The search for Chile's Yosemite and Thermal Baths 12/16

I could have slept longer. The wind and the rain last night soothed me to sleep (the bottle of wine didn't hurt). Andy woke me up at 9 and I managed to stay awake. 

It was still raining so we sat under the little hut and had last night's dinner of ham and cheese open face sammies. We were visited by the local yellow labs who get their exercise out of chasing cars that pass. Then the grounds keep Milton showed up. He was a cheerful retired man greeting and chatting (limited) w everyone who stays. We told us about the Germans there who were traveling by bike w 3 kids!! Can you imagine? How the hell do they fit everything on the bike much less deal w taking 3 kids? Amazing. No excuses I suppose.
Then came Trump? Hillary or Trump? Andy responded. Yeah said Milton, Trump es (making the international symbol for crazy). No shit Milton. 

We paid the 6k Pesos ($9), were off by 9:45 and headed North to pass through Puerto Montt and Puerto Varas to Cochamó- the "Yosemite of Chilé". Andy drove like hell in the freeway. Just in time to see the remains of a truck that turned over, dumped his wood, probably died. Slow down now. 
We hit up PV for lunch at a nice cafe. The waitress told us the menu as they didn't have a paper one so Andy and I had to decipher what she said. Since hamburger was all we could detect, that's what we had. It was huge and delicious, very glad we split it. Plus an egg on top? Hells yeah! Two beers each and we were set. Back 

It rained like crazy all day so we cruised around little towns. They were so little, their markets were limited and no restaurants were open (no gas stations either which may be an issue). We couldn't see much as we drove around the lake and to "Chilé's Yosemite " besides a black ferret running across the road w the mouse in its mouth. We called it a day and grabbed two completos and beers to hit the dirt road. We went back to the location for the Termal Baños near Ralún (actually we are in the middle of nowhere). 

Andy drove our tiny Peugeot down a road it's probably not supposed to go down and we found the entrance for the cabañas and termal baños. No hot springs today, the river is rushing too much. The Cabaña is quaint (or something like that), the old lady who showed it to us and brought our fire is adorable. Andy finally gets the wood stove going for our heat in the house. The top releases smoke into the room. I'm sure a lot of people must have died this way. 

We walk down to the river at 8 to find the thermal.  The sign didn't help. We figured it's down the river and you have to cross with a boat. Not today. We head back, I mess up the powdered corn soup, we open our wine and lay in bed (in our sleeping bags) to watch a movie.