We crossed the Andes into Chile, passing on our way the active Puyehue volcano that has been throwing ash into Argentina for several months. The scene was impressive, trees burned to crisp, rivers having turned black and an endless plume of smoke rising from the mountain.
We were heading to Valdivia, near the coast in southern Chile, to see a friend we had originally met in Montreal. We wasted no time getting into the seafood after having been exposed to the almighty Argentinian meat diet. The town has an incredible fish market selling loads of fresh produce and ceviche. We never missed the opportunity to dine in the seafood restaurants across the street in the Mercado Central.
We stayed with our friend and his family which meant we were quickly introduced to the Chileno Spanish. It took us a while to decipher this quick, mumbled form of Spanish with an exhaustive inventory of slang words, but little by little it began to make sense.
It was a great experience, celebrating New Years, fishing on the river, the rowdy nights out, the dancing lessons and all that reggaeton. We were very fortunate to have been welcomed with incredible hospitality by such a warm a bunch of people. We had the opportunity to more fully immerse ourselves in the local culture and our time in this small underrated city proved to be one of the most interesting so far.
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