Santiago Skiing and Wine Tasting

Hola Amigos! Que tal? (means What's Up - notice my huge improvement in the Spanish Language!)

Skiing at Valle Nevados Chile

We wanted to share some of our recent Chilean adventures with you.  We went Skiing at the Valle de Nevados just outside of Santiago Chile right at the end of their ski season and we managed to catch a blue bird sky day to hit the slopes.  It was pretty warm and the snow was schmooy which is typical of Spring Skiing anywhere but it sure was fun to ski in the Andes mountains and see the beautiful views.  Gary was happy to get Day 1 of skiing in for the season.

Wine Tasting at LFE

We also managed to visit some amazing Chilean wineries and we have been drinking wonderful Chilean wine at every opportunity.  We went to the Santa Cruz wine region just south of Santiago and we had some wonderful tours of the wineries high up in the hills.  One of our favourite experiences was an outside tasting in the vineyards really high up at Luis Felipe Edwards.  The view was spectacular and so were the wines.  We then visited Estampa vineyards as well and enjoyed their fabulous wines. This region experienced a lot of damage from the Feb 2010 earthquake so it was very interesting talking with all the vineyard folks to see what happened.  We had a bit of an adventure getting to the wineries because our rental car had a flat tire and we were not sure if we would actually make it to the vineyards or not.  We managed to pull into a small town off the highway and we felt like Indy Car drivers because the 4 guys who patched our tire did it in record time and it cost 4 dollars.  We still don't know how to say flat tire in Spanish but hand signals and pointing at the obvious can get you pretty far sometimes.

Capsule that saved Chilean Miners Valparaiso

We went to Valparaiso just west of Santiago on the coast and we saw the harbour and all the painted houses on the winding streets.  Valparaiso is a huge port city and the Naval presence is everywhere.  We visited the Naval museum and we saw the capsule that the Navy used to save the 33 trapped miners in the Northern Chilean Atacama Desert mine last year.  It was the one year anniversary of the accident so they had the capsule on display for everyone to crawl into and look at.

We found this cross made out of wine barrels in Santa Cruz wine country where we stayed and we thought it was just a perfect use for empty barrels.
We will now continue to move south as we target the end of the world and Ushuaia.

More tales to come!
Salud,
Pat and Gary

Rapa Nui - Easter Island

Hello Everyone,
We had a simply fantastic time in Rapa Nui -Easter Island. It is a truly special tiny place in the middle of nowhere.  It took almost 6 hours to fly to Rapu Nui from Santiago Chile.  The island is only 24 kms long by 12 kms wide so it is very easy to get around and not get lost. We had amazing warm weather and we were able to tour around and visit all the famous sites on the island in wonderful warm sunshine. The most famous sites to see are the huge Moai statues which are found all over the island. They are simply massive and are made of solid stone. It is one of the world's big mysteries as to how these statues got moved onto their platforms by the sea and after we saw them we had more questions than answers.  Maybe it was the aliens who put them here after all - who knows!

Rano Raraku Quarry on Rapa Nui 

Here we are at the Quarry where the Moai statues were carved. The Moai statues behind us are actully covered up to their necks in dirt which has accumulated over the centuries.  These are full statues and they are very very big.  One of the other mysteries on Rapa Nui is why all of a sudden the people stopped making and moving the statues.  These ones were all in transit down to the coast but for some reason they were simply abandoned and the wind and landslides have filled in the dirt around them. It is a really strange experience to see these deserted statues and wonder what the heck happened here many hundreds of years ago.

Tongariki Rapa Nui at Sunrise

Believe it or not we actually got up early enough in the morning to see the sunrise over these Moai. Anyone who knows me well understands that I am simply not a morning person so that will tell you how important it is to see the sunrise over these statues.  If you don´t believe in powers or spirits of some kind, seeing these statues could change your mind.  There is some sort of weird energy here and you can't help but contemplate the meaning of life when you look at them.  We visited Rapa Nui during the low season so we actually had this entire site to ourselves one morning.  We felt very priviledged to be able to come here and see all this just by ourselves.

Anakena Beach Rapa Nui 

This beautiful beach is near the top of the island and it is where the original settlers first arrived.  The sand is like sugar and perfectly white.  The water is turquoise and crystal clear. There is a restored platform with 7 Moai statues in this picture and it is one of the most important archeological sites on the island.  The weather was nice and warm without any humidity which all combined to make this one of the best beaches I´ve ever been to in my life.  The awesome banana cake and beer sold by one of the vendors here rounded out the whole beach experience.

We have to admit that we left Rapa Nui with a lump in our throats.  We were able hike to the highest point on the island and get a great view of everything.  When we left we were given a feather and a shell. The feather is meant to bring us back some day and when we do that we are to throw the shell back into the sea where it belongs.  Rapa Nui is really a very special place and we can highly recommend it.

