A Chilean Adventure
Nicole Schmidt - Road Trip!
After doing some last minute little things in Valdivia, it was time to set out on a great adventure to the south of Chile, called Patagonia. It’s difficult to get to, but there are so many priceless sights that it would be crazy not to go there. The summer (which is Dec-Feb) is the best time to see it because it gets bitterly cold in the winter. A lot of Chileans never even go to southern Patagonia, but then again, a lot of Americans never go to Alaska.
So we headed to the terminal to catch a bus heading south to Puerto Montt. On the way we were reading the guidebook, which really didn’t have many good things to say about Puerto Montt. That was ok though. All we had to do was make a quick decision to take a minibus to a nearby town called Puerto Varas. It’s kind of like the WI Dells of Chile - pretty small and a lot of tourism. We got here kind of late at night and it was a little frantic to find a hostel before the sun set, but we did and now we’re ready to climb into bed and explore the city tomorrow.
Saturday - When morning came, it was time to just find our way around the town. Nearly every town is situated around a central plaza that typically has a statue or gazebo and a park. We found our way to the center and were pleased to see an agricultural cooperative nearby. Inside, we found a lot of animal pharmaceuticals, a book of dairy sires (some from CRI and Select Sires!) and we met our first Chilean dairy farmer. I think the person working thought we were crazy, but we felt like it made us more at home in Chile.
Our next stop as we explored the town was at a store that sold some very expensive souvenirs. We just wanted to look around, but somehow we found ourselves in a philosophical discussion with the storeowner. He expressed his concern over Chile’s rapid change to capitalism and how the people all have a misguided view of what they need and don’t need to have. I’m not sure about the quality of the topic, but we were just impressed that we carried out a pretty long conversation!
After getting some information and directions from the tourist information office, we set out to Cerro Phillip (Phillip’s Hill) and did some hiking. It didn’t seem like we were going up very high, but when we got to the good lookout spots, the view was incredible. Puerto Varas is located on a large lake and on the opposite side is a huge, snow-capped volcano. It made for some amazing pictures.
When we got back into town, we walked to the other end to visit “La Iglesia de Sacrado Corazón” (Sacred Heart Church). We did the tourist thing (walked around and took pictures) but then we saw that there was a mass that night.
We went back to shower and dress a little more nicely, and then spent some time at the Internet café (there seem to be internet cafés everywhere). I tried to use Skype for the first time and was able to talk with my mom and Kayla. It was REALLY great to talk to them and tell them a few thoughts and experiences about Chile and hear about some things that were happening back home. It was too bad that Dad and Dylan weren’t around, but I’m sure I’ll catch them next time.
Afterward, I attended my first Chilean Catholic mass. They didn’t have a prayer book or songbook to follow along with so I couldn’t really participate, but I knew what was happening because the order of the mass was exactly the same. The only big difference I saw was that during the parts where people usually kneel, some people knelt and some stood. That was kind of strange. Also, during communion, they didn’t dismiss by rows - it was a free-for-all. I was really glad that we went to the service. It was one more thing that made me feel more comfortable in Chile.
When church ended at 9:00 p.m., we were starving because we hadn’t eaten supper yet. We went to the local panadería (the bread shop that we came to love during our time in Puerto Varas) and got empanadas for only $1. We’ve already discovered that empanadas are something that Chile does well. We took them to the pier by the lake to enjoy our moonlit dinner. While we were eating, some kids came over and started talking to us. Pretty soon their parents were talking to us too. They were on a huge family vacation from Santiago. The whole family, grandparents, five siblings, and all of their kids, all rode on a bus to Puerto Varas, which was probably about 12 hours. The conversation was fun and lively and at times, the adults spoke too quickly for us to understand, so the kids had to “translate” by just saying the same thing slower and more simply. It was one more thing that made us excited about living in Chile!
Sunday - Today is the first time we actually had plans for what we want to do for the day. We caught a minibus to Petrohué, which is a tourist destination close to Puerto Varas, but on a different lake. Once we got there, the information office for the national park had hiking maps and they were really good at giving directions and advice. We set out on a 4-hour trek that took us near the base of the volcano, across dried up rivers that carry water to the lake in the spring, and down along the coast of the lake. There were some huge “horse flies” that were buzzing around us constantly, but otherwise it was pretty enjoyable. We worked up a good sweat and saw some fascinating landforms up close. When we got back to Petrohué, we hung out by the campsite and waded in the lake for a bit.
