Palafitos...Chiloe houses on stiltsOff to see the penguins..or to find true love..
The curanto cooking..fish, meat, potatoes
Chiloe church..one of many board and tin ones
Yellow is a favorite Chiloe color...
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Puerto Varas, Chile
Last night we drove into this very neat little town on the coast of Chile....after having spent 5 days on the island of Chiloe (SA second largest island after Terra de Fuego)....We loved the greeness of Chiloe after our week in the very arid Attacama Desert....a breath of moist,green air was welcomed. We have been on alot of car ferries in the past 5 days...the ferry to Chiloe..about 30 min. with huge trucks, buses, and cement mixers all packed in with us....then ferries to smaller islands off of Chiloe...my main memory of Chiloe will be the many little wood and tin churches scattered thru the south part of the island..mostly built while the Jesuits were there..before l867 when they were made to leave SA. Several of the chuches are now UNESCO sites and are being refurbished. By looking at them you can tell they were built by boatbuilders...the ceiling often looks like the hull of a boat. They are painted bring blues, yellows, greens with a steeple that can be seen from the sea...a kind of beacon for the fishermen of each village. All are dedicated to a different saint....my favorite had stars painted on the ceiling.
We took a local tour on Sunday...a bus of 11 very friendly Chileans and us.... the most memorable event of the tour was our lunch...curanto..it is called.....This happened at a small ¨¨end of the world¨¨village...a homehosted lunch....a room is dedicated to cooking the curant which consists of digging a large pit..3 feet deep, lining it with hot rocks, then layeringwith clams, mussles, sausage, pork, chicken, potato patties..then convering that with huge gunnera leaves and dirt!! Then a platter of this was served to each person....more meat than Kristen or I would eat in a month!! But we made a valiant effort... (this was followed by eating wild Boar today....maybe we will become carnivores).
On leaving the island yesterday we made one last detour down a very muddy, washboard road on the north end of the island to go see the Magellan penguins and the Humboldt penguins---we finally arrived at the place..seas were pretty rough but smallboats were taking folks out...dozen of us at a time....and we not only saw penguins but sea otters as well...and we were told about a German woman who came there as a tourist a few yrs.ago, fell inlove with one of the boatman and now lives and works at the little restaurant there. The boat went too fast and the water was too choppy for either Kristen or me to get enough focus on the boatman to fall in love...
After a few days here in Puerto Varas,we head north to the Chilean lakes.....first to Valdivia(you might be familiar with Pedro Valdivia..the Spaniard who conquered and claimed Chile.....or you may have read the Isabelle Allende book..Ïnez of My Soul¨¨¨.
I thinkthe last entry I made is the evening we were going to stargaze in the Attacama desert....wow! was that a treat.....total darkness just before the moon rose...the milky way was bright and huge and the constellations were outstandingly bright....then we looked thru telescopes to see Saturn & rings, the Seven Sisters(all 7 of them), and then the MOON...it was huge and so bright thru the telescope I had to step away fromthe scope. That evening was a highlight of the whole Attacama week for me!! I hope I can get a photo thru the scope of the moon for you onto this site...
This long thin country is so diverse that as we move from one location to another it feels like we are in another country...very fascinating. Another fascinating thing: today we meet the two guys who we have worked with in doing some planning for us for this trip...had lunch with them...they have a company here....Perry is from Midland-Odessa, TX, went to U of TN, and was a customer in Davis Kidd in Knoxville....this 6 degrees of separation idea is true!!
Now to photos...
We took a local tour on Sunday...a bus of 11 very friendly Chileans and us.... the most memorable event of the tour was our lunch...curanto..it is called.....This happened at a small ¨¨end of the world¨¨village...a homehosted lunch....a room is dedicated to cooking the curant which consists of digging a large pit..3 feet deep, lining it with hot rocks, then layeringwith clams, mussles, sausage, pork, chicken, potato patties..then convering that with huge gunnera leaves and dirt!! Then a platter of this was served to each person....more meat than Kristen or I would eat in a month!! But we made a valiant effort... (this was followed by eating wild Boar today....maybe we will become carnivores).
On leaving the island yesterday we made one last detour down a very muddy, washboard road on the north end of the island to go see the Magellan penguins and the Humboldt penguins---we finally arrived at the place..seas were pretty rough but smallboats were taking folks out...dozen of us at a time....and we not only saw penguins but sea otters as well...and we were told about a German woman who came there as a tourist a few yrs.ago, fell inlove with one of the boatman and now lives and works at the little restaurant there. The boat went too fast and the water was too choppy for either Kristen or me to get enough focus on the boatman to fall in love...
After a few days here in Puerto Varas,we head north to the Chilean lakes.....first to Valdivia(you might be familiar with Pedro Valdivia..the Spaniard who conquered and claimed Chile.....or you may have read the Isabelle Allende book..Ïnez of My Soul¨¨¨.
