Back to Chile

Sunday, December 26, 2010

Nothing too exciting today.  Had a bit of a sleep in today as we didn’t need to leave El Calafate until 10am.  Since we are now 22 passengers, I made sure to be outside Peggy early to secure my seat.  It was a beautiful morning - so warm it felt like summer.  We made a stop near a Ruta 40 sign to get some photos alongside the famous route (it’s the Argentinean equivalent of Route 66 in the States).  After driving a couple hours we stopped at a gas station and ate lunch (mostly Christmas leftovers) as fresh goods cannot be brought into Chile.

Sarah and Me

The group (most of us anyway)

Border formalities went smoothly.  We checked out of Argentina, drove a few minutes then went through Chile border control and customs.  Ally had warned us that the officials can be harsh, but we managed to cross without hassle.

By 5pm we arrived in Puerto Natales, Chile, the gateway to Torres del Paine National Park.  Ally took us on a quick walk through town to the supermarket, and by the time Kate, Sarah, Sameena and I had finished shopping and checked out (huge queues!) it was 6:30pm.  The four of us went to a vegetarian restaurant for dinner – the food was excellent.  We shared the hummus with veggies and warm camembert with bread to start and I ordered the pumpkin and ginger soup as a main.  Another girlie night out.  Sarah and Sameena got dessert, but I was craving a hot chocolate from the famous place in town, so I popped out for a few minutes to get to the shop before it closed.  Perfect coco.

When we got back to the hotel, Sameena and I packed for the next three days of camping.  I spent some time getting my blog updated before our adventure into the wilderness.  More after Torres del Paine.

Christmas surprise

Saturday, December 25, 2010

Another gorgeous day.  I feel so lucky.  This morning we woke up at 7am as our tour to the Perito Moreno glacier was due to begin at 8am.  However, at 7:45 we were told that because of Christmas the time had been changed to 10:30.  Sarah and I were already awake so she went for a walk and I booked some things for my trip.  It ended up begin a productive morning as I was also able to get a ton of pictures online.

Four people joined our tour this morning: two solo female travelers Michelle (43, Australia) and Joclyn (49, Canada) and a couple in their mid-30s from England, Kath and Aldeiy.

At 10:30, we finally headed out for the glacier on a back road which apparently has more wildlife than the main one, but all we saw was a condor.  The condor was sitting in the middle of the road and we watched it spread its huge wings and take off into flight.  About an hour later we caught sight of the glacier and got off the bus to have an hour walk along the side of Lago Argentina.  From a distance you could sense her huge size and we were anxious to get a closer look.

Our stroll ended with a piece of chocolate and we piled back on the bus towards the viewing platforms.  The guide informed us that the Perito Moreno glacier is 5km wide (2.5km on the west side and 2.5km on the north side), 30km long and 60-70m high with another 120m below the water’s surface.  It is the only advancing glacier in the world, growing approximately 1.5m each day.

There were numerous raised wooden paths to walk on for different views of the glacier.  Kate, Sarah, Nick and I walked around for a bit before staying in one place in attempt to hear the noise of ice cracking off the façade.  We watched a few small chunks break off into the water and heard the corresponding crackle and splash.  It was incredible seeing the glacier up close, observing all the crevices and the various shades of white and blue.  I tried to get people or trees in my pictures for some sense of scale, but it is impossible to describe the beauty and size.

We eventually changed locations and saw a large piece of ice crash into the water.  I can’t really explain what the sound is like – somewhere between a boom, crack, shot, etc; loud and powerful.  And our weather was just perfect, sunny with scattered clouds and a relatively light breeze (with a chill).  After an hour and a half of watching the glacier, we headed to the gift shop for some hot chocolate.

Our last stop was an hour boat ride in front of the glacier.  On our approach a large chunk fell off creating some large waves in the calm water.  We probably got within 150 meters of the front of the glacier.  It towered over us.  Absolutely stunning.  My pictures don’t do it justice, but hopefully can give a sense of its majesty.  A fabulous day at the glacier!

The bus ride back to El Calafate was just over an hour and we didn’t arrive back until 7pm.  Originally our Christmas dinner reservation was for 6pm, so I figured Ally had dealt with it while we were gone.  Since the beginning of the trip she’s told us how she found a great restaurant in town where we can have Christmas dinner (not that I was too fussed).  We had to pay $15 and would get a glass of wine, turkey, stuffing, potatoes and vegetables.  When we arrived in town yesterday I wondered how we could eat for $15 because many of the restaurants seemed expensive.  Anyway, we had an hour to get ready for dinner.

