Chilean hospitality

Allow me to apologize for the delay in posting, as I realize that a day without an update on your friend Stefan is a day for naught, but since my arrival in Santiago only 4 days ago, I have been very busy.

Let me start by saying that I was very lucky to have met a really, really cool Chileno several weeks back when I was down south in Chile Chico. At the time, he offered me his phone number and a place to sleep when I came to Santiago, and I really lucked out. Derek has rolled out the red carpet for me, and I have felt incredibly welcome in his city. As a whole, Chilenos are very kind and eager to be friends, but Derek and his mom Amelia have literally dropped everything for the last couple of days to introduce me to family and friends, take me out to parties, give me the city tour, visit the surrounding country side, and in general treat me as a welcome guest. I have been blown away by their hospitality, and cannot thank them enough.

Derek and his mom, Amelia

After arriving to the bustling metropolis of Santiago last Thursday morning, I met up with Derek at the subway station after he had been waiting for me for over 2 hours (I misinterpreted my arrival time). He then took me out to his girlfriend´s mom´s restaurant where they provided me with a delicious lunch. After some beers and some laughs, we headed down to the Nacional Football Stadium for the (awed pause) Radiohead concert. As this was my 4th time seeing Radiohead, I was aware of their awesomeness. But, as I suspected, this show was unbelievable. Imagine 25,000 absolutely fanatic Chilenos screaming their heads off for a spectacular marathon 2 1/2 hour concert. I was blown away, and cannot describe it any further. Be jealous.

Radiohead, blowing it up in Santiago

Derek, girlfriend Valentina, her sisters and mom

The following day, Derek took me on a tour of the city of Santiago. A huge city of over 6 million people, Santiago is everything you would expect from a very lively South American capital, and a little you wouldn´t expect. Efficient transporation system, a skyline that spreads across the horizon, crazy people all over the place, tremendous skyscrapers and elegant mansions next door to dilapidated tenements, delicious food, music in the street... thank god I had a friend here! We checked out the national history and art museums, the city center, some parks, and, my favorite, the incredible central market. You can buy anything and everything there. It is essentially a city block sized warehouse with hundreds of vendors selling every type of fresh food you can imagine for absolutely the cheapest prices I have ever seen. This region of Chile is capable of growing an incredible array of food, and the market reflects the region. The best market I have ever been to, and a really cool experience. Later that night, there was a fiesta at a friend´s house, and we partied until 5 in the morning. ¡Yeah!

National Cathedral

Yesterday, we all went out to a couple of smaller towns around the city for a craft market, a wine festival, and a little bit of a traditional Chilean Rodeo. It was a very fun filled day, and I got to see quite alot. It was tremendous. Tonight, there is an a soccer game in between the national teams of Chile and Peru, so Derek is taking me to an asado (bbq) to watch the game. And I think tomorrow, I will head out of Santiago to visit Valpariaso (a nice little sea side village known for it´s prevalent counter culture) for a couple of days. In a nutshell, that is the low down.

Derek, Valentina, me, Bernardo, and sister Oriana at wine festival

Again, I have to use this opportunity to thank my host, Derek, for his above and beyond hospitality. It has been an absolutely unforgettable experience here in Santiago, all thanks to him. I have learned so much about the people of this country and the lifestyle in this city because Derek has offered his tremendous services, and it has meant alot to me. In all of my trip so far, I have not met anyone so nice and outgoing, and for somebody travelling in another country, it can really mean the world. I am now trying to get him to come visit my country so I can return the favor. Isn´t travel a grand idea?

An eruption of good times

... and I´m back!

This morning, myself and Mike (friend that I went backpacking with, pictured below) finished the 4 day/3 night Traverse of Parque Nacional Villarrica. What an incredible place! Of the three areasI have been trekking so far, I think this was my favorite. A glorious trail that crosses the spine of a range of volcanoes, the views are jaw dropping, the volcanoes are behemouths, and the landscape is from another world. I wasn´t really aware of how geologically active this area actually is until hiking across the crater of Volcan Quatrepillue. Ancient lava flows, symmetrical rings of lava rock that made up the heart of an ancient exploding volcano, smoke huffing from atop Volcan Villarrica, and, viewable from the top ridge, a total of 7 major volcanoes that bulge from the horizon. I´ve never been to a place like this, and it was a spectacular hike. A unique opportunity and a really good choice!

Me and Mike (a botanist/hippie dude from Florida), in front of Volcan Lanin.

Look closely and you´ll see the center of an old crater in the above pic,
with two volcanoes in background.

Volcan Villarrica, with the bizarre arucaria trees in the front. They
are a pineapple looking tree that grows for over 500 years.

