Over the Border

It wasn`t easy, but we finally convinced the Bolivian consulate to give us our visas and let us walk across the bridge and into their country. Citizens of the USA are the only unfortunate souls who have to pay $100 each as well as suffer a ridiculous and tetious paperwork frenzy in order to get a visa- it is a political statement towards our government from what we have been told.

In any case, the scene has been completely different once we actually made it here. The people in Tupiza, where we arrived after a 2 hour hot and dirty bus ride from the border, are absolutely wonderful! Everyone is friendly, our hotel is so comfortable, and the food is actually delicious! Cullen didn´t care for the llama meat, however, saying that it was too chewy and the animals are too cute to be eaten. I agree. We took today as a ¨rest¨day and went for a 3 hour horseback tour of a gorgeous nearby canyon. It was my first real horse ride (no one controlling the speed or direction) and I freaked a little when my horse decided to follow Cullen´s at a full gallop. Not knowing what to do with the reins, I pulled a little too much on the right and nearly directed the spirited animal into a ditch. We got dirty and smelly and I am having trouble walking now, but we both agree it was an awesome ride!

Tomorrow we leave at 6am in a 4x4 jeep on a 4 day tour of the wild and barren terrain that surrounds us. We are going with a guide, a cook, and a really nice young couple from Switzerland (Hannah and Tomas), and we will arrive at the drop-off town of Uyuni on Saturday... Con amor, Melissa & Cullen

Final Hoorah in Argentina

We are almost done with our scavenger hunt. We found out this morning that several things are needed to acquire our visas before entering Bolivia (which is only 15 minutes away by foot across a small bridge from where we are sitting right now). We have spent all morning getting the following: mugshots of our faces printed on photo paper, photocopies of our vaccination records and credit card (aahh! Scared to give that away!), and printed proof of hotel reservations for tonight. The last item on the list is the one that keeps us on hold. I am waiting for the email confirmation while Cullen is running around town looking for a place to change the rest of our Argentinian money into Bolivian currency.

We gave up our wheels today, which means we can`t roam around freely but it also reduces a little of the stress that comes along with responsibility for an expensive item. Now all we have to worry about are the two little backpacks we are carrying- simple! The last days of our road trip were outstanding. We again passed through small pueblos and cruised through diverse scenery. First challenge was navigating the city streets again as we left the large city of Salta. Next challenge was a very winding, very narrow road that would be a road biker`s dream if not for the constant near collision with cars and cows. In the passenger`s seat, I had a way too good view of the jungle terrain that dropped off hundreds of meters below us.

Eventually we left the greenery and entered again the colorful desert terrain with cacti and mud homes. We stopped for a hike in the town of the Cerro de Siete Colores (Hill of 7 Colors) before crashing (to sleep, I mean) in Humahuaca. Next morning we took a side trip towards a lake that required driving bouncy dirt roads for several hours. We were releaved that the tires held up until we reached the next town at the very northern border of Argentina. From there, we drove a little further east to the dreamy little village of Yavi where we stayed in the only building without a mud roof. We went for a sunset hike and sipped on mate through our gourd and bombilla in true Argentinian style. Later we endulged in a delicious dinner by the fireplace (they burn cacti here since there are no trees)and sipped down our last bottle of San Juan Syrah... it was a grand finale to a great couple of weeks in this wonderful country. Cheers!

