CHOCOLATE

As I mentioned, there was a chocolate festival in Pucon while we were there. We didn't know about it in advance, and it turns out it was the first annual one, so really the planets must have just aligned for us. At first it was just a tent with local vendors selling their homemade chocolate. Free samples out the wazoo. I'm already sold. 

THEN what's that we see in the back of the tent? It's a chocolate volcano. Look at this thing: 

THEN we think that's all there is to see, so we're filtering out (after grabbing a few more samples) but my friend Zach is approached by someone who invites us to tour their chocolate factory.  We say yes and practically trip into ourselves piling into the van that they have provided:  

As we're getting in, I excitedly point out that this whole scenario is looking very much like the plot to Willy Wonka.  We're marvelling over our good fortune but upon further consideration agree that, if there were a chocolate factory in Pucon, this would have been brought to our attention before... At that point I realize that this whole scenario is also looking very much like the absolute perfect plot to kidnap gringos. But the promise of chocolate can make you do crazy things, and also there were Chileans in our group as well and we were only going across town, within walking distance. The driver let us out at a restaurant/sweet shop where they seemed surprised to see us, and at THAT point we realized the whole scenario was also the perfect way to get people who are stealing all of the samples to leave the chocolate festival.

But we weren't giving up that easily, and luckily neither were the Chileans in our group, so eventually they got everything figured out and someone came over to lead us to where we were supposed to be: one block down, to a building where this restaurant hand-makes all of their chocolates.  It wasn't a factory, per se, but that doesn't even matter, because we got to see (and more importantly, taste) chocolate being made. 

Our very expressive guide woman set us all up with hairnets and face masks and we set about to chocolate-ing. 

GOIN IN FOR THE TASTE TEST

here, take as many dark-chocolate-covered almonds as you like

making ribbon chocolate! we all took turns. It was surprisingly hard

already digging into the goods

she was patiently waiting for us to leave...

We left that room with our pockets full of chocolate, in complete bliss.  That's how everyone should spend every Saturday afternoon--with a surprise chocolate tour. Marvelous.