Castro & Ancud, Chile

After spending a great couple of days in Castro for Christmas, we boarded the local buses to the Pacific Coast on the Chiloe Island. The Park was beautiful, basically untouched, and often skipped by most travelers. We found it amusing that there was only one path that leads to an endless beach at the edge of the national park, but you couldn’t get to the beach unless you remove your hikers and wade across a 2 ft deep river. Apparently we didn’t pay enough of an entry fee to get a small bridge.

From Castro we moved back north to Ancud at the northern edge of the Island. Our hostel once again was perfectly located right on the water with a great view of the ocean. After touring the cities sights by foot, taking in a museum home to a 24 m Blue Whale skeleton, and looking through the small bustling fish market we headed to bed.

We had our very first encounter with a travelers 2^nd worst nightmare – Ridiculously loud and excessive snoring! (1^st being bed-bugs which we experienced in Bolivia). It was a 40 year old man from Brazil who was sleeping above me on the top bunk. There is loud snoring…then there is THIS guy, wow. At 2 in the morning, Renee and I had a discussion, trying to determine what to do, as the 4 others in the dorm hadn’t slept for a minute either. Collectively we decided to try to wake him up, starting with a gentle bed wobble, followed by a gentle tap on the shoulder…didn’t work. Next Renee grabbed his arm and starting shaking him, wasn’t working, so she shook harder nearly ripping his arm off. Still sleeping (and snoring). Next was repeatedly turning my LED on and off 4 inches from his eyeballs…nope didn’t work. Eventually I resorted to violently shaking the top bunk so hard it was slamming into the wall, sounding like the whole house was going to come crashing down. It worked briefly, but he fell back asleep right away. Anyway it was a long night dealing with this guy which earplugs were of no use.

 The next day we took a taxi to the Northwest corner of the island. Here we loaded up for a short tour out to some tiny islands just off the coast. The islands are home to nesting Penguins and Sea Birds. The island was full of 2 month old Penguins. It was extremely entertaining to watch these clumsy creatures attempting to climb up out of the water onto the rocks while battling the splashing surf. Eventually they all make it but sometimes it would take them 5 minutes of struggling.

We have now moved on to Puerto Mott at a staging town to move back into Argentina tomorrow.

COLIN

Merry Christmas!!!

Merry Christmas from Castro, Chile!!!  We want to wish everyone a safe and fabulous holiday season.  We are having a quiet Christmas from our hostel on stilts in the island town of Castro.  Last night we had a nice evening with fellow travelers and copious amounts of wine.  With everything closed for the holidays we’ve been having a lazy day and catching up on our reading and taking in some rays from our balcony over the water. 

 

We went for a stroll around town which was a bit of a ghost town except for a group of guys getting drunk on the pier (really wanted their picture taken, not sure why but tis the season so we took it anywaysJ) and three stalls selling fish.  One vendor came running up to us and gave me half a sea urchin with a squeeze of lemon juice, it looked a little fishy (pun intended) but it was actually quite soft and I enjoyed it.  Tonight we`ll cook a Christmas meal and most likely end up drinking more local wine with the others in our hostel.  Cheers! R

Puerto Varas

 Renee and I have moved further South to the lakeside town of Puerto Varas. Upon arrival it was a special day as it was Renee´s Birthday!!! So congrats to me on my wifes birthday. We celebrated by eating a great meal out at a very nice restaurant with a nice view of the lake. We changed location for a couple drinks, then returned to our 8 person dorm room for a good nights rest.

In the morning we departed on a 1.5 hour bus ride to the base of Volcano Osorno (2800 m at the top). In Spanish a Volcano is called a Volcane...I like that better so from now on I will refer to them as Volcanes. We enbarked on a stunning 3 hour hike from the teal green lake below up towards the Volcane. The trail leads through piles of ash and old molten rock through the trees up the Volcane at an angle. We reached just below the snow line for a beautiful view of other distant snowcapped volcanes and bright green lakes below.

We took a different route back more along the lakeshore, rather than through the woods. It was great until we were completely overtaken by swarms of giant Horseflies!!! They were 2 times bigger than our Canadian Horseflies, and completely presistant to get in your face. There was dozens of them swarming our bodies at all times. After putting on our rain jackets for protection in the sweltering heat, I started killing them with my hat. I killed dozens of them as we walked, but it was a battle I could not win. My arm was getting sore from swinging so much, I needed a reliever from the bullpen, but nobody was warming up. So we pulled up our hoods and walked on.