Road Trip Northern Argentina

Cullen behind the wheel again after almost 4 months of no driving- watch out! We followed the advice of many other travelers and decided to rent a car in Salta in order to go off the grid and visit isolated splendors in a 200 kilometer radius from the city. Getting out of the city (population around one million) was the hard part- there are no traffic rules- or if there are any, they are not followed. The only one we could decipher was ¨He who hesitates, waits.¨ In other words, every intersection is a mystery of who has the right away. Add that to the nearly invisible traffic lights (small and hidden off to the side), the chaotic maze of one-way streets, the motorcyclists weaving through blind spots, and the pedestrians who show no fear of moving machines... it was a team effort and a new extreme sport for us to make it out of town. But once we did... ahhh! What a glorious country this is! We drove a loop over the course of 3 days passing from lush green hills to arid cacti-filled desert. We passed through only very small towns with cobble-stone streets and a whole new expression of MUY TRANQUILO. The landscape was too beautiful and bizarre to capture in photos, but we feel as if we have been through Utah and Arizona with a third-world twist. After only one flat tire (3 dollars to have fixed) and one near non-start to the rickety little rental car, we successfully navigated the narrow, winding, dusty, bumpty roads that led us to a peaceful winery town called Cafayate. We walked to 2 wineries around the block from our hostel and sampled varieties we have never heard of. We bought the nicest bottle of Malbec that the small bodega offered (5 dollars is enough to get good quality here)... We hit the road again the next morning (paved this time) and passed through more colored canyon scenery and a house boating lake before returning to Salta. Tomorrow, we take our little car north through more isolated villages where we will be leaving it at the border, and hopping buses to begin the journey through Bolivia.

With Gabi & Family in San Juan

Aahh, what a relaxing and enjoyable time we had in San Juan, thanks to the kindness and hospitality of our new friends Gabi and Matìas. Thank you Karen for recommending that we get in touch with your friends here in Argentina. We saw pictures of you and Heather and many pictures of Reno which made us feel right at home! We made arrangements by email only the night before we left Mendoza, so we surprised Gabi when we called her cell phone from the San Juan bus station and said that we were only a few kilometers from her apartment. She and her hubby welcomed us into their home and took us on a rapid tour of their lakeside club (where they were married a year ago) and local wineries. They also took us to her parents´house for an amazing evening of delicious food (authentic meat from the grill- aka la parilla) and great conversation (they were very patient with our enthusiastic efforts at speaking Spanish all night). We loved the area and especially enjoyed the feeling of calmness that only comes from being away from the hustle and bustle of hostels and being part of a family even if only for a brief moment of time. Muchas gracias a Gabi, Mati, Adolfo, Suzanne, and Reinaldo! Ustedes son muy amables y nunca les olvidaremos!

We took the 16 hour overnight bus to Salta where we are working out the details to the next big adventure- this one should be interesting! More soon! Love, Melissa & Cullen

Livin Lazily, Mendoza Moments

Ahhh, back to sunshine, warm breezes, palm trees, and sandals... we even got ourselves a plush hotel room to fully recuperate from the last few weeks of coldness and sore muscles (and the five cheaper hostels we went to first were all full, but those are just details)... We spent the first few days in this wine drinker´s paradise sleeping in our hotel room and sipping on bottled water as we dueled with illness. As we were unable to walk the town or hike the nearby fabulous mountains, we decided to treat ourselves to a full day spa- Argentinian style. Staying true to our commitment to relaxation, we rode the elevator to the lobby where a shuttle picked us up outside the front door, we arrived at a natural hotsprings resort in a nearby river canyon, slipped into our swim suits, and lounged away the day moving slowly from sauna to mudbath, to hotspring pools. After a full day soak with a giant delicious lunch in the middle, we were starting to feel much better!

All our non-activity paid off, and by Saturday, we were able to get moving and celebrate my b-day with Canadian friends Warwick and Jessie who we had met the day before. Opting to do our own tour rather than a packaged deal, we spent a hilarious morning figuring out public transportation out to the rural wine region, rented some inexpensive (and not too comfortable) bikes, then set out to get a taste of the good life. We visited a couple wineries (bodegas), a wine museum, and a little family-owned shop with home-made chocolate and liquors. We stopped at a scenic and serene patio restaurant for a gourmet lunch that was the only nearest source of non-liquid carbohydrates and a much-needed rest stop from our devil bike seats. The temperature was perfect and the views of vines and fall-colored trees with snow-capped Andes looming in the back were almost peotic if not for the giant trucks flying past us and near us on the narrow margin-less country roads. After tasting 15 or so wines, it was a little nerve racking trying to keep a straight line and avoid losing an elbow to oncoming review mirrors...

Medoza is a beautiful city, but we are more partial to smaller towns... so today we are packing up and moving on. More news from the road soon!

