Camping in Conguillío National Park

Wednesday, 12.02.2020

A few days ago, I tried out the 'Public Trip' feature on Couchsurfing for the first time, where I made my days in Pucón public and gave others the opportunity to contact me. That's how I found Paulo, who lives in Temuco and also likes to go hiking. After exchanging messages on WhatsApp for a while, we made a rough plan. I'll go to Temuco, where we'll prepare again, and the next morning we'll go to Conguillío National Park for camping and hiking, which was highly recommended to me. So, on to the next adventure!

In the afternoon, we took a three-hour bus ride to Temuco, where Paulo picked me up from the train station. We bought a few things and then took a colectivo to his house on the outskirts, where he lives with his mother and her boyfriend. The first conversation was already very deep, as he told me about his car accident 10 years ago, which put him in a coma for several weeks with a 5% chance of survival. Over the following years, he developed a painkiller addiction, from which he recovered last year in a rehabilitation facility. Now he is a vegetarian, drug-free, and alcohol-free, and he is gradually reshaping his life. He is studying to become a therapist (occupational therapy for addiction patients) and is generally in a very good mood. I'm not 100% sure if I should be worried about him, but I don't think so.

Thursday, 13.02.2020

Yesterday, we repacked our backpacks, and today we're heading to the bus station after breakfast. Unfortunately, we're running a bit late and don't have time to go shopping, but we have brought some things from the house. The bus ride to the national park takes three hours and is relaxing. I like traveling by bus. You can listen to music, look out the window, and let your thoughts wander - with little naps in between.

Since it's not easy for foreigners to find information about camping in the national park (online, the camping sites were fully booked), I didn't know until the last minute if we would even get a spot. But on-site, everything is relaxed, and the campsite is actually quite well-equipped, with a restaurant and access to the lake. The sites are spread out in the forest. The national park supposedly has its own microclimate, and I believe it instantly. There's the Llaima volcano and the Araucania trees known for this area. Just a few hundred meters above us, there is still snow. We spend the rest of the day in a relaxed manner, lying by the lake on black lava sand. Surprisingly, it's quite warm, only the wind is very cold. The water would also be warm, but it's too windy outside for me. I treat myself to a round of yoga with a meditation at the end and feel deeply relaxed. After cooking dinner, we go back to the lake, where we chat with some people and I try to take star photos. It's only moderately successful, and soon I run out of patience. Plus, I can't Google my mistakes because there's no network here.

At night, we're bundled up in our sleeping bags, wearing long underwear, fleece sweaters, scarves, and headbands - you can see your breath. I wake up occasionally and put on another sweater in the morning, but we managed with the cold. It was predicted to be 0°C, but it wasn't that cold. I think it was somewhere between 3°C and 8°C. Because our air mattress is losing air rapidly - we had to pump it up in the middle of the night - and because it's really cold, we, each in our own sleeping bag, cuddled up quite closely. It's surprisingly nice to feel a bit of closeness again, even if it's just the form and breath of an almost stranger. Physical proximity is apparently quite important for us humans, and I'm looking forward to the time with Ben.

Friday, 14.02.2020

We slept in because it got comfortable in the sleeping bags after sunrise. During the day, we went on a short hike through the forest to a 1,800-year-old Araucania tree with a diameter of 2.20 meters. The rest of the day was spent cooking and eating until our camping gas ran out. But we're managing, and in case of emergency, there's still the restaurant. In the evening, there was karaoke there, and Paulo, a passionate musician, definitely delivered the best performance.

These days, I'm often thinking about resource scarcity again. The topic of resources was most present on the boat during the crossing. Not a drop of water was wasted, and if something was dirty, you carefully considered whether to use a soon-to-be-used-up tissue or soon-to-be-used-up water for it. When I got off the boat, I kept that up for a while and was really cautious, but now my attention noticeably decreases. In our everyday life, the scarcity of some resources is simply not obvious to us, and so we don't really pay attention to whether we take one or two napkins (or none at all), or whether we let the water run for 5 seconds between two actions or not.

It's also Valentine's Day. We never really celebrated this day at home, but I do wish I could tell my loved one how much I like him and miss him - but unfortunately, no reception.

Saturday, 15.02.2020

We went on a beautiful hike along the Sendero Sierra Nevada trail, with a great view of the Llaima volcano and the surrounding valleys. We're running a bit low on food and our camping gas, but friendly neighbors and the campsite kiosk keep us from starving. At the viewpoint of the hike, we briefly have reception again and can connect with the outside world.

In the evening, we went to the lake for a dip (unfortunately, it was very cold due to the wind) and did a round of yoga with meditation. I managed to convince Paulo to join, and since then, he's been happy and deeply relaxed. He wants to find a yoga course at home. Day successful.

Sunday, 16.02.2020

Today is exhausting. In the morning, we packed up our camp and did another round of yoga. Then we wanted to head back to Temuco. However, the bus wouldn't leave until six o'clock in the evening, so we tried hitchhiking. Most cars, however, only go to the next hiking trail in the park, not to the next town. When a car finally stops to pick us up, we happily get in the back of the pickup truck. However, the drive through the national park on dusty gravel roads is not as fun as we thought. It's quite cold on the pickup bed, and the dust gets into every pore. We get off in the next town and miss the bus to Temuco by a few minutes. The next one will only leave in three hours, so we continue hitchhiking, but nobody stops for very long. We pass the time with cookies and music. Eventually, someone does give us a ride to the next town, even though the car is almost full - it means cuddling on the back seat for half an hour. From Cunco, there finally is a bus to Temuco.

However, since it's Paulo's mother's birthday today and there will be family visitors, I can't stay, so I contacted a Couchsurfing host in Valdivia yesterday, who accepted my request. Since the bus to Valdivia leaves shortly after our arrival, I quickly repacked my backpack and ordered an Uber to the bus station. I was 10 seconds too late to get out the door, and my Uber was already gone. Paulo quickly ordered another one for me, and during the ride, I tried to buy the bus ticket to Valdivia online. There were only two seats left, but the booking just wouldn't go through. Five minutes before departure, I arrived at the bus station and learned at the counter that there were no more tickets available. What a disappointment. Since I don't have any cash left, I go to the ATM to withdraw some money. And then I decide to try my luck again - you never know. Just as the bus was supposed to leave, I go directly to the conductor and ask for a seat. And I actually get one! Luggage in, Lena in, let's go. But what's even more surprising is that the ticket suddenly costs only half as much compared to the online price.

I text the Couchsurfing host every hour because I don't know exactly where I need to go. Unfortunately, he goes silent and doesn't say anything anymore. So, around 9 PM, I'm sitting at the train station in Valdivia, it's getting dark, and I don't know where to go. Just as I'm wondering how long I'll still wait, an older couple approaches me out of nowhere and asks if I'm looking for a place to stay. I say yes and get in the car. They run a small, private guesthouse very close to the city center and still have some beds available. I only found one hostel online, and here in Valdivia, the 'Semana Valdiviana' festival is taking place, so most places are fully booked. So, lucky again.

The guesthouse is very basic, but it's enough for a shower and a bed, and since I only ate cookies all day, I quickly go to the city and buy something hearty to eat in the midst of the final stages of the festival. Then I fall tired into bed.