Hallacas and Cuba Libres!

Caracas doesn´t seem to have changed too much since last time we were here.  We´ve been laying kind of low, recuperating and relaxing at home.  The family I have stayed with since my first visit to Venezuela in 2001 has welcomed us with open arms (including airport pickup by my lovely pesudo-cousin), and we´ve been [...]

Santiago Centro

The museums were open today, and we took advantage.  After a spin by a couple of big cathedrals and Plaza de Armas in the center of the city, we visited the Museum of Pre-columbian Art, filled with artifacts, pottery, weaving, metalworks, etc. from cultures throughout Central and South America.
The highlight was an exhibit about ancient [...]

Santiago

We’re back in an urban jungle, population over 6 million.  Still a bit sleepy from our overnight travel, we spent the day just wandering around.  The views from atop Cerro Santa Lucia were grand, though it was hard to make out the mountains through the smog.  It was here where Pedro de Valdivia founded the [...]

Pucón

In Pucon we had definitely arrived in another tourist-centric town, but a lovely one.  Its lakeside setting with black sand beach and the backdrop of Villarrica Volcano is gorgeous, and there are tons of outdoor activities and adventures, relaxing thermal pools nearby and a heady mix of restaurants and bars for after a long day [...]

To Market To Market

The market(feria fluvial) in Valdivia was small but hectic.  We wandered around watching the fishmongers and vegetable/fruit vendors selling their piles and piles for fresh stuff.  The fish and shellfish were all lined up on the side of the market that faces the river, and the enormous sea lions that inhabit the river lounged around in [...]

Viva Valdivia

Our first real stop in Chile was the town of Valdivia.  It´s unfortunate distinction in recent years was an industrial accident that killed 5000 black-necked swans, but these days it seems to have cleaned up that act, and it turned out to be a great place to spend a few days.
Valdivia is an old city, [...]

Circuito Chico

Mountian bikes took us around the ¨small circuit¨ that winds around Lakes Nahuel Huapi, Perito Moreno and beyond.  It was kind of a tough ride, since we hadn´t been biking since Tahiti.  The uphill climbs were rewarded by long coasts downhill, though, and we were left with a sense of accomplishment at the end.  There [...]

Lake Gutierrez

Saturday at the Lake. Everyone was there. Some brave souls took a dip in the icy late spring water. We shared a pizza and beer at a little cafe, and wished we were staying this far out from the city where it was so quite and peaceful. Later in the day we hiked to the [...]

Bariloche

Even though we´ve been challenged by administrative headaches, an overcrowded hostel of rude international youths, and only 2 bathrooms for at least 40 people, we can´t help but like Bariloche. The tourist crowd is pretty easily left behind and we escaped each day to a new, gorgeous spot. The city is right on a lake, [...]

A long ride

Route 40 from El Calafate, in southern Patagonia, to Bariloche in the Lakes District is still known to be an adventurous route. It passes through mountains and valleys, national parks and reserves, small towns, farms and open plains. The journey took two days. The first day was almost entirely on gravelly unpaved [...]