Thursday, January 31, 2008
Kin back around again
Its good to have my bro and his wife back in town. They were in Iraq for over a year, my bro's second time there, and they came back at the beginning of this month....hopefully never to return. We have spent some time with them and it has really been great. They also recently got a dog....I can't even remember what kind it is but its cool. His name is Clyde and a picture of him is shown below after too much excitement for one day. But, as I was saying, it's good to have them back around. We have a pretty big family and with their added energy family gatherings have been pretty killer.
Monday, January 21, 2008
Valparaiso & Santiago, Chile 1-07-08 - 1-09-08
Unfortunately by this time in the trip our small camera was out of batteries...and for some reason we never got a foreign power converter....and our larger SLR was giving us some problems. I was really disappointed, I mean, I bought this camera two months ago based on amazing reviews and here I was having problems with the lens. It has now been sent in and I will update on Nikon's customer service. Sooooo, we took three or four pictures in Valparaiso and none in Santiago.
Valparaiso was a very cool yet strange place. It is a port city built on rather steep hills, consequently, all the roads are steep, curvy and really rough. We stayed in a pretty humble hostal but the view out our window was cool (shown below) and we only strayed there for a day....I can handle most accommodations for a day. We did a lot of walking, rode the famous acensors, ate a lot of good food and found ourselves in Santiago before we knew it.
Our experience in Santiago this time was soooooo much better. I loved the city. We rode the metro to all different parts of the city visiting art museums, college neighborhoods, hiking trails, great restaurants, parks, ice cream..... basically walking and walking and seeing and experiencing until just before we flew out. We were on the plane home just in time to not see our feet fall off. Overall it was an amazing trip. Of course I have left out so many details such as rafting and other hikes and huge flies called tabanos and other things but you get the idea. It was a great experience to witness and mingle with another culture and feel the kindness of people whom I didn't even know. And so, now its back in Colorado, back at work....thinking about the next place I want to go.
Valparaiso was a very cool yet strange place. It is a port city built on rather steep hills, consequently, all the roads are steep, curvy and really rough. We stayed in a pretty humble hostal but the view out our window was cool (shown below) and we only strayed there for a day....I can handle most accommodations for a day. We did a lot of walking, rode the famous acensors, ate a lot of good food and found ourselves in Santiago before we knew it.
Our experience in Santiago this time was soooooo much better. I loved the city. We rode the metro to all different parts of the city visiting art museums, college neighborhoods, hiking trails, great restaurants, parks, ice cream..... basically walking and walking and seeing and experiencing until just before we flew out. We were on the plane home just in time to not see our feet fall off. Overall it was an amazing trip. Of course I have left out so many details such as rafting and other hikes and huge flies called tabanos and other things but you get the idea. It was a great experience to witness and mingle with another culture and feel the kindness of people whom I didn't even know. And so, now its back in Colorado, back at work....thinking about the next place I want to go.Friday, January 18, 2008
Patagonia Preserve - 1-2-08 - 1-4-08
Just east of Puerto Varas on the Pacific coast, there is a new Cliffs Preserve that has just opened. Under any other circumstance we would have no chance of even peering into such an establishment but due to a slight connection we were able to stay there for a few nights in an amazing cabin on an absolutely unreal property.
The cabins were in a pretty decent location.
The hikes around the property were unlike anything I had ever seen before.We also had the opportunity to go sea kayaking around all different rockeries….mingling with sea lions…kind of.
Oh and we also went to a penguin colony which was pretty rad.
The cabins were in a pretty decent location.
The hikes around the property were unlike anything I had ever seen before.We also had the opportunity to go sea kayaking around all different rockeries….mingling with sea lions…kind of.
Oh and we also went to a penguin colony which was pretty rad.
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
Chiloe - 1/2/08
Chiloe is a huge island just southwest of Puerto Montt. It is reached by ferry and is sort of separated from the rest of Chile. We spent a day traveling around to different cities and experiencing a very different part of Chile.
All the different islands and cities in the area have really cool churches. This is one of the more famous ones.
These pictures were taken at low tide. At high tide the water raises 9 feet, a little over a foot below the decks of these homes. Then of course the boats are rowable. 
All the different islands and cities in the area have really cool churches. This is one of the more famous ones.
