February 9, 2009 Patagonia is exactly as expected. It is vast, rugged, bleak and wind-swept, with a lonely beauty occasionally broken with a spectacle of natural wonder. We arrived in Punta Arenas, the capital of Chilean Patagonia, on Jan. 30th. The next day we explored the little, cloudy town before taking a two hour boat ride out to Isla Magdellana. On this island almost 100,000 penguin couples return each summer to nest. They laid their eggs in Oct/Nov. and most of the chicks we saw were already the size of their parents though still covered with fuzz. We walked the path through the island as the penguins scurried past, for the most part oblivious to us as long as we didn’t get too close to their chicks. This was also our first experience with a typical summer day in Patagonia – cold, cloudy, with winds that buffeted you as you walked.  
 The next day we drove down to the southern most point in mainland Chile. We learned that Tierra del Fuego is actually an island, which we could see across the channel. At 53 degrees we think this is the furthest we have been from the equator, but we may have been close when we traveled in Scotland.
On Feb 2nd, we drove north to Puerta Natales in our 4x4 truck, feeling very adventurous. Natales is the jumping off point for anyone wishing to hike in Torres del Paine, considered the most beautiful park in South America. We stayed in a hostel in town where we learned about the hiking options, rented some equipment and planned out our next couple days. The most renowned hike here is called the “W” because you hike up and into three different valleys between the mountains. Each of these hikes are up and back and you can choose to carry your pack and camp at the top of each trail or leave you gear at the bottom and hike up and back during the day. That is the option we took. Because we had to drive the 2 hours to the park and then take a boat across a glacier lake to the beginning of the trail we were only able to completed half of the middle leg, before returning after about 5 hours of hiking. The boys stayed in the campground, while Scott and I drove a bit out of the park and stayed in a rustic cabin. The next day we got an early start and hiked the left side of the “W” for four hours to the base of a glacier and then returned. After two full days of hiking over rocky, undulating trails we were beat. Sore ankles and knees prompted Scott and I to opt out of the third day of hiking. The boys got up early and hiked about half the right side of the W before returning in time to return to Natales. As you can see from the pictures we had unusually beautiful weather and had clear views of many spectacular vistas.     After doing some laundry, shopping, emailing and eating in town we boarded the Evangalista. I am writing this as we sail through the channels that meander through south west Chile. We slide by uninhabited islands, past a glacier, and even along a ship wreck. The wind, rain and cold make it easy to choose to watch it all through the windows, but standing on the deck you feel like you are wrapped in the clouds just like the islands. Most of us are staying in a four bunk cabin which can’t even be 8”x12” and that includes the corner bathroom. Benjamin volunteered to sleep in the lower deck where bunks are just lined up in a big room. We’ve only had one night of big swells which tested our sea-stomachs, but otherwise we are passing the days reading, playing cards and watching out for the occasional sight of spouting whales in the distance.
February 16, 2009
After disembarking from the boat in Puerto Montt, we rented a car - actually this is the second time we have rented a pick-up truck with a double cab, since it seems to be the only rentable vehicle in Chile that will hold all of us and our luggage. We drove north for about 5 hours into the Lake District. The house we rented was between two towns (Villarrica and Pucon) which are on the east and west side of a huge lake with mountains around. Beautiful, but as crowded as Cape Cod in August. School starts here on March 4th, so apparently everyone in Chile is vacationing on a lake or at the ocean.
Nearby towers one of the most active volcanos in South America, Volcan Villarrica. It is beautiful with it’s snow around the top and puffs of rising smoke…… and we climbed it! I still can’t believe it when I look at the pictures. We went with a guided group, leaving early in the morning. We drove up to about 5000 ft, then took a chairlift up to almost 6000 ft and then we started walking. It was like a stair-master for 4 hours with heavy hiking boots. First we traversed volcanic rubble and then we crossed the snow…..switchback after switchback. Once we were close to the top we added a heavy wind-breaker suit to our layers. The day before the ascent was cancelled due to wind-speeds, but we made it – the wind was strong enough to keep us from choking on the sulfur fumes, but not hard enough to knock us over. At 9350 ft we were at the top. After looking into the crater, taking some pictures, and sucking in enough fumes to burn our throats and noses, we started back down. Some of it was walking, but most of it was sliding….yes sliding on our butts or on tiny plastic discs over the snow, using our ice axes as breaks. It was both thrilling and frightening, but most of all it was a very fast way to get off the mountain.
The next day we headed for one of the many thermal hot springs in the area. It felt great to soak our weary bodies. On Sunday, February 15th we caught a bus and arrived in Santiago 11 hours later.
