Chilean Lake District

There is only a 5 hour ride by bus from Bariloche (Argentina) to Osorno (Chile), but what a difference! Life on the western side of the Andes looks simpler. Throughout our trip across the Chilean lake district we mostly slept in very simple Hospedajes, on the upper floor of crumbling houses made of wood and tin. Nothing fancy like Bariloche. No chocolate as well...
For us, Osorno was the first real city we saw for a long time. Not a small village or touristic shiny city, but a regular town with regular people leaving their regular lives. Most of the tourists won´t stay here for more than the few hours they need to wait for the bus to Pucon. Maybe that is the reason we liked it. There are so few tourists in Osorno that we had to look for hours around the city center until we found the only car rental company in town. If you do pass through Osorno, don't miss the cathedral near the main Plaza. It is definitely the most beautiful cathedral we saw in South America. It is a modern building made of exposed concrete and wood. The interior is stunning and the natural lighting coming from the upper windows creates endless games of light and shadows. Despite its size and the exposed concrete, the feeling is cosy and warm.
The hospedaje we slept in that night was cold, noisy, with no good hot water and uncomfortable beds. We liked it very much! The owners of the hospedaje were the nicest father and son which had 3 dogs! It is amazing how the Chileans will not give up on having a dog (or two, or three, or ten) even if they haven´t got enough money for themselves. Two of the dos were a sheep like small mother and daughter and the third was the a handsome Afgan Borzoi named Simon (as can be seen in the picture).
The next day in the afternoon we drove to Puerto Varas, passing on the way the amazing view of a full rainbow above lake Llanquihue in Frutillar. Puerto Varas was the most touristic stop on our trip to the lake district. There are some important signs for touristic towns, such as the large tourist information booth and fancy restaurants. But the most important sign is the number of trekking gear shops, and the expensive "North Face" store.
The Chilean lake district has a long German history and it can be seen in the buildings and especially in the food. Fruit pies (kuchens) can be found everywhere. The hostel we slept in (a huge labyrinth of bedrooms, toilets and stairs) had a lot of "Willkommen" signs, as well as a "real German breakfast" that turned out to be the regular bread and butter.
The landscape of the Chilean lake district is much greener than that of the Argentinian which is in the rain shadow of the Andes. There are a lot of volcanoes on the Chilean side and you can see at least one of them from practically everywhere, if there is a clear weather. On the day we left Puerto Varas, unfortunately, the weather was not clear at all, so we couldn't see the Osorno volcano (which is actually quite far from the city bearing its name), even from the road that climbs it. We drove on this road and entered a thick fog, until we almost couldn't see the road and then gave up. We decided to spend the night at Ensenada, on the shores of lake Llanquihue, right bellow the Osorno and wait for the next day. We spent the night at a small hospedaje, with an old landlady. Sleeping in those small houses is like staying at a different type of grandparents everyday. For a single night, they are your family away from home.
It was a good thing that we stayed another day because the next day was clear and we could see that the town is surrounded by no less than 3 volcanoes. Imagine leaving in such a place...
We drove to Lago Todos los Santos (the lake of all saints), stopping on the way at the amazing Petrohue waterfalls. These powerful, turquoise waterfalls cut through the black volcanic stone, while the Osorno volcano with it's snowy top looks from above. Near Lago Todos los Santos we did a few hours hike, on the black shores of the lake. We climbed again (by car) the Osorno in the afternoon only to discover that despite its size, the Osorno is actually a very shy mountain. As soon as we started driving on the ascending road, a cloud came from nowhere and covered its peak. It stayed there exactly until we got down and then left.
On the next day, we drove between lakes (Rupanco, Puyehue and Ranco) and small villages, passing across 3 more volcanoes. As we already said in the previous post, the beauty of a lake depends strongly on the weather and the lighting. In our case, the grey clouds and the lack of sunshine made this day a bit less impressive. However, we drove through rural areas so beautiful that we actually considered buying ourselves a small farm with few cows and sheep in the area. When the sun did come out, the view of the Puntiagudo volcano above the fields and Rupanco lake was spectacular. While driving we stumbled upon a river (a big one) crossing the road in the middle. The only way to cross it was a by a small ferry, fitted to no more than 2 cars, that crossed the river whenever a car needed a ride.
The biggest advantage in having a car is the possibility to go off trek and sleep in small towns like Paillaco, where we slept that night. Paillaco proved again that these small towns have a magic of their own. We looked for quite a lot of time until we found the only place we could sleep in (except the Hotel). The house (as can be seen at the pictures) belonged to a very nice grandfather, who also was a violin teacher. We also ate a great (and very cheap) beef stew at a local place he recommended ("El Rapido").
We completed our tour through the Chilean lakes on the next day, driving through smaller and bumpier roads near the lakes Panguipulli, Calafquen and some smaller lakes. On the road to Puerto Fuy, we passed through the Hulla Hulla waterfalls, which really worth the long drive. The whole forest is a private park, so there is also a luxury hotel deep in the woods. Some lucky (and no doubt a fan of the "Lord Of The Rings" movie) architect got a free hand in designing this hotel. The results is a fairy kingdom made of wood, with hanged bridges leading to it. It was too dark to take good pictures, so you can try imagining it by yourself.
We had another half a day to spend until we had to return the car, so we visited Valdivia. According to the Lonely Planet, this is a nice studential city with a good wind from the sea. Once again the Lonley Planet proved to be inefficient and to miss the real issue. On the boardwalk, near the main square there is a fish market. The sellers clean the fish and throw the leftovers to river behind the counters. This simple act attracts countless birds to the place and several sea lions. They all stand less than a meter away from you. The birds (including seagulls,cormorans and large eagle size predator birds) are flying back and forth all the time trying to grab a piece of food. This place is a heaven for photographers and animal lovers. The locals seems to like this place, but the girls in the tourist information nearby didn't even mention it, so we almost lost the greatest attraction in Valdivia.
We returned the car that day and took the the bus to the next stop in our journey - The lovely town of Pucon, which will be the center of the next post.

