Pucon

It's funny how an off day can turn out ok. I was enjoying my breakfast in Pucon which is kind of the activity center of the northern lakes region. It had been raining all night so I slept in and really had no plan but to have laundry done. At the next table I heard two guys discussing a third older man being from Boston. I casually asked if they were as well and it turns out Tim is from Newton but Chris was from Bern Switzerland. They had met taking a Spanish language class in Uruguay and were now travelling off and on together. Turns out the other guy was from New Hampshire and was visiting his son who lives here building houses now (and at one time had worked on Nantucket at the Virginia Graham estate on Cliff Road) it turned into a long morning of coffee and chat and I thought I had convinced Tim to climb the volcano tomorrow. We parted ways for the day but met up again at the tour office and after organizing tomorrow they invited me to join them on an excursion in their rental car to some caves and a thermal pool complex.

(it is actually quite remarkable to be able to sit and recommend places you have been during the last four weeks like some sort of expert. It is also remarkable to meet people that are doing way longer trips - Tim is in South American for five months!)

The excursion didn't quite plan out and we wound up at a different thermal pool and then back to Pucon for dinner and wine at Viva Peru! Tim and I will climb Volcano Villarrica tomorrow.