Vagabonders

Sunday, March 25, 2012

Up to date Update

I don´t really feel like playing catch up anymore, or maybe just right now, and really I just want to describe the beauty that is Santiago, Chile.

We arrived yesterday morning after the bus ride from hell (12 wide-eyed overnight hours next to Señor Sleep Apnea) and navigated our way through the bus station and metro transfers, even got a metro passcard since we plan to stay a while, and lugged our excessive amount of stuff to what has turned out to be quite possibly the best hostel of the trip so far.

Though our room wasn´t ready at 11am, we were invited to hang out upstairs and help ourselves to the breakfast spead in the airy lounge. The windows were open over the quite side street and I´m reminded of Nice or Rome, breezy, 75, low humidity, simply gorgeous.

We took a long walk in the afternoon to find the climbing gym we´d heard about from fellow climbers in Cochamó and headed east towards the towering mountains that ring the city but remain almost invisible due to smog. It was a looong sunny stroll but we eventually found the gym, got excited to return on Monday, and hopped a bus back to our neighborhood (thank god for good breaks cause that driver... I felt like I was going to end up plastered on the windshield as we slid forward in our plastic chairs everytime he stopped for a new rider!).

After some reading and a nap with the french doors open to the courtyard, we cooked a quick dinner and passed out for the night, experiencing what we both agreed was our best night´s sleep in about 2 months.

Today we woke, ate a light breakfast and headed out to walk the avenues of quiet Sunday Santiago. We caught the end of a marathon, the awards presentation and a sea of happy, healthy faces, wandered past the Museum of Bella Artes and into the Mercado Central, bustling aisles packed with every sea creature imaginable!

After a couple of lattes in a relaxed cafe in the Bellavista neighborhood, we returned to the hostel, passing a sign for Santiago´s Lollapalooza Music Festival, which happens next weekend and headlines about every current artist we could possibly want to see... we might have to make that happen.

We may be coming to the end of our time here in South America, having just rounded the corner into our last month, but we´re going to keep enjoying what will hopefully be many more days like this one.

Wednesday, March 21, 2012

Head South, Young Vagabonds!

After the relaxation of Bariloche, we were worn out and decided to head south, way south, 120 whole kilometers south! Whoa. Jay and Jake decided to bike the ~60 odd miles while I hopped a bus and we met up in El Bolson, hippie haven of South America!

You think you've seen handicraft markets, trinkets and jewelry, scarves and carved maté bowls elsewhere? Not on THIS scale! The town has a half-moon shaped park that hosts the Feria Artesanal every Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday. Crafts, crafts, crafts!!

We enjoyed the helado and delicious fair food (waaaaaffles!) but even this tiny town quickly began to feel too "busy" for us so we went just a bit further south to Lago Puelo, on the shores of ... Lago Puelo.

Much more laid back, we rest at a place fondly called "The Farm" by Israeli backpackers all over South America... Rey Sol. Founded by an amazingly laid-back Italian woman, Gila is more focused on inquiring if you'd like to join her for morning resonance meditation or sing to the moon in all it's glorious fullness than making sure you pay up front or keep the kitchen clean... The most relaxed place we've ever been.

We more than enjoyed our few days there and took advantage of the nearby Rio Azul as much as possible.

Other than all the exhausting relaxation we put ourselves through in those two weeks, we also found time to enjoy food, drink and some of the best café con leche in the country.

Ahhhhhhh.....

Sunday, February 26, 2012

Jay arrives and we do epic sh*t!

... yeah. Yeah!

Jay made it to Bariloche on a Sunday afternoon, and luckily Jake and I were sitting in the common room of our hostel by the windows because, while we knew he was close, we had no idea he would be rolling into town that day! As we were discussing whether to walk into town to the music festival Jake glanced outside and exclaimed "there's Jay!!" and dashed for the door to chase him down.

It's tough to chase someone cruising downhill on a road bike when you're wearing flip-flops.

Eventually (7 blocks later) he caught him and they walked back to the hostel where Jay chowed down on a loaf of fruitcake. We decided to show him the town and check out some folk music, then force him into the shower and early to bed after such an epic ride.

I got some earrings to wear at my cousin's wedding!

Alerce trees are so prehistoric looking!

Wild boar stew con spatzel - omg <3

Apfelstrudel mmmmmm

We gave him a rest day on Monday and then hired a climbing guide to show us some sweet spots near town. For $125, Martin picked us up at the hostel and took the three of us up onto Cerro La Ventana (Window Mountain, because of the squared natural arch on one side), carried all the gear besides our shoes and set 6 lead routes of increasing difficulty on some sweet overhangs.

Awesome day, despite everyone's decreased climbing strength after such a long break! AND we topped it off with our first taste of true "Parilla," (pronounced pa-REE-shah) which is a big sizzling platter of all different cuts of meats, sausages and innards served on a raised plate over a bed of coals. AHmazing.

After another rest day we packed up and headed to Villa Cathedral, one of the biggest ski resorts in the Andes, just outside of town. It's a bit of a ghost town in the summer, but a lift or two take sightseers to the top for the views.
We locked up the boys' bikes and headed up the mountain to the locally famous Refugio Frey, refuted to be in the most beautiful setting atop Cerro Cathedral.
Well the hike was hot but not too hard, and then we turned the corner of the mountain and it headed up, up, UP through the woods. We rested briefly and snacked on some crackers with the last of our local jam at a small hobbit-hole of a refugio in the woods and then pushed on to crest the mountain just as the sun dipped behind the jagged crags surrounding the surreal lago beside our destination.