puerto varas
chilean lake district, patagonia
31.12.2011
we crossed the border of argentina into chile via bus, to get a glimpse of the inner areas of patagonia and the lake district. there was so much to do but as usual too little time. we stayed in a central located hotel, right across from the water, and basically in the center of town. Puerto varas is like a small mountain village with cute little stores and restaurants and lots of outdoorsy gear stores. we decided to spend the evening checking out the town and grabbing a meal. moving from argentina to chile, the menu shifted from a focus of beef to fish which was a bit refreshing. we tried out lots of fresh seafood and ended the evening early.
the next morning we took a boat ride to a beautiful island called chiloe, known specifically for being a great spot to see penguins. we took a long drive through the island to a spectular little beach area where 10 of us packed into a small little boat for penguin sitings. it happens to the right time of the year as we saw upwards of 75. there were 2 main species, humbodlt and magellan, one of which is exstinct i believe. we learned a lot about these small little creatures-they are rather hardy animals, we saw them climbing up rocks, swimming in the ocean, etc. we were both reminded of a very special card ´courage is an accumulation of small steps.´ it was my first exposure to penguins (outside of the zoo!) and well worth the trip.
we then had a traditional chilean meal which entailed mounds of shellfish, chicken, pork and meat. oh and potato bread made with lard! the meal is cooked in the ground and covered with layers of leaves and moss and cooks in its own steam for exactly 1 hour. it all comes out tasting the equivalent of barbeque with simple flavors. after all of the eating, it was time to head back and catch the ferry. everything in south america seems to run behind schedule, so we have become used to this way of life. we returned 2 hours later than expected but in time for a new friend´s birthday celebration.
the other main attractions in puerto varas are the osorno volcano, the lagoons, and the waterfalls. its about a 45 minute journey from the center of town through picturesque windy roads but quite a spectacular site. the waterfalls are a bit different after seeing iguazu falls but still worth a quick visit.
next stop (where i am writing from- a bit behind on the blog) is santiago. more tomorrow and a happy new year to all our of friends a family.
