Chile
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December
18 - Concon, Chile Positives: Negatives: We crossed over
the border from Bolivia and it was like being in a movie. We were all
very sad because we had to say goodbye to Arthur and our other friends
that were staying in Bolivia and going back to La Paz. Many tears and
hugs... goodbyes are never easy. Crossing over into Chile was perhaps
the biggest culture shock I have ever had - for all of the above reasons.
Ecuador, Bolivia and Peru are all very similar for various reasons:
the ever-present and beautiful indigenous culture, the poverty, and
the smiles of the people. Chile is so much more like the United States
than I could ever imagine. San Pedro is a
total tourist town located in the driest desert in the world. It was
hot and of course very dusty and we were still at a high altitude. Since
we saw geysers and the lakes in southern Bolivia we decided to forgo
them here and only go to the Valley de la Luna. Kate and I did an afternoon
trip and found the valley to be one of the most beautiful sights we
have seen yet. Obviously, there was not much greenery, but there were
huge sand dunes and rock formations that looked like the Grand Canyon.
We hiked to the top of a huge sand dune to watch the sunset and saw
the colors of the rocks change from red to rose to dusty orange - it
was the best sunset I have seen here and so peaceful on top of the sand
dune. The next day we
were in for the shock of our lives. We were taking the bus to Caldera,
a beach town about 12 hours south of San Pedro. We boarded the bus and
started laughing. Each seat had enough legroom for a WWF wrestler and
the seats actually folded down into a sort of bed -- unbelievable luxury
and we could not take the huge smiles from our faces. Imagine when the
steward came around a few hours later with a hot chicken and rice lunch!!!!!
Heaven and it made the 12 hour bus ride seem like a pleasure. Travel
in Chile, it seemed, would be an absolute pleasure. Unfortunately,
when we arrived in Caldera around 10 p.m., all the Visa machine lines
were down and we HAD NO MONEY!! This meant no dinner, no drinks, and
barely enough to get us on the bus for our next destination. Not fun... Took the bus the
following day to La Serena, another beach town. We all were craving
some days just lying on the beach and doing nothing. However, the weather
would not cooperate and the sun would not shine. We stayed for four
days in a great hostel owned by a wonderful family who treated us like
honored guests.... Thank you Manuel and Lydia!! Besides the sun not
appearing, the other horrible thing about La Serena was the 15 hour
tour that Sian and I took... yes, 15 hours. It was supposed to combine
the Elqui Valley, where they grow the pisco grapes, and an observatory.
La Serena has three world famous observatories. They are inland from
the coast and miraculously the sun shines 340 days of the year. They
have telescopes that have a diameter of 18 feet!! Well, the tour
was a very expensive 43 dollars and was not worth one penny. We toured
two pisco factories (which we could have done for free), had a decent
lunch, and saw a very small, very crappy, museum about Gabriela Mistral,
a famous Chilean poet. Unfortunately, the museum did not have any poems
by her, any books by her, or really any information about her at all
except the desk she sat at as a child and her bed -- not worth 43 dollars.
Well, we thought giddily, because we were giddy with boredom after 10
hours of doing nothing, the observatory will be worth it. Not quite...it
turned out that people are not allowed near the big telescopes and we
would be going to a tourist observatory to look through a 12 inch telescope....
