On Saturday, we went for hike outside of Pucon. It was a beautiful hike up the mountains into 3 different lakes. Each lake was turquoise blue/green and surrounded with monkey puzzle trees (the tree of Chile and it was around during the dinosaur age). It was a total blue sky day. The temps were in the mid-40's in the morning, but warmed up as the day went along. It felt like mid-80's, but probably only in the 70's. Anyway, as we were leaving the last lake, we heard this crying noise. It sounded like a kitten....miles from anything. We cried back and whoever it was cried again. We repeated this over and over. We could hear the cry getting closer and closer. Pretty soon, out pops this kitten out of the bushes. It was a silver tabby (looked a lot like Blades) and was about 8-10 weeks old. He made it clear that he would not take "no" for answer. We fed him some cookies and a snack bar. He was happy to gobble up all of it. He was well groomed, reasonably clean, looked healthy, and just very hungry. We figured someone took him up the trail and left him. It looked like a lousy way to deal with an unwanted kitten.
So, we figured if the kitten made it down to the park entrance with us, then he might have a better chance of finding a home. There were several farms and houses near the entrance to the park. As we started hiking, the kitten followed us. He was a bit crazy! He would dash in front of us, then wait for us to walk past him, and then he would dash in front again. He never left and just kept hiking with us. He would run up trees and launch himself. Every now and then, he would cry and we would carry him for a while. Then, he would get antsy and we´d put him down and he would take off dashing around again. This continued for MILES! Everyone we passed on the trail asked about him. He begged cookies off of another woman. He crawled up in her lap and acted like he could stay forever. We asked all the Chilean people if they wanted a kitten....no takers.
Then, we passed a couple and the kitten came down behind us. The guy picked up the kitten as soon as he saw it. He turned to his wife and they both starting fussing over it. We told them the story and they were stunned. They said they would take the kitten with them and that they would not leave him --- "they would be in charge". They are Chileans and hopefully, they kitty found a great new home. Once those two picked the kitten up, they never put him down again. For the hours that he was with us (no joke, he hiked about 5 miles with us), we called him "Toro". We found him at Toro Lake and in Spanish, Toro means bull. He was definitely as strong as a bull. If that kitty walked out the mountains in the U.S., well, he might just have found a home with us.
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Futaleufu
Well, we just finished a fantastic week on the Futaleufu - one of the premier whitewater rivers in the world. What a fantastic river!
It definitely took us a little time to get used to the big water feel and we feel fortunate that our introduction to the Futa was during a low water year. We had four days of beautiful sunshine followed by two days of full on rain that brought the river up and gave it quite a bit more punch. Arn was glad that he knew the lines on Bridge-to-Bridge before the water came up!
Arn managed to run everything except the class V rapids - so no Inferno Canyon (though Arn did this in a raft), Zeta, Throne Room, Terminator and Casa de Piedra. He'd say many (most) of the rapids were easily 1/2 class easier than what we've seen them rated because of the lower water levels.
While Arn boated everything on the Fu except what was mentioned above, the most fun section for him, by far, was Bridge-to-Bridge. His first full run on Bridge-to-Bridge was not pretty - he flipped at least 5 times and managed to get clobbered by Mundaca. He was so incredibly nervous - even though he had done the section above Mundaca a couple of times before doing Bridge-to-Bridge. His second run through Bridge-to-Bridge was much better in general but he landed in Mundaca backwards that time. He can tell you that the beat-down was not as bad with a rear entry as front!
His third run was very good and his fourth run, with quite a bit more water, was almost perfect. That last run was a super fast run because we wanted to stay ahead of the rafts in our group (who were doing a virtually no eddy-out run) and get into the eddy after Mundaca to see if any of the rafts chose the beat-down route. Arn guesses they all wanted to swim because the carnage was total - there will be a video posted soon - it is pretty awesome.
The instruction and tips that we learned during the week were awesome as well. We really can't believe how much we learned. We definitely have a few more arrows in our kayaking quivers.
Deborah boated every day as well and enjoyed some of the easier sections of the river including the "Wild Mile" and the "El Macal" section below Casa de Piedra. It was an amazing experience for her as she was able to practice in the boils and the swirly eddy lines - something that basically gives her lots of fear. Having a super positive big water week with lots of skill building, surfing and rolling in scarier situations was fantastic for her. The other big thing for Deborah was that basically her "group" of paddlers was her and another woman and their guide/instructor was also a woman. It was such a different experience for her to be in a group of all women instead of being with a group of people suffering from testosterone poisoning.
The place we stayed at - Bio Bio Camp - was amazing. We had such good food, great place to stay right next to the river and amazing guides/staff. I can't say enough good things about those guys and would both highly recommend them and happily go back again. Check out their trips at Bio Bio Expeditions!
It definitely took us a little time to get used to the big water feel and we feel fortunate that our introduction to the Futa was during a low water year. We had four days of beautiful sunshine followed by two days of full on rain that brought the river up and gave it quite a bit more punch. Arn was glad that he knew the lines on Bridge-to-Bridge before the water came up!
Arn managed to run everything except the class V rapids - so no Inferno Canyon (though Arn did this in a raft), Zeta, Throne Room, Terminator and Casa de Piedra. He'd say many (most) of the rapids were easily 1/2 class easier than what we've seen them rated because of the lower water levels.
While Arn boated everything on the Fu except what was mentioned above, the most fun section for him, by far, was Bridge-to-Bridge. His first full run on Bridge-to-Bridge was not pretty - he flipped at least 5 times and managed to get clobbered by Mundaca. He was so incredibly nervous - even though he had done the section above Mundaca a couple of times before doing Bridge-to-Bridge. His second run through Bridge-to-Bridge was much better in general but he landed in Mundaca backwards that time. He can tell you that the beat-down was not as bad with a rear entry as front!
His third run was very good and his fourth run, with quite a bit more water, was almost perfect. That last run was a super fast run because we wanted to stay ahead of the rafts in our group (who were doing a virtually no eddy-out run) and get into the eddy after Mundaca to see if any of the rafts chose the beat-down route. Arn guesses they all wanted to swim because the carnage was total - there will be a video posted soon - it is pretty awesome.
The instruction and tips that we learned during the week were awesome as well. We really can't believe how much we learned. We definitely have a few more arrows in our kayaking quivers.
Deborah boated every day as well and enjoyed some of the easier sections of the river including the "Wild Mile" and the "El Macal" section below Casa de Piedra. It was an amazing experience for her as she was able to practice in the boils and the swirly eddy lines - something that basically gives her lots of fear. Having a super positive big water week with lots of skill building, surfing and rolling in scarier situations was fantastic for her. The other big thing for Deborah was that basically her "group" of paddlers was her and another woman and their guide/instructor was also a woman. It was such a different experience for her to be in a group of all women instead of being with a group of people suffering from testosterone poisoning.
The place we stayed at - Bio Bio Camp - was amazing. We had such good food, great place to stay right next to the river and amazing guides/staff. I can't say enough good things about those guys and would both highly recommend them and happily go back again. Check out their trips at Bio Bio Expeditions!
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
In the Windy City...and we don't mean Chicago!
Well, today is Day 3 in the seemingly katabatic winds. Okay, technically maybe that is not what they are, but the wind has packed a real punch for the last 72 hours. (If you want to learn more about Katabatic winds, visit Antarctic or check out --- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Katabatic_wind).
