Osorno: Between Culture and Nature Osorno: entre cultura y naturaleza
between culture and nature entre cultura y naturaleza
Text and photos by DIEGO MEIER
As the sun comes up and the light begins to filter into every nook and cranny, the crackling fire leaps into a blaze in the wood stove and a whistling kettle breaks the silence. Steam streams out like an old locomotive while everything around it seems to be in slow motion. The shrill whistle is the unmistakable sign that the water is ready for drinking the sweet mate, a typical drink in this rural area, and its accompanied by the magical smell of fresh homemade bread baking inside the oven and whose smell permeates the entire house.
Outside, Lake Rupanco rests calmly accompanied by a few houses surrounded by an intense, green native forest in the middle of the Andean Mountain Range. Two volcanoes flank us. Behind us, the imposing Puntiagudo volcano rises vertically out of the earth and, opposite, the conical Casablanca. On the opposite shore of the lake you can see the steam from the Las Gaviotas hot springs rising from the beach.
Mientras amanece y la luz comienza a inmiscuirse en cada r i ncón, el fuego crepitante pone a “toda marcha” la cocina a leña sobre la que una tetera rompe con el silencio reinante. Echa vapor como una antigua locomotora desenfrenada mientras todo alrededor transcurre como en cámara lenta. El fuerte pitido es la señal inequívoca que el agua está lista para los dulces mates que se toman en esta zona rural, y casi simultáneamente el mágico aroma del pan amasado que toma forma al interior del horno comienza a colonizar toda la casa.
Afuera, el lago Rupanco reposa en calma acompañado de unas pocas casas, en un entorno rodeado por un bosque nativo de intensos verdes en plena Cordillera de los Andes. Dos volcanes nos flanquean. A nuestras espaldas, el imponente volcán Puntiagudo con su enhiesta figura y, enfrente, el cónico Casablanca. En la orilla opuesta del lago alcanzo a dis-
It is part of the cultural and natural mosaic that one can find in Osorno province, located in southern Chile in the Los Lagos region. An idyllic place where you wake up at dawn in the countryside with cows and horses coming out of the mist amid the green hills, and in the background, snow-capped volcanoes. It is also a place to feast on a wild boar or lamb barbeque accompanied with a glass of muday, a mapuche drink made with wheat and honey that has ceremonial value.
Not far away, on the Osorno coast, the dense, green cliffs meet the Pacific Ocean. There, forests stretch up to where the waves break and in small, isolated bays there are spectacular white sandy beaches, which look like they were taken from the Caribbean but with water that is very cold. Here, where the locals are mostly indigenous mapuchehuilliche, artisanal fishermen set sail at dawn in search of fish like Pacific sierra, or to collect crab and Chilean abalone (loco).
It is surprising to me how relatively unknown this area i s, so far away from the fame and tinguir el vapor de las termas de Las Gaviotas, que surgen directamente en la playa.
Este es parte del mosaico cultural y natural que es posible encontrar en la provincia de Osorno, en la región de Los Lagos, en el sur de Chile. Un territorio donde es posible amanecer en el campo, con vacas y caballos perdiéndose en la bruma en medio de verdes lomas y teniendo, como telón de fondo, los grandes volcanes nevados. Es el lugar idóneo también para compartir un asado al palo de jabalí o de cordero, con un vaso de muday, una bebida mapuche de trigo y miel con valor ceremonial.
No muy lejos, en la costa de Osorno los densos y verdes acantilados se funden con el Océano Pacífico; allí los bosques llegan hasta donde rompen las olas y en bahías pequeñas y aisladas se esconden idílicas playas de arena blanca, que parecen sacadas del Caribe, pero con agua –muy- helada. En esta zona, cuyos habitantes son en su mayoría mapuche-huilliche, al amanecer zarpan los pescadores artesanales en busca de la sierra, o bien a recolectar jaibas y locos.
crowds of other destinations in the region. It is an area with enormous potential for ecotourism but lacking in information for travelers. But perhaps that is part of its essence, its charm, such as the opportunity to meet local families. This is a place where it is common to stay overnight and dine in country homes, where they make you feel like one of the family, instead of the fancy digs found at modern hotels. And this is where perhaps the true potential of this province lies, authentic tourism where you can share the daily routine of its local inhabitants in an impressive, fantastic landscape.
In the Andes
The kings of the mountain range in the province are the volcanoes: Osorno, Puntiagudo, Tronador, Casablanca and Puyehue. From the plains, almost at sea level, they rise up, imposing with their snowy peaks and with shapes that look almost as if they were drawn by a child. These volcanoes form part of the Pacific Ring of Fire and are amongst the most active in the world. Climbing them is a true alpine adventure, especially Osorno volcano, and even more so Puntiagudo, which requires more technical experience with snow and ice for which it is advisable to hire a proper mountaineering guide. It is recommended to start off by climbing the beautiful Casablanca volcano first, and if do so possible in winter time.
But in the mountains, there are also less demanding activities, like hikes in the forests, or horseback riding to viewpoints, or waterfalls with amazing views, such as an excursion offered by Zoila, a great lady who lives in the countryside near Lake Rupanco.
Por eso sorprende lo inadvertido que pasa este territorio, lejos de la fama y multitudes que ostentan otros destinos de la región. Es una zona con enorme potencial ecoturístico, que peca de ofrecer poca información a los viajeros. Pero quizá esa sea parte de su esencia, de su encanto, tal como la oportunidad de compartir con las familias locales: es común alojarse y comer en las propias casas de campo, donde brindan un alojamiento familiar, nada estructurado o sofisticado. Allí radica el potencial de esta provincia, en un turismo auténtico de compartir lo cotidiano, el día a día de sus habitantes, en medio de un paisaje conmovedor.