Tip 1: If you anywhere near Lago Todos los Santos, you must visit the magnificent Petrohue falls, and if you are planning on staying in the area, you should stay in the "Escala II" hospedaje in Ensenada.
Tip 2: The Copec (the national gas stations company) map of Chile is a must for anyone travelling in this country. 3$ will buy you all of Chile.
Tip 3: Some of the roads in the Chilean lake district are much worse even from the ones in Carretera Austral. So you should drive accordingly, and take into the account the capability of your vehicle. We rented a good but very small car (for 3 adults), and there were places that it couldn´t pass so we didn´t even try.
Tip 4: Don't miss the fish market in Valdivia, and not only because of the fish, (read above, if you hadn't already). And while you are there, you can enjoy one of the many wonderful fish and sea food restaurants across the street.

Pictures

Two new albums were added: Chilean lake district and the fish market in Valdivia.

Bariloche and the lake district - The trasfiguration of Lilya

The new testament tells the story of the transfiguration of Jesus (Matthew 17:1-9). The story tells that Jesus and some of his followers climbed on a high mountain (the tradition claims this mountain was Mt. Tavor), where Jesus met Moses and Elijah, when a bright cloud appeared and a voice from the cloud said that Jesus is the son of god. Jesus face started glowing and he has changed in front of the men on the mountain. Lilya had a very similar experience here in Bariloche. As she went down the street she met the three grate ones: Don Alberto (steaks), RapaNui (Chocolate) and Jauja (Ice cream). In front of my eyes she has changed from the strict Spartan calorie keeper she was to a hedonist Roman emperor that enjoys all the goodness of life.
Oren on the other hand, became a bit concerned. After 7 years of having a small voice (Lilya) telling him when he had enough to eat, suddenly there is no such voice any longer, and had to decide for himself. He was really frightened by this amount of freedom given to him. He tried to put Lilya through some very difficult tests, for example offered to go get some chocolate/ice cream after a very very large dinner, but to his surprise, she failed them all.
The Steaks here are only the padding for the premium chocolate which is flushed by a quality (but quite cheep) wine. The afternoon is the icecream time, maybe after a good pasta or pizza. This is the Bariloche way of life.
After we were back from the Carretera, Oren had a nasty pain in his back so we decided to stay in Bariloche for a while. But we didn't spent all the time in the chocolate stores. While here, Lilya did a nice bicycle trip with Ohad, Gabi and Achia around few of the countless lakes around Bariloche (The "Circuito Chico"). On the next day we went together to the "17th km" - a nice lookout above the Nahuel Huapi (read as na-well wa-pee) lake.
After Oren got better, we rented a car (just the two of us this time) for 3 days and drove north on a road called "the 7 lakes road". The road crosses the Argentinian lake district and passes through 5-10 lakes (depending

