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Published: October 3rd 2006
Oh the mud!
Digging the car out of the mud.Hello all,
As promised I must complete the remainder of my last blog. Unfortunately, this entry must be done without any pictures. Since my last entry I have wandered up to Canada where, without thinking, I took all of my photos off my camera and put them on my computer for safe keeping, thus making uploading any of my old pics now impossible. Sincere Apologies! I will edit the blog to include pictures upon my final return to Canada. In the meantime, I will try to be discriptive to help your imaginations.
Although I am now in Rio de Janeiro (an awesome and vibrant city), my story left off with Bryce and I leaving Portillo (the ski resort two hours north of Santiago, Chile) to make our way 1200 Kms south to a Chilean town called Puerto Montt. As you may remember, Bryce and I had rented a car and we now had five days to explore Chile while making our way south. Our choice of car was the economical Volkswagon Fox - a tiny white four door that is the furthest thing from a 4x4. By the way, if anyone from rent-a-wreck is reading this blog, the following
Aboard the Navimag
On a ferry, winding my way through the Chilean fjiords. story is completely fabricated (you can see where this is going...).
After our day of skiing, Bryce and I drove to a Chilean town called Rancagua - about 100 Kms south of Santiago. There is nothing special about this town, it was just a place to spend the night. The next day we made our way through some of Chile´s fantastic wine country, stopping in at a couple of wineries for some wine tasting and buying. We had wandered off the main highway to get to Santa Cruz (the locus of the area´s wine making) and then made our way to Pichilemu - Chile´s surfer paradise with one of the best left breaks along the long coast. The roads to Pichilemu were paved and safe. We knew they would be as our trusted Chile Map helpfully divided Chilean roads into three catagories for us: pavmentio, tierra, and ripio. Pavement and "earth" are easy enough to figure out, but what the hell is "ripio"? Unfortunately, neither our spanish/english dictionary nor our electronic translator were helpful in answering this question. We´re still not entirely sure of the answer.
After eating some tasty seafood in Pichilimu we made our way down
Torres del Paine
Beatiful mountains, great place to have lunch. the southern coast in the hopes of spending the night in a small beach town called Illoca. However, the final 20 kms of the road were "ripio". Feeling adventuresome, Bryce and I decided to gamble. The road was fine for a while. First it was gravel, then it turned into dry dirt. No problem. Then the road got really bumpy and required much maneuvering (to which Bryce was an expert). No problem. We even hit a couple of small mud patches which got our white car dirty - Bryce and I giggled at our mischiveous behaviour: "if only rent-a-wreck could see us now", we laughed. At this stage it was about 6pm and we got to see the sun set into the Pacific from the now completely deserted (no other cars, towns, houses or anything) dirt road in the middle of nowhere, Chile. We continued, but not for much longer.
With about 10km left of the "ripio" we hit a very large mud patch about 70-80 feet long. Bryce stopped the car and we got out to examine the situation. After a brief deliberation, Bryce and I hesitently agreed that we had to turn around. However, at that moment,
Moreno Glacier
Unbelieveably huge and majestic a pick-up truck pulled up behind us going in the same direction. A very nice Chilean guy named Raphael (about our age) got out and Bryce began conversing with him in Spanish. After trying to explain to him that we had to turn around, Raphael convinced us that we could make it through the patch if we followed the same path he took in his truck. It should be noted that it was not hard to convince either Bryce or I. On this point, the power of curiosity must be given cudos as it easliy conquored my very being subjecting my rationality to its authority, which quite clearly commanded me to follow Raphael through the mud patch. So away we went!!
I must note that Bryce is an excellent driver and had already brought us very far. Unfortunately, this patch was too much for our little Vox-Fox to handle. It wasn´t so much that the mud was too thick, it was that the ruts in the mud were too deep. Once our car slippped off the slippery mud into one of the ruts, we bottomed out and were sunk about half way into the patch. Our dear friend Raphael
Being called to the bar
Here I am, about to become the greatest man who ever lived... got out of his truck at the other end of the mud patch, laughing. As he walked towards us through the mud I noticed that he was carrying something in his hands. It was a shovel.
After completely digging out the car, with much pushing, red-lining, tire burning, and towing (with Raphael´s truck), we made it to the other side of the mud patch three hours later. That our car was no longer white but brown (both inside and out) did not, now, make either Bryce or I giggle (okay, it did a bit). We were also quite covered in mud ourselves. But our fun was not yet over. Over the next 2 and half hours Bryce and I go stuck three more times in various mud patches. Raphael was incredibly nice and stuck (nice pun) with us through each patch. However, when we hit the last one, it was about 10:45pm and Raphael had to go. He told us to hang tight for an hour or so and he would send a "tractor" from the next town at an estimated cost of USD $60 - fine by us (I think we would have paid anything).
