Pucon, Chile

To say that our first day in Chile went smoothly would be to distort the facts. It was a tough day of travel from Villa La Angostura, Argentina to Orsono, Chile, not because of the bus ride but rather bureaucracy and banks. We started the day early in Argentina under black skies and slowly climbed by bus to the border post between the two countries high in the Andes. Snow quickly made an appearance due to the elevation and thick clouds obscured most of the view. At the Argentinean border we had to scramble to fill out tourist information cards that should have been given to us when entering the country from Bolivia. Fortunately, the border agent was nice and let us fill out an extra form on the spot; had he not been so welcoming it would’ve been a trip to the nearest police station to fill out a form there at our own expense and time.

At the Chilean border we once again had to scramble to fill out a customs declaration form that should have been given to us when we left Villa La Angostura. Fortunately, the second agent was also very nice and helped us (this would be a wonderful recurring theme for the day). While we were in the border station the passenger bags were unloaded from the bus and searched by dogs for contraband drugs and fruit. Of course as we exited the small customs room both of our bags were sitting out while all the other bags had been put back in the stow-away. So under the watchful scrutiny of two guards we emptied out our bags to show them that there was nothing illegal hidden and that the only fruit that was being transported was the smell of peach juice from the unfortunate spill we had on the way to Machu Picchu two weeks earlier.

Finally in Chile we made our way through beautiful mountain and lake country before passing through largely agricultural areas. Arriving in Orsono we quickly booked our next bus ticket to Pucon for 4 hours time and decided to use the afternoon at hand to first get some food and money, and then book a hotel for Pucon that night. What should’ve been a straightforward transaction to get money out of an ATM however became a cross-city hunt for a machine that our cards would work in. We tried a total of 4 banks, had a very nice Chilean girl actually walk us to a bank that we couldn’t find, and then had to call Visa from a strange call centre when they put a hold on both of our cards. Our assumption is that the different machines used and number of transactions declined made it look suspicious to Visa and hence the holds. The problem is that we didn’t know this until later so we just kept trying more machines which made it worse. Fortunately, we had a separate debit card with us that finally prevailed. Having gone through the trouble we would recommend the following tips to other travelers: 1. Let Visa know that you’ll be out of the country (which we did); 2. Carry both a Visa and Interac debit card (which we did); and 3. Carry an extra stash of American money (which we did but had unfortunately mostly used up) to convert at a local currency exchange if the cards fail or have a hold placed on them unknowingly.

Cash in hand (less close to $40 dollars from the combination of Canadian and foreign ATM service charges, and then a 20 minute call to Visa), some food in our bellies, and a room tentatively reserved at a hostel we made our way to Pucon, a town about 4 hours north of Orsono. Arriving in the dark we were greeted by Victor, the owner of the hostel who escorted us to his property. This gesture was very much appreciated as we didn’t know if our email reservation had even been received or accepted. Unfortunately, we thought the man approaching us in the dark was trying to scam us for a hostel or taxi, as we have encountered these types of individuals every time we’ve arrived in another town or city. We waved Victor away not realizing that he was there to meet us and had been waiting for 45 minutes (whoops). We felt pretty bad.

The hostel itself was perfect with the most generous and nice hosts that we have met thus far. Victor and his wife immediately made us feel at home and helped erase all the troubles encountered during the long and difficult day. After a hot shower we set off for a late meal of empanadas (somewhat like a calzone but with different flavours – ours had Roquefort cheese, chicken, black olives and spinach) and South American beer. It was delicious.

The next day – our first of two in the town of 16,000 – was spent at leisure exploring the quaint town. It is situated on a lake with a black volcanic sand beach and ringed by mountains and volcanoes. We enjoyed afternoon tea and coffee and browsed through the mostly deserted shops liming the main avenue in town. The weather was inclement with rain but it was better that it fell then, as day two brought the real reason for our visit to Pucon. Towering over the landscape is Volcan Villarrica at 2,800 metres above sea level and one of the most active volcanoes in Chile. It is perfectly cone-shaped and capped with snow and periodic billowing smoke from its crater. It is also climbable for the average hiker with proper equipment and guides, and we intended to try summiting the volcano. After doing some research we chose Aquaventura and they walked us through the climb, the safety requirements, type of gear to be worn and used, and what to bring for the next day. They provided full winter wear including jacket, snow pants, gloves, boots, crampons, ice axe, trekking poles, helmet, sunglasses and backpack, and two guides for every 6 climbers. We felt comfortable both in the gear and with the company, and left nervous but excited about the climb.

After grocery shopping we made ourselves a home-made carbohydrate-heavy pasta dinner in the hostel kitchen and then lunches and snacks for the next day. It was a full day of activity in preparation for the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and the only thing missing was a view of the volcano as the clouds obscured it all day. It felt strange knowing that it was lurking in the distance and we would be ascending it tomorrow.

To be continued ....

P.S. The hike happened three days ago and we are still alive and well J