Before heading back to Puerto Varas, we caught a minibus to go a few miles to Los Saltos. It was along the river that the lake empties into and we quickly found that it must be a pretty good place because it was packed with visitors. There were three trails through the park. The first took us to see a really cool waterfall with some rapids. The water was an amazing color of blue and you could see the rocks at the bottom from a long distance. The next trail wasn’t too exciting, but the third trail took us around the “jungle” area of the park and it had informational signs along the way about how the land and vegetation was formed. The volcano we were near earlier had a huge influence because the cooled lava created all of the neat rock formations. Then the rock slowly eroded enough to support plant life, which quickly flourished into a lot of different trees, ferns, etc. All of it happened since the volcano’s continuous eruptions in the mid-1800s.
When we returned back to town, we walked past our favorite panadería to grab some oven-baked meat empanadas and head back to the hostel for a shower. I went to the internet café after I was clean and fed and got to talk to Mike on Skype. Again, it was awesome to talk to people back home. I’m not homesick yet, but it’s nice to know what’s going on and share a little of your experiences. Skype seems like it’ll be really great to communicate for free to loved ones.
Time for bed. We’re going to have a long day tomorrow!
After reading the Chilean guidebook, we decided that the cheapest way to get to the southern part of Chile would be to rent a car and drive there. Taking buses would be too inconvenient and expensive, there’s a big ferry but it was about $800 each, and flying just didn’t seem like it would give us the freedom we wanted for the cost. We worked it out with a Chilean car rental company in Puerto Varas and today is the day we got to have our car!
We spent the morning buying some groceries, most of which consisted of bread, jam, crackers, and a few other non-perishable items. We even decided to risk getting some fruits that could be easily peeled. Then at noon we went to pick up our car.
It’s a Chevrolet Corsa Extra, which is kind of similar to a Cavalier. When we looked inside, we found that it was a manual. That wouldn’t have mattered, except that I accidentally forgot my driver’s license in Valdivia (which makes me really angry!) and Danielle has no idea how to drive a stick! Augh! Now what!? I assured Danielle that I’d be able to teach her how to drive it and the guy with the rental company assured me that we wouldn’t see any cops on most of our route so I could probably drive anyway.
Although it was Monday in Puerto Varas, the city was full of pedestrians and cars that certainly wouldn’t have the patience for someone who didn’t know how to drive. I took the wheel and got us out of town to some back roads where Danielle could feel free to practice without hitting anyone or anything. She was a great student and learned quickly! Taking off in first was a little tricky yet, but the car was a little touchy so she just needed more practice. It was a little scary at times and I had to tell her when to shift for a very long time until she felt comfortable, but that’s understandable. She is very excited that she learned how to drive a manual and can’t wait to tell her whole family. I was very excited to start our grand road trip that would take us through Argentina to get to southern Chile.
On our drive this afternoon, we turned off onto a dirt road to grab a bite to eat in our car. When we went out to the highway again, we saw three girls around our age hitchhiking, so we decided to pick them up. It’s an adventure, right!? Turns out that hitching is a primary method for people our age to vacation in Chile. We got to know our riders a little and found them to be pleasant company. They even had CDs for us to play! (You don’t get many radio stations driving through the Andes!)
We thought we could already see the Andes from pretty far away, but we were very wrong - it was just the foothills. Once we got into the range we were amazed. I was actually pretty glad that I wasn’t driving so I could take in the views. I really can’t describe it and I don’t think photos will be able to do it justice.
In the middle of the range, we had to cross the border into Argentina. I don’t think we would’ve made it without our travelers helping us understand everything. First, we had to go through the procedure to leave Chile. There was some paperwork, they stamped our passports, and we had to prove that the rental place was letting us take the car out of the country. A few kilometers down the road, we had to do it all over again to enter Argentina. It’s not just a window that you drive through and show passports, we had to park the car and go inside a building and stand in two long lines in each stop. It was time-consuming, but good to know that they have some pretty good security.
The next stop was San Carlos de Bariloche, where we would stay for the night. We decided to get the best use of our car and just sleep in it at a campground. It was late when we got into Bariloche, but again the hitchhikers came in handy because they could easily ask people on the street where the campsites were. We did learn that we have to be somewhat assertive with hitchers because we stopped at four campgrounds before they found one they were satisfied with: they wanted to be with other students, they wanted it to be cheap, and some of them were full. We just wanted to go to bed!
