Patagonia From My Window

I'll wrap up my series of posts about Patagonia with images instead of words. Let's look out the window of the bus as the scenery rolls past. Goodbye for now, Bariloche.

[Near El Anfiteatro (The Amphitheater)]

[Poplar trees (álamos) lined up along the Río Limay]

[This photo and the following two feature Valle Encantado (Enchanted Valley), an area dotted by volcanic rock formations, located about 40 miles northeast of Bariloche along the Río Limay.]

[This photo and the last one show rock formations visible from the highway in the small town of Piedra del Águila.]

---

Enjoy the previous posts in my Patagonia series:
Back from the Wilds of Northern Patagonia
Bariloche: Circuito Chico and Cerro Catedral
Bariloche: Lago Moreno, Bosque de Arrayanes and Isla Victoria
Bariloche: Cascada Los Alerces and Cerro Tronador
Lakes Crossing: Bariloche to Puerto Varas
Exploring Puerto Varas, Chile
Bariloche: Cerro Otto

Visit my Patagonia sets here and here for more photos on Flickr.

Read More......

Bariloche: Cerro Otto

With just one morning left to enjoy the town of Bariloche and its surroundings, my travel companions and I opted to visit the nearby peak known as Cerro Otto.

Cerro Otto (4610 ft./1405 m) is named for Otto Goedecke, one of the first European settlers in this area. Goedecke, originally from Germany, arrived in Bariloche in 1892 and settled on roughly 600 acres (250 hectares) at the foot of the mountain that would later bear his name. He raised numerous crops and animals on his land until his untimely death in the 1920s, when he was murdered at the hands of an apple thief. Learn more about Cerro Otto and its namesake [link in Spanish].

In 1930, Goedecke's countryman Otto Meiling made Cerro Otto his home. Meiling – a nature-lover, skiing enthusiast, and something of a hermit – lived up on the mountain, strapping on his cross-country skis in winter whenever he needed to go into town. He built both his home and a mountaineering shelter, Refugio Berghof [link in Spanish], on the slopes of Cerro Otto. The mountain played host to the first ski school in South America, where Meiling gave classes and hand manufactured skis.

We took the easy way out and ascended Cerro Otto aboard aerial cable cars made, not so surprisingly, in Austria. In just 12 minutes, we were whisked from the foot of the mountain to its summit, enjoying a wide-open view of Lago Nahuel Huapi and the city of Bariloche below.

[View of Cerro Otto from the base of the mountain]

[Vince, my stepdad, enjoying the aerial cable car ride]

As we stood admiring the view and trying to do it justice through the lenses of our cameras, we noticed a group busily arranging some sort of lines and parachutes. Some minutes later, as a pair leapt off the face of the mountain into the wide expanse of nothingness, we realized that they were tandem paragliders.

[Lago Nahuel Huapi from atop Cerro Otto]

[Here's where my sister Marianna and I pretend to fall off the mountain (moments of silliness are important, you know). The imposing ridgeline of the mountain behind us belongs to Cerro Catedral.]

There's actually quite a bit to do up there on the mountain besides jumping off of it. Cerro Otto offers hiking trails, mountain biking, and horseback riding; cross country skiing, snowshoeing, and snowmobiling in winter; a revolving café with 360º views of the breathtaking landscape; and even a modest art gallery. Since we were pressed for time, we didn't take advantage of any of the outdoor activities, although I did hike the trails with Daniel when I visited previously.

[Cerro Tronador (the snow-capped peak) visible in the distance]

[Click here to enlarge this panoramic photo taken from Cerro Otto.]

It's a well-known fact that the mountain air makes you hungry, so we claimed a table in the revolving café to continue enjoying the view while tucking into our final meal of the trip. [Check out this cool time-lapse video taken from the revolving café.] A few spins in the café and one sandwich de milanesa later, I packed up my camera and said goodbye to Bariloche…and my family.

[Time to head back down the mountain]

View photos of my previous visit to Cerro Otto with Daniel in 2008.

Next up…the final installment: Patagonia From My Window

[Patagonia Series: Intro 1 2 3 4 5 6]

Read More......

Exploring Puerto Varas, Chile

Fresh off our epic journey from Bariloche to Puerto Varas by boat and by bus, my travel companions were in no great hurry to start the day. And so, I lay there in bed, with just a sliver of light penetrating the window's heavy drapes, listening to the hum of my stepdad's CPAP machine and my little sister's heavy breathing.

After what seemed like an eternity, the two finally began to stir, and once I had confirmed signs of life from my roommates, I excitedly flung open the curtains for my first glimpse of the mighty Osorno Volcano in full daylight, only to discover that the view to the lake was completely blotted out by a dense fog.

