While I´m listening to my favourite Dutch radio station (3FM) for the first times in months and looking over the sea (yes yes I've got to a hostel with sea views

..when it's sunny it's beautiful and when it's windy, rainy and stormy like now it's beautiful...damn life is hard ...), I´m trying to find the words to update my blog. It's been a month ago since I have wrote my last story in Santiago. Times flies when you're having fun I guess. However I haven't travelled much since Santiago.

I took the bus to Púcon and I stayed there for 20 days. Púcon is a small town (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Puc%C3%B3n) in Araucanía region, in the north of the Lake District in Chile. The town is well known because of its volcano Villarica. This is one of the many active volcanoes in the region and one of the many you can ascent. As you might have already seen in the pictures, I climbed this volcano. It was a great experience, it was difficult due to the weather conditions, it was very windy. During the ascending part you climb about 1km up to 2850 meters. The part I enjoyed the most was walking on the glacier part of the volcano. I never walked with crampons and ice-axe before, I loved it though it was kind of energy demanding. Before going on the glacier, the guides explained how to walk on a glacier and what to do when you would slip of fall. They watched us very carefully every step we took on the glacier, not long ago tourists died on this very same volcano, so serious stuff. However it was absolutely thrilling! We even had to pass small ridges (with an abyss on both sides) while holding a rope. Because of the wind you really had to focus, sometimes there would be a squall which was so strong that I actually had to stop walking, putting all my energy into staying on my feet. Some hikers didn't like it at all, but for me the weather conditions made it hardcore and I kind of love to be challenged. We reached the summit but because of the activity of the volcano we couldn't stay long. With activity I mean that big clouds of sulphur gases come out of the crater. The gases are really toxic and it smells really badly as well. We rapidly took some pictures and then started descending. When the weather conditions are good and the gas clouds go straight up you apparently can see the magma in the crater. How cool is that! However I didn't got to see that. Our view was clouds beneath and the top of another volcano in the distance, also really beautiful.

Besides the volcano trip I did 3 day hikes, a 2 day track with horses and a 5 day track in Villarica National Park. I won't get into details about the day tracks (all really nice though). The horse riding is definitely something to mention. I did this track with 3 Germans. In the morning we got our horses, mine was an 8 year old Chilean ex rodeo horse named Castanjo. He had a lot of energy and personality which I absolutely loved. I really had to work during the track, and enjoyed every moment. It made me remember my horse riding skills and the love for horses. Besides the riding part, the camping was also great. We made that night an Asado. This is a `typical` Chilean barbeque, which simply means a lot of meat (in this case 2kg for 3 people). We made our campfire (which was fun) and then cooked our meal. The meat was amazing, one of the best pieces of meat I ever ate. In the night it got really cold so I got into my tent early. The next morning we had breakfast, saddled the horses and went back to the ranch. The guide told us that in a week she would have a 4 day track. I was seriously considering doing this track as well, though something came up.

When I got back to the hostel, I met a Belgium guy and he was planning to do a 5 day hike in Villarica national park, the track is called Villarica Traversa. The trail brings you near 3 vulcanoes, Villarica, Quetrupillan and Lanin. It sounded great and he invited me to come with him. It was perfect because he had all the gear, the only thing I needed to do was buying some food. The track was beautiful, especially the colouring of the trees (because it is autumn here) and the views which we got after climbing some steep hills. We walked over the Argentinean boarder. I like to say that sentence, that I walked to Argentina

. I totally enjoyed the 5 days of camping, hiking, cooking and all the things that you think of when going on a several day hike. You really have to think about the basics in life, where to get water, how to divide your food so you have enough for 5 or 6 days and where to sleep. For example I had a bar of Chocolate (as you all know I loooove chocolate) but I could only eat like one piece a day otherwise I wouldn't have enough for the entire trail. Never ever was the tast of chocolate that good as in those days, because you appreciate it so much more. Next time (if there will ever be one) when I'm in Chile I will take my tent and camping gear with me. Because it's the most incredible way to discover the country. On day 5 of our track we hitchhiked back to Púcon. This 5 day trip is one of my favourite things I did so far next to the Inca trail and the jeep tour Tupiza to Uyuni. Again it´s difficult to explain how amazing it was, I guess the pictures can express better then my words can.Or maybe even more true, go and see it, then you really know what I´m talking about .

After this incredible experience I stayed in Púcon for almost one week more. I didn't do much though, except for lots of reading. It was difficult to leave Púcon but if I wanted to reach Ushuaia then I had to keep moving. So I bought my ticket to Puerto Montt and when I arrived there I directly took the local bus to Ancúd. This town is located on Chiloé Island. The first two days on the Island I was very active. I went together with a British girl to the penguin beach (without penguins because they go north to avoid the winter) and the day after to Castro (the capital of the island). The island is difficult to describe. In this time of year there are almost no tourists (which is great) which really makes it a place where people live there daily life. I guess the no tourist aspect made me appreciate the island a lot. My plan was to stay only a couple of days (I arrived on Thursday evening and I planned staying till Tuesday). However Sunday evening we had an Asado to celebrate the painting a Swedish couple made to decorate the bbq place (the painting by the way was really cool). It was so much fun that I descided to change my busticket. This gave me an extra week, however instead of exploring the island I mostly spend time in the hostel or just in Ancud, reading, walking around for a bit, listening to music, playing guitar (I could borrow one of one of the Chilean guys) and just chilling out. I don't know but normally I get really nervous when I don't do a thing, but this place changed my pace of life for the time being so I just went along with that. In the evenings it was always nice because we would get some food and beer, watch football or just talk (in this case we is the guys that work at the hostel and a couple of other guests).I don´t know but the hostel made me very at ease. I think because they (the people that worked and lived here) took really good care of me, getting me involved in dinners, etc. It´s nice after being on the road for a while that someone makes you dinner or asks if he can bring anything from the supermarket. I really appreciated those gestures, it made me feel like actually living somewhere rather then visiting/being a guest.

Ow one more thing, we got to play football which I have to mention. We (some guys/men from the hostel) played 6 against 6 on an artificial turf indoors. I loved every second of it and it went quite well. I scored 3 times (which is incredible because I hardly ever score goals). The only thing I noticed was that the opponent held back when getting in a one to one situation. This made it so much easier for me to win those. After the match I made the guys some Dutch pancakes.

This Tuesday I will leave Ancud and go to Punta Arenas. Punta Arenas is in the middle of Patagonia. To get there I need to take a 30 hour bus, which will take me through Argentina (because that far south the roads on the Chilean side aren't that good). I will stay in Punta Arenas/Puerto Natales and do (when the weather is ok) some outdoor activities. After Punta Arenas I will leave Chile and go to Ushuaia, which is the most southern part of Argentina. I hope I will get lucky with the weather, because this time of year is known for its rain and wind. Hopefully I will get some snow so I get a chance to ski.

Well that's all for now. Hope everybody is doing well.

Love

Michèle