What does one do in all this wind? A Sling Box in Seattle or a double-blind proxy server (Deborah's technical term), work fairly well for catching up on Jack Bauer's adventures in "24". Okay, "fairly well" might be an overstatement, but it beats watching Spanish tv or the stock market reports on CNN. Now that we are caught up on "24", we'll move onto "House". We have also spent a lot of time surfing. Perhaps you have noticed our emails. We have even started making plans for once we are home from South America. Hard to believe, but we need to put the wind at our back and make good use of the time. Yesterday, we braved it outdoors to get some exercise. Arn went for a run. Deborah went for a walk. What took 30 minutes to walk on the way out to 40 minutes on the way back. Does that give a sense for the wind? Deborah almost put the pesos in her pocket towards a cab ride to get out of the misery. We both returned to the apartment with massive headaches from the wind. So, today, Arn went out for another run. Deborah studied the wind to assess if things might improve in the afternoon.
So, you might ask, "okay, how bad is the wind?" Arn heard reports yesterday that guts were up to 70km per hour (just over 40mph). The better way to describe that is discuss the lake. The lake is HUGE -- read: lots of fetch. This means the wind has a lot of time to pick up over the water. To predict the wind in Bariloche, we look down the lake. The size of the white caps at the other end will determine what things look like here in about 45-60 minutes. During Day 1 of the winds, the lake was covered in white caps about 2 ft high. On Day 2, the period between the waves increased and things started to look more like ocean swells. This was best evidenced at the beach with the big crashing waves. On Day 2, we observed windsurfers on the lake. It took guts and skills to ride the wind and those guys were FLYING!
The wind and internet time have lead to some interesting developments. If you have LOTS of internet time, then you really can research your dinner choices. Two nights ago, we tried a place called "NAAN". It is a very small restaurant run out of someone's home. The living room and dining room have been converted into the dining area of the restaurant. The house has beautiful views over the lake and town. The gardens are stunning with a gigantic monkey puzzle tree. (for details on the tree, see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Araucaria_araucana). During dinner, we struck up a conversation with another couple. They are from Brazil and took pictures of everything they ate. It was pretty funny. As we shared travel stories, we learned that they are currently on the same Backroads trip we took a couple of weeks ago. They are traveling with the same exact two trip leaders. So, we came up with a way for them to surprise one of the leaders, Brian. We told them about a girl he was trying to impress (someone he met while on our trip). They knew about the girl, but Brain had avoided mentioning her name: Macarena. Their plan was to tell Brian they met Macarena at NAAN and had quite the conversation. As proof, they have her picture: a photo of us! Too bad we couldn't have seen the look on Brian's face.
Another product of our time in the wind has been many walks to and from town. Our street is not that long, but it is home to at least 9 different cats. From day to day, we see different cats. They all seem to hang out in the same block. We have given names to those we see more regularly. Of course, our favorite has been named "Noche". She is a very small black cat with bright gold eyes. Noche means night in Spanish. There is a brown/gray tabby that we have named, "Novia". Novia means girlfriend in Spanish. There is a black cat with a white markings. We have named her, "Chiste". Chiste means joke and she has earned the name. She is very funny and she will appear anytime Arn whistles if she is anywhere in the area. Then, there is an all gray kitty that we have named, "Smokey". Smokey in Spanish just doesn't work, so this kitty has the only English name. Smokey is a bit more skittish and doesn't come when we call, but I don't think it is language problem.
Okay, you can see the effects of high wind. Tomorrow, we plan to pick up a rental care and head to El Bolson. The "A" is to check out the market in town and go for a run/hike (Arn/Deborah). Given the dark clouds at the far end of the lake, we may have to find a "B" plan.
What does one do in all this wind? A Sling Box in Seattle or a double-blind proxy server (Deborah's technical term), work fairly well for catching up on Jack Bauer's adventures in "24". Okay, "fairly well" might be an overstatement, but it beats watching Spanish tv or the stock market reports on CNN. Now that we are caught up on "24", we'll move onto "House". We have also spent a lot of time surfing. Perhaps you have noticed our emails. We have even started making plans for once we are home from South America. Hard to believe, but we need to put the wind at our back and make good use of the time. Yesterday, we braved it outdoors to get some exercise. Arn went for a run. Deborah went for a walk. What took 30 minutes to walk on the way out to 40 minutes on the way back. Does that give a sense for the wind? Deborah almost put the pesos in her pocket towards a cab ride to get out of the misery. We both returned to the apartment with massive headaches from the wind. So, today, Arn went out for another run. Deborah studied the wind to assess if things might improve in the afternoon.
So, you might ask, "okay, how bad is the wind?" Arn heard reports yesterday that guts were up to 70km per hour (just over 40mph). The better way to describe that is discuss the lake. The lake is HUGE -- read: lots of fetch. This means the wind has a lot of time to pick up over the water. To predict the wind in Bariloche, we look down the lake. The size of the white caps at the other end will determine what things look like here in about 45-60 minutes. During Day 1 of the winds, the lake was covered in white caps about 2 ft high. On Day 2, the period between the waves increased and things started to look more like ocean swells. This was best evidenced at the beach with the big crashing waves. On Day 2, we observed windsurfers on the lake. It took guts and skills to ride the wind and those guys were FLYING!
The wind and internet time have lead to some interesting developments. If you have LOTS of internet time, then you really can research your dinner choices. Two nights ago, we tried a place called "NAAN". It is a very small restaurant run out of someone's home. The living room and dining room have been converted into the dining area of the restaurant. The house has beautiful views over the lake and town. The gardens are stunning with a gigantic monkey puzzle tree. (for details on the tree, see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Araucaria_araucana). During dinner, we struck up a conversation with another couple. They are from Brazil and took pictures of everything they ate. It was pretty funny. As we shared travel stories, we learned that they are currently on the same Backroads trip we took a couple of weeks ago. They are traveling with the same exact two trip leaders. So, we came up with a way for them to surprise one of the leaders, Brian. We told them about a girl he was trying to impress (someone he met while on our trip). They knew about the girl, but Brain had avoided mentioning her name: Macarena. Their plan was to tell Brian they met Macarena at NAAN and had quite the conversation. As proof, they have her picture: a photo of us! Too bad we couldn't have seen the look on Brian's face.
Another product of our time in the wind has been many walks to and from town. Our street is not that long, but it is home to at least 9 different cats. From day to day, we see different cats. They all seem to hang out in the same block. We have given names to those we see more regularly. Of course, our favorite has been named "Noche". She is a very small black cat with bright gold eyes. Noche means night in Spanish. There is a brown/gray tabby that we have named, "Novia". Novia means girlfriend in Spanish. There is a black cat with a white markings. We have named her, "Chiste". Chiste means joke and she has earned the name. She is very funny and she will appear anytime Arn whistles if she is anywhere in the area. Then, there is an all gray kitty that we have named, "Smokey". Smokey in Spanish just doesn't work, so this kitty has the only English name. Smokey is a bit more skittish and doesn't come when we call, but I don't think it is language problem.
Okay, you can see the effects of high wind. Tomorrow, we plan to pick up a rental care and head to El Bolson. The "A" is to check out the market in town and go for a run/hike (Arn/Deborah). Given the dark clouds at the far end of the lake, we may have to find a "B" plan.
Saturday, February 14, 2009
Air Conditioning and Valentine's Day
Now there is thought sweeter than a heart-shaped box of candy and more delightful than a dozen roses: Valentine's Day spent with the air conditioner turned on! Our weather in Bariloche turned toasty today and it is the first time we turned on the air conditioner.
We started the day with a mountain bike ride. We rode about 20km out of town and up to the ski area. The traffic was a bit heavy, the shoulder was non-existent, and we happy to turn off onto the road up to the ski hill. Given that it is the weekend, we saw a number of other riders on the road all dressed in their matching lycra. Some of the folks may have been out for their last "spin" before the race tomorrow.
