The taxi was punctual in fetching us for our ferry and bus crossings of the Lake District on our way back to Chile to Puerto Varas where we were to connect with Bruno who had stayed with us in Durban in 2006. We would recommend this trip to absolutely anybody. A magnificent way to float through the most glorious scenery and beautiful landscapes. This crossing took the entire day and Bruno met as at the bus drop off point. We arrived at his new home in the country, 8km out of town to a very comfortable welcome. His new wife arrived home and we sat down to dinner and discussed our itinerary for the following day. The following morning Bruno drove us along the shoreline of the lake and showed us some really pretty sights along the way. The entire area has a mini Germany feel to it since this was the area to which the German colonialists were sent to settle. So the buildings and the cuisine have a very strong German influence.

He dropped us in town for the afternoon and we walked about after visiting tourist info to see what else would be of interest. We then walked along the lake waiting in vain for the volcano to show itself. In fact we begin to believe that the volcano is a myth!!! Our entire visit to this lovely little town was in overcast conditions. After a stop in at a coffee shop we made our way home again for supper. Graeme and Amber decided that the following morning would be well spent white water rafting down the Penahue (I think) river. I opted out due to having injured my hand with a fall in Santiago and now wearing a stabilising wrist guard. So I went along for the ride and as designated unofficial photographer, who spent the morning being green. They had a marvellous time of it and I enjoyed the accompanying scenery. We hit the town again and the cloud cover lifted just enough for us to see the lower levels of snow cover on the volcano before it clouded over completely again. We took ourselves for lunch walked the town again before returning home, forgetting completely that we had promised to make bobotie for dinner.

Bruno was not going to let that pass and drove me straight back into town to purchase the necessaries. Minced meat is not easy to find and we had to go right to the other end of town too find it. However, chutney just is not available. We returned home to some very anxious folk who couldn't believe how long it had taken to do our little bit shopping and Bruno had left his phone behind. Anyways, chefling and I pulled it off quite successfully and even left some for them to eat the following day for dinner. All in all a very pleasant day. Minky went upstairs to pack in readiness for her return home before going back to the Seychelles on 4 January. Graeme and I started our packing for the next leg of our journey to Castro.