The day after Christmas 1995, Carol & I flew from Baltimore to Chicago to Miami. We were delayed for a while there, so we took a cab to Coconut Grove and had alligator bits with chutney & sangria at the Tu Tu Tango. Then we flew on to Santiago, Chile and then took the short hop over the Andes to Mendoza, Argentina.
After a pleasant day in Mendoza, we took a bus up to Puente del Inca at 9000' in the Andes. We did a little sightseeing as the rest of our group straggled in. The next day seven of us took off toward Aconcagua amid rumors of heavy snow and avalanche danger. We set up camp at Confluencias, a joining of rivers at 11,000'. Some of our guys were sick, and the snow rumors were substantiated by descending climbers, none of whom had made the summit.
We headed on up to the new base camp at 14,000' anyway (the old one had been obliterated by rockfall) and took a rest day, followed by a gear carry up to the next camp at 18,000'. It was on this stretch that Carol and I decided to bag it - the weather was unpromising, I was in bad shape from recent back problems, and we didn't really want to be confined to this big lump for three weeks, so we decided to descend and look for adventure elsewhere.
The next day we hiked the 25 miles out accompanied by two stray dogs to find out that there were no rooms in Puente del Inca, so we made some inquiries and got a lot of help and caught the last bus out to Santiago. An adventurous ride through the frontier between Argentina and Chile followed (Carol's snacks were confiscated as illegal agricultural transport), and we arrived in Santiago very late and caught a cab to the Hyatt. We dragged our worn and mutilated gear, duffels & bodies into the vast marble, glass & brass lobby and managed to get a room. After cleaning up and having a huge room service dinner, we made sketchy plans for the rest of the trip.
The next day we woke up to a 5.0 earthquake (it felt like a caravan of semis was driving across the ceiling for about 30 seconds). We went out and got tickets to Punta Arenas at the southern tip of South America, and flew down the next day.
We rented a car with a near-empty tank and started north looking for a gas station. There weren't any. So at a little settlement (Villa Tehuelches) we knocked on a few doors and finally found a guy with a barrel in the back of his truck who very kindly sold us a tankful. We drove on to Puerto Natales on the west coast, where we had anchovy & tuna pizza after checking into the Hotel Glaciares.
The next day we got up at 8 and wandered around Natales taking pictures. Then we drove on up to Parc Nationale Torres del Paine on mostly dirt roads. We saw a rhea (large flightless bird) and some guanacos. We spent two days car-camping in the park. We tried a few hikes but the winds ranged from a steady 40 mph in the valley to about 150 mph in the mountains and foot travel was very difficult. In the worst spots we were crawling on hands & knees and being pelted by wind-blown gravel. In the better spots we saw birds & other wildlife, interesting plants, unique but mostly cloudy skyscapes, waterfalls, and the bluest lake you will see anywhere.
Friday night we tried to sleep outdoors after parking in a scenic spot by a river, but a couple of rangers rousted us at nightfall and forced us to park in a public area, where I gave up and slept badly in the car, and Carol managed to sneak back out and sleep on the ground.
The next morning we drove to Pehoe hosteria and had a warm breakfast of toast, coffee, scrambled eggs & ham. Then headed to the exhibit center to learn a bit more about the park, and had a picnic where the park road ended at a washed-out bridge.
We left the park (after helping push two cars stuck on the steep gravel road) and returned to Puerto Natales (about 200 miles). Glaciares was full, so we stayed at the less-expensive Lago Sarmiento Hotel. We washed the dirt & gravel out of our hair and tried the local fish specialty, washed down with Schop, the salty & fishy tasting local brew. The next day we took a cruise up the west coast to see glaciers and lush flowers, and had an interesting political discussion with a Dutch couple on the boat. Afterwards we drove back to Punta Arenas and got a room at the "Ritz", which was about as ritzy as the cracker for which it was named.
The next day we drove along the Strait of Magellan, visited his fort (Fort Bulnes), went to a local natural park (Laguna Parilleras), and had a wonderful dinner at El Sotito. We ran into some people who had befriended us up at Torres del Paine and talked a bit over the fried conger eel.
Our last day at the southern tip (sunset 11:30 p.m., sunrise 3:30 a.m.) we spent in museums & historic houses, then flew back up to Santiago past beautiful lakes, volcanoes & glaciers. In town we called home and found out there was a blizzard and our partners were snowed under, so we made arrangements to return home the following day. Meanwhile we toured Santiago, a very modern town with interesting museums, shops & bars.
On the flight home we were lucky to be able to land in the four-hour window that the airport was open between two massive snowstorms. Then spent the next two days shovelling out.
