Are we there yet? Wait, where is "there"?: On holiday in Puerto Varas...

Talor: I really hated leaving Chiloe, but time was running out and so we needed to start heading north to avoid the mad dash to the finish line. Our next stop, Puerto Varas, was a 3 ½ hour bus ride away. We read that it was touristy, but after more than a week of inactivity, Erik needed a physical diversion, and PV offers a variety of options from hiking to kayaking to other water sports so we headed there.

At first blush, I didn't like it. Though it was cute, it seemed like it was trying too hard. The main strip was lined with quaint, but very expensive restaurants and tourist shops, and at the end of the drag was a huge modern casino. I guess the city is doing well because everywhere we looked, there were large fancy hotels under construction.

But then we discovered that life up on the hill was somewhat more normal, and prices far more reasonable. Little did we know that it was a holiday weekend (most people we asked couldn't even tell us what the holiday was), and found a lot of places all booked up. The first night we stayed at the German owned Casa Azul that had a Japanese garden and a young, frisky Weimeraner. Though they served up a big breakfast in the next morning, including a delicious muesli and freshly baked multigrain biscuits, the prices they charged for the tiny rooms didn't seem worth it. So we moved onto Erika's and took a bright and cheerful corner room that was absolutely spotless. The next morning, we chatted with Erika over breakfast, drinking coffee and eating her homemade kuchen. And though all was comfortable there, I really wanted to have a kitchen so we moved once again, right across the street, to Cabanas Roller, where we splurged on a 3-bedroom cabana with a living room, a full kitchen and a dining room. We settled in and called it our home for the next 3 days.

With only so many days left before having to return home, we thought let's really go all out and make a proper holiday of it! And so we did... we rented a car and spent a lovely day doing a tour of the sights around Lake Llanquihue. So often during our trip, there were times when we were on a bus or a train, I wanted to stop and explore, but couldn't. With a car, we could do just that. We made up our own tour and stopped and go'ed whenever and to wherever we wanted... what luxury! Made ourselves a picnic then headed out in the cheapest, dirtiest rental car ever!

It was a perfect day as we visited all the little towns around the lake. Our first stop was at the Ensanada Hotel, an antique grand hotel that was more like a quirky museum. Then onto the park at Petrohue where we hiked to the waterfalls. After that, we had a picnic lunch on a deserted black sand beach with a view of Volcan Osorno. Back in the car, we drove up to the bottom of the Volcano with breathtaking views of the lake. Took the secondary roads to the town of Cascadas where we hiked through the woods in search of another waterfall, but never found it. As we drove back, we saw an amazing sunset, then ended the evening with a delicious dinner of fresh fish at La Olla.

Spent the rest of the time just exploring the town and chatting with the friendly folks... walked along the waterfront, picnicked on the beach, drank motes (a refreshing drink made with sun-dried peaches), visited funny little museums, and stopped and smelled the roses... literally. Life is rough, huh?

Before saying good-bye to the South of Chile, we took a bus to the port town of Puerto Montt and spent the day walking around. Headed to the mercado and had a fabulous lunch at Apa where they served up huge portions of eel stew and grilled salmon as we watched the locals casting lines into the water. For dessert, we got a bag of cherries on the way to the main plaza and shared them with a mangy dog who seemed to enjoy them as much as we did. Then headed to the mall where we got online with free wi-fi while indulging in ice-cream at the food court. In the evening, we boarded a night bus for Valparaiso, and I couldn't help feeling sad as we rolled away... sigh.

Erik: Yes, Puerto Varas was very touristy, shiny and new compared to little fishing villages we'd been in. I spent all of 15 minutes in the huge, glitzy casino, but won enough money at blackjack that I didn't feel guilty splurging on an afternoon of “canyoning.” I guess I'm getting old, and adventure sports aren't my main diversion, so I'm not too ashamed to admit that I'd never heard of the “sport” before. Basically, they dress you up in a thick, head-to-toe wetsuit, in which you then hike up a mountainside to get to a remote river gorge. There you don crash helmets and go sliding down rocky river canyons like a water slide, or jump off 40 foot cliffs into the small ponds below. It was fun! And to top it off, we repelled down a waterfall cliff over 180 ft. high. I'd never repelled before, and it was good-and-terrifying as I slid down the thin rope over a high, sheer cliff, only a few feet from a raging waterfall. Talk about adrenaline! The only downside was my stupidity in bringing the camera along. I packed it in a waterbag, but it got a little wet each time i took it out, and by the end it had died on me. Oops. At least we had 2 with us, and the trip is nearly over...

Renting the car was another high point. I hadn't driven in nearly a year, and really enjoyed it – and it was so liberating after 10 months of bus rides. It's a bit rough on the daily budget, but well worth it. Next trip we'll do it more often...

All in all the south of chile is a spectacular place, and we were very sad to leave.

Our pictures from Puerto Varas: