Filthy

27 Jan

That’s what we are most of the time.  Dusty. Sweaty. Dirty. It’s like a backpacker rite of passage, but really, it just feels gross.

Our days are filled with activity of one sort or another – biking, hiking, swimming, even just wandering around town for hours.  While an endless summer of travel certainly has its advantages, it does make for a ripe experience clothing-wise.  With only a few changes of gear each it seems like we are constantly sifting our clothes into piles of ‘dirty’ or ‘less dirty’.

When we chose items to take on this journey, we very specifically packed things that could be washed easily by hand.  The thing is, you can only get clothes to a certain degree of clean in a sink, especially after 6 hours of hiking on dusty trails in 90 degree heat.

I’ve taken to wearing my clothes into the shower sometimes and beginning to wash them right on my body.  In El Bolson, Argentina,  we went on a hike that covered us in so much dust that I thought my blue socks would never recover.  It took 30 minutes of scrubbing before they came even close to resembling their former selves.

*Incidentally, it seems the best way to clean socks is to put them on your hand like mittens, get some soap on them, and then scrub them together like you are washing your hands*

Last week we finally gave in and paid an exorbitant amount of money in Valdivia, Chile for our clothes to be laundered.  It wasn’t until we were back at the hostel unpacking our clothes from the laundromat’s bag that we realized our clothes still weren’t clean.  We smelled them.  They clearly had been washed because they definitely smelled better, but they were still dirty.  The ends of my pants legs still emitted dust if I plucked at them.  The pits of our shirts still felt…off…  It was too late to go back and complain, so we chalked it up to crappy washing machines and vowed to open and check our clothes at the laundromat from here on out.  We chose the ‘least dirty’ clothes once again, and headed out to Pucon.

We’ve spent the last few days at the home of a woman in Puerto Varas.  She has a washing machine.  For a reasonable fee she told us she would wash our clothes for us.  We kept our expectations low and set out for the day in the only items we hadn’t put aside for laundering.  This means I wore pajama pants to lunch.  We returned at the end of the day to find our clothes folded and neatly stacked outside our bedroom door.

It was with much trepidation that we carefully unfolded and inspected each item.  They smelled good.  They felt good.  Vigorous shaking produced no dust! We finally, finally, finally, have actual clean clothes!

Today we leave for Puerto Natales to embark on a series of camping/backpacking trips in some of Chile and Argentina’s finest national parks.  We should be filthy as ever in no time.

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Doh!

23 Jan

In my rush to get the most recent packing list up, I totally forgot to link to the actual list!  Right, well, I’ve changed that in the original post, and here it is again, just in case:  Med kit and toiletries

Packing List Part 2 – Med Kit/Toiletries

23 Jan

Like with our clothing list, we thought a lot about what we’d need to bring for medical and personal supplies.  At this point we’ve found that it’s been fairly easy to replenish most of the items we need as we use them up, and often we can find brands we recognize.  There have been a few items that we haven’t found, most notable are Band-aids of the fabric variety (I swear, those stay on way longer!) and athletic tape.

The only antibiotics we brought were a few Cipro pills, because everything else you can purchase easily over the counter.  When we got sinus infections in Peru we just waltzed right into a pharmacy and asked for the medication, which totaled less than $35 for both of us.

We try to stay organized and so far having everything in assorted sizes of zip-lock bags has worked well.

Stay tuned, in the next few weeks we’ll put up our lists for tech-gear and all the other miscellaneous items.  You can always check in at Things We Carry to see if we’ve updated anything.

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Bikes. Wine. Empanadas.

17 Jan

Obviously we went to Mendoza for the wine.  What we didn’t expect was to stumble upon a great little hostel, the Empredrado, which offered not only a free glass of wine every day (hello amazing!) but also a free empanadas making class!

We have completely fallen in love with empanadas, in all of their forms, so we were super excited to be learning how to make them on our first night in the city.

My first empanada!

As it turns out, they are ridiculously easy to put together, especially when you can buy the dough, pre-cut to the perfect size, in any grocery store in Argentina.   Basically, you prepare your filling, which traditionally is meat with onion, part of a hard-boiled egg and a piece of olive, though really you can fill them with whatever you want.  Once that’s sorted out you put a little bit on one side of the dough, fold it over and crease the edges together.

Place the ‘raw’ empanadas on a baking sheet, brush with butter, pop them in the oven and voila! Perfect empanadas!

The first tray is finished. Don't put them too close together or you end up with siamese-empanadas.

