December '00 Newsletter
December '00 Newsletter |
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As most of you know, we were in Chile for six weeks at the end of Y2K, hence our late December newsletter. To avoid confusion, we are posting it online as the December newsletter, even though it was finished in mid-January. While we were traveling, we discussed the efficacy of continuing to use the US mails for the newsletter and decided it really came down to how many of you have email. We checked and were surprised to find that over 90% of those who travel with us frequently do, which decided it for us. Future newsletters are going to be solely online and we are going to send a quarterly emailing to our mailing list giving specific information about the trips we are planning and their expected costs.
We've been swamped since we got back. The first couple of days we spent paying the bills and answering our mail. We knew in advance that we would be coming back to two empty apartments, so with the mail and bills cleared away, the cleaning and painting began in earnest. We were one day into that when a woman who had rented from us for 8 years informed us that she had found a soul mate and is moving the first of February. By this time we were a little desperate. Potentially three of our four rentals were soon going to be empty. Out went the signs. It seems there is presently a high demand for one-bedroom apartments in Phoenix. Two of them were rented on the first weekend and the last one a couple of days later. We're almost done reconditioning the first two so the last two weeks of January should be more peaceful.
Christmas in Chile was not at all what we expected. We missed the holiday season. There were relatively few Christmas decorations and it seemed more of a quiet family time there with the summer vacations soon to follow. Had we been in Mexico, Peru, or Guatemala there would have been lots of festivities and processions. I don't know whether we will spend any future Christmas holidays in foreign countries. It was like we missed out on something. Arriving home to a huge stack of Christmas cards seemed somewhat anticlimactic and to make it even worse, we didn't send any out. Our hope is that those of you who thought of us will accept our belated thanks and best wishes for a Happy New Year. The New Year's Eve fireworks in Valparaiso compensated somewhat and were the best we have ever seen. Their midnight waterfront celebration was raucous and lasted for half an hour or more.
Quite a few friends recently sent us copies of their permit applications for launch dates on the Salt, Middle Fork and San Juan. Salt River permits had to be in by 1/15/01. If you haven't gotten around to it yet, there is still time for you to apply for the other two, as they have to be received by 1/31/01. If you want to go boating and haven't gotten around to applying for permits yet - now is definitely the time. One of the things we realize when we travel for an extended period of time is there are things that we like to do that give us a lot of joy. For us it is river trips. While mindlessly watching TV the other night Bob found himself watching a Grand Canyon video on the educational channel. He immediately wanted to be there. We feel the same way about most of the Colorado Plateau and Idaho. There is nothing like the thrill of camping along side a big river, adrenaline rushes at major rapids, good hiking opportunities, and great travel companions.
| Participants: | Lacey Anderson, Peter Curia, Claudia Gillis, Jon Gillis, Susan Groth, Sandy Hildner, Ann Hipp, Ken Hipp, Bob Marley, Ken McGinty, Susie Raymond, Len Roughgarden, UnSun Roughgarden, Blue Stringer, Kay Threlkeld, & Cheri VanSant. |
A complete trip report and other useful information for this 10 day group trip is available at this URL (http://www.kwagunt.net/ftrip/patagonia.html).
Torres del Paine Trekking (12/5/00-12/14/00):
| Participants: | Lynn Aldrich, Mike Blevins, Ron Dilks, Susan Groth, Bob Marley, Carl Muller, Susan Muller, Marge Padgett, Gary Patterson, Brian Plunkett, Harold Schuck, Anne Seebold, & Kay Threlkeld |
After three hours flying to Atlanta, a couple of hours hanging in the airport, and 9 hours red-eye flying to Santiago, we finally arrived. We cleared customs by 10 AM, stored our 2 large bags and caught the bus downtown. We had no problems with Chilean Customs although they are very strict about not bringing in fresh or sun dried fruit, or unpackaged meats or cheeses; processed and packaged items are allowed. They nick American, Canadian, and Australian tourists for $45 per person at the "Reciprocity" counter (apparently we charge their citizens upon entering our countries).
