Playing in Pucon

By Darius, Micayla, Mom, and a little Dad

The last morning in Chiloe we got to sleep in before the drive to Frutillar. As we drove, we planned on seeing the penguins, but it was raining. One woman said you had to take a small boat to see them up close or you can see them across the water from far away. As we started driving, we decided we didn’t want to be in a wet boat and that it was too misty to see them from land. So we headed straight to the ferry to get back to main land. We were glad that the line for the ferry was not very long and that we got across really fast.


On the way, my dad made us stop at a town called Puerto Varas to see a volcano. But there were too many clouds. So instead we got coffee and cake before driving the rest of the way to Frutillar. On the final part my dad took us on a country road. There were lots of farms. Mom and Dad stopped a few times to take pictures which made the trip longer.


When we got to Frutillar, we checked into our hotel. The hotel was nice and had a nice German feel. We even got an upstairs and downstairs part with a small kitchen. Frutillar was settled by Germans. In the year 1846, nine German families of craftsmen settled along Llanquihue Lake. These early settlers were merchants, farmers and craftsmen—most of which were carpenters, shoemakers and bakers.
Today many of the buildings look German and there are also lots of bakeries that make German cakes and yummy pastries. The specialty is called “kuchen.” The people who live here even eat it for breakfast. Our first morning in the hotel we were all surprised when they served four slices of cake for our breakfast.




In town, there is also a museum that shows all the tools the German farmers used and there are two preserved German houses. One was for the owners of the property and was pretty big. The other was for the blacksmith. There was a person demonstrating how to make things from iron and he made us a horseshoe with our names on it.



After we got settled in our hotel, we walked around town. The town is on the big lake Llanquihue and there is a fancy wooden pier that goes over the water. We found a really nice restaurant that looked at the water. Dad and I decided we would split a trout. When it came, it looked just like salmon because it was pink, but it tasted like trout. It was really tasty with salt and lemon.

The next day we went swimming in the lake. We saw a whole bunch of people going in like it was warm. I (Darius) thought it would be warm because it is near the volcano Osorno. But when we got in, it was freezing. By the time we were at the deep part, we could not feel our legs!

While in Frutillar, we were hoping to see the huge volcano Osorno. It is 8,500 feet high and comes right out of the edge of the lake. But it was cloudy and we could only see the bottom part. But then, when we were having dinner on the second day, blue sky started to come. As we ate, we watched the blue sky move across the lake and waited for it to reach the volcano. Just as the sun was going down, we got a glimpse of the top!

The next day, we headed to Pucon, which was further north. We thought it would take about two hours, but it was more like four! While in Pucon we stayed at a cool lodge called Ecole. Just what does “ecole” mean? We learned that the owners chose the name for its multiple associations. In Spanish, it’s pronounced “eh-coh-lay” and it means “That’s it!” In French, it means “school” and relates to their mission of spreading the word about Chile’s abundant nature and the need to care for it. Finally, it reminds everyone of the “eco” in “ecology” and the ole’ for fiesta. The Ecole Lodge had a great restaurant, a fun bar, a cozy sitting area with a fireplace, and a great view of the mountains.

Pucon is on a lake and is surrounded by mountains and one giant volcano called Villarica—it is 9,100 feet high and is still active. While we were there we could see it puffing smoke. The town had a three light system that kept everyone posted on the volcano’s status. Luckily it was “green” for our visit. There was also a siren that would sound everyday at noon as a drill. Our rafting guide told us that if the volcano erupts, the siren just keeps sounding nonstop as a signal for everyone to evacuate. Pucon also has great ice cream! My mom decided that it was the best ice cream of the trip so far. She had a coconut caramel scoop on top of chocolate.

On one day, we went rafting on one of the rivers. We had to wear wet suits, booties, shorts, a wind jacket, a life vest, and a helmet. We felt funny in the outfits, but they kept us warm – well most of us. When we got in the raft, Micayla was a little scared so the guide made her go in the front because it was the safest spot. It was safe, but it was also the wettest spot. We went over three class 3 rapids, which were really fun, but really wet. As we went down the river, we passed by big mountains, lots of rapids, birds hunting for fish, and several views of the volcano. When we got to the end, Micayla opened her jacket and water poured out! Rafting was really wet, but fun.



On another day, we went for a ten mile hike through a monkey tree forest in the Cani Reserve. It is a 1,200 acre private nature reserve. Although Argentina has many protected lands, Chile is just beginning to protect its forests. The Cani Reserve was established in 1992 and is Chile’s first private park and the site of Chile’s forest education project. It is important because many of Chile’s forests are at risk due to heavy logging. (You can learn more at www.ancientforests.org) The first 2 miles were very steep. It was not so fun, but when we got up to the flatter section, we could see lots of mountains, lakes, and the big volcano, Villarica. We then walked by two small lakes. One had cows feeding in it, the other was very clear and had lizards running along the rocks on its edge.





The forest was also really cool. There was a plant that looked like bamboo called “coigue” and these really cool tall trees that had very spiky branches. These were the “araucaria” trees that are also called “monkey puzzle trees.”






