What to see: Biobío, Araucanía and Los Ríos region

Let's talk about business again.

I told you, what we'll do in Concepción is top secret right now, but we'll sure tell you sooner or later.

After the city where Borges was born we'll carry on to Puerto Fuy (itinerary).

The cities we'll admire will be, in order: Los Ángeles, Temuco, Lanco, Panguipulli and Puerto Fuy.

Los Ángeles is located in Biobío region, close to Salto del Laja, a waterfall of the Laja river: four falls, one on each arm of the river, with a maximum height of 35m.

Temuco: the city is located at the heart of the modern Araucanía Region and historic Araucanía — the land of the Mapuche who resisted Spanish conquest. The name comes from the Mapudungun language, meaning "temu water"; "temu" (Blepharocalyx cruckshankii) is a tree used by Mapuche for medicinal purposes.

Alemania Avenue: is the principal artery in Temuco. Here we can find The Araucaria Museum building (19th century Chilean style); the Menchaca Lira Campus of Art Building (a Victorian Style building, recently restored); the English Alley, where we can find the Red Cross Building and not long ago a blue house which was dismantled to be rebuilt elsewhere (as a Heritage recovery project by the school of architecture of a known University of Temuco), both Neoclassical styled. Recently, Alemania Av. has become an important commercial centre. Several restaurants, night clubs, pubs, bistros and shopping malls have been opened there. There is also a Casino in the same avenue (but we'll stay at a safe distance from it). Temuco's Main Square is the only one in Chile that was not built with a water fountain in its centre; an art gallery was built in 1981 as part of a total renewal. Compared to other main squares of southern Chile, Temuco's looks very modern and it was named one of Chile's most beautiful plazas.
Cerro Ñielol: it's an hill that has also a special meaning for the Mapuche people living in the region. We can find a viewpoint of the east side of the city and Padre Las Casas, across the river. It is a "must" for visitors.
Museo Regional de la Araucanía: the museum is responsible for "preserving, researching, disseminating and valorising the distinct cultural heritages that coexist in the region in their different times and spaces".

Temuco at night.

Lanco, in Los Ríos Region, in Mapuche language means "calm water", instead Panguipulli means "hill of the puma" . The town is known for its natural beauty, on the western edge of Panguipulli Lake. Some close attractions include: the hot springs at Liquiñe, the Mocho-Choshuenco volcano, and the Huilo-Huilo Biological Reserve. Panguipulli is linked to San Martín de los Andes in Argentina by the Hua-Hum international pass: it is one of the few passes between Chile and Argentina that is open all year round.

Unfortunately, on th web is difficult to find informations about little villages like Puerto Fuy etc. If you know the zone, give us some advice (in private messages too, if you're too shy) or suggestions about special places to visit. We would really appreciate your help — maybe we could send you a postcard from there.

Sources: Wikipedia, panoramio

Morgana.

Hacia El Fin

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