We met in the lobby at 8pm and had a brief meeting about tomorrow before we started walking to dinner (in the opposite direction of the main part of town).  Kate, Sarah and I were walking together wondering where the hell we were going.  Eventually Ally stopped and told us that our restaurant for the night was (drum roll please) PEGGASADO’s (as in the truck).  Surprise!  They had set up a couple tables and the lunch chairs outside of Peggy and erected a roasting structure where five turkeys were cooking and another cooking station for the potatoes and vegetables.  There was punch and crackers and nuts to nibble on while we waited for dinner.

Let me tell you, it was definitely a surprise; none of us expected it in the slightest.  Most of the women had dressed up in nice tops and were only wearing one jacket because we thought we’d be eating in the comfort of a restaurant, not outside.  Luckily the wind wasn’t bad and it was warmer than it has been, but it was certainly jacket weather.  Kate, Sarah and I sat around talking before Louise joined our conversation.  Michelle was hungry, so she left the party and went back to town for dinner.

The food was all taking a bit longer to cook than planned, so we didn’t actually eat until 10pm.  We were all so hungry (even at 8) since we’d had very little lunch at the glacier (Nick generously gave me some of his homemade salami sandwich so I didn’t have to eat the disgusting lunch box from yesterday).  Andy, who was so excited that we were all surprised, did a great job cooking everything, the food was very tasty, but it was so much work for him and Ally.  They didn’t really get a chance to relax.

Merry Christmas!

By the time we were all finished eating and had washed all the pots, pans, plates in the outside sinks and bins that we use at lunch, it was past 11pm and the light had finally gone.  We walked back to the hotel ready for Secret Santa.  Sadly, three people (Ray and the two new women, Michelle and Joclyn) had already gone to sleep and Ally, after giving us a choice, decided we would do the gifts tomorrow.  People were pretty disappointed (since we all wanted to do it tonight) and we sat having some wine before retiring for the night.  A very different Christmas night to be sure.

Rainy, windy walking in Chalten

Friday, December 24, 2010

Such an early start to the day; woke up at 6am and ate breakfast at 6:30.  I slept horribly again due to the wind and felt exhausted, not quite up for a 15km walk. At 7am we loaded up Peggy, picked up a guide and headed to a drop-off point, near Hosteria El Pilar, from where we would walk back to El Chalten.

We started off into the trees at a medium pace with a full rainbow stretching across the mountains giving me hope that the clouds might clear. After the first 45 minutes or so, the group split up.  Kate and Sarah set off at a very fast pace.  I felt guilty leaving the guide since he was supposed to be providing information, so Vince and I kept up with him walking along the Rio Blanco.  Just before the viewpoint for the Piedras Blancas glacier, the guide headed back to find the stragglers and told us to continue on.

So, for the rest of the morning, Vince and I hiked together.  I hadn’t really spent much time talking to him before, and found out that he’s in his first year of law school in Quebec and had a few weeks off for Christmas.  He has an older brother and an adopted Haitian younger sister.  Even though it was cold, he said it was so much warmer than the 20 degrees below that he’s used to this time of year.  We spent some time talking about travel, but at least half the walk we just enjoyed each other’s company.

At some point I had to use the facilities, but there were none to be found.  When Vince told me we still had almost two hours of walking, I found a good bush to hide behind and peed.  Not my first nature pee, but certainly the first in rain.  Oh man.

It was nice to have someone to share the experience with, as basically the entire 15km was in rain and wind.  The trees provided good cover, but there was a huge meadow with no protection from the elements and I got soaked (I mean, I was dry underneath my waterproof clothes, but they were covered in water).  We were walking towards sunshine, but every time we had a break in rain, it started up two minutes later.  At one junction, there was a couple minutes walking into the wind and I almost got blown off course.  The wind was something like 80km/hr.  Looking back towards the mountains the clouds covered the beautiful view, but at least looking ahead we had partly blue sky over the river and valley.

Vince and I made it back to town at noon.  After stopping at the hotel, Sameena and I went to find food since we didn’t want to eat the pack lunch from the hotel.  I had a small ham and cheese empanada at a café where Sarah, Kate, Nick, Brad and Steven had been relaxing for the past hour.

At 1pm we were back on Peggy for the drive to El Calafate.  It was the shortest ride yet, only three hours with one bathroom stop.  By the time we arrived, the weather had cleared and we had a quick walk around town, basically one main street and a lot of cute shops.  Even though it was Christmas Eve, a number of places were open. 

Kate, Sarah and I were so hungry that we decided to eat dinner while we were out and by 6pm we’d finished our burgers and fries.  I made a few stops in town before going back to the hotel.  Sarah and I spent the rest of the evening in the room relaxing (well, I was on my netbook looking for hostels in Quito and a flight from Colombia to Quito so that I wouldn’t have to cross the sketchy border).  Got to have a great Skype conversation with mom, dad, Shell Becky and Greg.  Merry Christmas and Shabbat Shalom.

