Pucon to Santiago

Pucon was a wonderful few days relaxing in the sunshine.  We didn't climb the volcano owing to Bernard's bad back, so we made a day out of visiting the hot springs Los Pozones, which are kept in a natural setting beside the river.  We took the local bus out to the springs.  It was a lovely day with temperatures in their early 20's. Some springs were shaded and comfortably warm, ranging through to those that were unbearably hot.  The river was ice-cold so one spent time hopping from different pools dependent on how one was coping with the heat. 

We ate good food, I particularly adore the raspberry juice concoctions - fantastic.  We upped our salad and vegetable intake by cooking a few evenings at the hostel, and spent our final day reading by the bay. Pucon was incredibly lively with people absolutely packed on the "beach" - small uncomfortable black stones and people frolicing in extremely cold water. People literally would lie on the beach at the water's edge - right up to the water - it was quite a sight for those used to surf beaches.  The food was spicy - a welcome relief from Argentina's lack of it.

We took another night bus to Santiago and arrived in the city at 8am - unsure of whether taking the trip to the bus terminal was the right move - when everyone else except us and another guy got off at some other stop on the east of the city.  In the end it worked out perfectly well - we purchased our tickets to Mendoza and made our way easily to the hostel.  The hostel wouldn't let us check in until 2pm so we dumped our gear and wondered through the streets, trying to keep Bernard awake as best as I could.

After a shower and power nap in the afternoon, Bernard and I set out in earnest, taking the funicula up to the top of San Cristobal to see the statue of Mary, and then we walked down.  After enjoying a local beer, we met up with mates in town for a lovely meal.  We walked back to our hostel that night surprised at how quiet the city was compared with BA.  Santiago is a thoroughly modern city, but even the second time around, a day or two is all one needs.