We now fly back to Santiago and start moving south.
More news to come very soon!
Cheers,
Pat and Gary

Mendoza Madness!

Hola Amigos!
Since our Bolivian Bicycle and Salt adventures we have been able to recover in Menodaza Argentina and we can say that life is just wonderful again.  Mendoza is all about wine so you can be sure that we are fully maximizing our time here by visiting as many wineries as we can.  There are about 1200 wineries to see so the pressure is definitely on.  One guide worked it out to at least 3 per day for an entire year. We rented bikes (no not extreme Kona mountain bikes like Bolivia) and toodled around to see as many wineries as possible via bicyclette.  We did ok but ran out of steam after lunch which included a bottle of wine of course!

The views are spectacular and we are looking at Aconcagua Mountain which is a mere 6959 metres above sea level.  This is actually the highest peak in the western hemisphere and it is always in the distance here in Mendoza which is absolutley stunningly beautiful.  It is spring time here so all the blossoms are coming out.  The vineyards themselves are still "sleeping" as one tour guide put it but the scenery is just fantastic.

We had an amazing tour of Zuccardi vineyards and we really wish to thank the wonderful folks there for a simply super afternoon.  We got to visit the experimental wine room which includes neat varietals such as Tannat from Uruguay which I am standing beside.  This is now my new favourite wine and I would love to keep whatever is in this tank.  The city of Mendoza is just fantastic and it is really easy to get around.  We were able to try some of the yummy food including a typical Argentinian Parilla which includes all sorts of interesting meats and bits on the BBQ.

Here we have Gary with a real Asado or BBQ.  These guys take their meat very seriously and as you can see they go for the whole meal deal.  The sqaure right down the street from our hotel, the Plaza de Chile, was the site of the Chilean Festival of Independence Celebration and they BBQ'd meat like this for three days in a row.  There was traditional dancing at nighttime and of course more wine.  We had a lot of fun watching everything go down for the festival.

Here we are outside yet another winery that specialized in organic wines and we were able to taste primitive wine or wine that had not been filtered or treated in any way.  I must admit it tasted a lot like grape juice and I think my palatte has become used to the more commercialized traditional wines we all love so much.  Malbec is the wine of choice around here and we have done our best to sample as much as we can.  At 5 to 6 dollars for a good decent bottle it is really fun to sample all the different wines.

We have more stories to tell about our adventures but in the meantime we would like to wish everyone a very Happy Thanksgiving.  We will be missing our turkey but we will be sure to drink some wine that goes well with Turkey to celebrate.
Salud,
Pat and Gary

Salt Desert Uyuni Bolivia - Extreme Adventure!

Hola Amigos!

Salt Hotel Uyuni Bolivia

We have survived our 3 day Bolivian Salt Desert Crossing in a 4 x 4 truck and we are alive to tell the tale! This was definitely the most extreme part of our trip so far.  In this picture I´m sitting at a table made of salt blocks which is in front of an entire building made of salt blocks.  The white stuff at my feet is not snow but salt.  It was really surreal walking and driving on that much salt.  They actually have one part they call the Salvador Dali desert and we can certainly see why. 

Fish Island Salt Desert Uyuni

These cacti are the oldest in the world and they only grow one centimetre every year.  We are completely surrounded by salt and the desert.  We spent one night in a hotel built entirely out of salt blocks and the floor was simply salt crystals.  It got very cold at night (minus 15 degrees celcius) and we slept with all of our clothes and jackets on.  There was frost on the inside of the window when we woke up.  Gary and I were easily the oldest folks on this tour and I told Gary if he wants to do this again he will need to find a 25 year old chick to do it with.  My high altitude salt desert camping days are quickly drawing to a close!

James Pink Flamingos at Laguna Verde Bolivia

However, when you see scenery like this you can definitely say it was all worth it! We saw hundreds of gorgeous pink flamingos in the lagoons in front of the volcano.  The scenery was pristine and we are literally in the middle of nowhere here which is why the flamingos hang out.  We also saw herds of Vicuna and a bunch of crazy llamas as well. 

This volcano actually has smoke coming out of the top left side of it. Mmmm makes you wonder when the next one is going to blow.  We walked along some Geysers which were all bubbly and it felt like walking on egg shells.  The Andes are still growing and we got to see it up close and personal.  We crossed over into Chile on a high mt. pass at 15,000ft to San Pedro de Atacama and we were able to do some stargazing in the highest, driest desert on earth.  We saw the Southern Cross and lots of  Zodiac signs in the sky.  We also saw Jupiter with its rings and moons.  Our extreme desert days are now over and we will head down to wine country in Argentina and Chile.  We are both looking forward to hot showers good wine and good food!
Much more to come,
Pat & Gary

Bolivia La Paz, Copacobana, and Isla del Sol

Hola,
Bolivia has been full of surprises. The capital city of La Paz is the highest capital city in the world at approx. 11,500 feet and yes we can feel the altitude a lot.  The view of the city when you fly in is simply stunning because it is built so high up.  The buildings seem to just cling to the sides of the valley.  We are staying near the Witches Market in the center of town and if you want to buy some coca leaves and llama fetuses for good luck there are plenty to choose from...

