Lost in Huerquehue national park Went hiking in the Huerquehue national park the other day with a Swiss couple I met at the hostel. It´s really beautiful and I may return tomorrow (my last day in Pucón). Of course we got lost, which meant that we had to complete the hike in turbo-charged Swiss time in order not to miss the last bus back, and of course someone fell over and got her cast covered in mud ... wonder who that might have been ... Yesterday the w...

Santiago to Pucón, tales from the savage ... I arrived in Pucón yesterday evening after a 12-hour bus journey, which didn´t feel too bad. I must be becoming a seasoned traveller (before I´d grumble about a couple of hours on a bus). I´m in training for the long journey back home in a week`s (only a week!) time. Pucón is very pretty, although it`s a bit like a countryside toytown built for tourists (maybe it´s twinned with Cambourne, Debster!). Villarica...

Valparaíso Have been in Valparaíso for the last couple of days and love it. I know it sounds pretentious to say it, but it´s such a bohemian city. I especially love the graffiti and could (and have) wandered around for hours just looking at the walls. It´s proper art, not just the 'Baz woz ere´ kind of stuff. Went on a walking tour of the city on day one and was glad I´d done it (although it felt a bit lazy having someone else show you around). Got to lea...

Isla las Damas/Pisco Elqui Oh no/hurray! I´ve only got two weeks left, and I´m not sure how I feel about it! Just got back to La Serena (yes, here again) after a day and a half in the Elqui Valley (Pisco Elqui). It was lovely and serene and the views are beautiful, and, best of all, they have sun there! The hostel I was staying in was lovely too, and served some delicious food (el Tesoro de Elqui, if anyone´s thinking of visiting Chile). I even had the dorm ...

Still in La Serena ... Getting a bit bored of La Serena now. I booked a tour to Isla Damas to see the wildlife (Humbolt penguins - willl take pictures for you Qster - boobies and dolphins etc) but it was cancelled due to weather conditions. Hopefully I will be able to go tomorrow. Instead I went to the next town, Coquimbo, which according to my guidebook is more lively and grittier than La Serena. Of course, it was just my luck that everything was shut when I go...