On the way to town we stopped at a roaring waterfall draining the teal mountain lake. It was the clearest water I have seen. From the 10 meter high viewing platform you could see many 12¨ trout circling the pools below the waterfall. 


We are now headed to Castro, Chile to spend a few days for Christmas as buses will not be running.

 COLIN

Pucon, Chile

We have left our little slice of paradise in the country and have made our way to the lake town of Pucon.  On the trip over we were baffled by the landscape which in may ways reminded us of home, a bit like the Fraser Valley meats the Okanagan.  Still dazed by the uncanny similarity we arrived in Pucon and were thrown for another surprise as the town has a very 'Banff feel'.

Unfortunatly it was raining the three days we were there making it impossible to climb their famous Volcanoe but we decided to go for a smaller hike seeing as our last attempt at a hike was a serious fail (with the blown tire).  We made it to the trail head and 1/3 of the way up the steep dirt road before having to turn around due to mud.  Thoroughly ticked that my hiking plans had been spoiled once again, we (carefully) headed back down the slick slope.  We met some fellow hikers who said they were going to give it a shot.  My frustration soon disapeared as we soaked in some nearby natural hot springs.  On the way back to town we ran into the hikers again who said they had gone farther than us but had gotten soaked and cold and had to turn back before reaching the top.  This made me happy, not they they were soaked and cold but that we had made the right decision to turn back ;)


To escape the rain (which we have not been succesful at) we are now in Puerto Varas and celebrating my birthday with a night out on the town!
R

Talca, Chile

Renee and I have now spent 3 days at a great Hostel located on an acreage near Talca. There are goats, rabbits, ducks and chickens running around the 10 hectare plot, with a large swimming pool to boot. The view of the Andes in the distance is terrific. This area of Chile is one of the best places in the world to grow pretty much anything whether it’s cherries, apples, kiwi, pineapples, plums, wheat…everything. They get 9 months of heat and sunshine, followed by 3 months of rain, and lucky for us they are in the middle of the 9 good months.

Nothing too crazy happened the first day as we teased the goats with handfuls of grass {Renee wouldn’t let me post unless I clarified that she did not have any part in the goat teasing…}, and just lazed around the pool. We made a trip into town to eat some traditional Chilean food for lunch. Believe it or not, the number 1 seller in Chile by a landslide is Hot Dogs!!! If you took every McDonalds, A and W, Wendy’s, Burger King, and Subway in Canada and converted them ALL into fast food Hot Dog restaurants…that’s what Chile is like.

The way they are served is usually 1 foot long with a layer of diced tomatoes, a healthy dose of guacamole and then ½ cup, yes I said ½ cup of full fat mayonnaise! I love sauces and condiments, but have to admit it’s a bit much so I end up scraping most of the Mayo off…then it is delicious.

Today we embarked on a 1 hour bus ride towards the Andes to go on a medium length hike in the foothills. Long story short, we didn’t get to do the hike as our bus blew a tire {Blew is an understatement – Exploded is more like it}. It sounded like we ran over a stick of TNT. We continued down the road by foot, however by the time we made it to the trail head it was too late in the day to start the hike, so we caught a bus back to Talca. The drive back to town was incredibly scenic along bright green glacier rivers and lush orchids.

Tomorrow we are off to Pucon.


COLIN


*Camera not downloading today so we swiped these 2 pics off the net ;)

Hola Chile

We have temporarily said goodbye to Argentina and made our way west into Chile.  Argentina has treated us well thus far with our only complaint being the higher costs.  Rapid inflation of their currency (30% Annual), the peso, has made this lag of our trip quite a bit more expensive.  As a result we have become quite skillfull at smuggling individual sized leftovers (jams, sugar, powdered milk, mayo etc) in our pockets all in an effort to help stretch our buck.

With our stash of smuggled goods we headed back into the Andes to the Chilean border crossing which lies on top of a high mountin pass in the middle of nowhere.  The only thing close by was a bare ski hill that looked a little iffy as all the chairlift supports had a concerning lean to them, reminded me of candles haphazardly thrown on a birthday cake.  

