Argentina

If you look at a map, Chile looks like a long string bean.  It is fascinating because  it encompases so many different climate zones.  Imagine taking the west coast of North America and flipping it upside down.  The north of Chile is like Baja California or northern Mexico, hot dry desert; then you head south and you get a mediterranean climate similar to southern California, this is where Santiago, the capital is, as well as the central valley where they grow so much of their produce.  Continue south and you get the wine region, similar to Napa Valley in northern California  Further on it gets wetter and greener and it reminds you a lot of Oregon and Washington, super green, lots of forests, rivers, and lakes (this is where we live, called the lake region).  If you go far enough south you end up with the extreme cold and glaciers resembling Canada or Alaska.  Going from the very north of Chile to the southern tip of Chile is a very long trip and would take days and days of travel.  Crossing the country horizontally however, west to east, takes only a few hours.  The Andes form the border to the east and from our place it's just a hop, skip and a jump to cross the border into Argentina.  You can drive straight over from Pucon or even cooler you can cross over by traveling on a lake!  Lago Pirihueico is a stunning, long narrow lake that runs east/west through the foothills of the Andes, and has a ferry service that takes you to the border with Argentina.  We chose this route and ended up visiting  a very picturesque mountain town called San Martin de Los Andes. Here are a few photos from that incredible journey.  


Our transportation to Argentina on Lago Pirihueico

 



Hanging out on the ferry

 


Our hotel inSan Martin surrounded by the stunning  fall leaves




One of a huge flock of wild green parrots busy eating downtown




San Martin de los Andes on the shore of Lago Lancar  



Volcan Lanin where we went hiking, on the Argentian side

Elijah Hiking Quetrupillan

On May 7^th Elijah and I hiked Quetrupillan together.  It was something he wanted to do.  Elijah wants to tell about his experience on the mountain.  We decided that the best way to tell his story would be by means of an interview.

Daddy:  Elijah, what made you want to climb Quetrupillan?

Elijah:  The name was so inspiring.  It didn’t look too difficult and I want to come back saying that I had done something successful besides learning Spanish while in Chile.

Daddy:  Tell me about your experience.

Elijah:  Me and daddy went through 3 forests.  A burnt forest, a green forest and a red and yellow forest.  Then we reached the base.  We had lunch in the shelter of the trees because the wind was real strong.  It is Fall in Chile right now and the trees are very small, with no leaves and they looked burnt. 

Daddy:  How long did it take us to hike through the three forests?

Elijah:  It took us two hours.

Daddy:  Then what happened?

Elijah:  We kept hiking through this beautiful landscape looking for the next “who-do” to get to.  A “who-do” is a pile of rocks stacked on top of each other that is a marker for the trail.  The ranger makes them.  If a person thinks there is a lack of “who-dos” they make another one themselves.  We kept going way up and picked up a couple of pieces of sulfur and a beautiful rock and kept going up-up-up.  It was super exciting walking up and seeing the clouds appearing and disappearing. 

Daddy:  Was it cold while you were hiking?

Elijah:  It was pretty cold while we were hiking.  My hands got really cold.  Almost at the top, my left hand stopped functioning.  So I made the call it was probably time to head back down.  I couldn’t walk so daddy had to carry me down. 

Daddy:  So why didn’t you turn back earlier before you got too tired and cold?

Elijah:  Because my motivation really wanted to make it there.

Daddy:  How close were you to the top?

Elijah:  We made it to the cone.  We were 200 ft from the crater.  Halfway down the volcano piece my right hand wouldn’t function.  You warmed them up.

Daddy:  How did you feel once you saw the forest down below?

Elijah:  It felt like we wouldn’t have to spend the night on Quetrupillan!

Daddy:  Tell me about the view from the cone of the volcano?

Elijah:  The view was of the other volcano, Llaima and the other volcano, Villarica.  It was super beautiful.

Daddy:  How high did you climb?

Elijah:  Starting altitude was 780m.  We made it to 2211m.

Daddy:  Wow.  I think the whole hike was 7 hours from start to finish.

Daddy:  Is there anything else you want to say about the trip?

Elijah:  No not really.

Daddy:  I heard that you wrote a poem that was inspired by your Quetrupillan hike.  Will you share it with us?

Elijah: OK.  (He goes upstairs to get his journal.)

NATURE by Elijah written May 9^th 2013

“WHEN YOU FEEL YOURSELF CONNECT TO NATURE YOU FEEL GOOD.

YOU FEEL NATURE GIVE YOU POWER AND YOU GIVE NATURE RESPECT.

