November 20 : Nick and Fabrice versus the volcano. Reference for Marie ;)

The day started rudely at 5:30am to get up and be kitted out for the arduous 4 hour climb. The kit included a pick axe and crampons. Time to get serious.

We boarded the bus and set off for the Villarrica Volcano. This is one of Chile's most active volcanos, you can often see lava in the crater. We had seen smoke coming out of the top the day before. Check out Wikipedia for full stats. Back to the climb. To be perfectly honest the bus climbs a good portion of the 2,847m. You then have the option of walking for an hour to the snow line or talking a chairlift. With nothing to prove we and half the rest of the group shelled out almost £10 each for the 20 minute chairlift. Bargain.

All that now stood in front of us was the 4 hour ascent of the snow covered peak. The snow wasn't icy enough to require the crampons, and we used the pick axes as walking sticks, but at least we used them!

As hardened trekkers the climb wasn't overly strenuous. The pace was gentle and there were a couple of breaks for a snack and drink of water. The biggest test was how waterproof our hiking boots really were - I began to regret not opting to use the tour company boots offered.

Although we were traversing back and forth it still got relatively steep and so I didn't spend much time looking back at the view, but what I did see was impressive. Lakes, forests, mountains and other snow capped volcanoes. You know, pretty run of the mill...

Reaching the crater was amazing, if you've never looked down into the smoking depths of a live volcano then book a trip now. No lava visible unfortunately but still an awesome sight. We avoided getting too close to the edge! Whilst we ate lunch our guides went for a quick wander around the rim to look for 3 hikers who had climbed solo 10 days earlier, got lost in a snow storm and not been heard from since. They'll turn up as spring progresses :).

I've omitted to mention the priceless sight of one of the Polish guys climbing in a vest and what appeared to be his underwear. A rather rotund and hirsute chap, I was glad not to be behind him in the line as Fabrice was for a portion of the climb. Photo available on request.

Now all this was pretty amazing, but the highlight was the descent. Health and safety? Pah! We slid down the volcano on plastic bum sledges at breakneck speeds, using our pick axes as brakes. I can't begin to describe how much fun that was!!!

After all that effort we were glad to have booked on a nighttime trip to some nearby hot springs. Drunken Sarah (see yesterday's entry) has let us in on the secret that a lot of people smuggle booze into the pools. Who are we to argue with tradition? It was bliss, sitting in toasty warm water, staring up at the stars and sipping on £2 for 1.5 litre plonk. Ahh!

November 21 : The weather the next day was a tad miserable and so we scrapped plans to go for a long trek and chilled out around town and in the hostel. The day ended playing Sh*thead and drinking with some other guys in the hostel. Finally, true travellers!!