"You wanted diesel, right?"

The adventuras never stop. The morning was supposed to be a quick stop to buy empanadas and gas up the car before high-tailing it out of El Chalten. However, the gas station attendant filled up the truck with ½ a tank of diesel. We were pretty much screwed for a working vehicle after that, and in this town, which has little going on besides a 3 hour dirt road to the next town; we were marooned by a “maroon”. Blame it on the fact that it was early, or that here green means unleaded gas and all other colors are diesel (I didn’t line up the car correctly). Whatever, we pushed the truck to the back of the lot and sat around for a bit. I thought about going on another hike.


The “gas station” attendant returned from his little room. He makes it all good by jacking up the truck, disconnecting the gas tank, and siphoning the entire tank by mouth into an assortment of buckets, jars, and cups. I watch him wipe the hose clean with an oily rag, wondering which is cleaner. He spits and gags each time he has to restart the siphon, and we all look away like we’re witnessing a tiny train wreck. I try to distract myself from the situation by petting the dog, then notice the dog is a walking shop rag. I look down at my hands and resign myself to the fact that the filth is inescapable. Han takes notice and rummages around in the vehicle, which is still jacked up and bleeding diesel, and hands me a pack of handi-wipes.


Twenty gallons and two hours later, with a fresh full tank of free gas, we crossed the little bridge and got on the road. Rentals cars can be a nightmare when they break (see our post about tires), but sometimes you just have to laugh.

I shudder to think about all the crazy stuff this truck has been through before we received it. It’s certainly just barely surviving now. The windshield is cracked in several places. The doors have been blown open by the wind so fiercely they are dented around the hinges. The tires have only a memory of tread, mostly of plugs and patches. The alignment is not to be mentioned. But overall, the truck is great – it runs like a champ. It goes forwards and backwards, and if you turn the wheel enough, you will end up where you like.

Originally written: 29 December 2007 by Jim

El ruta es zigzagiando

We are back in Santiago. The 3 nights in the deeeluxe apartment (in the sky) of Punta Arenas has passed and now we’re spending some time back with Cristian and Vanesa’s families. This means lots more eating, drinking, and laughing, which is great fun.

Three weeks around the southern areas of Argentina and Chile, combined with 2005’s driving excursion from Santiago to the central Lakes area have left us feeling like we’re seen the majority of Chile and Argentina. The northern countries may have to wait for a few years, since other plans for Europe beckon.

After a long vacation that is stacked nonstop with activity, home becomes a memory that arrives in fleeting seconds each day, but is triggered by everything you see. We took some extra bread outside to throw to/at the feral dogs and we were reminded of our pets at home, waiting for us somberly.

Bathrooms are a hollow comparison for the monstrosity we created this past Fall, but they function well enough and we’re glad to not have to work on them, haha. There are still a few more posts we’ll be doing on that project’s status, since we have some final touches that nobody has seen, including us. Look for that after our trip is complete.

So we head home, ready for it. I have plenty of work lined up for me (I hope!) and Hanmi has several thousand photos to sort as she begins her new fiscal year on the photography. Other than that, we’ll probably lay low for a year or two, with only visits to family as outings. We’ve spoken several times about Cristian and Vanesa coming to visit us next, which would be a huge undertaking on their part, but if they want it badly enough, it’ll happen.

As a small vignette on the differences down here, Cristian and Vanesa both have phones that do so much more than typical phones in the US. Camera, video, MP3, radio, flashlight, internet, etc. It’s a surprising difference to see the US trapped and stumbling over the smallest feature when the rest of the world is so far ahead. The actual features don’t matter to me, since most of the gadgets suffer from the bundling, but for “kids these days” the single device is pretty neat.

Punta Arenas was in the mid 40s and 50s raining on and off with gusty winds. Santiago is 100 with light breezes and bright sun. We’re melting, even 5 minutes after a cold shower. So, we are sitting around looking at the photos from all the devices and lounging.

