| Puerto
Varas, Volcan Osorno there across the lake, Lago Llaquihue. There is a fishing lodge on the other side called Yankee Way, if that helps with pronunciation. This was just an all too brief layover on the northward drive. There are countless appealing villages scattered through out the lakes district of central Chile. Rather that flit about trying to see them all, I opted to choose one and stay there for several days. So I headed towards Pucón. But first I wanted to see a bit of Valdivia. |
| Valdivia is a pleasant city. It is a university town, with an eye to the arts. It lies at the convergence of three rivers, and is just a short way inland from the coast. There is a lively fish market downtown by one of the rivers. The vendors throw fish scraps into the water where sea lions surface and dine on the feast. |
Yes eels.
The market, from on high.
And the beggars. Tough life, that.
| I left everything in my hostel room and took a late afternoon stroll. It was liberating, not having pack or the heavy camera. (I did have my small camera stashed in my pocket) I got on a random bus. It said Niebla on the front. Niebla means cloudy (I think) so it sounded nice. It turned out to be the best 75 cents I have spent in a while. It trundled along, over and beside the rivers, and finally dropped me off at a little beach, right on the coast. I strolled along and found the remains of an old Spanish fort up on the cliff above, and tried to imagine what a naval bombardment must have been like, hundreds of years ago. After a while, I found another bus heading back to town, once safely back in the velvety embrace of Valdivia, I strolled around and watched a group of drummers down by the river. |
The music was good, watching the locals get down was priceless.