on your definition to how small can a lake should be and still be named a lake). We had a wonderful weather on the first day and the drive was fantastic. A full day is enough to see all the lakes even if someone (the name is not important right now) constantly asks for picture stops. We came to the conclusion that the beauty of a lake depends on the location of the sun in the sky and the absence of wind. That's why lake number 5 is our favorite. The sun was low and the light was warm, so the landscape was painted with wonderful colors. There was no wind at all, so the lake became a mirror and reflected the mountains behind it. On the way back, by the way, this lake wasn't that great with all the clouds blocking the sun.
On that day we slept in San Martin de los Andes. This is a small (and better) version of Bariloche. The chocolates are here and so are the good restaurants, but the town is smaller, cleaner and more stylish, and just like a Dolce and Gabbana purse, for style you have to pay more. That's why there are almost no cheep places for budget tourists like ourselves. We spent the night at (probably) the only hostel in town. We got a big room with TV, so we could watch "Old Christine" and "Friends" even before breakfast. But most of all, we will probably remember this day as the day we ate 5 different animals (none of which was a chicken): A pig, a boar, a cow, a deer and a lamb. Argentina can be so diverse!
The next day we drove to Junin de los Andes. Several km north of Junin there is the northern entrance to Lanin National Park. The road takes you to the northern viewpoint over Lanin volcano. The sky had no clouds and the view of the snowy conical peak of Lanin with the clear blue sky was classic. We climbed the steep road through the rain forest for an hour, and arrived to one of the nicest lookouts we've seen until now. If you are there don't miss it.
In Argentina, every second town is the capital of something. Junin, for example is the capital of traut fish. Even the signs of the street names have a fish on them. So, you must try a trout in Junin, and so we did. We got a recommendation in return for helping a local Indian, and had two delicious trouts for dinner. We slept in San Martin again, since we wanted to see the next episode of "Old Christine".
On the next day we drove back to Bariloche. The road back goes back through the marvelous lake Traful. Only after driving for some time we realized that we are almost out of fuel. The red light lit 50 km from the nearest town. We got to Villa Traful on the last fuel vapors, only to find out that the gas station is closed. We already prepared ourselves to hitchhike to the next town (60 km ahead) with an empty juice bottle, when we remembered the first rule of Argentina: Nothing is open on the Siesta! We acted like the locals and had a Siesta of our own in our car, in the gas station. Luckily, because of the delay we got a better weather for the rest of the road (for the pictures, of course). We celebrated our return to heaven (Bariloche) with a nice pair of steaks.
On the next morning we tried to climb Mt. Catedral, near Bariloche. The cable cars that should have taken us up the mountain didn't work (well, it was Sunday, and why would something so touristic will be open on Sundays?), so we had to climb it by ourselves. Pacha Mama was on vacation this day and her place was probably filled by her wicked brother Bob, so we were stopped on the way up by the snow that started to fall. Bob didn't think that we will like it very much but he was wrong. Being the Israelis that we are, we didn't experienced snow falling for a long long time and we were very excited and naturally, took a lot of pictures.
We left Bariloche the next day to Osorno (in Chile) to see the Chilean lake district.

Pictures

New pictures from Bariloche and the Argentinian lake district are on the web.