The park kind of sits off by itself along the border of Argentina, and is kind of difficult to get to. It required a lot of investigation to figure out the system of buses/taxis that we needed to get to and from the trail. I was a little worried about getting back today, because I have quite a few things to get done. Besides some errands in town, Mike and I made friends the other night with the owner of the campgound we are staying at and he has graciously decided to throw an asado for us tonight (a BBQ). Very nice family. Also, I have a bus ticket that leaves town for Santiago this evening, and arrives tomorrow at 6 am. Since a friend of mine that lives in Santiago has offered me a place to sleep for a couple of nights, I should have a pretty good time there. And, of course, the Radiohead concert is tomorrow night. That´s right. Radical!

If you can´t tell from this email, I am very happy. My vacation seems to just get better and better everyday. My language skills are improving, I have gotten really good at figuring out each place I arrive in, I am feeling really healthy (probably because I have spent about 15 days trekking, or a full 25% of my trip so far), and things are just working out for me. Stars are aligning. This, right now (well, not right now, while I´m typing, but these general days), is exactly what I was looking for out of my vacation. Adventure, beautiful landscapes, nice people, and fun things to do. Vacation is just good for people, and I think everyone needs to travel... this means you!!

¡Update!

Sandwiched between a towering, snow capped volcano and a shimmering green lake, the town of Pucón, Chile is famous in these parts for it´s landscape, it´s hustle-and-bustle, and it´s wealth of outdoor activities. Rafting, zip lines, summiting the volcanic peak, trekking, cycling... todo es possible aquí. Since my arrival the other night, I have been checking out the town and making a couple of friends at the campground. In fact, I am going to head up to the National Park Villarrica tomorrow morning with a botanist friend I met from Florida to go backpacking for a couple of days, with a hot springs as the destination. Not too bad, eh? Promptly following the excursion, I will be catching an overnight bus from Pucón to Santiago to go see Radiohead on Thursday. It´s a busy schedule, but that´s how I likes it! Besides that, there´s not too much to report.

As promised, though, I would like to give you my feedback on my most recent conquest on my Tur de Libros, Mario Vargas Llosa´s ¨Aunt Julia and the Scripwriter¨. Enjoy!

From the beginning, this book took off like a Saturn 5. I was turning pages like a madman, laughing out loud regularly, and loving every bit of it. The characters leaped from the pages, the action moved in unanticipated ways, the plot abounded with insights into Peruvian culture, and Vargas Llosa developed a (I think unique) way of interjecting wildly entertaining non-sequitor story lines into the book by devoting chapters to exhibiting the title ¨scriptwriter´s¨ work. By incorporating these short stories into the book, the author accomplished two things, I think: providing fitting examples of a germane plot component (i .e. the character´s dramatic work), and creating an outlet for the author´s ridiculous and hilarious dramatic energy. It worked on a couple of levels.

Also, oddly enough, Vargas Llosa chose the ¨writer´s experience¨ as a theme. This is strange only because this (not terribly common) topic has been a crucial device in the other 3 books I have read by South American authors on my trip. Weird. It´s possible that writing about writing is a common concept in literature from this continent, but that will take further investigation to confirm.

Lastly, I have to say the ending to this book was a major let down. Nothing happened. The story just went limp. I´ve been struggling to unearth a literary reason why Vargas Llosa chose this particular ending, but nothing I come up with really strikes me. I think he just lost it in the end, unfortunately. In any event, the book as a whole was witty, colorful, fun, and worthwhile. With a more clever ending, it could have been great.

You stay classy, San Diego.

I don´t like feeling forced to come up with titles to these things!

All is well in the shady, sleepy little mountain town of San Martín de los Andes. The local gente strictly observe the siesta hours, the cool breeze ruffles the leaves and keeps the insects at bay, there are numerous trees from which to hang my hammock, and the hours melt away with the sweetness of sun-softened honey. Since my Monday arrival, I´ve discovered that the thing ¨to do¨ in this town is, in reality, nothing. I have been having an excellent time adhering to the local mandate.

In the winter SM de los Andes is a trendy little ski town frequented by the Argentine elite, and in the summer, a stop-off on the heavily trafficked gringo road. Right now, I find myself in the off season, so the town is particularly quiet. Kids back in school, a near empty campground, and a generally slow pace of life make this lakeside pueblo surrounded by verdant mountains a rather nice place to kick back. My time here is dominated by:
1. sleeping until at least 11
2. then quickly moving to my hammock to catch the midday sun
3. walking around the upscale ginger-bread-esque town
4. reading an engrossing book my Mario Vargas Llosa
5. making delicious stews from scratch using my camp mess kit and a fire pit.