Witches Market La Paz Boliva

We went to Lake Titicaca and stayed in a town called Copacobana right on the shores of the lake.  Las Olas, the hotel we stayed at was like Hobbit Land and it was really fun hanging out on the shores of Lake Titicaca.  We met two couples who are doing the Alaska to Ushuaia route by camper which takes about two years total.  Our five month trip from the top of South America to the bottom seems really wimpy compared to that and we are duly humbled.

 The scenery around Isla del Sol is simply beautiful.  Don´t forget we are at high alitude here which means around 14,000 feet.  We climbed up an Inca staircase complete with waterfall and had a great view over the lake into Peru. Isla del Sol is considered to be the birthplace of the entire Inca culture so it is quite the place to visit.  We saw beautiful snow capped peaks in the distance and the terraces the Inca built are really impressive.  Gary looks just great in this hat.   Unfortunately the hat is now no longer with us as it bascially distintegrated in our suitcase.  We are on the hunt for new styling hat for Gary.  Stay tuned!

Isla del Sol Lake Titicaca

We tried Bolivian red wine and it is ok.  We are very much looking forward to Chile and Argentina where we will be sure to drink lots of the wonderful wines.We will soon be leaving Bolivia and heading into Chile.  Much more news to come!
Pat and Gary

The World´s Most Dangerous Road Bolivia

Hola Amigos!

Start of the Worlds Most Dangerous Road approx 16,000 ft

Gary and I did the Mountain Bike trip down The World´s Most Dangerous Road the other day and we are alive to tell the tale.  It was a totally indescribable experience and I still can´t believe that we did it.  We signed up with a company called Gravity Assisted and we had a super long day that started at 7:45 am and ended at 9:00pm that evening.  We rode for about 5 hours in total and descended a total of 12,000 feet from the top of the mountains to the jungle.

The trip was 65 kms long and it was wild.   Check out the YouTube clip of Gravity Assisted if you have time. It is exactly what we did and it was a total thrill. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MtUaherTC50
When we were done the ride we came back in our minibus on the same highway which was incredible because it certainly doesn´t look as though cars can still drive on it.

A  minibus had tumbled over the edge the night before we did the ride and four people died.  We watched as the tow trucks and cranes tried to pull the minibus back up to the road. There are sheer drop offs and no guard rails on the road so if you miss a turn you are toast.

We would highly recommend this trip to anyone who is looking for a real thrill on their moutain bike. It has been a real highlight of our trip so far.

We are now heading out to the Salar de Uyni in Bolivia which is the biggest salt flat desert in the world. We will cross it in a 4x4 and it will take 3 days total. We are hoping to end up in San Pedro de Atacama in Chile when we are done.

Lots more news to come!
Hasta la vista,
Pat and Gary

Quito, Otavalo & Vilcabamba The Avenue of Volcanoes

Buenas Dias! We are thoroughly enjoying Ecuador and all it has to offer. Quito is a wonderful city and we were able to take a cable car to the top of Pichincha Volcano to take a peek.  It is 4100 or so metres high (13,500 ft) and we hiked up as far as we could with many short stops to catch our breath.  The air sure is thin up there but we got a great view. There are 137 volcanoes in Ecuador and two of the active ones including Pichincha are in Quito.

We saw the Cotopaxi Volcano which is also active as we drove out to Otovalo to visit the largest market in South America last Saturday.  Cotopaxi is the highest volcano in the world and it is the closest to the sun because it is so close to the equator. Both Gary and I signed up for a quick Spanish Lession in Quito in a desperate attempt to improve our Tarzan Spanish - me want drink - is sort of where we are at right now and we wish to improve.

View Towards Otovalo

 We said good bye to Quito and flew out to Vilcabamba in southern Ecuador for some great R& R.  Vilcabamba reminds us a lot of the Okanagan because it is dry like the desert but the hills are green and beautiful.  The temperature here is just perfect. We got to go horseback riding which was really fun.  We had great gentle horses but they galloped us up and down some pretty sprectacular trails and we got some great views.  My legs and saddle are really sore now but is was worth it.

 We are moving on to Peru next on our way to Bolivia where things are going to be a bit more basic than what we have encountered so far.
Much more to come.
Hasta Luego!
Pat & Gary