Calendars don't work on vacation

How embarrassing. I didn't actually forget my anniversary date, I just thought that yesterday was the 25th. Oops!
Thanks to everyone for the well wishes on the blog and by email. Thanks to Jack for the heads up on blood suckers in the rivers. I will use toilets exclusively now that I have this information.
I can't wait for mi esposo to arrive in Chile. 18 days!!
I will definitely try to post some photos soon. I finally found a fast computer with an obvious USB port. I am going to a private nature reserve tomorrow with tons of monkey puzzle trees, so I will post afterwards. I really picked the right day for the volcanoe becuase Sunday has been the clearest day since I arrived. Once you are on top you are above the clouds anyway, but it is nice to have views of the lakes and surrounding area.
Last night some people I met at the hostel and I caught a taxi to some hot springs up the road. The driver waited for 2 hours while we soaked. There were 6 pools built up next to a river. We couldn't see much of the river because it was night. The pools were pretty natural (just built up with rocks and not made into hot tubs or anything) and had some cool little cabins near by for changing. You could walk down a staircase from the cabin straight into the pool. The stars were amazing. Tons of shooting stars - especially when we worked our way down to the less crowded and darker pools. We saw the Southern Cross. Tt one point on the drive home we think we saw a reflection of the lava on a cloud over the volcanoe. Muy muy bueno!!
I really like Pucon despite the prices. I am learning to eat less and buy food at the supermercado. Unfortunately this hostel doesn't have a kitchen because it has a mid-priced vegetarian restaurant with people working in it all day. I've only had a piece of quiche there so far, but plan to have a proper vegetarian slurge before I leave. I have heard great things about Bariloche in Argentina which is just two short bus rides away. I'd stay in San Martin in between buses. It is apparently similar to Pucon but cheaper because of Argentina's economy. The Spanish (they call it castallena) is really different there, but I understand so little anyway that it won't much matter. I will likely leave on Saturday.
It is so weird how many people I have met from Seattle and San Francisco here. One guy lives in Fort Mason (and is from Ireland). Another lives in Seattle but used to live in the Mission. I met another guy on my first day while I walked through the common area wearing a Jerusalem Gardens t-shirt. He went to U of M. Now he is living here but subletting his apartment in San Francisco which is about 10 blocks from our old place. The craziest part is that he is here writing a book about Pablo Neruda (famous Chilean poet and activist) and I had actually heard of his first book of translated poems called 'Essential Neruda'. It is published by City Lights. It is so crazy! Then I met the owner of Ecole hostel and the private nature reserve who also used to work in the Marin Headlands. He is trying to hook me up with the half-working, mostly run down native plant nursery at the Cañi reserve. If it seems worth it, I might stick around to volunteer, but there might be a serious language barrier.
p.s. sorry about the weird spam messages in the comments sections, but that is what happens if people don't have to sign in.... just ignore them.