Hi people! Sorry for the over-due post, I’ve been traveling and got sick upon my return. But here I am!
As you probably already know from my FB, I traveled to Pucón for our extra long weekend. Both Halloween and the day after are Catholic holidays here in Chile aka 4-day weekend!!
Pucón is in the South of Chile, a little more so than Riñiue. I left Friday night after a long day at school on a 10-hour bus ride. When I arrived around 8am the next day, I hit the ground running. I hate to toot my own horn, but I kicked ass that day. I checked into my hostel and was still able to sign up for two tours one of which was leaving in 5 minutes. I went to the base of the famous volcano, Villarica that looks over Pucón and I took a “zone tour” which took me all over Pucón.
The Villarica volcano is one of Chile’s most active volcanoes. It’s last eruption was March 2015. People are able to hike all the way to the top and see inside of the volcano and then you sled back down the mountain. I wanted to do that so bad, but it’s very difficult and I’m a terrible hiker.
During the Zona tour, we stopped by the flower market. It took me a second to realize that all of the beautiful flowers were made of wood! We stopped by other points of interest such as Rió Trancura, Laguna Azul and Ojos de Caburgua and the mirador de pes. I was so pleasantly surprised with this because I found the waterfalls and crystal clear water breathtaking. It was one of my favorite spots. The fish made me sad because they come through the drain and then get stuck in those small ponds. There was even a guy fishing in that tiny pond –like fishing in a barrel!
After those beautiful places, we ended the tour in the Mentué thermal baths. This place was like a fancy spa resort. I’ve been to many a’ hot springs in my travels but this one was quite fancy. They had 4 pools and a complete spa. I treated myself to a massage and enjoyed a beer in the pool.
On my second day, I took another tour to the Termas Geométricas. I’d read about this place online and it’s one of the top destinations in Pucón. I’m so glad I went, this place was a dream. It was in the middle of the rain forrest. They had 16 different pools, and each one was a different temperature (I checked). Nature is so amazing. I was lucky enough to spend the entire day there. Next time, I will go at night. They light the bridges and hot springs up!
On my final day, I went to Huilo Huilo –a place I was planning on taking a separate trip to. When I noticed that I could just take a tour from Pucón I jumped at the chance. Huilo Huilo was about 2.5 hours away from Pucón. It’s a biological reserve and its absolutely breathtaking. The only problem was it poured literally all day long; it never let up. This weather is very common in the south of Chile. Our first stop was to a gigantic waterfall but we had to hike there –so we got soaked. We were wet and cold for the rest of the day so that put a damper (I had to) on the rest of the day. We also stopped at a brewery which are very common in the South of Chile. I made friends with some hilarious women that were also on the tour and were nice enough to invite me to eat lunch with them. Finally, we stopped at the famous Moñtana Magica hotel which made the whole rainy tour worth it. Basically, it’s 4 incredible hotels that are all connected. The architecture and interior design are jaw-dropping. I could have happily spent the whole rainy day in that place. The cheapest room is about $300 USD per person for one night.
I accomplished so much in Pucón and really ended up loving it more than I thought. In fact, I’m happy to admit that it’s probably my favorite destination I’ve visited in Chile so far!
^^ León's first Halloween
Laughable Moments (from the week):
We were doing zumba on the projector and the internet kept freezing so I made it into a game. Whenever the girl froze, the kids had to freeze like statues.
One of my kids went to Mexico this week and he told both Dani and I that he will bring us both back a Mexican hat. And you know what? He probably will.
The girl at Starbucks thought my name was “him” I had to clarify 4 times.
I was so tired one day that when I arrived back home, I literally said thank you to the elevator for opening.
Dani was talking to an English speaker and he said “might take you up on that” and she asked me to explain what he meant because she was so lost.
I decided to be proactive and charge my ipod at the bus terminal. About 10 minutes into the trip back to Santiago I realized it was still charging in the terminal. It’s gone forever.
^^ When you're correcting tests and you turn it over and find this...
^^ León found his costume hilarious
