Buenos Días desde Osorno, Chile! It´s been over a week since I last wrote, and as per usual, my life has been a boatload full of adventure, new faces, new friends, and seeing new places.
When I last wrote, I was biding my time for a few hours in the tourist haven of Puerto Varas until Fito - my new Chilean "boyfriend" - got off work so I could be whisked off to his casa in the totally non-touristy town of Llanquihue - once again I got to be one with the gente...woohoo! - and meet my new Chilean family. When in touristy towns, I have tried to stay off the beaten tourist track by going to restaurants owned by locals and little frequented by the gringo crowd - I LOVE gringos, I really do - heck, most of the time, I myself am a pretty lovable gringa (always gringa, not always loveable...), but while here I want to speak Spanish, meet locals, and talk to them about their work, the town they live in, their lives, their culture. And I find this is best done by avoiding los gringos... When I hang out with other travelers, I tend to become far more closed off to talking to strangers. I actually find it quite challenging to put myself out there and start talking to locals, but when Im alone and there are only locals to talk to, I can choose between being friendly or being lonely. I strive to be friendly and often meet some great people and have some pretty wonderful experiences as a result. So on that "anti-gringo" note, I walked around in search of the emptiest, yet cheeriest (and cheapest) place I could find, and was fortunate enough to spend nearly three hours chatting it up with Pablo and his girlfriend at their small, but cheery cafe as he prepared me a delicious salad and sopaipilla (fried bread filled with cheese). They were just as fascinated with my life as I was with theirs - I like to think of it as Cameron´s Cultural Exchange Program!
And then it was midnight and off to Fito´s to meet mom, dad, and sister Macarena. I ended up spending 4 days in Llanquihue with Fito and his fantastic family! We spent many many hours sitting around their wood burning stove in the kitchen talking about life and the cultural differences between los estados and Chile. And in one humorous moment, Fito´s father did his best to try to teach me how to adeptly light the stove with a match. I drew the line when he tried to get me to start the wood-burning stove. I nearly burned down a house in NC trying to do the very same thing - no need to cause such destruction in the lovely house of my hosts! Sunday, Macarena and I went to the nearby town of Frutillar to wander along the gorgeous beachfront with stunning views of Vólcan Osorno and eat kuchen, a German version of pie. AMAZING! I gave her a mini-English class so she could surprise her English teacher the next day with such exciting phrases as "May I go to the bathroom?"
Monday, Fito and I headed to Puerto Montt, and I must admit that I have to take back my previous statement in which I labeled this a big, ugly town. It´s big, and not particularly attractive, but I liked it. It certainly helped having a local cart me around - the overwhelm factor was significantly reduced by having Fito there, and there was something really nice about walking along the waterfront on a dreary rainy day watching the fisherman bring in the day´s catch and later eating a big piece of freshly caught salmon at a market on the waterfront with the smell of salt and fish in the air. We also trudged our way up a steep muddy hill to get a view of the city and as we arrived to an open pasture high above the city, we were greeted by a herd of grazing cattle munching on grass and blackberries. Seriously, these cows have one fairly well-rounded diet! I had to draw my attention away from the view to snap a photo of one particular cow eating his way through a giant blackberry bush like it was just another day at the fruit and grain buffet!
Tuesday, I headed off on my own to explore Volcan Osorno a little closer up. I took a bus to Petrohue where I hiked several hours on the volcanic ash up to a viewpoint giving a stunning view of the volcano, Lago Petrohue, and the mountains beyond. Later, I headed to the nearby Saltos de Petrohue, a series of waterfalls at the mouth of the river. It was nice to head of on my own a bit and wander around in a relatively unvisited area - the bus literally dropped me off at the end of the road. NOthing between where I was in Chile and Argentina except, you know, the ANDES!!
And then Wednesday, after a delicious lunch, the whole Ruiz family carted me off to the bus station to bid me adeiu as I boarded the bus for a ONE HOUR bus ride to Osorno. It was perhaps the sweetest experience Ive had on this trip. This whole family standing there waving at me and blowing me kisses and making me promise to call as soon as I got there. My OWN family doesnt even drive me to the airport as a group when Im leaving for months...
