Well... It´s been two days and I still haven´t climbed it yet! I wake at 6 and go to the tour agency and they tell me the weather conditions aren´t good enough, so I go back to bed for a few hours and get back up and try and fill the day. It´s like being at base camp, waiting for the perfect weather to reach the big summit, only this base camp has central heating and duck down duvets and stone oven pizza restaurants! The first day it was raining heavily, so there wasn´t much to do that would be enjoyable getting wet... except kayaking (thanks for the suggestion Ramage x). So I got in contact with a guy, Dominique from France (where else) who kitted me out, gave me a big creaker (river kayak), and brought me down some rivers, the Rio Liucura (II-III) which flowed into the Rio Trancura (III-IV).Unfortunitly this is the only photo I have from the day, as my camera does not like water, in rain or river form. But it was great to get on a river after so long, and a great run too. Like Cormac would say "it´s like the Annamoe, only faster, with more volume, and big wave trains, with syphons...."

But today, it was too cloudy and windy for the volcano, but good enough to rent a bike and go mountain biking. I did a big circut of 48km, and got some photos of the rivers I was on the day before:I cycled up to the source of the Rio Liucura and saw beautiful bubbling springs and pools:I also cycled to a lake, average enough, but I think someone pulled the plug:Me and my bike (and a lot of ground due to taking it myself on 10second delay!)When I cycled back into town, the volcano looked clear again and ever bit as beckoning as before. I´m giving it two more days... maybe three, then I´m out of here:Oh, and one for Mickle, I quite like the local fire department sign:xxx r