Our Chilean Adventure

2007-05-28T07:12:00.000-07:00

Burt's and George's Chilean Adventure Part 3

Tuesday, May 8^th

In the morning, we drove up this road to Park Hornopiren, stopping to enjoy the scenery from time to time.

We drove in the park as far as we could and were greeted by a friendly park ranger and his dog. We set out on our hike, accompanied by the park dog that guided us on our walk over bridges and through muddy paths.

This hanging bridge was conveniently constructed with missing boards to provide us with an unobstructed – albeit nerve-wracking - view of the water below.

Above – a horse-drawn cart still used for hauling logs.

We hiked up a path so worn by wear and water than, in some spots, it was six feet deep. I can imagine Mapuche Indians walking down this path for the past 500 years!

We were guided on our way by the park dog – a German shepherd - that showed us the driest parts of the path. Occasionally, when we would choose the wrong way, he would whine and wait patiently for us to figure out the right path.

We had hoped to hike all the way to a lake in Hornopiren Park, but a bull stood in our path. We shared our lunch with the dog and waited for the bull to move, but he wouldn’t budge. We finally turned around and headed back the way we came.

We drove back up the Carretera Austral.

We rode the ferry back, heading north this time, our little grey Peugeot leading the pack.

We drove through Puerto Montt, took another ferry to the island of Chiloe and arrived at our hotel on the Plaza of Ancud in time for dinner. Sadly, there were no seats in the local restaurant as the town’s residents had gathered there to watch the soccer game – Chile vs. Mexico. Eventually we found a restaurant with one free table and enjoyed King Crab and Futbal!

Here is the plaza of Ancud right outside our hote

2007-05-28T07:10:00.000-07:00

Burt’s and George’s Chilean Adventure Part 2

Monday (continued)

We drove south on the Carretera Austral (Southern Highway) to La Arena.

As we drove, we saw fishing boats (above) and salmon farms (below). It was feeding time for the salmon and we watched the salmon thrashing around and jumping in their pens.

In La Arena, we put the car on a ferry. We then sailed across the mouth of a bay, avoiding terrain too rugged for roads, and connected up to the next section of the Carretera Austral.

We enjoyed the half hour ferry ride, watching fishermen at work and marveling at the views of the rugged coastline and the Andes beyond.

We spent the night in Hornopiren – the end of the Carretera Austral during the fall and winter months. The night was crystal clear and cold. Burt and I stood outside our hostel for an hour, enjoying the views of the Southern Cross and the heart of the Milky Way.

We woke up to this scene from our hostel, looking out over the estuary at low tide.

2007-05-28T06:53:00.000-07:00

Burt and George’s Chilean Trip

May 4 -14, 2007

Friday, May 4^th

My brother, Burt arrived in Concepcion, Chile from the States after a 24 hour delay in Miami. It was great to see him and we spent the day letting him rest and acclimatizing him to Concepcion. It was late fall and we expected the rains to start any day. We planned to tour southern Chile, seeing the lakes and mountains, but the threat of drenching storms made us a little uneasy.

Saturday, May 5^th

Saturday morning, on our way to rent a car at the Concepcion Airport, I got a call from my glider buddies asking if we wanted to go soaring. I said, “Sure! My brother and I are on our way to the airport to pick up a car rental. We’ll pick it up and meet you at the hangar!” SOOO … we had a great Saturday afternoon of flying! I soared in the glider and Burt had a ride in the tow plane and the glider.

Sunday, May 6^th

Sunday morning we left early and drove the scenic route to Temuco, where we had a typical Chilean almuerzo (lunch) – fresh seafood in central market restaurant. We drove on to Puerto Varas and were greeted by scenes of Lake Llanquique:

Monday, May 7^th

We drove southeast to National Park Alerce Andino, where we hiked through an alerce forest.

Burt stands between two Alerce trees. The alerce are a larch-like tree that can live for 4000 years.

This is a composite photo of the largest Alerce tree we saw in the park.

After spending the day hiking through the park, we drove through rolling countryside on our way to the town of Hornopiren, where we planned to spend the night. So far the weather has been perfect!

2007-04-05T18:26:00.000-07:00

The Annual Memorial Riot

It’s been quite a week here in Concepción, as the university community has prepared for their Annual Memorial Riot. Each day, on our way to and from campus, we have walked by police vehicles - jeeps, paddy wagons, even a tank topped with two mounted water canons – all ready to pounce on rioting students and all parked around the edge of the campus.

Thursday, March 29^th, was the day of this expected riot and an expectant hush hung over the campus. Police were everywhere and students huddled in groups, whispering and watching. There were spray painted reminders all around campus and even at our local supermarket.