Even though we expected to be cold in southern Chile, Santiago was hot. Summer had definitely arrived; with clear skies and highs of about 80 degrees the vegetation was lush blooming. After fumbling around for a couple of hours, we found a quaint residential place to stay for two nights. The primary reason we stayed was that at the airport counter Lan Chile same-day flights one-way to Punta Arenas cost $250. Though there were lots of empty seats, that fare was non-negotiable. Avant had next-morning service for $150 but from past experience we thought we might do better downtown.
Though we were exhausted from lack of sleep, we managed to find a travel agency close to our hotel that sold us Aero Continente (the Peruvian airline) one-way two-day notice tickets for $50 each. As the new kid on the block, they apparently needed the business. The same trip by bus costs $100 per person and takes 60 hours. We were ecstatic to get a cheap flight and miss that long haul. Back at our hotel, we napped for 3 hours, briefly watched terrible Spanish sitcoms, and then crashed for 12 more hours.
The next day, we covered most of the downtown area on foot. It felt safe but it was also very busy, shoulder-to-shoulder people. People were friendly and helpful, offering unsolicited directions whenever we appeared to be lost. On our 5-hour walking tour we watched the crowds at the Plaza de Armas and checked out several of the many museums. Later we walked to the Mercado Central, a huge fish market full of restaurants specializing in you know what! A highlight was our climb up Cerro (hill) Santa Lucia, a beautiful park with magnificent views of the City.
The Patagonia portion of our trip is covered in detail in the group trip report. We spent two weeks after the group trip traveling in the Lakes region and around Santiago, so this narrative continues post-trip. After a little shopping the morning after the trip, we caught an afternoon bus to Punta Arenas with Kay. It was a less than inspiring ride but we saw flamingos and rheas along the way. The heir to the Menendez sheep fortune, Sarah Braun, donated her mansion to house the regional museum, which was definitely worth a look. Susan was especially taken with the patterned wood and tile floors. Our walk around the nearby aboveground cemetery was cut short by a steady drizzle that quickly drove us indoors. We found a great little restaurant, Quixote, which served Chilean cazuelas (stews) and were delighted to chow down on some fresh vegetables for a change.
The flight to the harbor city of Puerto Montt was a bit rough but uneventful. The conductor on the airport bus recommended the Hospedaje Rocco, as had our Lonely Planet guide, so we took his advice and they dropped us nearby. A nice Italian family with three poodle types ran the Rocco and to Susan's great delight, they served REAL coffee. Our first day there alternated between foggy, cloudy, and rainy. So much for that sunny forecast we'd seen on the Internet. The downtown area was bustling with Christmas shoppers. It had everything we were looking for, laundry, cheap Internet, and a book exchange. Our next day dawned clear and snow-capped volcanoes loomed beyond the city. We walked to the port suburb of Angelmo to look at tourist goods and the fish market. We had a sumptuous grilled Salmon lunch on one of the market balconies overlooking the harbor. While the artisans' market featured woodcrafts, leather items, baskets, and a lot of things that appear to be imported from Peru, we didn't find souvenirs that interested us.
After a twenty-minute ride, the early bus to the resort town of Puerto Varas dropped us downtown and we set out to find a place to stay. Looking got old quick, since we were still toting an extra bag and the town is built on hills along Lake Llanquihue. We found a very private place that was more like an apartment than a hostal and spent two nights there. The views of the volcanoes from our balcony and front window were spectacular. Interestingly enough it was still very windy and the late evening chill coupled with wind drove us off the porch and indoors. On our first day, we walked around town to look at the old houses and hotels then climbed to the highest point in town for lake views.
Our second morning was quite exciting. An earthquake shook us out of bed a little after 8 AM. Susan was convinced that it was kids or a sizeable person on the stairs but Bob sprung out of bed and ran to the window to see if Volcano Osorno was erupting across the Lake. He was later proven partially right when the Puerto Montt headlines reported a Tremulo. After breakfast, we took the bus alongside the Lake to the town of Ensenada. The terrain and foliage could have been northern Minnesota except for the snow-capped volcanoes surrounding the Lake.
A lot of locals got on and off the bus along the way. We picked up a number of well-dressed ladies with scrubbed small children and we mused that they must be going to Ensenada to have their pictures taken with Santa. We should have known better from the bus driver´s quizzical look when he asked us where in Ensenada we were going and we replied El Centro. El Centro Ensenada doesn't exist. The ladies appeared to be taking the kids to a shot clinic and got out at the same intersection of two highways that we did. We were, however, at the base of the volcano and close to the gate of Vincente Perez Rosales National Park, Chile's first. After a walk along the beach and drinks at a lakeside restaurant, we caught the bus back to Puerto Varas and began planning the next leg of our trip.
