An uneventful bus journey to Pucon, except 'Back to the Future' in Spanish was interesting - shame we didn't see the end (as usual). Arrived in Pucon in good weather with views of Villarrica volcano. Our accommodation Hostel La Nuez seemed dark and deserted! We hit the town in search of a haircut for both of us. A successful mission, Donna reckoned an aged 'Donny Osmond' cut our hair but I couldn't see the resemblance (£13 for 2 cuts). The forecast for the next day was abysmal so not a good move to go for a hike. Lots of thermal baths in this area because of the active volcanic landscape. We opted for a trip to Termas Geometrica. We woke to torrential rain, we braved a trip to the supermarket and bus station (for tickets to our next location), and came back drenched, worst weather so far in South America (summer is over). We were collected from our hostel by a shuttle bus, from which Donna slid out and banged her back on the bus step. Just when she is starting to feel normal again she acquires another ailment - whacking purple bruise appeared on her back over the next day or so! We were very surprised that the bus ride to reach Termas Geometricas finished with 14kms of dirt road - you would never have believed a major tourist attraction was hidden up there. Nestled in an almost unbelievably lush forest canyon in Chile, the hot spring spa is a maze of red planks that wind through the trees like something out of a mythological Japanese wonderland. Suspended over a flowing stream, the crimson walkways leading to the various pools are made entirely of painted wood that stands out in stark contrast to the surrounding wilderness, while at the same time managing to seem right at home. There are 17 pools in total at the spa, each of them fed directly from a natural hot spring via wooden pipes that run beneath the walkways, making sure that they are largely warm and dry. Next to each pool is a small hut/changing room made of the same redwood as the paths. Each hut has grass planted on the roof, giving the whole facility a timeless feel, almost as if they are some extension of the natural backdrop. The whole thing rests at the bottom of a canyon, and mists rise from the warm waters in a nearly constant fog. Each pool has a wooden plaque stating the water temperature and these vary from 35 to 45 Deg C. We started at the top and worked our way down having a soak in each pool over 3 hours. At first 36 Deg C felt hot but comfortable, after experiencing a few pools around 45 Deg C then going back into 36 actually seemed cold! It started raining before we were half way on the pool count but this just seemed to make more steam! For anyone wanting to cool down there is a cold pool fed by a waterfall. I gave it a go and it was bloody freezing, I quickly made for a thermal pool but very cold into very hot made me feel like my skin was on fire! Donna did the sensible thing and gave the icy waterfall a miss. Even when the waterfall was out of sight we knew when someone else was giving it a try by the screams! I knew Donna wanted to come here and even though I didn't really want to it was high time Donna got her way for change. It was however a great way to spend a cold and wet day - a good decision by my loving wife. Better forecast tomorrow - must get the boots on.