Once we finally found one, none of us had Argentine pesos so we had to go back into the city (which took about 15-20 minutes) to find an ATM. On the way back to the campsite we decided to fill up the car with gas. In Chile and Argentina they have hired people to pump the gas for you and you can pay them without getting out of your car. It’s pretty nice! As we were waiting for the guy to fill the tank, we pulled out some crackers because we were starving, and Danielle made a pretty funny comment. She said, “We’re weird! We’re sitting in a car at a gas station, at midnight, eating crackers, and we’re in Argentina!”
Weird, hungry and tired, Back at the site, we ate more crackers and some dry cereal and we put the seats back and slept. It wasn’t a restful sleep because our little car didn’t do much to keep us warm. All we had were the clothes we were wearing! We woke up freezing!
Another thing - now we have Chilean pesos and Argentine pesos. Confusing! The Argentine conversion rate is much easier to figure out though. One U.S. dollar is three Argentine pesos versus one U.S. dollar is about 545 Chilean pesos. Too much math!
We woke up this morning and quickly got ready to hit the road again. We know that Bariloche is supposed to be a great city, but we’ll be passing back through on our way back to Chile so we can visit then if we still have the energy. Now our focus is on getting to Torres del Paine and possibly Tierra del Fuego.
On the way south we stopped in El Bolsón, which is another tourist town. We picnicked in a park and then strolled the town. We stopped in a store to check the prices of sleeping bags. We found two that were $23 each, they’re supposed to be good in temperatures down to 5 degrees Celsius, and they’re small and easy to pack.
Then we found a very large and impressive artisan fair. We walked through the long line of craft and food stands, but we didn’t make any purchases. When we get back to Puerto Varas with the car, we still have to take a bus to Valdivia so we can’t have too much luggage. Once through the fair, we made our way to a specialty ice cream shop and tried a local flavor. I’m not an ice cream expert, but I know it was pretty good.
We started south again and after we’d gone for a while we saw signs for “Museo Leleque.” We decided to stop and learn about the local history. The museum’s location seven kilometers off the highway on a dirt road doesn’t allow for many visitors. The guide was willing to walk around with us and offer us more information and answer questions. The museum was about the history of Patagonia, which was first inhabited by the Tehuelche people. They were driven out by the Mapuche people (another native tribe from present-day Chile) and by the European settlers. The museum also showed the process of colonization by the Europeans, which explains why Argentinean people are so fair-skinned - there were a lot of immigrants from Spain, Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom, and more. Considering that we just randomly decided to stop there, it was pretty fascinating and educational.
The rest of the drive to Esquel was pretty uneventful. The only thing we really noticed was that the landscape really seems like something you’d see in southwest U.S., although neither of us have been there. Being on the east side of the mountains, it doesn’t get much rain and therefore not much vegetation. I think I’ve heard it referred to as the Argentine pampas.
Esquel is a nice little town and we arrived early enough to relax a little. We found a campsite for the night and then went back into town to stroll around. We heard from our Chilean hitchhikers that the beef in Argentine is a must-have, so we asked some locals their recommendation for the best restaurant to find good meat.
After eating jelly and caramel sandwiches and crackers for a while, we couldn’t wait to splurge on a hot meal with real meat. (The caramel is actually called dulce de leche, and it’s kind of a substitute for peanut butter, which cannot be found anywhere in Chile. I think it’s a fabulous substitute!) Danielle got steak and I got pork and we shared. It was fabulous! I don’t know if it was as good as American meat, but we really didn’t care tonight.
Afterward, we headed back to our campsite to get settled into our new sleeping bags for the night.
We woke up in the morning and headed across the street to the gas station with the free WiFi. Why did the gas station have free wireless? I’m not really sure, but it had tables and you could order coffee and other little things. It’s kind of like Argentina’s version of an Internet café. We didn’t stay long though because our computers ran out of battery. One thing we didn’t plan for was a different style outlet in Argentina than in Chile. I even have a multi-adapter set that has adapters for nearly every country, but it doesn’t have the third ground prong on it. This could be a long week if we don’t find a universal adapter for Argentine outlets! Since it’s Valentine’s Day, we bought each other a nice big hunk of chocolate before resuming our trek south. It was the only time I thought of Valentine’s Day at all today and I think it was just to justify buying and eating the chocolate.