Apparently, during a protest rally on March 29^th, 1999, a university student in Santiago was killed. Ever since, university students here in Concepción remember the day by rampaging around campus and the town, smashing windows and roughing up people. So, on the 29^th, we braced ourselves for the RIOT.

Although everyone was in a state of expectancy, there was no notification from the university administration that a riot may occur. There was no information issued on what to do if there was a riot. No decisions were communicated in advance about whether classes would be canceled. In typical Chilean fashion, all information was passed on unofficially by word of mouth. Apparently, the system for notification is like the party game of “Telephone.” News is whispered from office to office and person to person. Our colleagues told us, “Well – when the students start throwing rocks and Molotov cocktails, run for it. OR stay put in the office with the door locked until the riot passes … and the riots have been known to last all night.”

With all the anticipation – the police presence and the whispering campaign – the day passed without incident. Apparently, around 7 PM, the water canons were finally fired on some students, but by then Nancy and I were safely home. I suspect it was just for practice. Police and students need to stay in training.

It was with a sense of relief that we headed out of town on Saturday morning to visit the world famous Termas de Chillán, where the rich and famous ski in July and August and soak in the natural hot springs. Chillián is where the US Olympic ski team trains during the summer months.

On our way out of town, we stopped by our Concepción coastline to admire the view.

A beautiful coastline …

… lined with surf fishermen ...

… and enjoyed by a family of squatters.

We climbed the promontory (behind us in this picture), which stands to the north of the mouth of the Bio Bió River. I have dubbed this Concepción’s Rock of Gibraltar.

Standing on this promontory, I am looking to the south, over the mouth of the Bio Bió River … Chile’s largest navigable river and the southern border of Concepción.

Here, Nancy looks north up the coast from the same promontory.

We decided that, while we had our rental car, we should do a little exploring around the Concepción area. As we headed out of town, we passed a common form of Chilean transportation – the family horse and buggy.

We checked out Lenga, a sleepy fishing village north of Concepción and a favorite lunch spot of our friends in Concepción.

We then tried to drive along the peninsula north of Concepción but found that it is owned and operated by the Chilean Navy and not open to tourists. I thought of my glider buddy, Fernando, who is a commander in the Chilean Navy. Perhaps he will be able to show me around the naval base some day.

We drove for an hour east of Concepcion to Chillan and were greeted by the tree-lined streets and the alpine views.

We visited Chillan’s central market, one of the best in Chile. It is a city block crammed with vegetables, clothes, fish, antiques, beef, souvenirs … and lots more! If you can’t find it in this central market, you don’t need it!

From Chillan, we drove an hour east into the Andes to the Termas de Chillan where we spent the weekend relaxing and exploring.

A view from the Andes to the Pacific Ocean … only 1 ½ hours away!

After a relaxing weekend in the Andes, we drove back to the coast on Sunday in time to watch the sunset once more …. this time from Tome, a town just north of Concepcion.

2007-03-29T04:15:00.000-07:00

Thursday, January, 18 Chilean Fjords and Glaciers

Wow, what a day of sailing! Looking out our port-side stateroom window we lazily watched the Chilean fiords pass by, while the Andes cascaded into the sea.

We took a nap and were awakened by the deafening sound of silence – no engines running. What could be happening? We looked up to see a glacier. We dashed to the top deck to get a clearer view. Stunning!

They lowered a life boat (above) to take supplies to a glacier observation station (below).

Dinner at Le Bistro – the restaurant on board ship that served fantastic French food in a quiet, romantic setting. Rack of Lamb and Chocolate Soufflé! What a treat!

Friday 1/19

At 7:30 AM the captain announced over the loud speakers that we were coming up to a glacier. We went to the exercise room to walk and watch the approaching spectacle.

We spent the day bundled up, watching the Chilean fjords pass by.

We had spectacular scenery at every bend.

The sun got hot – so I improvised a sun hat from my napkin!

At last, we entered the Strait of Magellan. Nancy has always wanted to see this sight. No disappointment. It was a thrill!

2007-03-27T22:30:00.000-07:00

Monday, Jan 15 – A Day at Sea

We started every day with exercise, while enjoying a great view from the front of Deck 10.

A day at sea – heading south through rough waters. We began our habit of ordering breakfast in bed from room service. Delicious and relaxing! We also began our daily exercise routine of walking on the treadmills – Deck 10, in the front of the ship, with a beautiful, though bobbing, view. We enjoyed watching the bow of the ship splash though the waves and we held on tight.

Figure 1 George checks his GPS - Yep, we really are in South America!

We went to the 9 AM lecture on South America. It was boring, so we left. We went to the 10 AM lecture on shore excursions – not boring! - and we signed up for two.

Dinner at the Pasta Cafe

We had lunch at the Seven Seas restaurant, took an afternoon nap, relaxed and read our books, had dinner at the Pasta Café (what a view!) and then slept through a night of choppy waters.

