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Valdivia 1
big ol sea lion hanging out behind the fish marketLake Region & Santiago, Chile to Mendoza & Buenos Aires, Argentina
1. Valdivia: Sea Lions you can touch
2. Pucon: Snow Hiking and Volcano Sledding
3. Santiago: Couchsurfing, karaoke, and sleeping with the police
4. Mendoza: Wine Country Argentina 1.. Valdivia: Sea Lions you can touch First stop off the boat was Valdivia, a small college city with a hip feel. Its borded by 3 rivers, and has a nice colonial vibe. And, it has an enormous local sea lion population living in the river. During the day, the sea lions hang out behind the city seafood market, hoping to catch some spare parts. In the evening, they climb up on docks and piers along the esplanade to sleep for the night. When i arrived, i didnt know anything about them, and was caught complete off guard both times i randomly ran into them.
2. Pucon: Snow Hiking and Volcano Sledding Pucon is a small town tucked in to the mountains of Chile with loads of activities. I chose white water rafting and hiking the active Volcan Villarica. I was hoping to visit thermal baths as well, but for some weather inconveniences, it didn’t work out.
Chairlift
looks high, but this only cuts off the first 45. min of the hike. we didnt take it The rafting, although crazy cold (glacier water), was really fun. The rapids were class III and IV with one class VI, (for which we had to get out of the boat and watch it go down alone). I def. recommend doing it somewhere, but im go gonna hold out for warmer weather and water next time.
Volcano Villarica really gets all the credit here. This was probably the most unique hike ive ever done. It has it all, a good hard hike with a great peak, 2-3 hours hiking up over snow (ice picks, crampons, and all the gear), an active volcano at the top, AND sledding on your bum the entire way down! Despite being really warm in town, it was cold on the volcano. So, to no surprise, 2/3 of it is covered in snow. It was about 5 ½ hours to the top, 2 ½ up volcanic rocks, with the other 3 over snow and ice. So to do it, I learned all about hiking in crampons and snow picks, both of which are a great edition to hiking. And it was steep. The day before an Israeli girl trying to go to the bathroom
Neal in Full SnowTrekking Gear
ice pick, sunglasses, hat, crampons, the whole shebang lost her balance, fell, and dropped/slid 15 mts down the mountain(45-50 ft). At first I didn’t believe the story, but upon seeing the face of the volcano we were hiking up, im surprised she stopped at all.
So after a hiking all morning, at 2 pm, we finally reached the active top. Since the earthquake in Chile in February, the Villarica volcano has been revved up. In fact, the morning before the hike (while it was still dark), we could see the tip of the volcano lit up bright orange with lava. So at the top, to no surprise, it was covered in noxious, Sulfurous fumes. Depending on the wind, we had to cover our mouth/nose with clothes in order to breath. And if it didn’t change direction quickly, it burnt and you had to duck away.
But the real fun was coming down. Ive never descended a peak like this before, and it ruled. Because the volcano is covered in snow, they´ve devised a way to slide down the mountain, only having to walk about 20 min. at the very, very end. And what did they devise? Throw yourself down ass first. The entire decent is made
up of a series of chutes through the snow. So you sit down and let it rip, one after the other. To stop? Well, if you really need to, there’s the ice pick. But most often I just let it go and crashed into whoever was in front of me, as did whoever was behind me. Quite good fun, and it made me miss sledding. Good thing I never had to grow up.
3. Santiago: Couchsurfing, karaoke, Mining Expos, and sleeping with the police The story of ‘la gran noche de neal’ (as named by Rodrigo) can not be told without a brief introduction to Couchsurfing. Just for the sheer insanity of it. So in Santiago I Couchsurfed for the first time. CouchSurfing.org is an online community of people who offer up spare bedrooms, beds, couches, or floors to travelers passing by (for free). And more than a free night´s stay, you get a friend, to meet locals, soak up the culture in a more natural way, and many times an enthusiastic guide too. (all in addition to a free nights stay). I know it sounds sketchy, but every time you use it, those you stay with
CouchSurfers Kareoke in Chile
me and my signing partner taking it away. . . (or who stay with you) write a reference. So after you see someone has hosted 15-20 people and everyone wrote similar critiques, you feel pretty comfortable. And for me, it was a great way to immerse myself in Spanish while also getting off the beaten down traveler circuit.
So in Santiago I stayed with my new friend Paulina, a 26 yo med student. And from the moment I got there I felt like I had just walked into a new group of Chilean fiends, an amazing feeling and a totally new way to travel! We spent every day and night hanging out with her friends, a large welcoming group, doing whatever it was they were doing: hanging out in an apt, eating lunch at a down town market, walking the city, cooking diner at another´s apt, etc.
