18/10/2019 – Volunteering, Pucon, Chile

We had a coffee in bed and chilled, before going downstairs for 10:30 to meet James, one of the owners of the hostel. We were joined by an Australian couple who had arrived today, and were going to be working for over 3 months here, having backpacked and worked in Pucon before, about 7 years ago! James talked us through our roles and responsibilities and what the vibe of the hostel is. He is from New Zealand but moved here after visiting and working in a hostel in town some time ago. He is big on snowboarding which is why he ended up moving here. Sadly the ski season finished two weeks ago so we wont be able to get involved with the snow! James explained that the hostel is aimed at backpackers, and offers many great activities like climbing the volcano, canyoning, and white water rafting. He also explained that it is not a party hostel, but they try and make it as sociable as possible, he explained he wanted the bar to be a bit après ski, a bit pub culture. From what we witnessed last night it really works – everyone was really sociable and having a drink, but the place was silent by about 23:30. I think because it is a place for adventure, most guests have to be up early in the mornings. The hostel is owned by James, his girlfriend Kris and Peter. They pop in to the hostel once a week or every two weeks, otherwise, it is run by volunteers like us, some who stay for over 3 months at a time. On first impressions it seems to keep it quite fresh and lively! After sitting with James for a couple of hours we then got shown around by Kris who went through a few things with us. After information overload Josh and I walked into town to buy some supplies. We went to a beautiful coffee shop called Mad Goat and bought some real coffee as we had spotted a percolator in the hostel! We also went to the nice bakery and bought ourselves a loaf of sourdough. We felt like we were in complete bliss! I think for us, this is the first place we have been in that has both the incredible scenery and activities, as well as great shops and facilities. We went to the greengrocer and bought our vegetables and then to the supermarket to stock up on pasta and other dry stuff. We dropped it back to the hostel and made ourselves scrambled eggs on toast with a delicious avocado. I am sure the avocados are much nicer in South America!

Our clothes are falling to pieces now, after 6 months of wearing the same thing, and probably not the best washing machines. We have also found that our clothes often go mysteriously missing when we get laundry done, whether that is by mistake or not who knows! We walked into town to find a t-shirt for Josh and some leggings for me, that wouldn’t break the bank. There are a few second hand shops here (first time we have seen anything like this in Latin America) so we scoured these. I found some sports leggings on sale, now my leggings with holes all the way down the inside of leg can become pijamas!

We came back to the hostel and chilled in our room for an hour. Most of the guests are out in the day doing activities so it was a good time to get some rest. We had a bowl of cereal and then started our first shift at 19:00. We were on ‘cover shift’ which basically means we help whoever is on reception. We show guests who arrive to their bed, give tours, do guest laundry, keep the communal areas tidy. It was pretty chilled, especially compared to what we were used to on Easter Island! I think the main thing is to talk to the guests and make them feel comfortable. Josh and Luca (the volunteer on reception) chopped some wood for the fire with an axe. I was quite enthusiastic until I held the axe and felt like I might accidentally chop my own legs off. I embarrassedly gave the axe back to the lads and said I would practice in the coming weeks! Josh and I have both enjoyed how sociable the hostel is, and I think because of the nature of the outdoor activities it attracts a certain type of backpacker, people we get along with well. Having said that, although not the eldest here, we definitely bring the average age of both the volunteers and the guests upwards! We have been asked our age a couple of times, I think the 20 year olds are a bit puzzled at our demographic! Some guests went to the much talked about empanada shop in town and brought Josh and I a cheese, turkey and cranberry one – surprisingly delicious! We went up to the little tree house platform to watch the sunset, it didn’t disappoint. We have been told it is beautiful almost every night. After our ‘shift’ we ended up chatting for ages with lots of different guests, it was impossible to get away actually! They had all had a couple of drinks so it was interesting to witness people loosening up in front of our very eyes. The drinks at the bar here are so cheap that it does keep most of the guests from going out, and helps keep it sociable. We showered and were in bed by about 12:30.