Our Last Month in South America and Our Return to Reality

South America
August 3rd 2008

Published: August 14th 2008

The lake filled in from beneath the earth so there is a high mineral content which makes the water appear blue and makes it unable to support fish life.

Brandon and I are back on U.S. soil, unscathed, with a new appreciation for our lives here. The trip was amazing. We went to five countries: Peru, Chile, Argentina, Brazil, Ecuador and Columbia. We were only in the airport in Columbia...but we were there. Over the course of the 60 day trip we spent more than 240 hours in a bus! That’s ten days over a 60-day trip. Luckily, the majority of the buses were extremely nice. In Argentina, we had a bus cama which means the seats are basically beds and we were served wine with a three-course meal and whiskey on the rocks during our late night movie. It was great.

So, to pick up where I last left off, which was at Portillo: we stayed in Santiago with Sylvana and Felipe and waited until the snow fell...and it did. Six inches of fresh snow fell on that Sunday, so we headed up to Valle Nevado. It was a great day. Powder skiing in July, it was why we made the trip. In the lift line, we met a guy that works for Wave Rave, which is a snowboard shop in Mammoth and then on the hill we

Ecuadorian Fast Food

Just what I was looking for..... Slice-o-Pig

met a guy from Denver. So, we had a fairly large posse and we spent the rest of the day exploring the mountain and skiing some dry South American wind blown snow.

We spent the next few days trying to figure out what we would do next. We wanted to head south and ski some more, but everyday we skied was a $100 just for gear and tickets and we heard that resorts like Las Leñas hadn’t gotten much snow. So, we decided to push on and see more of South America. But first we agreed to take Sylvana and Felipe skiing for the first time. They had never gone skiing before and it was very apparent. I learned some new words like: Borda (edge), Doblar (to turn), and contra de la pista (against the slope). It was a lot of fun giving them their first skiing experience and we had a lot of good laughs over après beers later. I was glad to hear them agree to come back again and take a lesson.

The next day we took a bus to Mendoza and then to Buenos Aires. Buenos Aires was a beautiful, sprawling, fast paced and

The Trail to Chugchilan

This part of the trail got really tight, it was a fun route of ups and downs in drainages like this one.

crowded city. It reminded me a lot of Madrid; very modern with amazing architecture and a large number of parks with amazing art. We spent two days there and headed on to Iguazu Falls, the widest waterfall in the world. It was amazing. La Garganta del Diablo was the main focal point, where the waterfall wrapped around a corner. From there we took a bus back to Buenos Aires and flew back to Lima, Peru.

After a day in Lima, we headed north toward Ecuador. On our way we stopped in Mancora, which is the Peruvian Cancun, for a few days. It was really nice to be at a beach and we found a nice hostal with space for camping. We swam a lot in the ocean, but unfortunately the waves were few and far between, so we were unable to surf.

After three days in Mancóra, we headed north to Ecuador. We took a bus to the boarder of Peru and then had to catch another bus in Ecuador to our first stop: Machala. So, our first real experience of Ecuador was getting onto a crowded, stuffy, extremely hot bus where we had to stand for 2

Arena Blanca

Our directions were to turn at the Arena Blanca.

hours while a little girl next to us was throwing up and everyone refused to open the windows because they were scared of the cold...even though it was 80 degrees and humid at 9pm. We were unable to catch a bus to Latacunga that night, so we spent the night in Machala and had a $1.50 steak dinner. The next day we caught a bus to Quito, which dropped us off at the turn for Latacunga, where we waited for a supposed bus. We ended up getting a ride from a local guy about the same age as us that drove a hard bargain and charged us $20 dollars for the one hour drive; it was definitely worth it at that point. We got in that night at 1am and promptly woke up our Canadian friend, Mark, and had to hold back the slaps we really wanted to give him. The next morning we bought food and took the local bus to the Quilotoa Crater. It turned out that the four-day trek Mark promised us was actually a bus ride directly to the crater where he planned on staying in a Hostal. Needless to say we were disappointed. We did,

This way to Chugchilan

It was a great sign to see.

however, find a way to hike 9 miles to another town after the crater to catch a bus back to Latacunga.

