Winter work



Winterwonderland a the skiing center

 Waxing all the skis and snowboards as well as cleaning all the boots for them in my work was like a journey through history of development of winter sports. There are different types of skis and bindings and especially the development of boots was intersting to watch. I found ancient leather snowboard boots, ski boots with just one buckle, back entrance, inflation system and many more of the trends that existed in the last 30 years. Sometimes I feel like in a ski museum at my work.

Meanwhile we overcame the two weeks of high season during which I worked 12 hours and sometimes more per day. It was a tough time but now winter holidays ended and it is much more calm again. Anyway working twelve hours here is not the same like working 12 hours in Europe. There had always been time to watch the matches of Chiles national football team at the Copa America and now and then I spent afternoons waiting at the skiing center to bring back tourists to town, bathing in the sun, enjoying the amazing outlook, reading a book or simply taking a nap in the car. For the winter here is quite cold and with lots of snow, I trained my winter driving style including mounting snow chains quite regularly these days. Sometimes I also could get out of the shop to do funny things like snow shoe trekking or - which so far was the best of it all - a tour with a snow quad in the Conguillio National Park. That was quite an adventure. I accompanied four Brasilean youngsters that they would not get lost in the snow. We went to the small town of Mellipeuco about 100 kms north of Pucón in car where we met Fernando the owner of a hostel over there and organizer of the quad trips. He is a likeable guy although at ten o´clock in the morning when we arrived he already had a good blood alcohol level. A quite wrinkled face with a big red nose in it, the typical smell of his breath and a damned slow articulation for a Chilean showed that this does not seem to happen only that day. We drove with the quads on a hanger to the national park where we unloaded them and started the trip. When we reached there it started snowing heavily and so we drove through an amazing winterly volcanic landscape. Unfortunately visibility got worse and snow even more so that we had to turn back after about one and a half hours. Half way back the crawler of one of the vehicles came off and we had to fix it in the windy snow flurry, lifting the quite heavy quad on one side. It took Fernando quite a while to fix it with his cold numb fingers. Finally we reached totally frozen but impressed by the winter wonderland we had seen at the park entrance again. After that we went to the Truful-Truful falls, a beautiful cascade of the river by the same name nearby. Finally we got a Pizza at the Hiostel before we went back to Pucón. On the way back we came into a snow flurry again in which driving for the young Brasilean was quite an adventure. When snow kept lying on the road he asked me: "This is snow now?"

In July Inés' mother and sister visited us. We spent some nice days together, cooking Austrian food, eating in fine restaurants and visiting the Huife hot springs. They are said to be the most noble hot springs in the area but I was quite dissapointed. It is a big thermal center with spa, sauna and restaurant. The problem with it is that Chileans hardly know to offer service, so the best infrustructure is useless if you can´t enjoy it however for the total absence of any service. Nevertheless the women enjoyed and I will just go back to my beloved rustic, basic natural pool hot springs the next time.

Inés due to all the kids being at home for their winter holidays for two weeks got quite stressed after her mum had gone back to Santiago again. So we decided to sent her on some holidays herself. These days she is at Bahía Inglesa a noble beach resort in the north relaxing from home at early summer like temperatures while I am sitting in the office with a cold staring into the rain outside.

Small Journey, Big Journey and Some Work

The Small Hot Springs

As it turned out bad luck had not already finished with my tonsilitis. From the penicillin I got a viral infection in my mouth which forced me to eat only liquid stuff for two more days and was even more painful than the tonsilitis itself. Finally I lost 4 kg in just three days. From all the tablets I had to take against all the attacks on my poor body I got stomach problems and so had to diet some more days. Finally I had been so ravenous that the first meat after all that which I had taking a dinner out in Pucón with Inés tasted like heaven!

Finally healthy again I went with a friend to some free of charge hot springs close to Pucon. You reach them in half an hour by car and a steep 5 minutes walk down to Liucura River. There just at the bank of the river is one small pool formed by a natural rock face and a concrete wall. Because it already had been dark I can´t tell you anything about the view of the surrounding landscape but the night sky with millions of bright stars and the sound of the running river were amazing. The beer we had brought under these circumstances tasted especially sweet and smooth.

