More Amazing Scenery

I took a 2-3 hour bus ride up to the tiny tourist town of El Chaltén at the North entrance of the Glacier National Park. Today was the best weather to date. Perfectly clear, blue sky with lots of sun. The drive around the lake with the mountains in the back was incredible. I was going to go on a short walk but did abotu a 5 1/2 hour hike in order to see one of the more scenic areas that is usually shrouded in clouds...it was so clear...again beautiful spiky mountain, snow covered mountains, glacier, glacial lake (I even picked up a chunk of the glacial ice and had a gnaw on it). It´s so beautiful. The Austrians gave me some really good tips on which trails to walk, where to stay, etc. I half expected to run into some of the Torres del Paine crowd here but have not thusfar. I will stay here for the next couple of days and do some more hikes. It will be great, especially if the weather holds. The views are somewhat similar to Torres del Paine, across the border, but not quite as dramatic. The trail today was thankfully, flatter, and less muddy than at Torres.
I am gearing up for the Antarctica trip...by this I mean, I´m getting excited, I´m not actually making any preparations although I will be sure to get some sea sick tablets. The travel agency in Ushuaia will provide a parka, boots, etc. I´m thinking of actually flying down there in order to avoid overpriced 19 hour bus trip including annoying re-entry and exit into Chile with long waits at the border.
Things are grand.

Anti-freeze, Argentina, Avians, Austrians, Antarctica

So, I kind of decided I would go to Antarctica so I changed my plans a bit and took the bus back from Punta Arenas to my now, base town, of Puerto Natales (where Sang Kyoung and I stayed pre and post Torres del Paine). Sadly, when I arrived in the evening, there had been some sort of mishap on the bus where a liquid leaked into the luggage hold. My duffel bag was soaked. I was assured it was just water but as I got to the hostel I realized in neither smelled nor felt like water. So, I brought some damp items to the tiny bus office and started to complain. They didn seem so concerned. At first I just wanted to find out what was the liquid. Was it water? an automotive chemical? urine and disinfectant from the on board bathroom? (I have some expertise in this area what with college friend, Gil Pearman, and I inadvertently dropped an empty bottle of Blue Nun wine into the chartered LUV bus toilet in 1985 enroute back to Charlottesville from a football game at Georgia Tech--sadly we had to foot the bill for the costly repairs). So, they found out it was antifreeze, mixed with water. I demanded some compensation and I started getting worked up...ranting in my bad spanish. They kindly asked me to calm down, which I did. I then noticed the "smile, youŕe on camera" sign and noticed the security video camera. I can only imagine that the entire bus office crew now gathers to watch the video of the hysterical foreign woman muttering in crappy spanish. I am horrified that this video will get into the hands of the producers of Chiles funniest home videos. In any case, they took me to the laundry and had my damaged goods washed...all the time involved though kept me from going to the really good chocolate cake place.
The following morning I took a bus to El Calafate, in Argentina. The best part was the view--loads of fields of cows and sheep grazing with snow capped mountains in the background, every so often there was a small pond, full of flamingos. I was surprised, amazed and delighted.
I then arrived to El Calafate and within minutes ran into one of the Austrian duo. I do not know if I have previously mentioned them...Sang Kyoung and I met a guy and his dad traveling together from Austria. They were so sweet, and funny, and were our favorite pair (mainly we liked that this guy and his dad were traveling together) so after Torres del Paine, we trawled the streets of Puerto Natales for the better part of two hours hoping to run into them but alas, no. And we regreted that we didn t even have a picture. So, I was delighted to run into Johannes, the younger, and saw him and his dad yesterday afternoon on a walk to the nearby lagoon full of flamingos. I cannot get enough of these pink birds. There were tons of really great birds at the lagoon.
Today, I ran into father and son again at the super amazing Perito Moreno glacier which is the most amazing thing ever...HUGE. Again, my pictures won be good enough so look it up on the internet. Huge, beautiful, amazing.
And on the Antarctica front...Iǘe just handed over my credit card number so it looks like Iḿ in for a trip leaving on NOvember 7th for 11 days. Yikes!

