When we finally reached the Chilean Lakes District we drove through country side that could have been European, lush green pine forests and fields, pretty little houses, huge green lakes. And perched on the side of a huge active volcano is Pucon, a busy little town that has an activity for everyone. From death defying 1km zip lines to sunbathing, hydro boarding to days at a spa.
Our hostel was like the quintessential bachelor pad, run by 2 guys, perpetually messy and disorganised. Despite various emails confirming our booking they didn't have our room when we arrived. But they sorted it out, eventually.
We wanted to climb the volcano, the lure of it was too much, at night you could see the red glow of the lava against the stars. But the gods were against us, for 2 days we woke up at 5am, got dressed, made breakfast, made our packed lunch, and waited. Waited for the sun to come up and show us whether or not we could climb, any cloud what so ever meant no go. And both days it was almost completely under cloud. Damn ye gods!
So our alternative was to head to the totally unpronounceable Huerquehue National Park. We hiked for 8hrs, through dense lush forests, filled with vivid pink fuschia shrubs, up a huge mountainside to reach the very top and suddenly be surrounded by towering monkey puzzle trees. And at eye level wild black currant bushes and endless fuschias. Greenblue lakes, crystal clear. So fresh and easy.
The next day we braved the cold water and went white water rafting. Far superior to Mendoza's murky waters, this was pale green and clear. And this was big water, the first rapid was less rapid and more waterfall. And incredibly fun! Learning all the commands in Spanish was interesting, mostly trial and error. We got out and walked around one rapid, a grade V, and looking back at it we were glad we hadn't had to brave it. We did however have to jump 5m back into the river. But we survived.
