Our last day . . .

As we pack up this morning, getting ready to come back home, it´s hard to believe how blessed we have been to have had this truly incredible, once in a lifetime opportunity to live and travel in another country. We thank all of you the ways you´ve supported us, and knowing that you guys are sharing it with us through the blog has made this trip even more special!

Last night we had a great Spanish style meal with Andres in a neighborhood called Nuñoa, one that I had not yet seen and wanted to experience. Great atmosphere and conversation made our last night here perfect.

We leave from Santiago on Lan Chile at 5:15 for Buenos Aires. Then we hop United at 10:05 p.m. to Washington Dulles, where we´ll get a plane back to RDU at 8:50 that will bring us back to the Triangle at 10:00 a.m.

See you in the States! ¡Ciao!

The magical island of Chiloe . . .

is often how this place off the west coast of Chile is described. It is interesting as it has it´s own culture due to its isolation after the spanish colonization, forming a Indian-Spanish mestizo people. Jesuits had a big influence over this area in the 1700´s as well, as manifested by the unique churches for which the land is known. Getting up early to get in a full day there, we left Puerto Varas and drove south to the ferry which would take us over. All the guide books and our Chilean friends emphatically told us not to take the main road, Ruta 5, down the island. We were instructed to head west, to the coast, and follow the dirt road to see the ¨real¨ Chiloe. Well, we did just that! We wound up in some people´s front yards, dead ends that drove out on the beach, across the beach. Granted, we followed signs best we could, but when the sign leads you to a fork in the road with no direction at all, what could you do?!? After the kilometers and kilometers we had driven the day before, we weren´t all so keen on driving all day with no directions, so we just drove west to find pavement!

Back on the main road, we continued south to Dalcuahue, where you can catch the ferry to the island of Quinchao. The first town here is Curaco de Velez, where they are most famous for their oysters. We found a outdoor restaurant and chowed down on HUGE oysters on the half shell and seafood empanadas.

Next town was Achao, which boasts the oldest church, built in 1730. Totally plain outside, and pegs used instead of nails, the inside shows intricate carvings in muted blue, white, and yellow. The people´s dependence on the water is reflected in the rounded ceiling, as the hull of a boat.

Back to the mainland, snapping a shot of the church in Dalchuahue, we continued south through Castro, the biggest and busiest town in Castro. The thing to see here was the palafitos, which are brightly colored houses built on stilts at the edge of the water. On we went to Chonchi, which was our stopping point and as far south as we were going. Here we stayed at a hostal called Esmerelda by the Sea, and it indeed was on the sea! The owner also was a seafood farmer, and you could see his nets and salmon farms from the window. We got a great room with view of the water, and had an AMAZING dinner there. Called cancato, it was a traditional Chilote dish - a HUGE salmon stuffed with sausage, cheese, tomatoes, and onions. He served 10 of us, and there was still plenty left over. Even better about the dinner was the chance to talk with the other visitors staying there and comparing travel stories. Here we met a couple from Northern England, who we recognized from Puerto Natales who also should have been on the Navimag ferry! We had a great time exchanging stories with them all.

This morning we enjoyed another great meal there (though there wasn´t a lot of room since last night) and got on the road for our flight back to Santiago. We´re currently waiting here in the airport in Puerto Montt, and trying not to think about the fact that our wonderful trip will be over so soon.

Up and Down the roads . . .

After a good night´s sleep in Puerto Varas in a great hostel called Casa Azul, we woke up for their breakfast of eggs and oatmeal. Not bad! We then headed out for our adventure on the Carreterra Austral, the 1000 km government highway project to attempt to connect the country from north to south. It has come a along way from nothing, but it is still a big gravel road, connected by ferries and bridges of all shapes and sizes. The ferry we took had an unexpected treat - they took us by a colony of sea lions, sunning on rocks. They were huge, and we got so close! We drove as far as Hornopiren, where one would take another ferry to get to the southern part of Pumalin Park, the land of which was bought several years ago by an American, the owner of North Face, as a preservation project. Time constraints and the expense and infrequency of the ferry prevented us from seeing that end, but we enjoyed watching the folks board the boat and the activity of this very isolated town.

We decided to follow a different route home, one that allowed us to skip the ferry by going around the Estuario Reloncavi. Not the Carretera Austral, but another gravel road through nondescript towns. Beautiful views of the rugged skyline and body of water, also a peek into the way back, backcountry of Chile. The lack of gas stations made for an interesting time, but we made it safely back to Puerto Varas for a great 2 for 1 pizza and drink deal at an authentic Italian restaurant for dinner.

Mapuche Farm and Volan Villarica!

After shaking the dust of Puerto Natales from our heels - good place to stay for one night but not much more, as we learned the crazy and nasty side of our hostal owner - we flew to Puerto Montt, where we rented a great little Toyota Yaris , i.e. Echo, and headed for a farm hostal near Pucon, in the lake district, that a friend had recommended. After about a 4 hour drive, we arrived late to Kia Leufu, a farm turned hostal owned by a Mapuche Indian family. Fortunately, Phi, Kelly, and another student Corrie were there, and told us about the great stuff they offered. An included breakfast of homemade bread, jams, fruit, real coffee! A sweet american girl worked there and helped us set up all of our excursions. The first morning consisted of sleeping in! which we needed, then relaxing around the place, talking to other backpackers, and observing the farm life. HUGE cows, lots of sheep and poultry. The afternoon we went on a 4 hour horseback ride. Gorgeous horses, beautiful scenery. Didn't do much more than trot but it was nice to be back on a horse again!