Anyway, once we arrived at the ski area, we started looking for the downhill single-track. Things started out okay --- definitely single-track and very dusty and sandy. Given that it hasn't rained in Bariloche in 5 months, I guess we should stop looking for compacted ground. The trail degenerated into a downhill creek bed. We walked the creek for a bit. We had to stop and walk through certain sections that were too rocky to ride. In the end, "yes" it was a single-track ride; however, it lacked flow. The trail widened into a double-track and bounced down staircases of tree roots until we arrived at the lake. At this point, we have heard two different stories for why the lake is named "Lake Guttierez". One said he was a missionary. The other said he was a pioneer -- I think. I was drinking Mate at the time, so I can't fully remember the second story. Once at the lake, we followed a dirt road back to the busy paved road back to town. It was a nice bit of exercise, but not the relaxing low traffic, flowing single-track ride that we dreamed about.
Tonight, we are headed back to Alberto's for a steak dinner. The gringos line up on the street just a few minutes before 8pm. By 8:10, every table is taken. It is a fantastic steak and the guy that mans the grill is the guy that takes your meat order. They are a well-oiled machine in Alberto's.
Lastly, I mentioned drinking Mate. I didn't know anything about Mate before arriving in Argentina. Having been here a couple of weeks, we can say there is more Mate drinking going on than coffee drinking in Seattle. And if you haven't been to Seattle, trust us, this is saying a lot. We have been indoctrinated into the world of Mate. To learn more, go to:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mate_(beverage)
We started the day with a mountain bike ride. We rode about 20km out of town and up to the ski area. The traffic was a bit heavy, the shoulder was non-existent, and we happy to turn off onto the road up to the ski hill. Given that it is the weekend, we saw a number of other riders on the road all dressed in their matching lycra. Some of the folks may have been out for their last "spin" before the race tomorrow.
Anyway, once we arrived at the ski area, we started looking for the downhill single-track. Things started out okay --- definitely single-track and very dusty and sandy. Given that it hasn't rained in Bariloche in 5 months, I guess we should stop looking for compacted ground. The trail degenerated into a downhill creek bed. We walked the creek for a bit. We had to stop and walk through certain sections that were too rocky to ride. In the end, "yes" it was a single-track ride; however, it lacked flow. The trail widened into a double-track and bounced down staircases of tree roots until we arrived at the lake. At this point, we have heard two different stories for why the lake is named "Lake Guttierez". One said he was a missionary. The other said he was a pioneer -- I think. I was drinking Mate at the time, so I can't fully remember the second story. Once at the lake, we followed a dirt road back to the busy paved road back to town. It was a nice bit of exercise, but not the relaxing low traffic, flowing single-track ride that we dreamed about.
Tonight, we are headed back to Alberto's for a steak dinner. The gringos line up on the street just a few minutes before 8pm. By 8:10, every table is taken. It is a fantastic steak and the guy that mans the grill is the guy that takes your meat order. They are a well-oiled machine in Alberto's.
Lastly, I mentioned drinking Mate. I didn't know anything about Mate before arriving in Argentina. Having been here a couple of weeks, we can say there is more Mate drinking going on than coffee drinking in Seattle. And if you haven't been to Seattle, trust us, this is saying a lot. We have been indoctrinated into the world of Mate. To learn more, go to:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mate_(beverage)
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: As of today, you have been gone from Seattle for almost 2 months. Are you missing winter yet?
A: Nope. We are definitely not missing winter. We are missing other things, but not winter.
Q: Okay, what are you missing?
A: Arn has been missing pretzels. While you can get Cheetos, Doritos, and every flavor of potato chips in South America, you can’t get pretzels. Deborah did arrange for our friend, Bryon, to mule a bag of pretzels to Ecuador. However, that was a 1lb bag and they have been gone for ages! A few days ago, he got lucky and found pretzels imported from Israel. They are not as good as his favorite brand at home; however, he is still enjoying them. Deborah is missing peanut butter. She found peanut butter in Ecuador and Chile. Unfortunately, she didn’t buy a big enough jar. The grocery stores in Argentina are completely devoid of peanut butter. After asking many people in many stores, she has finally decided to just go with the local custom and she bought caramel de leche instead. And yes, we know all about the peanut butter and peanut product recalls in the U.S. Still, Deborah knows she has 3 jars waiting in our cabinet at home.
Q: Is there anything you failed to pack that you wish you have?
A: Yes, Deborah wishes she had packed her “Big Girl” Pants for kayaking. Arn also wishes that Deborah had packed her “Big Girl” Pants.
Q: Is there anything you brought that has proven helpful?
A: After our bike trip in the fall, Deborah put together a “repair kit”. So far, the sewing kit, duct tape, and zip ties have all proven very helpful. In fact, we could use a few more zip ties. They are great for securing zips on luggage when you are leaving them behind in a hotel, bus, van, etc.
Q: Have you lost track of time?
A: That depends. If you measure time as day of the week or day of the month, then yes we have very much lost track of time. If you measure time as “how many more clean pair of underwear do you have”, then absolutely not.
Q: How is your Spanish progressing?
A: Arn’s Spanish is awesome (yes, this is Deborah writing because Arn wouldn’t give himself this kind of credit). He can cover all the necessary travel topics and much, much more. In Peru and Ecuador, he demonstrated that he can express a wide range of emotions. In Chile, he demonstrated that he can get his wife out of trouble (more on that later). As for Deborah, she has mastered a few key phrases: “Do you have Coca Cola Zero, Coca Cola Light, Peanut Butter, etc”, “I want _____.”, “Where is the bathroom?”, and “The same for me” (this of course is used after Arn orders everything perfectly for himself). Recently, Arn swears that Deborah was talking in her sleep….in Spanish. Given that this is the kind of thing that Arn would love to dream up and tell her about, it is with doubt that this fact is accepted.
Q: Have you had good weather?
A: Yep. It is summer! The days were still short in Peru and Ecuador. In Chile and Argentina, the sun is setting after 9pm.
Q: Have you had any bad weather?
A: Yep. There are two days of it that we are likely to remember for a long time. We had one day at Machu Picchu. It rained like crazy that day. We donned all of our rain gear and had a great time checking out the drainage systems built by the Incas. Just last week, we had another day of miserable weather. It was about 45 degrees and raining. Again, we donned all of our rain gear and all of our warm layers and went for a metric century ride (~60 miles). We pedaled the “Siete Lagos Road” (Seven Lakes). Half of the ride was on dirt; the other half on pavement. All of it was ridden in the rain, or the rain and wind, or the wind. All brief moments of sunshine were not to be trusted. If you don’t cycle, then you don’t know how cold 45 degrees can be. Think numb feet and hands --- all day. Still, it was totally worth it for the scenery that could be enjoyed. Unfortunately, the low clouds covered a fair bit; however, we did see all seven lakes.
Q: What has been the best surprise?
A: You know that we are very motivated by food. So, discovering the fabulous tastes of the Peruvian chefs was a fantastic surprise. We have enjoyed their cooking in Peru, Ecuador and Chile.
Q: What has been the most unexpected surprise?
A: Hmm….as of late, we have been fighting with the ATM machines in Argentina. For foreigners, there is a 300 peso limit at the ATM (this is about $85 U.S.). You can get 300 pesos, put your card back in, and get 300 more. You need to couple this with a single (or so we thought) ATM network. Things had been going pretty well until Arn’s card was spit back out with some message about “we will call your cell phone”. We tried different banks, but the ATM network was the same and the result was the same. We called the bank in the U.S. and they said everything was fine. So, we pulled out Deborah’s ATM card. Guess what? She had a 6 digit pin and the network only accepts a 4 digit pin. Luckily, we were able to call the bank in the U.S. to change the pin. We were able to get cash, but only up to her daily limit (something she set back when she was first out of college --- so you just imagine how often we’ll be going to bank with her card). We called American Express to find an ATM that accepts their card. Bummer…those ATMs are in Buenos Aires. After walking the town, we did find one bank with an ATM on different system and we managed to get Arn’s card to work. What is the moral of the story? Get a 4 digit pin if you don’t have one, increase your daily ATM limit, call your bank before you leave home to let them know what you are doing (so they don’t put on any holds), and whatever you do ---- carry a lot of cards! (Note: you can pay for “goods” with a credit card, but not “services”. So, bike rentals, tours, and guides are all “cash only”).
