The long awaited arrival of our hijas (daughters) was very near!  The weather had changed and we drove from Puerto Varas to Puerto Montt Airport in the rain. Andre had been informed about a “shortcut” that we couldn’t find.  We ended up on a long and narrow road through farmland and by the time we reached the cul de sac at the end, Andrea’s plane had already arrived… Eventually we got there and went with Andrea to the city center to await Danielle’s flight.  Andrea had originated in San Francisco and Danielle in London, but  they had managed to meet up at Santiago airport.  Because of some sort of labor dispute they had not been able to take the same flight to Puerto Montt, however.  At long last, we were all together and ready for two weeks of fun times.  Although we’re often far from each other we still try our best to get together for the winter holidays.  It’s now summer, of course, in the southern hemisphere and we crossed our fingers for some warm sunny weather. This year was extra special because we were going to spend Christmas and New Years with many of our Chilean cousins, all descendants of Andre’s Uncle Eduard.  We wouldn’t be able to see all of them, nor all at the same time because they are scattered around the country.

After a brief tour of Puerto Montt we returned to Compass Hostel in Puerto Varas.  Andrea and Danielle shared a room and we used the small campground in the backyard.  It was a cozy place with quite an international group of guests, mostly European. After our girls settled in and freshened up after their arduous journeys, we went out to walk around Lago Llanquihue, and explore Puerto Varas a bit.

That evening we had a belated birthday dinner for Andrea at Casa Valdés.  Andrea, Danielle and Andre tried the Pisco Sours, Chile’s national apéritif.  Coincidentally, it is also Peru’s national drink and the two countries have an ongoing rivalry over which one is best.  Andrea , having gone to Lima last year, thought that Peru’s version was better.  We enjoyed our ceviche and the Chilean version of bouillabaisse though we all concluded it would have been enough to order two servings instead of four! It was a great way to start our holiday together.

The next day was chilly and wet but we forged ahead with our sightseeing plans.  We were in Los Lagos, Chile’s famous Lake District, with soaring volcanoes and celestial lakes and there were so many to choose from, but only one day in Puerto Varas… We went to Parque Nacional Vicente Pérez Rosales. The park protects Lago Todos Los Santos, one of the most beautiful in the region.  We stopped at the outlet of the lake at Petrohué,   Shortly downstream are the Saltos de Petrohué, which looked more like rapids than waterfalls.  We explored the trail in the rain and went to the Visitor Center.

From there we continued on to majestic Volcán Osorno, a perfect conical peak towering over the glacial lakes.  Unfortunately we weren’t able to see much of it because of the weather but we got as close as we could!

We returned to Puerto Varas in time to have dinner with Jeannine, one of our cousins, and had a lovely evening with her at her apartment.

The next day we left for Valdivia to celebrate Christmas with many more cousins.  On the way we circled Lago Llanquihue, first stopping in Fruitillar.  There was a large influx of German settlers in southern Chile in the 19th century, so quaint German architecture and küchen are very commonplace.  We visited the Museo Histórico Alemán, which features excellent reconstructions  of German colonialism.

We passed lush green countryside and lots of cows along the lake.  Puerto Octay was charming with its historic German architecture and was less touristy than the other towns we had seen. We bought some local cheese in a market and had lunch near the main square.

In Valdivia we were greeted by cousins Marita and Luis.  Later, Solange and Pancho joined us for “La Once,” the customary evening meal.  Chileans eat their main meal  sometime between noon and 3pm and unless it is a special occasion, eat much lighter fare at night. It looks very much like their breakfast and usually includes tea, toast, jam, honey, cheese, ham, mashed up avocado, and fruit.

Then we followed Solange to her home in Punucapa, about 20 km from Valdivia.  It is beautiful and mostly undeveloped countryside, reached from the city by an unpaved road.  We stayed with Solange and her husband Julio while we were there. Solange’s brother Pancho, wife Camila and daughter Javiera live next door.  We spent a lot of time with them over the next few days, shopping at the municipal market, having lunch at Solange’s cafe in Valdivia, kayaking, swimming, walking, running and playing with the dogs in Punucapa.

On Christmas Eve it’s customary in Chile for families to have a special meal, then open their gifts at midnight… or sooner, depending on the ages of the children.  In the south it doesn’t get dark until after 10 and then it’s time to take the children for a walk to look for Santa Claus. Luis’ daughter Pilar had dutifully put out carrots and cookies for Santa and was amazed to find that he had eaten some of them while she had gone out for her walk! Then it was time for gift distribution…

More cousins came on Christmas day…We have cousins in Osorno and another who came all the way from Santiago to be with us.  It’s a rare occasion that so many family members get together and we were delighted to see them all! We had lunch at Pancho and Camila’s house then spent the afternoon enjoying each others’ company.

In the evening we had a barbecue before our Osorno cousins went home.

Before leaving Punucapa we went to Parque Oncol, a unique piece of Valdivian temperate rainforest featuring four types of subforest within its boundaries. Andrea and I hiked with Solange, Julio, Marita and Pillar. while Danielle and Andre went zip-lining with Pancho and Camila.  It was the first time that Andre had gone riding through the canopy, and he said he enjoyed it!  Video coming soon!

After leaving the park we stopped for lunch along the coast and had some fantastic seafood empanadas, the best so far on our trip. Then we were served a traditional Chilean dessert, something we had never seen before.  It was served in a sauce called,Chancaca. It’s made with  raw unrefined sugar and very sweet! We also learned that chancaca is the slang equivilent of something easy, our “piece of cake!.”

We’d had an amazing time with this branch of our Chilean family and it was hard to leave such an idyllic setting, but it was time to move on…Time for new adventures and more cousins to visit…