Hi!

I'm in Puerto Varas - it's wednesday today and we got here Monday afternoon and are leaving lunchtime today to go to Pucon. Puerto Varas is 20km away from Puerto Montt which is one of Chile's important Ports. It's also very close to Chiloe Island where we went yesterday to see the Penguins!

We got a bus there and a ferry to the island. It was a really strange mix - rolling hills and meadows with lots of grazing cows and sheep, an amazing coastline with loads of coves and bays, but the architecture is strange - quite German like but also the buildings are all covered in shingles. One of the girls on the tour Laura, said that the main town - Ancun - was like being in an Alaskan fishing village, so that's a pretty good description. Loads of the buildings were all painted really bright, different colours too.

We drove to the south of the Island where we all put on wellies - or fishermans pants with the boots attached in some people's case! Then we got in a little boat and cruised around the small island where the penguins live. There are 2 different species that live there together but I can't remember the names because they were spanish... but they were really cute all just waddling about on the rocks and standing in the sun. We also some sea otters playing about in the water.

Then we went back to the beach where we had lunch in a restaurant overlooking the coast. Parents - I had sea bass! Really yummy, probably because it was caught that morning! Then we all trekked it back to Puerto Varas for dinner.

So another bus journey today, but only 5 hours this time. We're staying in Pucon for 4 nights and then we get a night bus to Santiago. Active Volcano, rafting and thermal baths at Pucon! (Might just do the baths!)

xx

p.s photos of South America in the albums