We were discouraged from our plan to see the rodeo in Quilleco on Saturday by the tourism officer in nearby Los Angeles – as unwelcoming a place as I can remember (Great Yarmouth in winter?) - who explained that there was very bad weather forecast and that it would not be worth seeing in the rain.
So we continued up the road to Viña Chillan – a boutique organic wine producer in the Itata Valley which has a few well appointed rooms amongst the acres of Cabernet Sauvignon and Carmenere vines and a good restaurant. Enjoyed after dinner conversation with the proprietor and some fellow travellers – wines are interesting and a little different from the run of the mill.
Woke to find the tourism officer had been right – persistent heavy rain – and a wet drive north to Talca and some serious wine tasting in the Maule Valley.
Lake, Volcano, waterfalls, thermal springs and lots of 'adventure' activities.
Since we can see the lake from our cabin and wander down to the small beach to watch the sunset every evening, we decided to visit the waterfalls and lagoon at Caburgua and then to drive up the volcano to see the visitor exhibition and visit their caves – essentially a long lava tube.
The Ojos de Caburgua were very pleasant and getting there before the crowds meant that we could enjoy the walk down to the blue lagoon and around the waterfall without interruption. Would be interesting to come back in Spring to see how they look when the melt-waters are running off the volcano – the high water marks were at least a metre or more above the current levels.
Heading up the volcano from the ranger station as you enter the National Park, the road runs out within 200metres and we drove 4km over steep and very pitted track to the entrance to the caves – the X-Trail has really come into its own on this trip – must remember to recommend it to Martin Byrne when I get back to Clare.
Unfortunately the company running the cave tours have changed their programme for the high season and we decided not to pay the price for an expensive guided tour in Spanish and settled for a hike across the lava fields instead.
While we had a clear view of the Volcano when we arrived in town on Monday, it has been hidden behind a veil of cloud for the last 3 days but as we were hiking along the trail which circles the mountain, the clouds cleared and we had a great view of the peak – with its small smoke plume and the snowfields on the upper parts. Found a nice cafe for lunch on the way down and then headed into town for some of those essentials – laundry, post office, telephone and wifi.
We are on the road again tomorrow morning heading for the town of Quilleco where we are hoping to see a rodeo on Saturday.
As our walk was set for an 0800hrs start – meaning that we were up before dawn to drive back into town – we had decided on an early night and were in bed by 11.00.
Suddenly we saw torch-lights shining round the outside of the cabin and voices which seemed to be on our deck. Getting up to investigate – somewhat less than fully dressed – I encountered neighbours from another cabin who were helping themselves to our barbecue. Being neither dressed nor minded to object, I accepted their apologies and returned to bed only to discover that their living room and deck was on the floor above our bedroom. We were able to hear them move the barbecue into position and then decided to move it 3-4 times before getting started on the cooking and subsequent activities which 'entertained' us until the early hours.
Bearing in mind my good friend Jimmy C's cool, calm, phlegmatic character -not dissimilar to Gerry – I ignored their provocation until my alarm (a recording of Rocky the rooster in his prime) went off at 06.30 and managed to leave it ringing until the battery wore out
Complained to the manager when we returned from our walk and didn't hear a sound the following night.
Arranged a half day hike with an English-speaking guide to try to learn a bit more about the trees, shrubs and the birds that we have been seeing for the last week or two. Unfortunately we have been spoiled by the people who lead the Burrenbeo walks – who provide an almost non-stop commentary on a variety of topics.
Our guide – Jony – despite owning the agency and speaking good English – was a little lacking in his knowledge of the trees and shrubs and volunteered very little, although he was happy to answer direct questions when he knew the answer.
However he lead us on a very pleasant 8km walk through the forest on the ridge between the two volcanoes (Villarica and Quetrupillan) and we climbed to the tree line at about 1400m where we saw 6 -8 Magellanic woodpeckers – or Carpinteria as they are know locally.
Bustling crowds, bars and restaurants on every corner, a casino and the first English voice we have heard in over 4 weeks. In fact we have only had 5 conversations in English since we got here - a couple of tour guides, a hostal owner, our friend from San Francisco and a resident American who runs his own brewery.
Pucon is the up-market centre of the Lakes tourist industry and is crowded at the height of the season - however it is also fairly relaxed.
Treating ourselves to a night in a boutique hotel in the centre of town and an excellent Italian restaurant. Still hard to adjust to dining times here – we sat down after 8.30pm and were one of the first there. They were still coming into dine – with small kids – as we were leaving after 11.00 pm.
After a bit of shopping for essentials we headed off to find somewhere to stay next to one of the lakes. Two hours later – about 60km driving – and many refusals, we finally found a place looking down over Lago Villarica about 7km from town.
