back in Santiago

For the weekend I found a host in Santiago and she is going to the (first) Radiohead concert in Santiago. Will go to a club called www.Blondie.cl which sounds like fun to me.

Santiago itself is superb. It´s very modern, quite fast, huge and far cleaner than BsAs. Lots of German stuff to buy and German spoken here, which I found (surprisingly) cool. Got a haircut at a Sallon called "Berlin" :) No major changes, don´t worry :) But the owner Madlen said the beared would give me a long face,... well after hiking so much I hope so :P

Valparaiso was great!

Weather on the coast is colder than in Santiago and than expected!

I found a host for a second night and we were having some really nice food and wine. Valpo is defenitely the most crayiest town I have seen in my life. Hope to upload some pictures soon.

Arrived well in Santiago de Chile

I arrived well in Santiago and have a great couch with my friend Alexandra I already met in Bariloche. I arrived at a Sunday morning, about 8am with some friends of her housemate still singing Spanish songs drinking Rum.

Next Sunday is my flight to Panama, one week for one of the cities that I am most interesting in. This is the view from my couch.

Again, lucky me: A very nice late summer week with about 26Grad.


First generation VW Bus, popular used from driving schools.

Adios Púcon

After spending almost two weeks in this area I was very sorry to leave. It is a very nice, but as well very touristic little town. All my contacts were very friendly. Here some impressions, I uploaded them in quite high quality so you can enjoy them in more details by clicking on each foto:

Two elderly Chileans on the main street.


Cigarettes are sold only in bigger supermarkets and have huge labeling above them. In spanish written:
"Tabacco kills. If you want to keep living stop smoking.
In Chile the tabacco kills 14.000 people each year. You might be the next one. "

Like the "Lucky Strike" boxes you can see below are only half with the brand, the other half is the campaign picture and slogan. In all public accessible buildings smoking is forbidden and generally I have seen little people smoking.


The beach of lake "Villaricca". Birds looking for food and flying surround me.


View on the city and the little hill on the right side is the Peninsula, which is the safety area in case of a volcanic outbreak. The Peninsula is privately own I was denied to have a walk on it.


In the little city-harbour Chilies flag in the evening light.


The setting sun from the city harbour.


The all over Latin America popular "Mexico-Beetle". On the background the shadows of the fire brigade in the very city centre.

Hiking Villarica (National Park)

In the early morning we are west of the glacier, a cold breeze and the sun sets in the crater of the Vulcan.


Our tent between rocks on soft ground, in the morning hours in the shadow of the crater, the valleys are covered by clouds (click to enlarge).



Gnom looking trees, this one is a baby one, they become many meters high.


The only fresh water source after and before each direction hiking for 10 hours.


Clouds covering the valleys.


The dark lava heats up already in the morning hours and no shadow to be found for many hours of hiking.


Getting higher and higher with less vegetation and landscape becomes surrealistic. On the bottom left Jaque with his back pack.


Can you hear that?


Getting down again to see the first trees after all the heat during the day.


reaching the camping area down in the valley with access to drinking water just before dawn.

Hiking Villarrica (Vulcano)

I took a bus to Pucon and in one of the adventure offices I met a French-man Chaque, who owns a tent and wanted to hike in the National Park Villarrica, too.


So we planned the hike to first climb the peak of the Vulcan and directly afterwards starting our way "into the wild". Right, first day we actually got stocked and could not hike the peak because of the bad weather.


Due to the fact that Pucon is located in the red zone of the one day happening Vulcan outbreak the fire brigade is well equipped and in the centre of the city. Just across I was hanging out a lot in the café/Internet-café. On this picture the French owner on his motorbike.


Well, no hiking, so I booked a trip to the thermal place. It was alright and I got as well a relaxing message, which made me actually fall asleep.


The next morning was clear and we made our way up. (Click picture to enlarge.)


Climbing the Vulcan is actually a big tourist attraction. In one day up to 150 people do that. All, of course, starting at the same time to get back before darkness.
Looks like ants, doesn't it?!


