Mono Montaña

in Coñaripe, Chile

After our adventures in Pucón we had a relaxing, lazy afternoon at Pellaifa. We almost had the whole place to ourselves. Since there was no one to sell to, this hawker stopped and asked if he could have a beer. He sat and chatted with us and pointed out how the mountain looks like a big ape.

The major earthquake in the 60s caused various streams of water to flow differently, and the level of the lake rose very rapidly, destroying trees, houses, and other structures that used to be above the water line. The rapid change caused the trees to be preserved, so over 50 years later many trees still have strong trunks that stick out of the water. A person can easily sit or stand on them.

It's especially quiet if you swim out to a far-away tree trunk. Great way to achieve a little bit of solitude. I stood on a trunk and watched a yellow crab waddle past me in the mud at the bottom of the lake.