Q: What has been the scariest moment?
A: Before arriving in Chile, Deborah would have said there was a “wall shot” in the river in Ecuador that totally freaked her out and was the scariest moment. However, that answer changed after driving in Chile. We decided to go check out this surf wave on the coast. We enjoyed a 1 ½ hour drive from wine country to the coast. It was all going good until we drove into town. The sign said “city center to the right”. We didn’t want “city center”; we wanted “big ass wave”. So, we continued. The street made a turn and started uphill. At this point, we nearly took out two motorcycles that were coming head on down the hill. Deborah slammed on the breaks, but the motorcycles were coming downhill on a gravel road. The first guy cleared the front end of the car. The second guy started losing control of the motorcycle and it slid sideways. We thought for sure he was going down on the gravel road and slamming into the front end of the car. Luckily, he held on, got the bike upright and cleared the car. It was at this point we realized the motorcycles were cops!
The police officer chewed Deborah’s butt in Spanish. While her Spanish stinks, she understood enough to know that he wanted to know if she can read. Arn did a great job of explaining what happened and that we never saw a “one-way” (No Entrada) sign. After presenting paperwork and lot of screaming, he let us go.
Q: You’ve been gone almost 2 months and you both have short hair. What have you done about haircuts?
A: Arn is in the habit of getting international haircuts. So, he got his hair cut shortly after arriving in Santiago. It took almost 45 minutes, but it was a nice cut. Deborah has decided to live with the “devil” she knows --- her Seattle haircut grown out. Her plan is to skip a haircut for three months. Ask again in two weeks to see if she changes her mind.
Q: What is the funniest thing you have seen?
A: Wow that is a tough question. Two days ago, we saw a guy pedaling a bike on a bike stand. The rear wheel had an interior fly wheel with a belt connected to a grind stone wheel on the handlebars. As he pedaled, the grinding stone turned and he was using it sharpen knives. Who knew that we could set up a knife sharpening business for Deborah while she rides her bike on the trainer?!?!
Q: What has been the most frustrating thing?
A: Read the post on “Flushing Roulette”.
Q: Have you noticed any differences in the drivers from country to country?
A: In Ecuador, the drivers don’t use their headlights at night. They are “saving” them. In Chile, the law requires that you have your headlights on all the time. In Argentina, the drivers are very encouraging and relatively courteous to cyclists.
Q: Does the sound of Spanish change from country to country?
A: Yep. People are much easier to understand in Peru and Ecuador as long as they are not speaking too quickly. In Chile, our joke with people was that the Chileans eat their words. People cracked up laughing when Arn would explain this in Spanish. They are tough to understand. They speak very fast and drop all the “s” sounds at the end of words. In Argentina, the people are easier to understand than the Chileans, but they change the pronunciations of a few things --- “LL” in Spanish is usually a “Y” sound. In Argentina, it is a “J”. It takes a while to get used to that.
Q: Have you stayed healthy?
A: Well, Arn picked up a couple of different colds --- one in Peru and one in Ecuador. Deborah managed to avoid this. At the present, we both look like our legs were in a fight with a rose bush and lost. This was the result of trying to mountain bike on a hiking trail.
Q: Your “ESB Tour” included a daily road kill count. In all of your cycling, have you seen much road kill?
A: Believe it or not, we have seen almost no road kill. The total count is one cat and one dog that were seen from the van and one dog seen from the bike.
Q: After the “ESB Tour” Deborah had a lot of DOA clothing (things that fell apart from use). How is the clothing mortality on this trip?
A: Deborah’s paddling shoes will not be returning home. She has had to duct tape the soles onto the shoes. While other kayaker’s consider this appropriate, she is a bit paranoid about knowing that the soles are attached when she wants to scout and portage. Arn’s running shoes will also not be making the return trip. They were nearly dead before we left home. Deborah’s walking shoes are in the same category. Arn has one shirt that was burned in a dryer in an Ecuador (you can seem the imprint of the dryer). That won’t be going home. Deborah’s paddling gloves were torn on a rock she hit, but they have been sewn back together. And, there is a sports bra that may not make it until the send of the week!
Q: Are you having fun?
A: For us, summer is our favorite time of year. This year, we are enjoying a bonus summer. We didn’t plan everything perfectly --- some things we over planned and some things didn’t go as planned. Still, we have had a lot of different experiences and have had fun along the way. At different points along the journey, we have thought of different family members and friends and have said, “You know who would really like this?” You might be surprised how often your names came up. It has been fun and continues to be fun. Chile and Argentina call to us in our language --- long days, nice temps, not too much rain, beautiful mountains, nice rivers, and wonderful places to play. So, we are certainly enjoying a very sweet part of the trip.
A: Nope. We are definitely not missing winter. We are missing other things, but not winter.
Q: Okay, what are you missing?
A: Arn has been missing pretzels. While you can get Cheetos, Doritos, and every flavor of potato chips in South America, you can’t get pretzels. Deborah did arrange for our friend, Bryon, to mule a bag of pretzels to Ecuador. However, that was a 1lb bag and they have been gone for ages! A few days ago, he got lucky and found pretzels imported from Israel. They are not as good as his favorite brand at home; however, he is still enjoying them. Deborah is missing peanut butter. She found peanut butter in Ecuador and Chile. Unfortunately, she didn’t buy a big enough jar. The grocery stores in Argentina are completely devoid of peanut butter. After asking many people in many stores, she has finally decided to just go with the local custom and she bought caramel de leche instead. And yes, we know all about the peanut butter and peanut product recalls in the U.S. Still, Deborah knows she has 3 jars waiting in our cabinet at home.
Q: Is there anything you failed to pack that you wish you have?
A: Yes, Deborah wishes she had packed her “Big Girl” Pants for kayaking. Arn also wishes that Deborah had packed her “Big Girl” Pants.
Q: Is there anything you brought that has proven helpful?
A: After our bike trip in the fall, Deborah put together a “repair kit”. So far, the sewing kit, duct tape, and zip ties have all proven very helpful. In fact, we could use a few more zip ties. They are great for securing zips on luggage when you are leaving them behind in a hotel, bus, van, etc.
Q: Have you lost track of time?
A: That depends. If you measure time as day of the week or day of the month, then yes we have very much lost track of time. If you measure time as “how many more clean pair of underwear do you have”, then absolutely not.
Q: How is your Spanish progressing?
A: Arn’s Spanish is awesome (yes, this is Deborah writing because Arn wouldn’t give himself this kind of credit). He can cover all the necessary travel topics and much, much more. In Peru and Ecuador, he demonstrated that he can express a wide range of emotions. In Chile, he demonstrated that he can get his wife out of trouble (more on that later). As for Deborah, she has mastered a few key phrases: “Do you have Coca Cola Zero, Coca Cola Light, Peanut Butter, etc”, “I want _____.”, “Where is the bathroom?”, and “The same for me” (this of course is used after Arn orders everything perfectly for himself). Recently, Arn swears that Deborah was talking in her sleep….in Spanish. Given that this is the kind of thing that Arn would love to dream up and tell her about, it is with doubt that this fact is accepted.
Q: Have you had good weather?
A: Yep. It is summer! The days were still short in Peru and Ecuador. In Chile and Argentina, the sun is setting after 9pm.
Q: Have you had any bad weather?
