HIGHLIGHT OF THE DAY: Being in the truck all dry
BUMMER OF THE DAY: It rained all afternoon
WORD OF THE DAY: Rain rain go away
We had a free day in Pucon today, so no alarm was set and we were just going to ‘wake up’ when we woke up. It was great to have a sleep in and we stirred a little after 9am. The showers were hot and with my Bolita’s for breakfast and the sun out, we were going to make the most of the good morning’s weather and take a walk into town. Adventure guy said it was going to rain sometime after 2pm, so we had plenty of time to wander before having to head back and miss the rain.
Pucon is located 780 km to the south of Santiago. It’s unrivaled location by a lake and a volcano and quite stable weather (especially in the summer) make it a popular destination for tourists. It offers a variety of sports and adventure/recreational activities for tourists, including water skiing, skiing, backpacking, white water rafting and kayaking, horse back riding, natural hot springs, zip line rides, and guided ascents of Villarrica volcano.
Pucon was established in 1883 as a fort in the aftermath of the Occupation of Araucanía when the Chilean state subdued the native population of Araucanía. The location of Pucon was found strategic because of being at the entrance to the Trancura Valley, a place that had become of the authorities' awareness since the Argentine army had chased a group of Mapuches into it though Mamuil Malal Pass during the Conquest of the Desert.
Pucon reminds me a small ski town in Colorado or a small Alaskan town. It is cute with wooden shop signs and lots of little shops to talk a wander in. We walked the main street and a few to the side before making a stop in the supermarket on the way back to camp. For some reason I have had a small craving for cabana, and I think I have found an equivalent here. They certainly like their sausages and salami here; there was a massive section just for these. So I have picked something that looks like cabana, so with that hope, I have also bought some cheese and some dip, well it looks like dip, some bikkies and we have munchies that look just like home. This will hit the spot this afternoon… Mmm Mmm Mmm
There seems to be a few good bakeries around town and we stopped in one on the way back. I got a sausage roll, literally it was a sausage in some pastry and Kate got a cheese empanada and we sat on the water front and watched the dark clouds roll in over the small marina not far from the camp site. We moved on as the first few drops of rain started to fall just before 1pm.
There weren’t too many people around camp. 5 peeps had gone and done the morning Hyrdospeeding, while the others spent time at the internet and café’s/chocolate houses in town. So we pretty much had the truck to ourselves. I had my cabana and cheese on biscuits and I have to say it hit the spot just nicely for lunch. We have been able to pick up free Wi-Fi from the hotel next door and it is fast and has a great signal so as the rain beat down on the truck we were able to internet all afternoon. I have been able to add photos to my blog entries, update my Bernstar Jumps on Facebook and get in touch with people I just haven’t had a chance to for the last few months. Gray started the truck up at one stage as the battery of my laptop died to keep me going till it went flat again, so I had to use one of the outside outlets which are under a letter box type structure. So I had to double bag the laptop, and then popped it into another plastic bag so I could hang it from the point under the eaves of the box. Hopefully it would stay dry as it charged.
Gray in the morning had erected a side canopy and we moved the picnic tables to be under cover, which was a great move as the heavens really opened the flood gates and we got a lot of rain in the afternoon. Everyone’s tents seemed to be holding up okay, but we had quite a few large rivulets running past our tent at one stage. At least we knew that it could stand the rain after Salta’s drops, but you just never know what Mother Nature has in store. We had to keep an eye on the side canopy as it kept getting large puddles of water pooling on the canvas, so we had to keep emptying that off or the whole thing would have collapsed under the weight of the water.
As it happens, the dirt turned to mud and as people came back through the afternoon, wet clothes were getting strung around the truck and a lot of mud was getting carried into it as well. This can’t be helped and this is the ‘fun’ part of camping right? Right? It really is the only time we have had really bad weather which is a shame for the newbies to start with being their first days on tour and also for us being in Pucon which is an outdoorsy kind of place and we are cooped up in the truck. These things happen though and I am making the most of the free time and free internet.
8 of the group left at 5pm for the second shift of the Hyrdospeeding and to hear how it all went when they got back was re-assuring that I don’t think I would have had fun. It was really an adventure sport with you riding rapids, hitting yourself on rocks in freezing water and swallowing a lot of the river at the same time as you got dumped. Mick even got stranded on some rocks at one stage and also lost his board I believe. I can see why they supply wet suits and a helmet for the activity. Yeah as mentioned I am really not a water baby and didn’t sound like my cup of tea.
The rain stopped at around 8pm, just in time for the return if the cold Hydrospeeders and the serving of dinner. Mark cooked up a feast of Tortilla’s with chicken and mince and we even had sour cream and guacamole. We were very spoilt that is for sure and it was great to have some warm food in our bellies. The temperature had really dropped and it was getting really cold. With a low of 4C expected tonight, I am glad I have a blanket as well as my sleeping bag in the tent.
So it was a pretty low key day spent at the camp site. The weather is supposed to be the same tomorrow as well, but we have a ‘tour of the area and hot springs’ tour booked tomorrow at 2.30pm, so we will at least get out and about a little in the afternoon. Fingers crossed for not too much rain and that will make the day more bearable.
Goodnight from a waterlogged camp site in Pucon.
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