Buenas Tardes! My what a week it has been! I am still in Osorno, Chile. And while, yes, I really really like the ciudad. And, yes, I have very much enjoyed the hospitality and company of Claudio - my Blues-playing, English-teaching, mountain-climbing host and friend; the principle reason that I have remained here for so long is, unfortunately, a much less pleasant story.
I have actually been quite ill in the past week and spent more than a few days in bed without wandering outside to see the light of day. Before complete bed confinement became necessary, I did get to visit the nearby city of Río Bueno - an absolutely adorable pueblito where I spent a bright, sunny afternoon sitting in the beautifully manicured town plaza writing in my journal, people watching, and enjoying being the only tourist in this very off-the-beaten track town sitting on the pristine river Bueno. But by last Thursday after una visita a la clinica, a 2 am visit to the emergency room, medication, and other fun treatments, I found myself becoming one with the bed, so to speak. And in the midst of my minor medical emergency, I had a LOT of time to think. A LOT.
And in the midst of being frustrated with feeling less than delightful, I decided that if there could possibly be a "perfect-timing" for my illness, this had to be it. I had a safe, comfortable place to stay, a very caring and compassionate host, and no particular place I HAD to run off to until Joe gets here later tonight. So I let myself be. Accepted my lot in life for the moment and attempted to roll with the punches.
I started to get nervous because Joe and I planned on meeting in San Juan, Argentina on Thursday morning - a journey of nearly 2 days from where I currently am. I thought it would be nice to see a new area before taking a 2 week hiatus from traveling to fly home for my dad´s wedding on April 9th. Plus, San Juan is MUCH closer to Buenos Aires than where I am currently stationed meaning it would be far quicker and easier for Joe to bus it there. Well, the situation being what it was, it became clear that I would not be able to make it to San Juan in time. And THEN, Joe discovered the amazing concept of flying domestically within Argentina - brilliant! So now Joe is flying to Bariloche tomorrow morning after spending the night in Buenos Aires with a friend of a friend - gotta love the power of making connections with people! And I will be hopping on a bus in the morning to cross the border back into Argentina and meet him there. And then we will be off to explore Northern Patagonia, visit the family that hosted me in Junín, meet up with Claudio to do some exploring in Pucon, Chile, and who knows what else! And while I won´t be making it to San Juan, I am excited to show off this incredible area to Joe and think it will actually be so much better because he can meet my friends, drink maté with locals, and maybe even have an authentic Argentinian asado - woohoo!
And because I stuck around, Claudio and I were able to take a mini-aventura to the coast where I watched in awe as absoultely HUGE waves crashed into the cliffs and ate a freakin´ deliciosa seafood empanada - YUM! I also got to take a side trip yesterday to the city of Valdivia to meet my friends Ane (the "shiny" girl who I met in Chiloe) and Fito (my host in Llanquihue). I would have missed out on that opportunity had I stuck to my original "plan." So as I lie thinking in bed what good may come of an ill-chill situation, I feel I have found my answer. I am feeling much much better and looking forward to the adventures to come with Joe! And thanks again and again to Claudio for taking such good care of me! Hasta la proxima....VIVA!
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Monday, March 23, 2009
Get Rhythm, When You Get the Blues! Or How the Chileans Showed Me a Good Time:)
Buenos Días desde Osorno, Chile! It´s been over a week since I last wrote, and as per usual, my life has been a boatload full of adventure, new faces, new friends, and seeing new places.
When I last wrote, I was biding my time for a few hours in the tourist haven of Puerto Varas until Fito - my new Chilean "boyfriend" - got off work so I could be whisked off to his casa in the totally non-touristy town of Llanquihue - once again I got to be one with the gente...woohoo! - and meet my new Chilean family. When in touristy towns, I have tried to stay off the beaten tourist track by going to restaurants owned by locals and little frequented by the gringo crowd - I LOVE gringos, I really do - heck, most of the time, I myself am a pretty lovable gringa (always gringa, not always loveable...), but while here I want to speak Spanish, meet locals, and talk to them about their work, the town they live in, their lives, their culture. And I find this is best done by avoiding los gringos... When I hang out with other travelers, I tend to become far more closed off to talking to strangers. I actually find it quite challenging to put myself out there and start talking to locals, but when Im alone and there are only locals to talk to, I can choose between being friendly or being lonely. I strive to be friendly and often meet some great people and have some pretty wonderful experiences as a result. So on that "anti-gringo" note, I walked around in search of the emptiest, yet cheeriest (and cheapest) place I could find, and was fortunate enough to spend nearly three hours chatting it up with Pablo and his girlfriend at their small, but cheery cafe as he prepared me a delicious salad and sopaipilla (fried bread filled with cheese). They were just as fascinated with my life as I was with theirs - I like to think of it as Cameron´s Cultural Exchange Program!
And then it was midnight and off to Fito´s to meet mom, dad, and sister Macarena. I ended up spending 4 days in Llanquihue with Fito and his fantastic family! We spent many many hours sitting around their wood burning stove in the kitchen talking about life and the cultural differences between los estados and Chile. And in one humorous moment, Fito´s father did his best to try to teach me how to adeptly light the stove with a match. I drew the line when he tried to get me to start the wood-burning stove. I nearly burned down a house in NC trying to do the very same thing - no need to cause such destruction in the lovely house of my hosts! Sunday, Macarena and I went to the nearby town of Frutillar to wander along the gorgeous beachfront with stunning views of Vólcan Osorno and eat kuchen, a German version of pie. AMAZING! I gave her a mini-English class so she could surprise her English teacher the next day with such exciting phrases as "May I go to the bathroom?"
Monday, Fito and I headed to Puerto Montt, and I must admit that I have to take back my previous statement in which I labeled this a big, ugly town. It´s big, and not particularly attractive, but I liked it. It certainly helped having a local cart me around - the overwhelm factor was significantly reduced by having Fito there, and there was something really nice about walking along the waterfront on a dreary rainy day watching the fisherman bring in the day´s catch and later eating a big piece of freshly caught salmon at a market on the waterfront with the smell of salt and fish in the air. We also trudged our way up a steep muddy hill to get a view of the city and as we arrived to an open pasture high above the city, we were greeted by a herd of grazing cattle munching on grass and blackberries. Seriously, these cows have one fairly well-rounded diet! I had to draw my attention away from the view to snap a photo of one particular cow eating his way through a giant blackberry bush like it was just another day at the fruit and grain buffet!
