Goodbye Earthquakes, Hello Volcanoes!

The view riding on the top of the double-decker Tur Bus was spectacular from Talca to Villarrica! We passed vineyards, miles after miles of flowers (wild and cultivated), very well-tended fields with dark fertile soil, rolling green hills with the snow-capped Andes in the distance and many tree farms of tall pines near industrial lumber yards. The view helped keep us awake and actively involved during the seven hour plus journey. The last thirty miles had me sitting on the edge of my seat to see what beautiful sight was coming around the corner as we started to spot the three huge volcanoes close to our destination. The river following the highway opened up into a lake that shimmered in the setting sun. We knew right away we were going to like this stop.



Though I had no map of the city which is home to 20,000 residents, we walked five blocks straight to the Torre Suiza Hostel. There is a german influence here because many people immigrated to Chile after WWII. Our hostel is very nice with lovely gardens and a large sitting/breakfast room. We slept last night in the attic space but moved down a floor this morning after I spotted a larger room with two windows and a table coming available with the departing of a young couple from Holland. At breakfast we enjoyed the company of two brothers from Arizona, a young French woman traveling alone, the Dutch couple with tattoed wedding bands and a swiss couple. One of the topics discussed was the ascent of the young people to the top of nearby Volcano Villarrica which as you can tell from the photo is totally covered with icy snow. It takes seven hours to go up and 3 hours to slide down. Even if Keith was able it doesn't appeal to me as the guidebooks say people actually die doing it! There is smoke/steam visible from a distance. I noticed a volcano warning signal on the city hall building when we stopped to watch some local kids perform latin dances.




Keith is resting now after a walk around town, to the lake and lunch. He made friends with a friendly stray dog and I swear I had a flea jump off of me as soon as we returned to the room and I sat down to write. We'll be back out to pick up supplies from the farmer's market literally a block away. Fresh cheese is a speciality here, white cheese similar to Gouda, yummy. We can buy fresh lettuce as well for a lovely salad. Still haven't had a chance to try out the UV water purifier because Chile's water, at least so far, is safe to drink.
Ciao, ciao, for now!