That is me on the crater, however I could not force a spectacular outbreak :(


Looking east with two further Vulcan in the background. The area in between those is the National Park Villarrica. The last Vulcan, Lunin, is half Chile and half Argentina. The whole region is called "The fire-belt", because of the hundreds of Vulcan.


This is my French travel buddy Chaque as well on the crater.


Back down on the base station: Of course you are so cute you can have some of my bread even if I go for a three days hike out of civilisation. Sooo cute, it makes you survive.


Getting finally away from mainstream tourism: Into the wild...

sleeping next to Villarica (lake)

Well, I hitch-hiked back to town and took a very nice Pasta. I booked myself in a fair priced B&B directly on the lake and this picture is actually from my room in the morning hours!

arriving in Villarica (town)

In my coffee table book of Patagonia I had a picture of the volcano Villarica. It's almost perfect shape attracted me so much, I knew before I even have left it would be one of my highlights on my whole trip.

I tried to couchsurf in Villarica but somehow my host forgot me. I kept trying to contact him and first thing in Villarica was therfore to look for an Internet Café. I Was shocked and surprised noting the price they charge in the header bar.

Officially the Peso symbol is the same as the dollar: "$". This Internet Café however used the "€". Puff, a hundred Euro for 10 Minutes of Internet usage... well, it had been actually 13 Euro Cents...



The Gringo (US American) gave me the address earlier in a mail. So despite I could no contact him I made my way up to his place. He was not home. As I informed me later, he went fishing for some days and forgetting about me. Well anyway, he lives at a nice spot!

At some stage I got really bored of waiting :) It really was a very nice timing as the climate exactly was as it is in Germany in late summer. My favourite time of the year.

on the way to Villarrica - Chile's lake district

Well, two of the three bus I took in Chile broke down :) Anyway, that gave me the chance to make some pictures in a place so small I even have not found on the map, somewhere in between Valdivia and Villarica.

And why I write about that here? Possibly just because of the shoe on the photo I made there (as always, click to enlarge :)

No man's land Argentina - Chile & Valdivia

This picture is made in between the borders of Argentina and Chile. As nice as it looks, when the sun rises in the early morning in the East (Argentina) the rainbow actually means that there is heavy rain in Chile. Just minutes later the Bus broke down, still in No-Mans-Land, this time in rain, and that's where I actually met a Kiwi, Josinta, with which I ended up traveling for two days, going straight to the pacific beach.

The (exchanged) Bus ended in Osorno and we changed to go straight to Valdivia. It's a city with a strong German influence. (Not only because the biggest brewery of Chile is located there.) Close to the bus station we booked a B&B and took another Bus to the actual coast. We found just in time for the sunset a beach with a great fish restaurant!

Auf Wiedersehen Argentina!

After I have spend about 5 weeks in Argentina and traveled all the major points of Patagonia I actually felt really sad to leave. The people I met, the landscapes, the food, the language, the Tango. It was a great experience. For those who want to do that as well: Get good and light camping equipment and double your budget: Things are costly at the end of the world!

Well, I just really love these really old cars that keep on running and running and running. In Europe it is illegal for security and environmental reasons. Fair enough. But the design was just really so much nicer that this modern style!
Cool green, isn't it :)


This is me with my Mexican friend José. He is as well a CouchSurfing Nomadic Ambassador - the first I met on my travel. At that time he was actually as well traveling to Patagonia, but got stuck in beautiful Bariloche working in a Hostel. I found his profile, contacted him and we spend 2 great weeks running the Hostel packed with Israelis ;)


All the Best for your experiences in the US, Germany and Israel - and make sure to send me your business card whenever you actually get back to Mexico and your Business.

I am sure you will do great, José!

