The Lake District

After checking back into the Holiday Inn Express in Puerto Montt we decided to get some much needed laundry done and contacted some guy our cab driver gave us in order to book a rental car for the next three days. It was a Saturday night in Puerto Montt, but all we could handle was room service and some R&R after a long week of exhilarating riding.

The next day we picked up our rental car, which I like to call “piece of shit car” after the Adam Sandler song (Jeff you know which one I mean). No joke, this thing was falling apart. The stereo was stuck on an FM channel and the volume was stuck too. The car itself made some funky noises and I’m pretty sure if we pushed it the wheels might have fallen off.

Anyway, Tovah navigated us out of Puerto Montt and we headed for a couple of Volcanoes we could see in the distance. Winding through lakes and beautiful scenery, we took some pretty crazy dirt roads and constantly worried about our “piece of shit car”. We drove through a number of small German- influenced towns and finally decided to stop in Valdivia, which was a very pretty town with a couple of rivers. We found a pretty cool Hotel across from the river. We parked ourselves in the hotel bar and drank wine and ate cheese for dinner as we wrote the last few blog posts for Futaluefu. Pretty fun night really drinking wine overlooking the river and watching couples stroll along the bank.

The next day we headed northeast to another set of lakes and volcanoes. We stopped for lunch in Villarrica and then headed for the resort town of Pucon, which sits a few kilometers from an active Volcano. We watched a beautiful sunset before walking into town to sample a middle eastern restaurant we’d heard of (a nice change from traditional Chilean food). Found another dog that was in need of my Shish Kabob.

The next morning we chilled out in the hotel spa before heading back to Puerto Montt which was a good 5 hour drive back. Checked into “The Holiday Inn” as snoop dog would say and frantically booked our next segments of our trip to Torres Del Paine and a cruise through southern Patagonia down to Cape Horn.

6 days and 5 nights of horseback riding and estancias (Part 2 of 2)

Day 3: We woke up at Irvin’s a bit sore from sharing the tiny bed that sinks in the middle, and certainly in part from 2 long days of horseback riding. Seeing the location by daylight, however, was illuminating.  Though the small house was similar to how it looked by candlelight, the scenery around it was a pleasant surprise, as it was on hill overlooking the lake.  Once Fabian returned from a ride to the neighbors to buy some bread, the four us had breakfast, I helped Fabian remove a big splinter from his hand (thank you big tree from night before) we packed a lunch of sandwiches, and set off on a hike. Irvin led us through his enormous property and beyond. We saw a waterfall, enormous trees (including one that was hollow at the base and likely housed a wild boar, an abandoned cow corral at the top of the mountain, several streams, views of the lake and also fields of charred trees from the fire 40 years ago. It was great!

     

Later in the day, we rode onto our next location and took a shorter route than planned to ensure we would get there before dark – we had had enough evening adventures at this point.  We were also a bit desperate for running water and the promise of a real shower!  Most of the day was a basic ride, but I do remember well Raj and I galloping at full speed into a large green clearing with a river on one side that and racing each other up the gentle hills.  After a few days, we were both so much more comfortable with the speed! My hat flew off as we let the horses really go for it , and watching Raj manage as if he’d been raised a cowboy is a sight I will remember when we are old and gray! If only I had a picture for the rest of you!

Our hosts, Elena and Edermo, were incredibly sweet, and also lived on one of the most picturesque properties we have ever seen.   Not only did they have large green pastures, but they were directly at the mouth of the river with a swinging bridge (a very terrifying bridge with several holes that we had to walk our horses over one at a time the next day) and they were close enough to town to have some more modern conveniences. Fabian had promised us a shower but we were shocked to find that we actually had our very own cabin that Edermo had built himself. This gorgeous cabin had a full bathroom, kitchen, fireplace, electricity, a sleeping loft and was built around a tree giving it the sense of a luxurious tree-house.  It was also immaculately clean, which was another fabulous bonus.  The food was again fantastic and fresh and abundant and our hosts introduced us to the traditional customs of drinking Yerba Matte. They also gave us beer and wine!  We have to admit that we weren’t exactly roughing it as this place! I could easily live there without feeling deprived of anything except a refrigerator and a washing machine – it was absolutely lovely.  

Day 4:  The next day was beautiful and since we only had a 4 hour ride to the next location, we took it easy in the morning.  We enjoyed chatting with our hosts (who didn’t speak English but spoke slow enough for me to catch most of it), skipping rocks in the river, watching Edermo prune his apple and cherry trees, and playing with their dog, Corvata. It was perfect!  We also took a walk/hike to see one of the Futaleufu river’s biggest rapids – Devil’s Throat; it is actually considered impassable and from what we saw, I for one can understand why. 

