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Published: November 10th 2006
Smoking is bad for your health...
...especially when the smoker is a big mountain 10 years overdue for a big tantrum.Nick:
Our first view of Villarica was through a veil of rain. We found a spot to sleep and then set to investigating how we were going to discover the delights of Villarica and its surroundings. Our first full day in the area involved firstly scouting the Tourist Office, to no avail as any instructions/advice we were given was lost in the deafening music they had blearing out of the computer. So, we opted for a visit to Pucon, on the opposite shore and at the Volcano's feet. Once there we starting quizzing tour operators for their prices and service. All were pretty similar, except for some difference in prices and we finally chose one company due to a particular extra they provided, but more of that later. We decided to forego an ascent on the following day and booked for the Saturday as the forecast was for clear skies and it gave us a day to chill out and psych up! That evening we made use of the communal kitchen and had a home cooked meal (thank you, Kristina!) for the first time in a while, that did not need a camping stove and opening a pack of dehydrate.
Mood lighting, Villarica style:
The night-time view from our window...through a big lense The following day, we relaxed for the morning and then set off on the bike, based on the directions our host had given us. A 30 min drive, give or take a couple of changes in direction (including a precipitous climb up the wrong road) brought us to an old lava flow, now long solidified. The last eruption at Villarica was 1984 (rather disconcertingly, up until then the volcano had erupted every decade or so and thus was well overdue for a clearing of the throat, so to speak), although the last major erutpion was in 1971. The lave flow was clearly defined as a path of rocks, some big, some like gravel, all a matt graphite colour, and utterly devoid of vegetation, bar some moss and lichens. This is impressive in itself when one considers how little time plants usually take to colonise waste land in cities: a few weeks. A year later and its overgrown, yet here, 20 years later, it is still dead. After that we veared off again to follow the shore of a neighbouring lake, to take us to a spot where three volcanoes could be seen together in the distance. Of these, Villarica was
NO number of hygienist appointments could help with this
The fumes, don't just smell strong, they actually shut your windpipe for you crowned with a fat full moon directly over it.
We tried to get to bed early, but failed when we found a Will Farrel movie on TV ("This was Channel 4 News and this is Ron Burgundy???"). The next morning we were woken by a horrendous noise that chilled the blood: a 5 am alarm bell. We climbed into our thermal layers and lumbered toward the bus station where we were, yet again, morally blackmailed by a very playful dog, until the 06.15 bus for Pucon arrived. Once we arrived at the tour company's HQ, we were paired up with our climbing gear and the other members of our group: an English couple, a Dutch couple, a geman girl and 3 israeli soldiers on holiday. A pretty standard mix. We climbed into the bus and soon found out that this bus must have had is suspension removed: it was the only explanantion for the quality of the ride. Who would have thought that "Pimp my Ride" would hardtail a mitsubishi minibus...
Once at the carpark, we got our stuff together and started walking. 45 mins saw us arrive at a chairlift that then took us to within 1000m of the
crater, itself at 2848m. Once at the base of the actual climb we doned our crapons and swung our icepicks wildly. We were shown how to and how not to fall off a mountain and the started the Ascent (yes, a capital letter is necessary). It took a mere 30 mins of the expected 4.5 hours for me to feel nauseous and ready for a helicopter evac. A few moments of self examination found the cause: I was still wearing about 6 layers to everyone else's 1, and the group gave me a couple of minutes to get organised, drink 3 litres and get my body temp on the right side of 50 celsius. Then we continued. I am not (contrary to what some of you will scream at your monitor) in bad physical shape, but a regular exercise routine would do me good, too. However, I am not a natural climber and I found the going tough, and it was not long before I was Mr Wheezy at the back of the sports hall. What looks like a gentle climb from the lake side (see photo), is in fact a vicious, icy slope. I won't revisit those 5 hours
suffice to say that they were very hard, and it was one of the most physically demanding things I've had to do. Still, we made it to the top, and later found out the guide thought we had done it in pretty good time. Unfortunately, whilst the previous days climbers had seen spouting lava arching through the air, we did not and only had a smouldering pit to greet us. Nonetheless, we had climbed on ice for a vertical 1000m, sometimes traversing 45 degree slopes to do so (not too nice when you have a fear of heights and of falling to experience terminal velocity without a parachute). What goes up must come down and descend we did. The way back was supposed to be a lot quicker, and indeed, the going was easier. It was also helped by the use of reinforced panty-liners. These were used to protect us as we bottom-surfed down certain stretches of the mountain! Excellent, except somehow, my backside seemed to generate more drag than gravity could cope with and I only gathered speed on the near vertical sections!. We finally arrived back at the minibus, very weary, and returned to Pucon. There we went
to the super market, cursing the 3 steps to reach the aisles and stocked up on carbs and booze. This led us to our added extra I discussed earlier. The same tour company now drove us for 45 mins in an other direction, where we had to then walk down another 150 steps, but it was worth it, as there, under the moon and stars, beside a rushing mountain river, we sank into natural 40 degree thermal baths, with a glass of our recently purchased wine. Bliss, and also very good for sore (read destroyed) muscles. That night we spelt like the dead and woke, a little stiff but ready for our ride to Valdivia.
