Update on our trip

Hey everyone! It's been a long time since we posted and we apologize for that. We really haven't felt like being in the mood for it (perhaps we're getting a bit homesick?) and we have been traveling rather quickly as of late. A quick overview of our trip since our last posting. (Hopefully not too long).

Valdivia: We've posted on Valdivia but you haven't seen the pictures. You have to watch a video we took of the sea lions!


Volcano: I tried to climb the volcano and got very close to the summit but the wind was blowing the wrong way and all the sulfur fumes were blowing down our side of the volcano and since we didn't want to die, we had to turn back. It was rather disappointing but it was a pretty fun hike, using crampons and pretty much going straight up the cone on a glacier. :)

Pucon: Overall impression of Pucon was that it was very nice. We kind of lucked out being there at that time since everyone was scared of the volcano erupting from the earthquake (which it did in 1960) we kind of had the town to ourselves. This included almost the whole hostel, and the best site for hot springs which we did as a night trip. As we sat under the stars in nice steamy water (that didn't smell like sulfur) we were glad we took the risk and went there. Pictures from Pucon and Puerto Varas:


Santiago:
After checking with some fellow travelers who where going to Santiago ahead of us, we determined that the way to Santiago was quite safe after all so we bought a bus ticket and headed north to the capital. We stayed at a refurbished palace called Casa Rosa (pink house) which was quite nice architecturally but a bit noisy since it seemed to be a party hostel. While in Santiago we did some touristy things but a lot was still closed from the earthquake. The highlight of Satiago was definitely meeting up with the parents of Suzanne's close friend Beatriz. Suzanne and I get along very well with older people and her parents were no exception. Their lives are amazing. Rodolfo, the dad, had as a commanding officer Pinochet (of dictatorial fame) and told us amazing stories about how he was involved in some pretty big events in Chile's history. Magda, the mom is an amazing woman who started ballet class at 50 and now teaches ballet herself. It was pretty humbling to watch her teach and be so obviously more flexible than someone half her age! The other highlight of Santiago was going to the pre-columbian art museum which houses a large collection of fully intact artifacts from all of central and southern America.


Vina del mar and Valparaiso:
Since Suzanne was still a little bit concerned about aftershocks and tsunamis and I was a bit concerned about our schedule, we decided to take a tour of the two cities rather than go there for a couple of days. We took a day-long tour of both cities and enjoyed them very much. I got to play on the beach and we ate some great sea-food at a cool restaurant. Over lunch we ate with a lady from a girl from Switzerland who I loved talking to because Texas was at the top of her list of places to go next. It was awesome. We also met this other couple from Canada who seem to have been traveling their whole life. We found out the secret to being able to continuously do long vacations for the rest of your life is to not have kids and live in a country (like Canada or Europe) that gives you more vacation days. So I guess that makes this trip extra special for us. :)


Mendoza:
We then crossed the border again to Mendoza, Argentina. It is very close to Santiago and is known for its wine. The local specialty is the Malbec. Next time you're in a wine store, get a Malbec from Mendoza and think of us! The highlight of this area was the wine and bike tour we took of the wine country. It was a beautiful day and we rented some bikes and rode around a circuit where we got to visit many wineries (bodegas they call them) as well as a winery/museum. At the museum we actually got to see some freshly picked grapes get trucked in and begin the process of becoming wine. It was very cool. Also on the tour we met a fellow American named Mike who joined us for the tour and we had a very nice time with him. He must have enjoyed our company as well because he bought us lunch! :)



La Serena and beyond:
After a overnight bus trip back to Chile, we are in the beach town of La Serena which is also known for its astronomical observatories. We're kind of in a rush to get north to Peru so we're only staying here one night (2 days). Over the next two days we'll pretty much be on a bus or waiting for one constantly which won't be fun but our destination is supposed to be great. Arequipa Peru is known as the “White city” for its white stone buildings and its Semana Santa (Holy Week) celebrations are supposed to be one of the best in South America. Hence the reason for the rush up there by Sunday, which is Palm Sunday. We're planning on staying there the whole week to experience the festival and Easter.

Other thoughts:
Our Spanish is getting slightly better but its still pretty slow going. On the bus last night we watched a movie and I was able to better separate the words that were being said, so instead of a jumble of sounds I at least hear words, some of which I know! I think this is good progress and I hope it continues.

We're preparing ourselves for a second culture shock on entering Peru. Chile and Argentina are very safe and well-developed and they have given us a fantastic first two months of our adventure, but we're about to leave that and enter the third world for sure. Peru and Bolivia are much poorer and the warnings from our guide books about fake taxis who like to rob you and not to go out at night are giving us a little bit of anxiety. However we also know the rewards of these other countries will be great so we're taking the plunge gladly.

If someone puts your name on the State department list of missing persons from the earthquake, the State department will look for you! They didn't find us until about 2 weeks after the earthquake but it was heartening to know that they were looking! So after unknowingly being on the missing person's list from the earthquake I am glad to report that we are alive and well!

Ok, that's it for me. Another long one but its been awhile right? Suzanne continues to generate great posts in her head so expect another from her soon (once I can push her to write it down!).

~Mike