*          *          *          *          *

I stared out the massive plate glass window into an impenetrable wall of white as I sat in the hotel's breakfast room, trying to visualize the snow-capped volcano I had glimpsed last evening. As I lamented the lack of a view, our server provided consolation, noting that as the sun rose higher, the fog would burn off, revealing the shimmering waters of the lake and the two volcanoes along its shores.

Having filled our bellies at the breakfast buffet, we consulted with a helpful young woman at the hotel reception desk regarding our plans for the rest of the morning. Armed with a hand-drawn map, we set off on foot across town to the Puerto Varas bus station to secure seats for our trip back to Bariloche.

The city of Puerto Varas lies on the shores of Chile's second largest lake, Lago Llanquihue, the product of glacial activity evident throughout Patagonia. We skirted the lake along a pathway for some 15 minutes, and then we hung a left and continued our hike uphill through town to the bus station.

*          *          *          *          *

With three bus fares in hand, we took our time walking back to the hotel, exploring the side streets and loosely following the trail leading to a number of Puerto Varas' historic homes built by the first German immigrants who arrived in the mid-1800s.

Settled by German-speaking peoples from Austria, Switzerland, the Alsace region of France, and Germany, Puerto Varas – and much of Southern Chile – reflects the heritage of its founders through its architecture and gastronomic offerings.

Take a virtual tour of the historic homes of Puerto Varas, Chile.

We also had the opportunity to admire the Parroquia Sagrado Corazón de Jesús (Sacred Heart of Jesus Church). Built between 1915 and 1918, the church is styled after the famed Marienkirche in the Black Forest region of Germany. The church sits perched on a high point overlooking the downtown area and the lake, with Volcán Osorno towering in the distance.

[Parroquia Sagrado Corazón de Jesús]

By the time we had meandered back to our hotel, the dense fog had all but disappeared, save for a thin blanket that hovered at the base of the Osorno Volcano.

The neighboring Calbuco Volcano made itself visible as well, having thrown off its cloak of mist.

Both Osorno and Calbuco are active volcanoes, but thankfully, the two remained quiet for the duration of our brief visit. Nonetheless, volcanic and seismic activity occurs frequently in Chile, as evidenced by the Chaitén eruption in 2008 and the 8.8 magnitude Bio-Bio earthquake that occurred just last year.

Unfortunately, our time in this picturesque city was cut short, as we had an early afternoon bus to catch for the six-hour ride from Puerto Varas back to Bariloche.

On board the bus, the hours passed quickly, as the extraordinary scenery provided by the dense forests and towering mountains of the cordillera kept us entertained for the length of the trip.

And just to spice things up, there were even a few moments that got my blood pumping, what with the bus careening down winding Andean roads at speeds that felt just a bit too daring, as big rigs lumbered up the mountainside in the opposing lane.

We stopped briefly in the town of Osorno at the bustling bus station, where my sister and I were assaulted by a gaggle of Chilean ladies trying to sell us sandwiches and some sorry-looking empanadas for the road. And of course, we were obligated to hop off the bus at the border crossing in the middle of nowhere to be uneventfully stamped out of Chile and into Argentina by stern-faced border officials.

But before we knew it, we'd returned to Bariloche, where our odyssey began just the day before.

Next up: Bariloche: Cerro Otto

[Patagonia Series: Intro 1 2 3 4 5]

Read More......

Lakes Crossing: Bariloche to Puerto Varas

The Cruce Andino/Cruce de los Lagos or Lakes Crossing, a marathon boat-bus-boat-bus-boat-bus ride from Bariloche, Argentina to Puerto Varas (or Puerto Montt), Chile took the entire day and substantially lightened my wallet, but the experience, in my opinion, was worth every peso and then some. We made the voyage across the Andes on Easter Sunday, which turned out to be a fitting date for the tour, as I was continually reminded by my surroundings that only a divine hand could have wrought the spectacular natural beauty we saw that day.

In the faint morning light, we set sail from Puerto Pañuelo in Bariloche. After discussing the details of the day's itinerary with one of the tour coordinators, we ordered a few medialunas and cups of hot chocolate from the boat's snack bar. Vince, my stepdad, and I climbed the stairs to the upper deck, where we marveled at the mountains looming on all sides of the expansive Lago Nahuel Huapi, while my sister Marianna snoozed down below in typical teenage fashion.

[Vince on the first leg of the journey over Lago Nahuel Huapi – Puerto Pañuelo to Puerto Blest]

[Signpost at Puerto Blest]

We stopped at Puerto Blest with its lovely pink hotel [photo] for a few minutes before boarding a bus to Puerto Alegre, just 15 minutes away.

The early morning temperatures in Bariloche hovered around the freezing mark, and we were cautioned by the crew to watch our step as we boarded our second boat at Puerto Alegre, as patches of ice had accumulated on the deck.

