Southern Chile, Seen from a Bus
Trip Start
Feb 10, 2008
1
4
14
Trip End
Jul 05, 2008
Frutillar, Chile
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
By "south", it turns out they didn't actually mean Patagonia (where I really want to go), but instead the "gateway to the south": Frutillar, Puerto Varas, Puerto Montt, Chiloe, and some national parks.
We stayed in Frutillar, which as far as we could tell contains little touristic value beyond a hotel (likely our only non-hostel of the trip, since IES was paying), nearby Frutti Bar (more later), and a gorgeous lake with a clear view of the Volcan Osorno (real active volcano). It seems like they only chose it to make sure we drove as much as possible to get anywhere worthwhile. We pretty much lived on the bus.
The first day, we went to Puerto Montt and Puerto Varas. It was mostly a driving tour, and every now and then we'd stop to get out and take pictures of some vista that we knew nothing about and then get back on the bus. We also saw an artisan market, the highlight being a strange candy that we bought only because we had zero clue what it was.
The next day was Chiloe, a big island right off the coast. I've heard lots about Chiloe, so apparently it's really worth visiting. Unfortunately, we spent 8 hours driving roundtrip, so our trip was lightening fast and the rain meant we couldn't see the landscapes. We walked around in Castro for awhile, which consisted largely of leg work-outs on the hills. Ruthie and Noori had the bright idea to jump on a trampoline we found, until some sketchy man came over and blocked the net exit until they paid him. Questionable if it was really his trampoline or just a gringo trap, but entertaining for me as photographer. We also ate our first Danky Cones. They're just packaged ice cream cones, but we've developed an obsession due to massive amounts of advertising with a funny name. The prettiest part was by the water, where the houses are built up on stilts to prevent flooding. Classic photo op.
Saturday made it all worthwhile. We started at the Termas de Ralun, which are only accessible after trudging through the woods and crossing the river in a little boat. The Termas are natural hot springs produced by the nearby volcano. It was incredible to wander through the woods and show up there, and amazing how nature produced these little pools next to eachother at all different temperatures (ranging from the freezing lake to a terma too hot to enter). Apparently the minerals in the sand are good for you and the director kept putting them on her face, but I wasn't exactly ready to go that far.
After lunch, we went to a national park at the base of the mountains to see waterfalls. It was very touristy and we spent very little time there, but pretty nonetheless. The final stop was the lake in Parque Nacional Vicente Perez Rosales. It's a Caribbean blue-green color, which was stunning against the mountains and shocking in a country where I'd seen nothing but grey-brown rivers. It was one of the many times here when I've desperately wanted to capture a beautiful moment and not known how - we just take pictures until we're exhausted, but sometimes you just have to stop and stare. Photos never get it anyway.
As you all know, normally I'm entirely a city girl and don't do nature at all. Luckily Chile has the kind of nature that takes your breath away (cheese!) and it's going to be impossible to not enjoy it. I actually bought a camping pack today, so get ready.
Besides beautiful Saturday, nightlife was the best part of the trip. We were complete tourists, spoke English the whole trip, and bonded as a group. Frutti Bar was the only nightlife nearby, and on Thursday night we were the only people there to start and end the party. The rest of the time, we bought alcohol cheap at the supermarkets (about $20 for 4 bottles of the Chilean liquor Pisco and coke to go with it) and partied in the hotel. One night we decided it would be a bright idea to see how many people could fit into me and Noori's bed, and I wish I could've put the entire series of photos on facebook.
If this entry was boring, it's because the trip itself was pretty boring. Apparently the person in charge of organization left, and the new person didn't get here in time, so it wasn't well-planned. It's too bad because I'm sure it's a worthwhile area, but I'm not wasting travel time to go back. It was worth it for a few great moments and quality IES bonding time, but otherwise not so much.