Tuesday, I headed off on my own to explore Volcan Osorno a little closer up. I took a bus to Petrohue where I hiked several hours on the volcanic ash up to a viewpoint giving a stunning view of the volcano, Lago Petrohue, and the mountains beyond. Later, I headed to the nearby Saltos de Petrohue, a series of waterfalls at the mouth of the river. It was nice to head of on my own a bit and wander around in a relatively unvisited area - the bus literally dropped me off at the end of the road. NOthing between where I was in Chile and Argentina except, you know, the ANDES!!
And then Wednesday, after a delicious lunch, the whole Ruiz family carted me off to the bus station to bid me adeiu as I boarded the bus for a ONE HOUR bus ride to Osorno. It was perhaps the sweetest experience Ive had on this trip. This whole family standing there waving at me and blowing me kisses and making me promise to call as soon as I got there. My OWN family doesnt even drive me to the airport as a group when Im leaving for months...
So off I went, once again, to see a new town and visit a new friend. I was to meet up with Claudio, a friend I met a couple of months back in Bariloche. He lives and works as a teacher in Osorno and invited me to stay if I ever passed through. And after getting myself oriented in the bus station - this is a town of 140,000 people (i.e. - overwhelming bus station experience ensued), I staggered down the street under the weight of my seemingly heavier backpack (when I go back in April, I am leaving everything except the only two outfits I have worn the whole time I am here - one really can live with so little when necessary!), and was delighted to discover that Claudio lives only about a 10 minute walk away from the bus station on a very quiet street - un otro mundo from that of the hectic, bustling bus station.
And here I am! Osorno, Chile. Another one of those "non-touristy" towns that I like so much. In fact, I would never have come here if it weren´t for being invited as Lonely Planet has some pretty dismal things to say about the city. But Ive found it quite delightful. Once I dumped my bag and had someone to point me in the right direction, I had a fantastic time wandering among the many markets in downtown, visiting the big fruit, veggie, fish, and artesan market on Saturday, sitting in the Plaza de Armas next to a beautiful fountain listening to the church bells chime while writing in my diary, heading a short bit away from Claudio´s casa on bike to ride along the rolling hills through nearby farmland, and - best of all - listening to Claudio and his friend play Blues music - that´s right, BLUES - in his living room as they prepare for a show they have in few weeks. Claudio is a very well-rounded individual with a diverse array of interests - he teaches English to pre-schoolers, rock climbs all over Chile, Argentina, and France and is also one of the only people in this area - in Southern Chile, really - who plays the harmonica. He has pretty much mastered playing the Blues on his guitar and harmonica and people all around search for him when they need a harmonica player. So here I am, a chica born and bred in Mississippi - the honest-to-goodness Home of the Blues - listening to renditions of Blues greats by the likes of Muddy Waters and Ted Hawkins, among many others, in Osorno, Chile - incredible! Not only that, but he also serenaded me with Tom Petty and Cat Stevens - my own private folk/rock concert - woohoo! Nothing like a good dose of some of your favorite music from the homeland to make you feel all warm and cozy (and perhaps a little homesick)!
After several days of exploring Osorno, Claudio and I headed out together to nearby Parque Nacional Peyuhue where there are several natural hot springs tucked into the side of the Andes near the Chile-Argentinian border. We meandered our way through a gorgeous forest with giant trees that surely rival some of those in Joyce Kilmer in NC (i.e. really really big around!). I took the opportunity to monkey around a bit feeling like a kid in a jungle gym climbing up the trees and exploring the cool nooks and crannies created by the roots and trunks. And after a somewhat steep climb, up a we were rewarded with an fantastic panoramic view of the river valley below and the Andes all around us. And once again I felt this overwhelming sense of happiness at the opportunity to lay my eyes on such beauty:). Month 5 into my trip, and I continue to feel like I am staring at a painting someone has presented before me. This canNOT be real, can it? This place is too beautiful for words. I find myself sitting in moments like this, trying to take it all in, wanting to think of nothing more than the place where I am, this moment. I know this cannot go on forever, but for now, I want to be here. In the present. I love it here. It´s beautiful. Will I come back someday? I sure hope so. And I hope next time I can share it with Poppa T, or Annelle, or Jarratt, or - who knows - maybe even mom!
So here´s my thought on Osorno, Chile. Lonely Planet has it all wrong. It actually does not get much better than Osorno. Local flavor, great fruit and veggie markets, and within 5 miles you are in the country. One hour to natural (and free!) hot springs, crystal clear lakes, free-flowing rivers, volcanoes, and mountains for trekking all offering incredible views of the Andes al fondo. One (maybe two) hours to the Pacific Ocean. Im accepting offers forany and all jobs as a tourist rep for la ciudad!
Im not sure how much longer I will be here. There are stilla few places around here I would like to visit. But the next stop is Junín de los Andes, Argentina - oh dear, ANOTHER border crossing - to visit Noelia and Tay and pick up some things I left back in January, and then Im heading up to San Juan to meet up with Chicago Joe. That´s right, Im having a visitor - woohoo!! Until the next aventura...¡VIVA!
When I last wrote, I was biding my time for a few hours in the tourist haven of Puerto Varas until Fito - my new Chilean "boyfriend" - got off work so I could be whisked off to his casa in the totally non-touristy town of Llanquihue - once again I got to be one with the gente...woohoo! - and meet my new Chilean family. When in touristy towns, I have tried to stay off the beaten tourist track by going to restaurants owned by locals and little frequented by the gringo crowd - I LOVE gringos, I really do - heck, most of the time, I myself am a pretty lovable gringa (always gringa, not always loveable...), but while here I want to speak Spanish, meet locals, and talk to them about their work, the town they live in, their lives, their culture. And I find this is best done by avoiding los gringos... When I hang out with other travelers, I tend to become far more closed off to talking to strangers. I actually find it quite challenging to put myself out there and start talking to locals, but when Im alone and there are only locals to talk to, I can choose between being friendly or being lonely. I strive to be friendly and often meet some great people and have some pretty wonderful experiences as a result. So on that "anti-gringo" note, I walked around in search of the emptiest, yet cheeriest (and cheapest) place I could find, and was fortunate enough to spend nearly three hours chatting it up with Pablo and his girlfriend at their small, but cheery cafe as he prepared me a delicious salad and sopaipilla (fried bread filled with cheese). They were just as fascinated with my life as I was with theirs - I like to think of it as Cameron´s Cultural Exchange Program!