Up early and without an earthquake, we caught a bus back to Puerto Montt, convinced that it would be easier than catching a bus north out of Puerto Varas. We did a little grocery shopping while waiting for our bus to Villaricca. Of course it stopped for 5 minutes in Puerto Varas and Bob was bummed to have unnecessarily given up 4 hours of extra sleep. After a beautiful ride we arrived around 4 PM and started the accommodations hunt again. We eventually found Cabanas Don Juan a fairly new complex not mentioned in Lonely Planet. Our $22/night cabin featured a full kitchen, 50-channel TV, and beautiful woodwork; all of the comforts of home. The weather was much better than it had been in Patagonia. It was in the 70´s so T-shirts and shorts were fine attire. No one was swimming in the lake though so the water must have been cold.
Villaricca is a pretty little non-tourist town. On a clear day, like the day we arrived, the views of active Volcano Villaricca across the lake were fantastic. The town was filled with flowers and the harbor views were serene. We visited the local museum, which showcased a first-rate display of Mapuche (local Indian) articles. The English brochure that had been translated literally was quite entertaining. We were able to puzzle it out for the most part but occasionally had better luck reading the Spanish version. Bob was enjoying insipid movies on our couple of English television stations, so Susan had to drag him away from Tarzan to go to Pucón, one of Chile's hotspots for adventure travel.
A popular holiday destination, it features rafting, volcano climbing , canyoning (rappelling), mountain biking, and bathing in the numerous hot springs not far from town. It takes about a half hour by bus to get there and it is closer to the base of the volcano. The most highly recommended hostals were already full because of Christmas but we found another nice set of cabanas with a kitchen. There were no English channels on TV but we had found a good book exchange at La Tetera so at least Bob was equipped with a 900-page fatty that we hoped would keep him busy for a few days.
Susan was a little under the weather our first day in town, so Bob used the Internet and got a haircut while she rested. He was quite proud of himself, arranging his new "do" from a hairdresser who didn't speak any English. He looked a little like Woody Woodpecker some mornings but it wasn't the worst haircut he's ever had. And then the rains came! It poured almost continuously for 48 hours. We enjoyed a short afternoon stroll to the grocery store but our bike rental plans went by the wayside and visiting the hot springs was not an attractive option either. We spent Christmas Eve reading and lazing around. Kind of normal in that respect, though we had no turkey dinner. When we awoke to a downpour Christmas morning, we packed up and at the first lull ran to the bus station and retreated to Villaricca for one last night. It was further from the mountains and expected to be slightly clearer.
The next morning, we caught a bus to Temuco, another bustling non-tourist town. Our hotel reminded us of previous unintentional visits to Mexican brothels but was fairly quiet that night. Something about the wall-sized mirrors and Jacuzzis in some rooms gave us pause. We visited yet another regional museum housed in an old mansion. The native wood trim was gorgeous and the Mapuche exhibit another fine one. The Spanish were unable to conquer this tribe in over 300 years of trying. One of Chile´s only currently existing tribes, these people used guerilla tactics (fighting from forests), bolos to bring down horses (an interesting idea, unused by anyone else faced with cavalry attack), only fighting when it was hot to tire the heavily armored Spanish, etc. Their population is primarily centered around Temuco.
After just one night in Temuco, we traveled all the next day; arriving in Santiago around 7:30 PM. Riding the bus gave us a pretty good look at Chile. In the far south it was wet and cold which made for lots of water on the ground but little vegetation other than grass and wind-blown trees since the growing season was short. It was all pretty wild and mostly sheep grazing country. The Middle Lakes Region was more like southern Ontario or the Midwest, just about right for lots of farming. We passed field after field of waving grains, grazing dairy herds, and ripening fruit. As we came into Santiago it was getting much warmer and dryer. There were palm trees and the vegetation was sparser on the mountains because of lack of water. As one continues north in Chile it resembles the Peruvian coast, scorching, desolate, and desert-dry except where the major rivers meet the coast. While on the bus, we were invited back to Chile to stay with a family in Temuco. The grandfather was about our age and his English was better than Susan's Spanish. She talked to him for a long time. It was very slow because he was practicing his English and she her Spanish. Most of it went right by Bob so he read.