[Cerro Tronador reflected in the waters of Lago Frías – Puerto Alegre to Puerto Frías leg]

The boat glided over the milky green waters of Lago Frías en route to our next destination. The lake's unique color, which can be appreciated in the photo below, comes from minerals suspended in the water.

[Thank goodness we didn't have to row all the way to Chile – rowboat outside of the border checkpoint at Puerto Frías, Argentina]

After exchanging some Argentine pesos for Chilean ones, we were successfully stamped out of Argentina at the Puerto Frías border checkpoint before continuing our journey by bus. The actual Argentina-Chile border crossing at Paso Vicente Pérez Rosales is located deep within the Patagonian forest with nary an official in sight.

[Vince and Marianna saying "chau" to Argentina and "hola" to Chile!]

[Cerro Tronador from the Chilean side – Puerto Frías, Argentina to Peulla, Chile leg]

The bus ride from Puerto Frías to Peulla through the national parks (Nahuel Huapi in Argentina and Vicente Pérez Rosales in Chile) offered fantastic vistas of the forest, the Andes, several small waterfalls, and the Río Peulla.

[The village of Peulla, Chile]

*We now interrupt this regularly scheduled blog post for a public service announcement.*

How My Stepdad Almost Caused an International Incident

The only hitch we experienced the entire day came when we passed through the border checkpoint in Peulla, Chile. Marianna was first up to the plate with the stern-looking Chilean carabinero. She presented her passport to the officer and waited patiently as he reviewed the details on her photo page. The officer looked up from the passport, unsmiling, and asked in broken English if Marianna knew how to speak Spanish. She shook her head no and beckoned to me for assistance.

The officer asked whom Marianna was traveling with, and I replied, "Her father and me – her sister."

"And her mother? Where is she?"

"She died almost four years ago."

"Do you have proof of that?"

I turned to Vince and asked him if he just so happened to be carrying a copy of my mother's death certificate. The obvious reply came, and I responded with a tinge of worry in my voice, "No, I don't."

After establishing that we didn't have any other documentation such as a birth certificate or consent form for international travel with a minor (Vince had traveled several times before with Marianna, and no one had ever asked him for such proof), the carabineros made us sweat it out as they busily typed away at their antiquated computers.

A few minutes later, having somehow determined that, indeed, my stepdad was not attempting to abduct his own child from his deceased wife, they waved Marianna on through, followed by me and then Vince. We were lucky this time, but we easily could have been denied entry into Chile. For the record, Argentine border officials never requested any sort of documentation to this effect.

Moral of the Story

Minors traveling internationally with just one parent should carry a notarized document granting written permission from the other parent. In the case where the parents are divorced or one parent is deceased, the traveling parent should carry a notarized affidavit of sole custody and legal proof such as a death certificate or custody order.

OK, now back  to pretty photos of flowers, glacial lakes, and snowy volcanoes.

[Flowers in Peulla, Chile]

After (barely) getting stamped into Chile, we sat down to lunch at the Hotel Natura, whose dining room features floor-to-ceiling windows with views of the surrounding meadow and mountains. Following our meal, we set out on foot to take in the scenery and shoot some photos before the next leg of our journey, a ride on a catamaran that would take us past not one, but two, volcanoes.

[More boats!]

[Cascada de los Novios, Peulla, Chile]

[The dock in Peulla, Chile]

[Chilean flag with the Andes Mountains and Lago Todos Los Santos serving as the backdrop – Peulla to Petrohué leg]

[Volcán Puntiagudo (at right), Lago Todos Los Santos, Chile]

[House on the shores of Lago Todos Los Santos, Chile]

The people who make their homes along the shores of this lake lead a life of relative isolation. As there is no road between Peulla and Petrohué, anyone living in the area must rely on boats as the principal means of transportation. A couple of passengers used our catamaran as a sort of water taxi to get them close to their homes. A pair of smaller motorboats pulled alongside, and the passengers hopped off and went on their way!

[Volcán Osorno (at left) by the shores of Lago Todos Los Santos]

After the breathtaking views along Lago Todos Los Santos, we disembarked at Petrohué for the final leg of our day-long adventure through Patagonia. We boarded a bus bound for Puerto Varas, and we zipped alongside the Río Petrohué and dense forest before the majestic Volcán Osorno and the neighboring Volcán Calbuco came into view. We hugged the shores of Lago Llanquihué as we sped toward the city of Puerto Varas with nightfall fast approaching, and the snowcapped peak of Osorno glowed in the evening light.

[Volcán Osorno by the shores of Lago Llanquihué, on the final leg from Petrohué to Puerto Varas, Chile]

About 12 hours after leaving Bariloche, we arrived at our hotel in Puerto Varas. I slept like a Patagonian rock that night.

Next up: Puerto Varas, Chile

[Patagonia Series: Intro 1 2 3 4]

Read More......