Antarctica: To go or not to go

Sang Kyoung and I spent her last night back in the town of Puerto Natales. As it was a Monday, the cargo ship had docked and I ran into some of the crew about town. At dinner, Enzo, one of the "pilots" joined us along with Luis, chief of the engine room. The new captain was there as well. It was fun but we were struggling to enjoy it as our freshly laundered clothes were taking on a strong, cigarette smoke odor. It was like living in Spain again. We then went to a bar for drinks with crew members Mauricio (maintanence) and Marcelo (Tour Leader/guide). It was good as Marcelo speaks English well and could talk to Sang Kyoung who, apart from saying, "hola,agua,gracias" really does not speak Spanish. We also ran into the Australians that we´d met at Torres. The following morning we took the bus down to Punta Arenas, on the Strait of Magellen. The bus ticket collecter seemed happy to see us, kept gesturing, smiling, etc. When the bus dropped Sang Kyoung at the airport and I continued on, he gestured that I would be crying (which, I must confess, I did do later). We assumed that he used all these gestures in lieu of talking as he knew we were foreign and assumed we wouldn´t understand but, after Sang Kyoung left, I realized it was because he was deaf. He sat next to me on the bus for the remaining 15 minutes of my trip and was very kind. Communication was tought but I believe we verified that I was married with no children, that we have two cars, that I was sad that my friend left on an airplane and that he also had a car and may or may not have been sad and/or tired.
I kind of drifted around Punta Arenas ( a not entirely charming town) a bit and felt very lonesome. I ran into a young American couple that we had met at Torres del Paine and walked up to the lookout point with them but other than that, did very little.
Antarctica: Brian has been, and like everyone else who has been, says it is quite amazing. I am so close to Ushuaia (where the cruises leave for Antarctica)that if I ever did want to go, this would likely be the best time. I´m having trouble deciding. It is quite expensive but, as frugal as I am, it isn´t the expense so much, but the thought of being on a boat for 11 days. I´m not sure if I could do it. I´m not that keen on boats. The crossing of the Drake Passage over to Antarctica is rumored to be really rough and I´m not sure if I really want to entertain the idea of paying to be sick but ... In any case, I have to figure it out pretty soon and either commit to a trip or not.
In either case, I will leave Chile tomorrow for Argentina...I´ll still be in Patagonia but on the Argentine side. I´ll visit the reportedly very impressive Perito Moreno Glacier and do some short day hikes in the Fitz Roy range. I hope the weather holds.
Now I´m off to see the allegedly "fascinating" cemetery here in Punta Arenas. Feel free to weigh in on the Antarctica question.