Valdivia, despite what the guide books say, was a complete disappointment for me. Not a very pretty place, and with a cold, unwelcoming ambience to match the weather. However, one splendid surprise was the group of huge sealions that decided to sun bath, there on the river bank path, 2 meters from where my camera clicked away. Nevertheless, even this magical moment was somewhat marred by another display of the ignorance and stupidity of humans as children, watched by their chuckling parents, threw stones
at these magnificent creatures, as it seemed to be the only way they were able to interact. To add to it, an equally dissappointing display of human weakness, as I, instead of voicing the disgust I felt inside, simply glared in silence shaking my head. I think this made my anger at their actions all the more potent as I knew my weakness, but had not acted against it. So now I could be angry at both them and myself. Some small solice ensued as their target reared up and against all odds hauled itself up, with a roar and a very respectable degree of grace, onto the footpath they had occupied shortly before they all scattered.
We left Validivia, without too much delay, and headed South once more after a quick detour to a coastal village for lunch. We drove for a couple of hours and reached Puerto Varas, a village not unlike Villarica, with a view of not one but two spectacular volcanoes. From there we took a ride into Puerto Montt to secure our ferry tickets from Chiloé and then we rode East to see the Salto del Petrohué, a set of water falls 60km away.
On the way, there I stupidly got pulled for speeding, but was let off with a simple "its a 50 limit, you know?"! First the motocross bikes and riding where they like and now this: I think I love the Chilean Constabulary!!
On the way back we stopped at a slightly kitsch restaurant, but it had a splendid view of the Volcán Osorno, so we stayed. Unfortunately, night fell not 20 mins later, so the view of the snowed covered cone was replaced with that of our reflections, eating fish and then staring incredulously at the bill that was only slightly smaller than the volcano now shrouded in darkness. The ride back to Puerto Varas was a Kristina favourite: night time riding. To be fair, I enjoyed it too despite the chill air as I got to use my spotlights to illuminate most of the Andes!
The following morning we left and headed for the short ferry crossing to Chiloé and after a first night in Ancud were the national sport appears to vagrancy and alcoholism in the harbour, we headed South to one of the small islands to find, by chance, a lovely farm with room for
camping with complimentary playing with the animals: Cute!!and this is where we write this blog and embark on probably our last 10 days in Chile.
Kris:
We arrived in Villarica on a rainy day and were left wondering where was the famous, most active volcano in Chile? Well, it was in disguise at the time - wrapped in a poncho of thick white clouds. Villarica town reminded me of Bariloche: on a lakeside, full of healthy-looking people and lots of wood-beamed coffee and skiing shops. The only difference would be the massive, smoking volcano you could not hide from. We were fortunate to (accidentally!) find a hospedeja that gave us a room with a view to the mountain. The weather cleared up later that evening and we stayed up half a night admiring the red "candle light" on top of the volcano! It wasn't spitting fire as such, it was just a reflection of magma carried to the dark night skies by it's gases, VERY impressive though!
We knew that it was possible to climb up to it and actually look at the crater and we were determined to do that. The local travel agencies advised us to
wait another day as the snow on the volcano is very difficult to climb on after a day of rain.
