I feel as if this month has been longer than usual; on the other hand the past four months have flown by and I can't believe tomorrow starts us off in 2008. I left Argentina on December 2 for Chile, though I stayed in the same cold patagonia weather. Cassidy and I are working our way north, but for all the 5000 miles chile covers in length, it doesn't have a very populated south. By December 8 we had made our way over a third of the country and started what was our Christmas present and our one massive luxury for this entire South American experience.
The Skorpios cruise was a 6-day adventure through what is the most picturesque of Chilean Patagonia. Our first stop was the San Rafael Glaciar and and lagoon. The experience was completely different from the glaciar we saw in Argentina, which was somehow continuing to grow in spite of global warming. San Rafael is a "dying" glaciar, and the national park services have even marked on the surrounding with where the ice field used to reach in earlier decades. We were able to get super close to it as well, floating in among the broken iceberg "chips" where the crew hacked off ice to chill our ceremonial whiskey (which tasted awful). Seeing the glaciar crumble into the water was more of a funerary moment than awe-inspiring, and even scary when at one point we had to out-run a massive wave that came rushing towards us after a particularly large section broke off. For the next 5 days we sailed through the archipelagos of southern chile, stopping to check out some local seals, relax in waterfront hot springs, tour the second largest island in South America, Chiloe, and more than anything, taking frequent eating breaks. The service was all inclusive...which Cassidy and I thought we would surely dominate, but in the end could not eat 4 meals a day, or really drink as much as the bartenders were sliding our way. We made an effort though, of course.
Once back on mainland Chile we headed north, into warmer weather (thank goodness!). Valdivia was the perfect welcome to springtime, and while we were there we spent plenty of time lounging on the riverfront park grass. We also managed to get ourselves out to a national park where we spent the day hiking through at once tropical and alpine forests up to the highest lookout point which afforded an endless view of what is Chile's Lakes District, with all of its...volcanoes. And lakes too. Chile has over 500 volcanoes of which at least 60 are currently active. We next stopped in Pucón at the base of Volcan Villarrica, a volcano that apparently erupts every 8 to 10 years or so, and we were pretty glad that all we saw was some thick smoking! We spent close to a week in Pucón, at a hostel run by a very nice couple, Hostal Donde Egidio. I was surprised to see how strong an influence German immigrants had on Southern Chile, and Pucón was the same, with it's ski chalet architecture and plenty of German chocolate shops. While we spent most of our days laying on what was admittedly not the most comfortable of lakefront beaches (the "sand" is sharp volcanic pebbles that boiled in the midday sun), we did manage to get in one big excursion.
Somehow Cassidy convinced me to go white water rafting. And as if that weren't enough, she said class 3 rapids were boring and we should go for the class 4/5. I believe 2 for 1 happy hour Pisco Sours were involved at the time of decision making...Anyhow, we signed ourselves up and were taken out to the River Trancura where after shimmying into wetsuits and taking a whopping 5 minute course in rapids rafting, we set off. We spent about an hour in the water, went through 5 rapids (which seemed more like baby waterfalls to me), and then we had the "opportunity" to throw ourselves into the freezing cold water and be carried down stream for a while. That was really the only scary part. The rest was fun!
Now I am in Santiago, Chile, where the temperature ranges between 70-90F and the view that surrounds the whole city is that of the Andes mountains, only an hour and a half drive away. Santiago itself is huge, Paris huge, with wide ambling boulevards, lots of trees, and really well maintained streets. As far as architecture and entertainment i haven't found anything completely different, but the cosmopolitan selection of restaurants and shopping is fantastic. It also doesn't hurt that the beach is an hour a way by metro, and there are vineyards just outlying the city center. Oh, and Chile is one of the foremost exporters of fruit and vegetables, so i am in a vegetarian's paradise with all the juicy peaches, plums, cherries, canteloupes, grapes, tomatoes, and avocados...oh the avocados. And then there's the wine!
The other benefit of the city is that it houses my rather large, and largely unknown Giarda family. I am staying with my aunt Andrea and my grandmother for the holidays, and have already had the chance to meet a lot of people whose names I am sure I don't have straight. I will be here for at least a month before I head north which will be a nice opportunity to spend time with everyone.
I do hope you are having a fun holiday season, that you received all sorts of fun presents and that you have exciting plans for tonight. As for me and Cassidy, we have a date with is a large quantity of shrimp to be eaten tonight on my aunt's balcony while we watch fireworks go off around the city.