That evening we squeezed in a thermal hot spring. As we were short on time, we went to one close to the farm, which was rather crowded, but we soaked out our soreness from the previous days and talked to some folks. We made it back in time for a magnificent and so cheap feast! Steak, I mean a huge cut of fresh steak, potato salad, beets, ceviche, bread, salad, and an apple postre for dessert. SO SO good. There were lots of interesting folks there, many americans, a couple brits, some germans. Good conversation. One older guy who works for a small county newspaper in Delaware and I had a good chat about our commonality in local papers!

The next day was our VOLCANO day! We packed up from the farm, and headed into Pucon, where we found our company with which we had been set up with via the hostel. We climbed Volcan Villarica, the same one we could see from Calafquen. It really was EXTREME. First an hour hike up the side of them mountain in volcanic gravel, then a 3-4 hour hike across and up ice fields in helmets, crampons (spikes clipped to the bottom of our boots), and ice axes. It really was intense, and not easy! Finally we got near the top and could take off the crampons, but now we were so close taht we were inhaling the sulfur. I know, not good, but it was not constant, and we held fleece over our nose and mouth to keep from breathing it. A few more steps, and we were at the top! And what did I see, but a huge ice sheet in there! Bearing some fierce winds, we creeped around the edge and . . . we saw it! Hot Lava! There was lots of dust, but we could see through to it splashing up, burping, erupting out of the ground! I can only best describe it, seriously, is it looked like a bright orange lava lamp, except much more agitated! The coolest was not over yet, as we slid down on our butts! Waterslide like luges had been carved out, and we slid down, using our ice picks to slow us. We slid for at least a km twice, then about half a km. Needless to say our rears were frozen, but it was really the coolest thing!

Dirty and dirty, we jumped in the car and headed for Puerto Varas, were we have been for the last 2 nights. Will fill in more in the a.m. This hostel has free internet, but you gotta share!

Change of plans. . .

So we´ve had a little change in schedule . .. The boat that we were to take from Puerto Natales last night had some ¨technical¨problems, so we spent another day in that tiny town, which was actually nice to rest awhile. We were fortunate to have found out early in the day, thanks to our hostal owner and were able to book airline tickets to our destination city. We´re currently waiting in the airport in P. Arenas for our flight to Puerto Montt. There we plan to rent a car and stay at a farm in Pucon, where we will check out some natural hot springs and try to get that volcano trek we missed before in the lake district, as well as do some driving down the Carretera Austral and in some other national parks. Then we´ll reassume our itinerary in Chiloe, a quaint island. So far, all else is going well. A little disappointed, but we just are looking forward to our other opportunities! Love you! Blake

Glaciers, Trekking, Torres del Paine, and . . . .

Well, I have lots to recount! Fortunately, I have plenty of time.

So I left you here in Puerto Natales, the jumping off point for backpacking in Torres del Paine National Park. Our whole group awoke very early for breakfast with ¨real¨coffee (as advertised in the hostel) before our bus to the park. The 5 day, 4 night trek we planned to take was called ¨The W,¨as that is basically its shape. Once we were in the park, we had time to take a 40 min round trip hike (without packs) to get our first good look at the Cuernos, a very impressive mountain set. Here we experienced the first of what they talk about the wind here. It literally blew me UPHILL, all I had to do was move my legs! Then we all boarded a catamaran, which took us to the left ¨base¨, if you will, of the W. On the catamaran we had the first glimpse of many folks we would probably see again on the trail, including a couple of older Japanese women, probably in their 60´s, with a guide, dressed to the hilt with ¨Gear¨. We were dropped off at Refugio Paine Grande, a nice campground and hostal, with a store and small restaurant/grill. (This park gives travelers quite posh options.) A quick lunch here of PB&J, and we were off to Glaciar Grey, which was the top left of the W. Whoa, what a way to start out. Quite a lot of elevation change, and though Tim does have experience reading topo maps, either the skills were rusty or we just had an awful map. But do you know the Japanese ladies cruised right past us! However, we got to a river crossing with rather high water and used a rope tie to scale across (reminded me of the Goonies bridge - ¨It´s our time, down here!¨) where they were resting. So we passed them again here. Eleven kilometers we hiked on that first half day, and scaling down some steep rocky faces made it even more interesting. The map said 3.5 hrs., probably took us a good 4. But we made it, packs and all, to a crowded Campamento Grey, a paid campsite very near the enormous Glaciar Grey. A short hike to a lookout that evening (without packs!) let us get up close and personal with some glacier ice! From our vista point, the glacier looked like a big backyard covered with played in snow! Amazing! Dinner that night was yummy tuna melts, courtesy of Jorli. Sleep that night came easy for some, others were disturbed by the camp hosts who came to get our money, the noisy neighbors yelling ¨¡Amigö!¨ for much of the night, and I could have sworn I heard a ¨cuatro y veinte¨ reference . . . . Also rather chilly that night, I think Tim wanted to try to acquire frostbite on the rest of his toes. (P.S. - the ladies got to the campsite ahead of us! how did that happen!!!)

