Heads Up!

We just posted the last 3 slide shows of our trip before we head back to the States this Monday (p.s. call and make dates with us cuz we miss you!) so take a look at them!

Lately, we've been talking about what our transition is going to be like re-entering the country after 6 months of this crazy adventure and, hopefully, we'll have a chance to write some of our thoughts down, so, until then...

Saying our goodbye's to the chilean coast

WWOOFING at Freddie's

Termas De Callao

Slideshow of wwoofing at Matias´s Place

WWOOFing is a worldwide association made up of farmers who are looking for volunteers and volunteers who are looking for a farm to volunteer on in exchange for room and board.

We have spent the last 2 and a half weeks on a small farm near Puerto Montt. Soon we are headed to a different farm near Pucon after our 4 day hike to the Termas de Callao.


Enjoy the pics!

heading off to the farm...

We don't have time to do a proper account of what we've been up to and all the beautiful things we've seen ... nor have we updated the MOST recent pics from our 4 day ferry trip through the chilean archipelago but, if you want to see pics of our hike in Los Glacieres Parque Nacional in Argentina and in Chile's Torres del Paine, visit our photo album.

For the next 2 weeks we will be volunteering on a farm and will most likely not be hooked to the net so you may not hear from us for a bit. We'll keep in touch as soon as possible...

xoxoxo, g&m

thoughts on day 145...

So today Micah and I went on a long walk around Puerto Varas to wear off the cabin fever from our 3 day ferry ride. It was gorgeous but the boat was small and after being so active with all our trekking we found it difficult to sit still for so long. So, we took a walk along the lake and, as you can imagine, got to talking. The thing about this is that we talk a lot these days, the 2 of us. Cuz there's not too many other friends around to talk to and that means we talk about a lot of the same stuff over and over... we talk our subjects to death, sometimes breaking ground and other times, just saying the same old thing. When we get an email it is the subject of our next meal...updating the other one about the news and/or gossip. Then we take it to a whole other level of thought that one might normally because we have all the time in the world with few distractions. And other times, we find ourselves with no words. There just isn't anything to say today and the other one is left with their own thoughts.

Today, we broke some ground. I think cuz on the ferry I was left with no words and after 3 days, I was ready to talk and Micah was ready to have someone to talk to. And so, we talked. We talked about that. About how on this trip we have more time to think and talk and read then we ever do in our normal lives. We read a book and pass it on to the other and then when we've both read it, we talk about it for days... hell, we're still talking about the first book we read in October. We talk about circuses, the war, the conquering of Chile, love affairs, Iraq, fantasy worlds, breaking computer codes and everywhere else our books have taken us. Worn books passed from traveler to traveler have taken us to places we never imagined to visit these 6 months.

When we pass the book onto the other we sit back and watch them read out of the corner of our eyes, guessing where they are in the book... we ask questions and for their opinion, trying hard not to give too much away. And then at dinner or lunch we talk about it at length. We talk about the characters, the situation, the place, how it all relates to itself, how it relates to us, etc. And then we get sidetracked somehow into another conversation but not entirely cuz often we bring it back to the book. Like this one book I'm reading about a suicide bomber in Iraq. We started talking about the complexity of the situation there and the fact that there is a civil war there whether US is in or out and then somehow we applied that thinking to intervening when you see a parent abusing a child in public and you don't want to ignore it but you wonder if stepping in will improve or worsen the situation for the child. It's always like that, limitless connections being made only because we have endless hours to talk and process with each other and the comfort of complete trust of each other...

It reminded us of something my mom said when we were traveling with her a month ago. About how with our new age of technology and the rapid rate news is distributed we aren't left with much to discuss and ponder and talk about. In her days, she would sit with friends and read the paper and they would talk about the current news: clarifying it, critiquing it, challenging it, forming opinions, etc. And there would be time to process it all before the next news announcement. But now, we don't have time to process it all and marinate in thought, we just wait for the next hour of headlines to tell us what's happening. The fast paced internet technology has its blessings though... this blog for instance and all the other pieces of news that come from the far corners of the world from direct sources...people making their own news... but I suppose not without a cost...