About half an hour later, we heard voices approaching. Out of nowhere, three Chilean men showed up with a shovel. I guess this was our "tractor" because these guys immediately went to work. They had obviously had practice because they literally built us a road out of the mud by tearing down branches from trees and using them to fill in the ruts of the mud. With success we escaped the treacheries of "ripio" at about midnight - cold, wet, completely filty, and quite hungry. As an aside, after our Chilean mud saviours got us out of the final nasty patch, there still were a couple more rough spots. As we kept driving, the three men opted to run in front of our car as we drove to eye (as it was now dark) any bad spots. It was rather funny because none of them were all that tall and each had a distinctive look. As their short legs ran they looked very much like, well, little smurfs (especially the one with the shovel over his shoulder). With their hard work, distinctive apparel, friendliness, and height, our new found friends earned themselves the nickname the "three little smurfs" (with no disrespect intended). In reality, I think Raphael simply walked into the local bar in town and asked if anyone wanted to make a quick buck helping out a couple of stupid foreigners who decided to take their pansy car through some "ripio".
I realize I am rambling, but I´m also having fun and hope you are too. The next day the car was, of course, a complete disaster (we made it to Illoca, by the way, and spent the night at a nice beach hotel with hot showers - much needed!). It was covered in filth both inside and out but fortunately ran without a problem. However, Bryce and I notice that the back bumper of the car had come unscrewed. It wasn´t dragging or anything that serious, but was quite obviously loose. Shit. Not knowing what to do, we decided to drive to Talca, a larger down back on the main Chilean highway, which we were told had a car wash. Once the car got cleaned, we could make a better assessment of the damage.
When we arrived in Talca, it was Saturday, September 16, at 1pm. Unbeknown to us, Chilean stores close at 1pm on Saturdays and don´t open until Monday. Tragically, we had to be in Puerto Montt on Monday to drop off the car (which we sure didn´t want to do in its current state). Luckily, (after the Esso car wash told us to go away) we found a car wash that was willing to stay open to spray down our car for the price of a complete wash (which normally includes under the car and INSIDE the car!). So be it. We would just have to do the rest ourselves at another time. At least people on the street would stop starring and pointing as we drove by.
But now we were in serious trouble; i.e. the bumper. With no stores open, Bryce and I couldn´t take the car to a mechanic. We would have to accept our fate and come clean to the rental company. And then, after just leaving the car wash, in a moment of pure divine intervention, God smiled on us - we were hit from behind by a truck. Although we were not hit hard, it was hard enough for Bryce and I to get out of the car and say, "look what you did to our bumper!"
Unjust? Immoral? Most likely. But this now distraught farmer, otherwise having a normal day, was now forced to help us out. A local of Talca, he was able to find us an "after-hours mechanic" much the same as our "after-hours car washer". And in about 15 long minutes, our bumper problem was now properly affixed to the car as normal.
In a bizarre turn of events, Bryce and I were in the clear. The only downside was that we had to spend so much time cleaning and fixing the car - a direct consequence of, as you will remeber, our curiosity. The rest of our drive down south was thus a bit more hurried than we would have liked. We did get to see Chile´s lake district, where volcanic cones tower above deep blue lakes, ancient forests and verdant farmland. Bryce and I spent Sunday afternoon (Sept 17) enjoying this scenary by soaking in one of the region´s many natural hot springs. On Sunday night we reached Puerto Montt where some serious laundry needed to be done and the car returned the next day. By this stage, Bryce and I had already cleaned much of the car, returning it to its original state.
Thus concludes the story of the car, which was thankfully returned without a hitch. Now you may be asking, "why are you guys in the small town of Puerto Montt??" (Actually, you´re most likely saying, "when is this blog going to end?" Unfortunately, as you know, I am already behind in my blogging and therefore must keep going. If you wish to stop, please feel free). Puerto Montt is the launching pad for catching boats headed south through the Chilean Fjiords. Bryce and I had booked a ride on a cargo ship qua ferry that departed on September 18 (Monday) for Puerto Natales, another small port almost at the southern tip of Chile. After stalking up on much booze and snacks for the three night, four day ride, we made our ferry departure time of 4pm (all meals were included on the boat).