Every few hours, the captain posted our position on this huge map hanging in the foyer of Deck 7. Here are details from our day at sea while we sailed from Valparaiso, past Concepcion, and on to Puerto Montt.

2007-03-27T04:13:00.000-07:00

Wednesday 1/17 Puerto Chacabuco

We sailed all night, but in protected waters, so no chop or swells. Very peaceful! We anchored in the harbor of Puerto Chacabuco and tendered (or took boats) ashore.

It was fun watching the crew lower three life boats to be used as the tenders. They then lowered the gangway, which we clammered down to reach the boats.

We were pleased that one of the tenders was Lifeboat #10, our lifeboat. Good to see it was serviceable!

We visited Parque Aiken del Sur – a Patagonian rain forest. It is a private, for profit, park owned and operated by Detroit Chile, formerly Detroit Motors.

We walked along El Salto Creek. Fifty percent of this forest was destroyed by a fire, lasting 20 years, that was started in the early 1900’s to clear the land for settlement. We saw the young and old Tineo, Pilpis and Notro trees and the ubiquitous Maqui trees.

It rains 3000 mm/ year (10 feet!) here.

We lunched at a quincho, a traditional Mapuchu (or native) roundhouse.

They served roasted lamb and Pisco Sours (the traditional – and ubiquitous – before-dinner drink).

We met two new friends from Scotland, Irene and Kathryn, and we were all taken aback at the huge portions of lamb served for lunch!

We were entertained by traditional muicians and dancers.

Irene got caught up in the festivities!

Back on the ship, we read our books and watched the scenery go by from the aft observation deck.

2007-03-26T04:49:00.000-07:00

Tuesday 1/16 Puerto Montt

We exercised while we sailed into Puerto Montt.

George successfully supervised our first docking! We arrived late at Puerto Montt due to difficult seas and strong head winds.

We disembarked at 10 AM for our first field trip – to Lago de Todos los Santos – Lake of All Saints – so named because it was discovered on All Saint’s Day.

We drove from Puerto Montt to Puerto Vara, through Ensenada up to Lago Todas Los Santos.

The clouds lifted and we had our first glimpse of Volcano Osorno. Breathtaking!

After an hour’s drive on a pleasant bus with a chatty tour guide, Cecilia, we boarded a boat for a ride on the lake.

We sailed on Lake Todos Los Santos for an hour, enjoying the view of Osorno (above) and the craggy mountains (below). The horseflies were monstrous, so we loved being inside the boat. These flies are only out in January so we were lucky! NOT.

Leaving the lake, we continued on to the Petrohue falls. Here the volcanic rock has been sculpted by the flowing river.

After the falls we went to lunch at a restaurant just outside of Ensenada, Chile, on the road to Puerto Vara (Rt. 225). Great view and great food. We hope to return!

We strolled around Puerto Vara, on the edge of Lago Llanquihue (-hue means place), enjoying a great view of the Osorno and Calbuco volcanoes. We finally mailed a letter to Nan’s folks – the one she wrote a week earlier on the flight to Santiago. We had been searching for a post office all week!

Back at the ship, Vanna White shows off our state room window. On the wharf, there was a kiosk offering phone service to the US for 50 cents per minute. Nan called her folks – fun! Back on the ship – Seven Seas for dinner – early to bed – pooped!

THE VOLCANO!

2007-03-24T06:13:00.000-07:00

Friday, February 9^th – Pucon, Chile

At 7 AM we were at the outfitters, with four other victims. We were outfitted in jackets, pants, boots, ice cleats, ice picks, hard hats and gloves. Everything you need for a pleasant day’s hike. The thought occurred to us: WHY ARE WE DOING THIS?

With a guide and a helper, we climbed into a van and drove an hour to Villarrica National Park. We took a ski lift up to the snowline - an extra $10 each - worth every penny!

(The volcano looks short from this perspective but believe me, it isn’t! The volcano is

9, 340 ft. and the ski lift took us to the snowline, where we suited up and started to climb.)

At the bottom of the ski lift -

- before we donned our hike-to-the-top-of-the-volcano outfits

Okay … so we’re ready to go!?

The path up to the top is ice and crunchy snow. Not very reassuring for those (like Nan) who like to hike on solid ground!

“We’re doing this … why???” Photo of Nancy, as she questions our sanity (and pulls up her snow-pants … three sizes too large!)

Nancy was scared from the minute she put her foot on the ice (“Not much traction here, George!”) to the moment we reached the top (Rock! Solid rock at last!). We spent four hours climbing – slowly (“Lento, lento!” our guide kept saying). The last half hour, the guide held Nancy’s hand and helped her make it to the top. At the top we spent an hour peering into the crater, watching the lava explode. Awesome!

