Termas de Chillan

Another conference for DH to attend last week so again a perfect opportunity for us to join him and explore another of South America's many wonders... This time the conference location was Concepcion, a university town a few regions south of Santiago and most remembered as the epicentre of 2010's devastating earthquake. However, as Chile is such a thin country, one can easily choose whether to head for the sea or the mountains from just about anywhere. We chose the latter after being wooed by tantalising descriptions of one of Chile's foremost mountain resorts in the form of the thermal baths of Chillan. Despite an eight-hour journey from our home in Santiago to the remote mountain valley, we were not disappointed...
Travelling by train first of all was quite a novelty, especially for the first hour or two. The train was surprisingly spacious and the girls were busy with their activity books and picnic lunch, even staying in their places for a while... Later there was a moment of restlessness but numerous trips to the rubbish bin at the top of the carriage seemed to provide enough amusement to see them through. On arrival at Chillan our transfer to the mountains was a minibus/people carrier which also met with plenty of approval from our intrepid smaller travellers, though the winding roads caused us a few hairy moments. We were relieved to arrive at our destination, swathed in mist and appearing in the semi-darkness more similar to the Scottish Highlands or possibly the Alps than anything else. Luckily our lodging was a cosy mountain refuge complete with huge chimney places, soft comfortable armchairs and open beams...
As the skiing season ended over a month ago now, it was low season and very quiet, therefore for us the best possible time to visit. We were practically the only guests along with what appeared to be a couple on honeymoon (whom we hardly saw, probably their choice) so had the dining room, living room and even outdoor hot thermal baths all to ourselves, much to our pleasure. We wrapped up in warm jackets and scarves for exploratory walks to nearby waterfalls and savage woodlands while admiring snow-covered mountains set against the dramatic backdrop of a volcano. It was incredibly atmospheric and invigorating as well as being relaxing and pampering, although the girls probably tired of the full board before we did... A weekend was just enough to appreciate the wild beauty of our environment whilst also enjoying the distance and remoteness from the hustle and bustle of the big city, though the prospect to returning to heat and sunlight was also appealing as we began the long journey back yesterday afternoon...