And then it was midnight and off to Fito´s to meet mom, dad, and sister Macarena. I ended up spending 4 days in Llanquihue with Fito and his fantastic family! We spent many many hours sitting around their wood burning stove in the kitchen talking about life and the cultural differences between los estados and Chile. And in one humorous moment, Fito´s father did his best to try to teach me how to adeptly light the stove with a match. I drew the line when he tried to get me to start the wood-burning stove. I nearly burned down a house in NC trying to do the very same thing - no need to cause such destruction in the lovely house of my hosts! Sunday, Macarena and I went to the nearby town of Frutillar to wander along the gorgeous beachfront with stunning views of Vólcan Osorno and eat kuchen, a German version of pie. AMAZING! I gave her a mini-English class so she could surprise her English teacher the next day with such exciting phrases as "May I go to the bathroom?"
Monday, Fito and I headed to Puerto Montt, and I must admit that I have to take back my previous statement in which I labeled this a big, ugly town. It´s big, and not particularly attractive, but I liked it. It certainly helped having a local cart me around - the overwhelm factor was significantly reduced by having Fito there, and there was something really nice about walking along the waterfront on a dreary rainy day watching the fisherman bring in the day´s catch and later eating a big piece of freshly caught salmon at a market on the waterfront with the smell of salt and fish in the air. We also trudged our way up a steep muddy hill to get a view of the city and as we arrived to an open pasture high above the city, we were greeted by a herd of grazing cattle munching on grass and blackberries. Seriously, these cows have one fairly well-rounded diet! I had to draw my attention away from the view to snap a photo of one particular cow eating his way through a giant blackberry bush like it was just another day at the fruit and grain buffet!
Tuesday, I headed off on my own to explore Volcan Osorno a little closer up. I took a bus to Petrohue where I hiked several hours on the volcanic ash up to a viewpoint giving a stunning view of the volcano, Lago Petrohue, and the mountains beyond. Later, I headed to the nearby Saltos de Petrohue, a series of waterfalls at the mouth of the river. It was nice to head of on my own a bit and wander around in a relatively unvisited area - the bus literally dropped me off at the end of the road. NOthing between where I was in Chile and Argentina except, you know, the ANDES!!
And then Wednesday, after a delicious lunch, the whole Ruiz family carted me off to the bus station to bid me adeiu as I boarded the bus for a ONE HOUR bus ride to Osorno. It was perhaps the sweetest experience Ive had on this trip. This whole family standing there waving at me and blowing me kisses and making me promise to call as soon as I got there. My OWN family doesnt even drive me to the airport as a group when Im leaving for months...
So off I went, once again, to see a new town and visit a new friend. I was to meet up with Claudio, a friend I met a couple of months back in Bariloche. He lives and works as a teacher in Osorno and invited me to stay if I ever passed through. And after getting myself oriented in the bus station - this is a town of 140,000 people (i.e. - overwhelming bus station experience ensued), I staggered down the street under the weight of my seemingly heavier backpack (when I go back in April, I am leaving everything except the only two outfits I have worn the whole time I am here - one really can live with so little when necessary!), and was delighted to discover that Claudio lives only about a 10 minute walk away from the bus station on a very quiet street - un otro mundo from that of the hectic, bustling bus station.
And here I am! Osorno, Chile. Another one of those "non-touristy" towns that I like so much. In fact, I would never have come here if it weren´t for being invited as Lonely Planet has some pretty dismal things to say about the city. But Ive found it quite delightful. Once I dumped my bag and had someone to point me in the right direction, I had a fantastic time wandering among the many markets in downtown, visiting the big fruit, veggie, fish, and artesan market on Saturday, sitting in the Plaza de Armas next to a beautiful fountain listening to the church bells chime while writing in my diary, heading a short bit away from Claudio´s casa on bike to ride along the rolling hills through nearby farmland, and - best of all - listening to Claudio and his friend play Blues music - that´s right, BLUES - in his living room as they prepare for a show they have in few weeks. Claudio is a very well-rounded individual with a diverse array of interests - he teaches English to pre-schoolers, rock climbs all over Chile, Argentina, and France and is also one of the only people in this area - in Southern Chile, really - who plays the harmonica. He has pretty much mastered playing the Blues on his guitar and harmonica and people all around search for him when they need a harmonica player. So here I am, a chica born and bred in Mississippi - the honest-to-goodness Home of the Blues - listening to renditions of Blues greats by the likes of Muddy Waters and Ted Hawkins, among many others, in Osorno, Chile - incredible! Not only that, but he also serenaded me with Tom Petty and Cat Stevens - my own private folk/rock concert - woohoo! Nothing like a good dose of some of your favorite music from the homeland to make you feel all warm and cozy (and perhaps a little homesick)!
After several days of exploring Osorno, Claudio and I headed out together to nearby Parque Nacional Peyuhue where there are several natural hot springs tucked into the side of the Andes near the Chile-Argentinian border. We meandered our way through a gorgeous forest with giant trees that surely rival some of those in Joyce Kilmer in NC (i.e. really really big around!). I took the opportunity to monkey around a bit feeling like a kid in a jungle gym climbing up the trees and exploring the cool nooks and crannies created by the roots and trunks. And after a somewhat steep climb, up a we were rewarded with an fantastic panoramic view of the river valley below and the Andes all around us. And once again I felt this overwhelming sense of happiness at the opportunity to lay my eyes on such beauty:). Month 5 into my trip, and I continue to feel like I am staring at a painting someone has presented before me. This canNOT be real, can it? This place is too beautiful for words. I find myself sitting in moments like this, trying to take it all in, wanting to think of nothing more than the place where I am, this moment. I know this cannot go on forever, but for now, I want to be here. In the present. I love it here. It´s beautiful. Will I come back someday? I sure hope so. And I hope next time I can share it with Poppa T, or Annelle, or Jarratt, or - who knows - maybe even mom!
So here´s my thought on Osorno, Chile. Lonely Planet has it all wrong. It actually does not get much better than Osorno. Local flavor, great fruit and veggie markets, and within 5 miles you are in the country. One hour to natural (and free!) hot springs, crystal clear lakes, free-flowing rivers, volcanoes, and mountains for trekking all offering incredible views of the Andes al fondo. One (maybe two) hours to the Pacific Ocean. Im accepting offers forany and all jobs as a tourist rep for la ciudad!
Im not sure how much longer I will be here. There are stilla few places around here I would like to visit. But the next stop is Junín de los Andes, Argentina - oh dear, ANOTHER border crossing - to visit Noelia and Tay and pick up some things I left back in January, and then Im heading up to San Juan to meet up with Chicago Joe. That´s right, Im having a visitor - woohoo!! Until the next aventura...¡VIVA!
