A friend pointed out that the Sunday July 15th NY Times travel section included an article highlighting Pucón as an Andean version of Aspen. We found the comparison amusing, since we had quite a different impression of Aspen when we visited Colorado for Doug (my nephew) and Krissy's wedding last August. The author does a good job of describing Pucón's general atmosphere, but you might be misled into thinking the town is a little more upscale than it really is. Or perhaps we didn't see the Pucón side of Aspen. Pucón does have one noticeable advantage over Aspen, you won't have to worry about the effects of the altitude. We do agree with the author's suggestion to 'go now rather than later'. I don't think overdevelopment is imminent, but the fact that we're here must be a sign of something.


Coincidentally, a local magazine, Travesia, which focuses on environmental tourism reported in their latest issue that only a small percentage of visitors to this area are from North America. Most tourists come from Santiago, most foreigners from Europe. I met Juan and Araceli, the publishers of Travesia, last week during a showing of historic photos of Pucón. If you want to know more about the culture and environmental issues in this area, their magazine is a great resource. But, of course, you'll have to read it in Castellano.


Do you think you can find wildlife like this on the streets of Aspen?


Can you see this in Aspen?