The next day, full of energy provided by my new favorite snack food and with some new-found friends, we headed out to sample some of the local wine.  It’s incredibly easy to rent a bike for the day in Maipu, just outside of Mendoza, and just peddle yourself around some of the local vineyards, stopping to sample wine or grab a bite to eat along the way.   You can take a city bus out to the town, and then walk around the main square where you’ll have your pick of bike rentals.  Prices seem to be around 30 pesos per day at this point, but there is definitely a little bit of room for haggling if you are there in a slower season.

Maps in hand we set off down the dusty road.  Our plan was to ride out to the furthest point on the map, about 12 kilometers away, and then make our way back while sampling along the way.  I’d highly recommend this route as it seems that cycling 12K after a day of drinking might be less than ideal.

It’s easy to see the similarities of this area with parts of northern Italy, especially with the abundance of Cyprus trees that lined our route and we were thankful for the shade in the near 100 degree heat.

There were way too many wineries for us to be able to hit them all, but we made it to Vistandes, Carinae, Di Tommaso, and Vina el Cerno, with a stop for lunch before the last tasting.  The cost for a tour and tasting ranges from about 15-30 pesos per person.

In the cellar at Vistandes

Our least favorite was Vistandes, which was unfortunate because it’s a relatively new operation with a lovely building and a great tour guide.  What made it our least favorite was that they served us bottom of the line wines, and only two of them, for the tasting.  Why would we buy something when you give us the worst of your production after putting the best of the bottles out for display on the tasting table?

Carinae had astronomy themes running through their wines.

Carinae offered a few different flights of tastings, and for a few pesos more we were able to sample some of their reserve wines.  We also ordered some cheese to snack on and it came with their own olive oil, which was some of the best I’ve ever had.

Original wine tanks at Di Tommasa

Di Tommaso was a lovely place with some antique casks and an incredible cellar.  They keep a bottle from every year that they’ve produced and you can can view the ever-growing stack in the private cellar. They gave a wide variety of tastings, and will deliver any bottles you purchase to your hostel for you the same day so that you don’t have to ride around with them in the hot sun.

Vina El Cerno was a clear winner, if for no other reason than that their ‘tasting’ was really 4 nearly-full glasses of your choice from their selections.

I mean, sometimes it takes 8 or 10 sips to get a proper taste....

After El Cerno we took a detour into an olive orchard and spent some time leaping about, which really, after a great day of sampling Malbec, is the only logical thing to do.

Wine! Hooray!

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Nature is Speaking To Us.

8 Jan

Mother Nature seems to be telling us to go away.

Our first clue was that Torres Del Paine, the national park in Chilean Patagonia that inspired this trip, was set ablaze just before Christmas and the whole park was closed. It is starting to open back up, so we have hope that we’ll get down there as planned for our treks, but hearing about it just 4 hours after we bought plane tickets to the area was wildly irritating.

Last week we arrived in Bariloche, Argentina to find a town shrouded in volcanic ash.  The volcano is actually located over the border in Chile, but the wind is blowing all the ash right into Argentina.  What is normally a spectacular view from our hostel window…well…it was a 50/50 chance that we  were staring out into pea soup.

Bariloche, Argentina on an ashy day

Bariloche, Argentina on a clear day. Same spot as above.

More ash.

Clear! Same spot as above.

We took a short hike one day and ended up ankle-deep in ash on some parts of the trail.   Partway up, the view was looking clear and we took the picture below.

The standard view of Bariloche's lake area on our way up the mountain.

By the time we got all the way to the top (which was just 30 minutes later) well, the view was totally obscured by ash.  The next picture is taken in the exact same spot an hour after the first.

Same hike, same spot, one hour later.

Dust clouds with every step.

There is ash everywhere.  It piles in the gutters on the streets.  It creates a haze on all the windows.  It settles in your hair.  Hiking on ash covered trails proved to be a dusty endeavor as every step produced a huge ‘pouf’ and we were thoroughly filthy by the time it was all over. Washing our clothes out in the hostel sink that night was quite a chore and it took us each nearly 30 minutes to get the water to run clear through our clothes.

Finally, we left Bariloche in search of clear skies, and we heard the place to be was El Bolson.  We arrived to a town shrouded in haze from yet ANOTHER FIRE.  For real.  El Bolson is located in another gorgeous valley, surrounded by rocky mountain peaks.  If the wind is quick, you get a chance to see the mountains.

Clear evening in El Bolson, Argentina

If the wind is taking a nap, you can barely make out the peaks through the haze.

Smoke in El Bolson, Argentina

We can’t seem to escape Nature’s heat!

We’re heading back into Chile today, and as we went to buy bus tickets this morning we were told the road was closed last night because the fire is encroaching.  As of right this minute it seems to be open again, and we’re keeping our fingers crossed that it stays that way.  If all goes well our next post will hopefully be about what an amazing time we hope to have rafting in Futaleufu, Chile!

