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Hey everyone!!! It´s been a while!
Right now we´re in the Lake District of southern Chile, surrounded by mountains and volcanoes (and, of course, lakes), in a town called Puerto Varas. Since the last time we updated you we´ve had lots of great adventures, so let´s fill you in!
We spent, in total, about a week in Santiago. Upon our arrival we were greeted by the Arocas, who ever so kindly put us up in their home for the week and told us everything there is to know about Santiago and travel in Chile. Santiago is a beautiful city, with wide, tiled, tree-lined avenues and parks around every corner. Recently, all of the older buildings have been restored and are quite well preserved, and the city is very clean, although thanks to the Andes which loom along one side of the city, there´s a constant cloud of smog caught to linger over Santiago, sometimes almost hiding the mountains from view. Our favourite part of the city was Cerro Santa Lucia, a park smack in the middle of downtown, comemorating the place where the city was founded in 1541. This park is built on a hill (cerro), and features lush vegetation, beautiful huge trees, flowers in every hue imaginable, beautiful (sometimes crumbling) stone staircases snaking their way up the hill in intricate paths, little plazas with huge fountains around every corner, and finally, once you´ve worked your way through and climbed a few staircases, a beautiful 360 degree view of the city at the top of the hill. We spent about three afternoons in this park, reading, writing, strolling, watching families and lovers lazing in the grass.
Other highlights of Santiago included el Museo de Bellas Artes, where we spent a morning sketching in the beautiful old building. We also visited the famous fish market, where every type of seafood imaginable is at your fingertips, yet, overwhelmed by the pushy vendors, opted to buy some beautiful fresh strawberries at the fruit market around the corner instead. We did a lot of walking, took the Funicular (a cable car lift) up to the top of another hill-top park in the city, where we were greeted by an even more breathtaking view of the city. We spent some time at the top drawing and writing, inspired by the calm at the top of the Cerro San Cristobal, just out of reach of the city´s bustle. We went to a few markets, some with local artesans, and even found a book vendor selling english books, buying a copy of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, which we take turns reading out loud to each other while we wait for buses, or get ready for bed. Another great part of Santiago was our night of folklore music/delicious parillada with the Arocas, where we ate delicious food, tried some Chilean delicacies, and watched traditional dances from all across the country, North to South.
In the middle of our stay in Santiago, we took a little weekend trip to the nearby seaside town of Valparaiso, famous for its little houses built into steep hills, and also well known for holding one of Pablo Neruda´s numerous houses. We were immediately enchanted by the steep, winding streets, the beautiful murals, bursting with colour, that plaster the surface of almost every building in the city, and the views of the ocean that you can glimpse around almost every corner. We spent most of our time walking around, letting ourselves get lost and stumble upon awesome street art, or delicious little bakeries, or beautiful lookouts. We even took a peak down at the harbour, where we fought the urge to jump in the water, as there are dangerous tides (not to mention it´s freezing cold!). We were sad to say goodbye to Valparaiso, its unsuspecting charm caught us off gaurd, and we fell in love, but so many things to do places to see people to meet!
After passing a couple more lovely days in Santiago, we got on a bus that took us all the way south (about 12 hours) to the little town which we are currently staying in. We were dropped off sometime around midday, in the rain, and once we got settled into our hostel we decided to take a walk down to the lakeshore (the down is build right beside an immense lake). We sat by the lake for a long time, watching the water, happy to be in its presence after spending so much time in the desert.
This morning, we got a fairly early start (our big, comfy bed, private room, and personal tv in Santiago made us a bit lazy, so we´re adjusting to getting up early again!) and caught a bus to a place called Petrohue. As we drove along a lovely road that ran between the lake and a river, the clouds started to clear, and we were finally able to see the snowy peaks of the two nearby volcanoes that the area is famous for (as it was rainy and cloudy yesterday we couldn´t see them until now). We got off the bus next to a lake of a most incredible shade of aquamarine blue, the clearest water I have ever seen, and a hue so vibrant that it just felt unreal. Surrounded this lake were snow-topped mountains, green hills, and on one side the two volcanoes. We set off on a hike that passes through a valley between the two volcanoes, and walked for a couple of hours through shrubby, mossy vegetation which allowed for a constant view of the lake and the surrounding mountains. Eventually, at around lunch time, we saw a direct opening to the lake, and took advantage of this to have a nice picnic on the beach, followed by an impromptu nap. On our way back to the bus stop, we decided that although the water looked freezing, and everyone seemed to be staying as far away from it as they possibly could, it was too beautiful and clear and vibrant to pass up a swim, so we ran in, with 5 minutes until the last bus back to town, and had a rejuvinating swim that made us feel completely new, still with time to get our bus. Next stop Chiloe island!!!!
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