This is Gary's trip to visit Barb in Puerto Natales. Barb is a running partner (see Running Page) who took up temporary residence in Puerto Natales near the southern tip of South America in Chile. I was in the midst of moving from Rockville, MD to Tampa, FL.
I woke up in a motel near my office in Tampa (Jan was at home in MD). I packed & checked out and took a stroll around nearby Lettuce Lake Park (soon to become my running playground). I saw herons, egrets, ibises, ospreys, a pileated woodpecker, turtles, a snake and other wildlife (no gators though). Then I hopped on a shuttle to the Tampa airport, flew to Miami, caught the long flight to Santiago, then transferred to a flight to Punta Arenas at the bottom of the world. On the last leg of the flight we went over volcanos, ice caps & glaciers, and Torres del Paine. I had picked the best window seat and everyone from the other side of the plane wanted to see, so I let them.
I met Barb and her friend Jen at the airport. We went to El Sotito for lunch (I had "squid in its own ink"), then shopped a little, then went back to the airport to pick up Jeff (one of Barb's former roommates at the Ski Haus in VA). Jen drove us to Seno Otway in a finicky truck, where we watched penguins, rheas and a fox.
Also a skunk, and a few guanacos, sheep and cows. Then we drove to Puerto Natales and checked in to a nice new little hostel. After cleaning up, we headed for the closest Internet Cafe (on every corner, a new addition since my last trip) and sent notes. Then on to the fanciest reataurant in town where I had a seafood soup full of crab, squid, mussels and some things I didn't recognize. Jeff & I returned to our rooms at the hostel (just big enough to lie down in) around midnight.
The next day (Monday 2/11) we got up and had breakfast of cafe con leche, coffee cake, jugo de naranja y toast con margarina y jelly. Then Barb, Jeff and I hopped in a van for a tortuous 5-hour drive over mostly rough gravel to the Perito Merino glacier. It's big, and unlike most glaciers these days, growing! We walked all the trails to all the overlooks and managed to partially witness one major calving event (big splash, lots of ice floating around). Then hopped back on the bus and drove to nearby El Calafate to shop. Then the bouncy trip back to Natales with true confessions from Barb (not to be revealed HERE).
Back in town, we hit the internet again. I was stuffed from nibbling on Barb's cookies all day (her current profession - baking for local restaurants), so all I had for dinner was a 'completo', or hot dog...with avocado & mayo. Got back to bed around 1 a.m.
On Tuesday we got up at six, had the same breakfast, and took the 3-hour drive to Torres del Paine Park. We took a tour all the way to the southern end of the park (the bridge had been repaired since 1995 and we were able to get to a lake with nice views). The weather slowly turned from dark & sprinkly to cold, windy & sunny. On our drive we saw flamingos, ivory-necked ibises, guanacos, swans, nandus (same as rheas), buzzard eagles (which are really hawks), mountains, a glacier and icebergs, the Salto Grande (big waterfall) and a smaller waterfall, milky blue and bright blue lakes and more. All narrated by Jen, who works as a park guide!
After driving to the north end of the park, Barb complained of a sore ankle and got a room at a hostel while Jen, Jeff & I hiked up a windy trail to Refugio Chileno near the Torres (big rock towers). We found a triple bunk to share and then had dinner (steak, 3 kinds of sausage, a mushroom & cheese sandwich, soup, OJ and a pear). Then we played cards as the hut guys serenaded us with dos gitarres, and went to bed.
I got up at 6 a.m. but no one else did. I had breakfast with a Hollandaise couple (toast, jam, butter, coffee, OJ). When I got back to the bunk to check on the others, Jeff was not feeling well and Jen had her own aJenda (a trail to the Valley of Silence, I think) so I took off solo for the view of the Torres. I managed the hike OK though it was very steep and windy near the top, and I snapped some pictures of the Torres just before a snowstorm came in and obscured them for the 50 people headed up behind me. I ran into Jen on the hike back and we hiked together to the Refugio. We got there just as it started to rain. Jeff had already gone back down, so we rested a few minutes and hiked back down as it got windier and wetter. We finally arrived at Barb's hostel, had a snack and drove the 3 rainy hours back to Natales.
Jeff was so sick he wanted to go home. We washed up, then Barb stopped by with her amigo Francisco and we went to the Internet to write, then tried to make travel arrangements for Jeff. Afterwards we went to dinner at a vegetarian place for a pisco sour, Fanta, garlic bread, sweetbread with yogurt sauce, a fried veggie ring with potatoes & snap peas, a little Fantaschop courtesy of Barb's Austral (beer mixed with Fanta orange), and chocolate zucchini. Back to the hostel at 11 (sunset).
