dirt road. The scenery was absolutely beautiful. Everything was green and the mist was drifting everywhere.

At the thermal springs I paid my entry of a staggering 20 000 pesos (A$40).Take that budget……….. But it was worth it. The place had wooded footpaths everywhere that ended up in all different thermal springs. They ranged from 35 degree to a whopping 45 degrees. I started with the 35 one first and made my way up to the 45 degree one. Not that I lasted very long in that one; I now know how a lobster feels like…. 45 was just too much.

I ended up spending most of my time in the 39 degree spring, just floating around and listen to my surroundings. I don’t know if you ever have been to one of these thermal springs, but they are amazing. The water comes from deep below the surface and on the way up it goes through different rock formations, gathering minerals and all sorts of stuff. The water is full of sulphate and the air is full of its smell. Wonderful stuff.

I spend over 4 hours just going from spring to spring, floating around and relaxing. At one point I fell asleep in the water. Good stuff.

But all things have to come to an end and I had to take a dip into a glazier water pool to get all the sulphate off my body. Man was that cold. I can tell you that my balls shrank to the size of a peanuts and Welfie wasn’t happy at all.

So that was my day. All in all nor cheap but worthwhile. I am just waiting now for the damn weather to clear up so I can climb the volcano. It looks like Tuesday is the day it will happen but all depends on the weather gods. And they can be unpredictable around here.

Have a great week wherever you are and if you feel like it drop me a line. It can get a bit lonely sometimes here but I like my own company, so no big deal. But I would love to hear from you….



Take care and live life to the fullest.

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Comments

[David]

Wassail
G'day Welf, glad to see that you are still well and enjoying yourself as best you can. I must admit, you are a braver man than me. I do love travelling and will look forward to my visit to Cuba in November. I'm off to Darwin next week where the temperature ranges from 22C-35C every day. The only thing that changes is wether it is wet or dry. Luckily it will be dry for the next few weeks. Please make sure you look after yourself and try as many interesting beers as you can. Visit a few small breweries. Hopefully meet a few 'nice' girls. Live. DAvid

[Carla D.]

I have been in some thermal springs in Brazil. I am sure not as beautiful as this one, but there are some good places over or next to extincted volcanoes. Next to Brasília, in the Center-West Region, it is famous the thermal springs at a city called Caldas Novas - but I went there when I was 5 years old, so I don't know how it is today (I know water temperature there can go until 56 degree). Most of the thermal paradises from here were discovered by mere chance, between the 50's and 60's, because of drilling in order to find oil. For the deception of oil companies, the deeper they excavated, only hot water with therapeutic properties rained from the field. Around Caldas Novas there are other thermal springs spread around the country. At the South, in Rio Grande do Sul State, one find Caldas de Prata Park http://www.serragaucha.com/pt/informacoes-turisticas/atrativos-turisticos/parque-caldas-de-prata/ (English translation here: http://www.serragaucha.com/en/ ), a beautiful place inside the micro-region called "Grape and Wine", at the Serra Gaúcha (Mountain Range). It is a Italian city (60% of the population has Italian ancestry, around 20% Polish, 5% German and 15% or so from several ethnic groups). I went there 3 years ago, I think: it is a cheap option, with beautiful tracks through the woods and bromeliads (by the way, it is impressive how nature, environment at those places at the South are identical to the countryside in Central Europe, mostly during springtime and winter). Outside the South, an excellent option too is the Thermas Antônio Carlos at Poços de Caldas, a city in a Southeastern State called Minas Gerais (around 400 kilometers away from its capital, Belo Horizonte, where happened that 7-1 game Germany vs. Brazil ;) ): That thermal spring is situated in an incredible building dating back 1930 and nature is stunning in that region in Minas Gerais State. One who goes there need to know the Cachoeira Véu das Noivas (a waterfall), do a cableway tour to the São Domingos Mountain Range and visit the Pedra Balão (Baloon Stone). The Christ the Redeemer on picture is not related to Rio de Janeiro: there is also one in Poços de Caldas. http://blog.viajarbarato.com.br/pocos-de-caldas-e-suas-belezas-naturais/ , http://www.minasgerais.com.br/destinos/pocos-de-caldas/ To end, the pictures I see of you at this place in Chile remind me a bit of Gramado, a touristic city in the Mountain Range of Rio Grande do Sul, my State (but I won't lie: Gramado is a VERY expensive city): https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=466694990097304&l=f50acc3146 , https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=466802460086557&l=5e2705ece6 , Centre of the city: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=467087343391402&l=ca2a67a238 , https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=466833720083431&l=1cb5f05bff , https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=469068049859998&l=9c39a5f69b