Hot hot hot

Here in Pucon we're staying in a wee wooden hut that even has a TV and a private bathroom, but no heating. We have a gas heater that we have to share with 2 other huts, so we take turns...We dared to mention the cold to the landlady in the morning and were quickly confronted with reality. 'Central heating is only to be found in very expensive hotels in Santiago for example, where apparently they even heat AND open the window at the same time. Here, we can only heat with gas, which we used to have in abundance until three years ago, when Bolivia wanted not only access to the sea over Chilean land but also a big chunk of land itself. The Chilean people said NO, so Boliva turned off its gas supply. Chile then got gas via Argentina, but then Bolivia threatened to cut its supply to Argentina too. So now we only have a bit of gas from Patagonia, and wood to heat. That's why almost every day a house burns down. It is difficult to heat, no Chilean household has heating all the time, you just have to put on an extra jumper.'

Upon that, Stu and I just felt like spoilt brats from Europe and assured her that we love a nice cup of tea anyway... Just as well they put up a volcano here which gives 40 degree hot water to the best outdoor swimming pool we have ever seen...We spent the day in Pucon's hotsprings Los Pozones.