A big one we talk about is other people's blogs and myspace bulletins. Seriously. The bulletins are not common subjects but there have been a few that have caught our eye for sure. Our most beloved bit of consistent internet writing, though, is from Greensboro based writer Liz Seymour. Maybe we wouldn't relish in it so much if we were caught up with our normal, busy daily lives but being here, so far away from home and friends we chew on each week's entry like a piece of mango in the desert. So good.

We like these endless conversations that we revisit and revisit again. And while we feel lonely and tired of each others company sometimes and are exhausted of traveling and witnessing other people's lives and finding ourselves in yet another van or bus or boat full of Europeans in quick dry pants, we love this elbow room for our thoughts. We want to live a life that values marination, that values sitting, perhaps in silence, with an old friend,...no projects, no running off, just taking the time to sit, to think, to listen, to talk and to let the conversation go to an unexpectated place.

The trick is figuring how to create that time and space in everyday life... maybe that will be our guiding question for day 146...

Slideshow of Bariloche, Argentina y Nahuel Huapi P.N

Bariloche, Argentina & Parque Nacional Nahuel Huapi

So we have spent a good portion of the last three weeks in the woods and have some catching up to do as far as the blog goes....Unfortunately we can´t seem to upload the pictures right now so you can read and then view the pics separately if you are so inspired for a visual. Use the link on the right.

After parting ways with Bart and Eliana, we geared up for our first trek (hike) into Nahuel Huapi National Park (the oldest in Argentina) outside of Bariloche, Argentina. We began our trek at Villa Catedral and hiked along the ridgetop looking over Catedral on one side and on the other a breathtaking valley with views of Cerro Tronador (the highest peak in the park) grumbling in the background. We had a moment admiring this bad bad looking peak. North Carolina Outward Bound instructor friends had been hiking Tronador a few weeks before we were there and I have to say as she loomed in the distance with her own set of dark clouds circling....that mountain looked like it would chew up and spit out anyone who tried to climb it. It was scary looking. A lot of time nature gets trampled by us humans, but sometimes nature demands respect. I mean demands it. This is something I have been thinking about more and more as the global environment lashes out with hurricanes and floods and earthquakes more and more frequently these days. Also as I spend time in the more extreme environments of the southern hemisphere, I am learning to listen. So anyways, I listened and respected Tronador from a far and had no desire to get closer than I was.

Instead, Gig and I hiked for a couple hours on the top and then the side of the very rocky ridge before dipping down into a valley- out of the wind but still nothing but rocks- where we spent the night at Refugio Frey. Among the other people staying with us were many rock climbers who looked so happy to be alive. There was still snow there and a few brave souls rode plastic bags down the very steep hill. Most of them were able to jump bag before crashing into the boulders at the bottom of the hill, but there were also some gnarly spills.

The next day, when my knee pain wasn´t feeling better, we opted for a day below the tree line instead of another rock scrambling day. We hiked down and spent the next few days exploring Nahuel Huapi while base-camped near Lago Gutierrez. We met a great couple from Germany who were cycling around the world with their 70 lb. half husky half Lab pup! They were lovely and also have a blog (with English options) if you are interested. It´s www.dogonwheels.de.tl

Being below the tree line in the park felt so much more like home to us and we are big fans of the Lakes District both in Chile and Argentina. After a good meal (Argentinan beef and wine) back in Bariloche, we took a leg-numbing 26 hour bus ride south landing in El Calafate for our next trekking trip. That story will wait because tonight we board a four day ferry headed north through the archipelago of southern Chile. How amazing is this life?!?!