12 inches...... a cruel joke after all those hours of waiting. But,
it was very cool - we did get to see Jupiter and the rings of Saturn
- although after a 14-hour wait it was a bit anti -climactic. The best
words I heard that day were "The tour is finished!" What a
waste and no more day tours for a while... So, now we, Kate and I, are in Concon, which is a suburb of the very trendy beach town, Vina Del Mar. Again, it is expensive. We will stay until Friday and then head to Santiago to meet up with Sian and Sue for Christmas and New Year's Eve. All we hear about Santiago is that it is extremely hot and has horrible smog...guess we will find out for ourselves on Friday... January
3 - Santiago Leaving tomorrow
for Cancun, Mexico to meet my family for a week. I miss them and cannot
wait for some hugs and kisses from my nieces and nephew. New Year's Eve was also spent in Santiago. We had dinner at Alan's and then walked to the center of town to see the fireworks. Tons of people but nowhere near the mayhem of New York plus it was warm! At five to twelve, the band that was playing, played the national anthem of Chile and everyone sang along. At midnight, we were doused in champagne and confetti and were dancing along with the rest of the Chileans to the sounds of salsa music. Lots of fun! Enjoyed Santiago but am ready to continue traveling. But first, Mexico... Yesterday morning
I left Santiago to fly to Cancun because I was meeting my family for
a week's holiday. I should have arrived at 7 pm but this is how my day
went: 5:45 am
- Wake up after 4 hours sleep January
30 - Punta Natales, Patagonia, Chile I
am at the bottom of the world - cannot say the end of the world as some
travelers around here say because, well, the world is round for crying
out loud!! But it is the bottom and the weather here is a constant reminder
of how close we are to Antarctica - just a stone's throw away across
the Drake Passage. A visit to Antarctica is more expensive than a trip
to the exorbitant Galapagos. In Punta Arenas airport there were many
wealthy American tourists preparing for their ´adventure´
luxury trip to Antarctica. I am sure one woman needed her huge diamond
ring and Gucci bag for the trip. I was pretty tossed up about whether
to bring mine on this trip!! Americans abroad can really drive make
me loco. February 3 - Puerto Natales, Chile Great news!!! Mike,
a friend of mine, is fixing my web page!! I cannot thank him enough.. Yesterday we took
a monster bus ride to Argentina to see the Moreno Glacier or Perito
Moreno as it is called here. The ride was 6 hours each way but was much
cheaper than having to stay in Argentina for the night. We are skipping
Argentina entirely because we want to get to Brazil and it is way too
expensive for our budget. We are spending about 30 dollars a day and
Argentina would be about 60 dollars a day. But, I now have 6 Chilean
stamps in my passport because I keep leaving and coming back. When I
flew back from Mexico, I had to pay 45 dollars to enter Chile again.
You only have to pay if you fly in and the only nationalities that have
to pay are Americans and Canadians. It is simply reciprocity - we charge
people so much to get into the states and so they charge us. We must
charge almost every country to enter because I, as an American, am the
only one our of my many travel friends that ever has to pay... and lots
of cash! Moreno glacier
is one of the few glaciers in the world that is still advancing and
it is a sight that really cannot be described. "Should be
the eighth wonder of the world" --- Juliette "There are
not enough superlatives in the English language to describe it"
----- Kate "I cannot
even think of a word only a sound ... eeewwoowww" ---- Matt I always imagined
glaciers to be like an enormous frozen lake, flat on top. But actually
it looks like a giant lemon merengue pie - huge ice sculptures are pressed
together by the surrounding mountains and are being crushed and pushed
into the lake. The front of the glacier is 14 miles long and the height
is 180 feet high of what you can see. The glacier goes on under the
water for another 360 feet. There are incredible blues and purples in
the crevices of the ice and a constant cracking and hissing sound as
the ice melts and falls into the sea. We saw some ice come tumbling
down and the sound and waves created were enormous! I cannot imagine
if a huge chunk came off. 32 people were killed in the last 30 years
by shards of ice flying through the air after a piece came crashing
down. Took loads of pictures and we were all amazed at the spectacle.