February 17, 2009
I thought it might be a good idea to have a web post that captures what we do most of the time instead of only the highlights. My previous posts make it sound like everyday there is some interesting or exciting activity, but in fact most of our days are very simple and slow. Here is why:
1) We like to sleep. When we don’t have a place to be we often sleep until 9 or 10. 2) Normal chores take longer. Sometimes we have a washer (the short cycle takes 90 min) and occasionally even a dryer. Other times our dryer is a clothes-line. But many times we have to find a laundry mat. Grocery shopping requires finding a store and then sorting through brands and items we aren’t familiar with. 3) We rarely have a car. Mostly we walk and walk and walk. It is a great way to see the places we are visiting, but it is slow. 4) Internet is a daily need. We have had wi-fi access where we are staying less than half the time, but a “need” for internet almost every day. This typically means finding a place nearby where we can use their wi-fi - a local hotel, internet café etc. Then we usually all hang out until everyone has had a chance to complete their “necessary” internet tasks. Apparently there is an RDA for Facebook. 5) Traveling from place to place takes time. We have been on 11 hour bus rides and four day boat rides. Moving from one place to another typically kills at least one day. 6) School only happens when time is made for it. On days when we don’t have big plans (like climbing a volcano or visiting wineries) we try and set aside 3-5 hours for schoolwork. Though the heavy lifting is done by Alexander, everyone chips in a little to review Spanish, edit papers, talk through math concepts etc. 7) Sometimes things don’t go as planned. So far we have a. lost our visas in Uruguay (actually I threw them away, thinking we wouldn’t need them…we did) b. had a car reservation but the agency had no car (renter before us had wrecked it) c. had reserved a house, but the manager had no record and people were already staying there. d. Had all five of our passports pick-pocketed from my purse by some talented women who faked passing out while in the Santiago subway. - All of these things just require time and patience (often a lot of both) o in Uruguay we were saved by a nice agent who decided not to be a stickler (unlike the first cranky agent) o after talking to all the other agencies at the airport, they found us a car, no I mean pick-up truck, that they finally got to us about two hours later. o After many phone calls and much wrangling the manager at the house found us a cabin for our first night in Pucon (probably one of the only places available in town) and we were able to move into the house for the next five nights. o First a trip to the police station to report the stolen passports, then the next day a trip to the other side of Santiago to visit the US Embassy (an interesting experience in itself) to find out to our great delight that our passports had been found by the Metro staff and were waiting for us to pick up at one of the stations.
And also keep in mind that all of this is happening in Spanish. Thankfully we have Zachary to step in when a crisis requires better than basic vocabulary. Though we try to schedule a couple activities for each week, you can see there are many other things that fill our time in between.
February 27, 2009 Today was our last day working at a women’s crisis center in Santiago. It is amazing how having a routine makes time fly. We have been living with a family in a southern suburb of the city since the 15th. Our host parents have raised five children of their own so they have the space and mentality to take in our brood (though the size of the boys was quite a shock). All five of their children (20-27) typically live at home, but three of them are away on vacation so we have been able to use their rooms. The family has provided us with three meals a day and breakfast and dinner includes Spanish conversation - hard work at times. Each morning we have taken our packed lunches and commuted via the metro to a poorer part of town where we have worked at a home that provides women and their children a safe place to live for up to three months. We arrived at a good time since the kids still had two more weeks before school started and they were bored beyond belief. The mothers do not usually feel safe leaving the center and there is not a lot for the kids to do there. Slowly, but surely we developed a relationship with each of the 12 children. Surprisingly we had the same 12 kids almost every day, though usually the population at the center is much more transient. The oldest, Diego, is 13 and the youngest, John Jairo is just less than 1. We organized activities that included coloring, crafts, painting tires and pavers, trips to the park, English lessons etc. The first few days were so exhausting as we tried to get the kids to come out of their shells, while using our very limited Spanish. We came home each night beat. But these past few days we have had the kids climbing all over us, talking at us a mile a minute even though we don’t understand much. The mothers thanked us today with a huge lunch called an asado (bbq) where they grilled massive amounts of meat and made typical Chilean salads. I think we were lucky to have been assigned to a center that is well run, happy to have us, trusting, and fairly sanitary. We had a chance to hear about some other volunteer experiences that were far more challenging. We were able to leave behind a few permanent fixtures like tire swings, a sandbox and some murals. But mostly we provided a distraction, primarly for the children, but sometimes for the moms – a project to work on, a reason to laugh, time to run and play. We made a video that captured our time and showed it at the center today. Here is the link if you are interested (almost 15 minutes long). You will see the faces of Angelica, Nicholas, Natalia, Kevin, Felipe, Valeria, Constanza, Isabel, Bastian, Christopher, Diego and John Jairo. Each one is unique, and each one leaves us with a special memory.    March 9, 2009 We left our host family in Santiago on Sat., Feb 28th and for these two weeks before we start our next service project in Lima we are moving every couple days to see everything we want. We flew from Santiago to Calama in the north of Chile where the Atacama desert stretches from the ocean to the Andes. We stayed in a pueblo called San Pedro at almost 8000 ft. It was our first time at such altitude and we struggled a bit with headaches and insomnia. We drove out to the salt flats and up to a mountain lake that was over 14,000 ft. We also watched the sun set at a place called Valle de la Luna…..truely like the moon     We suffered through our first night bus ride (it broke down soon after we all fell asleep and we had to change buses) to get to the northernmost city in Chile, Arica. We stayed right on the beach and enjoyed the sensation of breathing sufficient oxygen. We had not originally planned to go to Bolivia but decided to see what it would take to get a Bolivian Visa. We spent the better part of 24 hours sorting out everything needed. Bolivia is another country like Brazil and Chile that has instigated a reciprocity tax on Americans in return for the hell that the US puts their citizens through every time they want to visit the US. It costs each of us $135 dollars to get into Bolivia. We would have deemed that too expensive for a 4 day excursion, but because we somehow were able to miss the Chilean reciprocity tax ($131) when we entered by bus, Benjamin convinced us we were just reinvesting that money in an opportunity to visit the highest capital in the world. Our bus left Arica this past Thursday (5th) and we have been living above 10,000 ft since then. |