Ice trekking on Viedma

Thursday, December 23, 2010

A perfect day in El Chalten!  After arriving last night to the clouds, it was exciting to wake up to a clear sky.  Kate and my room was so hot that I had trouble getting ready with all my layers and basically waited until after breakfast to get fully suited up.  (It might have been clear, but it was still cold.)

We got picked up in a shuttle bus at 8:10am and drove to the lake.  The driver was kind enough to stop at a couple viewpoints where we could clearly see the Fitz Roy range and Cerro Torre.  Absolutely stunning, and amazing the difference from just 14 hours prior.

A boat took us across the lake with fantastic views of the surrounding mountains and Viedma glacier wall.  On arrival, our guides took us (me, Sarah, Louise, Richard, Monica, Keith, Ted, Nick, Steven, Vince, Robyn, Terry, Ally, and a couple other random people) on a short hike up the smooth rocks, which have been carved by erosion, to see the face of the glacier rising 30-40 meters out of the water, and up to 100m below the surface.  My rented boots seemed to have a good grip on the smooth surface.

First look at the glacier

We walked along more rocks to the point where the ice started and then sat down to have the guides put on our crampons.  Our female guide showed us the proper way to walk in the crampons on the ice, especially up and down slopes.  “Trust in your crampons.”  Those things are fierce looking and have quite a grip.  Once everyone was geared up we started off in a single file line.

The glacier is constantly changing and our guide pointed out some new crevices which were not there last week.  Every trek is different because they have to investigate the safety of the route.  It was incredible being on the glacier looking into the crevices and seeing up close all the points and edges of the surface.  In some places the ice was bright blue (from the lack of oxygen) while other bits were dirty from the sediment.  On either side of the glacier where the mountains and behind was the lake. 

We trudged around a good couple of hours navigating various paths on the glacier.  A few places were so steep that the guides aided our step.  I didn’t mind the up and down, but walking on a slant with one foot higher than the other was a real uncomfortable challenge.  Terry fell down and started slipping down the ice, but a guide appeared from nowhere to catch him.  Our three guides were extremely helpful.

At the end of our ice trek, we removed the crampons and walked into an ice cave below the surface of the glacier.  It was quite wet inside as the glacial ice melted into little puddles below.  The blue color of the cave could not be replicated.  When we came out on the other side of the cave we were served Baileys on glacier ice.  The icing on the cake, or maybe the cake on the ice, after a perfect morning on the ice.  We really had perfect weather for the excursion.

While we waited for the boat to take us back, we opened our bag lunches.  Nick and I shared a mix of cut of meats and cheese.  Last night at dinner I purchased a brownie that I saved for dessert, however, when I bit into it I discovered there were nuts.  Sarah told me that I looked so disappointed (guess my face is an open book, I could never play poker) when I realized.  I was definitely disappointed, but I gave the brownie to Nick instead.

When we returned to town, after the boat and van rides, I took my shoes back to the shop and walked to the front of town for a hot chocolate.  Kate and I then baked in our room for a couple hours before going to dinner with Sarah at Patagonious.  We left a 7pm, which was amazing given how many meals have started after 8.  It was a girls night out but Sameena didn’t join us because she’d met someone else to go for dinner with.  The men (Nick, Ted, Vince and Steven) eventually came in for pizza, but they respected our privacy and left us alone.  Two guys came in playing awful music (one with a guitar, one with a flute) and Terry and Robyn and Nick (who were there as well) purchased a CD.  The three of us thought they were crazy.

After a lovely dinner we walked back to the hotel, through the howling wind and slight rain, for an early night in.  Tomorrow we’re up early for a walk in the national park.  

Long journey #2 and #3: Ruta 40

Andy and Ally - ready for the Ruta 40

Yesterday at 7am we began our long journey south from Bariloche to El Chalten.  The first couple hours out of Bariloche were through beautiful scenery – lakes, mountains, lupins and broom.  After our toilet stop at El Bolson, we spent the rest of the day traveling through fields, with the Andes to the West.  Some of the road was asphalt while other bits were gravel, making for a bumpy ride down the Ruta 40, where I somehow managed to sleep.  Luckily, it was a gorgeous day of clear blue sky, and the truck was warm in the sun.  Somewhere along the way there was a small body of water with flamingoes.