My next journey brought me to Santiago with Inés. We went there to meet her mother who lives in Italy and is on holiday in Chile right at the moment. So I got to know my future mother in law. She´s a likeable, little and funny person. Unfortunately weather conditions had been quite bad with rain, wind and low temperatures (one morning snow in the Andes range almost had fallen as low as the first suburbs of the town - never saw Santiago that winterly). This in combination with not heated houses let me suffer of the chill all the time we had been there. When we were in the house of Ines' sister where we usually stay in Santiago I was just sitting next to the only gas oven that exists, wrapped in blankets reading a book or the newspaper like a crabby grandfather. Fortunately we daily went to the city. One day to buy cloth for my wedding suit and clothes for Inés to wear at the marriage (we are going to be a damned pretty bridal couple), the other day to take the rare chance for us to go to the cinema. We watched 'X-Men'. It was the first movie I did see not in the original English version and Spanish subtitled but Spanish synchronized. Although I have not seen the first part of 'X-Men' I understood quite well and got the meaning of the movie which of I was a little proud.

After three days with big parts of Inés' family (which always is quite chaotic and not really relaxing) we had been quite happy to go back to our own warm and cosy house in Pucón but fate did not want to let us come back that easily. We missed the bus that left at night and so had to stay one more night in Santiago. The next day we had to take a bus connection with changing the bus, because their had not been a direct bus to Pucón during the day. Finally we reached there at midnight, tired but happy!

The next day I started working for the winter season. Now I am waxing skis and snowboards for the next three months. After working  the whole day  standing my back hurt terribly in the evening that I nearly could not move anymore. As it seemed I had caught a chill of my back in Santiago and for sure the long odyssey in the bus had done its bit as well. In the night I could sleep with pain killers only and the next days wore my kidney belt for the motorbike to warm and support my back to bear working the whole day. Meanwhile I can stand upright again and already gave my first skiing lesson (which I am doing too as well as guiding snowshoe hikes). My student was a Venezuelan woman who had touched snow the first time in her life that day. It was great fun and let me go for skiing again which I have not done for several years.

Home Adventures

Eruption of volcano Puyehue

Just a week after our engagement we had the next celebration. It was Inés´ birthday. In the afternoon we celebrated with the children giving Inés her presents, eating the cake and the usual birthday things. In the evening and almost all night long we did the usual adult party in Pucón with some of Inés´ friends. We had so much fun that we just forgot about going home but paid the price for that the next day on which neither Inés nor I could hardly move.

While the workers kept constructing our sauna/cafeteria I constructed another woodshed because the old one did not survive the rearrengement of our lot due to the construction and had been broken down. So I had to pile almost all the wood for the winter another time with the effect that I almost can not see any more fire wood if it is not burning inside the oven warming the house. Well at least we will not run out of fire wood for the rest of the winter especially because so far it seems to be a not too cold one. That is why up to now the construction in our garden progressed uninterruptedly. Until this week which was the one of the bad incidents. First of all volcano Puyehue erupted heavily covering wide parts of Argentinian Patagonia (although the volcano itself is on the Chilean side of the Andes - that's how nature cares about political borders.) Thankfully no one was injured or killed just more than 3000 people around the volcano are still evacuated and daily life in the affected areas in Argentina broke almost down like if there would be heavy snowfall in any major town in Central Europe. For volcano Puyehue is about 200 kms south of Pucón we had never been in danger here and could be astonished about the incredible pictures of the eruption Chilean TV since then broadcasts daily.

At the same day there had been reported a small tornado in Villarrica, the town on the other shore of Villarrica Lake. This leaded to another evacuation  and unfortunately caused severe damage which affected us although the tornado itself never came close to Pucón. Though the workers of our building site live in Villarrica and their houses had been partially destroyed. So the last days they could not come because they had to take care about their families and repair their houses.