These pictures were taken at low tide. At high tide the water raises 9 feet, a little over a foot below the decks of these homes. Then of course the boats are rowable. 
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
New Year's Eve - 12/31/07
We had hiked 12 miles the day before with full packs, the first big hike in Patagonia....we definitely felt it in the morning. We packed up our things in excitement to hike over to some waterfalls about 5 miles away. Upon leaving a man from Ecuador stopped us and insisted we have some of his hot chocolate. The communication between us was rather broken but he was really nice and the hot chocolate was amazing.
While hiking to the waterfalls it began to rain again. I often get into a rhythm while hiking where my mind completely glazes over to the point where I am unaware of the things going on around me. This is heightened by conditions of rain or snow. Luckily, by the time we got to the waterfalls the rain had stopped because the views along all the trails were amazing. The pictures will describe much better than my words. Later on in the week we rafted down this same river.
We finally made it back into town by the late afternoon. We had an eleven o'clock dinner with our friends, went out and saw the fireworks over lake Llanquihue and then went out on the town. Apparently the younger folks from all around gather at this one barn every year. It sounded a little odd but we went with some guys and found that it was by far the liveliest party I had ever been too. The yard was filled with people, well over a thousand, and actually getting into the barn without some serious ambition was impossible. I had a great time meeting new people and even just people watching. We finally decided to leave around 5:30 when sun started coming up.
While hiking to the waterfalls it began to rain again. I often get into a rhythm while hiking where my mind completely glazes over to the point where I am unaware of the things going on around me. This is heightened by conditions of rain or snow. Luckily, by the time we got to the waterfalls the rain had stopped because the views along all the trails were amazing. The pictures will describe much better than my words. Later on in the week we rafted down this same river.
We finally made it back into town by the late afternoon. We had an eleven o'clock dinner with our friends, went out and saw the fireworks over lake Llanquihue and then went out on the town. Apparently the younger folks from all around gather at this one barn every year. It sounded a little odd but we went with some guys and found that it was by far the liveliest party I had ever been too. The yard was filled with people, well over a thousand, and actually getting into the barn without some serious ambition was impossible. I had a great time meeting new people and even just people watching. We finally decided to leave around 5:30 when sun started coming up.
Monday, January 14, 2008
Camping in Vicente Pérez Rosales - 12/30/07
In the morning we hopped on a bus out to a town called Petrohue excited to hike around Volcan Osorno and see new sights. Everything was closed, it being Sunday, so we relied on ourselves to navigate around to trails and everything else. Having a very poor map, this proved to be somewhat difficult but we pulled it off.
Petrohue sits on a lake known as Todos los Santos and is completely surrounded by lush mountains. The scenery was not difficult to look at.
We found a trail, one we had planned to hike, called Pasos Desolaciones. It wraps around the side of the massive Volcan Osorno and ends at a refugio, primitive hut. The air was misty, temperature perfect, and hiking on volcanic sand was a new and experience.
Half way up it started to rain, luckily we had the proper equipment to keep ourselves and all our belongings dry. We made it to the high point of the trail, wind and rain ripping across the ridge. At this time we made a decision to hike back down and camp at the lake where the weather was a little milder.
Petrohue sits on a lake known as Todos los Santos and is completely surrounded by lush mountains. The scenery was not difficult to look at.
We found a trail, one we had planned to hike, called Pasos Desolaciones. It wraps around the side of the massive Volcan Osorno and ends at a refugio, primitive hut. The air was misty, temperature perfect, and hiking on volcanic sand was a new and experience.
Half way up it started to rain, luckily we had the proper equipment to keep ourselves and all our belongings dry. We made it to the high point of the trail, wind and rain ripping across the ridge. At this time we made a decision to hike back down and camp at the lake where the weather was a little milder.
Sunday, January 13, 2008
Canyoning - 12/29/07
I never heard of canyoning before but the opportunity came and it sounded interesting so we went for it. First, I adorned myself in a wetsuit much smaller than my frame, shoes much bigger than my feet and a helmet that actually fit quite well. Hiking was the next which proved to be somewhat difficult in a wetsuit but I soon forgot my pains due to the overwhelming beauty of the trail that enveloped us as we carried on.
