He stopped like a bird dog on the prowl. His left leg frozen in a bent, half-way-there position. His ears perked and his head cocked slightly to the side. We had learned after days of following him though the jungle that whatever movement he made, we were to do the same, and so, we froze. For three days we followed our fearless Amazon leader, Orlando, like children playing a game of “Follow the Leader”. If one of us failed to do as Orlando, we were in a very grown-up way, considered to be “out”…out of luck that is. We followed this [View Full Entry]

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We weren't really ready to leave, but our pocketbook told us that it was time to head out of Chile and into Bolivia. We were so blessed by our time in Chile and had no regrets about going, even though before we’d entered Chile people questioned, "Why are you going to Chile? The people there are rude and there is not anything to see, and it is expensive!" They were correct about the money situation, but dead wrong about everything else. We found the Chileans to be lovely, kind, and friendly people. We found the sights, cities, and culture intriguing. So [View Full Entry]

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On our first trip to Thermas de Ancamil, Mandy had this overwhelming feeling that Flor was in need of some serious emotional support. After our first night there, while I was putting away the tent, Mandy decided to just wander and see if she could find anything that we could do for her. After an hour or so Mandy came back as excited as can be, "She needs a new back door, all she has is nailed up boards that doesn't open, and it lets in tons of cold air." I began to get excited at this news as well. [View Full Entry]

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Always Keep Your Eyes Out For Jesus Pucon, Chile Jesus sat next to me at a restaurant the other day- or rather I sat at a table next to his. Caught unaware of my proximity to the King of Kings, I ate my chicken sandwich and slurped my Austral. He was surrounded by a bunch of dark-haired Israeli boys, more specifically, backpackers (unlike the light-skinned youthful faces of children, that the painting in my private school had lead me to believe...all those years of walking through an office hall can really engrave stereotypes into a young mind!). I’d almost finished my [View Full Entry]

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It wasn´t going to be a long trip- just a few days in the country, taking in the Chilean countryside, bathing in their ever popular natural thermal baths, and relaxing. It felt great to be at the wheel of our own vehicle, masters of our own destiny, not limited by bus routes and tour operators. We promised ourselves to avoid tourist traps and take the road less traveled. We visited some waterfalls and breathed in the country air, so fresh and clean that even Lichen thrives in this corner of the earth. We were half a day into our adventure, when [View Full Entry]

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I definitely never imagined spending any birthday, much less my thirtieth, in a tiny strange city called Los Antiguos. This little pueblo seems to barely be breathing. It is the last stop in Argentina before reaching Chile, and for this it is known by many. Supposedly there is also a cherry festival there in January or February- bummer we had to miss that. Anyhow, there we were with our travel buddies from Kendall, England-James and Caroline, and everyone was determined to make the day special, regardless of the surroundings. James and Caroline gave me a birthday card, and we spent most [View Full Entry]

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We had made the journey and decided ahead of time that it would be a quick trip to El Calafate, an overly-touristy town, built to function as an attrative and comfortable "holding tank" for the scores of visitors to Patagonia who want to take the day trip to Perito Moreno Glacier. The number of backpackers as compared with the hoards of people bussed in on luxury double-decker busses, did not even compare. I can scoff at these tourists only because I long for their reclining seats and lust after their air conditioning...does this justify bitterness? El Calafate is the perfect example [View Full Entry]

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There were no roses or candy this Valentine´s day. Griff and I woke up in the morning, walked across the room to the other from our tiny twin beds, wished each other a Happy Valentine´s Day, and headed to the bus station for our seven hour bus ride to Punta Arenas. The trip was only a portion of our voyage to the end of the earth, Ushuaia, which is on the southern tip of South America. It is one heck of a journey, requiring us to head inland from Argentina, cross the border into Chile, hop another bus from Chile back [View Full Entry]

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Just call me "Wimpy", because I have successfully fully digested not one, but TWO hamburgers in the past week! As most of you know, I have not eaten beef or pork for about eight or nine years now (see blog titled, "Mandy Eats Meat, Twice!" for a more in depth look into my semi-veg life). After speaking with several people here about the processing of beef versus chicken, I have decided that though my taste buds long for a more feather-laden creature, eating too much of it here may just result in my babies having three arms and a gimpy leg....hormones. [View Full Entry]

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Last week, Griff and I made a trip to the hospital to check out his lungs and see if there was anything more that we could be doing to speed up his recovery. Now, don’t panic about just reading the word, "hospital", because a trip to a hospital is cheaper and easier than a trip to a private physician. We chose the quicker route of checking in to a private hospital, owned by the Brits. We were wrong in thinking that a British Hospital would have doctors that spoke English, and so I began my new career of Medical Translation. I [View Full Entry]

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