There is no other way to describe it. Pucon means Villarica... With about 10,000 to 20,000 residents, Pucon turns into an absolute Mecca for adventurers in high season. With vistas like this, how can it not? Aside from tour companies offering everything from rafting to volcano climbing, supermarkets are probably the most common store in the town. Everything from small, local shops to big national chains, there's places to buy food everywhere. Most of the hostels here have a kitchen, so it's a heck of a lot cheaper to make your own meals than eat out at a cafe every night. Tomorrow, I'm trekking to the top of this active volcano, Villarica. This is a picture of the peak at sunset. It was a spectacular end to a wonderful day. We celebrated with a meal out in the garden, and our view was also tomorrow's challenge. The day started out a bit overcast, and I made my way to the Lago Villarica and watched the clouds roll over and break like waves on the piney mountains. Suddenly the sun broke through, and I sat on the black volano sand and watched the mountains break through the clouds. It was a perfect set up for my afternoon jaunt. I had booked a four-hour horse ride that took me through the Mapuche community, which isn't what you might expect from an indiginous group. When I was in Vietnam, visiting the city of Dalat, I spent some time with the Chicken Tribe, and from appearances and standards of living, the tribe was much different from what I'd seen in cities and towns. Not so with the Mapuche. In fact, the largest group of Mapuche lives on the outskirts of Santiago, in some of the poorest barrios in the country. So, contrary to popular belief that poverty does not exist in this wealthly Latin American nation, there are some issues that still need to be addressed. That said, Pucon is a treasure that attracts people from all over the world, particularly from Germany and the Netherlands. My hostel is a cross between a swiss chalet and a Colorado log cabin. Quite quaint, and full of Germans. But tomorrow, I'll get a better-then-birds-eye view tomorrow. I'm leaving at 7:00 am. It should take us about five hours to reach the top. And if tomorrow's weather is anything like today, I'll get some spectacular video for you. As a reminder, you can sign up to get the video by accessing this link. I'm off to bed to get well-rested for tomorrow's adventure.