My work travel plan worked out perfectly for me to stay for
a week in the south of Chile. I was originally scheduled to fly south for just two
days and then fly back north to another workshop, but in the end it was conveniently
canceled. I postponed my scheduled flight and changed the departure city so I
take of advantage of my time there. Everyone in Chile talks about the south like it’s the
country’s golden area. I have always heard about how breathtaking and green it is,
and I’ve always wanted to check it out. Luckily I know some people I could stay
with and who could show me around.
I landed in Valdivia on Tuesday the 19th with the rest of
the day open to check out the place. The city of Valdivia is surrounded by a big
river (actually three different rivers that converge), and the city is known
for the biggest earthquake ever recorded, which destroyed almost everything in
1960. I had met up with a friend and co-worker Cristían Gervic at the airport,
and after we checked in at the hotel we headed for the fisher’s market where I
ate the biggest and best piece of fish ever. We walked around the city until it
got dark and started to rain, and with nothing else to do we decided to go see
a movie at the mall.
The next day we were up early and off to set up the training
workshop at a lodge out in the forest, which is really a jungle. You would have
to bushwhack your way through if caught in the middle of it. It was cold and
rainy the whole morning until the late afternoon when the sun started coming
out. I guess I had gained the confidence of the owner of the lodge because he
insisted that I take his truck out for a drive to see more of the forests and countryside.
The sights were beyond description, and the chance to be cruising by myself
with the windows down was one and only. The sky was clear and bright blue right
after a long rainfall, and the clouds moved quickly through the trees and over
the hills. Everything was lush green. I cruised for about 45 minutes, getting
out often to snag a picture or explore down the hidden path.
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| Walking away from the borrowed truck |
After the workshop that day I got on an hour and a half bus
ride headed south for the small town of San Pablo (just 20 minutes north of
Osorno). I stayed the next couple days with Hugo Muñoz, who was one of my
mission companions, and his parents and sister. I think I accustomed myself a
bit to life in the south by helping with daily tasks like chopping wood and
making homemade bread.
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| El Toro de Osorno |
In spite of being sick with a cold, Hugo and I got up early
Friday morning to take a couple of bus rides to the Puyehue National Park. It
was really cold with rainfall off and on, but we made the best of it. We went
on a little hike around the rainforest until the hot springs opened for swim.
The place was awesome—a pool of hot water right next to a fast-flowing river.
We were able to get in the freezing water of the river and then back in the
pool as the cold rain fell down everywhere. After the pool our plan was to
hitchhike our way to some waterfalls farther up the mountains, but after
waiting for way too long for a vehicle to pass by, we thought we better start
walking towards a crossing where it would be easier to find a ride. Once we got
far enough along the road it started to pour. We both got completely soaked with
miles still to go. After about an hour of walking we finally made it to the
crossing and found shelter under a crowded bus stop (by the way, the
hitchhiking ironically didn’t work once passing cars saw that we were
completely wet). The wind started to pick up, which blew the rain right under
the little covering. I could feel the water dripping down my legs and filling
my shoes completely with cold water. After waiting for the bus for half an hour
we still had another hour and a half bus ride back home without eating anything
all day. Not the day I would have picked, but lessons were learned.
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| The hike |
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| The hot springs pool and river |
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| The worst luck ever hitchhiking |
Friday night I got on a bus to Llanquihue to spend the next
few days with the Wilhelm’s, who were my mission Presidents. What an honor it
was to spend time with them, and it was a blast to be able to remember
experiences and stories from the mission that made us laugh. Hermana Wilhelm
prepared some of the best Chilean food ever, and President showed me around the
area. The Wilhelm’s live outside of the city of Llanquihue and they have a view
of the vast lake and snow-covered volcanoes across the water. On Sunday morning
we went to a new building dedication where President Wilhelm (now Elder
Wilhelm) dedicated the first new chapel constructed since 2004. Hugo met up with
us Sunday evening and spent the last night with us there.
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| The Wilhelm's |
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| New chapel of Alerce |
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| Volcano Osorno (and another smaller one) across the lake Llanquihue |
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| Hugo Muñoz |