We spent two days in Santiago (unfortunatly not much to report from this smoggy city as we hoped to take in some museums but found them all closed) before heading to the coastal city Valparaiso.  The guide book described the city as grungy but with charm. Our first impression however was overwhelmed by the grungy aspect as we ventured down garbage littered streets to check out the fish market which ended up being a locked abandonded building in need of some serious TLC.  But as we continued to tour the city we definately saw the charm it has to offer.  Homes are all old, but painted vivid colours and placed on steep uphill streets.  On every possible availible surface is graffiti, all different styles and colours.  Definatley the most visually stimulating place I've ever been!  

I love the city's feel while Colin is a little more on edge as the rough town comes with a rougher crowd.  While touring the crowded market Colin stopped suddenly and said a man was behind us with a knife, I looked back, "Colin that's the butcher". Luckly for him we leave tomorrow ;)

ps. Chile has the best looking produce we have ever seen, every corner has a fruit and veggi stall pilled high with the freshed and ripest goods, yet another feast for the eyes :) 

Mendoza, Argentina

Mendoza, Argentina

We safely made the 10 hour journey to Mendoza by bus. Cordoba and Mendoza are nothing alike. For starters, Mendoza is the wine making capital of Argentina, completely dominating the local economy. The city is very laid back and the way I would describe it is ¨smooth¨. Its strong economy is also aided by an oil & gas presence in the area.

In the morning we caught a 45 min local bus to the suburbs to an area known to have many wineries within close proximity to each other. We rented a couple of bicycles and with our tiny little map off we went. We successfully found the first winery and joined another couple to tour the place, followed by some delicious wine tastings. We left the building to find the other couple, who had a professional guide talking them through the tasting, jump into their jet black, air conditioned, chauffeured car speed off down the driveway. Renee and I strapped into our backpacks, each took a shot of Red Gatorade, and sped off behind them on our $4.00 rental bikes with a broken peddle, faulty brakes, and nearly flat tires….

Next stop was an Olive Oil farm. Here we learned how olive oil is made, which is actually a very labor intensive operation, hence why olive oil costs so much. Very informative. We toured several more wineries followed by a place which specialized in exotic chocolates and liqueurs.

After returning to the hostel, we noticed one of the young ladies we saw during our bike riding was all bandaged up….our first guess was – Too much wine & Crashed on bicycle. We asked her what happened, and BINGO, spot on!

Next stop is Santiago, Chile. We will move south then back into Argentina.

COLIN

Urban Jungle of Cordoba, Argentina

Colin and I spent the last three nights in Cordoba's urban jungle.  The city is dominated by students and we spent most of our time meandering around the many modern art museums and impressive architeture.  The weather was smoltering but we took refuge often in the cities numerous ice  cream shops, mainly a chain know as Grido.  Grido is to Argentina what Tim Hortons is to Canada, they're on every other corner, prices are great and unlike most Argentinian businesses that have sporatic opening and closing hours they are always open!  I have been telling myself everday ``if we stop for ice cream today, who am I kidding when we stop for ice cream today I will be good and order a sorbet instead of a rich ice cream´´. After a day of walking the hot city streets it doesn`t take long to find a Grido's and by the time we've waited in line and it's getting close to our turn my desire for sorbet is replaced by a need for ice cream, without it I will perish for sure and give in to a delicious double scoop!  Farewell waistline.

We did escape the city for a half day trip to a small town, Alta Garcia, just an hour away where the infamous Che Geuvara lived during his teen years.  The city has turned his old family home into a museum, and done a excellent job mind you of preserving several family photo's and outlining Che's life.  We both really enjoyed it, spending a few more hours touring the town before heading back to the bustle of the city.  This morning we got up early to head to the bus terminal and were amazed how busy the city was at such an hour. Then remembered we are in Argentina and that the large 6am crowd had yet to go to bed from the night before...we thought we were adjusting well to the late night culture, i guess not so much :)  R

Tafi Del Valle

From Cafayate Renee and I moved 4 hours south to Tafi Del Valle. The town is at a higher elevation than the low lying dry vineyard area of Cafayate. It`s a very lush and green area surrounded by high mountain peaks. It is green for a reason as it was raining when we got there, raining while we were there, and raining in the morning when we left. We were able to squeeze in a short walk to enjoy the town. 

