Buenas Dias one final time from Villarrica!
We were able to spend one final day enjoying the sites of this most lovely part of God's creation. While making a visit to the tourism office yesterday, Kay Kelley and Julie Bailey inquired if we could hire an english speaking guide to go with us around the area. The woman at the counter said she could and in moments we hired Veronica. She agreed to meet us at our hotel this morning and from there she guided us to several places today.
Our driver Raphael, who stayed with us after the long travel from San Fernando Thursday, drove us first to the Mapuche Center which turned out to be a hotel operated by the Catholic church, which I am sure provides income during the tourist season. But more than that, the property is a working farm, and there is a huge conference center and a very large kitchen where cooking classes in the Mapuche style are held. We were concerned because although it wasn't raining, the weather wasn't cooperating, and the mountain air was foggy which prevented us from seeing some of the more spectacluar views of the morning.
Our next stop came about an hour later where we visited Pucan, the "rival" town to Villarrica. In yesterday's blog I noted Villarrica reminded me of Tacoma, Washington, Pucan(pronounced pew-cone) looks a lot like Colorado. With the mountains all around and the outdoor shops all along the main street, this is a place where Chileans like to come and play. There were plenty of places to find trinkets to bring home, and Veronica steered us to a wonderful restaurant to eat. There is always an advantage to coming to third world countries, as the exchange rate is favorable. Lunch for me was "Duo Piscado" two fishes, as in both sea bass and salmon. The bill coming to about $12.00 US. The atmosphere was wonderful and the service was excellent as the owner was fluent in english. While we were dining the fog burned off, and it turned out to be yet another outstanding day.
After lunch we then headed a bit to the north, on the back side of the lake to see some waterfalls rushing down one of the many mountains that make this place such a glorious place. It is interesting to note the waterfalls were found in a private park which was crowded by tourists enjoying the Saturday. There was an entrance fee, 300 Chilean Pesos per person, or a little more than 50 cents a piece. Let me say it may have been one of the best 50 cents I've ever paid as the sites were something to behold. The only downside is we didn't have long to enjoy the rushing water. Now about an hour away from Villarrica, we had to drive back to the hotel and prepare for the long day back to Texas.
As a team we decided to have an early dinner, but before enjoying our "last supper" we packed up the nine team bags making sure they would all make weight for the flight back. Dinner was much lighter than lunch, and then we all enjoyed a treat from the Chocolataria which has deserts only team members can describe. I will say I enjoyed the creativity of the chocolate Volcan Villarrica. It was too rich for me to order, but I know several people enjoyed the creation complete with white icing on the top. It is too bad the agricultural restrictions are so tight that we cannot share the delights. Let me just say there's a good reason to come back to Villarrica. We closed the evening with a devotion which including an exercise that "binds us all together." There is no question these mission trips are life changing, and as a group all of us now share a common bond.
Tomorrow begins our trek home, and what a trek it will be. We'll leave around 7 a.m. to begin what is expected to take 12 hours back to Santiago airport. From there we'll catch a plane to Dallas and then it's on to Houston and if all goes well, we'll arive at Chapelwood around 9:30-10 a.m. Monday.
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