I thinkthe last entry I made is the evening we were going to stargaze in the Attacama desert....wow! was that a treat.....total darkness just before the moon rose...the milky way was bright and huge and the constellations were outstandingly bright....then we looked thru telescopes to see Saturn & rings, the Seven Sisters(all 7 of them), and then the MOON...it was huge and so bright thru the telescope I had to step away fromthe scope. That evening was a highlight of the whole Attacama week for me!! I hope I can get a photo thru the scope of the moon for you onto this site...
This long thin country is so diverse that as we move from one location to another it feels like we are in another country...very fascinating. Another fascinating thing: today we meet the two guys who we have worked with in doing some planning for us for this trip...had lunch with them...they have a company here....Perry is from Midland-Odessa, TX, went to U of TN, and was a customer in Davis Kidd in Knoxville....this 6 degrees of separation idea is true!!
Now to photos...
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
San Pedro Attacama, Chile
I am going to try to upload some more photos from our past few days here in San Pedro....this is the most arid place on earth....less than 1.5 in. of rain a year....today our taxi (truck) driver said it rained 5 drops last year. But there are some oasises here...some snow melt must come down from the Andes to permit life.
We have seen 2 people from the US here...most are German travelers or from some other place in Europe and alot of Argentines and Chileans..this is their summer you know.
We have seen beautiful sunsets, ran down very steep and deep sand dunes in the Valley of Mars (Valley of Death we called it), seen beautiful Andean and Chilean flamingoes, avacets (birds), salt lakes, volcanoes....we do a wash in our lavatory , hang it out to dry...and usually in one hour bring it in....
Tomorrow we go see the gysers in the early a.m. and at 9pm go into the desert to see the stars...a guy has telescopes set up...really excited about that..
now to try photos...
karen
We have seen 2 people from the US here...most are German travelers or from some other place in Europe and alot of Argentines and Chileans..this is their summer you know.
We have seen beautiful sunsets, ran down very steep and deep sand dunes in the Valley of Mars (Valley of Death we called it), seen beautiful Andean and Chilean flamingoes, avacets (birds), salt lakes, volcanoes....we do a wash in our lavatory , hang it out to dry...and usually in one hour bring it in....
Tomorrow we go see the gysers in the early a.m. and at 9pm go into the desert to see the stars...a guy has telescopes set up...really excited about that..
now to try photos...
karen
Saturday, February 7, 2009
San Pedro de Atacama
Here we are in the Atacama desert...google ¨"Atacama Desert" to take a look....I think this must be the Katmandu of SA...and desert instead of peaks.....LOTS of young people with big backpacks here...Just met a couple from Marietta, GA..first Americans we have talked to..they are doing a 3 month backpacking tour of SA..They were at the post office mailing a box of clothes,etc home...every ounce counts when it is on your back..
We had some culture shock when we arrived here last night having come from a little town where maybe we would see 5 people in the street at night...and here the street was teeming. It is a very little town...well, 5000 people, dirt street,adobe buildings, lots of tour shops, cafes, crafts, hostiles...and some 5 star out of town accommodation, too.
We elected not to rent a car for here, but take guided group tours..today we go to the Valley of the Moon, another day into Bolivia to see the lakes (were told we may or may not have to get a visa at the border...all based on the border patrol mood at the time we arrive at the border...they may wave us thru, may charge $10 or $25???
Just remembered a story from our stay in Putre early this week...we were warned over and over DONNOT RUN OUT OF GAS..so although we weren´t really low decided we should get some before going to the lake at the highest elevation (there are literally no service stations for 200 km). A man in Putre said there was gas there and pointed a couple of streets away...we drove and drove in this little town looking for a gas pump thinking ..as in Nashville..a pump would indicate a service station..right? We were totally flumuxed (sp)...finally a guy says while pointing to a tiny grocery store..that is where you get gas. Kristen went inside and asked if they had gas..the guy said "Yes, how much do you want?" She said making a guess, "20 liters" he said, "sorry, I have only l5"...still no gas tank in sight. So he comes to the car..I am parked in the street...he has two large jugs and a tube. He siphons gas out of the jugs into the car....maybe I can send a photo of this...it was almost as memorable as seeing the vicunas at l4,500ft!!
Under the "est" category..we saw the oldest mummies in the world at a museum in Arica on Thursday..the day we returned the car...older than the Egyptian ones..and there is not idication these were especially honored folks..just regular ones who were mumified with mud that has minerals that do the work..
We are here in San Pedro for 5 days, then head to Chiloe Island. Hopefuly I can get some good photos of this unusual scenery....
We had some culture shock when we arrived here last night having come from a little town where maybe we would see 5 people in the street at night...and here the street was teeming. It is a very little town...well, 5000 people, dirt street,adobe buildings, lots of tour shops, cafes, crafts, hostiles...and some 5 star out of town accommodation, too.
We elected not to rent a car for here, but take guided group tours..today we go to the Valley of the Moon, another day into Bolivia to see the lakes (were told we may or may not have to get a visa at the border...all based on the border patrol mood at the time we arrive at the border...they may wave us thru, may charge $10 or $25???
