It has taken me ages to load any images from the trip to Pucon ... in part due to internet gremlins, but I should have normal internet again tonight in the flat I moved into at the weekend. So ... more pics from Pucon ...
The last day of the conference included no ecology talks. Instead, the lava tubes at the Villaricca volcano were on the docket. The Gran Hotel Pucon (where the conference was held) had package tours of different areas so the trip was booked through them for the inexpensive 18,000 pesos per person. The weather did not cooperate for climbing the volcano and without Rob I really wasn't interested in climbing especially since the kit includes crampons, ice axes, gas masks, etc. I've never been in a lava tube before so I was excited about getting closer to the volcano (but the clouds did not cooperate so I never got to see it in the end) and a bit of spelunking.
There was an Italian couple, three women from Brazil and a Canadian couple in the tour which was conducted in Spanish ... so I was able to glean some info, but I am sure that I missed out on parts. The tour began in a chalet that was selling coffee and sodas, but had a most welcome fire burning in the hearth. Then, we ventured out with our guide down a pathway of long-cooled lava to a hut. The guide explained the formation of the continents and showed us the history of the Volcan Villaricca. We also passed around pieces of obsidian and pumice. The Canadians had a translator with them so I eventually made my way nearer to them to listen in on the parts that I could not translate on my own.
We doned hard hats (most fashionable) and descended into the tube ... water droplets were cascading down everywhere. My Nikon ended up sheltering inside my rain jacket until I quickly snapped a picture or two. The constant tap, tap, tap of the water on the hard hat kept us company as we walked further until we reached the end of the cave that the public can explore.
The guide then turned off the lights! There was not even a gloom, just pitch black ... you could not even see the hand in front of your face. Then we all started filing back out over two 2x4 planks over a puddle of muddy water and back into the light.
In parts the cave actually looked like chocolate ... and there was no echo, but the reason why I was unable to decipher in quickly spoken Chilean Spanish! I took some pictures of Pucon in the distance before pulling out the latest Wilbur Smith I am reading. After everyone else drank some restoring coffee, we climbed back into the van and drove back down the rutted dirt road to Pucon.
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