Most of the drive was kind of boring. We had gotten used to seeing the Argentine pampas and the road was incredibly flat and strait. So, we inadvertently created our own excitement as we watched our gas gauge move closer and closer to the red. I think one of the requirements for a town to be on a map should be having a gas station. Each town we passed through seemed smaller than the previous and none had gas available. They all appeared the same size on the map, so we had no idea what was coming up next. Finally, we got to the point where our route turned off the main road. The next town we’d pass through was Rio Mayo, which the map showed was the same size as all of the others. Our other option was to keep going on the main highway, hope that we made it to the bigger town that was pretty far away and then backtrack. We held our breaths and when we came up to the intersection there was a sign for Rio Mayo that showed there was a gas station there.
We weren’t out of the clear yet. Now we actually had to make it to Rio Mayo. We crossed our fingers and cursed every hill and curve that made us use more gas. The warning light turned red. Ten kilometers later we rounded a curve and saw a town that was half the size of Gresham and the main road was unpaved, but they had a gas station!
We pulled into the station with a sign of relief, but the attendant told us there was a shortage of gas and she could only give us $20 pesos of gas. We said we’d take as much as we could and just hoped it would get us to the next town. We learned out lesson. Always top off the tank even if it’s more than ¾ full. You never know what lies in the Argentine pampas.
Just as we were basking in our luck, two girls were looking at us with the biggest puppy eyes. We told them we were heading south and they could join us if they wished. They yelled, jumped up and down, and told us they spent three days in Rio Mayo waiting for a car. We found our second set of hitchhikers!
Sasha (California) and Clea (Spain) are both hitchhiking around Argentina and other parts of South America for two and 12 months (respectively). They are both rock climbers and know that there are some great cliffs in South America that they are determined to ‘conquer.’ Both of them are here by themselves, but they met while climbing in Bariloche a while back and have kind of stuck together since. Their next stop is Chaltén, which is home to the famous Fitz Roy peak. It also happens to be not too far off our route.
So they hopped in the car and the conversation helped pass the time until we arrived in Perito Moreno. We filled up the car with gas again and then went to find a campsite. We picked up some provisions and then went to find an ATM. When we got there, Danielle realized she didn’t have her debit card and the last time she remembered having it was in Bariloche. We quickly looked through some of the obvious places and then tried to figure out how to put a temporary hold on it. We went to a telephone place and made a few different calls that didn’t really go anywhere. Finally, she called home and had a one-minute conversation with her sister just to ask her to put a hold on her debit card. Losing the card was hard enough in a foreign country, but talking to her sister for a minute was the hardest part for Danielle. It was so rushed and impersonal. I felt bad, but there was nothing else we could do.
We headed back to the campsite and got everything set up. We’re sleeping in a tent tonight! Sasha and Clea have an extra, so we decided to sleep horizontal for the night. It should be exciting!
We ate like queens tonight! We had tuna sandwiches before, but this time we actually had mayo to mix it with and we had cheese to put on it. We also got a can of mixed vegetables that we heated on a gas stove. At this point, any kind of heated food is gourmet! It was really good and now we’re going to bed with full stomachs.
Ok, so the tent wasn’t all it was cracked up to be. The ground was hard and lumpy and very cold. Also, the guy in the tent next to us was sawing logs all night long. It was tough to fall asleep and tough to stay asleep. At least I didn’t feel so cramped when I woke up, but I had higher expectations.
The more Chilean and Argentine travelers we see, the more my definition of dirty changes. This morning we decided not to shower because we just showered yesterday. It just doesn’t seem worth the hassle when you’re not trying to impress anyone and all the travelers around you are really dingy. The desert mornings are also just too cold to shower at the campsite. I always heard about how cold it gets at night in the desert and now I’m feeling it! (I’m sure it’s not even close to the temps in Wisconsin though!)
Instead of showering, we made a really good hot breakfast of oatmeal and cheese. And the oatmeal was made with milk and sugar! It really hit the spot after a cold night.
We did a few other things around town before heading out. First, we went to an electrical store to get some three-prong adapters for the outlets in Argentina. The worker informed us that we could just use a two-prong adapter and let the ground prong hang out there. I thought I remembered Dad doing that a few times, but I didn’t trust my memory enough to blow up my computer. Now I feel comfortable doing it though.
We finally hit the road on our way to “Cueva de las Manos” (Cave of Hands), but our car was making some crazy noises as we drove down the main road. It must have been quite a sight in Perito Moreno to see Sasha, Clea and me running along the side of our white Chevy Corsa, twisting and turning to see if we could figure out where the noise was coming from. Finally, we went to a mechanic and had him drive it around the block with a couple of us riding along. Miraculously, it stopped making the noise as soon as he took the wheel. Don’t you hate when that happens? Oh well, we were glad we didn’t have any problems and didn’t have to fix anything.