We took a lunch break in the middle of nowhere, just off the Ruta 40, where our bathroom option was the hop over the fence and hide behind the bushes.  The women were in charge of lunch – chopping, slicing, mixing and peeling.  Salami and ham were the meat of choice to add to baguettes with tomatoes, cheese, guacamole and peppers.  A very tasty lunch.  And given the warmth of the day, eating outside was very pleasant.

We continued down the Ruta 40 (mostly on bumpy road) where I spent time researching other parts of South America, listening to music, writing, looking out the window and snoozing. At 6:45pm, 800km later, we finally reached Perito Moreno, our stop for the night.  The hotel was the worst of the trip (so we’re told) and Sameena and I walked in to find three beds with red terrycloth blankets and a shower with a window taped closed.  No heater to be found and the wind had really picked up.

A quick stroll through some of town (very outback Argentina), including a stop in the supermarket, and Sameena and I came back to the hotel.  Ally had recommended the hotel restaurant for dinner and I shared a table with Nick, Sarah and Kate.  Nick was commenting on the intense nature of our trip and Sarah said that she thought the camping would be intense.  Then she said, "haha, guess it will be in tents".  I'm not sure why but it really tickled me; I must have laughed for a good 10 minutes.  In-tents.  Haha.  The owner of the place was a large man whose shirt wasn’t quite tucked in.  Not what you want from the guy cooking your food.  From the mostly Italian style menu I ordered spaghetti with cream and tomato sauce.  The portions were huge but only slightly warm and Sameena ended up sharing half my dish.  It was an interesting evening. 

When I got back to the room, it was so chilly that I asked Sarah and Kate if I could shower in their room to avoid the breeze and dust from our shower.  The shower warmed me up (if not scalded me a couple times) and I climbed into the warm sheets for bed.

Today was another early start.  We loaded Peggy and were on our way at 7am continuing our journey to El Chalten.  The Ruta 40 at its most desolate.  The only scenery was the shrubs, the Andes in the far distance (only visible in a few places) and some rhea, guanacos and rabbits.  With not a building in sight, we made our first toilet stop on the Ruta 40.  A hill of dirt provided the perfect shelter for the women, who just lined up on the edge.  I was the last to arrive, so I had a bit more privacy in the open air.

For lunch we stopped near the beautiful, bright blue Lago Cardiel.  The blue sparked in the sunlight.  The only problem was the strong wind blowing during our break, meaning that quite a bit of dust was flying around on the plates and partially in the food.  Ally had purchased ingredients for mexicones (as she called them), so we had a healthy vegetarian lunch of tomato, lettuce, cheese, avocado, tortilla chips, and beans rolled up in a tortilla.  I have to say that given the circumstances, lunches on the road have been very h-level.

Our next stop was at a gas station 130km from El Chalten.  Andy was desperate to refuel Peggy, but it turned out the pumps were empty.  So Ally went off in some car to find more gas, while Andy said we’d take off down the road until she stopped.  I think my “oh my” reaction got a laugh from everyone.  I hopped in the cab with Andy to get a front view of the ride, which was now tarmac (after an almost entire day of gravel).  You realize how amazing tarmac is once you’ve been bumping around on gravel and dealing with the noise and dust.

Luckily we made it to El Chalten without problems and were able to refuel on arrival, which was around 5pm, quicker than expected.  Given the heavy cloud cover, we weren’t able to see the Fitz Roy range, but hopefully it will clear up for tomorrow.  After settling into our rooms and trying to call my dad for his birthday, we went to pay for our day excursions tomorrow.  I’m going ice trekking on the Viedma Glacier, one of the largest in Argentina.  Considering the crampons come up slightly high, I’ve rented a pair of boots for the day.  The forecast looks ok, so hopefully my wind/waterproof clothes will provide shelter from the elements.

After stopping in the supermarket, Kate and I went to find the microbrewery, and managed to walk to the front of town (popping into a chocolate shop) but clearly going way too far.  It turned out the place was much closer to the hotel than we realized; we pressed through the oncoming wind and made our way back.  Walking into the brewery/restaurant was comforting; a small cozy warm building with friendly waitresses.  I tried their beer and Kate, Sarah, Nick, Brad and I decided to eat there instead of continuing on to the steakhouse.  Just a spinach empanada was plenty after the popcorn and breadsticks, plus I had a bit of Sarah’s lasagna.  A few of us shared a bottle of Malbec, so I’m currently feeling quiet warm and a bit tipsy.  At dinner, Kate and I toasted to our dad’s, both of whom are celebrating birthdays today.   Wishing my dad all the best in the upcoming year and sad I can’t be with him to celebrate.  At least I know next year I should be in California.  Tomorrow’s a big day of walking on ice.  Night night. 

