sorry, only google translate
After the ferry from Chiloe we drive directly to Puerto Montt, because we have made an appointment with Chopan – one of the two cyclists from Punta Arenas. He lives here, runs a small natural cosmetics shop and has invited us to his home, his girlfriend and his father. We meet him at around 6 p.m. in his shop, but since he is still open until 8 p.m. we take a look around in the first major city since Punta Arenas, but our enthusiasm is limited. The “most exciting” thing is that for the first time we get to know about the unrest that is circulating in Chile. As we sit on the “Plaza del Armas” (that’s the name of the main square in each settlement), a group of maybe 30-50 demonstrators passes us two blocks away. At first we think nothing of it, but then suddenly the street is on fire in one corner of the square. Pure provocation of the police, as we will learn later (this only intervenes in an emergency out of respect for major unrest), but for us reason enough to go a little further away – it is almost 8 p.m. anyway.
Chopan then briefly shows us his home and gives us a restaurant tip that we gratefully accept. He has to leave again immediately and so our reunion is limited to a bottle of wine together after dinner, where we also get to know his girlfriend and father. After a night in our first real bed for almost 6 weeks – hard to believe how good 80cm can feel for two winking smile – we also get to know Chopan’s grandmother, who has just completed a 10-hour bus ride from Santiago. For us it is also the sign to leave the family alone, but even if the reunion was short, “couch surfing” is always a great experience !!!
For us it goes directly to the Seven Lakes Region, because dreamlike lakes and several active volcanoes are waiting for us! For this we start in Puerto Varas on Lago Llanquihue framed by the volcanoes “Osorno” and “Calbuco”. The latter could actually be climbed, but since it erupted spectacularly over a week a few years ago, this is still prohibited. All places on the lake have a strong German heritage shaped by immigration and you can see that in Puerto Varas on every corner. The church looks somehow German, many streets have typical German names and even the fire brigade is called “fire station” here. Everything is a bit bizarre and a bit fake (e.g. the church is made of corrugated iron, which takes away any charm from up close), but it’s kind of funny anyway!
Our goal is not so much the city, but the lake, and after it stops raining in the afternoon, we drive halfway around the lake. We are getting closer to the Osorno volcano and it always makes a great motif behind the lake. After a night directly at the lake, take the van in the early morning about 400 meters to the “base camp” of the volcano and will be rewarded with a fantastic view of the lake with the volcano directly in front of our noses We don’t find a provider on the volcano and that’s why we are content with a 5-hour hike on the other side of the volcano along Lago Todos Los Santos, where you also cross several meter-deep channels that the lava at its last eruption in the 19th Century and which flow directly into the lake.
After cooling off in the lake, because the water is finally warm enough for swimming, we spend our last night in Chile for the time being. We are planning a last transfer to Argentina, more precisely to Bariloche, Switzerland in South America …