Circuito Chico 12/20/09

We were woken up by what must be Bariloche´s equivalent of a rooster. A couple of birds sat on the roof of the next building and squawked a wake-up call. They are pretty strange looking with 4 inch long, curved beaks. Tiffany wants to shoot them. She likes to sleep in.

After breakfast, we headed out by local bus to a mountain called Cerro Companario. While most of the rest of the people who got off thge bus with us rode the chair lift to the top, we hiked. It was dusty and steep and Tiff decided that her sandals weren´t the ideal footwear but we made it. The views were awesome. Lakes and mountains in every direction. We were able to plot out our coming bike ride from that bird´s eye perspective.

After we hiked back down we walked a couple KMs to the bike rental place. They gave us a map with the highlights on their suggested route and we were off. My bike shifted pretty well(I traded off because my first one didn´t)but Tiffany had some problems with hers. She managed well anyway and we had what had to be the most beautiful bike ride of our lives(see pics). Lots of hills that were challenging but not grueling, with awesome views to reward you at the top of most of them. At one spot there were several raptors that were doing great acrobatics with the updrafts. We were told they are in the falcon family. One flew right by Tiff´s head.

We continued on with continued lake and mountain views along the way. Stopped for a short hike. The trail was almost completely covered by a native bamboo which seems to have taken over but there were also some huge trees. One was labled as being over 350 years old. All told about 4 hours of biking.

While shopping for dinner, we realized how tired we were. Good day.

Bariloche

We had to catch another bus in Osorno and had maybe 10 minutes to spare. This ride was some of the best scenery we´ve seen here and I guess this route is a tourist trip in and of itself. After a lengthy but painless border crossing we were in Argentina. Now it´s about 3.85 pesos to the dollar versus 500 in Chile so a little different math for us. They also pronounce their ll as a sh sound instead of a y sound. More challenges I guess. So after a beautiful intro to the lake district we arrived in Bariloche and found our way to our Hostal which is very nice as is the staff. The rooms are of new contruction and it has a very well kept yard with lots of nice plants and flowers. Much more relaxing than the settings in Valparaiso and Santiago.

After settling in, we found food. We had been warned that they are very big on meat and not so much on vegetables but it was still a bit surprising. Tiffany ordered a steak and if she hadn´t ordered a salad, it would have been nothing but a plate of steak. It literally covered the entire plate.

Off to bed and planning tomorrow. There are a lot of outdoor things to to here; much more my speed.

Last day in Valparaiso/ Viña Del Mar

We spent our last day lying on the Beach in Viña. It was the first time on this trip that we really spent time on a beach and it was nice although I managed to get a sunburn on my stomach in the 20 minutes before I rented a beach umbrella (I was on my back reading). The sun is very strong and I have quite the redneck tan (now with a red chest and stomach). It´s very sexy. Haven´t been walking the streets with no shirt enough I guess. I would wear mesh shirts but I would have to walk 30 feet behind Tiffany so none would know were together.

After that we rode the train back to Val. and jumped on a bus for the overnight trip trying to get to Bariloche in Argentina. We opted for the ¨Cama Suite¨ which is the mac daddy of comfort on the bus. You can fully horizotally recline your chair into a bed which is definitely the way to go. After a couple of cheesy movies we got some good sleep other than something beeeping in the middle of the night.

Pics from Trek

Unfortunately it was very overcast and cloudy a lot of the time and we could tell there were beautiful views out there but we just couldn´t see them. It was great trekking even though at time it was very wet and rainy. The change from barren rocky high altitude to Jungle trekking was pretty dramatic. All of our team were really great people but there was a wide range of hiking abilities.

Machu Picchu itself was of course awesome but it was late in the morning before we could see most of it. Wegot up at 4 am to start hiking up from Aguas Calientes. Tiffany´s blog is much more complete. tiffany3h@blogspot.com.

Valparaiso continued

We have spent several days here and have not done anything particularly exciting. mostly have just walked around and rode some of the ascensors up the hills. They are one of the things this town is known for. The area close to the ocean is relatively flat and the hills get steep as you go away from the water about a half mile. The ascensors are like a small train car on a track that is pulled up as another comes down from the top. I have taken no pics but Tiffany probably has.

We have been trying to save money by eating in mostly but have had some food out including some seafood. Nothing to write home about. Other than walking around, shopping and taking boat rides around the harbor there seems to be nothing much to do here. We are leaving today to go to Bariloche, Argentina.

Yesterday we rode the train to the neighboring city of Viña Del Mar which is a prettier, more touristy town with better beaches. Unfortunately it was cool and overcast when we left but it did warm up. However we had no swim suits. The water is cold here anyway, so you can´t really enjoy the ocean. We mostly walked around, looked at the sights and got some ice cream. Ice cream is really big in all the areas we´ve been and it´s pretty good. There was a nice park as well(see pics) but we got warned of the hill by a security guy saying it was dangerous because of thieves. We have been warned several times of this but have had no problems.We did talk to some Australian girls who had some things stolen by a thief who ran off. One gave chase but could not catch him. We try not to carry much money and try to stay aware but have not noticed any sketchballs yet. Tiffany did get some attention from a drunk at the bus station while I went back for more money. Security eventually sent him away.

It has been somewhat hard adapting to the Peso which is 500 to the dollar. It´s the first time I´ve ever said ¨ I´ve got nothing less than a ten thousand.¨ Hearing the prices can be hard at times and the Chileans aren´t always good at annunciating or even saying the whole words at times. It´s definitely harder to understand then Peru . Chileans apparently pride themselves on Speaking ¨Chilean¨ not Spanish.

All in all, I´m ready to leave and see something new with more nature to explore. That will hopefully be Bariloche and El Bolson.