Cazuela

Hey there winter bunnies! We have had such positive responses from previous recipe posts we want to give you another. This is true Chilean comfort food..a version of piping hot chicken noodle soup without the noodles. Micah fell in love the first week we arrived and although it is summer here and folks think she is strange Micah cant stop eating it. The dish- cazuela. The recipe-(easy to alter to your liking) is de Tia Marcela.



Ingredients:

• chicken or roast beef (if you choose chicken use 1/2 a bird sliced in the middle or be sure to include the legs and skin for flavor)


• 1/2 potato per person


• 1/2 corn on the cob per person


• acorn squash- a decent chunk per person


• sweet potato- optional also 1/2 per person

(In cazuela, the ingredients are not chopped into bite size pieces, rather each bowl has a half a piece of corn, a half a potato, one piece of meat, etc.)

• rice- handful


• oregano


• cumin


• salt


• fresh cilantro- the more the better as far as I am concerned

Directions:

• Submerge chicken in water, add rice and vegetables. Be mindful of what veggies will take the longest and add accordingly.


• Sprinkle with oregano and salt


• Bring to boil.


• Reduce heat and check veggies. Take them out if they are done while the chicken and rice finish. Dont overcook the veggies!


• Salt to taste and add fresh cilantro.


• Gigi´s aunt says to let the soup sit for a few minutes covered after it is done to let the flavors set in. Leftovers on Day 2 also taste great.

Let us know how it turns out!

The Lakes Region with the folks

After we left Pucòn we breezed through the lakes region and got to see alot. Here`s a little collage of what we did starting with Pucòn. There`s tons of pictures in our photo album (see link to right) if you want more.

No matter where you are in the lakes region, there is usually a volcano a short distance away. This is Volcàn Osorno, who had erupted just a few days before we arrived.



The south of Chile is full of German influence, both from fleeing Nazi`s and from hippie ex-patriots (according to some Germans we met on the road). You can see the influence in the architecture, skin & hair color, food, uniforms, and random street decorations like in the photo (they`re little windmills?!).



For instance, cheese!



Also in Pucòn there is a LOT of wooden artesenia.



On our first night we went to some rustic hot springs.



There were around 7 pools of varying depths, size and heat to choose from. Everyone was drinking wine and settling into a late night of partying. We left at 11pm, just in time to catch a glimpse of the stars while submerged in the water.



Unfortunately, our car got broken into while we were in Pucòn. BUT, nothing was stolen so it was more of a nuisance than anything else.

After Pucòn we headed further south to the little island of Chiloè. We finally got some of the infamous wet weather we´ve heard so much about.

Chiloè was a place we really enjoyed. It`s got lots of history and, because of its isolation as an island, you can still experience alot of that historical culture. There are tons of legends of ghosts and creatures and a huge fishing culture. And, of course, some of the oldest standing churches around. The place made a huge impression on us also because everyone was incredibly nice. Like maybe the nicest-people-we`ve-ever-met kind of nice. Actually, we talked a little bit about how it reminded us of the southern hospitality we live in back home.

We decided to venture out of the city and visit the national park which was absolutely beautiful... rain and all.






So far Pucòn and Chiloe have made our ¨possible free week options¨ list.



After Chiloè we headed back into the lakes district working our way towards Bariloche, Argentina. Here is Volcàn Osorno, a big hunker of a volcano (but aren`t they all?). We rented a cabaña and decided to drive as far as we could up the volcano.



And we hit snow!




We all had ALL of our clothes on it was so cold... we couldn`t believe it! In the middle of the summer and it was snowing.

Here we are on a boat in the middle of Lago Todos Los Santos, my mom said it was considered to be one of the most pristine lakes in the region. The color of the lake was incredible.

Volcàn Osorno from the boat.



And then we visited Lago Ranco and ate lunch in an amazing restaurant in Llifèn (SE corner of lake) overlooking the lake. The food was incredible and we got silly off the white wine.







