Powering Through Chile

It's a mad dash for carnaval and I've got no choice but to pick up the pace: MUST GET TO RIO BY MARCH 3RD!!!

Osorno: I left Barioche in the morning and had about five hours to spend in Osorno. At the suggestion of the bus terminal lady, I took an hour's bus ride from there to Lake Puyehoe - it was okay. I didn't know it at the time, but I had driven past it already on the bus from Bariloche. Oops! I did get that picture-postcard view of the Osorno Volcano so it was kind of worth it. (You can see this from Puerto Montt, a town I skipped.) Osorno itself was okay...pretty bustling... a little grungy ... a little dirty. The supposed sights to see weren't much to look at, but their main plaza has free wi-fi and since it was summer, live concerts in one of the main squares. :)

Pucon (Villarica): Arrived in Pucon that night around 11pm with Kelly and Megan. We had plans to hike the Villarica Volcano the next day... little did we know you had to prepare the day before to get fitted for clothes and gear. We were too late. They basically said it was impossible for us three to go but I asked if there was any way I could go because I already had my bus ticket out of Pucon to Santiago the next day. The hostel owner made a call and, though I had to be up at 6am, they were able to fit me in. Hostel Donde Egidio - super nice people there, not to mention a great hostel overall. After four hours of sleep, I woke up to get ready for climbing the volcano. 4.5 hours to the top, including a ride on a chairlift that supposedly cuts off an hour of hike time. With ice axes in hand, a group of about 16 people including myself climbed up the snowy, ashy volcano. Parts of it were terrible of course... super strong winds, ash in my eyes, and a neverending uphill trek... But the top was amazing! The colors! Volcanic rocks are also very cool. We were lucky because the smoke(?) from the volcano didn't blow at us from the top so we didn't have to breathe in those terrible fumes until the very top. You had a view into the volcano - no visible lava - and then a view of about five different lakes down below. When we started the trek, everything was blanketed in clouds but they cleared and it was just an incredible view. The best part, however, was the descent: We got to go sledding all the way down. SO FUN!! Sometimes you'd go so fast that you'd get a face full of snow..... or you'd end up sideways from banking a turn.. or you'd just crash into the person in front of you because you were butt-sledding faster than him or her. I've concluded that butt sledding is way more fun than any other snow sport :)

Back from Villarica into Pucon, I rushed around town to get a feel for Pucon. I liked it very much... it seems to be relaxed and quaint... full of really nice people. I also ate the biggest empanada I have seen so far .. about half the size of an 8.5 x 11 piece of paper... super good too!

Santiago: 9pm bus from Pucon to Santiago with a 7am arrival. I'm not sleeping enough and it's starting to take a toll on my body. With no time to spare however, I powered on. I saw all the major sights of Santiago in a day... After exploring by myself for a few hours, I met up with a group for a free tour. It kind of sucked because the girl was European (i.e. not Chilean) and didn't seem to know that much about the city. I Did meet some cool people who were willing to go to the soccer game with me that night: Universidad Catolico vs. Union Espanola. This turned out to be a bust because the website lied about the game's start time... and by the time three of us were in a cab on the way to the stadium, the game was over. Boo. On the upside, the money went to Pisco Sours, Beer, and Lomo a lo Pobre (steak with two fried eggs on top, onions and french fries) instead. Great night spent with new friends :) Santiago itself was an amazing city. It was the biggest city I'd been in for quite some time, but I loved it. I can do big cities... I feel like I can navigate them pretty easily. I really only had a small taste but I will definitely be back to Santiago some day.

Valparaiso: Valparaiso is about two hours away from Chile. It's a cool little town full of hills... so much so that there are 14 (maybe 15 or 16?) elevators throughout the city that bring the people to their homes. i think locals actually just walk, but the elevators have historic significance and I think they've even been declared a historic monument. The hilly part of town is completely different from the town below... the streets are windy, there's a bohemian feel, bright colored houses dot the landscape and it's just a cool place to be. Pablo Neruda's house - La sebastiana - in Valparaiso was cool too; it looked like a ship! I tried the local reineta and congrio fishes at a restaurant overlooking the ocean. Not sure what you guys think of this, but one woman in the tour group wasnt going to eat half her fish... so i asked what she was going to do with it - throw it away - and I asked to have it. No shame! I ordered the congrio and got to try the reineta as a result. :)

Vina del Mar: I don't really have too good a feel for Vina del Mar since I only had a couple hours there... When you first enter the town, you see a giant watch made of flowers. You drive by castles and palaces... and they even have a Moai from Easter Island. (I think, anyway, that they actually brought it from Easter Island.... there may have been a language comprehension issue on my part, however.) The beach, Playa Acapulco, was beautiful and it was really nice to have some time relaxing in the sun.

Valparaiso and Vina del Mar were a day trip from Santiago. Once back in town, I picked up my stuff from the hostel, took the subway to the bus station, and then was on my way back into Argentina. Mendoza here I come!