Retrospectively, I must admit that climbing a 2848 meters high, snowcapped, active volcano was as hard as it initially sounded... It took us altogether 8+ hours to get up and then down again! Even though we started from about 1400m above sea level, the next 1448 meters to the summit were really hard work, probably one of the most physically challenging walks I have ever done. We started from just below the clouds, Villarica towering above us, so white that it was impossible to look at it without a pair of good shades. The very top was smoking as always and every now and then we got a sniff of the "lady's" sulphuric "aroma"... The first few hundred meters were ok, just going straight on towards the chair-lifts that then took us to 1000 meters from the summit. And then it began... We were asked to put on our crampons, helmets and gloves and the guide showed us how to use an ice-axe. The angle of the summit varied from about 45 to 55 degrees to us, and the mountain
Sleepy Ancud on the Ilse of Chiloé
group of gregarious drunkards, just out of shot... was covered with untouched, deep and crusty snow. Every now and then you could get a glimpse of the blueish-gray glaciers below the snow. To sum it all up, the way up consisted of about 100 zig-zags, each about 25 meters long and due to the steep hillside you could not take steps longer than 20cm at a time... There was no muscle in my body I did
not use that day... The sun was baking on us and we were reminded to apply our 65 SPF sunscreen every hour. We were steaming hot when crawling up, in a line of 100+ people and freezing cold when taking the long-waited breather about every 1.5 hours. The closer we got to the summit, the more flesh-eating the winds became. I was loving and hating it at the same time. Part of me could not stop admiring the views and wondering if I really was going to see the inside of an active volcano; another part wanted to stop, dig a little hole in the snow and wait for something/someone to take me (first to the top and then) down... But I kept going. The crater was 250 meters in diameter, covered
Oysters are an aquired taste
and as much an aphrodisiac as a brick on the little toe.... with beige and brown patterns from previous eruptions. Like Nick, I was also a bit dissapointed for not seeing the magma... But at the same time, I felt so proud of us for making it to the top, we are by no means mountain climbers and every minute of the past 5 hours was very hard work for both us! Here are some of my observations at the crater´s edge: The smoke smelled absolutely foul. The winds must have been 60-70 km / hour and temperatures well under 0 degrees C. The summit gave us of views to 5 other volcanos that could not be seen from the ground, deep blue mountain lakes, black lava rivers and fluffy clouds in the valleys below. To summarise it all: Absolutely Amazing!
The only worry I had was the little nagging voice in my head asking how was I going to get down to the tiny green dots (treeline), having used all of myself up for the day (read: week).... Well, the fact that I am typing here today proves that the Villarica crater is missing it's frozen statue of an Estonian mountaineer... 😊 We slid down! We were given little strap-on bum
covers that allowed us to take slides as long as 100-200 meters at a time!!! Fantastic! It got a bit more laborious in the lower end of the mountain as the afternoon sun had melted the snow and it was getting sticky and wet. We ended up walking down the last km or so, in a knee-deep wet snow. With wobbly knees we sank into our minibus and wished we would never have to take a step uphill again 😉 We were also congratulating one another on the brilliant idea to top the day off with a good soak in nearby thermal baths. Despite the additonal 100 steps uphill that night, the hot river bath, lit only by a bright full moon, was heavenly!
A few thoughts from the two of us after almost 4 weeks in Chile:
The change from Argentina was evident and stark, albeit not for the reasons we recognize now. At first it was the life and vitality of Valpo, and the greenery but now it is a little more fundamental than that! In short we both miss Argentina and Chile has not lived up to the expectations we both had. One lesson is
After the emotional rollercoaster, we find a gem!