YOU FEEL LIGHT SHINE ON YOU AND YOU SHINE LIGHT BACK.

NATURE SHOWS YOU ITS ANIMALS, ITS ELEMENTS.

NATURE IS AMAZING!”

Daddy: What lessons did you learn from your Quetrupillan experience?

Elijah:  My limits. 

Daddy:  It was my honor hiking Quetrupillan with you.  Will you hike another volcano with me one day?

Elijah: Yes.

Well friends and family, there it is.  I only had three lessons that I wanted him to learn from that experience.

1. The weather can change quickly on the mountain.  Be prepared at all times and give the mountain a lot of respect.
2. A person can know their limits only through experience.
3. On a grand adventure it is a good idea to have a buddy.

Mission accomplished.  Love, Achilles.

Quetrupillan in the back ground at the base



At a "who-do" about a 1/3 of the way up



Adventures of Daily Life

I like to write about adventures, but I realize too that so many of the things that we take for granted in daily life are in fact a bit of an adventure here in Chile.  Take cooking for example.  When you walk into our home directly to the left is the kitchen.  It is fully functional, yet it functions in a much different way.  The stove has to be lit each time you need to use it.  Elijah is my official match lighter.  Also there are no numbers on the oven and in fact, the dial actually goes from low to hot and then down to medium. Go figure?  So when I bake, I have absolutely no idea what temperature I am baking at.  Measuring is a little complicated too (esp. with butter) as they use metric measurements but as I don’t have any measuring cups or spoons, it doesn’t matter much. I just put some in and hope for the best.  So far so good.  I have actually made some super yummy things.

Many foods that come prepared at home have to be made from scratch here.  There are times I really miss TJ’s, but for the most part I have enjoyed learning to make my own. I make hummus and beans, soups, breads, sauces, jams and juices.  I even tried making saag paneer. When I see something interesting in the local fruit and vegetable market I always ask what it is and give it a try.  Different things appear seasonally.  The berries are gone and now we have pinones and castanas (chestnuts) in the markets.  There are also some fabulous squashes.  One is a gigantic orange squash that they actually cut up with a saw and then sell in chunks. 

On rainy days Chileans have a tradition of eating sopapillas, a fried sweet bread type treat.  It's kind of like us and curling up with a cup of hot chocolate.  A few weeks back we were visiting our friend Jose Antonio, and indeed it was a rainy day.  He introduced us to the custom and taught Elijah how to make sopapillas. 

Back to house adventures.  To try and minimize chilinitis (or montazuma's revenge) we boil our water to drink.  This is an ongoing process of boiling water and then storing it.  Boiling, storing, boiling, storing.  Not hard, just different.  As I do the cooking, Achilles has taken over dishes.  This is such a treat!  No dishwasher though, or garbage disposal, but we do usually have hot water in the sink. 

Now that it is getting colder there is the issue of heat.  There is no central heating (of which I must say I have discovered that I am a huge fan!) instead, we have a wood burning stove.  It is very charming, but if you have ever used a wood burning stove as your only heat source, the charm soon wears off.  It is a lot of work to start and then keep a fire going.  Achilles is in charge of bringing in the wood (luckily our rent includes access to a wood shed), but he still has to chop up kindling.  Sometimes he makes the fire, but more often than not it is me as I am the cold blooded one who needs the heat.  Of all the conveniences of home this is the one that makes life the most different for me here.  Starting and tending a fire is much different than selecting a number and flipping a switch on the thermostat!

Washing clothes is also way different.  We do have a washing machine, but it only washes with cold water.  To dry the clothes we put them outside on a drying rack and hope for a sunny day. Sometimes we have to bring them in and dry them inside as the weather changes quickly here.  They get clean and dry eventually, but not ever super clean and never that soft yummy just right out of the dryer feeling.

Luckily since we are on vacation there is time to do all these things.  I really feel that I have blossomed as a cook and can make delicious interesting meals from all sorts of different raw ingredients.  I also can say that without the pressure of time each day cooking and housework become creative endeavors.  It is funny after three months things that seemed so different at first seem quite natural now.  Life is good!



Jose Antonio and Elijah making sopapillas



The famous sopapillas cooking



Bridgett, Elijah and Lila with their bounty of murtas, a berry that grows along our road





The market in Temuco with lots of fresh veggies



Making plum juice

Slowing Down

How lovely it is to sit in my dining room, drinking a cup of coffee feeling the warmth from the sun coming through a sunny window.  Life is peaceful here.  Slow.  Nothing opens before 10 so there is really no reason to rush.  We don’t worry about getting up and rushing to work or school in the morning; it is really a quite civilized way to live.  I have a feeling we will be good retired people.  It sure is a blessing to be able to slow down for a few months.  We realize every day how very lucky we are to be having this adventure. It truly has been everything we could ever have hoped for.