A: Yep. There are two days of it that we are likely to remember for a long time. We had one day at Machu Picchu. It rained like crazy that day. We donned all of our rain gear and had a great time checking out the drainage systems built by the Incas. Just last week, we had another day of miserable weather. It was about 45 degrees and raining. Again, we donned all of our rain gear and all of our warm layers and went for a metric century ride (~60 miles). We pedaled the “Siete Lagos Road” (Seven Lakes). Half of the ride was on dirt; the other half on pavement. All of it was ridden in the rain, or the rain and wind, or the wind. All brief moments of sunshine were not to be trusted. If you don’t cycle, then you don’t know how cold 45 degrees can be. Think numb feet and hands --- all day. Still, it was totally worth it for the scenery that could be enjoyed. Unfortunately, the low clouds covered a fair bit; however, we did see all seven lakes.
Q: What has been the best surprise?
A: You know that we are very motivated by food. So, discovering the fabulous tastes of the Peruvian chefs was a fantastic surprise. We have enjoyed their cooking in Peru, Ecuador and Chile.
Q: What has been the most unexpected surprise?
A: Hmm….as of late, we have been fighting with the ATM machines in Argentina. For foreigners, there is a 300 peso limit at the ATM (this is about $85 U.S.). You can get 300 pesos, put your card back in, and get 300 more. You need to couple this with a single (or so we thought) ATM network. Things had been going pretty well until Arn’s card was spit back out with some message about “we will call your cell phone”. We tried different banks, but the ATM network was the same and the result was the same. We called the bank in the U.S. and they said everything was fine. So, we pulled out Deborah’s ATM card. Guess what? She had a 6 digit pin and the network only accepts a 4 digit pin. Luckily, we were able to call the bank in the U.S. to change the pin. We were able to get cash, but only up to her daily limit (something she set back when she was first out of college --- so you just imagine how often we’ll be going to bank with her card). We called American Express to find an ATM that accepts their card. Bummer…those ATMs are in Buenos Aires. After walking the town, we did find one bank with an ATM on different system and we managed to get Arn’s card to work. What is the moral of the story? Get a 4 digit pin if you don’t have one, increase your daily ATM limit, call your bank before you leave home to let them know what you are doing (so they don’t put on any holds), and whatever you do ---- carry a lot of cards! (Note: you can pay for “goods” with a credit card, but not “services”. So, bike rentals, tours, and guides are all “cash only”).
Q: What has been the scariest moment?
A: Before arriving in Chile, Deborah would have said there was a “wall shot” in the river in Ecuador that totally freaked her out and was the scariest moment. However, that answer changed after driving in Chile. We decided to go check out this surf wave on the coast. We enjoyed a 1 ½ hour drive from wine country to the coast. It was all going good until we drove into town. The sign said “city center to the right”. We didn’t want “city center”; we wanted “big ass wave”. So, we continued. The street made a turn and started uphill. At this point, we nearly took out two motorcycles that were coming head on down the hill. Deborah slammed on the breaks, but the motorcycles were coming downhill on a gravel road. The first guy cleared the front end of the car. The second guy started losing control of the motorcycle and it slid sideways. We thought for sure he was going down on the gravel road and slamming into the front end of the car. Luckily, he held on, got the bike upright and cleared the car. It was at this point we realized the motorcycles were cops!
The police officer chewed Deborah’s butt in Spanish. While her Spanish stinks, she understood enough to know that he wanted to know if she can read. Arn did a great job of explaining what happened and that we never saw a “one-way” (No Entrada) sign. After presenting paperwork and lot of screaming, he let us go.
Q: You’ve been gone almost 2 months and you both have short hair. What have you done about haircuts?
A: Arn is in the habit of getting international haircuts. So, he got his hair cut shortly after arriving in Santiago. It took almost 45 minutes, but it was a nice cut. Deborah has decided to live with the “devil” she knows --- her Seattle haircut grown out. Her plan is to skip a haircut for three months. Ask again in two weeks to see if she changes her mind.
Q: What is the funniest thing you have seen?
A: Wow that is a tough question. Two days ago, we saw a guy pedaling a bike on a bike stand. The rear wheel had an interior fly wheel with a belt connected to a grind stone wheel on the handlebars. As he pedaled, the grinding stone turned and he was using it sharpen knives. Who knew that we could set up a knife sharpening business for Deborah while she rides her bike on the trainer?!?!
Q: What has been the most frustrating thing?
A: Read the post on “Flushing Roulette”.
Q: Have you noticed any differences in the drivers from country to country?
A: In Ecuador, the drivers don’t use their headlights at night. They are “saving” them. In Chile, the law requires that you have your headlights on all the time. In Argentina, the drivers are very encouraging and relatively courteous to cyclists.
Q: Does the sound of Spanish change from country to country?
A: Yep. People are much easier to understand in Peru and Ecuador as long as they are not speaking too quickly. In Chile, our joke with people was that the Chileans eat their words. People cracked up laughing when Arn would explain this in Spanish. They are tough to understand. They speak very fast and drop all the “s” sounds at the end of words. In Argentina, the people are easier to understand than the Chileans, but they change the pronunciations of a few things --- “LL” in Spanish is usually a “Y” sound. In Argentina, it is a “J”. It takes a while to get used to that.
Q: Have you stayed healthy?
A: Well, Arn picked up a couple of different colds --- one in Peru and one in Ecuador. Deborah managed to avoid this. At the present, we both look like our legs were in a fight with a rose bush and lost. This was the result of trying to mountain bike on a hiking trail.
Q: Your “ESB Tour” included a daily road kill count. In all of your cycling, have you seen much road kill?
A: Believe it or not, we have seen almost no road kill. The total count is one cat and one dog that were seen from the van and one dog seen from the bike.
Q: After the “ESB Tour” Deborah had a lot of DOA clothing (things that fell apart from use). How is the clothing mortality on this trip?
A: Deborah’s paddling shoes will not be returning home. She has had to duct tape the soles onto the shoes. While other kayaker’s consider this appropriate, she is a bit paranoid about knowing that the soles are attached when she wants to scout and portage. Arn’s running shoes will also not be making the return trip. They were nearly dead before we left home. Deborah’s walking shoes are in the same category. Arn has one shirt that was burned in a dryer in an Ecuador (you can seem the imprint of the dryer). That won’t be going home. Deborah’s paddling gloves were torn on a rock she hit, but they have been sewn back together. And, there is a sports bra that may not make it until the send of the week!
Q: Are you having fun?
A: For us, summer is our favorite time of year. This year, we are enjoying a bonus summer. We didn’t plan everything perfectly --- some things we over planned and some things didn’t go as planned. Still, we have had a lot of different experiences and have had fun along the way. At different points along the journey, we have thought of different family members and friends and have said, “You know who would really like this?” You might be surprised how often your names came up. It has been fun and continues to be fun. Chile and Argentina call to us in our language --- long days, nice temps, not too much rain, beautiful mountains, nice rivers, and wonderful places to play. So, we are certainly enjoying a very sweet part of the trip.
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Mountain Biking in Bariolche
For us, it just isn't summer if it doesn't include mountain biking. As we mentioned before, we have settled into Bariloche, Argentina for the next 2 weeks. We crawled around town to find the bike shops and ended up choosing the shop recommended by Backroads. We met a really nice guy named, Rodrigo, and we talked about our riding options. The plan was to ride together on Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday this week. So, yesterday, we showed up ready to ride with our pedals and seats. Unfortunately, Rodrigo had spent the prior night sick and trust us, he looked sick. He agreed to prep the bikes and give us a ride option that we could do by ourselves. Seriously, as bad as he looked, we didn't want to catch what he had and he looked like he might not make it 15 minutes on a bike.
