PUCON ON LAKE VILLARICA

What Chile lacks in the indigenous culture so prevalent in everyday life in Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia, it makes up for in natural beauty. Chile has a very European feel to it and no more so than in the Lake District south of 700 km south of Santiago. Walking around the town of Pucon on the shore of Lake Villarica with its chalet style buildings and restaurants featuring fondues on the menu, you could imagine yourself in a ski resort in France. Snow capped mountains and volcanoes surrounded the town completing the alpine experience.

We were all glad to call our little self catering chalet home for 8 days and it came complete with a very friendly dog who made himself at home by the fireplace. It was a nice change from hotel rooms no matter how delightful they were.

There were so many activities to keep us busy. Unfortunately, ski season had just finished so we went horseback riding, white water rafting and canopying instead. Canopying is climbing to platforms in trees and zipping across the forest and rivers on wires!

The real highlight of the week had to be David, Rory and Alice ascending the Villarica volcano. Nine hours of arduous climbing with ice picks and crampons was not my idea of fun but they all managed it and I couldn't be more proud of them. They came back physically exhausted, the slush and ice having made the climb more difficult, but thoroughly exhilarated by reaching the top and looking into the crater.