We eventually crossed the border and drove to Bariloche via Ruta 7 Lagos. We took a walk in the woods, visited one of the most famous hotels in the world and had a lunch we`ll never forget in Colonia Suiza.



Under this smoking mound of dirt is our lunch. It`s called a Curanto and this restuarant serves it up as a 7 course meal every Sunday and Wednesday.



Under the dirt is a layer of cloth and then wet leaves (see them covering the potatoes?). The whole place smelled of the leaves! Under the leaves is the food and below that are HOT rocks that slowly cook the food, which absorbs the flavor of the smoking leaves.

My mom finnagled our wa to a little table outside for our meal... turns out, unless yer related to Eliana, you need a reservation

Our amazing entertainment for the evening. By the end of the evening he had everyone clapping and singing along to old Argentine folk songs

See how hard they work me?

After lunch and all that hard work, we visited the beach of Colonia Suiza

Pucon

After celebrating a quiet New Year`s with Gigi`s parents and tia Marcela, we headed south in the rental car. Slowly we noticed the change in vegetation as we left the dry and brown landscape for more lush green sights. And finally we are surrounded by the famous Araucaria tree!

It`s amazing how we didn`t notice how dry of a climate we were in for the past 3 months. Obviously we did when we were North in the desert, but it didn`t occur to us when we were in Santiago and the coast. But now that we are here, surrounded by hills and mountains covered with a green canopy, we realize we`ve been saturated with brown and orange and dust.

We just arrived to Pucon on Thursday and have loved every minute of it! Gigi`s mom made reservations at a hostal called Ècole! and it`s totally charming with its ripe cherries falling into the courtyard, ready to be eaten.

Pucon is an adventure town with a big tourist industry. Not a place to go if you want the nitty gritty Chile but definetely worth a stop for its beauty and awesome adventures. No matter where you are in town you can see the smoke billowing out from volcan Villarica. And all year you see the sun reflecting off its thick white coat of snow. In fact, as i`m writing this entry on a tour agency`s computer, there is a group of tourists getting ready to snowboard the slopes of the volcanoe. And it`s the heart of the summer here in the southern hemisphere.

Last night we got to see a video someone filmed of a nearby volcanoe that erupted just 1 day before we headed on our trip. That would´ve been an amazing thing to actually witness!

Our first night here we soaked in some thermal baths and watched the stars emerge into the sky. We still haven`t figured out why we can see Northern Hemisphere stars here in the Southern Hemisphere... but anyways, they´re gorgeous... especially in a hot steaming thermal bath deep in the mountains. Check out our photo album later for pics (I forgot to bring the cord to download the photos, whoops!).

Then the next day we signed up to go on a whitewater rafting trip. My parents signed up for the class III trip, and Micah and I went on the class IV trip. It was such a rush of adrenaline! We had to concentrate on the rapids most of the time but whenever we could we picked our heads up to see where we were. A few of the rapids were class V and we were nervous we wouldn`t make it but we were completely successfull. Phew! Gigi was the only one in our boat to accidentally end up in the water but that´s because the guide pushed her in! At another point we had to get out of the boat and hike for a bit. And then, to get back into the water we had to jump off a rock 15ft. above the rapids into the water. That was definetely the scariest part for me. But we made it out alive and with all our senses awakened. It was a great adventure to start this leg of our trip.

We`ll download pictures of Pucon next time we get on the internet so remember to check em out on our picasso photo album.

Cabbage Salad

So we can´t stop eating cabbage salad here. We ate alot of it back home as well but we´ve learned a different way to make it here. It´s really simple so if you were brave enough to make the empanadas then this should be a piece of cake! And we promise you that lack of difficulty does NOT mean lack of delicousness because this salad is sooo good!

