Osorno, Chile

Hola!

Nathan and I are now in Osorno, Chile, which is much farther north than Ushuaia. So much farther north, in fact, that it took us a few days to get here. Because Nathan and I are trying to make our way home without flying, that means a lot of long bus rides for us. To get here we spent three days and two nights on a bus. But we don´t mind too much because we get to see so many beautiful landscapes that we would miss if we flew over them instead. That´s our reason for trying to avoid airplanes--to see everything we can between here and home. (OK, and because Ms. Beth is afraid of airplanes.)

We are planning to do a trek in a park near Osorno that will take us up a volcano and to some hot springs, but unfortunately I don´t feel well right now. For that reason we are waiting here until I feel good enough to hike. It is quite common for travellers to get sick in foreign countries, especially from food or water. You are exposed to different germs than you are at home and because your body is not used to them they can make you sick. But it´s part of the whole experience and it´s worth it to be able to see such amazing things.

So you see, travelling is not all fun and games! Getting sick, long bus rides, difficulty in finding places to stay, waiting for transportation and all kinds of other things happen, but as long as we keep a good attitude and stay positive we get through it and still have fun!

While we stay here in Osorno we can enjoy all kinds of fresh fruits and vegetables. Because it is warm here and there is a lot of sunshine this area is an important agricultural region. We can find many vendors selling their produce on the streets. Here I am buying some hot peppers and nuts harvested from the cones of a Monkey Puzzle tree (do you remember the entry from Bariloche about the Monky Puzzle tree?)

The meat and milk from cows are also very important to the economy of this region. The monumento al toro, or monument to the bull, in the main plaza celebrates the animal and how it contributes to the agricultural industry, as well as the heritage of Chile. Heritage is the history and culture of something. As the statue says, it is a symbol of "strength, perseverence and fortitude". Osorno is proud of being the "la patria de la leche y tierra de la carne", or "the homeland of milk and the land of meat".