For a change of pace, we stayed for the next two nights at the Hostel International in Barrio Brasil, an older area close to downtown that was dotted with interesting Colonial buildings and good restaurants. Finally feeling acclimated enough; we braved the Santiago subways, watching the entire time for thieves. One of our journeys took us close to 869-meter Cerro San Cristóbal. We rode the circa 1925 funicular railway to the top, wandered around Parque Metropolitano, took pictures of the 36-meter statue of the Virgin Mary, and took the sky tram down into a different neighborhood. Having seen most of what we wanted to in Santiago, we made plans to leave for Valparaiso, Chile's second largest city about sixty miles north on the coast.
Our friend Brian had spent a few days in Valparaiso before meeting us in Patagonia, so we were prepared for what we found there. Unfortunately, back when it became a port city, they allowed both a commercial area and railway to be built on their most desirable waterfront property. The funky residential area is built up on the hills surrounding the port and can be reached by steep narrow roads, switch-backing sidewalks, or by ascensores (funicular railways built between 1893 and 1916). We spent a total of three nights in Valpo, visiting their extensive naval museum and watching fantastic sunsets from the rooftop of our residencial on the hilltop of Concepción. On New Year's Eve day, we took the train to Viña del Mar, a more modern and touristy town about twenty minutes up the coast.
The Valpo New Year's fireworks are world-renowned. We heard that a million people poured in last year to celebrate the arrival of the new millennium. It wasn't quite that crowded this year but still popular. Residences with rooftop gardens and balconies had viewing stations set up for friends and neighbors. Towards midnight, many of the harbor view office buildings were filled with people dancing and facing the sea. The Chilean Armada fired off rounds of flares as the big moment approached. At midnight an array of fireworks was set off on various barges around the harbor. From our position at the rail on the hilltop near our hotel, we had a circular view of the harbor and the bursts of color that filled it for 30 minutes.
New Year's morning was quiet as people slept in after exhaustive partying. We packed up and headed to the bus station to catch our noon ride back to Santiago. We were glad that we had reservations, as it was so busy we would have probably missed our flight home. Back in Santiago, we took the subway to the Central Market to enjoy our last meal of grilled Chilean Salmon before leaving the country. We hopped back over to the Youth Hostal to pick up our stored bag and caught a bus to the airport to await our flight.
All in all, we enjoyed traveling in Chile. It is a wealthy, modern, literate country compared to most that we have traveled through in Latin and South America. The people are primarily European rather than native, so we blend in fairly well. Susan was mistaken for German more than once. The Chilenos were friendly and easier to understand than many of the Spanish speaking peoples we've encountered, however we missed the native color of places like Peru or Nepal.
Pre-trip and Post-trip in Chile (11/24/00-12/4/00):
| Participants: | Susan Groth & Bob Marley. |
Our newsletters are only placed on the web site. Since over 90% of the people who frequently travel with us have email, we've permanently discontinued the snail mail version. We do not include trip information (upcoming trip dates, expected costs, planning information, etc.) on our web site. It is emailed to those who travel with us frequently. If you are new to our group you must completely fill out our emailing application online and satisfy us that you have the necessary physical conditioning and experience to join these types of trips.
Tto be considered for inclusion on one of our trips we must receive the required deposit and a completed Q/AR form. You are not on the trip until that has happened. If you are thinking of joining one of our future trips and you haven’t done this, do it now. If a trip is popular enough to require a waitlist, we will use five criteria to determine who will go. Initial preference will be given to those who have a current mailing application on file, have paid any required trip deposit, and have promptly returned the necessary Q/AR. If this isn't sufficient, we then compare trip deposit dates and lastly Q/AR postmark dates.
Best of luck in your 2001 adventures, whatever they are, and wherever they may be. We hope you can join a trip next year so we can again spend some time traveling with you.
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Happy New YearBob & Susan |
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Updated on Thursday, December 8, 2006 @ 4:30 MST © 1995-2006 by Robert R. Marley |
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