CENTRAL CHILE & THE LAKES DISTRICT
After the days of dust and mud of the Atacama desert, I was ready for a tree change. The next leg of the trip was in central Chile, Chiloe and the lakes district. Sometimes you can tell a lot about a destination by the line of people who are waiting to board the plane at the airport. Temuco’s was distinctly difference to that of Atacama. Hippies and international tourists were replaced with young families and wealthy retirees.
The first thing we noticed about Temuco was how friendly everyone was. The abrupt impatience was replaced by smiles and limitless hospitality which continued at every interaction during the first leg of our trip. Temuco was described by the famous Chilean poet Neruda as “the wild west” when he lived there and I tend to agree. The streets were bursting with people selling all sorts, pushing advertising or just commuting to the next unknown destination. We drove past a crowd that had gathered under a large building to watch the police try and coach someone out of jumping. Mayhem.
Our first stop was Valle Corralco in an area that’s popular for skiing in winter. It should have been a two hour drive away from Temuco but thanks to Apple Maps, we ended up on a rocky, unmaintained road deep in regional Chile. Six hours later we arrived at the resort, after only 4 hours of sleep, at midnight. We were relieved to be welcomed by the nicest hospitality I’ve ever experienced. The kitchen had closed but they served us a delicious salmon dish, icecream for dessert and a much needed beer. The staff were so lovely the entire time — making sure our time was perfect. They seemed like a little family and even though we were only there for two days we felt a part of the family too.
When we awoke we finally saw the resort in the daylight and what a beauty! It’s perched below a huge volcano called Lonquimay and amongst a forest of ancient Araucaria trees (so old that they were around when the dinosaur’s roamed Gondwana). The resort is perfectly situated as the slopes of the volcano and becomes covered in snow in winter, but in summer there is plenty to explore on foot. We decided we would spend our first morning walking up a nearby crater that was next to Lonquimay. The crater is called the ‘Christmas Crater’ because it erupted on Christmas Day in 1988. To reach it we had to trek across a seemingly endless valley of ash that had the same consistency of sand but was of course black. The flat valley was enclosed by a large tall dune.
Trudging through the valley reminded me of the astronauts exploring wild and varied planets in the movie Interstellar. Whilst Atacama was the golden, purple and salt-tipped ‘planet’, we had landed on the volcano ash planet with large troughs and steep climbs. The crater itself felt like a near vertical climb, perhaps because the ash made it impossible to get a good foot hold. The top had a (literally) breath taking view of the exact area that the lava would have spilled over 30 years ago. Beyond were rolling hills covered in a green forest with smoke clouds billowing up into the air from a bushfire. Helicopters with water bombs flew low overhead. I could also appreciate the expanse of the brown grey valley we had just traversed from the high vantage point.
The crator was deep and covered in red, yellow and white rocks and strange patches of green. On closer inspection we realised the green was moss — the ground was steaming so much that it was producing dampness! I placed my hand on the rocks near where the steam was rising and (surprise surprise) it was hot enough to burn my hand. James was convinced the volcano would explode at any moment but I insisted that we continue a little longer and walk around the narrow ridge of the crater. Wind whipped up the side of the crater threatening to topple us off the sheer drop on either side but the views made it worth it.
We returned to the resort and scrubbed the layers of dust off in the shower. We spent the rest of the afternoon drinking cocktails by the pool and reading. The families and retirees had taken all the deckchairs by we could still enjoy the view from the pool edge. Chileans have really taken the ‘go fourth an multiply’ Catholic mentality and worship their children. Admittedly they are adorable, and we were in a child friendly resort but the level of adoration can be challenging to witness, especially when a child jumps into a pool next to your face.
There is a dense forest surrounding the resort, the trees are so close together that they create a thick blanket of green that resembles moss. We drove through this forest on our way to Pucon. We had two stops along the way — both of which were waterfalls. The twin waterfalls are associated with Chile’s very own Romeo and Juliet — a myth of ill fated star crossed lovers called Millaray and Cayú. Millaray was a beautiful indigenous princess with a mane of long black shiny hair. Her father attempted to capitalise on her beauty by offering her hand in marriage to the man who could shower him with the most gifts and beat other contenders in combat. Millaray didn’t want a bar of it and escaped with her true love Cayú who was from the wrong tribe. They made for the ocean but her father’s men descended on them. They separated to increase their chances of survival. Millaray was cornered at a cliff top, and instead of surrendering, jumped off. She transformed into a elegant waterfall, which was our first stop. Behind the waterfall was a damp mossy cave which you can easily explore, a apt set for a scene in Lord of the Rings. The sun’s rays caught the waterfall’s gushing water transforming it into a beacon of light. Although the top of the waterfall is private land, we snuck up. The steep climb gave way to a maze of paths and running streams that joined and toppled over the edge, just like Millaray.
Millaray’s lover Cayú also found himself in a similar situation, cornered at the edge of a cliff. He too decided to jump and was transformed into a waterfall. Cayú’s waterfall is much larger and crashes into the pool below with so much force the water bounces back up into a choppy spa. Mist caught by the sun floated high into the sky. Despite the sexism in waterfall assignment, Cayú’s waterfall was also amazing surrounded by flowers, ferns and we even caught a glimpse of a hummingbird. The two waterways run into eachother so Millaray and Cayú will be together for eternity.