It is difficult to describe South America in concise terms without sounding crass. I have the utmost respect for almost everyone we’ve met. The standard for everything is just “off” from the Northern Hemisphere. The level of luxury we’ve experienced, even at the higher ends, is somewhat bizarre. Most of our trip was spent in surroundings that are way below typical US standards, and sometimes was even more expensive. But, spending a few days dirt-bagging it in a tent always makes a bed and running water seem worth the cost.

However, if you are planning a trip to the South America, keep a very open mind about the standard of living you’re used to. We’d be happy to answer direct questions, publicly or in private, but overall I’m delighted to share in all this, especially given that Cristian and Vanesa’s familes have been so helpful and welcoming. We are deeply indebted to them. Above all things in a tourist romp, having friends that speak the local language, know the areas, or can de-tangle a strange situation is invaluable. We were lucky to have made friends down here early, and there’s no easy way to describe how to do that, but it seems to happen wherever we go.

-Jim

Nowhere near the volcano!

We've gotten a few emails inquiring about our proximity to the Llaima volcano eruption in Chile. We were nowhere near it... In spite of the fact that news outlets are calling the volcano's location "southern" Chile, Llaima is in fact in the central "Lake district". Reuters and AP really should invest in a world atlas or something... Maybe they don't have internet access?

Anyway, here's a rough graphic showing our travels. We are now back in Santiago, and had a nice view of the volcano on our flight this morning. We'll post those photos soon...


City names in blue are in Argentine Patagonia, those in orange are in Chile.

Fitz Roy or bust!

At 7 AM we began the hike from the cabaña to the base of Fitz Roy. Its only 12km to the camp, and we had no trouble getting there. We have a filter so there’s no need to carry a lot of water in this area with its numerous lakes and streams. Actually, we didn’t even need the filter (except to remove some silt) since the water is less than a mile from a pristine glacier and quite potable. It was quite possibly the best tasting water we’ve ever experienced.


Camp was set among many other travelers from across the globe (French, Italian, German, Dutch, English, Hebrew, Spanish was overheard), a short nap and then another hike, out of boredom. It’s amazing how many days fit into 24 hours when the daylight last 18 hours! We headed out to explore, do some bouldering and find the trailhead that leads further up the mountain for the next day’s adventure.




The hiking was spectacular. The winds are always fierce; blowing all along the hike up to 50 mph in gusts that could make you skips a few steps – which is fun when you’re crossing a tiny log bridge. Thankfully, the camp is set up under some trees. Whenever you want water, you simply need to scoop it out of a nearby stream. The lakes and smaller lagunas are bluer than sky from the pure water and fine silt from the glacier melt. The camp was good, although the latrine was overused. The camp hosts were giant “caracara” falcons common to the area.


At 4:30 AM the next morning, we left camp, taking just one daypack to hike above the tree line into the snow and glacier zone. The trail is steep, rising 500 meters in only 2 km. I explored the area while Hanmi waited for good photos of sunrise and few clouds. There was only one other person around, although there’s evidence at the climber hut of several parties attacking the summit.


We didn’t see anyone else until the hike down to our own base camp, when many of the “early hikers” were panting up the trail, asking about how much further. Not far is the best answer one can give.


After a quick nap we packed and hiked back out, down to the town again (about 3 hours) to pick up the car and find a place to eat and sleep. The routine repeats and we end up in some fairly nice rooms, although a bit musty. It seems common in Patagonia for the rooms to be built to withstand the incessant winds, but suffer from a lack of ventilation at the same time. The windows open and the entire room’s air in exchanged in about 3 seconds, but the musty backdrop is always around due to the season when the room stays dormant for months.

After hiking so much (about 25km) we treated ourselves to a big meal of grilled steaks, with lots of beer. Sleep came quickly and before we knew what hit us, it was morning again.

El Chalten, part I

"Ruega por nosostros" means "Pray for us"...

While traveling in Patagonia, we noticed there are very few roads. Even fewer are paved for any length.

