Tuesday, November 23, 2010

Life gets harder...

Ok, that is a blantant lie!

It hasn't gotten harder (yet... but I am sure it will). Life did get more breathtaking for a week as we accompanied my father-in-law to his conference in Puerto Varas, a small touristy town just north of Puerto Montt, in the Lake Region of southern Chile (about 1000 KM/621 mi--10 hours by car with my speed-devil FIL).





Puerto Varas is one the shores of one of the biggest lakes in Chile: Lago Llanquihue (yan-QUI way) with the background view of two volcanos: Osorno and Calbuco.





Among Chileans there is a kind of collective nostalgia for the south of Chile... captured in one of the songs from Los Prisioners in the 80's: Tren al sur


With its lakes, rivers, forests, volcanoes, mountains, and fjords (and lots of rain) it is also a popular destination for tourists who come to Chile. I love the south of Chile, I think because it is very similar to the geography of the Pacific Northwest where I lived for many years. In fact if you flip the globe they are on parallel inverted lattitudes (if that makes any sense).

While travelling with two small tots is never exactly relaxing, we did have a great time and enjoyed the stunning scenery.






We ate in places like these:



I tried raw oysters for the first time. I tried to photo-document it, but it turns out I am not all that attractive while eating, so I will spare you that photo. Verdict: they are actually pretty good, I am not sure why I resisted so long.

By far, the highlight of the trip was the Saltos de Petrohue, a series of falls at the base of the Osorno Volcano.





I still can't get over the color of the water... mesmerizing!




Lovely, huh?

7 comments:

Danielle said...

That describes it. Lovely! I'm surprised how "American" it looks. I'm glad it's not harder yet :) Sometimes in life I feel we just need to coast.

Phoenix said...

That water is gorgeous! I love all your photos (I love when we get to see your kids!) and I'm jealous. Your adventures make me want to high-tail it back to Europe and travel all over again.

PS No one looks good eating. There's a reason why wedding photographers mysteriously disappear once everyone sits down to eat.

Heather said...

Looks amazing! I'm making plans right now to head down there in February, so thanks for the preview. :)

Abby said...

Gorgeous photos! Looks like you had a nice time.

Another song about the south: Me Verás en el Sur by La Ley.

I've never been to Puerto Varas. I think that needs to be remedied soon.

mosey (kim) said...

...sigh....

(happy thanksgiving)

Dee said...

Amazing! On our list of must-see places to go. I've only been as far as Temuco in the South, so I'd love to see the rest. Looks like you really enjoyed it.

Denise | Chez Danisse said...

Yes, so lovely. It seems life is moving along beautifully for you and your family. Great to know. Enjoy!