On our way to the cave, we knew there were three entrance points, each with different lengths of driving and walking. The best seemed to drive for 12 kilometers and then walk for two hours. We got to the spot where we had to park our car, packed some provisions in our backpacks, and headed down the huge hill. Compared to the hills is northeast Wisconsin, this thing was a mountain. At the bottom, there were many trails and one little sign with an arrow that pointed in a vague direction. There were two main paths, but some people were returning from one and said it was incorrect. We headed out in the second direction and hoped it was the right way.
After an hour and a half, we determined that we were just following cow trails and we were nowhere near the cave. However, it was a beautiful hike through a big canyon and we saw some pretty cool things, including a guanaco that was very close to us. Guanacos are a regular part of the landscape in the Argentine pampas and kind of look like a llama, but not exactly. We also saw a big herd of cows that was very easily spooked. If the herd belongs to someone, it was obvious that they people just raise them on the range and really don’t deal with them at all.
So we finally walked back the whole way and up that huge hill. It was a lot easier said than done, but we took a lot of “photo” breaks on the way up to rest and catch our breath. Near the top, the other people who were looking for the cave at the same time we were had looked in their binoculars and spotted the cave in a distant wall of the canyon. We should’ve gone the other direction. Proof that you can’t always follow “the road less traveled.” It would’ve been cool to see the cave because it’s from the Tehuelche people (the ones we learned about at Museo Leleque), but we weren’t too heartbroken. The hike was worth it even if we didn’t see the intended destination.
We saw some cool animals as we drove back out to the highway too. There were some horses, but it’s hard to tell if they’re wild or if they actually belong to someone. There was a dead armadillo on the path, and I made Danielle take a picture of it because it was the only armadillo I’ve seen. We also saw some birds that look like a cross between and emu and an ostrich. I need to look up the name of them because there is a lot in the pampas.
We drove south for a while, and when the sun had almost set we decided to make camp along the side of the road. We pulled off near this little “cliff” that was like a natural shelter from the wind. Sasha and Clea put up their tent next to the cliff and we parked the car on the other side to make sure that it was shielded from the wind.
Since it was only about 10:00 when everything was set-up and ready for the night, we decided to make our own little drive-in movie and watched “You’ve Got Mail.” Since both of our computers have now died, it’s time for bed and we’ll have to finish the movie another time.
Friday - So, it seems like the desert is always really windy and today was no exception. We drove about 300 miles today, but almost all of it was on unpaved roads. I don’t know if I can really describe what it’s like to drive on an unpaved highway for 300 miles. It’s insane!
When we finally got to the highway we had to turn on, it was a huge sigh of relief to find that it was paved! This was also the place where we left our hitchhikers. They were heading a different direction to see the famous Fitz Roy peak, which is world-famous among the climbing circles. We literally just stopped and let them out on the side of the road with all of their things. The wind was incredibly strong, but they insisted that that was exactly where they wanted to be. We bid them good luck and good travels and were on our way to El Calafate.
The closer we got to Calafate, the better the landscape became because we were getting closer to the Andes again. When we got there, we realized that it was a pretty hot tourist spot, especially on a Friday afternoon. We found a campsite and got settled in pretty quickly. We had a long day of driving and wanted to rest up for the next day.
Saturday - We woke up very well-rested! So far, it was the best night of sleeping in our car! It wasn’t too cold because there was a big bus along one side that blocked the wind. We also tried not putting the seats all the way down and it was quite comfortable. It seems like a silly thing to rejoice over, but I think it’s justified.
Today’s activity was to visit the Perito Moreno (the same name as the town we were in a few days ago) Glacier. It’s probably the easiest glacier in the world to visit because you can practically drive right up to it. The drive there is all winding roads with a lot of hills that’s next to lakes with mountains all around. Pretty impossible to explain, but use your imagination. Then you get to the parking lot and take a free minibus up to the viewpoint. There are balconies to see the glacier from with just a little channel of water between.
It was really hard to fathom the size of the ice chunk because it took up the whole horizon. We actually witnessed a chunk of it fall off, which is always one of the highlights of the visit and you never know when it’ll happen. The ice that falls off into the lake has a lot of particles in it, known as “glacial milk,” and it give the lake a really bright turquoise color.
