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.