On my second day, we started with lunch at a local food market, followed by a trip to an international mining expo. We got free passes through her father, who works in the mining industry. So we spent the afternoon roaming around expo, looking at the million dollar equipment companies were selling (drills, rigs, tractors, underwater pods, huge stuff) and drinking/eating
Following the Cops
tailing the cops as they drove wrecklessly away from us. the free beer, wine and food they were giving away. (Apparantly billion dollar companies that sell drilling rigs to billion dollar companies that mine silver have extra cash to give out free booze). So that was the afternoon. In the evening, we went out to a karaoke bar with a large group of there extended friends: 20-25 ppl. And it got pretty rowdy and pretty loud, pretty quick. Everyone was taking turns with the mic, and it was an even split of Spanish and English songs. Finally, to the crowd´s dismay, the bar closed at 3 am and we were sent home. And this is where my night began.
So with my host driving, I left with her, her boy friend, and another American couchsurfer. I soon fell asleep because it was late and I was drunk. But at some point Bill (the other American) woke me up saying we’re almost home and there’s weird stuff going on with the Chilean dude´s ex-girlfriend. No idea what that meant, we pulled into his parking lot. About 20 seconds later, out of nowhere comes a crazy screaming/shrieking girl, running to the car, swearing in Spanish, and trying to break a window.
McD's Discovery
upon finding 5 BigMac's our night finally took a turn for the better. This, being the sharpest pencil in the pencil box that i am, I realized was the ‘Ex-girlfriend’. Somehow, in the chaos of him getting out of the car to settle things, she opened the door and laid 2 good hard hits on my host. Who immediately started balling and screaming in a mix of Spanish and English. This is the part where I have to mention that under normal circumstances; without alcohol, ex girlfriends, or weird tension; latinos tend to be very dramatic to over dramatic in speech. Well you can imagine how this night went with the extra factors thrown in. Meanwhile, because it’s a small 2 door car, the other American and I are stuck in the back, unable to get out, watching this all go down, and trying to console our new sobbing Chilean friend, who we met 24 hours before.
Shortly thereafter a police car shows up, and then a few more. And the next thing we know, all 3 are getting thrown into the backs of different squad cars. So my kind host throws us the keys and says ‘follow us’. Having no other options, because our 2 hosts were dragged to HQ, we
Earth Day = Free Starbucks
a day spent driving around Santiago and enjoying free Starbucks Coffee. The choice of the day? Dulce de Leche late´s. Thats my host, Paulina followed. Driving all over that part of the city, at 4 am, we tried to keep up with the police, who were driving like maniacs. I was trying hard to grasp the sheer insanity of it all, while he was trying to stay with the cops. After a brief 30 min. stop at a hospital, we continued on to police headquarters, where we parked and waited. At first we entertained ourselves living in the moment. From there we discovered the mcdonalds that had been bought an hour prior, before the Ex-Girlfriend brought chaos into our lives. And eventually, with no other distractions from the boredom of a 2 door car parked outside police headquarters in Santiago, Chile at 5 am, we fell asleep. 3 hours later, at 8 am, they finally came strolling out, freshly released from the drunk tank. We got back in the back, and all drove home.
None of the other stories from Santiago even compare to la gran noche, so I wont even try.
4. Mendoza: Argentina Wine Country From Santiago I took an 8 hour bus ride, crossing the Andes, to Mendoza, wine capital of Argentina. 2 things to note about
Picking Grapes
in the winyard this ride. 1, It was gorgeous crossing the Andes. 2, At the border, the Chilean border guards asked for tips after searching through our bags. And that wins for the most bogus BS Ive seen this year.
The Mendoza area is heart of wine country in Argentina. The most popular wine grown there is malbec. So we took a bus out to an area with lots of vineyards, and rented bikes to visit them all. It was a gorgeous day, blue skies, no clouds, and very warm. So we rode to the end of a long stretch, with the plan of making our way back 1 vineyard at a time, tasting delicious wine all along the way. And for the 5 hour tour/ride return, we popped in and out of various vineyards. My favorite was Di Tommsi, where we had a quality tour, tasted 4 different wines, and at the end picked grapes off the vine for a mid day snack (the harvest had ended 10 days prior). Further along the way, we gave up on tours and decided to just buy bottles of wine (we were 3) to enjoy out in the sun. And to finish off the
day, we popped into a family run olive farm where we tried olives, fruits, and jams all grown and made at the family’s house. So, with a really strong buzz going, we slowly (but steadily!) made our way back to return the bikes just before closing at 7pm. And, we were greeted with 2 more glasses of wine, just enough to put us over the edge.
I spent 2 other days in Mendoza, relaxing, drinking wine, wandering the pretty city and parks, and getting myself ready for my next stop, Buenos Aires...
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Darlene Gurievsky
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Amazing Neal!!!
I love reading your adventures. I print them out and brag to all of my friends that I have an amazing nephew named Neal. We can't wait to see you again. Love, Auntie Doll