Tomorrow at the heinous hour of 6 AM, I catch a bus to El Pucón, Chile. Usually a 3-4 hour ride, currently there is a wildfire that is blocking the pass, so it will most likely be a 12 hour detour. Rats. No big deal, though. Also, it turns out that a friend of mine from college that lives in El Pucón will not be in town when I arrive because she is in Buenos Aires seeing surgeons about a broken collar bone that never healed correctly. Double rats! It would have been nice to hang out and meet her new daughter (which I found out, today, she named Nieve, Spanish for ¨snow¨), but I no longer worry about spoiled plans. ¨Come what come may, the hour and the time run through the roughest day.¨ Macbeth. I will have a good time anyhow. They have a volcano there that you can climb, and I´m going to climb it!

Typing this is making me tired and in want of my hammock, so I hope that this little update has temporarily quenched your ravinous thirst for all things Stefan.

Nahuel Huapi-fied

Monte Tronador, from about 40 miles

Well, Nahuel Huapi was the cat´s pajamas. A tremendous hit. Jagged peaks, extremely rugged landscape, crystal clear rivers, and the glacier studded Monte Tronador that absolutely dominates the ultrablue horizon. Only a $1 bus ride from Bariloche, too. It was awesome! The one caveat, I have to add, is that their trails are absolutely horrific. I pray that nobody from IMBA ever comes down here, because the evident lack of basic trailbuilding knowledge would be enough to kill a real traibuilder. When I looked at the trails, I was like the Indian from that old littering commercial with the tear rolling down his face...


(Family disclaimer - before you read the next section, be aware that I took all the necessary safety precautions: I had a detailed map, I alerted the National Park office of my route and time of return, and I stayed on well marked trails. I was very safe about this.)

I was really excited about this trip, also, because I did something I never thought I would have the guts to do: that is, complete a several day trek completely on my own. I thought about it beforehand, and I really wanted to do this. I am a pretty confident, self assured, and confident person, but for some reason, doing a multinight backpacking trip has been something on my short list of ¨Things I am Afraid to Do¨. And not even for realistic fears, or a feeling of personal inability. I really thought I wouldn´t do it be able to do it out of good, ole fashion, childish somethingisundermybed! fear. Well, I did it. 4 days, 3 nights of complete solitude. And with the exception of some errant cows and some noisy birds in the middle of the night, it turns out there really is nothing to be afraid of. This may not sound like a huge achievement, or may seem kind of corny, but I think those of you out there who have gone on a significant backpacking trip will appreciate my feeling of accomplishment right now, and I am really glad I did it. I am glad to be back now, though! Running water is a freakin´ miracle!

(way off in the distance in the top middle of this pic is the peak they call ¨Cerro Cathedral¨.
It´s hard to tell here, but it is ridiculously high and very impressive)

Tomorrow, 9 am, I am off to San Martín de los Andes. Since I don´t have an alarm clock, I am going to have to drink a liter of water around midnight. Actually, make that beer.

Let´s quote it up here:

¨I want to stay as close to the edge as I can without going over. Out on the edge you see all kinds of things you can´t see from the center. Big undreamed of things - the people on the edge see them first.¨ Kurt Vonnegut, ¨Player Piano¨

Feliz Cumpleaños, Mama!

For the past month in a half, I have spent all my time in small towns on the edge of vast wilderness. I had just gotten used to the endless stretches of wind tortured pampas and epic vistas of unpeopled mountains when I was unceremoniously dumped into the bustling urbanity of Bariloche. Tall buildings, clogged streets, unbridled consumerism, gritty buses, lots of concrete, and culture shock.

Don´t get me wrong, Bariloche is a very pleasant little city that sits along a stunning blue lake in the middle of the Andes. Huge peaks, skiing in the winter, and a national park on its doorstep. Beautiful, really. It is not quite, however, the little mountain hamlet it is often made out to be. And for someone unacclimated (such as myself), it was a bit unnerving at first.

However! I found a very nice hostel, I have spent the last two days sitting in the breezy parks soaking up the very warm sun and reading my books, and tomorrow, I leave for Parque Nacional Nahuel Haupi where I will be trekking for 4-5 days. Crowned by the glacieted Cerro Tronador (I might have that name wrong), the park boasts pristine forests, huge mountains, and plenty of trails. Hooray!!

