Pucon - Back To Chile

On our walk up Cerro Campanario in Bariloche (under the chairlift, to the good views), I thought it odd that the earth was incredibly sandy.  Not lava rock, or glacial moraine, but loose sand - very unexpected.  A lot of roadsides were sandy too, but I chalked this up to wintertime road sanding.

But THEN someone reminded me about the huge Puyehue-Cordón Caulle volcanic eruption that occurred in Chile last year.  Bariloche was right in the path of the ash, and the whole town and surrounding area was buried in 5 cm of ash (and much, much more in the surrounding mountains, closer to the volcano).  Everything looks surprisingly good in Bariloche, considering; but tourism has suffered just the same.

We left Bariloche by bus, through the Andes and deeper into the ash fallout zone, on our way to the mountain/resort/adventure town of Pucon, Chile, many hours to the northwest.

Dawn at the bus station

The east side of the lake - much drier than the west

Volcanic ash plowed to the side like snow

An Andean "Black Tusk"?

Volcano country

We had to stop in Osorno to change buses.  Its only redeeming feature was a small city park - which was boarded up during our 3.5 hour layover.

Typical Osorno scene :-)

So we ate our typical Chilean bus snacks...

Saladix ham-flavoured crackers are a Chilean bus staple.  Unfortunately, they don't taste like ham - not even close to a Bacon Dipper

...in the gritty square close to the bus station - while keeping an eye on the hungry-looking stray dogs that ventured quite close.

Eventually we got to Pucon - a lovely little town, set up for tourism but not in an overly ostentatious way.  There's clearly a strict building code in effect - most buildings are low and made out of rough-hewn wood or lava rock.  And the Villarica volcano dominates the view from anywhere in town.

Volcano Villarica at sunset, as seen from our hostel

Full moon rising over Pucon

We didn't know it until arriving, but this was election day in Chile.  One of the winning candidates was having quite a party on the main street, complete with lighted stage, DJs, acceptance speeches, and honking car horns. [Sarah's note: some British folks - who we first met on a wine tour in Mendoza and then ran into again at our hostel in Pucon - told us that they tried to go out for a drink that evening but couldn't order a beer until after 8 pm.  Apparently there is no drinking during voting hours in Chile.]

Yay for... whoever won this particular council seat

Untrimmed, overlapping siding is a common look here

Pumice-style lava rock is also common - not Sarah's favourite texture

Volcano country!  Though I'm not sure how one can walk out of harm's way when the volcano is erupting 

After sleeping off the long bus ride, we took a walk around a very sunny and comfy-feeling Pucon.

Down by the lakeshore with one of the many flea-bitten dogs who would befriend us daily

I admire her gumption, but Sarah eventually lost the staring contest

I heard that you can climb Vulcan Villarica, which is still active.  Cool!

Calling my pitch, Babe Ruth-style?

Just can't get enough of this conical, Fuji-like volcano

Dropped by the town beach - mostly black rocks and sand, with a little terra-cotta thrown in

Sarah adopts local modesties

We looked into the volcano hike.  Since there is over 1600m in elevation gain and Sarah was still feeling the after-effects of food poisoning, she decided to bow out gracefully.

This coffee shop would probably have been an easier climb

Prepping for a volcano climb - craft beers with an Irish fellow we met at our hostel

Spring has sprung in Pucon

Pucon felt very comfortable (at least in shoulder season when the place isn't totally overrun with tourists).  In addition to hiking, there are several hot springs in the area, rafting, kayaking, etc.  Definitely a great stop on the tour.