There are catwalks across from the glacier and we walked around for
two hours in awe. Although it was many hours spent in the bus, we all
agreed it was worth it. There are many
glaciers down here and we will see another enormous one, Grey Glacier,
when we go hiking in the Torres del Paine National Park. We are leaving
tomorrow and will hike for five days keeping our fingers crossed for
good weather. Apparently, the climate changes by the minute and can
go from hail to 90 mile an hour winds to rain slashing sideways. But
the views should be worth it. Have to go and buy food now and pack our
backpacks as light as possible since we will be carrying everything
ourselves--- no porters or donkeys for these now-seasoned hikers!! There are refugios in some of the camping spots that have beds but they are expensive and booked up at this time of year, summer. Not that I would call this summer when I have on three layers, a fleece hat, and gloves. Actually slept with my hat on for the past three nights because the hostel does not have heat. Brazil is looking better by the moment and only two weeks away... February 10 Puerto Natales, Chile Still in the south of Chile in Puerto Natales. Heading to Ushuaia, the most southerly city in the world, in a few days and then BRAZIL!! Cannot wait to mail home my fleece, extra pants, socks, gloves, hat and other cold weather outerwear! Going where the weather suits my clothes - sunny, beautiful, laid-back Brazil!! Hope the weather will be like in Mexico which was such a treat... I forgot to write what an awesome time I had seeing my family. We all cried when we saw each other again and we all cried when we said goodbye. But seeing them in the middle of my year away was perfect. I wish both my sisters could have made it. Highlights of Mexico were: 1. Going swimming with the dolphins and being pushed by them across the pool 2. Teaching my nephew, Steven, a short conversation in Spanish 3. Teaching Christi and Steven how to snorkel and then watching their amazed faces when we went in the sea and saw hundreds of beautiful fish 4. Chatting with Lisa and mom for hours and catching up with the gossip from home 5. Swimming in the incredibly blue sea 6. Seeing Chichan Itza with mom I do not think my family has ever seen me actively in travel mode. At home, I would not cross the street to save ten dollars. While traveling, I would walk a mile with my backpack. I kept saying, " Are you kidding? We can do it cheaper. That is ridiculously expensive." Money just takes on a whole new meaning when you backpack and have to budget to make your money last for a whole year. We have been spending more or less about 30 dollars a day - less in Bolivia but more in northern Chile. Brazil should be cheaper than here which is another bonus! Just finished a 5-day hiking/trekking/camping trip in Torres Del Pâine, the national park in the south which is supposed to be reminiscent of Alaska with glaciers, mountains, and turquoise lakes. It has all those things but the weather is so extreme and the hikes so long that we nicknamed the park Torres del Painful! Painful is what is was....fun moments were far and few between.... as my friend Wendy is fond of saying and I repeated daily in the park, "Why am I being tortured on my vacation?!!!" We went with Matt and Juliette and another South African couple who just completed Alaska to Antarctica overland (with some boats of course). They are amazing, interesting and in terrific shape. They helped Kate and me through the endless days of hiking and were never tired. We nicknamed them the bionic man and woman. Not only were the hikes long, but we had to carry our big backpacks which contained a tent, sleeping bag, extra clothing, water, flashlight, camera, and food and weighed about 20-25 pounds. Does not sound like much and does not feel like much after one or two hours, but after 10 hours on your back while hiking in the mountains, it feels like a baby elephant is hanging on and tearing your shoulder blades apart. All in all, we hiked 80 km, or 50 miles, in four days - not easy hiking either. Day 1 was only 3 and a half hours - 13k. But it rained the entire time and the path was like an obstacle course - log crossings, stone jumping over turbulent rivers, ankle-deep mud, and rain slashing in our faces. We arrived and could not see any views because of the clouds. At the camp, Kate and I realized that our tent was beyond small and could barely fit our bodies, never mind our backpacks and extremely smelly boots and soggy socks. We had to sleep on our backpacks because it rained hard all night and there was no way we could leave anything outside that night or any other night for that matter. In the morning, we awoke to snow!!!!!!!!!! Snow is great and beautiful if you are looking out at it from your warm, heated home, but it is a nightmare to be hiking and camping in. It was beyond freezing and there was no respite from the cold. After coffee and porridge, we tramped through the rain and Kate and I decided if the rain continued, we were out of there the following day. It was just not fun. But the sun made a brief appearance that day which gave us the incentive for our MONSTER hike - 31km or 17 miles!!!!!!!! With our backpacks!!!!! Talk about screaming muscles and aching feet. The last two hours were the absolute worst and I actually thought I would start crying. The wind picked up to about 90mph - no exaggeration. I could barely stand and was constantly being knocked over. We arrived at the campsite around 9:30pm after 11 hours of hiking. It stays light till 10:30 here and the sun comes up around 5:30 because we are so far south. No rain this night, only gale force winds forcing us to keep our eyes glued to the top of the tent expecting it to be ripped off us or be catapulted into the nearby rolling, glacier river. Amazingly, our tent stayed intact but we decided the next to skip the 14k hike into the valley and just head 9k to the next campsite. The thought of hiking more than was absolutely necessary that day reminded me of the New York saying, "Are you f..