Torres del Paine National Park

Wacky friend, Sang Kyoung (who also goes by Jennifer, Judy, and/or Kim) and I just spent five glorious days hiking at the most amazing park I have ever seen. Before leaving it rained for two days and was terribly cloudy but we had incredibly good weather. Even the bus ride to the park was gorgeous. Loads of snowy mountains, thousands of sheep and tiny lambs grazing, cows grazing, etc. As we got closer to the park we saw hundreds of guanacos (like llamas but wild)...they would run when they saw the bus coming and even jump effortlessly over the fence used for the sheep. We also saw a couple of ñandus (birds like ostriches) running pell mell in front of the bus. They were so funny. We got to the park and took the catamaran to the west end of the park to begin our hiking. The water in Lake Pehoe was like no color I had ever seen...a milky light green and blue color. It was amazing and even when I am able to download pictures, they will not do justice to this stunning lake. We hiked for about four hours to see the glaciers. The thing about the park is there is a ¨star¨feature wherever you look. In one direction there is the glacier that goes back as far as the eye can see. You turn your head and see the light green lake with blue chunks of ice (that have broken off of the glacier) floating by. You look the other way and you see the beautiful snow covered mountains. And in the other direction, still, there are the spiky, rocky bare peaks above the mountain. It was like this for five days. We, I think, were both in awe and felt lucky to be there and for the entirety of the five days said, "this is so great." Each night we stayed at the very over priced dormitories that the park provides. Some were cold, some were modern. They weren´t great but are the only choice apart from camping which I´m not keen on. We had heard the food was really expensive so we hauled a bunch with us and ate more cheese sandwiches than I care to count. We thought there would be cooking facilities but they were only available at the one campsite/lodge. We are pretty sure the Chilean college students will look back on their trip in years to come and say, "Remember when we went to Torres del Paine and there were those two dumb foreign women who didn´t know how to cook or even how to light a stove." We were unaware we had to provide our own pots, forks, etc. so they took pity on us. When we ran out of food we bought the overpriced stuff at the lodges. We hiked about 4 hours the first day,6 the second day, 8 the third day, 9 the 4th day and an easy 4 the last day. I must say, the hiking was very strenuous and Í wasn´t terribly well prepared so each day I felt extremely unfit, overweight and, sadly, very old. There was pretty rough terrain, scrambling over bolders, lots of mud, through creeks, etc. There were quite steep inclines and descents and it was rather exhausting but worth every second. One of the days where we had to backtrack, I decided to leave my backpack on a rock during the hike and retrieved it on the way down as I didn´t think I could haul it up the bolders. That day was gorgeous...we got to the scenic overlook and listened for the thunderous cracks and then watched the avalanches on the mountain oppposite us. It was amazing. I was a little sad to leave the viewpoint as it was so incredible. Each day offered different vistas but just like the first day there were four or five amazing views in every direction. We saw tons of birds: condors, woodpeckers, geese, and lots that I will have to look up. I was exhausted each night but I am so glad we went and we had such great luck with the weather. We returned yesterday afternoon to the town of Puerto Natales (where I arrived by boat last week) and met up last night with some of the crowd that we had met at the park for drinks. The nice German friends that I had met at the hostel were back here when we arrived as they´d been on a different trip. Sang Kyoung leaves tomorrow and I am terribly sad as it was so great to have her here. I know the next few days will be tough on my own. The cargo ship has docked for the night and I ran into a couple of the crew so we might meet up with them for drinks after dinner. The best part about leaving the park was being able to go to the laundromat and I have a bag full of clean clothes. Maybe in the next town (Punta Arenas---really far south if you care to check a map) they will have better computer facilities. Until next time...

