Double thumbs up

I feel like I'm leading a double life at the moment... At work I have to be smart, speak good English, and in be generally upstanding, whilst I spend my weekends living in a tent and coming face to face with real Chile. Two realities...

Last week at work we held the annual "English Day", including various activities and exhibitions related to England and the INACAP's got talent competition, songs in English of course. The first round was for schools, then INACAP students in the evening, and guess who had to be a judge.... Ha. The range of ability was striking, but the finalists were all fantastic, making it a hard job to judge. Interesting though. 

The day started at 9am, and we didn't finish judging until 9pm, after which we had a departmental meal to celebrate, meaning I didn't get home until midnight! A long day... 

Fortunately, it was a long weekend - a great excuse to get out of Conce! At 10.30am I met up with a friend and 1hr later we were on the road. Our first ride, with a local family, picked us up before we'd even stopped to stick our thumbs out! The second: a pair of Spaniards, then a tired traveller with a myriad of stories and wisdom from the university of life who took us almost to our destination - Parque Nacional Conguillio. After stopping in Curacautín to pick up supplies, we set off walking towards the park, were advanced by a pick-up who took us up the road, then carried on walking, then another pick-up, then more walking... until we met Ester. An older woman with her daughter, who happened to have lived 15 years in Switzerland. It wasn't long before she invited us back to see the house they were building and home for tea. They told us that just two days ago it had been snowing in the park, and we might have trouble getting in, and as the conversation flowed, it became increasingly logical to head for the park the following morning. 

Just the kind of motherly figure that I've been lacking - home cooking and a warm welcoming environment. We felt so at home there that we didn't think twice about accepting their invitation to spend the night. There were ample beds available and piles of blankets!

After hitch-hiking 300 km in just 6 hours and meeting some amazing characters, I'm thoroughly convinced that there is no better way to discover Chile. I've also learnt a hell of a lot about Chilean attitudes and history. There seems to be some general insecurity about Chilean characters, and people are all to ready to tell me about how as a race, they inherited all the bad characteristics from the Spanish - that their all lazy thieves and generally not a particularly nice bunch, yet my own experience is completely the opposite. I've found Chileans to be nothing but friendly, helpful and interesting! Another feeling I get is that there tends to be an elevated importance accorded to race. Not that there is any particular discrimination in a certain direction, but race is conceived of as important and a differential factor among people. This is just as clear in examples within Chile - i.e. with the Mapuche and other indigenous groups - as it is with foreigners and the way certain nationalities are describes, hinting towards generalisations and the idea that a person's behaviour can be determined by their origins. 

Friday felt like a dream. Standing out under the clear sky looking up at the Llaima volcano across the valley in Conguillio National Park, illuminated by the light of the moon and stars, on my right; the soft snoring of a dog, to my left; the sounds of laughter emanating from the country house, I suddenly became very aware of literally living the dream - discovering, travelling, sharing, exploring. Living. It's a happy place to be. 

Our second family in Curacautín

The following day we left after a convivial breakfast and set off towards the park, thumbs at the ready. After walking for a while, taking in the breathtaking landscapes and admiring the volcano from below, we were picked up by a couple who also happened to be from Conce. :)

As we ascended towards the park entrance, the temperature dropped significantly... we passed fields of volcanic rock, remains from the last eruption in 2008 (yep - it's an active volcano!), and the ones that came before, then forests, a mix of black rock, green trees, and white snow as we got further up.

We were reassured by the park ranger that the campsite was lower in altitude and was snow free... So we set off to trek across the park. It was cold, but we were fine as long as we kept moving, negotiating the more slippery sections. After an hour and a half, we reached Lake Conguillio.

We set up the tent, made some tea and stopped moving long enough to get chilly. I was slightly apprehensive about what it would be like overnight... But that was a worry for later. In the mean time, we set off to go and explore some of the park and weave between the famous Arucanias - a species of tree native to the region. I'd never seen anything like the landscapes that we were in the middle of... the stark colour contrasts, volcanic soil and dizzyingly steep cliffs are incomprehensible, I think I need to go back just to try and take it in. It's also kind of jurassic; the park was used as the backdrop for BBC's Walking With Dinsosaurs back in 1999 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lyJQAZGnstg. 

As we headed to the Laguna Arcoiris (rainbow lake) we crossed paths with a couple, also heading that way, so decided to join up making for a jovial and companionable walk - she was French, he was Chilean, and they were both extraordinarily friendly. 

The lake was formed following a volcanic eruption some 130 years ago, and a forest was submerged, creating an amazing depth of colour in the water, which actually has a multicoloured sheen, especially when the sun is out. But more staggering was the intensity of the blues and greens, which unfortunately my camera can't quite manage. 

Laguna Arcoiris

After a short break, we carried on walking and eventually came out of the forest into another volcanic field of black sand and rock, interspersed with patches of bright green, where vegetation had miraculously managed to sprout from a seemingly lifeless soil. When we reached Laguna Verde (green lake) we stopped to share out some biscuits, refuel a bit against the cold in preparation to trek back. Here we exchanged contact details, and left our new friends to head back to camp whilst they carried on in the direction of Melipeuco where they were staying. 

Laguna Verde

The clouds were beginning to look a little threatening, and true to form... As we started back along the path, it started snowing. First a bit... and then a lot...

And not a single car was passing in our direction! Until finally, we were picked up by a park ranger who took us back to the campsite, where thankfully it wasn't snowing... 

There was already a fire going in the designated area, under a shelter, so after drying off our snowy clothes, we layered up with everything we had and made some dinner.

I went to bed with two sets of leggings, joggers, two tops, three jumpers, coats, gloves and hat and miraculously, didn't suffer too much with the cold. Two pairs of socks weren't enough, but I just forgot about my feet for the night. We'd been walking all day and I was more than knackered. It's good to know that with enough layers, I'm just about equipped to camp out in the cold. Still think I'll invest in a couple of bits and pieces before I head south... 

On Sunday we left with a Spanish-Chileno couple who had a two spare seats in their car, heading for Santiago, so we went with them as far as Chillán before hopping on a bus to Conce. I wasn't feeling too well, something we ate clearly didn't agree with me! So I was supremely grateful for the relaxed and easy company for the route back. They offered me a charcoal tablet and made me an infusion to help me feel better too! Making more friends on our hitching adventure. I don't think I've ever got so many contact details whilst hitch-hiking! We spent the whole trip chatting and meeting so many people that we barely saw the park. I'm sure we'll cross paths again somewhere, and we've left open invites for the couples to meet up in Conce if they fancy a visit. 

Can't wait for the next adventure...