Home » Chile » Chile

When we last saw our intrepid traveler he was about to reach Puerto Frias, Argentina, on his way to the Chilean border...

Chile

Hank Shiffman
2003-12-02 20:26:18

Displayed times (last time: )

Puerto Varas
When we last saw our intrepid traveler he was about to reach Puerto Frias, Argentina, on his way to the Chilean border. Let's skip ahead a few hours, past his encounters with immigration officials of both countries and an hour and a half of bouncing along dirt roads between them, past the catamaran ride on Lago Todos Dos Santos from Peulla to the black sand beaches of Petrohue. We're finally on the last leg of the lake crossing, a much smoother bus ride from Petrohue to Puerto Varas.

Eleven hours into the day's trip, I was less than enthused by a stop at Petrohue Falls. All I wanted was to get to my hotel and crash. Besides, after Iguassu how impressed could I be? But these falls were worth the delay. What they lacked in vertical splendor they more than made up in the sheer force of rushing water. The falls also provided me with the best view yet of the Osorno Volcano, inactive these last 150 years but still a mesmerizing sight.

I finally arrived in Puerto Varas, a hamlet of 30,000 on the edge of Lake Llanquihue. Once again I thanked the gods of banking and networking. How did travelers survive before the worldwide ATM network gave us access to our money any time and nearly anywhere? And then I enjoyed the view from my window of the lake and that magnificent volcano. It was startling to be in a place with air so clear; Osorno was able to dominate my view and my thoughts from hundreds of kilometers away.

Isla Chiloé,

Choosing a tour package involves placing faith in the judgement of people you don't know. They usually try to justify that faith by providing plenty of detail on the various elements of the package, inevitably described in those glowing terms reserved for the travel industry. My package included a day trip to Chiloé Island. Why, I had no idea; on this occasion my documentation was curiously (ominously?) silent.
...