Pucon and the Villarica volcano

All across South America there are people that are willing to take care of Israelis (for money of course). They get discounts for Israelis all over the town, they sometimes own a hostel full of Israelis, they organize tours, and most important, they speak Hebrew. There is Juan in Puerto Natales, there are Ido & Leon in El Chalten and in El Calafate, and there is Gideon in Pucon.
The Israeli tourists are very different from the European ones. They are usually much younger (right after the Army), and some of them you wouldn't let cross the road by themselves. They sometimes travel in a large and "happy" (loud) groups. Lots of them haven't experienced much in their life, that's why they are willing to climb on very high mountains or take part in rapid 5 rafting (the stormiest one), without being at the Banyas even once. This is why traveling in large groups and getting help from people like Gideon helps those who are less oriented. So if you are parents to a 21 year old girl that can't tie her own shoes, and she decides to go to South America by herself, don't worry, she will find her herd here and manage just fine.
Pucon was the first place we had to deal so closely with all the Israelis. We came to Gideon's after getting a recommendation from friends (Gabi & Achia) in order to book a place on the next morning climb on the Villarica volcano (2847m). It was the first clear day after few rainy ones, so there were a lot of people planning on climbing that morning. You can't climb it without a guide, since the top of the mountain is covered with snow and ice, so you need special equipment for that part.
The next morning, after a "joyful" ride in a minibus full of Israeli kids, we arrived to the lower slopes of the Villarica, only to find out that the ski-lift, that should have save us 400m of climbing, doesn't work (even though there were dozens of people willing to pay for it). So now there were about 1600m for us to climb. Our group consisted of 31 people and 9 instructors. We stopped from time to time for a break and at some point we reached the snowy part and had to put on the crampons on our feet. The climb was quite difficult and the pace was quick. Some of the instructors were very anxious to return before the Inter-Barcelona game at 14:45, so they kept encouraging us to go faster. The last 400 meters were the steepest and it took some time for the instructors to decide whether we can climb it (because of the wind, the ice and the smoke coming out of the volcano). At the end they decided that only those who think that they can keep up with the fast pace can continue, they also asked us to be honest with ourselves. Oren, who was an honest person, and also short of breath, decided not to go on. Lilya turned out to be less honest, but very anxious to see the top of the volcano. The rest of the climb wasn't easy, mostly because of the pace, but not very long. The last dozens of meters of the climb weren't so pleasant, mostly because of the Sulfurous smoke coming out from the crater. But the magnificent view from the top was worth it all. All around the volcano there was a blanket of low clouds, and from a distance we could see the Lanin volcano on the border with Argentina and two other volcanoes peaking from the clouds. The Villarica crater itself was quite deep (about 150 meters), but from time to time the volcano got angry and spit a little bit of lava. Since Lilya didn't carry her own camera, the only pictures from the top were taken by Ohad.
The way down was the fun part. There were some routes on which you can slide down, while sitting on your behind. It kind of reminded the sliders of water parks, except for the freezing cold.
The day ended with Inter passing over Barcelona on the way to the Champions League finals, which was a proper ending for Lilya's good day, and a poor ending to Oren's.
The next day was Oren's birthday, so in addition to the every morning pancakes, he got a stupid looking birthday hats, we all had to wear in the hostel all day long, to the great amusement of the hostel owners, and their kid. Unfortunately, Oren stomach had a celebration of its own, so we decided to spend the day in Pucon.
The town is pretty touristic, full of tourist agencies, restaurants, a "North Face" store and a lake of course. Because of the proximity to the volcano, on the main street there is a special traffic light, that informs you on the condition of the Villarica. We checked it each day, but to our disappointment it stayed green all the time. We did get a chance to see a performance by the Villarica whenever the night was clear. The lava painted the gas coming out the volcano in red so it looked as if it was erupting. Oren spent half an hour taking the picture of it...
That day we met two very nice dogs that kept following us for the rest of our stay and wait for us every time we entered a building, even though they didn't get any food for four days. Their love was truly unconditional (are you listening, cat lovers?). Only on the last day Lilya prepared one of them a chicken soup from some leftovers. The look on their faces when we got on the bus out of Pucon was heart breaking.
On our fourth day in Pucon, Lilya and Ohad went canyoning (SNEPLING MAPALIM in hebrew). It seemed that most of the tourists have left Pucon, and we got a private instructor. They give you a full diving suite and even a waterproof coat, that protects you from the cold water, at least for the first waterfall...
You´re supposed to decline beside the waterfalls, but you can jump in and out of them, while hanging from the rope. All together there were 4 waterfalls to descend. On the next day, the three of us took a half our bus to see the beautiful Ojos de Caburgua waterfalls, and lake Caburgua. Don't miss these if your in Pucon.
We left Pucon (and Chile) on the next day. On the way to the Argentinian border, while crossing the Andes, the scenery was amazing. May is the middle of Autumn here and the rainforest was painted in different shades of yellow and red. We also saw the most breathtaking lake, surrounded by colorful trees covered with mist. It felt like Chile is telling us not to leave, maybe we haven't seen enough of it yet. After crossing to the Argentinian side of the Andes, all the colors magically disappeared.
Chile is definitely the most beautiful country we've seen so far.

Tip 1: Gideon's tourist agency on the main street of Pucon (O'Higgins, what else?) is very recommended. The guys at the office are very nice and helpful, the guides seemed to be very professional, and the prices are relatively low. Don't be intimidated by the large, noisy (or jolly, depends on your perspective) Israeli groups.
Tip 2: The guys at Gideon's recommended us a good place to have lunch at with only one condition: We can't tell anyone else (in Pucon) about it. If you are in Pucon right now, go to the next tip. The place is a very small and local and they want to keep it that way. It is in a private house, with no sign on the door. It is called "La Picada" and it is located on 215 Paraguay street. They only serve two dishes but they are very good and very cheep.
Tip 3: Our hostel is one of the main reasons for staying in Pucon for so long. It is called Maitahue and it is on 965 Cacique Paillalef. The señora of the hostel will probably wait in the bus stop when you'll arrive.