I may be gone for a while...

I was actually adamant on not coming to Pucon when I started, for the simple reason that it is a bit touristy. And when I say a bit, I mean entirely. With two volcanoes and two national parks a stone's throw away, the town is something of a mecca for river sports and trekking fans in the summer and ski-types in the winter. Every imaginable activity that can be done on or around mountains, lakes and rivers is available here and the streets teem with businesses offering them, and it was this that had put me off it originally.

However, I was on the road to Villarica when I realised that other than cycle and rest and the odd national park day trip, I haven't really done much.. Given that I'm Pacific bound again after this, I probably won't have much opportunity to do so for a while, so I decided to go on to the well-trod and beaten track and indulge. And what was the first thing I did? I hired a mountain bike and went cycling in the hills. Not much of an indulgement given the nature of my trip, I know, but I'd originally arranged to go on a two hour downhill ride (completely different kettle of cycling), which got cancelled, and by then it was too late to go on another excursion. I did feel a bit guilty to be cheating on Toops with what to all intents and purposes was a bike-prostitute, but it was nice to cycle for the fun of it and be able to go off road without worrying whether the fork is going to break in two. Don't get me wrong, it's not as if the other cycling isn't fun, but it comes with the constant stresses of kilometre-watching, trying to not to miss turn-offs, lorries skimming your ear, eating and drinking enough... Fun yes, relaxing no.

The main attraction (or at least the most imposing) in Pucon however is the active 2847metre Villarica volcano, and after my busman's holiday of the previous day climbing it seemed like the catharsis I needed before heading for the coast and bright lights of Concepcion. Sure enough, it was a great experience, particularly climbing over ice and snow for the last couple of hours. Sadly, the day turned cloudy and ruined the view from the top; you couldn't see 10 metres in front of you and had it not been for the odd sulphurous cloud, it could have been anywhere else but Volcano summit.

I should point out that "climbing a volcano" probably sounds more dramatic than it is, and the ice-picks and crampons notwithstanding it was hardly Scott of the Antarctic stuff, but I shan't be telling girls this when I re-tell the story. I dare say the terms "near-death" and "crevasse heroics" will be used liberally.