Along the road to El Chalten, the pavement once again ends and you note the map shows this is the only road to the town. The town is nestled in the foothills of the Andes, and the Fitz Roy mountain range looms above the town like a great stone gate. Shrouded in fast moving clouds, the peak occasionally reveals itself as a reminder of how small we all are.

We cruised the town for about half an hour, and inquired at a couple hostels (all full) before we found an empty cabaña. These are freestanding cabins, usually one or two rooms, that enable you to cook, wash and sleep. They make no promises about heat, drafts, bugs or sometimes, electricity. They do, however, make for excellent fort-like mini-homes where you can be alone to review and plan.

So we got one with 4 beds in 2 rooms and cooked a huge meal of rice, meat and a salad. We planned our next 2 days, which was to hike up to the base of Fitz Roy and explore. We taught Cristian and Vanesa everything we knew about eschewing unnecessary stuff from the gear. We worked out a deal with the owner to leave our car with remaining stuff behind her own house.

I have to note something about the wind: It blows almost constantly and is tremendous. People flip over, vehicles flip over, sands gets into eyes past your sunglasses, trees creak and break. If two car doors open at once, the car is flushed clean of all lightweight material. Its pretty amazing.

Photos

Theres so much written that i have yet to post here, but we do have about 3,000 photos. So I'm going to burn a post on just pictures from all over our trip. These are in no particular order, and realize they may not be the best shot, but its what we have sized and ready in this little cafe at the moment. Enjoy!


Guanaco ("won-NOK-oh"), relative to the camel and llama, pacing the truck.



Armadillo. Funny little creatures.


I called and called, but no passengers arrived for this train.


The Moreno Glacier, which movs about 3 feet a day and calves icebergs constantly.


An afternoon crowd gathers at the observatory.


The road winds through some amazing territory.


This is a funny story you'll read about later. Our truck "Molden Oldie" acting up. Molden was abused heavily and yet he managed to get us around.


The colors all around were constantly beautiful.

Sleepover!

Hotels in South America span a wide variety of names and details. For the most part, you start with the core: a mattress. We’ve graduated from college and hold paying jobs, so the multi-person backpacker-style bunkers are not ever on our list, but they are friendly places to inquire into for places to eat or other places to stay when the towns are crowded. Even in the better places we stay, I sometimes long for the harder ground of the tent (Hanmi brought her mat, I’m fine without it) – due to mattresses in some places being quite worn and concave.

Moving up the scale, one can get a tiny room with 2 beds, or the larger single bed (the “matrimonial”) and a common hallway bathroom. Moving up still, you end up with an additional bathroom, which can sometimes be quite inventive as to how a shower is delineated (curtain and drain at the minimum). Construction standards are either very low or non-existent in this part of the world; you can find almost all manner of designs. However, a sink, mirror, toilet and shower are minimum (in Argentina, a boudoir is also common).

Our favorite places are the apart-hotels, of which we only stayed in one, over the Christmas holiday(see below). They are pretty much like a full-size apartment and can handle longer-term stays. We play house and make nice meals, watch some TV (in Spanish) and relax our sore legs.

I mention all this because almost every night is the same routine: We investigate a new town for a place to stay. Usually, we pick a place from our guide, which is destined to be full then ask them if they know of a good place. Also, the entire trip into or around town is a scouting operation. If we see anything that may catch our eye, we note it and possibly return later.

We catch two nights in the same place every 3 or 4, usually in a camp. We had a great pair of nights over Christmas in El Calafate, Argentina. The hosts there are Korean, which made the Spanish/English/Korean exchange between Hanmi and the proprietors quite entertaining for everyone. By the end of our stay, they were very excited for us to return, and invited us to live there. Oh, we’ll think about it, we said. It was good, but not Portland Oregon.