Bariloche, Northern Patagonia

We hopped a plane from Calafate to Bariloche in search of good views and good chocolate- and we found them! We were surprised how European this mountain town feels- there is a big Swiss influence... we saw the Swiss flag, Saint Bernaird dogs (apprently bred in Switzerland as mountain rescue dogs), and we ate cheese fondue! Every other shop in town was a chocolate shop, and whenever we bought a cappuchino we were always given a gourment little piece of heaven. Our first day in town was gorgeous so we rode a gondola to a nearby lookout point, hiked around, then walked back to town to meet some traveling friends for dinner. The next day was rainy and cold, so we had to change our three-day trek plans into a two-day trek adventure. The next morning was clear again and we caught the morning bus to Cerro Catedral, the nearest large ski resort. From the parking lot, we found the trail leading through a bamboo forest with views of lakes below. We hiked up a river gorge to the rocky alpine lake setting of Refugio Frey. Finally a real mountain cabin- dusty old mattresses on the ground, no electricity, and no baño... awesome! We spent the evening hiking to take in the views and sunset, then the hutmaster served us up a great dinner (called the plato fuerte- the strong plate) of mashed potatoes and meat. We decided to sleep downstairs that night to spare the 13 or so other travelers the pain of listening to our incessant coughing, and woke up the next day to a fantastic alpen glo sunrise and a hearty bowl of oatmeal. The hike down was supposed to be easy, but I have always been a bigger fan of loops than out-and-backs, so we decided to take the scenic route. We hiked up a pass (more like rock and ice climbing- slippery but fun) and then hiked along what seemed like an endless traverse (more rock climbing and unbeatable views). Finally we made it to the top of the ski resort and we could see the base lodge where we would catch our bus. After a few wrong turns, some scree scrambling, and 100 too many switch backs on maintenance roads, we at last made it to the parking lot- but not before we saw our bus take off without us. No problem, though, we found a snack stand with beer and bubbly water and spent the next hour relaxing until another bus arrived... next stop is Mendoza- another land of good views and good chocolate- but also good wine. We have just arrived at the wine capital of South America where the Malbec is supposed to be the divine complement to the local steak... more to follow! Cheers!

Calafate & Chaltén, Argentina

Getting to Argentina made our hearts beat fast... not just because we are totally enamored with this country (and we are!), but because we had to chase the bus that got us here! We were walking to the corner of the bus stop at 6:55ish am to catch the 7am bus only to watch it pull away and coast down the dark street without us. Again, Cullen saved the day by running (he caught up to the bus four blocks down the road) and I contributed by running down the middle of the street waving my arms wildly and whistling (apologies to the sleeping people of Puerto Natales!). We made a graceful entrance onto the bus, took our seats, and eventually got our breath back. Part of the reason we got off to such a late start had to do with our unusual sleeping arrangements that night. We had left our excess luggage at a hostel while we did the Torres del Paine trek, but when we returned to retrieve our belongings, there was a sign on the window telling us to call Victor. We had to get help from several Argentinians before we could get the number dialed successfully on a pay phone, but we eventually got a hold of him and he let us in to the closed down hostel to get our bags. He swung deal with the owner to let us stay in the empty hostel for a discounted rate, so we had a private slumber party in that hostel all by ourselves... unfortunately our alarm wasn´t working well due to the fading batteries on our watch, so we nearly slept in and there was no one around to let us know what time it is (the sun rises hear really late now- almost winter).

Now we are in the southern Patagonia region of Argentina where we saw one of the only 2 glaciers in South America that is actually growing. We took a boat to get up close to the face of it. Over the last few days, we have a gotten a good feel of what winter in the Patagonia can feel like- COLD!!! After the glacier visit, we took a bus to the small climber´s town of Chaltén to get a view of the famous Cerro Torre and Fitz Roy peaks. Unfortunately, we hiked two days in snow and never saw the full landscape. The town and terrain were memorable, though, and we would like to come back to see it in its full glory some day soon. We are noticing differences between Chile and Argentina already. The accent sounds Itlian-ish, the currency is easier to use (the peso here is more similar to the Peruvian sole, so we aren´t having to calculate in the 1000s anymore as in Chile), the food is wonderful (lots of barbeque for Cullen and lots of chocolate for me), and they have a custom of drinking yerba mate out of gourds through a metal sieve straw. We fly out today for another trekking town (Bariloche) where we will report from next- with better scenic photos! Come on sun!