Carretera Austral (Part B - The bless of Pacha Mama)

Carretera Austral (the Southern Road) is the name given to Chile's Route 7. Even though it runs about 1,240 kilometers, it provides access to only about 100,000 people. It was constructed under the presidency of Pinochet and opened to traffic for the first time in 1988 (there was no access to these areas before that). There aren't any hostels in most of the towns, there are only Hospedahas, extra rooms in the back of private houses. So if you want to cook yourself a dinner (which is necessary, since there are practically no restaurant there), you do it in someones private kitchen. We spent all our mornings and evenings in those kitchens preparing various meals and lots of pancakes, under the examining eyes of the owners, who wondered how can a meal be prepared by 5 people (3 of them are not even women!).

Carretera Austral is very popular especially among the Israeli travelers. There are three ways to cross it. The most convenient option is by renting a car in one of the large cities in the area. It is recommended to take a 4X4 truck or at least a high pickup (or something like Renault Kangoo) since the road can be sometimes rough. Since the road is mostly not paved, there are lots of warnings (for the tourists) about driving it. After driving few hundreds of kilometers in Northern Italy we can say that comparing to there this road is relatively safe. Nothing bad will happen to you (in a proper car) if you insist on driving carefully enough.

The other option, not recommended during the low season, is by hitchhiking. The people in the area are very nice, but there aren't too many vehicles going through this road, and it isn't fun to wait for the when it is raining.

There is also another way, ''Tiyul Shnati'' as we call it, an organized group of about 18 Israelis in a van that takes them to all the main attractions. One of the problems with this way of traveling is that the people in the van are not really sure if they are going north or south.

In the previous post we arrived to Perito Moreno at night. On the next day we crossed the border to Chile to a town called Chile Chico. The border crossing took a long time since we were almost alone. The inspectors of the agriculture ministry were so bored, that they did a thorough check in all of our bags to see that we didn't smuggle any meat, cheese or honey that can affect the delicate ecology of Chile. Since we couldn't bring any of these things into Chile, we had to buy new supplies before driving on. One important thing to know about Chile and Argentina is that they have three sacred things in their life: Religion, Football and the daily Siesta. If you choose to be hungry between 13:30 and 16:30, well, that´s your problem. We searched all over the town for some fresh bread but all the bakeries (Panadarias) were closed. We entered the only place that was open in the town, took some empanadas and ate them with delight. The drive continued through the Silver and Gold mines on the shores of lago (lake) General Carrera near Chile Chico. On the way we passed several Israeli hitchhikers that did the great mistake of hitchhiking in large groups. The fact that we were completely full didn't spared us the angry looks on their faces when we didn't stop to pick them up. We did stop the car later, but only to take some more pictures. The mines are surrounded by beautiful Lagunas, that make great photographs. Once you pass the lagunas, you start driving on a curved road right next to the shores of the lake. This road is amazingly beautiful, and the lake showed its different angles with every curve that we passed. We slept in Rio Tanquillio on the west shore of the lake.

On the next day we took a tour on a small motor boat to the marble caves. In the lake there are some large islands made of marble. The water has created grottoes inside the marble and the results are beautiful colorful caves. The deep green-blue color of the water completed the picture.