So off I went, once again, to see a new town and visit a new friend. I was to meet up with Claudio, a friend I met a couple of months back in Bariloche. He lives and works as a teacher in Osorno and invited me to stay if I ever passed through. And after getting myself oriented in the bus station - this is a town of 140,000 people (i.e. - overwhelming bus station experience ensued), I staggered down the street under the weight of my seemingly heavier backpack (when I go back in April, I am leaving everything except the only two outfits I have worn the whole time I am here - one really can live with so little when necessary!), and was delighted to discover that Claudio lives only about a 10 minute walk away from the bus station on a very quiet street - un otro mundo from that of the hectic, bustling bus station.
And here I am! Osorno, Chile. Another one of those "non-touristy" towns that I like so much. In fact, I would never have come here if it weren´t for being invited as Lonely Planet has some pretty dismal things to say about the city. But Ive found it quite delightful. Once I dumped my bag and had someone to point me in the right direction, I had a fantastic time wandering among the many markets in downtown, visiting the big fruit, veggie, fish, and artesan market on Saturday, sitting in the Plaza de Armas next to a beautiful fountain listening to the church bells chime while writing in my diary, heading a short bit away from Claudio´s casa on bike to ride along the rolling hills through nearby farmland, and - best of all - listening to Claudio and his friend play Blues music - that´s right, BLUES - in his living room as they prepare for a show they have in few weeks. Claudio is a very well-rounded individual with a diverse array of interests - he teaches English to pre-schoolers, rock climbs all over Chile, Argentina, and France and is also one of the only people in this area - in Southern Chile, really - who plays the harmonica. He has pretty much mastered playing the Blues on his guitar and harmonica and people all around search for him when they need a harmonica player. So here I am, a chica born and bred in Mississippi - the honest-to-goodness Home of the Blues - listening to renditions of Blues greats by the likes of Muddy Waters and Ted Hawkins, among many others, in Osorno, Chile - incredible! Not only that, but he also serenaded me with Tom Petty and Cat Stevens - my own private folk/rock concert - woohoo! Nothing like a good dose of some of your favorite music from the homeland to make you feel all warm and cozy (and perhaps a little homesick)!
After several days of exploring Osorno, Claudio and I headed out together to nearby Parque Nacional Peyuhue where there are several natural hot springs tucked into the side of the Andes near the Chile-Argentinian border. We meandered our way through a gorgeous forest with giant trees that surely rival some of those in Joyce Kilmer in NC (i.e. really really big around!). I took the opportunity to monkey around a bit feeling like a kid in a jungle gym climbing up the trees and exploring the cool nooks and crannies created by the roots and trunks. And after a somewhat steep climb, up a we were rewarded with an fantastic panoramic view of the river valley below and the Andes all around us. And once again I felt this overwhelming sense of happiness at the opportunity to lay my eyes on such beauty:). Month 5 into my trip, and I continue to feel like I am staring at a painting someone has presented before me. This canNOT be real, can it? This place is too beautiful for words. I find myself sitting in moments like this, trying to take it all in, wanting to think of nothing more than the place where I am, this moment. I know this cannot go on forever, but for now, I want to be here. In the present. I love it here. It´s beautiful. Will I come back someday? I sure hope so. And I hope next time I can share it with Poppa T, or Annelle, or Jarratt, or - who knows - maybe even mom!
So here´s my thought on Osorno, Chile. Lonely Planet has it all wrong. It actually does not get much better than Osorno. Local flavor, great fruit and veggie markets, and within 5 miles you are in the country. One hour to natural (and free!) hot springs, crystal clear lakes, free-flowing rivers, volcanoes, and mountains for trekking all offering incredible views of the Andes al fondo. One (maybe two) hours to the Pacific Ocean. Im accepting offers forany and all jobs as a tourist rep for la ciudad!
Im not sure how much longer I will be here. There are stilla few places around here I would like to visit. But the next stop is Junín de los Andes, Argentina - oh dear, ANOTHER border crossing - to visit Noelia and Tay and pick up some things I left back in January, and then Im heading up to San Juan to meet up with Chicago Joe. That´s right, Im having a visitor - woohoo!! Until the next aventura...¡VIVA!
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