03.04.-06.04.11

Puerto Varas / Saltos del Petrohue

Julian, Perrin (from Montpellier in France) and me arrived at 10pm in PUERTO VARAS where we checked into the HOSTEL MAWENKA. The next morning when we got up it was raining. So we had a long breakfast and did some emailing. After lunch we took the bus to PETROHUE where we intended to walk around the LAGO TODOS LOS SANTOS and hike for a few hours inbetween the VOLCANOES OSORNO and PUNTIAGUDO. Even though that the rain stopped but it was still very overcast and misty. Well….as we all needed some exercise we walked for 1 ½ hours up to the Lookout where he had a picnic. Unfortunately we couldn't see a lot and after half an hour it started raining again. So we decided to walk back.

The next day Perrin and Julian took off to PUCON and I had to say Good Bye again…..but we knew we would catch up in Pucon! After they have left I took the bus to PETROHUE again and stopped at the "SALTOS DEL PETROHUE". Thank God the weather was much better than the day before and I had a nearly clear view to the VOLCANO OSORNO. I took some great photos of the Waterfalls "Saltos del Petrohue" with the Volcano in the background and walked around the National Reserve. Everything was so much nicer with a bit of sun!

When I took the bus back at around 3pm my back was very sore and therefore I looked for a Chiropracticer in Puerto Varas. I was very happy when someone recommended me a Chiropracticerfrom the States and I was even happier when the lady at the reception told me that I could get an appointment with him straight away.

His name was Dr. Gerd Siebert and after he told me that his parents were German and he grew up in Chile... we started speaking in German. Gerd did a great job aligning my spine and he asked me if I would like to join him for a coffee after his last patient.

Half an hour later we were actually sitting in his car driving to the next town FRUTILLAR. Frutillar is tiny town of 14.500 inhabitants where in the 19th century a lot of Germans immigrated. We drove around the LAGO LLANQUIHUE and stopped at the German memorial from where we had a fantastic view to the VOLCANO OSORNO. When we arrived in FRUTILLAR Gerd invited me to the German Club where we had an absolutely delicious dinner with "locos" (kind of mussel) as a starter and for the main a grilled white fish (I forgot the name but is was "muy rico"!) We had a great conversation and switched from German to English and the other way around.

In the German Club we met a friend and client of Gerd. His name was Mario Wetzel. Mario told me, for sure in German, that he has a Dairy Farm with 650 cows close to Frutillar. As I was very keen to see his farm, I asked Mario if I could come for a quick visit the following day!?

And the next day Mario picked me up in Frutillar at 12pm. He drove me around his farm and land and an hour later I was sitting at the kitchen table and eating lunch with his employees and Catharina, the VET who could also speak some German. I felt like home in my mum's kitchen and finally getting a decent lunch…..with beef and potatoes!

Mario showed me around his farm for nearly two hours. We went into the shed with the calfs, cows and down to his private beach. At 3.30pm he gave me a lift back to the bus station...and around 5pm I arrived back in Puerto Varas where I prepared my backpack for the bus ride to OSORNO.

Gerd invited me to his house in OSORNO where he also promised me to check my spine. So on Wednesday, 06.04.11 I arrived an hour later at the bus station in Osorno where Gerd picked me up. Wow….it was the first time in six months that someone picked me up from the bus station and that was soooo nice. We had a nice dinner and a bottle of wine at his apartment and again it was very nice chatting with him and listening to his life time stories.

The other morning, Thursday, 07.04.11 we both got up at 7am. After a nice and healthy breakfast, Gerd dropped me off at the bus station. Again I had to say God Bye to another nice person! Two hours later I was sitting on the bus to PUCON which was approx. 5 ½ hours north from Osorno.