Just remembered a story from our stay in Putre early this week...we were warned over and over DONNOT RUN OUT OF GAS..so although we weren´t really low decided we should get some before going to the lake at the highest elevation (there are literally no service stations for 200 km). A man in Putre said there was gas there and pointed a couple of streets away...we drove and drove in this little town looking for a gas pump thinking ..as in Nashville..a pump would indicate a service station..right? We were totally flumuxed (sp)...finally a guy says while pointing to a tiny grocery store..that is where you get gas. Kristen went inside and asked if they had gas..the guy said "Yes, how much do you want?" She said making a guess, "20 liters" he said, "sorry, I have only l5"...still no gas tank in sight. So he comes to the car..I am parked in the street...he has two large jugs and a tube. He siphons gas out of the jugs into the car....maybe I can send a photo of this...it was almost as memorable as seeing the vicunas at l4,500ft!!
Under the "est" category..we saw the oldest mummies in the world at a museum in Arica on Thursday..the day we returned the car...older than the Egyptian ones..and there is not idication these were especially honored folks..just regular ones who were mumified with mud that has minerals that do the work..
We are here in San Pedro for 5 days, then head to Chiloe Island. Hopefuly I can get some good photos of this unusual scenery....
Friday, February 6, 2009
Antofagasta, Chile
Waiting in the airport here for our flight to Calama, Chile and our shuttle on to San Pedro Atacama...google that place...sounds incredible: geysers, mudpots, starfilled night skies, ...and one of the driest places anywhere...will write more about that after I have seen it.
Been waiting to get to a computer where I can upload some photos...but all computers seem to be very old here and don{t take camera chips...
We started over a week ago in Buenos Aires, ARG then onto Iguazu Falls in the very north of ARG....incredible, powerful, take your breath away, awesome...are just a few words that inadequately describe Iguazu Falls...bigger than either Victoria or Niagra..there are l27 individual falls there covering about 2 miles...we stayed on the Brazil side and walked that side then spent a day on the Argentine side..at every turn I would say [ I think this is where the scene in MISSION was filmed[ then I would round the path and another similar scene !! To get a fuller experience we took a zodiac ride into the falls...well the spray anyway...enough to scream alot and get really soaked!
Unlike what I might usually do, we visited a dam/hydroelectric plant on the Brazil and Paraguay border...think it is 5 miles long...anyway until the China dam is completed, this is the biggest dam in the world. But the most amazing part is the cooperation that built the dam....50/50 everything Brazil and Paraguay....the builders, the current employees, supervisors, and the electrical output goes 50/50 to each country...Paraguay doesnot need all it gets so sells some back to Brazil!! They even created their own language ParaÑol. I think that is amazing story.
The past 4 days we have been in the most norther part of Chile...the town of Putre in the Altiplano...the part between the foothills of the Andes and the Andes peaks. Elevation at the highest we went was over 14,500 feet....thanks to diamox we had no problem--just tingling of fingers, toes, lips due to diamox and soft drinks tasted very flat....but that is easy choice over what here is called puna..altitude sickness.
Putre seems much more Bolivian than Chilean to me...the people are short, dark and weathered skin, fedora black hats, sturdily built, and women with several layers of skirts on...We went to Lake Chungara ..saw lamas, vicunas.. must go to the plans..more later...
Unli
Been waiting to get to a computer where I can upload some photos...but all computers seem to be very old here and don{t take camera chips...
We started over a week ago in Buenos Aires, ARG then onto Iguazu Falls in the very north of ARG....incredible, powerful, take your breath away, awesome...are just a few words that inadequately describe Iguazu Falls...bigger than either Victoria or Niagra..there are l27 individual falls there covering about 2 miles...we stayed on the Brazil side and walked that side then spent a day on the Argentine side..at every turn I would say [ I think this is where the scene in MISSION was filmed[ then I would round the path and another similar scene !! To get a fuller experience we took a zodiac ride into the falls...well the spray anyway...enough to scream alot and get really soaked!
Unlike what I might usually do, we visited a dam/hydroelectric plant on the Brazil and Paraguay border...think it is 5 miles long...anyway until the China dam is completed, this is the biggest dam in the world. But the most amazing part is the cooperation that built the dam....50/50 everything Brazil and Paraguay....the builders, the current employees, supervisors, and the electrical output goes 50/50 to each country...Paraguay doesnot need all it gets so sells some back to Brazil!! They even created their own language ParaÑol. I think that is amazing story.
The past 4 days we have been in the most norther part of Chile...the town of Putre in the Altiplano...the part between the foothills of the Andes and the Andes peaks. Elevation at the highest we went was over 14,500 feet....thanks to diamox we had no problem--just tingling of fingers, toes, lips due to diamox and soft drinks tasted very flat....but that is easy choice over what here is called puna..altitude sickness.
Putre seems much more Bolivian than Chilean to me...the people are short, dark and weathered skin, fedora black hats, sturdily built, and women with several layers of skirts on...We went to Lake Chungara ..saw lamas, vicunas.. must go to the plans..more later...
Unli
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