A Day at Frutillar
I didn´t want to gamble with the weather and pay hundreds of dollars for a tour or hike in the rain. So I didn´t book anything yesterday for today. Instead, my plan today was to just sleep in (needed after the big night last night) and take a relaxing day trip to Frutillar....an even smaller lakeside town. Turns out it didn´t rain today, but it was pretty cloudy so while I would have liked to hike up one of the two volcanoes that sit across the lake from Puerto Varas, it probably wouldn´t have afforded me the spectacular views I´d get on a clear day.
Anyway, a bit after noon, I hopped on a bus to take the 30 minute ride. The bus dropped me in Frutillar "Alto", and I walked down to Frutillar "Bajo". The lower section of town sits right on Lago Llanquihue and at the other side of the lake is one of the volcanoes, obscured by the clouds today though.
I walked along the lake for a bit, admiring the quaint houses but also the monstrous "teatro" they are building right on the lake. This modern structure has a glass walled stadium seating theater, as well as an art gallery and restaurant. Wow.
I opted to eat at a restaurant that had a bit more charm and old-style character. I ordered the chupe de jaiva - a tasty, heart stopping mix of crab, cheese, and cream baked and served in a clay pot. Mmmmm good.
On the way back to Frutillar Alto, I passed by a real Chilean Rodeo that happened to be in town for 22-23 November. Cool, but I couldn´t really figure out what was going on. The costumes were cool, so I took a couple photos and continued.
I also ran into some kids who were entertaining themselves by building a bike ramp in the dirt.
The bus back to Puerto Varas was pretty crowded, but I made it back without a hitch. The sun was shining in Puerto Varas, so I went down to the lake to take one more picture of the big volcanoes. It must just be amazing on a crystal clear day...
I went back to Casa Azul to shower, and then headed back to Puerto Cafe to have a coffee, upload photos, update the blog, and now eat dinner. Not sure what I´m going to do tonight...but it won´t be shots.
Boat ride tomorrow for next 4 days. Not sure if I´ll have internet access. Probably not. And the weather says it´s going to rain all week. Uh oh...