Glorious Bariloche

Monday, December 20, 2010

What a glorious day!  The weather has been perfect.  Clear blue sky and warm (at least when there’s no wind).  Sarah, Kate, Sameena, Ted, Nick and I met for breakfast at 8:30am to decide our plan for the day.  The girls wanted to drop off laundry, so we agreed to meet at the bus stop for a bus to Cerro Campanario at 10:10.  After taking our laundry, we walked through town to the lake.  The mountains looked beautiful against the blue contrast of the water and sky.  There were three stray dogs down near the water, and they ended up getting into a fight with Sarah somewhat in the middle.  She got out of it quickly but they followed us up the road.  My fear of dogs did not help the situation.  On the main square we were greeted by two large Saint Bernards with puppies – pay for photos.

We meandered back to the main road and found Nick and Ted, as well as Brad, at the #20 bus stop.  While waiting for the bus, we tried to figure out exactly where to go as it appeared the bus route might be a circuit (it is not) and we wanted to make the most of the ride.  Sameena (who studied Spanish at a night school in London the past year) handled the conversation with the bus driver but it took a few minutes to figure everything out before we boarded.  We kind of held up all the locals.

The bus ride was beautiful, mostly hugging the lake, and we kept our eyes peeled for the 17km marker.  The open chairlift took us to the top of the mountain (1049m) in a few minutes.  Nick and I shared a chair on the way up, which oddly had no where to place your feet, but it was clear our lift isn’t part of a ski run.

The views from the top were breathtaking.  Full 360 degree panoramas of the surrounding lakes, mountains and islands: gorgeous.  Our day couldn’t have been clearer; I got pretty snap happy.  No one rushed to get going, so we sat in some chairs enjoying the sunshine.  Nick, Sarah, Kate, Ted and I decided to continue on bus 20 to Llao Llao, a very posh resort I’d read about in some books.  So we headed down the mountain and waited for the bus.  Another pretty ride for 10 km took us to the area of Llao Llao.

We arrived at the resort around 1:30pm and decided to treat ourselves to lunch in the dining room overlooking the lake and mountains.  A fabulous setting and the food was good too.  I ordered a chicken sandwich with fries.  We all just relaxed, enjoying the upscale hotel and excellent service.  Unfortunately, we had some problems paying the bill since Sarah didn’t take part of her change before handing it to the waiter.  It took a good 20 minutes to sort out.  In the meantime we tried to determine where to go walking.

A 3km path from the hotel past a “beach” to a look-out point seemed a good option for our post-lunch exercise.  There was a lot of confusion before we started because there were two churches on the map and everyone thought we were heading a different direction.  We finally got going around 3:15pm.  I was leading the way based on the tiny fold up map, and while I was sure we were headed the correct direction, it seemed like it was taking too long.  In the end we made it to the start of the trail.  It was a lovely walk through various trees along a bamboo lined path, which involved some maneuvering around branches.

We took the short turnoff to the beach, and while it had beautiful views, one could hardly describe it as a beach.  Another kilometer later we came to a bunch of arrayan trees with their reddish trunks.  Eventually we reached the viewpoint – an area of rocks on the shore of Lago Moreno with stunning views of the mountains.  As I’ve already mentioned, it was a glorious day and we all enjoying taking a break to bask in the heat of the sun.

When we got to the main road it was already 4:30pm, so we started heading back to the hotel for the bus.  The road back was another 3km or so and at some point, Kate, Ted and Sarah were much further ahead of me and Nick (I’d stop to remove something from my shoe).  Because the road snaked back and forth, we never got a glimpse of them again.  As we reached the fork in the road, we took the other path from our original journey.  There was no sign of our friends when we reached the bus stop and we assumed they had already taken a bus back to Bariloche, so Nick and I jumped on the next bus back to town.

Once we arrived in Bariloche after the 26km drive, I went to buy some chocolate for my secret Santa (turns out I got one of the new people who isn’t arriving until Christmas Eve) and get water before going back to the hotel.  In the lobby, Brad and Steven were hanging out with the new guy Vince (21, Canada) and I said a quick hello before heading upstairs.  I mention this fact because it took me an extra 20-30 minutes to get back to my room and, as I expected, Sarah was already there.  But when she opened the door for me, her face had a huge expression of relief.  She had been worried about me and Nick.  They took the same road we’d initially set out on and were waiting for us along the path, but we never came, so she walked back along the road searching.  As I said, we decided to take the other road, so we never would have passed by them.  Anyway, she was relieved we were ok and it turned out they’d actually gotten the bus behind us.

