Villarica: in pictures! [part I]

6 August 2012

My journey south this past weekend felt like a number of trips rolled into one, and so I'll be recounting it that way (also because it would be too long if I didn't break it up).

I traveled to the tourist hot spot known in most guide books and travel agencies as Pucon - up there with Patagonia and Valparaiso as must-visit corners of Chile - but I really feel like calling it a trip to Villarica. Villarica is the name of the town where I first arrived, the name of the lake around which all activity takes place, and the name of the enormous volcano which makes the area so remarkable in the first place.

So the adventure began late Friday night when I nearly missed my bus leaving from Santiago, running back and forth between bus stations trying to locate the bus (which was running late in fact). I made it, and crawled into the belly of this two-decker bus, where I had reserved a pricey premium seat for my 9-hour overnight bus ride, which would drop me off in Villarica early Saturday morning. It would have been a bit awkward to photograph what was essentially the giant bedroom of 10 passengers, so I unfortunately do not have any pictures of this. Basically, these seats recline fully horizontal, with a support that flips up under the legs, creating slender, curved beds for individuals. There are small separators between each seat, so that it is like a little sleeping cubicle. These sleeper buses are quite common in Chile, since the country is a narrow but extremely long place linked by one major north-south highway that runs much of the country's 3000 mile length, and this is a cheaper way to travel than flying. Some buses run from morning to night to morning again.

The bad news is that, like many things in Chile (or elsewhere in the world for that matter), the reclined seat was just not quite big enough for my 6'3" frame. If I wanted to fully stretch out my body from head to toe, like my Chilean slumbering neighbor, my toes would bump against the barrier in front of me and my head would crunch into the barrier behind me. So I had to curl slightly, or angle my body in strange ways. The good news was that in spite of this and the novelty of the whole experience, I think I actually got some zzz's.

I awoke (sort of) around 6am as my bus turned off the Transamerica highway and headed eastward to the mountains. The sun slowly began to diffuse the dark blue sky, and there was a painted-picture beauty to the landscape as tall, leafless winter trees in mist-covered fields were silhouetted against a sky that faded from indigo to pale yellow at the horizon. Then, after a small clump of trees obscured my view, the bus crested a hill and suddenly the vista that my guide book wouldn't shut up about finally unfurled. I had no camera on me to share a photo, but take my word that the serene blue lake, reflecting a snow-peaked volcano and rolling wooded hills around it, was stunning.

So what did I take photos of? I realize this is a lot of writing and no pictures for a "photo" entry. Part One may be a bit of a disappointment, sorry.

But when I was dropped off in the town of Villarica - still asleep, except for those watching the Olympics on the bus station TV - I had one of my most bizarre experiences in Chile, chronicled in photos here.

"Welcome to our simple town of Villarica. Here you have a modest, but not unattractive street corner, where your adventure begins."

"Hi there. I'll be your guide. I realize you didn't beckon me over or invite me along, but I will be accompanying you."

"You may not know this now, but we'll be walking around a while together, so I'm gonna need to stretch."

"Come along, this way."

"I can wait."

"On your right you see a structure exemplifying our town. Wood stylings, but large, modern, and slightly gaudy to attract the tourists our town depends upon. Look closely and you can see one of the annoying screeching native birds perched on the roof that drive all us locals nuts."

"Turn left and follow me now down this residential street."

"I thought you might enjoy this. Yes, we have our own Barry White here in Chile."

"Nice house, eh? Wouldn't look out of place in Berkeley. But just wait till you see what's behind it."

"That's right, the lovely Lake Villarica. You mean you haven't experienced our promenade?"

"Follow me down along the waterfront, it is quite pleasant this early in the morning before the joggers are out."

"You'll also see something many others don't - our town's respectable display of street art."

"Go ahead, enjoy the view, I'll just be here soaking up some rays. You're safe."

"Now isn't that lovely?"

"Oh, you like our aquatic bird life?"

"Allow me to stir them up for you, make them better subjects for your photograph."

"Don't forget to snap a shot of our namesake, the Villarica Volcano."

"Good, ready to stroll along the promenade a bit more?"

"Oh yes, more birds. Here is our 'estuary,' where the town runoff flows into the lake."

"The birds just love it, those sickos."

"Yep, we've got horses here too. What? No, doesn't excite mean in the slightest."

"In fact, I'll just watch over you from right here while you take another dozen pictures of birds."

"Yawn."

"Alright, I just couldn't help it. There were just so many lazing around here, it was too tempting."

"Oh did you notice this graffiti? Some of my favorite in all of Chile."

"But come, I really must show you our parkway as well. Lined with some gorgeous trees that make great bathroom breaks, I must say."

And so went my encounter (in my head) with this random local stray that approached me almost immediately. I was initially afraid he wanted to grab some food from me, he came up to me so boldly, but then from the moment he obediently sat down and looked sentiently into my eyes, I knew I had a new friend. It was remarkable how he followed me around all morning (or sometimes I followed him, as you can see from the photos). His looks were so intelligent, if you were on drugs you would swear he was some sort of dog possessed by a human soul.

Thus, it broke my heart more than a little when he suddenly decided not to turn the corner with me and left me to tour the rest of the town on my own. I staggered and bumbled past some more buildings, but the experience just wasn't the same. I decided to regroup, and head to a cafe that I knew would be open. It was on the main street, so I returned to the center of town...

 And who was there to hurry across the street to greet me?

"Hi there."