Saturday, March 14, 2009
My Knight(ess?) in Shiny Armor
¡Buenas Tardes desde Puerto Varas, Chile! This morning I woke up to a beautiful clear blue sky day in Castro on the island of Chiloé and was hesitant to leave this magical, misty island - not to mention my cozy hostel with its rooftop terrace where I spent many hours reading and staring out at the bay below. Really, can you beat paying $10/nt for your own room, hot water, and views like that?!? Yet, I decided it was time to move on to a new locale. Time to see a new town. So after a long run along the bay with smells of salt and fish in the air, I packed up my things and boarded yet another bus to yet another new town.
And here I am - Puerto Varas, Chile - a beautiful, tidy resort town on the banks of Lago Llanquique with a stellar view of Volcán Osorno in the distance. After the clutter, noise, and chaos of Castro it feels slightly odd to be in a place that is so neat, clean, and full of tourists. It was kind of fun to feel like I was one with the gente for a few days! After Tuesday´s hike, I spent Wednesday wandering around Castro visiting the fish market where I ate some sort of shellfish that evidentally go for 20 Euros a piece in Spain, but we ate 6 for free! Im not a huge fan of slimy living species making their way into my mouth and down into my intestines, but, hey, when in Castro... I also made my way to various viewpoints throughout the city, and, most exciting of all, found a panadería that sells honest-to-goodness cake. Moist. Sweet. Delicious. I had to stop myself after several pieces! Thursday, I hitchhiked my way around the island to check out a few small towns, making friends with a some locals along the way - one of whom prepared me the most fantastic salad I have had in ages:). The towns are cute, quaint, have ginormous churches, beautiful views of the sea, and not much else. I really enjoyed the tranquility of these smaller towns. Oh, and it´s apple and blackberry season, so you can munch munch munch away on fresh fruit at every turn!
But I felt the need to move on, so off I went with my eye on Puerto Varas - a town in the lakes district of Chile, essentially along the same line as Bariloche. But, unlike Bariloche, other than this hulking, perfectly conical volcano some 60 kms off in the distance, it´s rather flat. My Spanish friend, Ane, with whom I hiked in Parque Nacional CHiloé , headed to Puerto Varas a few days ago. We thought we might meet up here, but she has moved on. However, in her wake, she has left me a whole slew of contacts - this girl is magic, I swear!
Ane is a very shiny chica. Shiny in the sense that she literally "shines." She can talk to anyone. Anyone. And make friends with them almost immediately. After 10 minutes they are inviting her to dinner, to go for a hike, to take off work to show her around town, and/or to stay at their house. I saw it in action on Tuesday and Wednesday and told her I MUST travel with her again at some point in the future to learn just how she pulls this off. She has no fear when talking to people. And is so open and genuine that people immediately take to her. I. WANT. THAT. But in the meantime, I will take advantage of the contacts she makes. And so today, when I got to town, I immediately headed to a local sandwichería in search on one "Fito." Ane befriended him upon first arriving on Wednesday afternoon, and he proceeded to take the next two days off work to show her the area. I went in search of food and some advice as to where to go around here. But within minutes, I was invited to stay with his family and eat authentic Chilean cuisine. Really? Are you serious? I dont know anyone here. I got here 30 minutes ago. And now I have an entire family with whom to spend the next few days. Does it get any better than experiences like this? So Im hanging around town for a few hours until he gets off work and then headed home to meet mom, dad, and his little sister. And who knows what adventures will ensue from there!! One day I hope I can be as generous to others as they have been to me during my time here!
Tomorrow, Im headed to check out some lakes in the area and then in a few days will head further north to meet up with Claudio, a friend I met a while back in Bariloche. Im "contact-hopping" you might say! Until the next aventura...VIVA!
And here I am - Puerto Varas, Chile - a beautiful, tidy resort town on the banks of Lago Llanquique with a stellar view of Volcán Osorno in the distance. After the clutter, noise, and chaos of Castro it feels slightly odd to be in a place that is so neat, clean, and full of tourists. It was kind of fun to feel like I was one with the gente for a few days! After Tuesday´s hike, I spent Wednesday wandering around Castro visiting the fish market where I ate some sort of shellfish that evidentally go for 20 Euros a piece in Spain, but we ate 6 for free! Im not a huge fan of slimy living species making their way into my mouth and down into my intestines, but, hey, when in Castro... I also made my way to various viewpoints throughout the city, and, most exciting of all, found a panadería that sells honest-to-goodness cake. Moist. Sweet. Delicious. I had to stop myself after several pieces! Thursday, I hitchhiked my way around the island to check out a few small towns, making friends with a some locals along the way - one of whom prepared me the most fantastic salad I have had in ages:). The towns are cute, quaint, have ginormous churches, beautiful views of the sea, and not much else. I really enjoyed the tranquility of these smaller towns. Oh, and it´s apple and blackberry season, so you can munch munch munch away on fresh fruit at every turn!
But I felt the need to move on, so off I went with my eye on Puerto Varas - a town in the lakes district of Chile, essentially along the same line as Bariloche. But, unlike Bariloche, other than this hulking, perfectly conical volcano some 60 kms off in the distance, it´s rather flat. My Spanish friend, Ane, with whom I hiked in Parque Nacional CHiloé , headed to Puerto Varas a few days ago. We thought we might meet up here, but she has moved on. However, in her wake, she has left me a whole slew of contacts - this girl is magic, I swear!
Ane is a very shiny chica. Shiny in the sense that she literally "shines." She can talk to anyone. Anyone. And make friends with them almost immediately. After 10 minutes they are inviting her to dinner, to go for a hike, to take off work to show her around town, and/or to stay at their house. I saw it in action on Tuesday and Wednesday and told her I MUST travel with her again at some point in the future to learn just how she pulls this off. She has no fear when talking to people. And is so open and genuine that people immediately take to her. I. WANT. THAT. But in the meantime, I will take advantage of the contacts she makes. And so today, when I got to town, I immediately headed to a local sandwichería in search on one "Fito." Ane befriended him upon first arriving on Wednesday afternoon, and he proceeded to take the next two days off work to show her the area. I went in search of food and some advice as to where to go around here. But within minutes, I was invited to stay with his family and eat authentic Chilean cuisine. Really? Are you serious? I dont know anyone here. I got here 30 minutes ago. And now I have an entire family with whom to spend the next few days. Does it get any better than experiences like this? So Im hanging around town for a few hours until he gets off work and then headed home to meet mom, dad, and his little sister. And who knows what adventures will ensue from there!! One day I hope I can be as generous to others as they have been to me during my time here!