Patagonia Zen

Goodbye palm trees, hello penguins! One hour after getting off the plane in Punta Arenas (way down south in Chile), we found ourselves racing down a dirt road in a private taxi in order to glimpse the penguins on the last day before the park closed. 9,900 of their buddies had already left, but we got to get up close and personal with the friendly few (about 100) who remained to pose for our cameras- they sang and waddled for us as a bonus! We were surprised to see flamingos and a type of ostrich all within a few hundred yards of the penguins as well!

The next day we zoomed for the mountains that have been calling our name- Las Torres del Paine. The bus took us to an alpine lake where we boarded a catamaran with a handful of other trekkers. We sipped on bottomless hot chocolate while gazing admiringly at the glorious mountains, waterfalls, and sunset spread before us. We arrived at our first refugio- a backpacker´s lodge complete with good views, hot showers, hot food, and a pleasing wine selection- wow! Day 2 we laughed out loud with disbelief while hiking along a narrow trail through terrain unlike any we´ve seen before. The trees and bushes appear to have been transported from a Japanese zen garden, which reflects how they make you feel while walking among them. Soon we had a fantastic view of lakes with floating blue icebergs and Grey´s Glacier spread across the horizon. We walked further to the closest viewing point to eat lunch and stare peacefully at the icy abyss coming through the mountains and into the lake. When we got too cold to stay any longer, we made the 3.5 hour walk back to the hot fireplace, cold beer, and a generously donated bottle of Chilean wine (provided by Gil, our awesome roommate).

Day 3 was brutal but beautiful! We carried our full packs for about 4 hours of the hike to the next hostel, but in between we ditched them and hiked up the Valle Frances. We ignored the constant drizzle of rain and clouds obscuring the mountains and continued to walk through magical forest on a quest to see the unseeable. Just as we made our way towards the mirador (lookout), the skies began to part and we could begin to see the most impressive panoramic display of rocky walls and spires we have ever seen (including the twin to Spearhead in Colorado!). One of them looks like a cake with black horns (cuernos) on top- and is featured on the label of the beer they serve down here. We really took our time that day- we spent about 11 hours on the trail partly because it was too beautiful to rush, and partly because we were getting too sore to walk any faster.

Day 4, we woke up to rain that had persisted all through the night. This made for a wet start and a very big river crossing that was perilous but fun. With no option for walking around the torrents of water, we decided to crawl our way through the glacier water in sandals- it took hours (almost) for our toes to thaw afterwards! The sun did come out and we enjoyed the totally different terrain (open fields of low bushes and pale blue lakes with condors soaring above). That night we enjoyed the atmosphere of our favorite refugio in the company of many stellar traveler friends including Miranda and Jim from Hawaii as well as Father-daughter team Clive and Jeannie with Rose from New Zealand, and a beautiful French couple. They also became our cheering squad for what we decided to do next...

Day 5 started at 3:45am when we awoke to discover stars visible in the night sky. That was our code to launch out for the trail and attempt a sunrise visit to the rocky summit. Ten minutes after take-off, however, a torrential icy wind brought pounding rain into our faces. Not having rain pants, we were immediately soaked to the bone and wondering if we were out of our minds. But the promise of a good adventure made us keep going and we walked as if in a trance for the next 3 hours over bridges, under tree canopies, and through changing weather. Again as we reached the mirador, the skies parted and Cullen started running on all fours up the steep boulder field in a race against the sun (and that is how we scored the photo above- what a man- I love him!) We celebrated the heavenly view for all of 5 minutes before the clouds returned to spit wind and snow at us. We were frozen but happy and made the last trek back to the refugio with all smiles.

We are definitely going to have return again one day to this mountainous masterpiece of nature! Next stop is El Calafate and El Chalten in Argentina (mountain towns further north in the Patagonia with more backpacking and glacier gazing). Thanks so much for visiting our blog and keeping in touch!!!!!! Love, M & C