We headed off out of town. We eventually made our way to a dirt road that goes to a "refugio". You can think of a refugio as a back country hut or cabin. They vary in size and some are quite nice while others are very primitive. There is typically a shared kitchen and there may be rooms with bunks. At best, it is a place to eat and sleep. At the most primitive, it is a place to get out of the weather. Our ride took us along a river (very low water) and up the "Andean Step". It was a marked change from the open landscape with low scrubby plants into the forest. The forest is very different than the Pacific Northwest. The soil is sandy, the trees don't grow super tall, and there is a ton of sunlight that reaches the forest floor. This is a very light and open place while still offering shade. We arrived at the refugio and were able to buy a cold soda and a chocolate dipped Alfajore. For those of you that don't know, an Alfajore is a "sandwich" style cookie. In some cases, the two cookies are very soft almost like a molasses bread. In some cases, it is crumbly like a shortbread. In all cases, the center of the "sandwich" is caramel de leche (caramelized condensed milk). While the Peruvians lay claim to the cookie, the Chileans and Argentines much be given credit for the improvements --- dipping the whole sandwich in chocolate. Alfajores and cold drinks were really a great treat at the end of the ~2000ft climb.
Today, we met Rodrigo in the morning. He looked like a totally new man and completely recovered. We were shuttled out of town with the plan to ride 18km of single-track into another refugio. Things started out very well. It was very nice single-track with a few rocks and roots. The scenery was fantastic. And, then as things sometimes happen --- the trail changed. We were actually riding on a hiking trail. After 8km, the trail changed into a real hiking trail and we were reduced to pushing or carrying the bike. We forged on for a while, but the trail didn't change. The gringos called it we decided to turn around. It was a nice ride, while it lasted. It must be the case that the mountain bikers in Argentina love to carry their bikes. This was not a "hike a bike" section. It became a hiking trail with no room to push or carry the bike. We reversed ourselves and got onto some dirt roads that took us around a beautiful lake. The wind had whipped up and it whipped us. It was a good day --- 53km in total, legs mauled by torn bushes, faces covered in dirt, and a dinner earned at the steak house!
Tomorrow, we rest and ride again on Thursday.
We headed off out of town. We eventually made our way to a dirt road that goes to a "refugio". You can think of a refugio as a back country hut or cabin. They vary in size and some are quite nice while others are very primitive. There is typically a shared kitchen and there may be rooms with bunks. At best, it is a place to eat and sleep. At the most primitive, it is a place to get out of the weather. Our ride took us along a river (very low water) and up the "Andean Step". It was a marked change from the open landscape with low scrubby plants into the forest. The forest is very different than the Pacific Northwest. The soil is sandy, the trees don't grow super tall, and there is a ton of sunlight that reaches the forest floor. This is a very light and open place while still offering shade. We arrived at the refugio and were able to buy a cold soda and a chocolate dipped Alfajore. For those of you that don't know, an Alfajore is a "sandwich" style cookie. In some cases, the two cookies are very soft almost like a molasses bread. In some cases, it is crumbly like a shortbread. In all cases, the center of the "sandwich" is caramel de leche (caramelized condensed milk). While the Peruvians lay claim to the cookie, the Chileans and Argentines much be given credit for the improvements --- dipping the whole sandwich in chocolate. Alfajores and cold drinks were really a great treat at the end of the ~2000ft climb.
Today, we met Rodrigo in the morning. He looked like a totally new man and completely recovered. We were shuttled out of town with the plan to ride 18km of single-track into another refugio. Things started out very well. It was very nice single-track with a few rocks and roots. The scenery was fantastic. And, then as things sometimes happen --- the trail changed. We were actually riding on a hiking trail. After 8km, the trail changed into a real hiking trail and we were reduced to pushing or carrying the bike. We forged on for a while, but the trail didn't change. The gringos called it we decided to turn around. It was a nice ride, while it lasted. It must be the case that the mountain bikers in Argentina love to carry their bikes. This was not a "hike a bike" section. It became a hiking trail with no room to push or carry the bike. We reversed ourselves and got onto some dirt roads that took us around a beautiful lake. The wind had whipped up and it whipped us. It was a good day --- 53km in total, legs mauled by torn bushes, faces covered in dirt, and a dinner earned at the steak house!
Tomorrow, we rest and ride again on Thursday.
Sunday, February 8, 2009
Lake District
Wow, what a last 11 days. We've been in the Lake Districts of Chile and Argentina and have really enjoyed the scenery, hiking, biking, running, and paddling. The mountains are spectacular, the water is crystal clear, the food has been great and the wine has been delightful.
After doing a bicycling trip with Backroads that started in Puerto Varas, Chile and eventually ended up in Bariloche, Argentina after spending time in Llao, Llao; Villa La Angostura, and San Martin de Los Andes.
We are now parked in Bariloche for two weeks in a lovely apartment overlooking Nahuel Huapi Lake. Today we took the bus to the local ski area, caught a lift to the top and then did an 11 mile (or so) hike through some of the most spectacular scenery ever in Nahuel Huapi National Park.
We've been remiss on photos but now that we have high speed access, you can find some photos here:
http://picasaweb.google.com/ArnSchaeffer/ChileAndArgentina?authkey=TZbWDGoL6N0#
After doing a bicycling trip with Backroads that started in Puerto Varas, Chile and eventually ended up in Bariloche, Argentina after spending time in Llao, Llao; Villa La Angostura, and San Martin de Los Andes.
We are now parked in Bariloche for two weeks in a lovely apartment overlooking Nahuel Huapi Lake. Today we took the bus to the local ski area, caught a lift to the top and then did an 11 mile (or so) hike through some of the most spectacular scenery ever in Nahuel Huapi National Park.
We've been remiss on photos but now that we have high speed access, you can find some photos here:
http://picasaweb.google.com/ArnSchaeffer/ChileAndArgentina?authkey=TZbWDGoL6N0#
Monday, January 26, 2009
Valdivia
Southern Chile in the Summer is so beautiful. We had a long drive south yesterday (Sunday the 25 of January) from the Colchagua Valley (near Santa Cruz, Chile) to Valdivia in the "River District." This is a "new" region in Chile that was carved out of the "Lake District." I guess they decided that this would be better marketing for the northern part of the old "Lake District."
We couldn't tell you but the scenery here is beautiful. Valdivia is a very old city, founded by, you guessed it, Pedro de Valdivia, in 1552. There are lots of old Spanish forts around the city and we drove to the coast today to visit one of them. In researching what to do, we discovered something else about this city. It was the site (or we should say the closest good size city) to the site of the largest earthquake ever recorded - a 9.5 in 1960. We are both glad we weren't there for that experience!
Tomorrow we head off to Puerto Varas, Chile and on Thursday we will hook up with our bicycle group for about 8 days of riding. Wahooo!
We couldn't tell you but the scenery here is beautiful. Valdivia is a very old city, founded by, you guessed it, Pedro de Valdivia, in 1552. There are lots of old Spanish forts around the city and we drove to the coast today to visit one of them. In researching what to do, we discovered something else about this city. It was the site (or we should say the closest good size city) to the site of the largest earthquake ever recorded - a 9.5 in 1960. We are both glad we weren't there for that experience!
Tomorrow we head off to Puerto Varas, Chile and on Thursday we will hook up with our bicycle group for about 8 days of riding. Wahooo!
Colchagua Valley
Imagine staying in the Napa Valley in a beautiful "casita" located on a hillside high above a sea of grape vines. Now imagine it is 40 years ago and there are virtually no tourists. That is what the Colchagua Valley, Chile is like today.
Vineyards are everywhere but there is still lots of land that is undeveloped. And tourism is still in its infancy here though fantastic places to stay and eat can easily be found. Deborah especially felt like she landed in heaven for four days when we stayed at the Lapostolle Residence on their Clos Apalta winery in the Colchagua Valley. The owner of the vineyards is a member of the Lapostolle family (the makers of Grand Marnier) and she left the family business and entered the Chilean wine business about 15 years ago.
