Chile - Pucon

Pucon is a lot like Barilloche - but nicer, younger crowd, and cheaper. I`ve been here three days and I`m going rafting today, I`ve been hydrospeeding (down the creek without a paddle, merely a lump of polystyrene you bounce of the rocks with), and climbed up a volcano. I met up with 3 belgian guys - Jan, Guy and Dave, and for the record, their insane activites have been perfectly sensible.
The volcano - vulcan villarica- was really good. You climb up to 2860 metres high, walk round the green and red stinking crater, and then tobogan down. Without a tobogan! Its packed ice all the way to the top, you have padded trousers, serious boots and an ice pick to steer/brake with. I`m amazed no one got hurt... still, I`d rather be doing it that way! In case you`re wondering, if you are sliding down the ice a la vertical limit (the film), those ice picks can bring you to a complete halt. Oh, and I went to a hotspring afterwards - more of a lukewarm spring.
The costs? Hydrospeeding - 10 pounds, volcano 20 pounds, rafting 10. I don`t want to think how much they would cost back in england.
I have to get a move on - I have just over 3 weeks left to cover north chile, north argentina and south brazil. Santiago tonight, then Valipraiso, San Pedro de Atacama and then Argentina, Salta, Corrientes, Foz du iwazu and then Rio. Only 6 overnight bus trips left!