I really need to get going here so I can get my stuff together and packed before I call my mom for her birthday today (gotta give a shout out here: Happy Birthday Mom! Much love, and hope 39 is as nice as 38 was!!). But before I go, I need to give you all a quick review of Isabel Allende´s ¨Eva Luna¨:

Yeah, I´m a book snob. No doubt about it. Usually, when somebody suggests a quote-unquote ¨best seller¨ to me, I naturally rebuke them with an elitist scoff. In my opinion, if the lay-man drools their sub-par saliva all over a book, it is certainly not something I would condescend to read. Heaven forbid! But as I am slowly discovering in my maturity, my predispositions can (gasp!) be wrong sometimes. Though often branded with the ¨best seller¨ nomiker, I found ¨Eva Luna¨ to easily be the most enjoyable book I have read on my trip thus far.
What it lacks in depth, challenge, plot, detail, action, or surprise, it makes up for in seductive imagery, colorful and intriguing characters, compelling and thrifty writing, and a taste of South Americana.
Definitely a character driven book, the people in this book dance around the central Eva Luna with playfulness and a non-direction that seemed true to a real, colorful life. I also enjoyed the author´s evident autobiographical musings, and I couldn´t help but hear Allende´s voice through Eva´s character. Her description of the author´s ¨muse¨(the artistic compulsion to write) was elegant and illuminating. And lastly, this was certainly the most ¨South American¨ book I have come across on my trip. With themes of revolution, communism vs. democracy, isolation in the world, the influence of the USA, tropical ambience, magic, custom, conservative tradition, indigenous peoples, immigration, brutality, and insurrection, ¨Eva Luna¨ worked to embody the history of this dynamic continent.

Today I purchased ¨Aunt Julia and the Scriptwriter¨, by Mario Vargas Llosa (from Peru). I will most likely have a reaction for you within a week.
Until then, keep your eyes on the skies!

Hippies Rejoice!

Star Date 3-8-2009: today is my third day in El Bolsón Argentina, and I am loving it. This beautiful hamlet is surrounded by dramatic mountains and full of colorful hippy folk. They have open air markets, street musicians, and, this weekend only, a 3 day festival honoring the most fragrant and magical of flowers (I guess it´s a flower?), the hop. Full bodied cervezas, good music all night long, and a festival atmosphere: El Bolsón has captured my heart.


Along with the events of the town, I have met a very good group of people here in El Bolsón and we have been having fun. We had an asado last night (BBQ) and partied down, and had a great time at the festival on Friday night. We are all going for a hike today (that is, if the hungover ones decide to wake up at some point!!) and then going to the festival later on. The other two days were more traditional local music, but tonight is Rock ´n Roll. Boy howdy.


Besides that, we have a really nice and cheap little campground just outside town. It has a nice little kitchen building, hot showers and clean toilets, fire places, a very sweet cat that I call Guante, trees to hang my hammock from, and a rock beach along the river where I got sun burnt yesterday. The weather is perfect and the time moves slowly. I love vacation.

Last but not least, the next book I am reading is Isabel Allende´s Eva Luna. Isabel Allende is a Chilean author and is kind of known as a best seller, but I had difficulty finding an English book at all, so I am going with it. So far, it has been enjoyable. I read two other books since my last update, but since they are not worth discussing, I will spare you.

Tomorrow, I will be moving on once again. This time to Bariloche, which is the mega resort of the south-central Andes. Skiing in the winter, trekking in summer, and expensive all the time. I will probably stay a couple of days and then move on. To where? I don´t know. When? I cannot say. But why? Oh! Because I can.

Say ¨Futaleufú¨ three times, fast!

It´s impossible.

Well, since our last digital communiqué, much has transpired. I have been having an awesome time travelling up the Carretera Austral. Though it is a famous byway (orignally conceptualized by the brutal dictator, Augusto Pinochet) that connects Northern Patagonia in Chile, in reality, it is little more than a shockingly rural stretch of gravel road that winds up, down, and around some of the most remote country I have ever seen. It is beautiful, very wet, very quiet, and full of extremely nice locals. It took 4 days to go about 300 km, but I am now at the border of Argentina in a town called Futaleufú, which is world famous for the out-of-this-worldly blue river that people travel from across the world to raft (a klunky sentence, I apologize... though this parenthetical clause is really just compounding the problem, isn´t it). Below is a picture of me with ¨Mamá¨. She runs a really nice little campground in Puyuhuapi (another difficuly name!). If I had to describe her in a few words, I would say she had an infectious and heartwarming laugh. We had fun!
It´s a little difficult to relay the events of the last couple of days, but sample this:
- 4 nights rural camping, two days rain
- a dozen new friends (3 Chilenos, 3 Israelis, 2 Americans, 4 Brazilians)
- 1 sunburn
- 0 showers or shaves
- lots of rice
- a full 20% improvement in my Spanish
- 234 ¨thumbs up¨


So, my next stop will be El Bolsón back in Argentina. It is a small mountain community founded by hippies, and they are having a 3 day beer festival!! I am really pumped. You gringos take care, and catch you on the flip side...

I am having such a good time.