When we arrived at the next home, the first thing that greeted us was an adorable 6 month old puppy and his dad. He was sort of a spazz, like Guinness ,and we instantly adored him.  We joked with his owner, Magdalena, that we wanted to take him with us – she did not approve. Magdalena and Marciel had a very nice home, also on a lake, with electricity, running water in the kitchen, and even a washing machine. Oddly, though, they did not have a bathroom, and instead utilized an outhouse. It certainly wasn’t the first place we had stayed without a toilet, but it was an odd contrast to their other amenities. Also, the outhouse was “decorated” with pictures from magazines – mainly of women’s underwear ads and product ads. It was strange for sure.

Before dinner, Fabian took us for a walk and we found an interesting boat to take out on the lake for sunset. It was a row boat/pontoon boat that looked more like a square piece from the dock.  Along the way to the dock, we also picked up another puppy, presumably the sibling of Magdalena’s. So, Fabian, Raj and I took turns rowing (mostly in teams) and we had a nice time on the very quiet water.  They had a Chilean BBQ prepared for dinner when we returned along with salad and wine.  Somehow, Raj ended up coaxing me into reading Fabian’s palm, and then Marciel and Magdalena’s as well with Fabian translating.  I was surprised at how easily it came to me after so long and they seemed slightly unnerved by the accuracy of a few things I said.

Day 5:  The next morning over breakfast we tried to teach Magdalena a bit of English, as she is trying to learn for business purposes.  We then were just chilling out and watching TV and ended up watching the movie, The Firm, while Magdalena cooked us a pack lunch to take on our journey. When we stopped a few hours later to eat at the Condor Nest (a small cabin owned by Expediciones Chile that is used for honeymoons and overflow), we found that lunch consisted of spaghetti, rolls and salad, complete with oil and vinegar and cheese and tomato sauce and real plates; Fabian must have been exhausted from carrying all of it on his backpack!

Just as it was getting dark, we arrived at our final hacienda.  Benedicto and his partner were just finishing up dinner and lighting their single gas lamp.  They were used to working with tourists and were very patient with communication – they even preferred Fabian not help so that I would be forced to practice more.  Despite being only 12 km from town, they live about 99% off their land; as far as we could tell, the only foods they purchase are rice, oil and Nescafe. They have an entire potato patch, two huge greenhouses and other gardens. They make their own butter, jams, teas, cider and vinegar. Additionally, they have cattle, chickens, pigs, rabbits, ducks, goats and sheep.  They spool their own yarn from the sheep’s wool and then make ponchos, bags, slippers, etc. to sell in town. So, during the summer months they work with tourists and during the cold winter, they hole up and weave, weave, weave. It was truly fascinating.

After dinner, Raj and Fabian had a chess rematch.  There wasn’t anything else to do after that, so Raj and I decided to check out the night sky (it had been cloudy on all the previous nights).  When we went outside, the sky took our breath away.  We could clearly see the milky way, Orion’s belt, the Big Dipper, and I suspect we could have seen any other particular star in the sky had we been looking. It was the most stars we have ever seen, no doubt about it. We were mesmerized at the reality of how many are really out there that we miss throughout our lives.

Day 6:  We woke up the next morning to the sound of ducks engaged in some form of a world war – it was ridiculously loud! We were also completely freezing and getting our first sight of the house in daylight, we understood why; there was not only zero insulation, but there were huge gaps in the walls and floorboard exposing the ground and the outdoors. We marveled at how the couple manage to survive the winters there since we were so cold and it was technically the end of summer.

After breakfast, they took us on a tour of their gardens and property.  We also got to meet their rabbits and 9 piglets!  Then Fabian took us on another hike – this one was very steep and we ended up on the river in a lovely spot. Raj and Fabian talked about movies (did I mention before that they talked about movies for the entire 6 days?) on the beach, and I explored the boulders and rocks by the water and meditated for about 20 minutes.  We finally, and reluctantly, began our journey back up the hill which required two breaks to catch our breath!

After 6 days of riding, we felt surprisingly great. Raj’s knees hurt a bit, and my butt was definitely sore, but otherwise, we had no trouble whatsoever.  About an hour before we reached town I realized that my bum was indeed sore enough that I’d like a break, so the timing couldn’t have been better. Raj and I had been fantasizing about a long hot shower at the Lodge and then curling up in bed to begin writing this blog or maybe watch a movie on our laptop, but that was not to be. After unloading at Fabian’s barn, the three of us were walking back to the Lodge and ran into everyone else staying there as they piled into a van to go to a BBQ outside of town.  We literally threw our bags behind the reception desk and piled into the van – we didn’t even have a chance to go to the bathroom or wash our hands! So, our trip ended in a field, with a bonfire roasting a lamb and a bunch of adrenalin-junkie kayakers.  At least the previous weeks of eating meat had prepared me for this style of cooking!