After the boat we drove through a narrow road starting from the north side of Rio Tranquillo. The road, which was one of the most beautiful in the Carretera Austral, passed by a lake and a glorious waterfall. The road ended with a 15 minute climb through a magical forest to a lookout over a small glacier which is part of the enormous Northern Ice Cap. We got to Villa Cerro Castillo late at night and immediately went to find Manuel (which was not so easy at dark), the horse owner and ordered the horse trek, and the Assado for the next day.
The horse trek in Villa Cerro Castillo takes you up to the laguna beneath the rugged peak of the Cerro Castillo mountain. The mountain got its name from the peak that look like a castle with lots of towers. The day started with the rather pathetic attempt to control the horses, that clearly knew better than us what needs to be done. Amapola, Oren's horse, was wild and stubborn and any attempt to try and dictate a slow paste was futile. Wild horses need to take the lead and as soon as Amapola found herself at the front of the line, she calmed down. Lilya had a much more constrictive approach. She just decided to let Almendra, her horse, do whatever she feels like (in Lilya's words: ''Not only am I sitting on her back, I will also give her orders??'') . Fortunately enough (for Lilya), Almendra was very well-mannered and knew exactly what she's doing. Except one time when Almendra, who didn't want to get dirty, decided to jump over one of the mud puddles, almost leaving Lilya behind.
The horses took us only half way up. The rest was a steep climb that was indeed worth the effort. We got to a laguna surrounded by tall cliffs from 3 sides. The deep turquoise color of the water was exceptional and definitely not a color that you would expect from a lake. We got back to the horses and then to the village where we were anxious to eat the "wonderful Assado" that was promissed to us by Manuel (and the Israeli recommendations on the wall). Well, the Assado turned out to be an extra well done steakes that were fried in deep oil. We think that we got the leftovers of the Israelis from the van that were there before us. We have met them again several times in the following days. It was probably the worst meat we ate until now, but we enjoyed the horse ride so much that not even this meal nor the pain in the back from the horses didn't effect the good mood we had.
We spent the night in a beautiful cabin for 5 people with a kitchen in Coyhaique. It was the end of Pessah, so Gabi made us Muphletas and we ate until we felt as if it was Hanuka (judging by the amount of oil).
The next day the rain came. It rained for 15 minutues and we got wonderful pictures of rainbows and sun-rays through the clouds. We had the time so we took an hour detour and got to a port town named Puerto Chacabuku, only to take a picture of us with its' silly name. The town itself, by the way, is not chukubuku at all as the name suggests but a nice town built around a port. We drove north towards Puyuhapi, and didn't miss the sunset over (or behind) the hanging glacier 25 km south of Puyuhapi where we met the Israeli van again. Since Puyuhapi is known in its fish dishes, we went to a fish restaurant. Again, the van guys were ahead of us in the restaurant, but the Salmon was great, altough took its time to show up in our plates.

Just before we got to Chaiten we passed through a pool of hot springs 5 km from El Amarillo. The van people were just leaving when we got there, so we had the pool all for ourselves. NO LOVEMAKING screamed the large sign near the pool along with 8 more rule written in Spanish that included no alcohol near the pool, so we gave up on the wine (and the lovemaking). The water was truly warm and had only a mild scent of Sulfur so we stayed there until it was evening and too cold outside the pool, and then drove to Chaiten.

Two years ago (in 2008) the volcano near Chaiten, that wasn't even listed with Chile's 140 great volcanoes had erupted. The eruption covered the area in volcanic ash, causing the river to block and flood the town. Until today the houses near the river are almost completely covered. Because of the fast evacuation, no one was hurt, but the town was almost abandoned for a while. Today there are only few families that live in Chaiten and try to recover the town.

We slept there at a house that once belonged to a family that probably left Chaiten after the eruption, and is now rented for the few visitors that come once in a while. Because of the creepy picture of a family in black and white that was hanging in the leaving room we gave the house the nickname "The Addams family residential". The dinner was weird since the little girl from the picture (Wednesday Addams?) kept staring at us the whole time. There is almost no electricity in the town, the little power there is comes from private generators, so the owner asked us not to light more than two light bulbs at the same time, and take quick showers (at least they were hot, unlike in other places we stayed in).

The next morning, packed with a lot of enthusiasm we headed to Pumalin national park to see the huge Alerce trees. Apparently, this is the largest private park in the world, and its owner is the co-founder of The North Face. We found out only when we got there that the park is closed because of the eruption. All we could see is the ruins of the road that enters the park and the strange rust color in the water that surrounded the dead trees near the parking place. We drove back to Chaiten and visited the town itself, now in daylight. The devastation can be seen anywhere in the town but especially near the river. We took some photos of the buried houses and then drove to Futaleufu where we slept.

The next day we drove straight to Bariloche. Needles to say that we ate again at Don Alberto's steak restaurant at that evening. After 9 days of the road, it was a nice finish to our trip.