The crater was amazing. The waters were green with minerals and the lake was actually fed from an underground aquifer, so in spots around the lake you could see bubbles rising from beneath the extinct Volcano. We camped at the bottom of the Crater for $3 dollars, which included dinner and breakfast. As we sat on the edge of the water admiring the beautiful green waters, we saw some sea kayaks, which were for rent, so I suggested we paddle to the other side. Brandon said alright and Mark reluctantly said o.k., 20 minutes later we were standing on the other side of the Crater on our own private beach. It was great. Brandon and I had the double kayak so we had a lot of power going across. And like the old stories always go, we had to paddle against the wind in both directions. It´s funny how that happens.

That night we brewed Matte on my wonderfully useful stove that burns rubbing alcohol and lay under the stars until we all fell asleep. It was

Native fork lifts

so peaceful.

The next day we hiked out of the Crater and asked the locals how to get to the town of Chugchilán. They all offered to be our guides, but our motto is Sin Guia Siempre. So, I politely told them, "Somos capaz de hacerlo solos, por favor donde está el camino por Chugchilán." (we are capable of doing it alone, where is the trail to Chugchilán) One young boy then drew a very vague map in the dirt and said "Dobla a la arena blanca" (turn at the white sand) we took the advice and went on our way. A few minutes down the trail a native farmer girl ran up to us and told us we were going the wrong way and that we needed to go higher. Then she showed us her ripped up socks and asked for a money. From there we followed the very fun and interesting trail down to what we thought might be the town and along the way an Ecuadorian guide, with a group of American women, explained the rest of our journey and added the phrase, "Toda es posible en Ecuador". We made it to Chugchilán, where a late

Kayak Across the Lake

What better way to experience the crater than from within it.

lunch of fried trout and french fries awaited us. The Hostal in the Clouds, allowed us to set up our tent in the yard and we sat inside it playing cards and drinking victory Pilsens why the clouds engulfed the town and slowly sprinkled on us. The only bus back to Latacunga was that morning at 3am. We hopped on the bus and took it four hours back to Latacunga, with native Ecuadorian music blaring the entire way. From there, we began our intensely long journey back to Lima. We took a series of four buses for 26 hours to arrive back in Mancóra at 5am with no place to stay. We set up our tent next to the hostal we had stayed at before and got a few hours sleep before the heat was unbearable. We bought tickets back to Lima on the only bus that wasn’t full, the bus economico. Spanish for small seats, no leg room and no food. 19 agonizing hours later we arrived in Lima to once again live the life of luxury at the Marriott Hotel. We both took wonderful showers with soap and shampoo and conditioner, which had come to be a real

Scooters

For four days in Santiago we cruised around on these scooters. Each day got more and more comfortable.

treat for us, and the first day we got in we did nothing but watch the Star Wars trilogy on T.V., sit in the cotton robes and slippers and drink mamosas. It was awesome!!

We went paragliding in Lima on the last day and spent some time with our Peruvian friends Jose and Fiorella. Like always with epic trips like these, it was a bittersweet ending. I was looking forward to being back in the great U.S. of A, to drink ice water and take showers, but was sad to leave this new land and the traveling life we lived there. It was so nice to have two months with no cell phone, no real plans and nothing tying us down. There is such a great feeling of independence when you know that all you really need is on your back. I told Brandon that I feel as if I have a kindred spirit with turtles, because much like them, we carry our homes on our backs.

This was a trip of extreme contrasts; from immense sand dunes, to ancient ruins in the jungle, to a lake the size of some countries, to beautiful beaches, to crowded cities,

Scooter Racer

to snow capped mountains, to waterfalls, to volcanoes, and back again. Through it all, the experiences of getting from one place to another were difficult, fun and tiring. But the friends we have made and the places we have seen make every long bus ride, every early morning arrival, and every confusing, awkward, and frustrating experience completely worth it.

This trip taught me many things. But mostly it taught me that direction is the most important thing any person can have. If there is something that you truly love, you should pursue that at all costs. There are many people in the world that are not lucky enough to have the ability to pursue their dreams. Take advantage of your situation right now and do what you love.

It is now time for me to head back to California to continue my work as a Scientific Aide for the Mountain Yellow Legged Frog project and a member of the Mammoth Mountain Ski Patrol. I hope you enjoyed the stories from this past adventure...there will be many more.

Brandon and I have already made plans to go to the Himalayas.

Con amor y paz,
Phil

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