We were very impressed with the residence and the amenities here. In fact, Deborah thought it was just about her favorite place she ever stayed (we'll post pictures sometime soon). And, the wine is heavenly as well. We've drank all of the Lapostolle Chilean wines at home in Seattle except the flagship "Clos Apalta" wine. We didn't realize what we were missing until we got here! Yes, it is very expensive and not an everyday wine. But, we can say that the 2006 was very excellent (having enjoyed in 3 of our 4 nights here). The 2005 just won #1 wine of the year in the Wine Spectator so they are clearly doing something right.
On Friday, at about 10AM local time, we were enjoying time in our casita when all of a sudden there was quite a bit of shaking. Turns out, there was a 5.2 earthquake that occurred about 100 miles southwest of us. Our first Chilean earthquake! Que divertido!
On Saturday, we did a beautiful hike on the property up to an old Incan wall. The wall is something like 40 miles long and it is a simple wall with no obvious purpose. It is only 3 feet tall so wouldn't stop anyone. People think that it was a marker for a boundary of Incan territory and a group of people that lived in the Colchagua Valley and were considered very difficult. They didn't want to be subjugated by the Incas and were resistant to the idea of agriculture. So, rather than fight them, they marked the no man's land. Seems like it kept the peace and it would be interesting to know more about the wall.
After our hike, we hopped in the car and drove to Pichilemu. Surfing capital of Chile and maybe South America. The pictures we saw on the internet of the surf wave were impressive but the actual in-person experience was not as impressive. It is a beautiful beach and the wave is nice to look at, for sure, but Saturday's surf conditions were not ideal so we didn't get to see it in all of its glory. When we have more internet bandwidth, we'll watch some of the surf videos on youtube to know more about what we missed!
We were both very sad when we packed our bags yesterday morning and began driving south. We'll be back before too long...
Vineyards are everywhere but there is still lots of land that is undeveloped. And tourism is still in its infancy here though fantastic places to stay and eat can easily be found. Deborah especially felt like she landed in heaven for four days when we stayed at the Lapostolle Residence on their Clos Apalta winery in the Colchagua Valley. The owner of the vineyards is a member of the Lapostolle family (the makers of Grand Marnier) and she left the family business and entered the Chilean wine business about 15 years ago.
We were very impressed with the residence and the amenities here. In fact, Deborah thought it was just about her favorite place she ever stayed (we'll post pictures sometime soon). And, the wine is heavenly as well. We've drank all of the Lapostolle Chilean wines at home in Seattle except the flagship "Clos Apalta" wine. We didn't realize what we were missing until we got here! Yes, it is very expensive and not an everyday wine. But, we can say that the 2006 was very excellent (having enjoyed in 3 of our 4 nights here). The 2005 just won #1 wine of the year in the Wine Spectator so they are clearly doing something right.
On Friday, at about 10AM local time, we were enjoying time in our casita when all of a sudden there was quite a bit of shaking. Turns out, there was a 5.2 earthquake that occurred about 100 miles southwest of us. Our first Chilean earthquake! Que divertido!
On Saturday, we did a beautiful hike on the property up to an old Incan wall. The wall is something like 40 miles long and it is a simple wall with no obvious purpose. It is only 3 feet tall so wouldn't stop anyone. People think that it was a marker for a boundary of Incan territory and a group of people that lived in the Colchagua Valley and were considered very difficult. They didn't want to be subjugated by the Incas and were resistant to the idea of agriculture. So, rather than fight them, they marked the no man's land. Seems like it kept the peace and it would be interesting to know more about the wall.
After our hike, we hopped in the car and drove to Pichilemu. Surfing capital of Chile and maybe South America. The pictures we saw on the internet of the surf wave were impressive but the actual in-person experience was not as impressive. It is a beautiful beach and the wave is nice to look at, for sure, but Saturday's surf conditions were not ideal so we didn't get to see it in all of its glory. When we have more internet bandwidth, we'll watch some of the surf videos on youtube to know more about what we missed!
We were both very sad when we packed our bags yesterday morning and began driving south. We'll be back before too long...
Santiago
We spent a couple of very pleasant days in Santiago in Las Condes. We had been to Santiago twice before - once in 2003 and once in 2006. In fact, Arn spent 4 weeks in Seattle in 2006 in Spanish school.
After our time there this year, we were struck by how far Santiago has come in the past 6 years. The city is definitely cleaner than before and there is a massive amount of construction going on. We were both surprised to see how much construction of new universities (or expanded campuses) is happening right now. It has to be a good sign of things to come if more and more young people are going to college here. The economy here overall seems to really be moving forward. As a point of comparison, GDP per capita here in Chile is roughly where the US was during the Kennedy administration. That compares favorably with Ecuador and Peru which are stuck with a GDP per capita akin to the US around 1900.
We had another great dinner at "Las Vacas Gordas" - our favorite steak place here in Chile. We also had an opportunity to try another location of the Peruvian "Astrid y Gaston" and it was also yummy!
After our time there this year, we were struck by how far Santiago has come in the past 6 years. The city is definitely cleaner than before and there is a massive amount of construction going on. We were both surprised to see how much construction of new universities (or expanded campuses) is happening right now. It has to be a good sign of things to come if more and more young people are going to college here. The economy here overall seems to really be moving forward. As a point of comparison, GDP per capita here in Chile is roughly where the US was during the Kennedy administration. That compares favorably with Ecuador and Peru which are stuck with a GDP per capita akin to the US around 1900.
We had another great dinner at "Las Vacas Gordas" - our favorite steak place here in Chile. We also had an opportunity to try another location of the Peruvian "Astrid y Gaston" and it was also yummy!
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
It isn't really summer until you get to Chile...
It is so good to be in Chile! Why? Let us tell you:
- We can drink the tap water! Wahoooooo! Brush your teeth and drink the water. Yummy!
- We can eat anything we want, anywhere! Wahoooo! The fruits and vegetables are soooo good here!
- The sun doesn't set until at least 9PM. Wahooooo! It is really summer. After five weeks of summer warmth and sunsets at 6:15PM in Ecuador and Peru, it is good to have the long days of summer.
- We can walk everywhere at night. Wahooooo! No bandits (or at least not any more than at home!)
- We don't have to say "sin hielo" anymore. Bring on the ice! Wahooooo!
- Pisco Sours. Wahooooo!
- We've played our last games of Flushin' Roulette. Wahoooooo!
- You can walk down the street and look someplace other than the six inches in front of you without fear of breaking your neck on some "crack" in the sidewalk. Wahoooo!
- You don't have to play "Frogger" when crossing the road. The drivers actually show a degree of respect for pedestrians. Wahoooooo!
- They peel their tomatoes here or as Deborah likes to say, we are eating tomatoes like kings. Wahoooooo!
- The shopkeepers don't look at you as a counterfeiter when you hand them the equivalent of a $20 bill. Wahoooooo!
- The #1 cause of fatalities isn't driving. Wahoooooo!
- Wine isn't taxed through the roof. Less than $20 for a great bottle of wine with dinner. Wahoooooo!
- Starbucks! Wahoooooo!
- No rain for 3 days. Wahoooooo!
- There are rules. And the people respect them. Wahooooo!
-
- We can drink the tap water! Wahoooooo! Brush your teeth and drink the water. Yummy!
- We can eat anything we want, anywhere! Wahoooo! The fruits and vegetables are soooo good here!
- The sun doesn't set until at least 9PM. Wahooooo! It is really summer. After five weeks of summer warmth and sunsets at 6:15PM in Ecuador and Peru, it is good to have the long days of summer.
- We can walk everywhere at night. Wahooooo! No bandits (or at least not any more than at home!)
- We don't have to say "sin hielo" anymore. Bring on the ice! Wahooooo!
- Pisco Sours. Wahooooo!
- We've played our last games of Flushin' Roulette. Wahoooooo!
- You can walk down the street and look someplace other than the six inches in front of you without fear of breaking your neck on some "crack" in the sidewalk. Wahoooo!
- You don't have to play "Frogger" when crossing the road. The drivers actually show a degree of respect for pedestrians. Wahoooooo!