Today Elijah and Achilles are off hiking a volcano.  Ever since Achilles climbed Quetripullian Elijah has been aching to do it.  He just does not see why an 8 year old cannot.  So today Achilles decided to take him up.  My back is in no shape for such a hard climb and I didn't want to slow them down so I have a day to myself which is also a bit of a treat!  Elijah who is not an early riser, was so excited, that he was up at day break, dressed, teeth brushed ready to go.  I made them lots of food and sent them on their way.  I will report on their adventure next time I write. 

We have decided to stay here in Pucon through the end of June.  We are all doing so well here there seems no reason to move on.  Elijah is still taking Spanish classes and playing futbol on the local Pucon team.  Achilles and I have been taking tango lessons and believe it or not we are in a show this weekend! It is to celebrate the International Day of Dance.   I could not be more excited.  I am now in search of an appropriate tango show dress!  This will be the first show Achilles and I have ever done together.  It should be super fun!


Sunset view from our amazing home




Elijah playing futbol (soccer)




Elijah's Chilean futbol team




Karin, Elijah's Spanish teacher at Language Pucon



Dancing tango



Hiking Volcano Quetrupillan by Achilles

Who doesn’t want to be a poet-warrior?  Who doesn’t want to be a person of substance, vitality and vision?  What dad doesn’t want to make his son proud?  It was with these questions on my heart and in my mind that I went to climb Volcan Quetrupillan.  On a sunny day in late April I drove alone with the intent of summiting this formidable and beautiful yet inactive volcano (It last erupted in 1872).  The journey to the trail head was not straight forward.  At a critical cross-road I happened upon a ranger who told me in Spanish to “go straight for 5KM then at the junction go left, go another 1KM and at the next junction take the road to the left.  After that I would see a bridge.  Follow the bridge to the left.  Then go up for another KM and I would see a little red house.  The trail head would supposedly be waiting for me.  As with most directions in South America it wasn’t that straightforward.  But with a map and asking some people working on a house deep in the forest I found the house.  As I drove up to the gate (the house was on private property) I met with a lone Chilean hiker.  We made introductions and then started up the mountain. 

It’s safe to say that I wouldn’t have ascended the summit without his help and he wouldn’t have ascended without mine.  He was a true brother of the mountains.  We spoke of the Mapuche, family, nature and our professions.  We got a little lost as the trail was a bit unclear at the base of the volcano.  However, we recovered and after a 1.5 hour detour of climbing the side of the volcano, we finally found the correct trail.  The trek revealed 3 Andean Condors, the smell of sulfur, blue skies, ice and obsidian.  It was a tough trek toward the summit.  But the view at the top was breathtaking.  Quetrupillan is 7,743 ft. high.  Erik (my Chilean hiking buddy) made it up first.  He called down and said, “Achilles, you won’t believe your eyes.”  At the top was a view that can only be described as liberating and enormous.  The crater was covered with ice and a small glacier.  The panoramic view of Volcan Lanin, Volcan Villarica and Volcan Llaima was inspirational.  I came across a cool poem a few days later that made my eyes well up a little bit because it nailed my feelings as we descended the mountain and had the clean air filling my lungs.  It’s from a book called, “The Iron Heel” by Jack London.

“Joy upon joy and gain upon gain

Are the destined rights of my birth,

And I shout the praise of my endless days

To the echoing edge of the earth.

Though I suffer all deaths that a man can die

To the uttermost end of time,

I have deep-drained this, my cup of bliss,

In every age and climb ----   

The froth of Pride, the tang of Power,

The sweet of Womanhood!

I drain the lees upon my knees,

For oh, the draught is good;

I drink to Life, I drink to Death,

And smack my lips with song,

For when I die, another ‘I’ shall pass the cup along. 

The man…..”

The poem continues in that vein.  If anyone is interested let me know and we can read the poem aloud together when I return over a cup of wine by a fire.  Who doesn’t want to be a poet-warrior?  Who doesn’t want to be a person of substance, vitality and vision?  Peace and love to everyone who took the time to read.  Thanks Chris for letting a brother blog.  Gracias.

At the top with Lanin in background




Quetrupillan and Lanin in the Winter




Quetrupillan on the day I went in Autumn.  6 hours round trip