The next morning Fabian accompanied us on the 2 hour journey to the airport in Palena, and we said goodbye to our new friend.  We are hoping to get to see him again – perhaps in the States, as he wants to travel through soon. It is daunting to think of what we could show him that would possibly compare to all that we experienced with him!  In any case, our weeklong adventure was truly wonderful and we highly recommend such an experience to all of you.  If you can go to Chile, you have to make time for something like this – the combination of cultural immersion, beautiful scenery and exploration certainly left lasting marks on us.  We’ll be happy to return with you and repeat the experience anytime!

6 days and 5 nights of horseback riding and haciendas (Part 1 of 2)

Day 1: We woke up early in the lodge after a freezing night's sleep that was often interrupted by crazy dogs barking all night long. We had a quick breakfast and then Fabian arrived to take us to his barn to meet our horses and load up the pack horse. Fabian and his dad introduced us to La Pinta, a very cute, gray and white smaller horse, and Al Tivo, a large, brown, beautiful horse. They were concerned about giving me Al Tivo because he often scares tourists with his intense desire to run, and more importantly, his tendency to disagree about when to stop running. They offered me another horse as an option but said I'd need to wear a spur because she could be kind of slow. I opted to take my chances with Al Tivo – after all, this was supposed to be an adventure! Raj was very comfortable on La Pinta, but it took some time to get used to the snug saddle. Though we had discussed our anxieties about whether we would be able to handle the unknown terrain on new horses and with new tack, once we mounted our beautiful horses, and rode out of the town and into the foothills, we were immediately at ease and our previous anxiety was replaced with anticipation for the sights and experiences to come.

We were prepared for a long day, but were a bit surprised by how quickly we rode into difficult steep and rocky terrain, at times the narrow path was only 2-3 ft wide and on a cliff’s edge.  We rapidly learned to lean forward going uphill and to lean way back going downhill, and of course, to trust that the horses knew where to step.  It was also a pleasant surprise to see how fast the terrain changed from cliffs overlooking lakes and rivers, to meadows and fields full of sheep, horses and cattle, and then into dense forests.  We stopped after about 3 hours to enjoy our pack lunch of sandwiches, peanuts and cookies at a beautiful spot right on the lake’s edge (sorry, don’t remember which lake because we saw at least 4, but picture is attached). You can see that the color of the lake is a fantastic blue, but that the clarity is cloudy due to lingering ash from the Chaiten volcano. Fabian and I discussed my need to learn Spanish and how he became fluent in English in just 3 summer seasons of working with tourists.  We took one other break later in the day in a small field, and overall, we rode for over 6 hours. The weather was nice during the day, but about an hour or two before we arrived at the first hacienda, the weather turned colder and very windy. The wind was blowing ash straight up into our eyes and the sky turned a bit ominous.  However, we arrived in the small village of Espolon (which consisted of about 5 buildings total including church, school and store and for which the only mode of transportation is horse) around 7 pm, and another 15 minutes of riding later, as the sun set, we arrived at Irma’s home.  We no sooner unloaded the pack horse and got inside when an absolute downpour began… I mean southern summer night – you are soaked in seconds rain. We were SO lucky! 

So then began the awkward interactions between people who speak little to none of the other’s language.  Irma was extremely hospitable; she immediately indicated our bedroom and where the bathroom was. For our first night we were fortunate to have running water with a water heater and a real toilet!  And then the eating began.  As we sat in the kitchen (which is traditionally dominated by the wood burning stove serving as the only source of heat for the entire home, as well as the water heater), we watched Irma prepare a feast of newly slaughtered lamb (from their land), soup and various other vegetables and spices taken from their land, all the while enjoying her freshly made bread with homemade jams and their own honey. I can honestly say it was the best meal we had eaten in Chile – the soup in particular was ridiculous (and is traditionally the first course, yet hearty enough to be the entire meal). Fabian taught me how to compliment Irma’s meal in proper Spanish, and after dinner, Raj and Fabian played two games of chess by candlelight (Raj narrowly won both). We should mention that they have a generator for limited amounts of electricity, which they sparingly used while Irma was cooking and when we showered, but turned off otherwise. With the excitement of the first long day, we fell asleep quickly about 11 and slept soundly in our drafty room.