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Welcome to 2012!

1 Jan

Happy New Year!

I’ve become one of those people who just can’t believe how fast the world is spinning.  2012!

We don’t do resolutions.  Well, actually we do, but we don’t do them at the New Year.  When I decide a change needs to happen, I resolve to make it happen right then, if I can.  I don’t see the point of the “I’ll start on Monday” mindset since it implies that your goal isn’t important enough to start immediately.

Our most recent major resolution started sometime in early 2011 when we decided to start living in a way that would make big dreams come true. It took some difficult changes, and there were some nerve-wracking moments along the way, but it was the best decision we made in 2011.

As we look into the coming year, we are amazed that if all goes as planned, we will spend the entire year living that dream.  We still have to pinch ourselves on occasion, to make sure this is real!

We’re not exactly sure where the winds will take us in 2012, but we are sure it will be the adventure of our lives.

Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?

(Mary Oliver, ‘The Summer Day’)

The Peru Roundup

31 Dec

We’ve been meaning to start posting about how our budget is working out, and we finally decided that the best way to do this is not by the month, but rather by the country.  In addition, we want to be able to highlight some of the places we really loved (or in some cases, really didn’t).  To that effect, we present the inaugural “roundup” post – a compilation of our budget and travel statistics for each country we visit.

The Statistics

Number of days spent in country – 19

Cities/towns visited –  Lima, Cuzco, Ollantaytambo, Aguas Calientes, Pisac, Arequipa, San Juan De Chuccho, Sangalle

Number of different lodgings – 8

Flights – 1

Local bus journeys – 20

Combi/collective/taxi  journeys – 11

Long distance bus journeys – 2

Days of rain – 2

Weddings attended – 1

Antibiotics needed – 1 round each (sinus infections)

Moving Box Bet – Anticuchos

The Budget

*Air travel is not included in this budget*

Total US dollar amount spent – $1,335.93

Average cost per day, per person – $35.16

Average lodging cost per night – $15.73

– We stayed entirely in hostels with a private room, often with a private bath. On our last night we stayed in a dorm in Lima, but we were the only ones in that room, so it was essentially private.

Most expensive lodging – $25.90 Hitchhiker’s Hostel, Lima

Least expensive lodging – $5.51 Rivelino House, San Juan De Chuccho (Colca Canyon)

Average food/drink cost per day (per person) – $8.18

* Generally, breakfast was provided by the hostels.  We often self-catered lunch by going to the markets, or went out for a set menu.  We ate out for every dinner.  We consumed very little beer and wine, mostly because we were hiking regularly so we weren’t going out to bars much.

The Best

Accommodation –  Estela de Oro in Arequipa.  Another traveller told us about this gem of a place, and it was easily the best of our time in Peru.  It’s really more a hotel than a hostel as the rooms are huge, all with private bath,  flat screen television, and great internet access.  The rooms come with lovely fluffy towels, little bars of soap, and a pretty standard breakfast of tea/coffee, rolls and jam.  We paid only 50 soles a night, which was a HUGE bargain considering the comfort level.

Huge, delicious steaks.

Food – Rasa Nostra, also in Arequipa, and only for meat lovers.  Rasa Nostra is located on Bolognesi, between Sucre and the Plaza de Armas (and right around the corner from our favorite hostel).  They have incredible set menus for dinner, most of which involve a colossal amount of Argentine-style grilled meat (think perfectly cooked steaks, chorizo, etc), french fries, and a salad bar.  A full meal was about 15 soles, more than we’d paid generally, but a total steal for the amount and quality of the food.  The restaurant itself is quite nice, and was packed for both lunch (when they have a cheaper set menu that is more traditional with a soup, entrée, and drink) and dinner.

Empanadas at the market in Arequipa.  Clearly Arequipa treated us well.  If you head over to the main market, there is an empanadas stand just inside the center entrance.  They were the best empanadas we had in all of Peru, especially the chorizo ones.

Prasada in Cuzco.  Prasada serves up delicious vegetarian dishes, including a mean falafel sandwich.  They also make great fruit smoothies.  You can find Prasada on Choquechaka, near San Blas.

The Worst

Accommodation –

Hostel Joe in Aquas Calientes.  Based on the review in Lonely Planet, we expected this place to be basic, but tolerable.  In reality, it was awful.  Filthy hallways, questionable sheets, and a definitely sewage-like odor.  Do yourself a favor, pay a little more and stay somewhere that understands the basics of sanitation.