The rest of the afternoon had some simple pleasures: we ate well (ham and cheese sandwiches, fruit, a cucumber, and more) and we spent a lot of time using the local gas station’s free wireless without having to purchase anything. We also wandered upon a large celebration for the town anniversary, complete with food stands, artisan stands, and live music. We strolled around, listened to the band a bit, and bought our first alcoholic drinks in South America…sangria out of a five-gallon pail.
Calafate is nice, but we’re ready to head further south.
Sunday - To Torres del Paine! This is one of the most famous destinations, not just in Chile, but in all of South America. On the drive there, we actually got lost for the first time on the whole road trip. I blame poor road signs. Oh well, we cross the Argentina/Chile border without any problem. It was actually a lot easier than the first time because the crossing point was a lot smaller and without the huge crowds.
When we entered the park, we found that we would’ve saved a lot of money if we had had our Chilean ID cards. You have to get the cards within 30 days of arriving in Chile, but we just decided to wait until after our trip south. It probably would have saved us about $18 each. We also realized that now that we are back in Chile, we don’t have many Chilean pesos. We had just enough to enter the park when we pooled our money, and luckily they accept U.S. and Argentine money inside the park. ATMs are not nearly as wide-spread here.
“So, what is Torres del Paine?” you ask. It’s a large national park that has some very unique landforms. The torres (towers) are two big hunks of rock that jut straight up into the sky. I don’t know how to describe them without showing a picture. The park has a lot of different hiking routes, but most take several days because there’s only one real starting point. The most famous trail is to the base of the towers. From the starting point, it takes four hours to get there and four hours back. There is camping along all of the trails, but that requires carrying a lot more equipment.
We arrived at the starting point at about 6:00 p.m. and decided to get familiar with the surroundings before making camp…aka park our car. We’ve heard conflicting information about the weather in the park and nothing has been very clear. The refugios are about $30 per person, which is a lot compared to the prices for campsites and hostels, so I voted that we take our chances and sleep in the car again. I hope I’m not wrong because we really need a good night’s sleep before all the hiking tomorrow.
We found a little store that had some over-priced foods, but we were desperate. We had to consume all of our fresh foods before crossing the border and we didn’t stop at a store afterward. Our food bag basically just had bread, jelly, and manjar (dulce de leche spread). The little store had one gem that screamed at us to buy it…peanut butter! It’s nearly impossible to find anywhere in South America, so Danielle bought the only little jar that was there for about $6. I didn’t go in on it because I’m confident that the manjar will be a good substitute for it. We also bought two power bars each for energy up the long hike.
Then we loitered a bit. There is a nice little sitting room for people who stay in the refugio that also has a guitar available for anyone to use. We aren’t staying in the refugio, but no one was asking so we just made ourselves comfortable. Danielle played the guitar and I read for a few hours.
When we headed back to the car, we watched an episode of Gilmore Girls that I brought on DVD and went to bed.
Monday - It was a good night! Not too cold, and we tried a new way to sleep in the car: one across the back seat and one across the front. It wasn’t bad, even considering that the front seat has bucket seats and a parking break in-between.
When we set out to start our hike, we walked past the real almacén (store) and saw that they had a lot more choices. We stocked up on some fresh fruit and camera batteries. After a couple of trips back to the car, we started on the hike about an hour later than we planned.
So, we hiked for eight hours, saw some towers, and then left. Just kidding! It was a tough and treacherous eight hours! The first hour was all uphill and some parts were pretty steep. Then it got easier and more fun as we had to climb over and around some stuff. The final hour was treacherous again. It was like the biggest rock pile you could imagine. Most were basketball-sized to tire-sized and some were huge boulders. All of it was pretty steep and it made the last hour very physically demanding. Luckily, all the people who were heading down were cheering us on and telling us how amazing it was at the top.
We finally got to the top and I’m not sure if I was most awed by the view of the towers, or by the amazing hike we had just accomplished. We ate the lunch we had packed and sat a while longer to enjoy the view. There were a lot of people up there and they were all from different countries and speaking different languages. In a strange way though, I felt some sort of bond with everyone because we all made it to the top.
The way back was a ton easier. The two uphill spots were now downhill, and we knew the terrain better. The final walk back to the car gave us a huge sense of accomplishment…and exhaustion.