Our picture of the crater (above) and a professional shot (below)

The town of Pucon and Villarrica Lake in the distance.

Nancy and our guide – her new best friend!

On the way down, our waterproof pants, parkas and gloves came in handy as we slid down the mountain in a series of luge channels cut into the snow. We used our ice picks to control our speed. It was scary at first, but after the first two seconds, it was lots of fun – even for Nancy!!

The ski lift was not working on our way down the mountain. By the time we hiked to the van, we were stiff and sore … but what a day! We were taken to our hotel, where we soaked in a hot bath and collapsed!

2007-03-24T05:44:00.000-07:00

Sunday, Jan 14 – Vina Del Mar – Hotel O’Higgins

Figure 1Hotel O'Higgins, Vina del Mar, Chile

We enjoyed our stay at Hotel O’Higgins, the grand old hotel in the center of Vina del Mar, named after the George Washington of Chile. Every town we have seen in Chile has an O’Higgins street, just like every town in the US has a Washington Street.

We checked our email at the hotel – the most beautiful internet café we’ve seen – and sent off notes to the family.

We went for a walk in Parque Quinta Vergara, the former Vergara estate. We climbed the hill looking for a view of the city.

We sat and had a quiet time, reading our Bibles on this beautiful Sunday morning in the park.

Figure 2 Our Ship - the Norwegian Crown

We took a cab to Valparaiso, Pier 4 to catch our ship. We arrived about 12:15 and were on-board by 1 PM (the official check-in time). Very efficient!

Figure 3 Nancy sitting in on the windowsill of our state room.

We were stunned by our beautiful stateroom! We lunched on cheese and bread outside on the observation deck, watching the workmen load the ship. After leaving port, we had dinner at Chopsticks – the Asian restaurant on board.

Figure 4 George relaxes before bed

We mustered for a life boat drill and became acquainted with Lifeboat #10 – OUR lifeboat! All through the trip we kept a loving eye on OUR Lifeboat # 10, as we walked the promenade deck (Deck 7).

That evening, the seas were very rough and neither of us felt well.

2007-03-23T04:36:00.000-07:00

Our Chilean Adventure

by George and Nancy Saunders

January, 2007

Saturday, January 13

Figure 1 - View from our hotel room in Concepcion

Manuel picked us up at Hotel Araucana at 6:30 AM. By 6:45, we were at the Concepcion airport. We had an easy check in, except George had a pocket knife in his carry-on. They were gracious and allowed us to put it in the checked luggage.

Figure 2 George waiting at the Concepcion Airport

LAN is a great airline! It reminds me of US carriers before deregulation. They served us a great breakfast, had doilies on our head-rests, blessed us with smiling relaxed stewardesses - the works.

At Santiago airport we waited for Jerry’s Dad but did not connect with him. Phillip, the taxi organizer, helped us find a cab to Vina del Mar for $40,000 pesos – a great deal! (About $80 for a 90 minute ride).

Figure 3 Taxi ride from Santiago to Vina del Mar

The taxi dropped us off in Vina del Mar at Hotel O’Higgins about 11 AM. We couldn’t check in until 2 PM, so they left our luggage at the reception desk and went off, exploring the city. For lunch, we had empanadas from the local bakery, while sitting in the main square by the hotel – Plaza Vergara.

Figure 4 Nancy eating empanadas in the Plaza in Vina del Mar

We strolled down Avenida Valparaiso to the beach. At the Chinese shop on Valparaiso we bought three lamp shades for the bare bulbs hanging from our apartment ceiling. On the beach, we bought miniature dancing figurines, walked out onto the pier, then back to the hotel to check in.

Nancy at Vina del Mar

Buying figurines on the beach at Vina

At 2 PM we arrived back at the hotel to find it filled with rugby players from all over South America. Peruvians were scattered over the reception area, waiting to check into their rooms. We anticipated a noisy night, as this rugby convention was holding a big banquet that evening at the hotel.

Easter Island Statue – guess which is the statue!

We looked for a dinner spot for a 6 pm dinner. What a joke! Do Chileans eat earlier than 9 PM??? On the way to our dinner, we were greeted by an

Easter Island statute as we stopped by a local natural history museum for a visit. It was closed. Our first choice for a restaurant for dinner was closed, so we walked back to the beach. Our second choice for a restaurant for dinner was closed, too. Both recommended by Lonely Planet … which promised us they would both be open. NOT!

But, as luck would have it, we found a wonderful restaurant open on Avenida Valparaiso. We sat at a table on the sidewalk, listened to an organ grinder, watched the holiday crowds pass by, and had a great meal of appetizers – a vegetable plate and shell fish sampler. Excellent! For dessert, we walked to an indoor mall and had Café Cordova and tiramisu. Delicious!