Bariloche, finally biking, Refugio Lopez

The actually reason way I wanted to come to Bariloche at all is its reputation as a mountain-bike paradise. So, it took me only just over a week to get that one organized. There are some stores which rent bikes, most are cheap Chinese bikes (YES, SIZE MATTERS). I found a very good store called "Bike Way". For 60 Pesos I got a 22.5" (my size, which might be even hart to find in Germany), in an extremely well condition. The service was great. They have three stores over the area.

Nathan, the American rock-climber from the hostel joined me. But he saved the money for the bike and ran. As the planned tour was very hilly, biking and running can be on the same speed, at least uphill :) And that theory worked actually out pretty well. Downhill I waited intermittently for him.

To be able to meet with Nathan (he had to work at 4pm) I got the bike the evening before I left the hostel early to pedal the 30 kms to Colonia Suiza in just below 2 hours, where I met with Nathan who took the bus to get there.

Morning hours, just after sunrise. Yes, I know, the shorts are too short,... but it´s just more practical :P


Passing Laguna "El Trebol", Nathan´s favourite climping spot, 1km close to the bus-station. Behind Cerro Lopez which we climed.


Well, when I was Nathan´s age I was running mountains in the black forrest, and the conditions were similar. However,... respect, I have not done it in sandals! Forgot to make a picture of his blisters :p

Refugio Cerro Lopez 1800 metres above sea-level:

I did it!

Hell yes!


We made our way down together, from Colonia Suiza Nathan took the bike and I walked/run as his feet were really bad. Down here a short scene, you have to wait 18 secs. to see me passing the bend :)

We took a very refreshing swim in the Lago Perito Moreno. He got on the bus in time for work and I took the lift to - from the National Geographic Magazin rated as one of the top 10 views in the world - Cerro Campanario. On the left "our" Cerro Lopez (2012m). In the centre (click the picture to enlarge) 7 star Hotel Llao-Llao. Bad weather coming up from south west.

From there I biked the 20 kms back to the hostel. I felt tired, sun-burned (yes the too short shorts and the armless trickot I was wearing for the first time on that trip) and the cold I caught on the night outside in El Bolson. Caughings during the night... hust... hust...

Bariloche, a day to wash my clothes, to rest and a small walk in the city

Why is the national colour of Argentina actually blue? Click picture to enlarge.


Many old cars in Argentina, they are really beautiful, but they seriously contaminate the air. Most are US-American brands, particular Ford and Chevrolet. But some VW and Peugeot (picture) Petrol is still cheap here, I litre costs about 40 Euro Cent.

View from the city on the lake Nahuel Huapi.

The center of Bariloche, often a copy of German, Austrian and Swiss Alpine architecture, which is actually partly looks really nice.

In the centre of the main square is a statue of a former Argentinean President, who leaded the useless, bloody and unfair war against Patagonia's Indians. In those short years basically all tribes were erased. Therefore today you cannot find any real Patagonian in Patagonia! This is until today not criticised by the Argentinean Government, in fact he is a national hero and his "cleaning" is printed on a current banknote.

The public sees that differently. See the vandalism of

Julio Argentino Roca´s

statue in the centre by clicking the picture to enlarge.

El Bolson (once more)

When leaving El Bolson the day earlier I figured out that on this weekend is a free festival with Argentinean bands, so a group of 6 or 7 people from the hostel got on the bus...


The Israelian chicks eating (their second, the first was with cheese) organic Belgian waffle (this time topped with strawberry, cream and chocolate)


View from the house mountain down on El Bolson, with the festival area on the right.


The Argentinean-Aussie-Canadian Sisters continuing Empanadas (kind of a meat-cake), which is nowhere better in the whole world! It's wrong to be vegetarian in Argentina, at least if you're traveling and want to experiencing Argentinean life.

Buenos Aires Band "Mississippi" - never heart such a harmonica (purple guy on the left).

Another picture worth to have a click on to open in full size! Thanks Alexandra. This is me and the setting sun over the Ands of El Bolson.


Setting full-moon on my night alone in the forest (saved the hostel, had a cough for a week).