Tomorrow, Im headed to check out some lakes in the area and then in a few days will head further north to meet up with Claudio, a friend I met a while back in Bariloche. Im "contact-hopping" you might say! Until the next aventura...VIVA!
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Livin´the Dream
Buenos días desde Castro, Island of Chiloe, Chile! It´s a lazy Wednesday, and I have much to report, so grab a cup of tea, coffee, hot chocolate, maté, pisco sour, fernet and coke - whatever your drink of choice may be for the moment - and ENJOY!
Chicago Joe asked me via gchat the other day, "What are you up to?" Hmmm...What AM I up to? I am up to a lot of things, no doubt. But the sum of all the parts that make up what I do each and every day has to be "Living the Dream." Seriously. I feel like I am living someone else´s dream. Someone is sleeping and dreaming up all these things I do each day and when they wake up from what no doubt has been a very very long slumber, MY dream life will come to a screeching halt. But in the meantime, I shall take advantage of the cards I have been dealt, and I assure you that I am beyond grateful for each and every dreamy day that comes my way. And that being said - just as we all have good dreams and bad dreams, my dream life here has its on-top-of-the-world dream days and its this-too-shall-pass (hopefully-sooner-than-later) dream days.
The past week has been a series of ups and downs for me. After los americanos and Kiwi Dan left, I found myself having a hard time adjusting to life without an English-speaking travel partner. How "spoiled" I was for a week there! But I PREFER only speaking Spanish - I just found it oddly disorienting to return to speaking only in a language where I am not always able to express myself. It was as if I overindulged in English for a week, spilling out every thought and feeling I had not been able to adequately express in the several months prior and then, all of the sudden, I had to return to a language in which I am not fully able to express everything I feel and think. Pero bueno, this-too-hath-passed and Im back to being in love with my second lengua!
Plus, I had the amazingly good fortune of being invited to stay with my friend Rosario who rents a delightfully tiny casita in Bariloche. I spent 5 nights sleeping in her attic feeling like a little kid having a slumber party in a tree house. I spent several days wandering around Bariloche, writing for hours in my journal, hanging out in the evenings with Rosario and her friends, and the big accomplishment for the week was one amazingly long run (13 kms!) along Lago Gutierrez.
This past weekend, Rosario invited me to join her and a group of friends on a 25km bike ride along the Río Manso some 70 kms south of Bariloche. The river is in a very rural area at the base of the Andean Cordillera near the Chilean border in an area that is VERY green and where the cows and sheep definitely outnumber the people by at least 10:1. I was really growing to love the city, but still feel like it is too big and touristy for me to ever live there, so I was happy to return to the middle of nowhere and spend a gorgeous sunny day in the naturaleza. Our ride began around noon and the next 5 hours were spent pedaling along the river passing through various people´s farms, saying hello to the many cows and horses along the path, eating lunch in a shady green patch al lado del río, huffing and puffing it up one long long climb near the end of the ride, and finishing at a sunny beach where we all proceeded to collapse from exhaustion. It was a gorgeous day and I was so happy for the opportunity to see this place and explore it via bicycle!
And the cherry on top had to be the farm house we got to stay in for the night. Rosario just so happens to be friends with one of the few people who live in this area. Her friend rents a house on the river where we were biking that brings to mind Little House on the Prairie. After a long day of biking, it was nice to bump 5 kms down the road to this little house, cook a yummy dinner, and pass out in a warm bed. And after an active Saturday, Rosario and I spent all day Sunday sitting outside in the sun on a beach by the river, reading, swimming, eating, and staring in amazement at the mountains all around us - our only visitors being the horses munching away on the grass. All the while I was thinking to myself, "How in the world have I managed to find myself here? What have I done to deserve such a beautiful place?" I was in love with the moment, the setting, the company! So thank you again and again, Rosario!
And then Monday, I once again found myself confused about what to do next. Should I stay another day in Bariloche or head on to Chiloé, a large island on the Pacific coast in the middle of Chile?? I had been planning to go there next, but other opportunites kept coming up, so my trip kept being put off. But now, on Monday morning, I had little holding me in Bariloche - Rosario left for a business trip, German was busy with his own family, and I had done many of the hikes, bike rides, and such around town. But still, I was hesitant to leave, and I could not figure out why. It was a beautiful day that I felt like I could take advantage of by going for a run, reading on the beach, or hiking to a nerby viewpoint. But I think I was mostly nervous to head out, once again, into the great unknown all alone. And, oddly enough, I was DREADING the bus ride. I know, I know, so very unlike me after speaking so highly of my bus adventures here. But the whole idea of having to sit on the bus - not to mention do yet ANOTHER border crossing - and deal with big scary bus terminals was just too overwhelming. In the three hours prior to my journey I must have flip-flopped 10 times!
But, alas, at 11:30 am, I was aboard a bus headed to Puerto Montt, Chile where I would then board a bus to cross onto the island of Chiloe. And I STILL was not sure I was making the right decision. But the thing is (and here I am going to get a bit philosophical on you, forgive me!), there is no such thing as a right or wrong decision here. It all simply has to do with my own perception of the decisions I make. I choose each and every thing I do here. That is the beauty of my lot in life for the moment, so I only have to believe I have made the right decision and choose not to think about woulda, coulda, shoulda, and until now, I have had NO regrets. And not only that, everything has worked out so beautifully. So as I sat on the bus feeling torn about leaving on a gorgeous day that should have perhaps been spent in the great outdoors as opposed to inside a hot stuffy bus, I told myself - "Chiloe is calling. Off I go." And tried my best to calm my fears for the bus terminal in Puerto Montt. Big city bus terminals - ok, big cities in general - give me the heebie jeebies. My plan was to try to get all the way to the city of Castro in the middle of the island in order to wake up on Tuesday morning and catch a bus to a nearby national park to hike along the beach. The island is known for nearly incessant rainstorms, but Tuesday was supposed to be one of the only nice days. So my plan had two advantages. Number 1 - I would spend as little time as possible in Puerto Montt - big, ugly and overwhelming; and Number 2 - I would get to the park in time to take advantage of good weather.