Feliz Navidad from Argentina

It is the morning of Christmas eve and we’re sitting in camp. The camp is in El Calafate, Agentina and sits across the gravel road from a tiny fairground. Over the holiday season, nights are filled with the sounds of children screaming while going in circles on rusty machines that sound like dying dogs. There are also the typical ‘carnival’ games to win cheap toys made in China. The main difference is that they are all made out of things one might find at the local dump. Kick the soccer ball and knock over the rusty bent cans of paint… Toss the hoop onto the lead filled cigarette box with a stick taped to its side… throw the ping pong ball and knock over the cigarette boxes…


Last night was a beautiful meal of oso buco [which only costs $5 per lb at the local carniceria], one of our favorite dishes, cooked slowly over the smoky “carbon” with some local potatoes and squash on the “paradilla”. Combined with some wine and a trip down the main street of town, the trip is at another high point. It had been getting ever better since we left home, with our stop in Santiago, Chile to pick up friends and then our flight South to Punta Arenas, where we picked up an SUV and began our part-time camping, part-time hosteria jaunt into the Chilean Andes, to Parque Naçional Torres Del Paine and our next stop is Parque Naçional de Los Glaciares to see the Moreno Glacier, Cerro Torre, and the mighty Fitz Roy.




Problem is, our second tire went flat in the night, and as the first tire went flat two days ago we are out of spares… so we are hanging out in the camp hoping the shop down the street can repair our tires. We’ve already packed the tent, having planned on staying at a hotel tonight, but who knows at this point… the word on the street is that it is a tradition to shoot off fireworks to mark the occasion on Christmas Eve, so that should be interesting.


Regardless, we’ll make the most of it. There’s not much to complain about here—the food is fantastic, the beer and wine are great, people are very hospitable, and the exchange rate is great. We have good company, music, electrical outlets, hot showers, sinks for washing clothes and dishes, and we are dry. What more could you ask for, really?

Critters spotted: Eagles, penguins, condors, guanacos, lesser rhea, ibis, rabbits, skunks, and more dogs that we can count...
Peaks bagged: 1
Tires punctured: 2
Countries visited: 2

Gotta run--it's time to start cooking the meat! A very Happy Christmas to everyone!

j&h

Into The Wild

This vacation is spectacular. Having Cristian and Vanesa join us is a great idea, since we share our perspectives about everything with each new town and hike. The Patagonian Andes are immense, and our tour only touches a tiny part of them. Even so, that’s enough to appreciate this part of the world. The wildlife is much more abundant than in parks in North America, and very different. The guanacos (llamas) and ñandu (small ostrich-like birds also known as “lesser rhea”) are in herds both near and far from the road. Giant condor circle almost everywhere and rested caracara feast on road kill like crows. Pulling over to have a potty break can be exciting, as you have to watch out for black widow spiders, among other things. Armadillos, hares and foxes hide amongst the scrub-brush, occasionally running across the road. It turns out the ñandu can be just as curious about us as we are about the big bird. When we spotted one close to the road, Han eagerly jumped out of the car, camera in hand, only to realize the strange creature was getting uncomfortably close. She kept one eye on the bird while figuring the distance back to the safety of the car. Once the bird was inside her ‘safety zone’ she broke into a run and hopped back into the passenger seat. The bird looked momentarily confused then went back to grazing.

The flowers are typical for the high dessert, small and tightly bushed. In the foothills and mountains, tiny orchids are everywhere. There are occasional poppies and other plants we can’t identify. The bees are over various black and white patterns. In fact, many of the birds are also black and white as well (geese and condors). We’re not sure about the relation.

The geology is also amazing. The Andes have several millennia of inland sea and volcanic upwelling phases. There are giant banded layers in great arching hills that now fragment to expose ages of green life, then water sediment, then a volcanic ash layer of dramatic change.
There are several petrified forests in the parks and lots of different stone compositions. Some large coral even exists along one of the lakes we encountered, ancient relics from a bygone inland sea.


The stone can be a wide variety, all strewn along a single area from the glacier movement pushing the valleys ever deeper. We walked along granite of many types, peppered with rusted iron compositions that are quite heavy, mixed among sedimentary stones from compressed ash, lime or sand. In total, it’s a geologic adventure as much as anything else.