We were reluctant to get off our cama bed bus as we pulled into Pucon as it was pouring down with rain. Trudging around the streets Jona smugly showing off his built in rain cover utility on his backpack, while Emma trailed behind with her black bin bag covering hers!

Accomodation sorted (crap room first night, cute little Hospedaje booked for the following) we had a brief wander round the Alpine Swiss style town, but were beaten into the bar by the weather and reluctantly resigned ourselves to an afternoon on the Kuntsmann (proper beer at last). Events took their course and after chatting to some of the Canadian snow boarding team we met Katie and Rich (vets from Bristol) and the last thing any of us remember is long island ice teas in some bar in town.

We slept through the alarm. Mad panic to change hostels before heading off to Geometricas Thermal baths with Katie and Rich. Wow, what a way to cure a hangover! 16 natural hot spring baths set along a gorge on the slopes of Villarica Volcano surrounded by lush greenery and thick snow. A waterfall, water wheel and a cozy little cafe with roaring fire thrown in for good measure.

Our next adventure in Pucon was climbing the very active Villarica Volcano. Nervous that we were made to carry ice picks, crampons and helmets (just in case they assured us!) we arrived at the bottom of the summer road still covered in 4m of snow. Resplendant in our full mountain climbing outfits we began our 5hr hike to the summit. Talk about tough going, take one step forward sink one foot, much harder than we had imagined. 1.5 energy sapping hours later as we neared a ridge and a shell of the ski lift station swept away in the last eruption, we pondered how it could possibly take another 3 hours to reach the summit as we could clearly see the smoke billowing out just beyond the ridge. We zigzagged and crested the seriously steep ridge - bu**er! Still half the volcano to go! The next 2 hours consisted of either sheet ice or snow drifts and the layers of clothes were coming off rapidly. Frequent breaks from the hard slog and luckily graced with clear blue skies, we admired the stunning views of jewel like lakes between snowy peaks. Finally at the top and choked by the sulpherous smoke from the crater we peered in to see huge balls of molten lava being spewed into the air. A sight we never thought we would see, but what really struck us were the thunderous eerie sounds coming from the middle of the earth. Nappy time! With plastic sheets strapped and our ice pick for a break, it was time to slide all the way back down. So much fun and so much easier! (Although Jona seemed to travel a quarter of the speed as everyone else - he blamed it on the man flu!).

Soothing our aching limbs, we enjoyed a bottle of Chilean Cab Sav under the stars at the nearby hot springs of Los Pozones. A perfect ending to a strenuous but unique day.

We took to the same slopes the next day, but this time with snowboards strapped to our feet. First day of low season we virtually had the snowfields to ourselves. Until the lifts closed at 3pm due to high winds we had an awesome day. We love powder!

Reluctant to leave the lovely Pucon, with its wooden chalets, glistening lake (and burnt out casino!) overlooked by the mighty volcano, it was time to move on.