Tip 1: You can give up on the Assado a Manuels and eat in Coyhaique. It is not expansive but we really didn't like it.
Tip 2: The hot springs near El Amarillo cost much less than the fancy ones near Puyuhapi.

Tip 3: The salmon in La Real restaurant (Puyuhapi) worth every penny, don't miss it.

Tip 4: Pick well your companions for the trip, after all you are going to spend more than a week in a car with them. Ours were so great that we didn't split even when we arrived to Bariloche.

Pictures

We uploaded photos from the Carretera Austral and ruta 40.

Carretera Austral (Part A - to Bariloche and back)

We need your help. If anyone knows Pacha Mama (the Chilean name for mother earth) please contact us immediately. We want to know what she likes to eat. Here in Bariloche we can probably find it and send it to wherever she is. We can build an altar and sacrifice it right here if needed. It is the begining of April an we had no rain all through the Carretera Austral. Let me say that again. NO RAIN. Actually, we did have 15 minutes of rain that came especially when we needed a rainbow for the pictures. As if the whole nature was recruited to help us compose the photographs. And not only in the Carretera. Until now we had the most amazing weather we could've expected, even though we are almost out of the season. But first thing first. This story begins with a bus.
"The busses in Argentina are the best ever" said the experts. As if...
We ordered two tickets to a bus from El Chalten to Bariloche from a guy that yelled "Balagan" everytime Oren was around. Lilya managed to avoid the treat, since no one belives she's an Israeli. This was the first bad omen. The second was the bus that looked small and not really up to the task. But the last omen came 5 minutes from the beggining of the ride. The bus driver (or his 10 years son) cound't use the manual gear properly. We jumped everytime he changed a gear until we stopped just outside the town and the other driver gave him a quick driving lesson. From there the memory of the ride becomes vage. A 33 hours ride through the unpaved rute 40 took more than 44 hours, when the bus broke down for several hours every now and then. One of these stops ended with an entire bus assembeling inside a small pub in a ghost town in the middle of nowhere at 2 AM.
We got to Bariloche one day before Pessah feeling as if it was us who got out of Egypt.
The Seder was held at the next evening in a large indoor basketball court that was arranged as a dining room for 700 people. The whole street was closed to protect all the Israeli backpackers that migrated to Bariloche from all over Patagonia and the lake district in Chile and Argentina. The noise was unbelivable and the Pessah songs sounded like a cheering in the basketball cup final in Yad Eliyahu. On one side, the fans of Hapoel Rabi Tarfon and on the other - Macabi Rabi Akiva. But the real mayhem started as soon as the food came. 700 hungry and tired youngsters grabbed as much as they could take. Any attempt of the 4 waiters to serve the food to the tables came upon a wave of people that entered the kitchen and took anything they could. At the end we did not leave hungry but mostly because of the enormous amount of beetroot we ate.
In the next two days we tried to find a car for rental. The Easter this year came a day after Pessah, and lots of Israelies and Easter bunnies (or Argentinians on vacation) rented cars, so by the time we got there, we could hardly rent a bike. At the end, we managed to rent the last Toyota Hilux in Bariloche, together with Gabi (a girl) and Achia (a boy), an Israeli couple that we met in the Torres del Paine. We drove south for two days via Ruta 40. This legendary rute (as the Lonely Planet defines it) is a boaring, mostly unpaved, road that took us deep into the Argentinian Patagonia - the land of the ships. In Perito Moreno (a small city, not to be confused with the name of the Glacier, the street, and everything else in Argentina called after this advanturer) we met Ohad. Ohad was one of the most annoying kids in the one of the groups in Hugei Siyur that Oren had guided 11 years ago. Ohad is still quite annoying, but now he is all grown up. And he is standing right behind us while writting these words and agrees with the description.
In the next morning we crossed the border into Chile and started driving north in the famous Caraterra Austral. In part B we'll tell you all about the wonderful days in the Carretera.

Tip 1: Try to avoid the busses that go from the south to Bariloche through Ruta 40.
Tip 2: If you decide to take part in a Seder in a Beit Habad, bring with you a lot of patience and holliday spirit (and eat something before that).