On Valentine's Day I took my very dirty hiking clothes to a laundry, visited with Barb and Francisco, delivered cookies, went to a travel agent for Jeff again, did Internet, found an ATM and had anchovy pizza for lunch. Then Jeff & I went to the Cueva del Milodon to see the ferocious giant sloth (extinct now, after I wrestled the last one to the death). Then back to town and dinner at the veggie place again (avocado, black olive & camembert sandwich). Barb & I headed for the docks for a cruise as Jeff rested for his trip home and Jen went back to the daily grind.
We got up at 8:30 and went upstairs where they were serving the unannounced breakfast. Eggs, cheese, bread, OJ, coffee & oatmeal. Then had a safety and activities lecture (there were no activities) and did some reading before lunch of beef, rice, bread, apple juice & apple. More reading. A bit wet & windy on deck. A possible 'whale bubble' sighting, but no whales. Dinner (pork, smash potatoe [sic], dry bread, soggy pastry, generic fruit juice). More reading. The evening 'party' in the bar was a bunch of solitary smokers looking bored. That night we passed through the 'Golfo de Penas' (gulf of Pain) where we were tossed in our bunks like a salad in a deep bowl (or like 'human gyroscopes' as the guidebook said).
The next morning Barb was not feeling too well, so I went to breakfast and did some reading alone. But she was back on deck by lunchtime and regaining some color. Meals: ditto. At 6 we docked at Chacobuco, a small town consisting of an oil refinery and two small hotels. We got off and found some ice cream, then couldn't get back on board the ship as they were loading more cattle. Eventually we bluffed our way back on board by following one of the crew members and arrived just in time for dinner (ditto). More reading and another restless and manure-scented night, though not as rough.
On the last day of the cruise it was warm enough to wear shorts, and calm & sunny, so we were finally able to appreciate the fjords and volcanoes and glaciers as we sailed past. And as for the meals, well, ditto. More reading and then we arrived at Puerto Montt, a large town. The travel agent had told Barb we would not be arriving until the following morning, and we had made our land arrangements accordingly, so we had to find a room for the night, which we did, at Gamboa's hosteria. Victorian, roomy & nice, especially after the cruise.
We found dinner at 'de Piazzo' - antipasto (asparagus, corn, salami, cheese, artichoke, hearts of palm & mushrooms) and two pizzas (Barb - cheese & tomato stone-baked; me - anchovy & onion pan pizza). The next morning we had a nice breakfast at the hosteria, then found an Internet place, then took a cab to the airport where we picked up a rental car. Barb drove us up the Pan American Highway (route 5) to Rio Bueno for lunch, then on to Pucon, a resort town. We checked into La Tetera where Barb had a double with shared bath and I had a 'matrimonial' with private bath (originally we had booked this with Jeff & Jen in mind, but they both bailed).
Way up north it was surprisingly HOT, so Barb had to shop for some summery clothes. We walked around town and checked everything out (the main part of town is about 6 square blocks). We went to dinner at a 'Mexican' place where I had a cheese quesadilla and Barb had chicken tacos. The cheese was Swiss and the taco & quesadillas were eggy, and the salsa was tomato and, well, tomato. I had a Corona, the only truly Mexican part of the meal. After dinner we found dessert at a chocolate & coffee place. Then back to La Tetera as the Volcano Villarrica smoked ominously above us. It was hot in the room so I slept with all the windows open. Every night I was serenaded by barking dogs, crying babies, bad Spanish music, and the sounds of the nightly disco party downtown.
On Tuesday 2/19 we got up at 8 and went downstairs to a REAL breakfast of coffee con leche, OJ, bread, jam, butter, funny yucky soft goat cheese, tomato & mashed avocados. Afterwards we visited an Internet cafe, signed up for a raft trip, and sat on a grassy spot by the lake after unsuccessfully trying to hike out onto 'The Peninsula' (it's full of expensive private homes). Nearby there were lots of bikes lined up for an endurance race.
In the afternoon we wandered over to the rafting place. They drove us to the Trancura River for some Class 4 whitewater rafting. We put on helmets & vests & wetsuits & booties and 5 of us piled into a raft with a guide. We floated for a while and practiced a few maneuvers, then went through some rapids ("Devil's Throat", etc.). Then we portaged around a waterfall. At this point the guides had each of us jump off a 25' high cliff into fast water and swim to the rafts. Then we headed towards the last bad rapid ("Ugly", Class 4) and our boat got hung up atop a waterfall.
