Our last day in Pucon

On our last trip into Pucon, it was scorching hot.  Wipe you out kind of hot!

Kiko helped Christian with some work and we found a restaurant for lunch.  The very expensive Viva Peru, but the ceviche was good!  The kids had burgers from the restaurant next door (Volcano Burger, I think!) and they were excellent.

I met the guys from Kayak Pucon and talked river rafting with them - Tristan and I thought we might go the next morning together since it was a class III.  We decided to spend that time with the family and sweet puppy Baco at home instead.  Someday we are really going to raft in Chile.  Really.  Right?!

After lunch we walked to the marina and rented wave runners!  It was sooooo fun.  I mean, really, really fun!  Kiko rode with Tanner, who screamed with delight the entire time - I could hear them!  The faster Kiko went, the happier Tanner was!  Tristan and I rode together and it was so fun.  My little man really wanted to drive.  I was so nervous for that - but as it turned out he couldn't reach the throttle so that will have to wait for another year too!  Shoo.

After that excitement, we went out for coffee and ice cream at Cassis (yummy!) and then said our good byes to Christian and went home to Villarica.

Another lake in Paradise

January, 2013, Sunday

We loaded up with Anita, Fernanda, Piru, Antonia, Max, Cutie, and our kids and went to a new lake.  It was a little bit of paradise!  It looked like Hawaii.

Except for the tree trunks in the lake.  Really.  Years ago there was an earthquake there and that part of the land fell into the lake and so it became a much bigger lake.  

There were are few houses there and the people in them tragically died as it fell deeper into the earth and the lake washed in.  My mother in law could hear their screams for help when she was at the lake once!  So did the cook!  Ack!  

I did not hear that story before we had such a lovely time at this lake and that was a good thing.

Piru threw Tristan into the water doing flips about a million times and he was in his glory (to borrow that phrase from my friend Sandi, who is flipping with jealously because she really should be here.)  Anita and I took a walk down the beach to see the other side of the lake and found a marsh separating the beaches.  Tanner tagged along in his little boat with me pulling him in the water.  

It was cool swimming in the lake with the trees!  Except when I kicked one underwater that I didn't see.  That sort of freaked me out.  I am not a fan of things underwater that can hurt me.  Trees.  Sharks.  Man eating guppies.

Max kept Fer on her toes as he is so unafraid of the water and just runs right in!  

Tristan and Antonia had fun swimming all day.  We stayed at the beach until almost 7 pm!  Too good to end the day.  

Watch out, water, here Max comes!

The splash is Tristan being catapulted into the water by Piru.

Ice cold Fanta on a hot summer day...rico!

Filling the boat with sand.

We saw this cool grey river on our drive out - check out the banks and what the lava has done there!

A scenic vista for our drive home.

A ferry to nowhere

We decided to take the kids to Chiloe.  I am not sure what my thinking on this was.  I was hoping to see penguins and thought it would be exciting for the boys to ride in the truck on a ferry across the channel to the island of Chiloe.  I did not realize how it would really turn out to be a wasted day as we would leave the dramatic scenery around Puerto Varas and spend an excessive amount of time in the truck.

It would be a bust for Kiko as well - he was hoping to dirt bike on a track next to the beach in Ancud.

Ancud was not an attractive fishing village, but it did smell like one!

The track was dirty and not well kept so Kiko decided not to unload his bike and gear up.

The cool thing was the ferry ride but that would have fine once.  However, we had to do it twice to get back!

In hindsight, I would take the route given to me by a user on www.allchile.net next time to get my dramatic scenery, give the boys the ride, and save us an entire day and a lot of money in tolls, gas, ferry crossing, and meals.

You can't win them all, right?!  It was still an adventure!

And I found a map that shows where the best spots are for penguins, dolphins and whales around Chiloe.  Which was no where near us.

Shades of blue

We spent a lot of time driving around when we stayed in Puerto Varas.

We went to Lago Todos Los Santos which is very emerald or turquoise depending upon the day.

Lago Todos Los Santos

It is surrounded by mountains and volcanos.  On the other side of the lake is Argentina!  A lot of people cross using ferries and it's fun to watch them come in.  Some carry people and cars, and others carry commercial delivery trucks.  At the end of this lake, a beautiful river starts.  It is called the Rio Petrohue and is spectacular!

The spectacularly colored Rio Petrohue

I really, really wanted to raft it.  But I didn't want to wear a wetsuit.  And will have to save it for another time - either next year or when Tristan is big enough to go with me.  I am also going to want to do more research on which company to raft with.  I did think of some old rafting buddies I would LOVE to raft this with!!!

We had some chill time in the cabana with Tristan and Tanner playing a lot in the playground at the property and a lot of training and discipline issues with Tanner.  Kiko got to go riding his dirt bike with a guy that worked in the local Yamaha shop.  He was trying to find a way to ride on one of the volcanoes but all the land is private.  Someday!

One day we went to Puerto Montt.  We were going to attempt to go to Chiloe so the boys could ride a ferry with the truck but we were too late in the afternoon to finish the trip.  We ended up going to McDonalds for a treat for the boys and Tristan discovered a new calling:  street performer!  There was a group of guys break dancing for tips outside on the street and Tristan joined them!

Break it down Tristan.  IN the street, no less.

We decided to spend two nights in Puerto Varas and then move to a hotel just outside of Frutillar that I saw on Groupon.  We visited the hotel (because you just never know with Groupon and professional photos can do a lot to make a place look great.)  The kids loved it because it had an indoor and outdoor pool and I loved the views and flowers!  It was really pretty.

The view from the hotel

The flower garden we accidentally discovered!

Turns out that Tanner DOES love the water - only warm water!  He was a fish in the pool.

Our view at breakfast on an overcast morning.

There was a little sanctuary right below our room.

Exploring the secret garden.

He did love the hot tub.

The boys and I in the secret garden - I felt like it was a little bonus love from God!

Lavanda Casa de Te

January 15, 2013

We went to Puerto Varas for two days and to Frutillar for two days.  They are further south, into Northern Patagonia but still in the Lake Region of Chile.

Situated around a huge lake with a massive volcano in the near middle (Osorno Volcano), the area is absurdly beautiful and surrounded by hills, dairy farms, sheep ranches, and lots of orchards and farms with such rich volcanic soil growing much of the produce we consume in the winter in North America.

It's beautiful.

I was overwhelmed with where to start!  We checked into our cabana and went into the center of Puerto Varas to the Tourist Center and drove around the area, just looking at everything.

The city is pretty cool and the area surrounding it is gorgeous.

We heard about the Lavanda Case de Te from Kiko's mom and I found a card for it and wanted to go see it to look at it and maybe take some photos.

We went and I cried it was just so darn perfectly beautiful and feminine.  They had paid attention to detail and it is exquisite.  I could not stop taking photos!

Kiko gave me a lovely gift and treated me to high tea there, asking the boys to be gentlemen (and they were!) and let Mommy enjoy the tea time.  It was exceptionally lovely.

I can't do it justice with words so here are the images:

Stunning

I want this in my house!

Tristan was a good model this day.  He let me take lots of photos and even took some of his own!

Thanks, guys, for a lovely afternoon tea.