Day 2:  <RAJ> We woke up before Fabian and wandered out to a freshly made breakfast of tea, eggs, bread and jams (again, all from their land). Unfortunately, it was still raining and we began to prepare ourselves for a wet day of riding. We decided to go for a morning ride and then go back to Irma’s for lunch; the hope was that the weather would improve by the afternoon. After finally rounding up the horses from the vast land, we went on an exhilarating (and dry) morning ride. Tovah was on a mission to get me galloping on La Pinta. I’d trotted and cantered before but never really galloped at full speed without hugging the horse and praying for dear life. After a few pointers from Fabian on using my knees to hold on rather the the stirrups, La Pinta and Tovah’s horse, Al Tivo, took off at full gallop. I quickly understood La Pinta’s rhythm and was half scared to death and also overcome with adrenalin. Galloping was so much fun; La Pinta really wanted to run and I let her have her way. From that time forward, La Pinta and I had a better understanding. During the morning ride, we also discovered that Al Tivo was afraid of bridges – he wouldn’t cross a bridge first, but would reluctantly follow.  After the morning ride, we said goodbye to our hosts and continued our journey through the heavily wooded Espolon Valley.  The weather turned out to be beautiful and we never even got a drop of rain while on the horses! Again, SO lucky!

Our ride was supposed to be about 4 hours, but turned into a much longer day (and night) than we had planned.  During the day we came across the most spectacular view of a rustic property situated in the Espolon valley right on the Espolon Lake. Tovah was immediately obsessed with the location and when Fabian told her that it was actually for sale, she believed it was meant to be hers. She even started talking about how she wanted to live there and create benches and tables from the abandoned trees fallen from a fire 40 years ago.  The vegetation eventually thickened and we found ourselves in dense woods called The Rain Forest as the sun set quickly behind the canopy of the woods.  Tovah and I were riding ahead of Fabian and the pack horse and soon found ourselves wondering whether we had stumbled onto a cow path rather than staying on the trail we were supposed to be on.  Since the volcano last year, the part of the trail we were travelling had not been used due to the ash, and Fabian had warned us that tourists can get lost because they follow cow paths instead the proper trail. We no longer saw or heard Fabian behind us and we suddenly feared that we had become those tourists! After a few minutes of spirited debates, we agreed to turn around and try to find Fabian or a different trail.  I started yelling out Fabian’s name but received no answer and we became more and more concerned as the darkness fell on the thick woods.  Some ten minutes of backtracking later, we finally heard Fabian yelling back to us and we soon found each other and confirmed that we had indeed been on the correct path, but that the pack horse had slipped and fallen, and Fabian had stopped to re-pack all the gear. Since it was now quite dark, with no light penetrating the canopy, Fabian led us through the thin path, and reassured us that the horses saw better in the night than in the day, and certainly better than we could currently see.  With one hand on the reins, and the other protecting our heads from branches, we slowly made our way through the woods – we could not even see our hands in front of our faces, much less the trail or horse in front of us. 

All of a sudden, Fabian yelled out for us to stop and said “It’s BIG.” To which we predictably replied, “WHAT’S big?” He explained that our path was blocked by an enormous tree.  He tried to find a way around but came back and asked us to dismount.  Our only options were to leave the horses and continue the final couple of miles by foot (in the dark with our bags) or to try and jump the horses over this tree. To put this in perspective, the fallen tree was at least chest high on Tovah (approximately 5 feet high!).  Fabian first tried his horse and was surprisingly successful.  After Tovah and I climbed our way to the other side to hold his horse and wait for the others, he unloaded the pack horse and painstakingly got him over. It was NOT easy, but the horse managed with me pulling the reins and Fabian whipping him from the back. Al Tivo, magnificent animal that he is, cleared the tree easily.  Then came little La Pinta, my much smaller horse in comparison to the other horses.  She finally got her front legs on the tree with quite a bit of encouragement from Fabian, but when she attempted to jump over, she became stuck on the tree with her belly on top, her front legs in front (not touching the ground) and her back legs in back of the tree (also not reaching the ground).  She was furiously trying to run, but to no avail. Finally, with Fabian pushing her hind down so she could kick off, and with me pulling on her reins from the other side with all my might, the sweet little girl found her way over the tree (and then sadly, if not amusingly, tripped before finally finding her balance on solid ground again). She was visibly shaken from the experience which made me concerned about mounting her again.  However, she quickly calmed down and was fine.

About 20-30 minutes later we finally made it to a somewhat abandoned hacienda where our host, Irvin, had come to meet us and to cook dinner for us. He had only returned to the hacienda at Fabian’s request; he had left this home with his kids following the Chaiten volcano (further evidence of how disruptive the eruption was to the region).  There was no running water, no bathroom or outhouse, no electricity, and the place had not been cleaned in 9 months.  After our exhausting experience, the hot stove was all that mattered to us.   As Irvin cooked a simple but delicious dinner of a single pot of rice, chicken and vegetables, Tovah fell asleep on the bench next to the stove.  I struggled to keep my eyes open as our host spoke with Fabian in Spanish over the dim candlelit room.  After our yummy feast, Tovah and I were shown our bedroom (with a single twin bed that sunk in the middle) and quickly, and perhaps rudely, passed out without even saying goodnight to our host.

 

***More to come soon. we promise that Part 2 covering the rest of week will be much shorter! Sorry for the very lengthy post!***