A varied week to end the year

My last evening in Oz was a really interesting one going to the beach in Bundaberg, Queensland, to watch the Loggerhead Turtles come ashore to lay their eggs. We had to wait around from 7 until 9pm before being called along by the rangers but it was worth the wait as there were initially 2 turtles right next to us and later 4! Each digs a deep hole and then lays 100+ eggs before burying them and returning to the sea. A fascinating experience - next to no photos as most of the time photography not allowed, but just a few pics at the end.

Next day I flew to Sydney, overnight with a lovely dinner at Nick's seafood restaurant then flight to Santiago next day (see earlier post).

Friday took late am flight for Temuco but halfway there we were diverted to Concepcion due to ash from a nearby volcano erupting. This is a bit like being diverted to Manchester an a London-Edinburgh flight so a 4 hour bus ride to Temuco. Then a shared taxi to Pucon, my destination for the day just in time for briefing/boot fitting for following day.

And that day - New Year's Eve -the activity was climbing the local volcano, Villarica. We were a group of 8 and 6 of us, including me started by taking the chairlift the first 400m vertical to avoid a walk up the loose screey type track (my excuse was 10 hour jet lag!). Then a 1000m ascent up the snow covered cone - soft enough not to need crampons. Our group managed to be start in pole position on a busy day, and we were more or less first on the summit. Weather was great (UV index quoted as 11+) with good views. Descent was mostly sliding down on mini sledges (round plastic about 40cm diameter. The guides provided all the kit which included not only waterproofs but also a protector (aka Nappy!) so no worries about damaging our own kit. This was great fun and an excellent way to descend.

Finally we celebrated New Year with a BBQ at our hostel then 10minute walk to the beach on local lake for probably the best firework display I've ever seen.