Villarrica
Had a delicious breakfast and set off at 10.00. Found the newly built bypass which has totally spoilt the beach environment unfortunately. Lots of concrete with little thought about local character and the preservation of waterside habitats. Had a pleasant cycle along a gently undulating road which was quite narrow with only an occasional verge which meant we had to use our mirrors a lot. The lake was hidden from view most of the way which was a shame for us...but good for the local fauna and flora. Arrived at Pucon in a fine drizzle and had a coffee on the main street (which always seem to be called Bernard O'Higgins) between shops flogging local adventure activities....rafting, hiking, biking etc. The low cloud and rain meant we could not see the volcano so we consoled ourselves with some fabulous cake (Kuchen) which consisted of layers of flaky pastry with dulce de leche, cream, a kind of custard and fruit in each layer with chocolate on the top! Stopped in a hostel called 'Pucon Sur' which was very clean and modern and was run by a German lady who looked in amazement at all our panniers and helped us up the stairs. Spent the day adding photos to the blog whilst it hammered down with rain outside.