We made a quick stop at Temuco for some traditional food cooked by a renowned chef at a restaurant called Zuny Tradiciones. I ordered the fish but was told I should have the pork and beef instead. Sure. At first I was annoyed about missing out on the fish but the pork was fresh and tender and served on a collection of slaw like salads and mushrooms. The dairy free dessert was a sickly sweet bowl of maize covered in jam. We washed the dish down with a subtle flavoured quinoa juice. By this stage we started picking up on some of the things you can find a lot around Chile — ample use of oregano, a subtle blue berry drink, empanadas, sandwiches and soups.
Making good time, we stopped to swim at rocky, volcano ash beach in Lago Villarrica. There were three generations squeezed under each colourful beach umbrella and the water was refreshing.
Pucon is Byron Bay meets Suffer’s Paradise meets Lorne during Falls. Walking around the streets at night we were convinced we had entered the upside down from Stranger Things. Screaming families tore around corners in Flinstone-like six person vehicles with bike wheels. Streets were next level busy and a mime held up traffic in an elaborate skit that involved walking in front of real traffic and causing a bank up of cars. There was only western music which is strange in a country that seems to exclusively listen to Latin music. We found refuge in our hostel where we sat in the fairy light backyard and sipped Chilean wine.
The following morning we escaped Pucon that sat under the slowly fuming Villarica volcano and headed towards Huerquehue National Park. The mountains that lined the highway looked like Jurassic park, or rather Hawaii where the movie was shot. The scrub on either side of the road into the park was painted grey from the dust thrown up by the cars.
We decided to go on ‘arguably the best walk in Southern Chile’ as per Lonely Planet. The first section of the walk was an unrelenting climb that really tested my experience on the stepper at gym. A lot of Chilean forests naturally feature plants and flowers found in gardens and bouquets back in Australia. The walk was lined with bamboo, gunnera, yolk-coloured flowers, pink fuchsias and bright orange butterflies. Another big feature of the walk was the ancient Araucaria trees dripping in lichen which threatened to scratch you as you brushed past. We reached a landing for lunch and contemplated turning back. Water was running low and the walk had turned into a near vertical dusty scramble. We decided to go on for a little longer and I’m so glad we did! The top was a long thin boulder lined ridge that sharply descended on either side. One direction over looked rolling hills interspersed with lakes, the other icy mountains, and a clear view of Villarica volcano. We were even lucky enough to spot two Condors, 2-metre wide birds featured on the Chile coat of arms. The walk down mashed my toes in my new walking boots so I was relieved when I could immerse them in the cool waters of the lake below. Again, generations of Chileans enjoyed the refreshing water and slowly setting sun.
THE LAKES DISTRICT
On the drive further south, we stopped by Termas Geométricas, a hot spring near the Villarrica volcano. After battling a rough, rocky and potholed road for over an hour we were told that we should expect an hour wait to get into the hot springs. We didn’t let that deter us; we’ve waited longer for brunch in Melbourne. The entire Termas Geométricas is a single narrow boardwalk that snakes it way through a steep ravine. At the very top is an impressive water fall that you can walk under if you dare brave the icy water that made my feet ache. It’s the only cold water though, steam rises up through the board walk as you peruse the pools at various temperatures- from the lukewarm to the ones that have been closed off because they threatened to boil you alive. The baths were teeming with big bellied men and their fit wives, excited children and lithe tourists trudging endlessly up and down the red narrow path. We found a shallow pool at the optimal 39 degrees that only had some quiet oldies in it (a rare escape from children in Chile) and couldn’t help but totally relax into a light sleep after gazing up under the trees above and the cliffs that are covered in moss, ferns and flowers.
It was over a four hour drive to our next stop in Puerto Varas so it was dark by the time we arrived. The hotel’s windows glowed orange as we drove up the driveway flanked by well kept grass and clipped willow trees. It was a manor akin to the house in the horror film Get Out! which put us a little on edge. We pushed through the heavy wooden doors and were greeted by a man at the counter with a friendly face but an intense stare, common to many Chileans. He showed us around the wooden manner, complete with multiple loungerooms, libraries and cellars. The whole place was lit like a movie set too which didn’t help our nerves. When we arrived at an extraordinarily large window, he turned to us and said “You can’t see it now but there’s an impressive view of Lago Llanquihue, and the two volcanos Calbuco and Osorno out there. We might see some search boats out that window tomorrow if we’re lucky. A boat has gone missing with three generations of men on it. The grandfather’s body was found at Puerto Octay which is over 20km away on the other side of the lake. The son and grandson haven’t been found yet. Anyway, sleep well.”
The hotel was much less ominous in the daylight. I spent hours on the grassy front yard that dropped off into a lake that continued as far as the eye could see. There are two volcanos on the lake, Calbuco (which infamously stopped flights in and out of Melbourne in 2015) and Osorno. Puerto Varas had a very different flavour to the rest of Chile, most likely because of German colonisation that happened in 1860 when the Chilean government accepted a proposal to invite German families into the area. We looked at art galleries, ate cake, explored the artist Pablo Fierro’s mad house and followed the German wooden architecture tourist route. I closed out the day reading Call Me by Your Name, sipping the local German favourite beer Kuntsman and watching the sunset turn the twin volcanos purple.
During our trip south we had entered Mapuche land. The Mapuche people are famed for being a group of native people who successfully withheld the Spanish colonisers. Before the Spanish invaded South America, the Incas had also failed to annex their lands, allowing the Mapuche people to organise and beat the Spaniards. Wars raged on between the Spaniards and Mapuche for 350 years and after famines, illnesses and dodgy agreements, the Mapuche population has dwindled in numbers and continue to struggle with land rights.
Valle Corralco
Curacautín
Huerquehue National Park
