Summer vacation in Pucón

Although this is a summer-in-Pucón post, I just can't resist first posting the videos from this winter.  

They're short so just think of it as a comparative study of seasons...

And now...back to our feature presentation:  SUMMER IN PUCÓN!

November brought  loooong warm days 

December 13th marked the end of Primero for Kaia (1st grade) and Tercero (3rd) for Niko. 

As part of the school finale, we made tie-die shirts with the class which turned out to be a real hit.

Being summer and all--in the Southern Hemisphere, St. Nikolaus (Dec. 6th) arrives wearing Bermuda shorts and flip flops. Niko and Kaia didn't seem to think it strange that we had to dig out the, now long-retired, winter boots...at a time when most of us were starting to wear sandals.

Best of all (besides the end of rain and drizzle) was the fact that we could finally start swimming out our front door. Though our house is the last one on the beach before the Rio Trancura Delta, we decided to pack a picnic and see what the other side of the delta looked like.

The hike out included a 4x4 and lots of wet feet

The empty beach and views were worth it.

Three volcanoes in a row (L to R)-Lanin, Quetrupillán, and Villarrica

Grampa showed up on the heels of St. Nikolaus - a quick check-in to make sure St. Nick did his job well.  None of us complained about the inspection!

Fort building on the beach with Grampa.

Santa also found Niko and Kaia in the Southern Hemisphere - his annual letter is always a highlight.  Apparently the Puelche wind screaming into Pucón from Argentina caught him off guard and almost whipped him into Lago Villarica.

Thank goodness for Skype to feel connected to family, especially on holidays!

Mormor and Rocky celebrate Christmas morning with us

Drum session whether Uncle Erik
likes it or not!

Gramma checked in during the day from wintery Minnesota

Niko attended his first sleep away summer camp, and then he and Kaia both attended day camp with friends from the Waldorf school.

Summer camp at Los Riscos meant lots of open space and LOTS of  time to just be kids...

Sleep away camp drop off

Besides the most magnificent strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, peaches, cherries, and avocados we've ever tasted, summer in Pucón meant

..........more time with friends.....

Testing out the pool and pizza oven at Heidi & Damien's

Luca and Kaia

..... more time to check out cool critters ....

...and they actually get even bigger...really...

yep, tarantulas

........ more time to climb trees........

Climbing the boldo tree in the back yard

..... more time to enjoy Jerry's sailboat.........

 


..... and more time to hike!

View from the mirador in Cañi

It was interesting watching Pucón change, almost overnight, from a fairly sleepy small town to a vacation resort destination packed with families from Santiago ready to party. "Our" once-empty beach suddenly filled with a variety of inflatable water toy rental centers, people selling everything from massages to sodas to flags, parasailors landing right over our house, the start of seasonal jet service into Pucón airport, and partiers carrying on until 5 AM.  The action really ramped up with the annual Ironman triathalon where tent-covered streets were shut down and helicopters patrolled the beach.






Two weeks of the circus was enough for us --which is lucky for us as rents increase ten-fold during high season. So, mid-January we packed up Monty and headed for Tierra del Fuego.

First stop, Chiloé -and the focus of our next post.
  

Patagonian Spring

Welcome Spring to Pucón!

Before diving into this post, we want to make sure you know Niko's snake skin preparation post is finally online:

                                www.niko-scholtz.blogspot.com


After talking to all of the gardeners of the many seasonally boarded-up properties on the beach, we finally landed a cabin right at the end of the pedestrian path ("Calle Otto Gudenschwager") which runs alongside Lago Villarica right past the kids' school.  Interestingly, all of the negotiations with potential landlords happened in German, not Spanish.  Germans arrived here en masse in the late 1880s, hardy enough to withstand the Patagonian climate and stubborn enough to confront the native Mapuche tribes who were understandably not happy with their arrival.  The German connection still runs strong, with many families still speaking German at home and German Schools often viewed as the best education Chile has to offer.  Needless to say, we were surprised how often we can actually use our German here.

Our drafty home.... but, my oh my, what a view

View from cabaña on Otto Gudenschwager of Lago Villarica and the "private peninsula"

And the view back from the beach

Pretty good beer in Chile

Kite flying and keeping lookout for action on the beach occupied Niko, Kaia, and Quilo for hours each day.

A few more strays joined our pack.  These were the 2 of 12 puppies on the property who actually survived. Niko and Kaia insisted on personally burying each of them one by one as various illnesses took them.  What a parenting experience.  It was really interesting how they, and their friends, took it all so matter of factly.  Lots more to say on the stray dog topic, but at least these two - Mari Mari (hello in Mapudungun, the Mapuche language) and Calcitines (socks) - were adopted by Niko's teacher, Leka.

In addition to spectacular flowers and trees, warmer weather meant the emergence of the craziest critters:

A friend brought us out onto the private peninsula right off the beach, where manicured gardens, condominiums, and golf courses overlook stunning views in all directions.

View to the south

View to the north. Our cabin is way at the end of the beach in the background.

Fiestas Patrias in Santiago

We spent a few days around September 18th - Chilean Independence Day - in Santiago.  Joining the masses, we enjoyed traditional dancing, food, and music, and through lengthy, epic-scale performances, relived the glory days of battle and rebellion...leaving us a bit shell shocked.

Browsing in the shops of Pueblito Los Dominicos in Santiago.  Well worth a visit if you have some time.

Back at home in Pucón meant more glorious weather, with picnics, hikes, and another fun birthday party.

Playa Blanca at Lago Carburgua. --- so peaceful.......

..... when not attacked by the Playa Blanca Bandits

Apparently people kayak off of these water falls?

A classmate's birthday party in Cañi, just east of Pucón, where the family runs a Buddhist retreat.  You have to admit, the panoramic views from this property are hard to beat!

Tortaza -- a tradition of taking a bite out of your birthday cake before someone crams your head into it.  Always important to watch your back in this situation.

A beautiful ending to a fun day.

Spring also meant Halloween - Pucón style! Friends say they've been celebrating Halloween in Chile for about 5-10 years now.   Restaurants and shops in town handed out caramellos, in response to calls for dulces o travesuras.  Our own Artemis and Grim Reaper joined the parade of zombies, goblins, and witches.

And finally, Spring meant something terribly sad for our pack as well.  Quilo, our little Ecuadorian traveling pup we picked up in Quilotoa, who befriended every person and canine he met, and always brought smiles to our faces, died in an accident under our very own car.  We miss him so much, and had looked forward to introducing him to Grantham Street back home.  The kids picked a perfect resting spot for him out on the beach out front he loved, right under some trees where people always rest and he always made sure to keep them company.