Oasis Paraiso in Sangalle (the ‘Oasis’ in Colca Canyon) – This is one of the more expensive places to stay in Sangalle, and clearly it has seen better days.  The rooms/huts are in various stages of tolerable, the bathrooms leave much to be desired, the bar area is literally falling apart.  The pool was ok, and the staff was nice enough, but not nice enough to make up for the condition of the place.  It looks good when you enter (lovely gardens, all the trees, the pool, etc) and it took us a little while to realize how run down it really was.  There are at least 4 places to choose from in this village, so even if you’re exhausted, suck it up and keep moving.

Packing List Part 1- Clothing

27 Dec

We FINALLY got around to putting up the first part of our packing list – Clothing.

In the months before we left I spent hours looking at packing lists from all kinds of RTW trippers, and even more hours making, then re-making my own list.

So far we’re fairly happy with the clothes we brought, and have worn everything at least once, with the exception of some of the colder weather gear that we’ll more likely use as we make our way further south.

We’re working on setting up the rest of the gear posts – medical kit, tech gear, and everything else – so check back often to the “Things We Carry” link at the top of the page.

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Merry Christmas!

25 Dec

On the path to the San Francisco glacier

We spent Christmas Eve hiking up in the Cajon Del Maipo (more about that in a future post) and grilling up another delicious steak.

Incidentally, I discovered where Santiago has been hiding its Christmas Spirit.  It was alive and well all along at an enormous mall in Las Condes.   I made a mad dash there late on the 23rd in an attempt to replace the fleece that I lost in Valpariaso, and the instant I entered the doors I was awash in the sparkling lights, heaps of cotton snow, and holiday consumerism that is typical of home.

I managed to get my fleece and get out without being sucked in by the appropriately extravagant window displays, which seemed to scream “Ashley! You totally need a new summer dress!!!”.  I did, however, stick around long enough to see Santa in his rightful place – a giant throne, surrounded by lovely elves in very short skirts.

On the walk back to the subway I cranked up the Christmas mix on my iPod, and the irony of listening to “Baby It’s Cold Outside” while wondering if I had applied enough sunscreen to prevent yet another sunburn, did not escape me.

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Feliz Navidad?

23 Dec

In the USA, decorating for the holidays starts so early that you have to be living under a rock somewhere to not realize what time of year it is.  Cities have begun to put decorations on public streets earlier and earlier, while holiday music creeps into the background before the first snowfall in the northern states.

I am a true Colorado girl and it takes a certain mix of signals, including snow, egg nog and lots of blinking lights, to really get me in the Christmas spirit.  Here in Santiago?  Well, let’s just say I keep forgetting it’s even December.

First off, there’s blazing sunshine and sweltering heat every day.

Christmas spirit in the Santiago cemetery

Second, there are no trees.  Christmas trees I mean.  Even in NYC there were makeshift stands lined up along the Avenues starting as early as mid-November.  Practically anywhere with a small patch of floor space, be it an office building lobby, the supermarket, or the deli on the corner of 16th and 6th Ave, would have a tree up no later than the first week of December.  Interestingly enough, we saw quite a few miniature trees all decorated up during our trip to the main cemetery here in Santiago earlier this week.

Third, the traditional decorations are few and far between.  I’m used to seeing storefronts dripping with tinsel, lights and elaborate window displays. Storefronts that demand you spend your precious holiday dollars with them because they have exactly what you need and you can’t get it anywhere else.  Here? Well, every once in a while we see a paper Santa face (circa 1976) hung in a window.  In Valparaiso we were eating in a little restaurant and it took us the better part of an hour to notice the one solitary Christmas bulb hanging by a pathetic strand of garland at the top of the window.

I don’t mean to say there is NO holiday spirit to be seen in Santiago, I mean Chile is officially a Catholic country and Christmas is a national holiday here.  We have seen wrapping paper for sale in a few places, there was a display of decorations available for purchase at a local market, and we heard the Spanish version of ‘Walking in a Winter Wonderland’ at the supermarket a week ago.  It’s just that our senses haven’t been assaulted with holiday cheer like they would be at home.

We have, however, seen Santa in a few surprising places.

Santa decorations were spotted in Lima, Peru at the very beginning of November!

It's too hot for reindeer in Valparaiso, so Santa rides the boat like the rest of us.

The economic downturn has apparently extended it's reach to the North Pole as evidenced by the fact that Santa is moonlighting with Groupon to help pad his income.

How will we be spending our Christmas?  Since most everything will be closed, we’ll be cooking at home (helllloooo grilled pork tenderloin with homemade mango and apple chutney…and this, recipe is at the end of the post), sampling a traditional Chilean holiday drink called Cola de Mono (kind of like a White Russian, or a Mudslide), skyping with family, and watching the season finale of Dexter online.

Happy Holidays, wherever you may be!

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