And as luck would have it, I got to Puerto Montt just in time to catch the next bus heading to Ancud, the most northern city on the island of Chiloe. After only 30 mins in Puerto Montt, I was happy to be getting the hell out of a big, bustling city and breathed the biggest sigh of relief when the bus pulled off the ferry onto the green, misty, magical island of Chiloe. The island actually reminds me of rural Mississippi with its green, rolling hills, large pastures with cows grazing in the distance, and very very few people - why is it that I get so overwhelmed by such large populations of people when Im traveling?! I really do like people, I PROMISE!! And once in Ancud, I hung out in the much smaller, much quieter bus terminal for 45 minutes before catching the next bus to Castro where I arrived around 10:30, and felt my way through the dark deserted streets of the city for the nearest hostel and proceeded to collapse from the exhaustion that accompanies doing a whole lot of nothing for an entire day!
And yesterday, Wednesday, I woke up to a gorgeous day in Chiloe! I had yet to really even see any of this island, and I was already in love with it. Now that I was actually here and had gotten the whole traveling section over with, I was feeling proud of myself for being solo again, for exploring a new area all on my own, and was excited to get to know a place that is so unique and full of lore. Chiloe is know for its fish and seafood markets, the mythical creatures that inhabit various cities on the island, its antique churches that seem to have been built anywhere where the population was at least 10 - sheeps, cows, and horses included in the census, and its houses built on stilts to withstand the drastic change of the tides - in the morning the boats on the "dock" look like they have been washed ashore, but by 3 PM, they are floating in water that would go well above my head!
So I pranced out into the streets to buy food and water for my day of hiking, and by 9 am was aboard a bus headed for the Parque Nacional Chiloe for a hike along the coast of the Pacific Ocean. And along the way, I met Ane, a delightful chica from País Vasco (ok, for those of you like me who are geographically challenged I will be so kind to inform you that this is an autonomous community in northern Spain). The two of us walked barefoot along the beach for awhile before finding the trail that led us through a misty arrayan forest on the shores of the Pacific Ocean. We followed the trail watching in awe as 4 or 5 horses crossed our path trotting out onto the beach to drink water (salt water?!?) and feed on the kelp that has washed up onto the shore. The mist lying over everything and the lack of all but a handful of people - mostly locals - made the whole scene feel so dreamy and out of this world. No pictures will do it justice. I wish I could have bottled up the feeling to share with you on here! And just before we headed back to catch the last bus to Castro, the whole trip was made that much more mystical when I turned to see 3 cows grazing on the same kelp - munch munch munching away on this misty beach - what a STRANGE sight! We hopped on the back of a pickup truck with some locals for a roller coaster of a ride through the sand for the last part of our trip back to the bus. Back in Castro, we celebrated the end of a great day with some super tasty - and cheap! - salmon overlooking the water and staring in complete awe and wonder at the full moon rising over the city. And once again, I found myself thinking, "Damn, I truly am living the dream." And I am so very very happy and grateful for this opportunity. Until tomorrow´s adventure...VIVA!
Chicago Joe asked me via gchat the other day, "What are you up to?" Hmmm...What AM I up to? I am up to a lot of things, no doubt. But the sum of all the parts that make up what I do each and every day has to be "Living the Dream." Seriously. I feel like I am living someone else´s dream. Someone is sleeping and dreaming up all these things I do each day and when they wake up from what no doubt has been a very very long slumber, MY dream life will come to a screeching halt. But in the meantime, I shall take advantage of the cards I have been dealt, and I assure you that I am beyond grateful for each and every dreamy day that comes my way. And that being said - just as we all have good dreams and bad dreams, my dream life here has its on-top-of-the-world dream days and its this-too-shall-pass (hopefully-sooner-than-later) dream days.
The past week has been a series of ups and downs for me. After los americanos and Kiwi Dan left, I found myself having a hard time adjusting to life without an English-speaking travel partner. How "spoiled" I was for a week there! But I PREFER only speaking Spanish - I just found it oddly disorienting to return to speaking only in a language where I am not always able to express myself. It was as if I overindulged in English for a week, spilling out every thought and feeling I had not been able to adequately express in the several months prior and then, all of the sudden, I had to return to a language in which I am not fully able to express everything I feel and think. Pero bueno, this-too-hath-passed and Im back to being in love with my second lengua!
Plus, I had the amazingly good fortune of being invited to stay with my friend Rosario who rents a delightfully tiny casita in Bariloche. I spent 5 nights sleeping in her attic feeling like a little kid having a slumber party in a tree house. I spent several days wandering around Bariloche, writing for hours in my journal, hanging out in the evenings with Rosario and her friends, and the big accomplishment for the week was one amazingly long run (13 kms!) along Lago Gutierrez.
This past weekend, Rosario invited me to join her and a group of friends on a 25km bike ride along the Río Manso some 70 kms south of Bariloche. The river is in a very rural area at the base of the Andean Cordillera near the Chilean border in an area that is VERY green and where the cows and sheep definitely outnumber the people by at least 10:1. I was really growing to love the city, but still feel like it is too big and touristy for me to ever live there, so I was happy to return to the middle of nowhere and spend a gorgeous sunny day in the naturaleza. Our ride began around noon and the next 5 hours were spent pedaling along the river passing through various people´s farms, saying hello to the many cows and horses along the path, eating lunch in a shady green patch al lado del río, huffing and puffing it up one long long climb near the end of the ride, and finishing at a sunny beach where we all proceeded to collapse from exhaustion. It was a gorgeous day and I was so happy for the opportunity to see this place and explore it via bicycle!
And the cherry on top had to be the farm house we got to stay in for the night. Rosario just so happens to be friends with one of the few people who live in this area. Her friend rents a house on the river where we were biking that brings to mind Little House on the Prairie. After a long day of biking, it was nice to bump 5 kms down the road to this little house, cook a yummy dinner, and pass out in a warm bed. And after an active Saturday, Rosario and I spent all day Sunday sitting outside in the sun on a beach by the river, reading, swimming, eating, and staring in amazement at the mountains all around us - our only visitors being the horses munching away on the grass. All the while I was thinking to myself, "How in the world have I managed to find myself here? What have I done to deserve such a beautiful place?" I was in love with the moment, the setting, the company! So thank you again and again, Rosario!