However, we survived quite well and enjoyed a hearty oatmeal breakfast, which we needed for the trek back! (Because it is a W, we have to backtrack to move on to the next trail.) I thought it was better than going up; the day was beautiful and many surfaces had dried which made things easier. Lunch at the same place as the day before, although we took advantage of the store for cheese, salami, and bread for an unplanned meal. After a short rest, Tim, Kelly and I trekked on ahead to the next campsite as the rest of the girls stayed for the free showers and would follow close behind. Knowing how crowded the last site was, we wanted to reserve good spots for the next night. This took us to Campamento Italiano, at the bottom of the middle upright of the W. Another 7.6 kms, with amazing views of the Cumbres to the north and lakes to the south, took us across the raging Rio del Frances and into camp for the night. Our tents were pitched about 15 meters from this beautiful river, and the rest of our group arrived soon after. Dinner of mac and cheese with hot dogs, green beans, and boxed wine (also a store purchase) was a nice end to the evening.

Monday was our ¨easy¨day! We slept in a little, then after a cocoa puff breakfast (don´t recommend this, not very sustaining) we took a day hike further up the middle W upright into the Valle de Frances. Reaching the peak of this trail, Los Cumbres are to the left, Los Cuernos on the right, and the aqua colored lakes behind! ¡Que rica! Not too much time to gaze, as we planned to leave after lunch for our next campsite. Again, Tim and I pick up the pace a little to reserve spots at the next campsite. We very much enjoyed this hike together, as it took us along Lago Nordenskjöld, which was aqua blue, and sprays whipped up to greet you as wind gusts built up against the mountains and rushed down. Hiking a good ways down the bank, which was all rocky, we experienced more of the massively strong winds. Going across another rocky river that fed into this lake, we literally had to squat down and hold onto boulders to keep from falling! The Los Cuernos campsite was not excluded from the gusts, which made setting up tents quite a challenge! A warm, nice refugio here at the site with wine and cookies for sale and hot showers made up for our inconvenience! As it began to rain a little, and the wind would have made a gas stove rather difficult, we settled for the common stove inside to make our pasta and marinara dinner, with a side of slurped mashed potatoes passed on by a chilean. Another packed place, but that just increased the number of cool people to meet! (Of course, the Japanese ladies were here, and luckily our friend Phi speaks Japansese and had a conversation. Indeed they were 60 and 63, and they came with a group that was going to climb Aconcagua!) The wind raged later that night, but our tents stayed intact! The wind did do us a favor by blowing away the clouds to reveal a UNBELIEVEABLE starry night sky. I thought I would never see anything to top Calafquen, but this really did. Millions, all over - amazing.

We woke up to another beautiful day and chose oatmeal for our last BIG day. It was our goal to see the famed Torres del Paine this evening. This was the last upright of the W, and I remember it as rather rocky and dry, and we dodged lots of horse poo as many riding trips were led up this way. We stopped for a tuna lunch on an outcropping into a small lake, then Tim and I took off again to get camp set up asap so we´d have time for the Torres hike. This was definitely the toughest pack hike for me, as I basically kept Tim´s pace uphill, on an exposed dusty mountainside. Fortunately, it was not a long hike, and we finally turned north along a valle that would take us to torres. Much of this portion of the hike was along an 8 foot ledge that looked like above or below would avalanche at any moment! The frequent horseback trips here without problem somewhat reassured us. We quickly saved our spot in this campsite called Chileno by setting up both tents - we were pros by this point! Our group soon joined and we had a hearty snack (some had ramen, other had apple and hot cake from the refugio here - you decide who chose what!) before our hike to the base of the Torres del Paine. The first hour was pretty easy, but the last was a straight uphill climb for what felt like a mile (or a least a kilometer!) over huge boulders. None of us thought we would make it after our intense day. Tim shimmied up, I was quite a ways behind. But it was worth every single step. I don´t believe I have ever seen any natural work so amazing in my life. The 3 clay brown ¨Torres¨ or towers soaring over to the right, thin waves of earth frozen high above us. The rock face below was vertically striped brown and black layers, like the ¨legs¨ of wine on a goblet. But what made it most spectacular is the surprising greenish-blue salt lake that lay below. The three distinctive features came together in what was for me truly a breathtaking, once in a lifetime experience!

Our final morning was an easy hike down to the Las Torres hosteria where we were to catch a transfer to our bus back to Puerto Natales. Sad as I was for the trip to be over, my left little toe was grateful! Sore, blistered, swollen, and a little sun and windburned, we left the park. I think it´s fair to say that none of us knew what we were getting into, but for Tim and me it was for the best! We found ourselves easing back into our backpacking/camping selves of years before and ready for more.