Postcard from Pucon I arrived in Pucon in the dark - how could I resist a hostel named La Princessa Insolente. When I woke up I was amazed to find a volcano smoking gently at the end of the street. Pucon is a small resort town in the Lakes District, around 860 km and 16 hours from Valparaiso. It not only has a volcano but a huge lake and is is surrounded by national parks. It is very popular with Chileans and other tourists alike. In no time at all, I found myself shuffled onto a mini bus heading to the base of the volcano and the beginner ski slopes. As I left the bus I was handed this flat plastic thing shaped almost like a frying pan with a handle sticking out at one end. The others grabbed ski gear and snowboards and we all looked like Michelin men in the borrowed clothing. As it happened I may have had the best deal of all. Most of the other passengers were still stuck at the ski lift or the ticket booth for the entire two hours we spent there, while I had fun tentativ...
Practising Geographer - nature culture places people