The town has a highly regarded hostel which we had difficulty locating, but it turns out they built a new one and moved down the street 3 months ago. It was quickly obvious they slapped the Hostel together in a rush.  It was quite funny that as you showered, the roof leaked rainwater on you at the same time - we got extra clean. The kitchen was large enough for 1/2 of one person. (I picked the short straw, so Renee had to cut me in half so I could cook...) They did play nice background music in the living area.

In the morning we headed off on an 11 hour bus journey to Cordoba. It`s the 2^nd largest city in Argentina at 1.5 million. It certainly has a large metro feel, very busy everywhere you look. We found a terrific hostel which welcomed us with Free Beer and Free Empanadas!!!  (Kind of a meat stew cooked in pastry shells in the oven). After an 11 hour bus ride, wowzers it was amazing. They did all the prepping and cleaning, we just filled the pastries and tossed them in the oven. Great Deal if i ever seen one!

On a side note, I was attempting to grow a big full beard, and long flowing locks during this trip…FAIL and FAIL. (0 for 2) We found a local barber who cleaned me up nice and pretty.

COLIN

Cafayate, Argentina

We have left the city of Salta for the small town of Cafayate Argentina.  The town is surrounded by canyons and vineyards and earlier today we went out to explore them both.  We left the outskirts of town on a dusty road towards the river Colorado.  Not long into our trip we noticed we had gained a traveler, a dog we recognized from the plaza, we named him Patchy.  The three of use walked the 6km´s to the river and then followed the reminisce of a trail up the river and into the mountains.   

The trail was more of a goat path and we took care not to get wet when crossing the river numerous times, alas Patchy was less delicate and bound through the water next to us often leaving us drenched.  But the air was hot and we dried quickly.  We saw few other tourists and had the quaint waterfall to ourselves when we arrived.  We enjoyed a quick lunch before heading back down the rocky trail.  Invigorated from our adventurous walk we headed back to town and on the way slipped into a winery where we tried their wines and bought a bottle of their crisp white wine for dinner.    

Refreshed and a little buzzed we made the last leg to town.  It was a great day trip and felt like we had our own private canyon to explore.  We walked a total of 15 km’s (the dog walked about 50km constantly running back to check on us) and had to say good bye to our cyanine friend back in town, before bedding down for a siesta (we are becoming quite fond of the local napping custom).    R

From our horse riding two days ago:

Salta, Argentina

We have now made our way to Salta, Argentina. What a complete culture shock, moving from 3^rd world Bolivia, to ultra modern, developed Argentina. After checking into the hostel Renee and I went for a walk. We ducked in and out of Supermarkets, Drugstores and  Ice Cream Shops giggling like little schoolgirls overwhelmed with the choices and goods available. The European travellers complain to us that they don´t like Argentina because it is exactly like Spain, but I have never been to Spain, and I think it´s awesome.

Our first major adjustment for Argentina was getting on their eating schedule. For our first dinner we chose a Middle Eastern restaurant, which we tried to enter at 8 o´clock. They laughed, said they don`t OPEN until 9 PM!!! We were starving but it was the same for all the restaurants, so we settled for pastries at the bakery to hold us over. The next evening we waited until 9 PM then headed to a different restaurant thinking perfect timing...NOPE. The place was empy except a couple of families with toddlers and infants. We took our time, had some beer and by 10:30 the restaurant started to fill up. At midnight we went to the entertainment district, it was a unbelievable experience with 1000`s of people eating and drinking on the patios of endless restaurants and bars stretching for multiple city blocks.

Today we visited a museum which is home to 3 mummies which were recovered from a tomb near the summit of a 20,000 ft volcano. They were children who were sacrificed to the gods thousands of years ago - nearly perfectly preserved because of the altitude. (Any children following the blog, make sure you behave or else...) In the afternoon we headed out horseback riding at a local ranch. Included was a BBQ lunch, prepared by a older, very proud Argentinian man. It consisted of some salads and corn, followed by an all-meat 4 course meal. Ribs, Steaks, Loins and Pork. I tried to turn down the last portion of meat, and he said ``Whats the matter, don`t you like my cow meat?`` with puppy dog eyes...couldn`t say no. 

They also force fed us Argentina wine, Renee and I nearly had a bottle each, then off to the trails we went. (The Argentine way!!!). The ride was great, and we returned to Salta to find a severe thunderstorm resulting in the streets flooding with 2 feet of water stranding cars everywhere. Off to bed.

COLIN