After Pucón, I made my way to Valdivia. Valdivia is a city that lies on a river, slightly inland from the Pacific Ocean. The south of Chile is known to have some German influence here and there, and Valdivia is pretty much at the epicenter of that. There is a clear German influence in the architecture and food. Unbeknownst to me, there was a festival, Noche Valdiviana, the very weekend I was coming that resulted in their being no hostels available. So, I elected to camp in a town 20-30 minutes away on the Pacific coast, called Niebla. I found a campsite that was essentially someone's backyard. There were about 15 other couples and groups that were at the campsite. It was only a 10 minute walk from a beautiful beach. The first day in Niebla, it rained (but most drizzle) all day long. Still, that was not going to stop me. I took a ferry to an island called Corral which has one of the oldest and best kept fortresses from the War of Independence that Chile had against Spain. I walked around the hilly town a little bit and then decided to eat a seafood stew for lunch, which was indescribably delicious. Corral made me think of what small towns on the Northwest coast might be like, maybe in Oregon or Washington. (I know I keep comparing Chilean towns to places in the United States, but I just can't help it since I have the most perspective from living in the States). Then I took the ferry back and went to Kuntsmann Brewery, which is the most famous artisanal brewery in Chile.
While I was sipping beers, two guys sat down next to me and I overheard them speaking English. Then I heard them speaking French...and then Spanish. Finally, I asked, "Where are you guys from?" The shorter one said he was from the United States and is teaching English in Santiago. The taller one said he was from France and is a student in Santiago. I told them that I was teaching English in Santiago. After we got to talking for a while, they invited me over to their table for beers where I met the shorter one's Chilean girlfriend, as well as two girls they are friends with, one from England and the other from South Africa. Quite the international crew!
I exchanged contact information with the shorter one and I actually went to a party he hosted last week. Pretty funny how that worked out.
The next day, I went to the beach immediately after waking up and spent a couple of hours walking up and down it, as well as sunbathing. I would swim but the ocean water is ghastly cold in Chile, unless you're far up in the north. Then I went to this humongous indoor fair (for lack of a better term). Every vendor was selling food and drinks in celebration of Noche Valdiviana (more on the celebration later). At this fair, they also had performers singing traditional Chilean songs and dancing traditional Chilean dances. While most of my trip I was eating tuna, nuts, and fruit, I decided to indulge at this fair, because all the food looked so damn good! I bought salmon stuffed with parmesan cheese, tomato, and sausage (only the Chileans would think of a way to make something like salmon UNHEALTHY for you) with potatoes and a side salad. Then I bought two miniature, seafood-stuffed empanadas. Finally I had kuchen for dessert. I was stuffed silly, but it was all delicious.
After I got back to my campsite, I started to talk to some young Chileans. Three of them were from San Antonio (on the coast and southwest from Santiago), and the other was studying in Valparaiso. Two of them were 18, one was 20, and the other 23. They were all musicians and they had a vast library of Chilean folk music at their disposal. They played all of the time in the campsite and I never heard a song repeated. I can't remember the last time I met four people so full of life! In some way, and in lacking a better way to put it; everything seemed so big and important to them. It was less than 10 years ago that I was still a teenager, and I can't even remember having those types of feelings about the world. Spending time with them didn't make me nostalgic as I was more prone to do a few years ago, as much as it made me reflective of where I was and where I am today.
Anyway, Noche Valdiviana is the biggest annual festival in Valdivia, and it features a parade of boats with various float designs, street performers, and fireworks. We walked around admiring everything. Once it was time for the boat parade, we got some beers and sat on the dock while watching the boats go by. Afterwards, we danced inside one of the drum circles until the fireworks started going off around midnight.
When we got back to the campsite, there were other people around that were still partying and we talked and played music. The next morning I packed up and headed to Puerto Varas!
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