And then Monday, I once again found myself confused about what to do next. Should I stay another day in Bariloche or head on to Chiloé, a large island on the Pacific coast in the middle of Chile?? I had been planning to go there next, but other opportunites kept coming up, so my trip kept being put off. But now, on Monday morning, I had little holding me in Bariloche - Rosario left for a business trip, German was busy with his own family, and I had done many of the hikes, bike rides, and such around town. But still, I was hesitant to leave, and I could not figure out why. It was a beautiful day that I felt like I could take advantage of by going for a run, reading on the beach, or hiking to a nerby viewpoint. But I think I was mostly nervous to head out, once again, into the great unknown all alone. And, oddly enough, I was DREADING the bus ride. I know, I know, so very unlike me after speaking so highly of my bus adventures here. But the whole idea of having to sit on the bus - not to mention do yet ANOTHER border crossing - and deal with big scary bus terminals was just too overwhelming. In the three hours prior to my journey I must have flip-flopped 10 times!
But, alas, at 11:30 am, I was aboard a bus headed to Puerto Montt, Chile where I would then board a bus to cross onto the island of Chiloe. And I STILL was not sure I was making the right decision. But the thing is (and here I am going to get a bit philosophical on you, forgive me!), there is no such thing as a right or wrong decision here. It all simply has to do with my own perception of the decisions I make. I choose each and every thing I do here. That is the beauty of my lot in life for the moment, so I only have to believe I have made the right decision and choose not to think about woulda, coulda, shoulda, and until now, I have had NO regrets. And not only that, everything has worked out so beautifully. So as I sat on the bus feeling torn about leaving on a gorgeous day that should have perhaps been spent in the great outdoors as opposed to inside a hot stuffy bus, I told myself - "Chiloe is calling. Off I go." And tried my best to calm my fears for the bus terminal in Puerto Montt. Big city bus terminals - ok, big cities in general - give me the heebie jeebies. My plan was to try to get all the way to the city of Castro in the middle of the island in order to wake up on Tuesday morning and catch a bus to a nearby national park to hike along the beach. The island is known for nearly incessant rainstorms, but Tuesday was supposed to be one of the only nice days. So my plan had two advantages. Number 1 - I would spend as little time as possible in Puerto Montt - big, ugly and overwhelming; and Number 2 - I would get to the park in time to take advantage of good weather.
And as luck would have it, I got to Puerto Montt just in time to catch the next bus heading to Ancud, the most northern city on the island of Chiloe. After only 30 mins in Puerto Montt, I was happy to be getting the hell out of a big, bustling city and breathed the biggest sigh of relief when the bus pulled off the ferry onto the green, misty, magical island of Chiloe. The island actually reminds me of rural Mississippi with its green, rolling hills, large pastures with cows grazing in the distance, and very very few people - why is it that I get so overwhelmed by such large populations of people when Im traveling?! I really do like people, I PROMISE!! And once in Ancud, I hung out in the much smaller, much quieter bus terminal for 45 minutes before catching the next bus to Castro where I arrived around 10:30, and felt my way through the dark deserted streets of the city for the nearest hostel and proceeded to collapse from the exhaustion that accompanies doing a whole lot of nothing for an entire day!
And yesterday, Wednesday, I woke up to a gorgeous day in Chiloe! I had yet to really even see any of this island, and I was already in love with it. Now that I was actually here and had gotten the whole traveling section over with, I was feeling proud of myself for being solo again, for exploring a new area all on my own, and was excited to get to know a place that is so unique and full of lore. Chiloe is know for its fish and seafood markets, the mythical creatures that inhabit various cities on the island, its antique churches that seem to have been built anywhere where the population was at least 10 - sheeps, cows, and horses included in the census, and its houses built on stilts to withstand the drastic change of the tides - in the morning the boats on the "dock" look like they have been washed ashore, but by 3 PM, they are floating in water that would go well above my head!
So I pranced out into the streets to buy food and water for my day of hiking, and by 9 am was aboard a bus headed for the Parque Nacional Chiloe for a hike along the coast of the Pacific Ocean. And along the way, I met Ane, a delightful chica from País Vasco (ok, for those of you like me who are geographically challenged I will be so kind to inform you that this is an autonomous community in northern Spain). The two of us walked barefoot along the beach for awhile before finding the trail that led us through a misty arrayan forest on the shores of the Pacific Ocean. We followed the trail watching in awe as 4 or 5 horses crossed our path trotting out onto the beach to drink water (salt water?!?) and feed on the kelp that has washed up onto the shore. The mist lying over everything and the lack of all but a handful of people - mostly locals - made the whole scene feel so dreamy and out of this world. No pictures will do it justice. I wish I could have bottled up the feeling to share with you on here! And just before we headed back to catch the last bus to Castro, the whole trip was made that much more mystical when I turned to see 3 cows grazing on the same kelp - munch munch munching away on this misty beach - what a STRANGE sight! We hopped on the back of a pickup truck with some locals for a roller coaster of a ride through the sand for the last part of our trip back to the bus. Back in Castro, we celebrated the end of a great day with some super tasty - and cheap! - salmon overlooking the water and staring in complete awe and wonder at the full moon rising over the city. And once again, I found myself thinking, "Damn, I truly am living the dream." And I am so very very happy and grateful for this opportunity. Until tomorrow´s adventure...VIVA!
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
La semana de fiestas!
Futaleufú River in all her glory!!
Buen día! I am in Bariloche, Argentina once again after a delightful week in Futaleufú, Chile. And rapidly recovering (Thank Goodness!) from a cold. This last week - while it didnt involve as much traveling as the week before - was just as full of adventure and moving and shaking of a different kind. And after a week of near constant companionship of raft and kayak guides and activity ranging from rafting class IV+ rapids to dancing until 5 am at the disco in the campo to gambling for the first time (I gambled away a whopping $3!)in Bariloche, I am feeling somewhat sad to have had to say goodbye to my "family" for the last week. It´s amazing to me how quickly and fiercely relationships form when you are traveling. And, of course, the people I meet have some of the most amazing stories that inspire me to keep pushing myself to explore new places and try new things!
