El Asado en Quincho de Los Nevados

Pucón is famous for it's monsoon weather in May and June and the forecast called for 100% chance of showers all day Saturday, the day we scheduled to hold an asado, or BBQ, up in the foothills east of town. Our landlord has a quincho or rustic ranchhouse that we arranged to use at a campo called Los Nevados about 4km up a dirt road above the same Camino Internacional we followed to Argentina over May Day. Invitations had been sent out before the chicas had even arrived in town, and fifty guests were expected to attend a party for Joslyn and her six girlfriends, in celebration of the visit to Chile and Joslyn's 21st birthday.

As predicted, Saturday dawned under black clouds heavy with rain. There would be no horseback riding or outdoor games or trout fishing for entertainment. But a team of cooks were roasting lamb, beef, chicken, salmon and sausages over a bed of coals, enough to feed a regiment. A dozen salads and another dozen desserts were ready to be placed out on the buffet counters.

Big pitchers of Pisco Sours, bottles of Chile's famous German-tradition beer, fine white wines, and sodas for the kids were chilled and frosty. We worried that guests would hesitate to travel or perhaps get stuck on the unimproved road.













But we didn't need to worry. Chileans come from hardy stock, as do our gringo friends who choose to live here. We arranged for a big van to bring guests from the Language Pucón offices and another to bring us. Others drove their 4x4's and somehow or another, by 1pm, in pouring rain, the cabin began filling with warmth from the fireplaces and people ready to have a good time.













We started with hor d'oerves of suasage on baguette followed by seemingly endless trips to refill our plates at the fire and the salad buffet. Susan and Richard cribbed some remarks in both English and halting Spanish from scribbled notes and, misty-eyed, led the first toasts to their first child now come of age. Joslyn blew out her candles amid hope all her wishes will come true. The cake was served. Willy Jr., the proprietor's son, programmed a rasher of reggeton from his iPod and some played liar's dice, while others danced and drank wine or piscola, until the absent sunlight disappeared altogether behind the horizon and the tired revelers made their various ways down the mountain.

Bailar, Bailar

Introduction to Spanish

Friday, the chicas walked into Pucón to have a lunchtime encounter with a few local English language students at our favorite eatery, Latitude 39.

Susan explains what to expect before the students arrive.

There will be several intervals, each ten minutes long, devoted to speaking in either Spanish or English. When the daughter of our hosts, three-year-old Dublin, rings the bell, conversation changes to the other language.

Locally brewed Kunstmann cerveza, or schopp, is on tap to quench thirsts and aid in breaking through the language barriers. SanDiego-style fish tacos and lettuce wraps also help sustain the speakers between rounds.

Hand-to-hand arm wrestling brought the participants mano a mano when mere words weren't enough to express the passion of communication.

Lunch ended too quickly when the students had to return to their jobs, but they were all invited to attend the asado to be held the following afternoon at a quincho in the foothills and continue the conversation then.

After lunch with the language students, the chicas walked across town to volunteer a little play time with some children at the Hogar Bettania, Pucón's girl's orphanage.

Recently re-painted and well maintained, Hogar Bettania is home to about 22 girls and young women, orphaned, or abandoned by parents who cannot care for them. Susan is a regular volunteer, playing jump rope outdoors with the younger girls while the weather allows.

BobbiJo demonstrates how to play "pattycake".

Joslyn and Cate offer some wlecome physical contact.

Ojos de Caburgua

Just east of Pucón a prehistoric landslide blocked the valley with volcanic debris and created Lago Caburgua. The porous stone allows an underground river to drain the lake into the Rio Liucura. At the point where the water comes out of the ground is a series of waterfalls called the Ojos de Caburgua, or the "Eyes" of Caburgua. Above, Cate and Joslyn pose before the Ojos.

Cate, Joslyn, BobbiJo and Hannah V

Treed the Katy

BobbiJo and Joslyn

Mi Casa Está Llena De Chicas

The school year has ended at home, so we invited our daughter Joslyn, and six of her friends, to fly down to Chile for a visit in celebration of Joslyn's 21st birthday. For the next two weeks we'll be touring the sights of Arucania and spicing up the sleepy town of Pucón with some gringa excitement.
Here they are at the Pucón Beach on Lago Villarica, click photos to enlarge (l to r):
Kaitlyn Cowen, Hannah Wareham, Hannah Van Arsdell, Catherine Pickering, Joslyn Thomas, Bobbi Jo Tolman and Chiara Norbitz

Chiara

Katy, Chiara and Hannah W.

Joslyn and Cate

Bobbi Jo

Katy and Hannah W.

Hannah V. and Joslyn

The oldest chica, Susan, with daughter, Joslyn.

Local Birdlife

Queltehue or Southern Lapwing

Picaflor chico or Green-backed Firecrown Hummingbird

Martin Pescador or Ringed Kingfisher

Bandurria or Black-Faced Ibis

Peuco or Harris's Hawk

A Weekend in Argentina

Henry got out of school at 1pm on Thursday for the May Day weekend holiday, called the Dia de los Trabajores or "Day of the Workers" here in Chile. It also marked our first ninety days in Chile, since our arrival February 1st, and that meant our visas were expiring and we must leave the country. So we drove the Camino Internacional east three hours around Volcán Lanín and over Paso Mamuil Malal (1,208m) through the border stations to Argentina, where we stayed the weekend in the resort town of San Martin de los Andes.

On the road to Argentina.

We parked under a huge Arucaria or Monkey-Puzzle tree for a view of Volcán Lanín (3,747 m) on the high plateau that descends into Argentina from the border.

Red berries on a tree beside Lago Lacar, the lake at San Martin de los Andes. It is one of the Siete Lagos, or Seven Lakes (the only one actually in Argentina) that are generally reached from roads beginning at the Panamericana in Chile.

Beautiful fall colors add splendor to a day trip on the lake. Richard and Henry skied great powder snow at the resort of Chapelco above the town when we visited here in late August of 2007.

During the evenings we'd cruise the town and eat out at the local restaurants. A couple of times we ran into a young couple from Australia who were vacationing in San Martin. As English speakers, we struck up a conversation and got acquainted. Turns out they worked yacht charters in the Carribean and were in Buenos Aires in the off season to finish college and work part-time. Sunday, we returned the way we came, back to Chile, with fresh visas in our passports good for another three months stay.

The intrepid Aussies took a bus down to Bariloche and rented a car there, which they drove west across the cordillera by another route through the Siete Lagos region, and up to Pucón, where they stayed a night at our house! We guided them on to a local hot springs before they had to drive back over the pass to return their rental car and catch a bus back to BA in time for scheduled exams and work.

Rocke Wilkinson and Sagorika Platel with Susan at our house in Pucón.