Adventure-packed Puçon!

Villerica Volcano
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The 6 hour bus ride to Puçon was relatively uneventful except for the majestic scenery of the Andes which literally takes your breath away! I try to get a window seat on the bus so I can take in as much as I can. Its strange but some people in my group are consummate readers and just have their heads stuck in books the entire way! I may have mentioned this before, but its always strange to witness this as I feel they miss out on so much. After all you can read when you get home, right? Anyway I just don´t understand that. So I have come to the conclusion that there are travellers and there are travellers. Some of the readers in the group are the most extensively-travelled people I have met, but I wonder what they see. Weird eh?

Street scene, downtown Puçon
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Ok, Puçon, Chile. A beautiful little town nestled in a lush valley beneath an imposing snow-capped volcano called Villarrica. It is highly geared for both local and international tourists, which means everything runs like clockwork and the town itself has well-manicured and well-tendered gardens making it very appealing. Puçcn is the adventure capital of Chile, much like Queenstown in New Zealand. There are an amazing array of adventure things to pack in such as; white water rafting,trekking & hiking,volcano climb, hot springs, (fly)-fishing, horseback riding, mountain biking, volcanic caves, canyoning, skiing, snowboarding (in the winter), skydiving, bungee jumping ... all those kinds of things. Many of the stores in the town itself are agents for these activities and I´d imagine that 90% of the income generated in the area would be from tourism.

Adventure-packed Puçon

Street scene, downtown Puçon
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Anyway, what did I get up to there? Well, never having done white water rafting before I decided to give it a try.  About 8 of us put our hands up for it and we were transported by minivan about 10k or so south of the town to where the river flows quite quickly. Anyway we were all kitted out with helmets (yeah that was a worry!) wet suits, gloves and a paddle. After the safety instruction, off we went! I have never been so scared in my life, but so exhilarated at the same time!! It was one of the most amazing experiences (of the adrenalin-pumping kind) that I have ever had! Many of you probably already know that rapids are classified according to their intensity; 1 being wussy, 6 the big kahuna. Anyway we had to negotiate about ten I guess over the one and a half hour trip down the river. There was only one class 5 I believe, and the rest were class 4 and below. Ohh my God, what a blast!! Its very difficult not to scream the entire way, which can be embarrassing once you realise its coming from you. At one stage we had to get out of the raft and walk around the class 6 rapid (which tourists are not able to go over). But of course there was a catch. To get back into the raft, we had to jump into the waterfall and swim to the raft (which the guide had taken over by himself)!!  Ever jumped into swollen rapids from a cliff? Man, was it scary, but I did it coz otherwise it meant scrambling down the side of a cliff, so seemed the easiest option. A couple of the women in our group couldn´t manage to do it, because it was pretty high. It was the most amazing fun I´ve had doing that kind of thing, and I wonder why I haven´t become an adrenalin junkie in the past. (Sorry there are no pics of this at the moment coz I didn´t take my camera, but we chipped in and got a DVD from the company which I´m getting a copy of).

One of my lunches in Puçon
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The next day was the Villerricca volcano climb, summit 2847 metres. Yeehahh!! We had all decided to attempt this because apparently its good training for the Inca Trail which happens in about 3 and a half weeks time. It was an absolutely beautiful day which you can see from the photos, and she was puffing a small amount of smoke. We set off at about 7:00am for the agent where we were kitted out with gear for mountain climbing. Again we had helmets, Ohh yeah!! Not only helmets, but complete snow gear, including an ice pick!!! The drive to the bottom of the volcano took about 30 minutes and we found that the chair lift that takes you up to the first part of the climb doesn´t work on Sundays!! So that meant a further one and a half hour hike, upwards. The hike itself took 7 hours, 5 and a half up, and 1 and a half down. I kid you not when I say its the hardest thing I´ve ever done in my life (and this includes childbirth!). It was a gruelling test of mental and physical strength which pushed me beyond any limit I believed was possible (for me I mean). I´m not what you call in the peak of physical condition (yeah, I´m regretting not going to the gym now), so I felt every single step. It was truely terrifying to look down sheer volcanic and ice cliff faces, scramble and slip on ice, master the ice-pick to stop you sliding down the side of the thing. Every now and again I would sneak a peek at the view, but that meant losing my concentration, so I didn´t do it that often.

Hotel where I had a massage and spa
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We were broken into three groups according to fitness and speed. I put myself in the slow group just in case I couldn´t make it. Anyway the two other women in my group started to struggle about the half way mark, and decided to call it quits. So I had to make a decision about whether I could make it. Because I had a guide to myself and I hadn´t come all the way around the world to give in, decided to push on. I actually made up time, and was only one of 5 people who made it to the last part of the summit where the acrid smoke billows all around you. I had a lung full of choking sulpher fumes to prove it!! I made it people!! I hope I´ve done you proud!! I reckon I got to about 2830 metres, coz it wasn´t that far to the rim, which we couldn´t see anyway because of the smoke. Unfortunately no lava to be seen either, but the conquest in itself I feel was worth it.

Close up of Villerica Volcano
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Ive got to say that the mental tenacity I´ve engaged in other areas came in handy and I was determined not to give ín, not for anything. I´ve got badly chapped lips, snow-burns all over my face and a dicky knee, which I hope will settle down in the next few weeks before Macchu Piccu. When I stopped to admire the view from the top it was simply breath-taking! From the top you can see several other volcanoes in the distance: the Quetrupillán, Lánin, Llaima, Lonquimay, Sierra Nevada, Chohuenco, Osorno, Tolhuaca & the three volcanoes of the Caburgua Lake. Also visible are the Caburgua, Calafquén, Huilipilun, Neltume, Panguipulli & Villarrica lakes which you can see in one of the photos.

Sunset over the lake at Puçon
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The descent was the fun part I have to say. They make these snow channel things that turn you into a human luge!! So you slide down the volcano, practically a third of the way (only the ice bits) on your bum at break-neck speed using your ice-pick as a brake. Its the adrenalin rush of the century for those looking for that kind of thing!!  I was so scared at times I´d flip out of the channels and tumble down the slopes, but managed (somehow) to keep it together. What another amazing day!!

View from the top of Villerica Volcano
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Next day, we were all complaining about the aches, twinges and pains so a few of us took ourselves off for a massage and spa (see the photo). It was the best thing to do after the previous day´s efforts for sure. Relaxing in a heated pool after a massage, alternating between the spa and sauna for about 4 hours seemed to do the trick and ready us for the night bus to Santiago.