The day wasn’t over yet though! We wanted to make it all the way south to Punta Arenas, but road construction set us back (that’s right…summer road construction!) Instead, we made it to Puerto Natales and treated ourselves to supper at “El Living.” We got some really good sandwiches and cake for dessert. The restaurant was really relaxed and reminded me a lot of the Sunroom Café on State Street.
We went to a hostel that was recommended in Danielle’s guidebook, but it was full. The owners are actually from Oregon and were helpful at trying to recommend other places. In the end, one of the workers said she lived nearby and already had some people staying with her, but she had room for two more. It was only $6 each, included a hot shower, and we got to sleep on “flip chairs!” I don’t know if you are familiar with that term, but Kayla and I used to have flip chairs growing up, so it brought back some fun memories. After eight hours of hiking, anything cushioned sounds fantastic!
I don’t know if it was the flip chair or the hot shower, but I don’t even feel sore yet! Maybe it was the cake last night! Anyway, we headed back to the hostel for a good American breakfast that only cost $2 and included eggs, cereal and milk, yogurt, and three kinds of bread. It was great! Then, we finally went shopping to really stock up on fruit and other foods and got back on the road to head to Punta Arenas.
On the way there, we stopped to see the Otway penguin colony, located on the Otway Sound. The guidebook says there are 6,000 breeding pairs in this colony and there’s another one nearby that has 50,000, but there are some even larger along the Argentine coast. I think 6,000 pairs is pretty impressive.
It was REALLY windy, so it made walking around kind of uncomfortable. I think it was uncomfortable for the penguins too, because when we finally saw some they were huddled together and didn’t really do much. We definitely didn’t see 6,000 pairs, but it was still pretty neat and it filled my urge to see penguins in Chile. Have you ever visited the penguin area at the zoo and noticed the disgusting smell? Well, they smelled just as bad in the wild, even though it was a larger are and it was really windy.
We got to Punta Arenas, reserved a room in a hostel, and then went to check out the town. Punta Arenas is located directly on the Strait of Magellan and was a pretty big European colony. Now, the city has about 120,000 people, even though it’s really far south and is pretty isolated from everything.
We walked around the plaza a bit and then went and got some ice cream. We’re starting to call this the “ice cream in every city” tour. We walked up to the big look-out point where you can see the strait, Tierra del Fuego, and supposedly the southern-most part of the contiguous South America.
We still haven’t had any Chilean seafood and Punta Arenas seems like a good place to try it. We went to a little bar that the guidebook recommended and ordered a plate that had many different kinds of seafood: shrimp, squid, clam, oysters, salmon etc. We also tried some of our first Kuntsman beer, which is manufactured in Valdivia. It was all delicious! Perhaps the most pleasing meal in Chile thus far. I have a feeling that we’ll be having a lot more of the Knutsman beer in Valdivia!
Since we have to take the car all the way back to Puerto Varas, we’re planning on making it a quick trip north…meaning we’re taking all paved roads and putting in a lot of hours behind the wheel each day. Our goal is to get back to Valdivia by Saturday (Feb. 24) so we can attend their big celebration that they have every year to commemorate the independence of Valdivia.
But first, we have one very important stop on our Patagonian adventure: Tierra del Fuego (Land of Fire). Tierra del Fuego is a sizeable island on the tip of South America. Half belongs to Chile and the other half belongs to Argentina. I don’t know how many people live on Tierra del Fuego, but the largest city has a population of 50,000 and I would estimate that there’s about 10,000 more when you combine all of the smaller towns.
There are ferries that leave from Punta Arenas and cross the strait in 2.5 hours to a small town on the other side (Porvenir). We opted for the shorter pass, which is about 1.5 hours northeast of Punta Arenas at Punta Delgada (Skinny Point).
When we got there, one ferry had just docked and a worker told us it was heading out again in 15 minutes. Since there really isn’t anything on either side of the strait at that point, most people just use the ferry to get vehicles, semis, and buses across and then head to destinations further south on the island. We just wanted to go across, eat lunch, and then come back. The captain allowed us to ride for free since they usually didn’t have passengers without vehicles.
After a quick 20 minute ferry ride we landed in Tierra del Fuego! We actually saw torinos from the deck of the ferry, which are a dolphin-like animal that has black and white markings that look similar to a killer whale. The local animals we’ve seen on our trip have been one of the highlights for me.
The local sites were much; just a road that led south and a couple of army buildings. We found our picnic spot and made some sandwiches. We had a full hour since that’s when the ferries run, so I did some reading and we both found some souvenir rocks to take back with us. Then we boarded the next ferry and were off again on our trek back north.
