I continued backpacking alone from Argentina and now I'm heading to Chile, going to Puerto Montt and then Puerto Varas.

1st day – Tuesday (05/31/2011)

I woke up at 6am in Bariloche, I had breakfast at the hostel and took a taxi to the bus station. My bus stops Puerto Montt left at 7:30 am sharp. I slept until the border between the two countries, where I had to get off with the other passengers so they could search our luggage. They searched with dogs and everything and even found some things in the luggage of other passengers, but it was nothing serious.

We continued our journey along the road covered in snow… How beautiful! I had the feeling that Chile would be incredible (and I can tell you right now that it was).

I arrived in Puerto Montt at 2:30 pm and at the bus station itself I went into the travel agencies to research the available tours. They basically offered me two packages – the one from Chiloé Island and of the Petrohué Falls. The weather was overcast and it was quite cold, so I ended up choosing to do the Petrohue, because Chiloé is further south and it is much colder there. I left my luggage in locker from the bus station and walked around the city. Wooden houses, some buildings and a main avenue very close to the sea.

I walked around a lot and ate a type of local pastry called soupipilla, with ketchup and aji, a very strong spicy sauce for me. I also ate the best portion of fries of my life at this same stall in front of the sea. Mega greasy, but perfectly salty and juicy…

I went back to the bus station to pick up my backpack and go to my accommodation. They recommended a place called Pearl House, After I looked for hostels but found nothing. I thought it would be close to the bus station, so I went walking, but I was wrong and had to climb some steep hills with my backpack on my back.

When I arrived at the house, I came across a girl a little younger than me and a man who made a point of not exchanging a word with me. The house is full of objects hanging on the walls and is quite noisy with its wooden floors. I left my things in the bedroom and went downstairs to use the Internet. I was told that Perla is a very welcoming lady who knows a lot of places and loves to share experiences, but on the day I went, she happened to be out and so I was left with just her shy husband.

At night in the room, I confess that I was scared and locked the door, even though I knew that another guest could arrive and he would have to sleep with me, in the extra bed in the room. I thought it would be better to be woken up to open the door than to leave it open all the time. I went to bed early and tried to sleep, but it was difficult with the cold (there was no heating). I slept very badly…

2nd day – Wednesday (01/06/2011)

I woke up and tried to take a hot shower, but there was only cold water. I had breakfast in their kitchen, feeling a bit disgusted, especially because I saw that the clothes were hanging over the stove. I thought it was horrible.

The tour van of the Petrohué Falls arrived and before we went on to Puerto Varas, We went to a viewpoint in Puerto Montt. You can see that the city is not so pretty, look…

The road is very pretty and when we arrived in PV, I realized that it was much cuter than Puerto Montt. The city is full of cute little houses, has a lake with mountains around it and the people seem very friendly and welcoming. We waited for other tourists and as soon as they arrived we went to see the Petrohué Falls.

We stopped at Green Lagoon and in Poza Lagoon to take a boat ride through a tunnel formed by trees. The tunnel was really cool, but it was very cold so I wanted to get out of there as soon as possible. We got back in the van and continued along the road to a restaurant on the shore of Lake Llanquihue, whose name I don't remember. It was already included in the package and the lunch was very tasty.

We followed until the Petrohué Falls, which is a river of glacial water with beautiful waterfalls. The cool thing about it is that its bottom is black, because of the solidified larva and the contrast of the emerald green with the black is very beautiful.

After that we went on to the last stage of the excursion, which was the boat trip around All Saints Lake. From there, despite the slightly cloudy weather, I was able to see the Osorno volcano with eternal snow on top. I found it very beautiful!

We returned to the van and continued our journey until Puerto Varas. When I got there, I went to my accommodation, which was also recommended and I thought it was great – Outsider Inn. I stayed in a suite with two beds, but I didn't have any roommate. Inside the room there was a computer with Internet, so I was able to talk calmly with loved ones. A day of luxury and comfort in the life of this backpacker…

I went out to buy some snacks and went back to the room to make up for the bad night before.

3rd day – Thursday (02/06/2011)

I woke up with my energy recharged, had a delicious breakfast and headed to the place where my bus would leave at 9:30 am to Pucon. I swear I tried to stay awake to see the road, but the shaking of the bus made me sleep the whole way and I ended up being woken up by the driver when we arrived at the bus station.

Want to know everything about my 30-day trip through Argentina and Chile? Just click on the links below. links below:

• ARGENTINA – Buenos Aires and Tigre
• ARGENTINA – Córdoba, Alta Gracia, Villa Carlos Paz and Villa General Belgrano
• ARGENTINA – Mendoza, Uspallata and Puente del Inca
• ARGENTINA – Neuquén and San Martin de los Andes
• ARGENTINA – Bariloche
• CHILE – Puerto Montt and Puerto Varas
• CHILE – Pucon
• CHILE – Cálama and San Pedro de Atacama
• CHILE – Santiago, Vina del Mar and Valparaíso