The Lakes District

Well, the most recent 12 hour bus ride has finally put me into a completely different landscape. Long gone is the desert, the shrubby bits, etc. The 1800 miles that I have traveled south,thusfar in Chile has brought me to the verdant, rolling hills of the Lakes Region of Chile. IT is VERY green, with trees, flowers, grassy fields, cows, sheep, etc. It could be Charlottesville ...well, except for the amazing snow covered volcanos. I am at my third village along Lake Llanquihue (the second largest lake in Chile). It is a very blue lake and at the opposite side of the lake are two incredible volanoes. The first is a perfect cone with snow at the top. THe second is not a perfect cone but is no less beautiful, also covered with snow. I will post photos later but sadly, not here, on this circa 1985 computer. Evidently in the mid to late 1800s, many German immigrants settled in this regioun. The villages are quite charming with German style houses, churches, etc. This morning I visited the town of Frutillar, also on the lake, where I visited the German Museum which was quite nice. IT had some replicas of typical early German houses in the area (a house, blacksmith shop, barn, mill with water wheel, etc.). THen I traveled onward to Puerto Octay where I am staying tonight. The drive was particularly lovely, more green, rolling hills, lots of lazy cows, small farms and dairies, sheep, chickens, horses, all with the little German style houses. I am staying out in the country at a nice place--it is one of those German/Swiss type houses you see with grass growing on the roof. THe view of the conical volcano is amazing. TOmorrow I will return to Puerto Varas, another of the villages along the lake and then Friday will go on the 4 day boat trip to take me farther south. After the boat trip I will meet my dear friend, Sang Kyoung (who I met on Camino de Santiago walk 2 1/2 years ago in Spain) as she is also on a South American adventure. We will have about a week of hiking in the reportedly beautiful Torres del Paine National Park. So, I will likely not be able to communicate from the cargo ship. Oh, the miners getting out of the mine has been on the news non-stop here--great excitement for all.