The guidebook described a national park near a volcano where you can hike around some lava beds. It sounded pretty cool, but as we went through town after town without finding a gas station, we had to decide to bypass the excursion because it would’ve been about 30 kilometers out of the way. I thought we had learned our lesson to always top off the gas tank, but who would think that there would be a stretch of major highway for 200 kilometers (120 miles) without a gas station? Can you imagine driving that far without seeing one single gas station? Crazy! Again, the map even showed some decent sized towns on the way, but they ended up not having much of anything. This time we weren’t worried about making it to a gas station, but we still didn’t want risk the extra distance.
So, after sadly watching the road to the lava beds pass by, we made it to the border crossing and entered Argentina once again. Now that we’re on a mission to get back to Valdivia quickly, we drove until about 8:30 p.m. and made it to a town called Comandante Luis Piedrabuena. What a long name! It’s usually shortened to just Piedrabuena.
We walked up and down the main street a couple times because it’s a very quaint little town. There are a lot of statues and there are some near flower-boxes on the sidewalks. My favorite statue was of Santa Claus with guanacos (similar to llamas) pulling his sleigh. We ended up in a local restaurant/bar and ate a Spanish tortilla (like and omelette, but with a lot of potatoes) and an Argentine milanesa (a piece of breaded chicken, pork or beef served on a sandwich with deli ham and cheese). Now we’re over-stuffed and ready for another night in the car! We have another long day of driving ahead of us!
Back to Valdivia
Thursday - We basically just drove north today until the setting sun made it so we couldn’t see anymore. There was a cool stop for lunch though. We took a little detour off the main highway to an old coastal highway that was unpaved, but had some great views of the Atlantic Ocean. At one point, we could look over the cliff and see sea lions on the rocks below. They were swimming a little, but mostly just lying on the rocks. I thought it was pretty cool to see them, even if they were far away.
After showering and putting on clean clothes and make-up for the first time in two weeks, we were ready for our grand debut in Valdivia. Luckily, we were able to get back in time for La Noche Valdiviana (Valdivian Night) and be part of a big town celebration. The anniversary of Valdivia’s independence is actually earlier in February (Feb. 9?), but they extend the festivities all the way through the month and it ends with La Noche Valdiviana on the last Saturday of the month. Valdivia is located at the crossing of three rivers and the festivities are located along the banks of and on the Calle Calle River.
On our way there, we asked Marcelo if they have food stands to buy some supper from a vendor. He wasn’t sure, so instead we went to get our first completos. Completos are a famous Chilean dish, but I really don’t know their origin. It’s basically a hotdog in a really big bun, filled with a bunch of other stuff. The ones we had included saurkraut, tomatoes, avacado, and a bunch of mayonnaise. The hotdog had orange casing (I don’t know why) and it was basically lost amidst all the other ‘condiments.’ I really enjoyed the completo, but it would’ve been even better if the saurkraut was fried onions instead. Not a gourmet meal by any standards, but a local favorite.
We headed down to the riverside then and I was amazed at how crowded it was getting even though the activities really didn’t start until 9:30. It turned out that they did have vendors selling food, but I was much too full from the completo to think any of it looked appetizing.
We got to go to the other side of the river, the side with the university campus, because Marcelo is part of the faculty. We staked out some good spots and then waited to be amazed. The main event of La Noche Valdiviana is a boat parade of about 25 lit and decorated boats. Several had some very big displays and were really amazing. My favorite was the boat that took around the Queen of Valdivia. It’s tough to explain and the pictures really didn’t turn out in the dark, but it reminded me of The Little Mermaid with a lot of big sea creatures on it. There was actually a huge clamshell that was like a lean-to over the queen. The finale of the night was a firework show over the river.
The whole thing was really cool and it was impossible to fathom how many people were watching. The entire other side of the river was packed with people. The only thing I would’ve changed was how long it took. The boats just kept going back and forth and the whole thing lasted for three hours when it could’ve been done in one hour.
Afterward was the real fun though. When we were heading home Marcelo detoured us to a bar that was less than a block from our cabana. It was pretty low-key, so we just sat and talked for about 1.5 hours and had just one drink each. We got back to Marcelo’s house to turn in for the night at about 2 a.m., and this is pretty early for such a big celebration night. When we were walking to the car there were a lot of 10-year-olds still up and running around. The Chilean nightlife is going to take some getting used to.
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