The Skorpios cruise was a 6-day adventure through what is the most picturesque of Chilean Patagonia. Our first stop was the San Rafael Glaciar and and lagoon. The experience was completely different from the glaciar we saw in Argentina, which was somehow continuing to grow in spite of global warming. San Rafael is a "dying" glaciar, and the national park services have even marked on the surrounding with where the ice field used to reach in earlier decades. We were able to get super close to it as well, floating in among the broken iceberg "chips" where the crew hacked off ice to chill our ceremonial whiskey (which tasted awful). Seeing the glaciar crumble into the water was more of a funerary moment than awe-inspiring, and even scary when at one point we had to out-run a massive wave that came rushing towards us after a particularly large section broke off. For the next 5 days we sailed through the archipelagos of southern chile, stopping to check out some local seals, relax in waterfront hot springs, tour the second largest island in South America, Chiloe, and more than anything, taking frequent eating breaks. The service was all inclusive...which Cassidy and I thought we would surely dominate, but in the end could not eat 4 meals a day, or really drink as much as the bartenders were sliding our way. We made an effort though, of course.
Once back on mainland Chile we headed north, into warmer weather (thank goodness!). Valdivia was the perfect welcome to springtime, and while we were there we spent plenty of time lounging on the riverfront park grass. We also managed to get ourselves out to a national park where we spent the day hiking through at once tropical and alpine forests up to the highest lookout point which afforded an endless view of what is Chile's Lakes District, with all of its...volcanoes. And lakes too. Chile has over 500 volcanoes of which at least 60 are currently active. We next stopped in Pucón at the base of Volcan Villarrica, a volcano that apparently erupts every 8 to 10 years or so, and we were pretty glad that all we saw was some thick smoking! We spent close to a week in Pucón, at a hostel run by a very nice couple, Hostal Donde Egidio. I was surprised to see how strong an influence German immigrants had on Southern Chile, and Pucón was the same, with it's ski chalet architecture and plenty of German chocolate shops. While we spent most of our days laying on what was admittedly not the most comfortable of lakefront beaches (the "sand" is sharp volcanic pebbles that boiled in the midday sun), we did manage to get in one big excursion.
Somehow Cassidy convinced me to go white water rafting. And as if that weren't enough, she said class 3 rapids were boring and we should go for the class 4/5. I believe 2 for 1 happy hour Pisco Sours were involved at the time of decision making...Anyhow, we signed ourselves up and were taken out to the River Trancura where after shimmying into wetsuits and taking a whopping 5 minute course in rapids rafting, we set off. We spent about an hour in the water, went through 5 rapids (which seemed more like baby waterfalls to me), and then we had the "opportunity" to throw ourselves into the freezing cold water and be carried down stream for a while. That was really the only scary part. The rest was fun!
Now I am in Santiago, Chile, where the temperature ranges between 70-90F and the view that surrounds the whole city is that of the Andes mountains, only an hour and a half drive away. Santiago itself is huge, Paris huge, with wide ambling boulevards, lots of trees, and really well maintained streets. As far as architecture and entertainment i haven't found anything completely different, but the cosmopolitan selection of restaurants and shopping is fantastic. It also doesn't hurt that the beach is an hour a way by metro, and there are vineyards just outlying the city center. Oh, and Chile is one of the foremost exporters of fruit and vegetables, so i am in a vegetarian's paradise with all the juicy peaches, plums, cherries, canteloupes, grapes, tomatoes, and avocados...oh the avocados. And then there's the wine!
The other benefit of the city is that it houses my rather large, and largely unknown Giarda family. I am staying with my aunt Andrea and my grandmother for the holidays, and have already had the chance to meet a lot of people whose names I am sure I don't have straight. I will be here for at least a month before I head north which will be a nice opportunity to spend time with everyone.
I do hope you are having a fun holiday season, that you received all sorts of fun presents and that you have exciting plans for tonight. As for me and Cassidy, we have a date with is a large quantity of shrimp to be eaten tonight on my aunt's balcony while we watch fireworks go off around the city.
1 - chile's national dance, la cuenca, in punta arenas. all i know is that it involves a lot of handkerchief waving 
2 - the cruise ship anchored in front of the San Rafael Glaciar
3 - me at the glaciar!
4 - Cassidy and me all dressed up for our last eating marathon on the skorpios cruise. many crabs died for me that night. and oysters, and mussels, and salmons...and avocados...
5 - The Giarda women (and Cassidy) on Christmas Eve.