Water, Water, Everywhere

After hugging the ladies at Hostal Internacional, we walk to the bus station with packs in tow. After settling on a bench in the cold, unheated station to read our Nooks during the three hour wait, we are surprised to see Leticia, one of the hostel sisters...we had forgotten to give the keys back...how embarrasing! She was very sweet about it, giving us another kiss on the cheek, only one cheek here in Chile.

The ride was too relaxing, hard to stay awake to enjoy all of the sights passing by. What a beautiful country, it is SO green. Keith says it's greener than Ireland, but that is totally sacrilegious!
Leaving the Pacific Ocean and two giant rivers we arrive at a beautiful Lago Llanquihue, Lake Llanquihue. :)
Of course, this lake has its requisite volcano, in fact two!


It was rainy yesterday when we arrived, not really raining, but pure humidity, so the air was drizzly, much like the Ireland I remember.

A lesson was learned on this trip. That is when you buy your bus ticket be sure that they are dropping you off at the terminal that you have planned to walk from to your destination hostel, in this case Compass Del Sur. How surprised we were to be dropped off on the side on the Pan-American Highway. No problem though, a bus came immediately and picked us up and took us to the center of Puerto Varas.
Who grabs Keith but Julie from France, no surprise traveling. Oh the tales we can tell about meeting people down the road, even years later in different countries!



Compass Del Sur was a little rich for our blood though we had a lovely meal using a well stocked kitchen. We have mastered spaghetti. (onions, green pepper, salami in butter before adding prepared sauce)
We scouted a more economical hostel and moved this morning. The shared space is an enclosed porch with natural light, in which we write this blog. (Keith is saving the difference for his wooden snake collection, which we will wait to pick up in Columbia).



Today we toured the town on foot visiting a church designed after one in the Black Forest of Germany. This whole area has much german influence.

Taking a bus we went to Fruitilla at a more northern point of the same large lake; it was really small, uncrowded and beautiful. The sky had cleared by then so everything was clean and sparkled! Cool wind blew, but it was really very pretty.
Most impressive was a huge art auditorium and exhibit hall that is just being completed for a grand opening on the 13th. The multicolored modern wood structure juts out over the lake, it is a first class building with many cultural activities and presentation planned for the summer season.



Of course a dog 'adopted us' there as Keith laid down to rest his tiring back. I keep repeating what the international travel nurse insisted, "Don't pet the stray dogs!" but it falls on deaf ears.



There were many sculptures on our journey today including this very cool piano donated by the Nestle Corporation which I'm guessing also helped finance the art center.