The Cargo Ship

So last Friday afternoon I boarded the Navimag Cargo Ship in Puerto Montt. From everything I´d read, the quality of the trip depends entirely upon the weather. Good weather reveals stunning views, calm seas, and a good time. Bad weather means, no views, and 3 days trapped on a boat with nothing to do except, of course, for getting sick. Friday morning I was pretty disappointed to see, after 4 days of sunshine, very cloudy skies. But in the afternoon, the clouds lifted, the sun came out and it was a really lovely day. We, the 64 passengers, boarded around 2 p.m. and chitchatted. Lot of European travelers, some Chileans, a handful of other nationalities (Canadian, Korean, etc.). We got off to a late start, about 7 p.m. but watched the shore with the green hills, volacanos, etc. and perfect weather. Meals are served cafeteria style in the dining room/ lounge area. Meals had been described as being like school cafeteria food but they were really a lot better than that. I got to know a lot of the other passengers...a really nice Dutch couple, a young Danish couple, the Italian newlyweds, and others. The weather the second day was equally as good and I spent most of the day on deck or on the bridge with the naviagation crew. That was probably the most fun part of the trip. They were great. They let anyone in there during daylight hours and they were all very funny, and nice guys. An Argentine girl hung out there a lot as well. The only rule there was no food or drink but the Argentine and I sat there in the Captain´s chair and nearby stool and they guys served us tea and cookies. The Captain would surface periodically (during narrow passages). So, the boat goes through very narrow inlets, between islands, fjords, etc. It was really beautiful with pretty clear blue skies and green hills, and snowcapped peaks on both sides. I´d hoped to see more wildlife but we did sea a few sea lions, and lots of birds: albatrosses, petrels, etc. Probably my best friend on board was Mauricio the maintanence man. He was funny and nice like all of the crew. They also had presentations each day to tell us about the flora and fauna of the area, geological information, the day´s itinerary, etc. The second night is when we left the inlets for the open ocean which was a little rough...large but steady waves. I worried about getting sick but it didn´t bother me at all which was great. The third day looked rather bleak, overcast, misty, you couldn´t see a thing but after breakfast, the clouds lifted and we had another great day. The last night was the most fun. It was Bingo night. Prizes included hats,jackets (with ship´s logo), wine, whiskey, etc. I was going for the polar fleece jacket and Mauricio assured me I would win as he performed some psychic voodoo on my bingo card but alas, he had no powers over the bingo gods. After bingo I stayed up well into the night drinking wine with the Danish couple (alert for Brian...I´ve invited them to come and stay with us in December while they are in New York) and the Riccis (Italian volcanologist husband, and his equally Phd´d geologist, French-Polish new wife). We stayed up ´til about 2 a.m. which made getting up for the 6 a.m. scenic pass through the very narrow strait a difficult wake up. I got up for it but "missed it by that much." I did see the very pretty pink-red sunrise though. So, yesterday a.m. we arrived in Puerto Natales, our destination after breakfast. I was a little sad to go as it was a pretty fun trip. As the crew bade me farewell, they said they´d be out in the village (it´s tiny) later that day and we´d meet up for drinks. Later that day was pouring down rain and extremely windy so I didn´t venture out. Some of the Germans from the boat are staying at the same guest house as me so I did go out to dinner with them later after the wind and rain had let up. It was very generous, but unnecessary of the 5 Germans to speak English through the entirety of the meal for my benefit alone but it was, nevertheless, appreciated. Now I await the arrival of my friend, Sang Kyoung, (from Korea who I met walking the Camino de Santiago in Spain 2 1/2 years ago). We will hike for several days at the reportedly beautiful Torres del Paine national park.

The Lakes District

Well, the most recent 12 hour bus ride has finally put me into a completely different landscape. Long gone is the desert, the shrubby bits, etc. The 1800 miles that I have traveled south,thusfar in Chile has brought me to the verdant, rolling hills of the Lakes Region of Chile. IT is VERY green, with trees, flowers, grassy fields, cows, sheep, etc. It could be Charlottesville ...well, except for the amazing snow covered volcanos. I am at my third village along Lake Llanquihue (the second largest lake in Chile). It is a very blue lake and at the opposite side of the lake are two incredible volanoes. The first is a perfect cone with snow at the top. THe second is not a perfect cone but is no less beautiful, also covered with snow. I will post photos later but sadly, not here, on this circa 1985 computer. Evidently in the mid to late 1800s, many German immigrants settled in this regioun. The villages are quite charming with German style houses, churches, etc. This morning I visited the town of Frutillar, also on the lake, where I visited the German Museum which was quite nice. IT had some replicas of typical early German houses in the area (a house, blacksmith shop, barn, mill with water wheel, etc.). THen I traveled onward to Puerto Octay where I am staying tonight. The drive was particularly lovely, more green, rolling hills, lots of lazy cows, small farms and dairies, sheep, chickens, horses, all with the little German style houses. I am staying out in the country at a nice place--it is one of those German/Swiss type houses you see with grass growing on the roof. THe view of the conical volcano is amazing. TOmorrow I will return to Puerto Varas, another of the villages along the lake and then Friday will go on the 4 day boat trip to take me farther south. After the boat trip I will meet my dear friend, Sang Kyoung (who I met on Camino de Santiago walk 2 1/2 years ago in Spain) as she is also on a South American adventure. We will have about a week of hiking in the reportedly beautiful Torres del Paine National Park. So, I will likely not be able to communicate from the cargo ship. Oh, the miners getting out of the mine has been on the news non-stop here--great excitement for all.