Camping on a farm under a blue sky followed by a starry night! not to build up expectations: they rarely are lived up to! Since then, the more subtle differences have become clearer. We miss the people, the genuine smiles, interest and above all, we miss the adventure. Gradually, these feelings have been building up in us... It seems that despite travelling here for over 4 weeks now, we have not seen the "true" Chile at all. Firstly, the country itself. Chile is a fraction of its neighbour’s size and with a similar population and a higher GNP means that it is considerably more developed. Road are more prevalent and the country side less empty. This is also compounded by the climate and ease with which agriculture is managed as a result. The geography also means that the easiest method of getting about is using the Pan-American Highway. This in itself has meant that we have been far less exposed to the more remote areas which we had not come across unless directed by our guide book, in the same way every other tourist had been directed. One could say this is our own fault for not forcing our selves to take the tougher option to see what it brings rather than the simple and safe central artery of the country. But there is another difference. Whilst trying to get away from every thing we know we have inadvertently stumbled into a tourist haven of wannabe adventurers, where the adventure is first disarmed, sanitized and then served under a pretext of adrenalin and risk: life on the edge! It boils down to the fact that every one has seen us coming. The entire country has been prepped to cater for the touring visitor. Its places of beauty, corralled, fenced-in and put behind an entrance kiosk. Even the Seven Teacups were populated by wooden barrier paths, and pay as you go to the toilets, in the middle of nowhere (although they were very clean!!). The only saving grace and what made those days so special is that we were outside the holiday season. Chile has a lot to offer, but only if you want to do the same trail as everyone else. It is hard to be individual, and impulsive, as the odds are some one else has done it before and an entrance fee has been agreed! Also being constantly surrounded by other tourists has meant that, mentally, psychologically we have been slowly dragged back to the trappings and mentality of Western life: a state of mind we had happily left behind in Patagonia, where the toil of keeping the bike upright in the winds and checking you fuel level to see if you’d be walking the last 10 miles to the next fuel stop, were a very good distraction. Unfortunately, it is not just the foreigners that have detracted from the experience. It seems that their omnipresence has meant that we, visitors to Chile, as seen as a resource to be ignored or cultivated depending on the need at the time. What might have been the final straw was yesterday, in Ancud, when we tried to contact an agroturismo farm (a B&B type rural farm) and spent a small fortune on the phone call explaining who we were and that we would like to camp on their land and help with the animals. The prices they gave us for just camping were as high as the prices of staying at their cabaña and in addition, they would have charged us for parking our motorbike at their land, we could not arrive before a certain time of the day, etc.etc.etc.
Chileans are often fairly stand-offish (albeit friendly on an individual level), they will only stare as you walk/ride by, but never with the warmth and eagerness to learn about you as did the Argentines. However, on the other hand, their readiness to gain some financial advantage from you being there is never far away: every thing has a price. It is after all a means of making a living and we don’t begrudge that, only that we had hoped to find a little piece of untouched land, a dose of innocence, and the situation here: that a foreigner visiting is now a banality, makes this very hard. In a way, it means that we are forced to pass through the country as aliens as there is little urge to engage with us other than on a business level. Perhaps it is that we did not want to accept that a different country would have it own identity once we had found one we liked in Argentina. We remember the generosity of the Argentines who would happily invite you into not just their homes, but lives too simply for the pleasure of learning about you and sharing with you what they hoped you might want to see in their neck of the woods.
Unfortunately, this last bit of the entry seems full of doom and gloom, but it should not be. It is a pretty frank summary of our feelings on this country, but should not be taken as regret for coming: simply that we have definite winner if we had to choose which place we enjoyed more. Having said all that Chile is a beautiful country and this is an asset that, understandably, the residents want to harness and benefit from. It would be naïve to think that they should treat us as a novelty when we are not, or let us wander freely when it could help increase their standard of living. I think we can see here what Europe has become to foreigners and in this sense perhaps we are hypocrites. It may even be a simple case of now that we see what bothers us we need to be proactive in finding a solution.
Nonetheless, there have been some magical moments: Walking in sunny Valpo, seeing the heavens in all their glory in the North, being winked at by dolphins as they swim below the surface, relaxing by the Rio Claro above the Seven Teacups and braving the dirt track back to civilization, vanquishing a snowing volcano, soaking away the aches in a thermal bath, listening to folk songs in an Ancud hostel bar and all the while having met some genuinely warm and wonderful individuals along the way. All these are memories we will cherish, and we still have a week to go where we will start, once more, to lose ourselves in the emptiness of the Carretera Austral before crossing the Andes once more and this is a part of the Chilean chapter we truly look forward to!
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Vrubel
non-member comment
Hi Nick and kURA, Photos are just wondeful! You have a fantastic time together. Keep informing us about the next steps of your journey. Big Hug! Vrubel