As I have said again and again Futaleufú is small, remote, and isolated. But never underestimate the power of small, seemingly quiet places. At the beginning of last week, I spent several days being terribly lazy and readjusting to actually experiencing the sensation of being miserably hot at midday as the sun beat down and ran most of us inside between the hours of 12 and 8. Joe and I would hang out some midday at the hostel, but he started working at a local restaurant at nights, so I was on my own to explore and make friends and keep busy (or not). On Thursday I finally got to get myself on this fabled river that people come from all over the world - and drop boatloads of cash - to raft. The season has pretty much come to an end now, so last week was really slow as far as tourists passing through town to go rafting, but by 2 pm we had rounded up enough people and off I went with 5 guides and 8 rafters. It was a grand day on some pretty freaking big water. Big and turquoise - TURQUOISE! Like the caribbean, but a river. It looks so unreal. The color of water you would find on a lazy river at a water park, not a massive, naturally flowing, raging river. Increíble! At one rapid, The Magic Carpet, our raft attempted to surf the wave. And while the 5 guys paddled with all of their might, I got to sit on the front of the raft and "ride the bull." Talk about good times! I thought I must look super cool, but the photographer told me I looked like a monkey... Later we jumped off some rocks into the chilly waters and for added fun flipped our raft in the hole on one of the last Class IV rapids. I came up and found myself at least 20 feet from the raft and looked back to see each of my 5 rafting buddies holding on to the raft. How exactly I got so far away from the raft so quickly is a complete mystery to me. Evidentally they got the " grab-onto-the-raft-the-second-you-fall-out" memo and I didnt....oh well! Ive done a bit of rafting in my time, but this was some of the biggest, fastest water I have ever seen with the added bonus of having very little break from one rapid to the next. Im hoping my dad can get down here some day soon to kayak this thing - he would LOVE it! And for a fantastic end to a great day, the guys had a barbecue for everyone in the backyard of the rafting office - some 15 people sitting around the fire representing 10 countries (USA, Peru, Italy, Australia, New Zealand, France, Chile, Israel, South Africa,and Spain).
Friday, I went for a long hot run and then essentially adopted myself as a 5th leg on the 4-man raft guide crew (a Frenchie, a Kiwi, a Peruvian, and an Israeli) and spent the whole day tooling around town with "nothing to do in Futaleufú." It was another sunny day, so after eating sandwiches and ice cream at the local hot dog stand, we wandered down to the river to swim. I "swam" by slowly dipping my feet in the ice cold waters, being totally and completely content to send chills up my entire body this way rather than actually having to dunk myself body in the water. The guys were a little bit bolder than I and proceeded to play like two year olds rolling over each other as they swam through the rapids and attempted to catch eddys before continuing down down down without life jackets on. These guys had been together nearly 24-7 for the last 2 months and I really enjoyed having a moment to feel part of the family - not to mention the oportunity to laugh until I hurt at their jokes! Later that night, Santiago - the Peruvian - prepared dinner for about 10 of us and then we headed to a nearby (ok, everything is nearby) restaurant for a slideshow of photos from the previous weekends river festival.
Cooling off with the guys on a hot hot day!
Saturday was cold and rainy - a DRASTIC change from the previous 5 days. My newfound raft family had a full day raft trip with two American guys, so I spent the day sleeping and watching a movie with Ines, a girl from Spain. Around 7, we decided to do something productive (we had talked about a 7 hour hike originally - ha!), and prepared dinner for all the raft guides and few other friends. My role involved cleaning, picking, and chopping basil. My cooking skills definitely have not improved on this trip! It was a tasty dinner shared with some really great people, and after pretty much licking the pot clean, more people started trickling in until the small house I was visiting was filled with some 20 people living and playing in Futaleufú. It was the official last night of the season as many of the people were leaving town the next day and the plan was to celebrate in true Futa style - a night out at the disco!! That´s right. Futaleufú may only have 2500 inhabitants MAX and may be 70 kms from the closest town, but you best believe that they have themselves a honest-to-goodness discoteque. And I wasnt about to miss the opportunity to experience it in all its glory - even if it meant having to wait until 1:30 am before going out! So at 1:30 am, our group that now numbered around 20 stumbled down the quiet streets of Futa creating quite a raucous as we made our way 1 km out of town to the disco where our group combined with another 30 or so raft guides and friends from other companies definitely made up at least half the disco population - the other half being the under-18 crowd of townspeople. The two americanos that went rafting that day - Dan and Mark - joined us, and I kicked off my dancing evening on the dance floor with Mark as jived to a Chilean campo rendition of "Grease Lightening." We certainly gave the local kids something to talk about with their friends!
Showing the locals how it´s done at the disco!
I called it an "early" night at 5 am, leaving the majority of the people behind so I could try to sleep for a few hours before waking up early to pack my bags and head back to Bariloche.
I was having a blast in Futa, but Mark and Dan (los Americanos) offered me a ride back to Bariloche, and as the majority of the people were leaving on Sunday, anyway, I didnt want to stay around to have it get quiet and lonely. I wanted to leave on a high and best to take advantage of a free ride with good company! So in a complete haze after too little sleep - I had more of a nightlife in my last 4 days in this tiny town than in the previous 4 months combined! - I got up, flip-floped back and forht as to whether I should leave or not, finally threw everything into my bag, and piled into the rental car with Dan, Mark, and two of my adopted family members - Dan (from New Zealand) and Joseph (from Israel). And off we went, bumping down the gravel road, crossing back into Argentina to head north to Bariloche. We dropped Joseph off in the town of El Bolsón along the way and the rest of us jetted on to Bariloche where the fun just did not stop. Dan and Mark had been in Bariloche a few weeks earlier and claimed the casino had the best drinks in town. So after eating a giant salad for dinner - my diet for the entire time I was in Futa consisted of no less than 6 large pieces of bread a day...I was aching for some fresh veggies! - we went to people watch and drink some crazy strong Jack and Cokes at the casino. Dan (el americano) taught me how to play roulette, and I proceeded to quickly lose $3. That was all the taste I needed, but now I can say - "been there, done that!" By this point, I was actually quite sick with a head cold from lack of sleep and drinking several nights in a row - in general, my alcohol consumption is little to none, just call me a cheap date! - but I forged on. The next stop was to be - well, should I even reveal this? . . . a strip club. Well, it turns out females aren´t allowed. I tried, though. I gave it my all, and the bouncer just wasnt having it. I think he was also utterly confused as to why I would even be interested. Im just taking life as it comes and look at everything as a new and unique opportunity. He did not care. So the two Dans and Mark continued their night-o-fun, and I walked home alone to nurse my cold.
And my crazy, late night antics pretty much ended there. Los americanos left on Monday, and Kiwi Dan stuck around until today. The last two days have been pretty low-key as I showed Dan a bit around Bariloche, drank a lot of tea, ate tons of veggies, and learned some interesting tidbits about life in New Zealand. My favorite phrases being rubbish bin for your garbage, bum bag for a fanny pack, and chilly bin for cooler. I spent yesterday evening drinking maté with German and his family and then having dinner with Rosario, a girl I met the last time I was here. She´s invited me to stay with her the rest of this week, and the plan for now is to head back into Chile this weekend to make my way to the island of Chiloé. Ill let you know how those plans come along. And will definitely post photos - I tried to do so today, but the computer is ill - typical!
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