Ingredients:
(We´ve never actually measured our ingredients so we´re guessing. Use your judgement and taste buds to get it just right)

• 1/2 a head of white cabbage (red cabbage does not work nearly as well)
• 2 tblsp of salt
• 1/4-1/2 bunch Cilantro
• Juice from 2-3 lemons
• 1/4 cup Oil

Directions:

• Thinly slice cabbage and put in a bowl
• Dice cilantro and add to cabbage
• Add salt, lemon juice and oil
• Mix well
• Best if left to marinate in lemon juice for a bit
• Eat!

See how easy that was?! The trick we learned was to use white cabbage which has a milder flavor than red cabbage and soaks up the lemon juice much better.

The past coupla weeks...

So we finally got to share our hooked up paradise with some other gringo friends for a few days. Our friend Ariana was visiting Chile and Argentina with some of her colleagues from Outward Bound for a mountaineering course and paid us a visit! We spent 3 days drinking wine and bbq-ing with the 5-person Outward Bound possé. The highlight was definetely the scavenger hunt we all made for Sam´s bday. It might have even been more fun for all of us watching her tromp through the resort trying to figure out our silly clues.

It was hard to re-adjust to the quiet life after they all left. But there wasn't much time to mope since we left hot on their heels to visit the famous Valparaiso. It´s famous for it´s bohemian and artsy culture as well as it´s physical layout. The city is built on a steep incline that runs into a busy port and is filled with steep-as-hell stairs leading to winding alleys and neighborhoods... and all of it decorated with amazing murals and graffiti.

At the bottom of one of these said stairs, we had our first run-in with bad (and perhaps inevitable) luck and were robbed! Some twerp stumbled in between us and yanked off with all his strength Gigi´s "man purse," throwing her to the ground. Micah saw perpetrator #1 coming which gave her time to register what was happening. As the twerp tried to run off she yelled "Nooooooo!" and grabbed him by the shirt. She was reaching for the bag but all she could manage was a big tear in #1´s shirt. Fortunately, Micah´s continual repetition of her war cry, "Nooooo!" snapped Gigi out of her sprawl on the sidewalk and she ran to put #1´s head in a lock, which did nothing to get the bag back but seemed important at the time. She pulled his hair as Micah tore his shirt and yelled her cry. We were so close to showing this twerp what tough gringas are made out of...alas... not tough enough. Twerp had a friend, perpetrator #2, who eventually came back to help his friend. #1 passed off the bag as #2 ran for the steep stairs. We let go, realizing our defeat and watched #1 follow #2. But no! Gigi followed them up the 100 steps of stairs making sure that they would have to work hard to win our valuables. And let me tell you, by the 50th stair all 4 of us were barely walking in between our huffs. At the top of the stairs they ducked into one of the many alleys and vanished. Blasted! We were left with piercing lungs, scrapes and bruises and no camera amongst other stuff!

(Dr. Jones, if you are reading zees, ve are not fooled by yer tactics! Ze secret plans you seek ver not stored in ze cameraz micro chip! HAHAHA!)

After the incident several people came to our help and were so kind. We filed a police report so, hopefully, our insurance will cover the stuff in the bag. We are, of course, the saddest about our camera but, fortunately, no money nor important documents were taken. We were mistrustful of everyone in the streets for the next couple of days and talked alot about compassion and classism. It´s hard to bounce right back without harboring resentment. Every young boy with brown hair we walked past was a potential robber. And that practically means every boy in the street. We reminded ourselves of all the positive experiences we´ve had and how those have mostly shaped our trip, not the bad ones! And 14 year old boys aren´t to be assumed criminals! It was hard to do in reality... so we decided to go back to our apt where there weren´t many people and recover without the expense of insulting innocent young boys in the streets.

Otherwise we had an awesome time in Valpo exploring the streets, finding the murals and meeting some friends of Gigi´s sister who were great hosts. We went to this community center called "Ex-Carcel" that is located in an old prison! There are workshops, studios, a free circus and who knows what else. It was crazy to be in such a rad place surrounded by huge cement walls and metal bars. We had an interesting conversation with a man there that was selling jewelry. He asked us why we elected Bush as president which lead us into a conversation about politics and US activism. At the end of our conversation he told us we had homework to do back home. It was awesome. We told him about the new community center in Greensboro called the HIVE and he gave us a poster of the Ex-Carcel as a gift to the HIVE.

