Aneya: My Voyage to Region 10 (Part 1)

Puerto Montt in the morning- all the boats are docked on land!
The infamous stilt houses are used here, as well as in Chiloe.
Steaming plate of....well, everything: potatoes, clams, sausages...mmm....
A happy couple in Puerto Montt
Clear blue water for as far as the eye can see.
Getting ready for Easter (Pascua here) in Puerto Varas
German-influenced streets in Puerto Varas
One of the many beautiful churches in the area
The incredible Volcano Osorno, and the Lago Lllanquihue behind me
It's really quite breathtaking, you can see the tip of it from hundreds of miles away
View from the volcano. Look at the rainbow!
The abandoned ski lift on top of the volcano.
It was pretty damn cold up there, and it's the end of summer! I don't even wanna know what winter's like.
I don't know how safe I'd feel, skiing down a volcano....
The beautiful Lago Verde, in the National Park.
The lake runs right into the lagoon, here I am, on the edge of it.

Well. I don't even know where to start this post. I did more in 4 days than I usually do in weeks in the US! I don't know if it's because I'm a tourist here, or because I'm just so keen to see and do everything possible, but my god it's amazing the amount of things one can squeeze into a single day, if you try hard enough.

Let's start with the journey. I decided to head down to Puerto Montt, the last city in Chile before the country breaks off into hundreds of little islands. It is also the gateway to the "big island" of Chiloe. Puerto Montt is a major port city and is the capital of Region XX, or the "Lake Region" as it's aptly named and it's a major city for forestry, agriculture, fishing, and salmon aquaculture.

The bus ride down there is a staggering 12 hours, and usually I wouldn't dream of enduring such a thing, but as I've mentioned, the buses here really are quite impressive, and so cheap, I couldn't resist. I bought my ticket, plugged in my iPod, and settled in for the long haul. The bus employees are so nice here it's a little unnerving, especially for a skeptical American like myself. I watched as the man gently tucked a pillow beneath a woman's head, asking if that was alright. The same man then asked if I wanted a blanket, I said yes, please and before I knew it I was being tucked in. I swear to god, he unfolded the blanket and gently placed it over me, smiling sweetly. Where do these people come from?! And to think, I was worried someone would steal my stuff while I was asleep! Silly Americans, always assuming the worst.

The 12 hours went by remarkably fast, and the seats were nice and big (sort of like business class seats on an airplane, sans leather) and before I knew it I was in rainy, cold, Puerto Montt. I know that sounds awful but the constant heat and sunshine of Santiago was beginning to annoy me, quite frankly, and I was thankful for the cool, fresh air on my face.

I met up with a friend and we began exploring the city, which reminded me of other port towns I'd seen in my travels through Chile. Lots of colorful, old ships, cranky fishermen, beautiful street art, churches galore and the distinct smell of fish in the air. The tide in Puerto Montt was incredible, in the morning the boats were docked on land, and by the afternoon they were floating in deep water again. Craftsmen selling woodwork, ponchos, scary looking dolls and heavy wool sweaters lined the streets, specifically for tourists like myself.

Puerto Montt's economy was boosted by the surge in aquaculture, which has recently been experiencing problems (due to a number of things, mainly the fish getting sick and pirates stealing then. Yes, real pirates.) Because of this, the city has gone downhill. There are areas of it that I certainly wouldn't recommend, especially at night. But it's not all bad. During the day it's strikingly beautiful, especially coming down the main hill, the ocean glistening, the colorful houses stacked on the hills, the snow capped Andes in the distance.

After exploring Puerto Montt a bit we decided to drive to Puerto Varas, a lake town just 20 minutes inland. The imposing Volcano Orsorno was supposed to be there and I really wanted to check it out. Turns out, it was still raining by the time we got there and I couldn't see a damn thing. The town was cute though, with a major German influence and lots of little cafes and pastry shops (yum). They even had a casino! (Mostly slots, sadly).

The next day we set off, determined to see the volcano in all it's glory. And that we did! It had finally cleared up, and we took a leisurely, 3 hour drive to see it up close. There are over 500 active volcanoes in Chile, and this was one of them.

We ended up driving all the way up to the top (well, not quite the top) but as far as the road would take us. The view was spectacular, to say the least. The enormous Lago Llanquihue, going on for miles, the beautiful cliffs, the clouds seemed to be at eye level. It was amazing. And, in the winter, the place turns into a ski slope! That's right, you can ski down a volcano! How cool is that? Of course we were there towards the end of summer, and although it was cold, there wasn't enough snow to ski on. Still, it was cool to see the ski lifts, the little restaurant and bar, awaiting costumers, perched atop this giant, breathing volcano.

On the way down we stumbled across a national park (Parque Nacional Vincente Perez Rosales, to be precise. Ya, all the names here are nice and succinct, as you can tell). The Laguna Verde was beautiful, as well as the rocky waters and view of the lake. It was so incredible it didn't seem real. None of it did. The volcano, the lake, the view, the park. And it felt so uninhabited, even though there was the occasional tour bus, the familiar sounds of English in the air. And yet.

People use the word "magical" here a lot, and not in an ironic way. If an American were to say "Oh, Las Vegas is so magical" they'd get a strange look, or people would think they were being ironic. But people here really mean it when they say it. Chileans say the Atacama Desert is magical, they think Isla Chiloe is magical. Well, I think the Volcano Osorno is magical. There, I said it. Maybe I'm becoming Chilean after all.