I loved the whole boat ride. After much hard traveling it was nice to put up my feet for a few days - to read, journal, watch some movies (they had daily movies in the kitchen common room!), and enjoy the amazing scenary of the Chilean fjiords (which bears a resemblance to the ferry ride north of Vancouver for those of you who have done it). Bryce and I also befriended three other Canadians on board - all students at UVic who were on exchange to a University in Chile. Each night was spent drinking Chilean wine and Pisco Sours (a tasty South American drink that originated in Peru, which should never be mixed with motion sickness pills by the way...I mean, so I have been told) over playing cards and general socializing. In total, there were about 35 other passengers on board from all over the world (mainly western countries though). Most were on the ferry to get to Chile´s most famous National Park, Torres del Paine (one hour north of Puerto Natales), which hosts a well-developed trail network that accesses giant granite pillars, turquoise lakes, roaring rivers and waterfalls, creeping glaciers, and dense forests - a hiker´s paradise.
Bryce and I were also interested in visiting the park, but unfortunately (to everyone´s dismay), upon arrival in Puerto Natales on Thursday (Sept 21), we discovered that the park was temporarily closed! Apparently, a freak snowstorm had swept through the park over the past two days making the trails impassible. The park rangers had closed the park until further notice. No one knew what to do as the park is the area´s major attraction. Furthermore, I had a short amount of time as I had to fly back to Canada on Monday (Sept 25) for my call to the bar ceremony. Putting our heads together, Bryce and I decided (with much hesitation), to rent another car so we could visit a famous glacier five hours away across the border in Argentina. This time, however, we decided to rent a 4x4. Also, our three new Canadian friends decided to join the adveture, so costs were kept down and everyone was happy.
On Friday morning we thus headed into Argentina for a glimpse of one of the most incredible glaciers in the world! Over millenia, Andean snowfields have compacted into ice. The centrepiece of this conjunction of ice, rock and water is the dynamic Moreno Glacier. Due to its proximity to a nearby peninsula, you can see and hear the glacier safely from a series of catwalks and platforms. And what a sight! The front of the Glacier is 5 km wide, with an average height of 60 meters above the surface of the water, with a total ice depth of 170 meters. It advances at a speed of up to 2 meters per day, however it loses mass at approximately the same rate, meaning that as you watch the glacier (and listen to its creepy creaks and moans as it moves), you get to see giant chunks of it collapse into the peninsula. What a sound it makes! Very cool.
After hanging out at the glacier for a few hours, we all went back to the nearby town of El Calafate to crash for the night. The next day (Saturday Sept 23) I said goodbye to Bryce who was going to continue on to Buenos Aires while I made my way to Canada. It was thus me and the three other Canadians who made the trip back to Puerto Natales. I had a flight booked to Santiago out of Punto Arenas (a small Chilean town on the Straight of Magellan south of Puerto Natales which doesn´t have an airport) for Monday (Sept 25). My only hope to see Torres del Paine was thus Sunday. And upon returning to Puerto Natales on Saturday night we found out the park was open! Thus, the three Canadian students and I kept the 4x4 truck for one more day so we could do a day trek to the heart of the park. It was well worth it! Although there was much snow still kicking around, the park is absolutely beautiful and I am glad not to have missed it. We hiked three hours in and I had lunch under the Torres del Paine (the name is thought to come from either an indigenous word for "blue", or perhaps a welsh mountain climber), three montrous granite pillars that shoot up to the sky (the tallest one being 3050 meters high).
After saying goodby to the Canadians, I left Puerot Natales by bus on Monday morning to catch my flight out of Punta Arenas (three hours south of Natales) at 1pm. I arrived in Arenas with enough time to see the Straight of Magellan and get to the airport. And then began the long journey home - 4.5 hours to Santiago, a 3.5 hour layover, 9.5 hours to Atlanta Georgia, a 3 hour layover, and then a 2 hour flight to Toronto. I landed in Toronto on Tuesday. Although long, the journey was well worth it. I got to hang out with mom and pops for a couple of days, see some friends, and become a lawyer! On Thursday, I was off again to South America. Bryce had made his way to Rio de Janeiro which is where we currently are. I will say nothing more as this blog is already far too long. But at least I am now caught up!! Thank you all who are still reading and thank you to those who send me messages and post comments on my blogsite! All the best!
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Miche
non-member comment
Do you remember... Shrek and Spelunking?
Wow Adam, what a crazy rental car story! Your (mis)adventures totally remind me of some of my travel experiences. It's such a thrill while it's happening and then you get to reminisce with sweet bewilderment. I wish I was somewhere out there too, so we could run into each other again randomly like we did in Vienna so long ago! Congrats on the call to the bar, and can't wait to see some more pictures...