On Sunday 25th we got the bus to Puerto Varas as we were all going there next. We arrived at lunchtime, checked in to the hostel then went for a short wander, making a few enquiries for activities. The weather was great and the view of Volcano Osorno across the lake was beautiful. I went to a café with a terrace overlooking the lake and had a grilled vegetable and goat's cheese sandwich- I know it doesn't fall into the category of eating local food but it was delicious :-) I used to typically order this when going for a pub lunch at home and really enjoyed it, even if a little overpriced.

We cooked again that night, well I say 'we' but it was the boys' turn so they made a really tasty meal, enjoyed by all. The next day was another good weather day but I had a lazy morning before going for a walk around the lake with Jorge and Henny in the afternoon; they went swimming, they must be mad, very cold water! But after they sunbathed and it was hot enough for that! We ate out in the evening, it was a nice meal in a very nice restaurant and I had fish. It was on the pricey side though and side dishes had to be ordered separately, we shared a few different ones. I was glad of the bread that kept being refilled as otherwise I may have left hungry!

Tuesday was a really good day- we hired a car and went to see volcano Osorno which you can see across the lake from Puerto Varas. Andreas had left for his next stop but an Australian Carla had joined our little group- car hire between 5 made it a good value day trip. The car was somewhat nicer than the car in Chiloe but not as funny- the windscreen wipers worked too! We departed later than planned so didn't fit as much as in as we hoped but the drive to the volcano was nice and I really enjoyed the walk on the volcano. You can drive up to the ski station (in winter people ski here!) and then do a circuit walk for about an hour on the volcano. Of course you don't walk up to the snow-capped part but you get great views looking up at the volcano as well as amazing views of the lake and mountains. Once again we had fantastic weather, very lucky. You can see craters around the base of the volcano where its eruptions have taken place; afterwards I read that it has never erupted from the top. After this we drove and saw the 'Laguna verde' (green lake) and the waterfalls of Petrohué, which were really pretty. Our last stop was Petrohué and the lake 'Lagos Todos Los Santos'- we were going to do some walking near here but it was getting a bit late and the sun was setting, unfortunately on the other side of the volcano and the lake seemed to be in its shadow.

In the evening after a bit of indecision we had a meal at a seafood restaurant just outside of town. Three of them shared 2 seafood dishes, a mixed platter and bowl of seafood. It all looked great, but I don't like all of the seafood so I had a prawn dish called 'chupe' which was good but a bit creamy and I couldn't finish it.

I ended up spending another couple of days in Puerto Varas as I was undecided about where to go next! There was a rainy morning though it did brighten up and we cooked another meal together which was again very nice. Everyone moved on to their next stops while I spent another day deciding what to do. I visited a village about 30 minutes from Puerto Varas called Frutillar which is set on the same lake as Puerto Varas. It is Germanic and with the 'Hotel am See' and signs for 'Küchen' feels a little like being in a little village in Germany. There are quite a few places in this area which were settled by Germans, dating back to the 1800s. I of course stopped for a cup of tea and a cake!

It was a quiet evening, a little strange after being with the group since leaving the boat. The one good thing was eating (and going to bed) earlier as we had got into the habit of not sitting down to eat til 10 or 10.30! I enjoyed travelling with people for a few days- it's the first time it has happened in my trip that people have been going in the same direction at the same time. It was fun!

Next stop Bariloche in the Argentinian Lake District, I wasn't going to go but in the end decided I would, since I will be unlikely to return to this part of the world again…..