Puerto Deseado - 'River of Desire'

A great trip to Puerto Deseado on the Atlantic coast rewarded us with fantastic wildlife viewing. We took a trip with Darwin Expedicions to the islands among the estuary. More to come soon...

Lost in Translation

A lot to cover, so here goes. Leaving Lanin we passed through the Argentine Lakes District, with half of the population of both countries also enjoying the cooling effects of the rivers and lakes. We crossed the Ruta de los Siete Lagos (road of the seven lakes) from San Martin de los Andes to Bariloche. This 112 km. pass was UNpaved for about 15km. on the map. In reality it ended up being @ 50km. of rutted-out, dusty, busy road in 85 degree temps. After three hours of choking on dust from crazed Argentine drivers, we pulled into Bariloche, with a 1 inch dust layer on everything we owed. A nice hostel, with laundry were in order. Add on an amazing dinner with truncha (trout), befe de lomo (tenderloin) and venison tartar and we were set.
South of Bariloche in El Bolson, we enjoyed an artisan's fair and some incredible ice cream, before camping in Parque Nacional Lago Puelo. We watched the sun set at the lake while a dozen hawks circled over our heads, playing in the strong winds.
The next two days were spent crossing the Patagonian Steppe. Long roads with sometimes sketchy sections were the norm for this portion of our trip. Wild horses, pink flamingos, guanacos, and choikes were seen with the abundant sheep and cows. We had to stop at one point and fully realize that we were crossing this no-man's land, the Patagonian desert.
We hit the Atlantic coast today and look forward to the wildlife it has to offer.
More to come,
Cha & mc

East into Argentina

A fantastic trip west from Chile to the Argentine border led us to camp under Volcan Lanin. This volcano sits at 3776 meters and is the visible focal point of the region. The international border station literally sits under the mountain, and we had ample time to view Lanin, as we waited for several hours to clear customs. Being late in the day, we decided to look for a spot to sleep for the night. A campground was not far, and we met the host, who kindly told us to set up wherever we liked. This was a launching pad for people planning to climb Lanin, and we watched the different teams make preparations for the ascent. We enjoyed a great walk, a gourmet camp-cooked pasta dinner, and about a billion stars under the southern sky. After a restful night's sleep, we headed east, into the Argentine Lake District region. This was a stop to remember.
-mc and cc

On the Road in Chile

Patience is a virtue. After waiting to see what our next step would be on this adventure, we received an answer in the form of our luggage! Delivered, as promised, on time and intact. Being in a new place without any clothes or gear can leave one feeling exposed, but it all worked out well. We picked up our camper van, Brian, and hit the road. Our first stop: Parque Nacional Huerquehue in the Chilean Lakes District. We spent two nights in the park and took a wonderful day hike in the mountains where we enjoyed spectacular views of smoking Volcan Villarrica, Chile's most active volcano. As we gained elevation, the trail gave way to amazing forests of monkey puzzle trees and serene alpine lakes. We had a picnic lunch of fuet and pan (bread and salami)as we sat next to Lago Tinquilco and soaked up the wonderful summer weather. Moving on, we are on our way back into Argentina. We will be camping along the way, and will post more at our next stop. Caio!

Cha Cha y Miguel

An interesting first week in South America

Well, all journeys abroad have their own stories to accompany them, and this one is no exception. After a quick, easy commute from Bellingham to L.A. we stumbled across our first snag. A very long line at the LAN Airlines service desk, with many angry people. Our LA to Lima, Peru leg was scheduled to leave at 8 pm. Problem was, it wouldn't actually leave until 11:30 the next day. 15+ hours. Now, that's a delay. This turned out just fine, as Scott Ellis was in town, and took us out for a great dinner at a Chinese bistro. A great chance to catch up with our brother.
Lima to Buenos Aires was no problem. Arriving in B.A. we caught a taxi to the hotel. Now let's set the record straight. We have seen our share of scary traffic. Driving a van in NZ, where fender-benders are commonplace. Insane one-eyed tuk-tuk drivers in Chang Mai. Buses taking blind corners in the mountains. Navigating the mind-numbing ebb and flow of traffic in Bangkok on a motorcycle. Nothing could prepare us for the fear encountered while walking in downtown B.A. Cars take corners at 40mph with people EVERYWHERE. In our short time, we have seen about two dozen very near misses with pedestrians. They NEVER have the right of way.
We spent our first day getting a taste of the city. We had our first vino tinto (Argentine red wine), bife lomo con papas fritas (beef tenderloin with french fries), and alfajores (dolce de leche sandwiched between shortbread cookies covered in chocolate). Mmmm.

We spent the next day exploring. The heat was oppressive, and walking the city required many stops for agua sin gas, bottled H2O without carbonation. We visited an amazing cemetery. Cementerio de la Recoleta is a marvel, housing the mortal remains of some of Argentina's elite, including the grave of Evita, as well as past presidents and military heroes. Plaza Indendente sits just outside, and hold's the city's largest crafts fair. This was a real treat for us.

The following day was our scheduled flight from B.A. to Santiago, Chile to pick up our campervan rental, named 'Brian'. A quick 2 hour flight turned into a nightmare at the airport, with a frightening storm shutting down multiple flights and keeping many people stranded. We thought we would witness a riot at the gate, as employees fled the angry mob, leaving us with no information about a possible new flight or the whereabouts of our bags. We spent 11 hours at the airport, but finally got a flight that brought us into Chile. We awoke the manager at our hostel at about 2 am, and poured a stiff drink, finally decompressing from the incredibly difficult day.
Only problem was, our luggage was not with us to celebrate. Aerolineas Argentinas is on our hit list. We have a fantastic hostel, 'Rio Amazonas' in Barrio Brasila. Very kind and helpful people, and we have already enjoyed a quick trip into the city. Santiago has a much different feel than B.A. so far. More relaxed. Guess it's just the west coast v. east coast feel, regardless of continent.
So that's where we leave it, playing with 'Pancho' the house kitten, drinking a cervasa and waiting for our luggage to arrive. Chandler (the brains behind this operation) has a change of clothes with her, as always. I, on the other hand, boldly stated this keeper "It's a 2 hour flight with no other stops, why would I need a change of clothes?"

Tomorrow we meet Pablo and pick up the campervan, unless we have nothing to travel with, in which case, who knows?

-mc