- They peel their tomatoes here or as Deborah likes to say, we are eating tomatoes like kings. Wahoooooo!
- The shopkeepers don't look at you as a counterfeiter when you hand them the equivalent of a $20 bill. Wahoooooo!
- The #1 cause of fatalities isn't driving. Wahoooooo!
- Wine isn't taxed through the roof. Less than $20 for a great bottle of wine with dinner. Wahoooooo!
- Starbucks! Wahoooooo!
- No rain for 3 days. Wahoooooo!
- There are rules. And the people respect them. Wahooooo!
-
Kayaking in Ecuador
Another great week of kayaking in Ecuador! They say that in the dry season in Ecuador, it rains every day. In the rainy season, it rains all day. Well, we arrived in the dry season only to find that our first kayaking destination – the Quijos Valley – seems a bit confused about what season it really is. River levels were high so after a short warm-up run on the Quijos, we beat a hasty retreat towards Tena in the jungle.
Last year in Tena, we received the full jungle treatment. Crazy hot and humid during the day but while yo are on the river, you hardly notice the heat. What a change a year made! This year, temperatures were quite moderate for all but about 7 hours in Tena this year. The overcast weather made river selection a bit tricky but we managed fun runs on the Upper Mis, the Jatanyacu at very high water, and the Lower Jondachi/Hollin. Arn had been looking forward to the Jondachi/Hollin run for an entire year – since we ran it last year. Without question, his favorite kayak run ever for quality of scenery and fun whitewater too! While in Tena, we went to the Marquis for a $6 steak virtually every night we were in town. The meal would be cheap at 4x the price and we still can’t figure out how it is possible to deliver a delicious filet for that price. We even ordered off the menu as Arn was craving chimichurri sauce on his steak and the chef was more than happy to accommodate him!
After our time in Tena, it was back over the hill for a run on the Cosanga – the town run followed by the continuation of the town run into the “warm up” run for the canyon stretch. We took out before the canyon and had a glorious (but rare) sunny day on the water in the cloud forest. Instead of kayaking on our last day, we took a long care ride to see the tallest waterfall in Ecuador. The entire Quijos river does a spectacular double drop and falls over 500 feet to the floor below.
Saturday, January 10, 2009
Back to School
We spent the past 5 days here in Quito in Vida Verde language school. We quickly got into a routine here. Wake up at 6:30 or 7:00 AM. Breakfast at the pastry shop in the hotel - great chocolate pastries - and then off to school. School was 1:1 instruction at $6.50 an hour and would go till 12:30. Then it was lunch at a tasty pizza place. Some days we'd go over to Parque La Carolina and Deborah would walk while Arn ran around the park. Running at over 9000 feet is painful. If you start running too quickly, you pay for it.
We had the good fortune of finding some very good restaurants here in Quito. Sadly, one of the keys to finding great food in Ecuador is to go to a restaurant with a Peruvian chef! Our favorite place by far is a restaurant called Zazu. It is easily the best food we've had in South America and one of our top five meals of the past year. Other good places include Mare Nostrum, Astrid y Gaston and Noe.
On Thursday, as we were wandering around Gringo-landia (an area with lots of foreigners), we heard someone call "ARN." Imagine our surprise when we saw our friend Becky in the internet cafe there. We knew she would be in Ecuador but were very surprised to run into her by accident in Quito. We were hoping to see her and another friend in Tena next week. Small world!
Tomorrow we head off for a week of kayaking in the cloud forest (Baeza) and in the jungle (Tena). It will be a repeat of the trip we did here last year. After that, it is off to Chile on the 18th.
Flushin' Roulette
Another five days in Quito, another five days of Flushin' Roulette. That is the game we play every time we go to the bathroom. At the risk of taking this blog further into the toilet, the game works like this.
Step #1: Go to the bathroom.
Step #2: Flush toilet.
Step #3: Hope everything disappears - realizing that paper is never tossed in the toilet here or you are an automatic loser.
Now then, here is when the game gets really interesting. After one person plays, it is the next person's turn. And the fact that one person survived the flush means that the next person is playing with what you might call a "loaded chamber" - if you know what we mean.
Just like a pistol has only six chambers, you can only play "Flushin' Roulette" a few times before switching rooms or finding new locations to try your luck. That said, changing rooms often means you are joining a "game" in progress. Just today, we inadvertently checked into a room in which the last resident was clearly a big loser as there was plenty of "water" on the floor of the bathroom and the toilet didn't even flush. Needless to say, we had to switch locales quickly.
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain...
During our recent tour of the Galapagos, we were often reminded of that climactic line in "The Wizard of Oz." We wanted to click our heels together and be back home, even more often than Dorothy. But we digress to the end and we should begin at the beginning.
Countless people have told us over the years how much we would enjoy a trip to the Galapagos. The animals and scenery would surely impress us. As card carrying members of the "bird eater" club instead of the "bird watcher" club, we were very hesitant about commiting to a week on board a boat watching blue-footed boobies do their thing.
Still, with a long trip planned to South America, we felt a trip to the Galapagos could be fun. Furthermore, we were delighted to find a premium tour company that offered a new multi-sport trip to the Galapagos. By day we would snorkel, hike, sea kayak and cruise. And, at night, we'd stay in hotels and eat in restaurants. This had lots of appeal to us as we don't really like spending lots of time on boats and Deborah wasn't all that keen on snorkeling as she has had trouble breathing through a snorkel in the past.
What a mistake we made.
Our trip was often frustrating and at times rewarding. The rewarding parts included seeing all of the animals, of course (see some pictures). The turtles and iguanas - on both land and sea were impressive. Getting to swim with the turtles and marine iguanas was very cool. We also enjoyed snorkeling with sea lions and literally dozens of white tipped reef sharks and Galapagos sharks. Surprisingly, Deborah learned how to use the snorkels we had purchased and actually enjoyed the snorkeling more than any other activity. We think the dry snorkel (basically a type of snorkel that inhibits sucking in water) really helped make the experience enjoyable. And, the marine life was really beautiful - as nice as people described. We had the good fortune to enjoy a beautiful all day hike on Isabela to the second largest caldera (volcano) in the world. The landscape there was really other-worldly. And, our all-too-brief sea kayak excursion off of San Cristobal Island was also quite enjoyable.
Sadly, those highlights were mixed with the worst logistics we ever experienced on an "organized" trip. The Galapagos are a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma - or something like that as Churchill would say. If you are a tourist on a boat, what is happening on land is largely shielded from your view. You motor from isolated spot to isolated spot on the islands - believing the illusion that this is a pristine place - it is as it was in Darwin's time. Sadly, the mystery is revealed as you spend time on land. On land, you are treated to the enigma of both too little and too much development. Too little to support the kind of eco-tourism that is thriving in other parts of the world and too much haphazard introduction of alien plant/animal species as well as just really ugly development. And, while this may sound really harsh, we came away thinking that in some places over there, the now "native" population is suffering from too much in-breeding (remember, there are no indigenous people on the Galapagos). As two process oriented people that love to optimize things, never have we witnessed the array of idiotic planning and execution as we witnessed at every level while on the islands - the government, the businesses, etc. We also came away feeling that there was something really missing in how we saw the animals. It was wonderful to get so close to them and interact with animals that don't have an inate fear of man. But it felt like a zoo and the sense of discovery that one gets from happening on that herd of mountain goat while backpacking or glancing that bear in the woods while mountain biking just doesn't exist.
So, for us, this was a one-time excusion. We would strongly advise against a land based trip to anyone considering it and have lots of reservations about recommending a trip there in general. That said, we are sure that families with kids would love a trip to the Galapagos. We also know that our view is in sharp contrast to many who view the Galapagos as the most magical place on earth. We'll stick with our stolen glances of true wildlife encounters in the future.
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