December 6-December 28, 1999
(Written by Steve Hiebert)
Its half way through our trip and we love Chile, its going to be hard to go back to that crummy USA. The people are so friendly here, very little crime or worries and public transport is great. We have been traveling for 29 days so far and here is a quick review of our trip. Fly to Santiago December 6.
THANKS MOM!!!!
Stay 2 days at small hotel (Lonely planet hotel Paris) very near center of town. $26. Walk all over town, street musicians, many people, old architecture, big wooden doors, 16,000 yellow city buses (40 cents), many plazas, supermarket with 50 check outs, subway,,, we exit town via subway to terminal buses and 3 hour ride south, several small buses in mountains dusty dirt roads most people live in small run down looking stucco houses with gardens and walls surrounding, every one rides bus,,, at end of line we walk up road 7:00 to dark several horses go by and houses a mile apart people wave, next 2 days hike way into mountains through forests of dry hardwoods many flowers, then yuccas and some cacti scratchy shrubs and we wade across cold streams, looking up we see snow, above treeline , meadows below jaggeded rocky snowy peaks with wild horses. Onward , no bus at end of road we walk back down road 4 miles and get ride from first car begining of good luck there is a bus at Radal hope on to Molina , too many bus stations we walk around town and ahh ha there is bus with TALCA the standard big red letters in front window. Arrive in Talca at 9:00 very busy and very lucky to have young local gal very sweet she leads us to hotel totally crazy seen with huge FIRE a whole city block is ablaze exactly next to hotel we have chosen in LP.
We watch from window.
The next day we exit Talca and take narrow gauge rail 3 hours third class (only class) to coast stay one night and hike beach all next day then more small buses to no name town in middle of nowhere, no more buses so we get into taxi at 11:00 pm and say hotel economical, we get driven this way and that what do you know there is a sign "hotel economical" on deserted back street for the standard $15 for a double. In the morning we walk outside and we are in the back of a fruit booth in the middle of a street market. 5 blocks of street lines with everything. Then we bus to Antuco with the ubiquitous ice cream guys getting on and off buses ((helado "flavors in espanol" 100 pesos helado) and also guys get on selling weird stuff like horse jerky oooo . Then we hike a 3 day trek around Volcano Antuo very desolate rocky lava most areas devoid of any vegetation. First day 10 mile ride and 10 mile hike, second day arrive at beautiful camp spot next to small trees (Only trees in 40 mile hike) next to rushing creek, we get to camp at 11:00 and enjoy day between small wind gusts. Third day hike over pass on snow and down other side. After hiking 5 miles down road get ride out to village Antuco, 3 store town (Ribbon cutting ceremony). Stay at dive in Los Angeles at your standard $14, but very low grade.
The next day we bus onward through a crazy town of Temuco walking through a huge vegetable market with many Mapuche Indians selling peas, avocados, oranges, grapes, cherries, apples, carrots, cauliflowers, and people walking around selling cilantro (tres por 50 pesos), and mucho more.
Then we blast out of town on rather expensive Jac bus, costing $5, usually costing about $3. At the bus station we were met by a Chilean couple saying they will show us a place to stay and sure, we pick this hospidaje, which went for $20 a night. Then we walk around the town of Pucon, a lake resort on the black sand beach of lake Villarica, with a smoking volcano, Villarica in the background. The town is very posh and expensive with several five story hotels lining the beach which has paddle boats for rent.
We don't sleep good that night due to banging pots in the kitchen and TV on and people talking all kinds of languages, mostly German.
In the morning we walk about town and on a whim hop in a van on a $20 horseback ride, three hour tour on race horses led by two ten year olds, first along the highway, then dirt road, galloping out of control up hill, then through several gates and fences on the trails, dodging brush, a beautiful view of the lake and mountains and forests. Then we park the horses, hike down a 400 foot very steep trail to 200 foot waterfall, cold swim at the bottom. The kids pick some giant rhubarb and we eat a little. It was very sour.
Hike back up and look for missing horse, then a nice slow trot back to the bottom.
Next we get a van ride up 40 miles on a horrible dirt road to Termas de Panque, a hot springs with a restaurant run by a norte americano hippie guy from Canada and US with many stories of traveling the world. Camp out here for two days and hike to a lake through the Arecaria forest with guide Juan.
And of course mucho soaking in the hot pools.
Onward, we take the van back down and get out and hitch hike 10 miles to Caburgua, camping on a huge beach where all night long kids were playing soccer under a full moon.
Next day we hitched about 12 miles up to Parque National Huerquehue and hike six miles up hill to beautiful lago verde where we camp out for three days, fishing, hanging out on Christmas Eve. On Christmas Eve Steve caught a fish, a two lb. Trout he turned into a wonderful Christmas dinner with some rice and burnt carrot, under the full moon.
On Christmas Day we leave, thinking of the 28th and meeting mom. Amazingly, stores are open and stores are open. Christine choses Valdivia as the next port of call. WE are met at the bus terminal by a German guy speaking English. The place is very nice with a price of $16 a night with a wonderful breakfast. We stay two days and visit old 16th century Spanish forts, museums. We touched books that were 400 years old.
Wonderful botanical gardens, with trees of the world.
So we have to return to Temuco. We spent two hours buying a mapuche drum called a n???? drum with little coins and seeds on the inside. Also get a wrist bell thing all for $40.
Walk through the market again and get the all night train to Santiago to meet mom at the very fancy Hotel Carrera. We check into our room with a view of the plaza (mom's room doesn't have a view). Fun talking to the bell hops and our day pack is there after three weeks with the $100 in one dollar bills for mom still in it.
We wait for mom in the lobby, ushering in many tired disoriented norte americano tourists from the World Cruise group---bus after bus---but no mom until the last bus. We find her getting out of the elevator on the 15 floor.
Adios for now.
Thanks mom for the fancy hotel room and getting us to South America.