Which, we are wondering how the HIVE is going and what kind of thriving community there will be when we get back to the boro..?

Oh! and the past 24 hours have been super exciting (but totally safe) with another earthquake and her aftershocks! Check out this footage from our neighborhood grocery store:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gNEWQ8iT1uI

Arica & Micah´s Bday!

After our road trip in the Iquique area it was time to head even further north and check out Arica (20 km from the Peruvian border). We were debating whether or not to visit the nearby national park or to focus on Arica because time didn´t allow for both. Micah made the call (bday priviledges) and we stayed close to the coast. The first 2 days we stayed in a hostal run by an older New Zealander and his Chilean wife. This was the hotspot for older travelers which was quite a change from the young surfer hostal we had just come from in Iquique. We rented bikes for Micah´s bday and rode down the coast.

We found some caves on the road to explore. It was too dark to go far.

Gigi tried making a geoglyph for Micah´s Bday. Can you read it? It´s harder than it looks people! (P.S. It say´s Happy Bday)

We left the old timers hostal to go camping on a northern beach. Hurrah! We scored an umbrella again!

Everyday at sunset this group of kids would show up for bareback horseriding.

Fortunately, we found a viscous guard dog to watch our tent while we went on walks. She was really viscous, watch out. She barely even let us have room under the shade she was so viscous.

We couldn´t figure out what these groups of people were doing out in the water. It looked like they were dancing or something. Finally we figured it out when we saw a man walk up to shore with a bag of Machas (razorclams). The dancing was them digging with their toes to unearth the clams. And they got to take them home for dinner. Mmmmm!

"Thank god I have these sunglasses! You and me sun! You got nothing on me!"

Day 4: Salar de Huasco y Mamiña

We spent the night in Pica again cuz we loved it so much and then woke up early to go to Salar de Huasco. We were really excited about this trip because we missed alot of the salares when we were in the San Pedro area. Salares are salt lakes. Alot of them have dried up but the ones at the highest elevation still have water. Most of them have wild flamingoes! So we bought coca leaves and we grinded on em as we drove the 5000 meters to the salar.

We couldn´t get enough of these fuzzy cuties. They´re called llamas and not all of them come with bright cloth collars. This flock must belong to someone but they sure looked like they lived in a wild place with nothing nearby.

As we got higher into the Andes we got a better and better view of the mountains on the Chile/Bolivia border. Take notice of the clouds.

Here we are at the mirador (lookout point) for Salad de Huasco. We were so close we could taste it! Can you see the blue of the lake?

So close yet not close enough... as we stood at the mirador taking it all in, the black clouds started rumbling and looking more ominous. In a matter of seconds the moisture broke and it started raining and hailing! In the driest desert in the world!?! Turns out, this is what they mean by a "Bolivian Winter." The road was dirt and sand for the last part of the trip and we didn´t want to risk getting stuck in our little rental in the middle of nowhere... so, we turned back with no flamingo sightings and went onto Mamiña.

Mamiña is a mining town centered around thermal waters in the depths of the Andes. We soaked in our own private bath tub tapped with piping hot thermal waters sipping on coca tea our wonderful host, Gloria brought to our room. She took extra good care of us because we were the only guests in her big hotel. We couldn´t have asked for a better host... she was the cutest woman ever! And the baths were, of course, delicious.

The next day we went exploring and found what must be the sweetest spot in the whole town. An outdoor thermal water bath that is actually a holding tank for the town.

To get there, walk down from Hotel Bellavista until you see a trench of hot water. Pass the burros and keep following the trench.

Eventually you get to what looks like an inground bathtub and huge pool full of mineral rich hot water!