The walk today was fun and beautiful, but we did have a number of miscommunications along the way.  Some of our conversations seemed to go in circles and Ted has a tendency to repeat himself, so there was lots of laughing.  As an example: When Nick and I walked down a road, he said it smelled of pee.  I thought he was talking about urine, but he was talking about the pea plant.  Anyway, it’s hard to describe in words all the funnies of the day, but it was a comedy of errors.

By the time I’d gotten back to the room and explained the confusion to Sarah it was almost 7pm.  It was still so bright outside it looked like it was 3pm.  Sarah and I weren’t in the mood to join the group (or parts of it) for dinner.  I thought Sameena was interested in going for fondue, but when I picked up my laundry she said she’d eaten at 5pm.  Luckily, Sarah was keen on fondue and at 8:30 we went into town for dinner at La Marmite, a cute Swiss chalet-like restaurant.  I made a quick stop at a sports shop to pick up a thermal and warm socks.  At dinner, we ordered the cheese fondue with bread, onions, potatoes and bacon.  Delicious!  It was nice just eating the two of us and having a break from the huge group dinners.  The perfect way to end a wonderful day.

Crossing into Argentina: Seven lakes drive

This morning we left Pucon at 7am for our drive to Bariloche, Argentina.  Peggy was loaded and, in the cold chill of the truck, we headed off on a tarmac road for the Chile-Argentina border.  I was fully wrapped in a blanket and my nose was freezing; even pulling my scarf up around my face didn’t seem to alter the temperature.  About 60km into the drive through forest along the river, the road turned to gravel and there was quite a bit of noise coming from the truck as she crunched along.  Border formalities passed smoothly (Ally had said that sometimes it can take a while) and I was stamped out of Chile and, 2km down the road, into Argentina.  The clouds were in a favorable position and Volcano Lanin showed its peak in the distance.

An hour after crossing, our drive took us through large open valleys with yellow wildflowers and purple, pink, and white lupins surrounded by snow-capped mountains.  The majority of the day the sky was cloudy and although the sun tried to break through a few times.  After passing through the adorable town of San Martin de los Andes, we reached the beginning of the seven lakes drive, basically a scenic driving route north of Bariloche.

We stopped at viewpoints on Lagos Lacar, Machonico, Hermoso, Villarino, Traful and Correntoso before finally reaching Lago Nahuel Huapi.  It seemed that every time we got out of the truck to take photos, the sky opened, just a bit, but enough to get slightly damp and make me run back into the “warmth” of the truck as quickly as possible.  Near Lago Machonico was a beautiful waterfall covered by lupins.  Our lunch spot overlooked Lake Villarino but the cold wind chill and on-and-off bit of rain didn’t make for a very pleasant picnic.  The guys were stuck with lunch duty today since the first lunch was prepared by the ladies.    

At our last stop, I found out that sitting with Andy up front meant that I could have some real heat, so I jumped in.  He couldn’t believe the smile on my face when the heaters went on.  It was bliss to finally feel warm.  I’m not sure how I’m going to make it further south.  It will continue getting colder and the wind will increase.  Fortunately, I haven’t been in full layers yet, so hopefully I’ll survive.

By the time we arrived at 5:30pm, I was in major need for a good stretch and took a walk through some of the town center.  My body, especially my back, is so sore from the combination of whitewater rafting and horseback riding and the day sitting on the bus didn’t help matters.  Surprisingly, Bariloche does not have as much of a ski chalet feel as I expected.  It’s quite hilly with a number of concrete buildings.  Pucon looked more similar to my Bariloche expectations.  There are a number of chocolate shops, always a plus, but the town is less quaint than I imagined.  That’s not saying I don’t like it, I just thought it would be something different.  I picked up a hot chocolate for my stroll from one of the famous chocolate shops and was back at the lobby just before 7:30pm, our meeting time for dinner.  Two of the three new people (one was delayed flying in) joined us for dinner.  Stella and Nigel are from Australia and New Zealand.  I didn’t get a chance to talk to them, so I don’t know a thing about them.

Ally took us to El Boliche de Alberto, an Argentinean steak house, for dinner.  It’s such a popular place, and doesn’t accept reservations, that we showed up before the doors opened at 8pm to ensure we had a table.  The portions were enormous.  I ordered a bife de lomo and a side of mashed potatoes to share and split a bottle of wine with Andy and Ally.  The delicious meat was cooked perfectly and the potatoes were excellent, but the pile of mash that came out of the kitchen was huge.  My immediate reaction was “holy shit”.  

Full from steak and warm from wine I came back to the hotel.  Tomorrow is our free day to explore Bariloche, so the girls are meeting up in the morning to determine our plan based on the weather.  Hopefully I’ll feel a bit less sore in the morning.