&%ing kidding me?!!!" It was only 3 hours to the next camp but it felt like 6. Slashing rain and howling wind followed us and we arrived bedraggled and having serious sense of humor failures. Nevertheless, we set up our tent and headed to the nearby Refugio for some coffee drinking, showers, and other indoor activities. You can stay in the refugios but you have to book way in advance and it is expensive for crappy accommodations. But it was great to be inside four walls with a roof over our heads for a few hours to escape the weather. We cooked our usual pasta dinner that night inside our tents and tried to sleep despite the nor'easter winds and rains going on outside the tent. I do not think a person can truly understand the power of nature unless you are outside in it for extended periods of time trying to survive. Forget a beautiful tropical island, the next Survivor series should certainly be held in Torres Del Paines, where if you survive you deserve a million dollars. The next day dawned, amazingly enough, with enough sun to persuade us to stay and hike 24k to the glacier. Although we were beat, we could not pass up a day with sun since they are so few and far between in the park here. As far as I am concerned, hiking and camping is just not to be done in the cold and rain - it just stinks! So we set out and it was stunning. I am sure if we could have seen the other views from the park they would also have been amazing. We passed ultramarine, glacial lakes and many, many mountains. The sights were stunning. What was not stunning was the sight of a 35-year-old woman hobbling back the last three miles in a coma. But WE DID IT!!!!!!!!!!! As Kate said, my feet do not know what has hit them.. they have never done anything like this in 26 years! I am not sure if I would recommend it to anyone unless they were really keen hikers and extremely hardy people. The weather is just too difficult to deal with, although the Chileans say this summer has been particularly bad. But we are just too far south for it to be any different than cold, windy, and rainy. Ready to get the hell out of here!! Get me to the sun and a new country............ February 16 Punto Arenas, Chile Leaving Chile tomorrow and cannot wait! I know I keep saying that but we overestimated the time needed in the south of Chile and have now spent many days with not much to do but to wait for our flight north. Our flight situation is a nightmare because we waited too long to book and had to take whatever we could get. It has proved difficult for us to get there and we have spent hours discussing all the options, flight plans, and stupid bus schedules. We have a flight from Rio Gallegos (southern Argentina) tomorrow to Buenos Aires. We arrive at 12 midnight and then have to change airports (two hours away) and wait around till ten the following morning to catch our flight to Rio de Janeiro. Great, a night sleeping in an Argentinian airport but much cheaper than getting a taxi (50 dollars and not safe) into the city for only a few hours sleep and then coming back to the airport. Our flight arrives in Rio at 1pm and we have to wait AGAIN for 11 hours for our flight to Porto Seguro which leaves at midnight and arrives at 1 in the morning. Lovely. If we can check our bags somewhere in the airport in Rio we want to go out and check out the pre-Carnaval preparations. Two full days of travelling. Worried a bit about Brazil because now that I can get by in Spanish, the language switches to Portugese!!! Hope that all the travels go smoothly and is not reminiscient of my trip to Mexico with stupid Lacsa. Total cost of airline tickets to Brazil --- 600 dollars!!!! Total hours spent thinking about and planning trip - about 500 (not exaggerating). Total amount of fun planned for five days - not enough numbers come to mind. Hope all the debauchery is worth it!!!!!!!!! The only exciting thing we did in Punta Arenas was to go and see 60,000 penguins on Isla Magdelana about two hours away by boat. I felt like I was on the Discovery channel. 60,000 couples! Penguins mate for life, something we, as the superior race, have yet to master. There tons of babies. I could watch the penguins for hours because they are so comic on land whether they are walking, sliding, or calling out to their mates. They were, however, a bit smelly. Punta Arenas is a big city of 90,000 people. The names of streets and bodies of water read like a seventh grade history text: Calles de Christopher Columbus, Strait of Magellan, Drake's Passage, Beagle Channel (Darwin's boat), Avenida de Gamboa...etc. Many European explorers passed through this area looking for an easy way to India. It is actually amazing that they made it this far with the technology they had - they are the true explorers who searched for adventure. It makes my adventure seem like a stay at the Four Seasons. We never made it to Ushuaia because we could not change our flights. Oh, well, next time and then I will go to Antartica as well! Ok, Kate is waiting for me and we have a few more errands to run before we leave Chile. Leaving chilly Chile ............................ |