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Just Back: What not to do on a trip to Chile’s hot springs

Looks idyllic but the Termas Los Pozones springs in Chile can catch you out - ALAMY
Looks idyllic but the Termas Los Pozones springs in Chile can catch you out - ALAMY

Joey Tyson wins £200 for his description of when not to take a dip in the hot springs of Chile’s Termas Los Pozones 

It’s a simple question: “Agua, por favor?” Suspiciously, a Chilean woman peeks her head out from around the door, eyeing the sunburnt gringos before her. She looks confused.

I ask again and she looks back blankly, like I’m asking for directions to Atlantis. We stand in silence for a bit, awkwardly baking in the sun. Finally, after a brief, bizarre stand-off, the woman shuffles off, receding back into the cool shade of the office. A quick look of relief passes between us.

The steaming springs of Termas Los Pozones - Credit: ALAMY
The steaming springs of Termas Los Pozones Credit: ALAMY

Moments later she’s back, carrying a tiny plastic cup barely three-quarters full. Handing it over without a word, she turns and the door closes on our last chance of refreshment. One grateful sip each and the cup is empty: we are now out of water.

We’re at Termas Los Pozones hot springs, near Pucón, Chile. At a loss for something to do one afternoon, Guido, the Dutchman running our hostel, had suggested the hot springs. “It’s amazing up there. Take some wine and relax,” he told us.

Needing no further encouragement, we’d set out seeking supplies and the bus. After an hour’s journey winding through rural back roads, we arrived at the hot springs, armed with wine and whisky, ready to unwind.

There was just one problem: the hot springs were too hot. So hot, in fact, getting in was pretty much impossible. The hottest, like a freshly boiled kettle simmering in the fierce Chilean heat, proved the breaking point, ending our spa day prematurely. And so we find ourselves back at the entrance, hot, annoyed and out of water – anything but relaxed.

Volcan Lanin, which is also near Pucón - Credit: ALAMY
The snow-capped Volcan Lanin, which is also near Pucón Credit: ALAMY

One fruitless attempt to ask for agua later, and all we’re left with are the warm bottles of white wine and a hip flask full of whisky – the least thirst-quenching liquids known to humankind.

That isn’t our only problem. There’s no way of knowing when the bus will return. “I saw a sign for a shop down the road,” someone announces.

One hour’s walk later, there is obviously no shop, just the intense heat, the wine and the whisky. But we take turns to reassure each other anyway. “No, I remember this bit of road, the shop is over this hill.” It isn’t. But there’s something else: row upon row of fresh black berries, ripe for the pilfering. Finally, a slice of luck.

All we’re left with are the warm bottles of wine and a hip flask full of whisky

We gobble huge handfuls, slurping the juice greedily. It doesn’t matter that they are crawling with hundreds of tiny aphids; down they go, bugs and all. Engrossed in our feast, the advancing minibus almost passes by. At the last moment, I stick out a purple-stained hand and secure our ride home.

Back at the hostel, I confront Guido: “The hot springs were awful! It was so hot we couldn’t get in. And the wine? We nearly died of thirst.”

He gives me an odd look, similar to the woman at the hot springs. “Oh no! In the day they are far too hot. At night, they are beautiful.”

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How to enter

Email your entry, in 500 words (with the text in the body of the email), to justback@telegraph.co.uk by midnight on Tuesday, May 30. For terms and conditions, see telegraph.co.uk/tt-justback.

The winner will receive £200 in the currency of their choice from the Post Office.

The Post Office is the UK’s largest travel money provider. It offers more than 70 currencies with 0% commission. Customers can buy selected currencies over the counter at 8,000 branches and all currencies can be ordered for next-day delivery at 11,500 branches. Orders can be placed online at postoffice.co.uk/travel-money.