A chilly ride and hot bath

Saturday, December 18, 2010

Horseback riding today started at 8:30am, so I didn’t have a chance to sleep in before getting ready.  By the time I got to Willie’s, Richard and Louise and Keith and Monica, along with Ally, were already there.  Willie thought there were only four people riding and they weren’t able to get any extra horses, so Ally and our guide walked the 2+ hour journey up, and Keith took Ally’s place on the way down.  The couples (all in their 60s) had never ridden before and even though we’d requested a two hour ride, Willie had decided the three hour one had better views.  Turned out it was actually a four hour ride.

Most of the trail was through forest, and even though the sun was shining, the wind was chilling.  Plus, the trees covered much of the sun’s warmth.  My hands were freezing from holding the reins.  We eventually came to an open area of old lava rock and saw our viewpoint, at the top of a hill.  The horses moved at a slow pace climbing to the top where we had amazing 360 degree views of the area.  The clouds were covering the top of Villarica, but there were three other volcanoes in the surrounding landscape.  There was even a patch of snow of the side of the hill and a waterfall in the distance, but the wind at the peak was even worse, and even the sun couldn’t warm me.

The ride back seemed to go a bit faster and I was desperate for the loo as I refused to pee in nature due to the cold (normally I wouldn’t have minded, but it was just too chilly).  I was also looking forward to standing on my own two feet since the ride was twice as long as I expected and I felt stiff.  To my surprise, we were offered chorizo sandwiches with salsa for lunch and a cold beer.  A perfect way to end our long ride.  From the ranch, we could see the top of Villarica, and when Richard pulled out his binoculars, it was possible to see the climbers sliding down. 

We didn’t arrive back into Pucon until 3pm and I walked to the black sand beach for a look over Lago Villarica.  When I got back to the hotel at 4pm I instantly fell asleep for the next 1.5 hours.  A small group of us had decided to go to the thermal baths at 6pm, so I changed into my bikini and met everyone for the 30 minute drive.  The pools were extremely relaxing and almost too hot for me after prolonged exposure, but it felt amazing to be warm.  Sarah, Sameena, Nick, Ted and I spent a good hour plus in the water chatting about life before drying off.  Sameena and Nick were in serious need of the water since they’d both made the long trek up the volcano.   Arriving back at the hotel at 9:15pm, I felt thirsty, hungry and tired.  Nick, Ted, Steven and I went across the street for a quick bite.  I ordered tomato soup and mint tea.  A perfect meal to keep me warm.  By the time I got back to the room, I was overcome with sleepiness and happy to climb into my small bed.

Sarah, Me, Sameena and Ted at the thermal baths

Riding the rapids on the Trancura River

What a day!  I didn’t have to be at the tour office until 11am, so I slept until 9:30 before getting up to organize myself for the day and eat breakfast.  When we left Sol y Nieve’s office, seven people from my tour (me, Sarah, Robyn, Terry, Nick, Ted and Steven) and three other tourists (two Chilean, one Brazilian) in a van with the three rafts attached at the back.  Down to the water we drove.  There was a light sprinkle and the air was cold, so I was very grateful for the wetsuits which were provided.

Arriving at the starting point, we picked up wetsuits and booties and changed into our gear in a small structure.  It was so cold outside and there was no insulation; I didn’t want to take off my jacket.  The process of getting ready took some time given the tight fit of the wetsuit and my unwillingness to strip down to my bathing suit.  When everyone was done, we were fitted with lifejackets and helmets and given gloves.  Every inch on my body, minus my face, was covered.

Ready to go - Ted, Sarah, Terry, Steven, Robyn, Nick and Me

Before setting out, the main guide gave us an overview about rafting.  When it came to the safety demonstration of pulling someone out of the water, he chose me as his volunteer.  So I had to squat on the ground and hold the cord on the raft pretending to be in the water.  Then he explained/demonstrated how you must not lift from the nose, or hair, but from the lift jacket.  The next thing I knew I went flying into the air and onto the raft.  Everyone laughed as I landed face up on the raft.  And that was the end of our training.

We split up into two groups (mine was Sarah, Steven, Robyn and Terry along with two guides) and boarded the rafts.  As we pushed out on the river, a gust of wind picked up and chilled me to the bone.  It was so cold.  The wetsuit definitely added a layer of protection, but my face felt all the effects of the weather.  At least it wasn’t raining, but the water splashing from the rapids was enough to get us wet.

Our 12km trip down the Trancura River passed through about six grade three and four rapids.  The river was lined with trees and behind the trees, mountains.  Sadly, it was extremely cloudy and hard to see the full extent of the landscape.  Plus, I was so focused on paddling, especially through the rapids, that half the time I forgot to look around.  I had to switch sides twice because my arms got too tired to paddle on the same side.  Lots of shrieks came from my mouth as our boat took the rapids and while I was enjoying myself, I was also holding on for dear life, afraid that I might fall out.  One rapid was so large that we actually had to get out of the rafts and walk along the river as it was too dangerous to attempt.