Some also had a very hairy moss growing on their trunks. They looked liked Dr. Seuss trees. We had lunch at the clear lake and then climbed to the very top called the “mirador” which means “lookout point.” It was 5,000 feet above sea level. When we got there, we wanted to go back down because it had very steep drop offs and we were tired. But our parents made us stay to see the views. From the top we could see four volcanoes: Quetrupillia, Llaima, Villarica, and Lanin Ray. We could also see the mountains in Argentina! The Cani Nature Sancutary receives its name from Cerro Cani, a peak within its southwest corner, and means “Transforming Vision” in the language of the indigenous Mapuche. After making the difficult climb and standing at the top of the “mirador” you could undertand how it got its name. It really did give you a different perspective (say mom and dad).

Views from Top:



On our third day, we drove to a lake higher up in the mountains that was warm because it was fed partly by a volcanic spring . We went on a giant blow-up couch that was dragged across the lake by a jet ski. We went full speed and our hair was blowing all over the place and we could barely swallow. It was lots of fun. Mom liked this lake because the water was very clear and warm. She even went in the water! On the way home, we went miniature golfing as a reward for doing the hike.



We really loved every part of Pucon. There were so many things to do. My dad says that he wants to bring us back when we are bigger so that we can do all the things there are to do here.

Exploring the Island of Chiloe

There is an old saying that says, “It is about the journey, not the destination.” For us, Chiloe was about both journeys and destinations.

By The Family

Once again, our parents woke us up early, made us eat breakfast real fast, and then get in the car. We had to drive two hours from Punta del Este to Montevideo to return our car, then take a cab to the dock, then take a three hour ferry to Buenos Aires (luckily there weren’t any screaming kids on the boat this time), then we took another cab to the airport and flew to Bariloche, Argentina. It was about eight at night when we got there. We checked into the Grand Hotel Bariloche, which in Darius’ opinion was nothing like the Grand Hotel Guayaquil. My parents unpacked while I (Micayla) read Charlotte’s Web and Darius tried to get on the Internet. I didn’t want to leave the hotel because I wanted to keep reading Charlotte’s Web, but we had to get dinner. We walked around town and found lots of chocolate stores. Bariloche is considered the chocolate capital of South America. After tasting some chocolate and then buying some too (it was good), we ate dinner at the Pilgrim Pub and then went to bed.


The next morning, we rented a car and headed for Chile. It took about two hours to drive through the Andes to get to the border. When we got there, we had to wait in one line to get our passports stamped and then another to get permission to take our car out of Argentina. We were surprised to learn that we had to go through the whole process again 40km later in order to enter into Chile. This border crossing was very different compared to crossing from Argentina to Uruguay and back. When we crossed into Uruguay, an official from Argentina and an official from Uruguay sat next to each other and stamped our paperwork together, one after the other. It took all of five minutes. In contrast the border crossing into Chile took over 2 hours. When we reached the Chile border control, we had to get our passports stamped again and get permission to take our car into Chile. They then made us take all our stuff out of the car so they could look for fruit. They are very strict about this because one of Chile’s main industries is fruit. In fact, much of the fruit we buy in our supermarkets in New England comes from Chile. We didn’t have any fruit and got to put our stuff back in the car and then kept going.

Darius slept while we drove down the mountains to a town called Puerto Montt. Puerto Montt is an old fishing town that has grown a lot recently and did not seem as nice as Bariloche. After checking into our hotel, we walked around town and had dinner at a hamburger place. It was the best hamburger I (Micayla) had since leaving Wellesley.

The next morning, we woke up early again and had to drive an hour to get to another ferry. When we got to the town where the ferry was, there was a real long line of cars and trucks waiting for the ferry. We found out that this was very unusual, but we still had to wait in line for about an hour before we could take our car onto a ferry. While we waited, people walked along the line of cars selling empanadas and roasted peanuts and hazelnuts.

The ferry took about 20 minutes to cross the channel. While we were on the ferry, we saw lots of seals in the water and also saw a few penguins swimming in the ferry’s waves. Mom said seeing the animals in the water made up for the long ferry line.

Once on the island of Chiloe, we drove another half hour to Ancud, another small fishing town, and had lunch. My dad had a special dish called Curanto that came with sausage, chicken, pork, polenta, and lots of shellfish. It is all cooked underground on hot stones. The waiter told him that he needed to eat in a special order too. The sausage first, then the pork, chicken and polenta followed by the shellfish. After lunch we drove another hour to Castro. We could not get the pay-phones to work, so we had to wait and wait at the house we rented for someone to come let us in.





The house was called a palifito because it was built on stilts that came out of the water in the bay. Palifitos were built on the water by many early settlers because they liked the water and would collect shellfish for their food. The house was bright yellow and had two stories. The first floor had a nice kitchen, a living room, and a television with three channels. Upstairs there were two bedrooms with lots of beds. Out the back door, there was a deck that was over the water. It was nice to sit in the living room and watch the water. When the tide was low, there were lots of people who would walk out and catch shellfish. When the tide was high, birds would swim near the deck and hunt for fish. Across the way, some boat makers were building wooden ships by hand. A few times, we saw rainbows out the back window. Mom liked to drink her morning coffee and look out the window at the water and the black necked swans.