The guide had everyone leap to the right (where I was already), which bounced me out of the raft. I still had a grip on the rope but the waterfall wrenched me off and I was slammed to the bottom of the river. I managed to escape the pounding pressure of the falls and tried to swim but kept getting sucked under; I tried to float downstream feet-first but kept hitting rocks and getting spun around. About 1/2 mile downstream I caught up to the raft, which had somehow passed me, and the guide & others grabbed my vest and pulled me in. I coughed up a few quarts of water, checked for permanent damage, rested for a minute, and then started paddling again. We went through one more set of not-so-bad rapids and then beached.
I had a bashed and swollen ankle, a wrenched knee, and some very sore spots that would soon develop huge bruises. The knee straightened out in 2 days, the bruises were gone in 3 weeks, and the ankle was better after 3 months. Nothing broken. The guides drove us back to town and I hobbled back to La Tetera with Barb. She went off shopping while I rested.
We went out to dinner at the "Arabian" restaurant. I had a huge plate of something like Greek dolmades - rice & meat wrapped in fig leaves, dipped in a jogurt sauce. We shared some hummus & pita, and I ate Barb's tomato to get my antioxidants (which retard the growth of the free radicals that destroy your cells). Then went back to the room and tried to sleep with dogs barking, a party nearby, traffic noises and CAR ALARMS sounding off until after midnight.
The next day we had a breakfast of yogurt & muesli at 8:30, then packed a few things and drove to Parc Nacionale Huerquehue. We hiked about 1.5 miles on dirt road, then 2000' up steep switchbacks to a small lake. Barb was running, I was suffering. We hiked back down to the car and drove a long way to Huife Hot Springs. We paid $10 apiece, put on our bathing suits, and took a dip in each of 3 successively warmer pools. It was too hot for me & my bruises so I jumped in the nearby river. Then we sunned a bit and had a snack (mine was a hot dog with avocado, tomato & mayo) and made the hot, dusty drive back to town.
We ran a few errands, then went to dinner at an Oriental place. Barb had soy noodles with an extra helping of string and I had chicken with rice & peanuts and hot pepper. We split a salad with goat cheese & sesame, then headed back (it was after 11 p.m.) and went to bed, where I elevated my very swollen ankle.
On Thursday we had the same breakfast as the day before, then wandered over to the Grand Hotel beach (very gravelly, hot & sunny!). Then we had lunch of anchovy pizza (me) and spaghetti (Barb) at Patagonia Pizza. In the afternoon we got fitted with equipment for the volcano climb, then did some reading in the shade. It was hot & sunny until after 8:30. We pasta-loaded at an Italian place (El Rincon de la Pasta)for dinner. Went to bed with the dogs barking again.
Friday we packed & dressed for the big climb. The guides drove us to the mountain, but conditions appeared too windy, so we drove back to town and did some shopping and had decent Mexican food at Tijuana's. We took it easy for a while, then ran errands and returned to Arabia for dinner, and to the Patagonia cafe for dessert. Then shopped some more and went to bed early (11 p.m.).
Saturday we got up & dressed for the volcano again. This time the weather looked promising, so we took a chairlift up to about 5500' and started climbing. At 6500' we hit snow and pulled out our ice axes for the next 2000'. Then it got icy and steep - the guides above were cutting steps and showering ice down on us, and the people below were slipping into each other and doing self-arrests. Once above this nasty section it was steep loose rock for the last 500' or so to the summit (about 9000').
On the summit rim, every time the wind shifted we were choked by the noxious fumes rising from the crater. Still, we hung out for a while and had lunch before beginning the agonizing descent. The top part was on steep loose rock again and we went very slowly and painfully to a traverse on steep snow/ice/loose rock. Everyone slipped and slid across/down this part until we hit some softer snow. We boot-skied and then glissaded down to the bottom of the frozen stuff with only minimal instruction from the guide. Then we slogged the remainder of the descent through ankle-deep gravel & dust. No chairlift on the way down.
We piled back into the van and bounced our way back to town, undressed and gave a big tip to the guide for keeping us alive. The total climb took about 10 hours (longer than it should have). We were cleaned up and ready for dinner at 9:00 at Puerto Pucon. Barb had good congrio (eel) and I had Corvino (fish of some sort). Then we went back to La Tetera for sleep at 11. We had now 'done' Pucon - I don't think we missed ANY of the tourist activities.
Our last day we got up and piled into the car and drove to Osorno for a very good lunch at Bell'Italia (4-cheese pizza with roquefort). Then on to the Puerto Montt airport where we had a snack and then said goodbye. Flew back to Santiago OK (Barb headed back to Punta Arenas). The airport TVs were advertising Cueva del Milodon.
Then returned to Tampa, my new home.