Apart from that Inés got heavy back pain which forced here to stay in bed two days. She has problems with her spinal discs which became acute what according to her happens regularly in winter and so did not frighten her as much as me seeing her there in the bed almost like paralized. So I took care of her these days but soon there came my revenge although before there waited another adventure for us. The next day we had a chimney fire in our house. I had been down in Pucòn and Inès had been in the house with her oldest son Pablo. Fortunately the workers that day still had been there on our lot  because they saw the fire coming out of the chimney up on the roof of the house. Otherwise Inès and Pablo inside would not even had noticed it. They knocked the door and told Inès who was quite surprised and frightened about the fire. Fortunately we have an extinguisher at home (since the roof of the house already burned two years ago) with which one of the workers climbed up the roof and put out the fire. As fate would have it this day I had left my cellphone at home because it was out of charge so Nelson, Inès' ex-husband, searched and found me down in Pucòn when I was just ordering lunch in a cafe. When I came back to the house a few minutes later, everything was full with the dry chemical of the extinguisher and Inès and Pablo already diligently cleaning. Luckily apart from the dust absolutely nothing had happened thanks to the quick reaction of the workers who really safed our house (and got an extra beer for that). The whole afternoon we spent cleaning up the mess inside and the chimney again so finally nothing left than a big fright. 

The next day I suddenly got 40 degrees C feaver, pain all over my body, feeling of vomitting and several other symptoms of influenza. So now I was a nursing case for Inès. Because the feaver did not recede on the third day Inés brought me to the hospital where they told me that it was not an influenza at all but a tonsilitis. As far as I remember I never ever had that in my life and had to become 34 years old to suffer of it. Could have missed that one out for sure. In the hospital they put me on an infusion gave me two huge injections of penicillin (one of them right into my bottom which that for still hurts) and send me home again with some obviouously really effective tablets.

Writing this I am at home in bed now curing myself. It had been my first day without fever since then so it seems the upcoming week I will be back to (social) life again. At least I did not miss that much because just these days arrived the winter with heavy rainfalls and storms so the bed had been the cosiest place to be in  anyway. Nevertheless I hope we had enough adventure for some time and I can start working for the winter season in one or two weeks without any further surprises.

Engagement

Flower Arrangement of the Engagement

Last Saturday Inés and I had our engagement party. It was just a small thing with the kids, Inés' sister, cousin, aunt and some friends. We had a small buffet in the garden including wine and beer. Because Inés' father had not been able to come I had to asked her oldest son Pablo for her hand in marriage. Then I asked Inés herself bringing her a rose in between my teeth. Very romantic! We exchanged our engagement jewellery, two pins of silver and stones forming a Yin and Yang symbol together. We danced, laughed and drank a lot, keep on doing it later on after the kids had went to bed in several bars of Pucón until early morning. That for on Sunday we just had a lazy relaxing day. It was a very nice, good and intense party that makes us looking forward to our wedding in November.

Now we went back to daily business and at the moment apart from observing and helping with the construction of the sauna I am making new cupboards for all the kids. Inés these days won 500.000 Chilean Pesos in the local casino and decided to refurbish the children's rooms with that money. So it seems we are lucky at cards, as well as lucky in love right at the moment. I see this as a good sign for the incoming winter!

Huerquehue National Park



View from the park to Lake Tinquilco and Volcano Villarica

After we had found all Easter eggs and passed the holy weekend well I decided to go trekking in the nearby Huerquehue National Park the following weekend after a few days of rain. I wanted to take some relaxation before we start with the construction of our sauna and that for the days will be busy again. Weather was awesome again - pure sunshine and 20 degrees C. My plan was to cross the park in two days camping at hotsprings that are situated right at the border of the park. Unfortunately the rain of the days before in the higher altitude of the park had already been snow and so I had to change the plan. I made the touristic standard 'Three Lakes' Hike which brings you to two waterfalls, three amazing lagoons surrounded by native Monkey Puzzle Tree forest and several viewpoints with tremendous views of Volcano Villarica. Inded I partially already had to hike through wet, heavy snow. Back at the park entrance I had to think where to stay overnight. The only official place to stay that had been open still was quite a trendy and that for expensive tourist resort which I wanted to avoid. Because I brought all my camping stuff I decided to sleep instead of that on a campsite I know from my last time here. Only problem was, that it was closed already due to offseason. Well at least it was for free. I had to climb over the fence, almost fell down doing that due to the weight of my backpack but finally entered safely and slept in between Coligue (the Chilean version of Bamboo) bushes at the lakeshore. The second day I started a hike up the highest peak of the park (almost 2000m a.s.l.) but again was stopped by lying snow halfway up. I did not mind because the day was beautiful and so I made a large lunch break enjoying the unbelieveably fall coloured landscape. So far I always had been here in summer when everything was just green but this time the oncoming winter had already painted the trees and bushes in hundreds of shades of green, yellow, red and brown. In between the black to emerald green shining lagoons and dots of white snow. It was a that perfect painting how only nature itself can draw it. I really enjoyed the peacefulness and tranquility of the place and came back to Pucón quite relaxed and happy.