Aside from the rapids soaking me with water, the guide from our boat decided to splash me a few times with his oar as well as the guide on the other boat (when we were in splashing distance).  I’m not sure what it was, but I definitely got picked on the most today and everyone noticed it.  When the trip ended, we gathered our clothes from the van and changed in a small shack.  This time it was even colder since we were also slightly wet.  Good thing Sarah reminded me to bring a towel.  My body instantly felt warmer when I pulled on my shirt, but my hands and feet remained frozen for a while.  Even the pisco I was given didn’t warm my core.

When we returned to Pucon town, our group went for lunch.  The first thing I ordered was a hot chocolate, as I was still trying to defrost my fingers.  Eventually I warmed up and the pizza I ordered came out nice and hot.  A relaxing way to end our morning.  The sky was clearing on the walk back to the hotel and we were finally able to get a glimpse of Villarica volcano.  

By the time I got back to the hotel it was 3:30pm and I couldn’t wait for a hot shower.  I spent the afternoon in the room, since it was still pretty cold outside (even though the sun was shining on and off) and I wanted to do some travel research and catch up on writing.  At 7:30, the girls met for a glass of wine before dinner.  Our dinner group was only half the tour people, the four women, plus Nick, Steven, and Terry and Robyn.  We ended up at some type of Italian place with food that left nothing to write about.  I wasn’t too hungry, so I ordered chicken soup which wasn’t very tasty and Steven wasn’t sure what kind of meat he was eating.  By 10pm we were on our way back.  Tomorrow morning horseback riding is at 8:30, so to bed I go.

Long journey #1

Thursday, December 16, 2010

Not much to say about today since we were on the truck for almost 12 hours.  Before checking out of our room, Sameena and I looked out the window and caught a glimpse of the massive vehicle we'll be traveling in for the next three weeks.  Peggy, as she's known, is not a bus, but a truck, and boy is she ever.  She is huge and yellow!  Not a subtle mode of transportation.

On the truck

We loaded the truck at 5:45am and set off around 6 for our 800km drive to Pucon.  Andy stopped for a coffee break about an hour into the journey with a second bathroom stop at another gas station before reaching Saltos del Laja, a beautiful waterfall where we ate lunch.  Lunch is included as part of the tour on long travel days.  Ally had purchased some roast chicken, a mix of salad ingredients, cheese, bread, avocado, strawberries and blueberries.  A bunch of people pitched in cutting up ingredients and then we all tucked in sitting on tiny fold out chairs.

Saltos del Laja

Lunch time

Another couple stops along the way and we finally reached Pucon.  The scenery along the way varied, for parts of it I was sleeping, so I can’t tell you what it looked like out the window, but there were lots of vineyards, mountains, green fields with a large range of agricultural products.  It was pretty, but not the stunning landscape I expect we’ll see further south.

Peggy, our truck (I'll get a better photo next time)

When we arrived in Pucon it was too cloudy to see Villarica volcano, but I got a glimpse of the lake.  Ally said this is one of the nicest hotels on our trip – we have cute little apartments.  The town of Pucon has a very ski resort feel, something which I expected in Bariloche but not here.  Lots of short wood buildings with stone details.  It’s very cute and nice that we’ll be staying here for three nights.

The group headed to Sol y Nieve to book tours for the next couple days.  I’m going whitewater rafting tomorrow and horseback riding on Saturday.  Can’t wait!  After stopping in the supermarket to buy some breakfast items, I met the group back at the hotel for dinner.  Only Kate and Ray declined to join and the rest of us set out at 8pm for a Mexican restaurant with a great happy hour.  Sameena and I split happy hour mojitos and I ordered enchiladas y pollo for dinner.   Like most group meals, the food took a while, but it was pretty flavorful.  The music in the restaurant was somewhat loud though, so dinner conversations were a challenge, and a number of times Nick (who was sitting across from me) completely misunderstood what I was saying.  He did tell us about his journey in 1977 from England to Australia overland through places like Turkey, Iran, Afghanistan, Burma, etc.  Pretty incredible.  It also turns out that five people are taking cruises to Antarctica at the conclusion of this trip and that many others are spending/spent time in South America.  A well traveled bunch.

The group - Keith, Monica, Richard, Louise, Nick, Steven, Brad, Ted, Terry, Robyn, Sarah, Sameena, Me and Andy

Sameena, me and Ally