Escape Expedition 22-23 April 2013
In my last post I told you that we had to get a new injector pump for our starboard engine because the springs in the injectors broke.  It's under warrantee, and better that it broke here in port than a thousand miles out to sea, but still—we're here in the middle of Chile, so it's not like you can run down to the local hardware store and get a new injector pump for a Nanni-Diesel engine.  Since it was going to take a few days to get a new pump, we decided to take our adventure inland to the mountains and hot springs area.  This central part of Chile has a string of many large lakes in the foothills of the majestic Andes and the hot springs of which I speak are fed by the multiple volcanoes in the area that are a constant reminder that the tectonic work that is constantly pushing the Andes upward.  We didn't have internet during the four days we were inland so I may end up breaking this post into two parts to cover the two areas that we went to.  The first area we went to is called Huilo-Huilo at approximately 39˚ 40'S latitude and 71˚ 50'W longitude.  It's approximately 250,000 acres of recreational area.  Go on Google Earth and look this place up along with some of the pictures there because it's much more scenic than I can describe here in a short post and a few pictures.  The entire area is owned by Mr. Petterman who built it into a magical area with multiple hotels that are built from the old growth timbers and then built boardwalks (many kilometers of boardwalks) around the area so you can walk along them and see the local flora and fauna.  It's expensive, but incredibly beautiful and it makes you feel like you were walking through the forrest and stumbled upon the village of the hobbits.

The drive to Huilo Huilo took about two and a half to three hours from Valdivia but we stopped along the way to look at the sights and to sample the local food.  We met this lady dressed in native clothes in the town of Panguipulli.  Elaine chatted with her in broken Spanish and lots of handwaving to make sure it was OK to take the picture.

Continuing on down the northern shore of Lago (lake) Panguipuilli you get a good view of the volcano at the end called Vocan Choshuenco which is 2,415 meters high.  Just a breathtaking view all along the lake.

 Looking back the other way along the lake from the same spot is very scenic too.  It would be great to have a boat that we could put in the lake and drive around, but alas, our boat is back in Valdivia and there's no way we're going to get it in this lake.  I guess we could have brought the dinghy, but even that would have been a struggle.

Along the way we stopped to pick blackberries that were everywhere along the highway.  I just wish there were more pullouts.  It didn't really matter though because for miles and miles we were the only car on the road, so if we wanted to take a picture or pick more berries, we just pulled over on the side of the road.  In fact, I was amazed over the last four days at how few people were partaking of these beautiful areas.  In most cases we were the only people at a restaurant and at our hotel in Puerto Fuy near Huilo Huilo, we were the only people staying at the hotel which had five huge rooms with kitchens and facilities for families or groups.  Here Elaine is picking some berries and then a close up for you to look at.

These two shots are from the balcony of our condo.  As you can see, it was right on the lake with a fantastic view and it's only about a kilometer and a half from the hiking trails and activities at Huilo Huilo.  Once we were settled in, Jay and I set off to hike on some of the elevated  boardwalks while Elaine and Heather explored the area around our hotel in Puerto Fuy.  

There are at least ten kilometers of elevated boardwalks so we went as far and fast as we could before it got dark.  We got a good feeling for the size of the area and the activities that were available and then we drove back to pick up Elaine and Heather for supper.  After supper we attended a briefing in both Spanish and English about what was available.  We signed up for the botanical garden hike the next day and then turned in for the night.  Here are a few pictures of the boardwalks and one of the waterfalls we saw on the first day at Huilo Huilo.  Large parts of the boardwalk were built as miniature golf courses so you could spend a whole day chasing the ball if you wanted too.  

The next day, the botanical garden tour started at ten AM so Jay and I went there early to see if we could get some coffee.  We found a buffet breakfast instead so we tanked up before setting off on the hike.  The botanical garden hike was about a four hour hike through rolling terrain in a rain forest.  We had a guide to explain everything and our own translator to explain in in English.  Jay and I were the only ones on the whole tour so we got to ask as many questions as we wanted and spent as much time at each place as we wanted.  It was great for taking pictures.  Here is a shot of the Chilean national flower called the Lapageria Rosea.  It's about three inches long and looks like a pretty red bell.

 This other little red flower was hanging in bunches from the branches along the trail.  This particular one had fallen off so it was OK to handle it.  In fact all along the trail, the guide pointed out the plants that were edible and usually picked some of the berries or pods for us to sample.  Not like in the U.S. where you have to stay on the paved trail that's specified for handicapped people and stay behind a barrier.  On this trail, you can go off trail and pick the berries if you want to.  This place is awesome and is probably like the U.S. was 50 to 75 years ago.  I remember going to Yellowstone Park when I was a kid back in the '50s and you could do things like this.

 This big flower, which in some cases is several feet across grows in many places, but especially on the Ulma tree.  The guide told us that the honey that is made from the Ulma tree flower is the best there is.  We didn't get to sample it, but several people recommended it.

 It didn't rain the day we were on the tour, but the guide told us it rained an average of 5 meters per year.  Many of the trees were covered with moss like the one seen here.  It was overcast and cool the whole day, and the diffused light was great for taking pictures.

 There were mushrooms of every type, like the ones in the picture below.  Jay asked which ones were edible, but the guide said most of them were poisonous.

One of the highlights of the hike was the Darwin Frog.  It only exists in this area of Chile and we were lucky enough to find a couple of them.  Actually Jay found the first one while the guide and interpreter were off looking in another area.  This frog is only about an inch long and looks like a leaf from the back.  He's very hard to see, but he gave me a good excuse to drag out the macro lens that I was carrying with me.

 After the hike, Jay and I stopped at this dwarf-like coffee shop right at the end of the trail to have a cup of espresso and some chocolate.  We also took these pictures of the two hotels right at the center of Huilo Huilo.  I'm sure they had special features that our condo didn't have, but they cost about twice as much so we didn't stay there.

Maybe we can do that next time, but right now, we have to pay for our boat and get on to the next part of our adventure.  Tomorrow, we are heading north to the hot springs in the vicinity of Menetué.  I'll report on that in the next post.

The inside looks like this picture and has glass all along the sides so you can see the boardwalks outside as well as the flora and fauna along the way.