Inside our palifito:




Castro is small, rustic town right on the bay that had a main square, a few good restaurants, and a museum that showed the history of the town. In Castro, it is not uncommon to see people traveling with their livestock or carrying heavy loads of shellfish. Castro is also the capital of the island of Chiloe.



The island is about 100 miles long and about 40 miles wide. The people who live on the island are mostly fishermen and farmers. The island has been left pretty much alone by the Chilean government and so the people who live there have a very independent spirit. They are also said to be poorer, but more self-reliant than people who live in other areas of Chile. The houses on Chiloe and the surrounding islands are well-known for their unique shingles, which add a great deal of character to the towns and farms. Chiloe is also a very popular place to visit for many young Chileans and Argentinians. We saw lots of them in small groups along the road trying to hitch rides with cars and trucks.

Chiloe Shingles:



On one day, we drove to the southern end of the island to see the very end of the Pan American highway. The Pan American highway begins in Anchorage, Alaska and travels 20,000 kilometers, passing through 11 countries, and ends in a small town called Quilleon. The last section of the road was made of dirt and was very bumpy. The road then ends about 20 feet from a rocky beach. There is a monument there.

While we were there, we went for a walk along the shore and saw people shellfishing. We picked up some pointy rocks and sticks, and then watched for squirts of water coming out of the sand. We would then start digging. If we were lucky, we would find a clam, a razor clam or a mussel. We gave the bigger ones to the people who were shellfishing.




On the way home, we drove to another town that was having a fair. There were lots of stalls where people were selling handicrafts like woolen sweaters, rugs, hats, or things carved out of wood, homemade chocolates and pastries etc. In the middle of a clearing there was a guy who was trying to climb up a 20 foot pole. After a few tries, he did it. I (Darius) then tried and was able to get about halfway up. When the sun came out, it got hot, so Cayla and I got Fantas (orange soda). There were lots of activities. There was dancing, people trying to walk on stilts, mini-go-carts, rope games, and a bunch of displays. I got to practice spinning tops, which was much harder than I thought it would be. The tops were popular with kids and adults. One of the better top spinners was a grandma wearing a blue dress!


We also got to see how the people of Chiloe make apple wine using old fashioned machines. First they used one machine to take off the skins, then another to make something that looked like apple sauce, then they put the sauce in bags that were smushed by a huge pieces of wood so that the juice would come out. Finally, they would put the juice in big bottles to become wine.

Then there was the making of empandas. Empandas that are pastries filled with spicy meats. They are put in the ashes of a fire and are moved around and flipped occasionally using a long stick.


When they are done cooking, a person then scrapes the ashes off of them and they are ready to eat. When we first saw them taking them out of the fire, they were so black and gray and covered with suit that it was hard to believe they could sell them. But they were delicious!




On another day, we took a short a ferry to a smaller island that had lots of very small towns. It was a very beautiful drive, because there were hills, farms, woods, horses, sheep, and views of the ocean. At least mom and dad kept saying it was beautiful. Micayla and I thought it was a little boring. We drove all around going from one town to the next. Many of the towns had very pretty churches made out of wood.



Churches of Chiloe:



In one, there was a small museum that told us how they made the churches by fitting pieces of wood together without using any nails. The biggest town was called Achau. Every time one of us said the name of the town, my dad would say, “Bless you.” His joke got old pretty fast. Achau was right on the water and looked across to a few smaller islands. On the way home, Dad convinced us to take a dirt road that went along the shore. It was bumpy and nice for a while. But then it turned in land and went up a really steep hill that got really rocky. He almost got the car stuck in the middle of nowhere. Luckily we made it up and were able to get back to the main road.

Roads near Achau:


On a third day, we went to the western side of the island where there was a national park. It was a very cloudy day, so instead of going right to the beach to see the Pacific Ocean, we went on a walk on a trail. Charles Darwin had been here and wrote about how thick the forest was. There were some really cool trees that had roots that grew 4-5 feet above the ground. On the roots, thick moss grew which made the ground seem much higher than it really was. The forest was different than any we had ever seen before and reminded us of a scene from the movie, Lord of the Rings.

Views from the Park:



After our walk, we drove to the Pacific Ocean. It was still very cloudy, but the rain stopped, so we decided to walk all the way to the water. After crossing a small dune area, we stepped onto the beach which was really, really wide. As we got closer to the ocean, the wind got stronger and stronger. Sand was flying across the beach like crazy and we could barely stand up straight. The sand was moving so fast, that it hurt when it hit bare skin. When we got to the ocean, we could jump straight up and then land almost two feet in front of us. It was really fun to be in such strong wind. On our way back to the car, the gusts got even stronger and almost knocked Cayla over several times.

It was great to be in Chiloe. None of us wanted to leave.