We ended up at a waterfall that emptied into a pool which carried further and further down the mountain. Canyoning entailed sliding down waterfalls and jumping off cliffs until we made it back to where we started. The adventure ended with a 90 foot waterfall which we repelled part way down and jumped the rest. The vegetation around the waterfall bared the richest greens I had ever seen due to the constant misting. We were extremely wet the whole time so unfortunately there are no pictures to document this part of the trip.
The day ended with dinner with friends and a party at "the barn"....a huge barn converted into a woodshop, offices and our friend's residence on the top two floors. Not a bad day.
We ended up at a waterfall that emptied into a pool which carried further and further down the mountain. Canyoning entailed sliding down waterfalls and jumping off cliffs until we made it back to where we started. The adventure ended with a 90 foot waterfall which we repelled part way down and jumped the rest. The vegetation around the waterfall bared the richest greens I had ever seen due to the constant misting. We were extremely wet the whole time so unfortunately there are no pictures to document this part of the trip.
The day ended with dinner with friends and a party at "the barn"....a huge barn converted into a woodshop, offices and our friend's residence on the top two floors. Not a bad day.
Saturday, January 12, 2008
Puerto Varas Eventually - 12/28/07
With airlines you basically have to expect that there will be some kind of complications at some point. Let's say there is a 33% chance....so given a 3 leg flight some part of it is going to be messed up and if it is the first then the other two follow.
Our flight into Santiago was delayed for mechanical reasons. I am glad they didn't put us on a plane whose doom could very well be in the Caribbean Sea but it did cause us to miss our third flight down to Southern Chile. Communication in the Santiago airport was rough. My Spanish was rough...an understatement...and the standby process isn't as streamlined as in the states. Finally after hours in the airport I decided to ask for hard tickets for the next day so we could step out of the airport and see the country a bit and then fly out for sure.
This first day was wild. Holiday Inn, this one being a surprisingly luxurious experience.....a ride in a cab with what seemed to have two broken axles and a determined driver, a sub-par first food experience minus the ice cream (note that every other food experience on the trip was amazing) and an overwhelmingly big city in a foreign country. It was a refreshing feeling yet a bit uneasy at the same time.
Morning came fast and we were on a plane to Puerto Varas, a city that turned to be much smaller in size on a large lake with snow capped volcanoes at the horizon. We dropped our bags at a wonderful place called the Guest House, owned by a friend, where we ended up basing out of for some of the trip. A walk around town revealed a wonderful place...a place we were really excited to experience.
Our flight into Santiago was delayed for mechanical reasons. I am glad they didn't put us on a plane whose doom could very well be in the Caribbean Sea but it did cause us to miss our third flight down to Southern Chile. Communication in the Santiago airport was rough. My Spanish was rough...an understatement...and the standby process isn't as streamlined as in the states. Finally after hours in the airport I decided to ask for hard tickets for the next day so we could step out of the airport and see the country a bit and then fly out for sure.
This first day was wild. Holiday Inn, this one being a surprisingly luxurious experience.....a ride in a cab with what seemed to have two broken axles and a determined driver, a sub-par first food experience minus the ice cream (note that every other food experience on the trip was amazing) and an overwhelmingly big city in a foreign country. It was a refreshing feeling yet a bit uneasy at the same time.
Morning came fast and we were on a plane to Puerto Varas, a city that turned to be much smaller in size on a large lake with snow capped volcanoes at the horizon. We dropped our bags at a wonderful place called the Guest House, owned by a friend, where we ended up basing out of for some of the trip. A walk around town revealed a wonderful place...a place we were really excited to experience.
Friday, January 11, 2008
Back in the Estados Unidos
Yesterday the Lady and I came back from two weeks in
This morning…Time to head into work; here I am again back into the routine.
Actual Experience….The sunrise cracked across the sky illuminating the clouds purplish pink and the sky orange. Usually it fades over time but it just got better and better. A projection of the orange hue was cast on the snow covered mountains….the air so crisp that the line separating the sky from the tree covered ridges appeared almost drawn. Oh and traffic was light and I was rocking out to the Shining Through EP which just put it all together.
Resolution….Yes I did just leave an amazingly beautiful place down south but I have to say that life is pretty good here in
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