Back here the construction of our sauna and cafeteria had begun and we are living on a construction site. The whole lot is full with builduing materials and crossed by various diggings. Two of them I digged myself the last three days until my hands now finally are full with bladders and still brown of mud after several showers. Apart from that my arm hurt for a whole day like seriously damaged. Well at least I can typewrite again and today I took a day off from the construction just being lazy at home doing some household. But tomorrow the plumber which is a friend of mine is coming and I will help him to put the first pipings. I keep being busy!

Easter in Autumn

Found them all

Summer has gone and fall came over the south of Chile. This here is the season of lumberjack sounds. Everybody is preparing fire wood for the coming winter and so wherever someone is going he is accompanied by the sounds of chain saws and axes. I really like that season especially because this year so far the weather was really pleasant and heavy rainfalls seem to come slowly only. I piled 30 cubic metres of fire wood as well in our garden and prepared the house for the winter, insulating doors and windows, cleaning the chimnies and making various reparations. I redesigned the kitchen after another water damage and built a big cupboard in our bedroom. Now I am painting the bathroom. There is always something to do! The project of our sauna is becoming concrete, plans are designed and next week the construction will start. Slowly I am getting a little nervous because I never started a project that big and we do not know how it will work, can just hope and try to do our best. Anyway, at least I am going to have my own sauna in the garden which definitely will help me to survive the winter over here.

Yesterday I handicrafted small baskets for the Easter eggs with the kids and we coloured the eggs of our own hens to put them in tomorrow. That for today we had onions soup for lunch, because I always colour the eggs with onion skins and so this is my traditional Easter meal. It actually is one of the few European meals I prepare which all of the kids like. Tomorrow it will rain how it already did the last three days so we probably will hide the Easter baskets in the house and for sure searching for them is going to be an big event. Hopefully we won't have to clean the whole house from broken eggs.

Making Plans and Decisions

Happy together!

So since I am hear I already experienced a major earthquake and a tsunami alert including evacuation. What's missing is an volcanic eruption. Hopefully I won't have to experience that!

But I wanted to tell about the things Inés and I were thinking about and planning during our holidays. Well most important of all we are going to marry in November. We think our relationship has been proved and tested well enough, we definitely want to keep staying together in future and have a lot of common plans, ideas and thoughts. And for sure we just feel very comfortable, secure, happy, beloved and content together. Apart from that we are planning to travel to Austria together next year and knowing about the immigration laws over there for sure it is much easier for Inés to get a visa when she is married with me. So everything militates in favour for this step and we decided to make it.

In May when Inés' mother, who lives in Italy, comes for a visit, we are going to have our engagement, celebrating it with Inés' family in Santiago. The marriage will take place on 11th of November 2011 in Pucón and therefor will be coming some of my family and friends from Austria. So anyway this year surely is going to be a good one.

Apart from that we had been thinking about what to do for our living in future because both of us working the whole day long being away from the house while all the children had been there alone all day long during the summer wasn't really satisfying for nobody. So we will have to create our own place of work at home. We already started this with our shop but that only does not yield suffieciently. So we had to think about anything else. This now is going to be a sauna and cafeteria next to the shop. We are going to construct a small house in our lot, at the edge of the forest for that where we have place for all that and our shop. Being situated on the access road to the skiing resort on the volcano we plan to bring into the sauna the skiers after a long, cold day on the slopes and so get an income independent from the summer season. Apart from that there are living several Europeans in the area who for sure in the long and rainy winter months (and hopefully all around the year) will appreciate a well maintained, familial sauna. During summer season getting clients should not be a problem anyway. So this is in what we are going to work the next months and to do it I am going to stay here in Chile this winter. Anyway if I want to live here the next years someday I have to get used to it. Better now than later. So from next season on to everybody who is going to visit us we can offer one more service.

Apart from that, now that season had ended, I am amusing myself with settling fire wood for the winter, various repairs at the house, trying to keep the children under control, doing the chores, herding the animals and so on.

For the winter the boss of my rafting company offered my a work contract, so as it looks like I am going to work with him then as well. So finally I am even becoming a skiing instructor. Never thought of that. How funny life can be sometimes.