Looking back: Torres del Paine

"Not a happy camper." Touche.

Valle Frances

Refugio Grey

Glacier Grey

Turquoise waters of Lago Pehoe

Well, 3 months later, here I am again! My month of traveling turned out to be nothing short of incredible. Needless to say, I could write a book on all of our adventures and stories; But, for now, I'll stick with the hike in Torres del Paine- which turned out to be one of the most physically and mentally challenging experiences of my life. In return, we were rewarded with some of the most spectacular views and scenery I'll ever see. To avoid information overload for my loyal readers (and really, who wants to write a book in one sitting? Not me), I will be giving more travel recaps, stories, and life updates in my next entry... which will be soon!

We arrived in Puerto Natales very late, and spent the next day preparing for our 6-day trek through Torres del Paine National Park. We rented a tent, sleeping bags, mats, an extra pack, a cooking kit, gas, hiking poles, and other small things. A bus picked us up at 7:30 the next morning, and we were on our way to the wild wilderness. Nearing the park, as I jammed to my iPod, I stared at the intimidating peaks of the Torres and felt a little bit like Jon Krakauer described in his book "Into Thin Air", when he first set eyes on Mt. Everest: High and mighty, but with a distinct feeling of dread. Okay, so maybe I wasn't having to worry about oxygen depletion, altitude sickness and deadly elements... but still. They were huge, and glared at me as if to say, "Damn right you should be scared." The bus dropped us off at our starting point, and we were off! Without further ado, here's the journal I kept throughout the hike:

Day 1 (1/22/10)- Woke up at 6:45am, 7:30 bus, 3 1/2 hour ride on gravel road to the park. Began hiking @ 12pm. Walked through flat grasslands for 7.5 km. Lunch @ a campsite. Hiked another 10 km, most of it around a beautiful turquoise lake (Lago Pehoe). Fairly easy, but with some steep climbs. Arrived at Refugio Torres Grande at 5:30pm. Set up camp and took showers. Shitty showers! Ate chicken noodle soup and drank tea. Played mau-mau inside. Heated water for bottles, put in our sleeping bags. Guy in tent next to us is snoring obnoxiously. 11pm right now. Hiked 17.5 km today.

Day 2 (1/23/10)- Didn't sleep great last night. Wind is very strong here so it kept flapping our tent around. Woke up around 9:30, ate oatmeal & had coffee, packed up and left around 11:30. Harder trek today, though shorter in distance. Weather wasn't great- rainy at the end. I ate a bunch of dried apricots and raisins, and had horrible diarrhea afterwards. It's better now. Weird because I never get it- my stomach's made of steel. Diarrhea in the woods is no bueno. The Grey Glacier is really cool. Bright blue. Lots more people on the trail today. Got to Refugio Grey around 5:30. Had to pay this time to camp (got out of it last night). Set up camp, then I waited for a shower for over an hour. Only 2 and there were tons of people waiting. Then the cold water stopped working for 20 minutes and the people showering only had scalding water, so they had to fix it. Talked to some Chileno dudes for a bit while I waited. One of them wants to get a job at an architecture firm in the States so he wanted to practice his English. Now going to fix food and chill. Hiked 11 km today. 28.5 km total so far.

Day 3 (1/22/10)- It rained all night last night, but the day was beautiful. Sunny and warm. Walked back to Refugio Torres Grande and it was much easier (more downhill). Very windy at one point and Christian's pack cover and rain jacket flew off and away forever. I also lost my sunglasses to the wind. Had lunch at the refugio, then walked to Campamento Italiano (3.5 hrs from R. Grey to R. Torres Grande, 2 hrs from Torres Grande to Italiano). Very easy walk and lovely. Felt pretty good today. Italiano is really cool- buried amongst tall trees and therefore not much wind. Met some Chilean girls and we jammed to Jack Johnson for a while- they were obsessed with him. I bought some cool earrings from one of them (1,000 Chilean pesos, or $2). Saw the American guys from Montana that stayed in our hostel in P. Natales. They're going to climb the Torres for the next 3 weeks! Set up camp, had dinner, and chatted with Chris all night. 18.6 km today. 47.1 km total so far.

Day 4 (1/23/10)- Woke up around 8:30, packed some snacks, and walked up to Valle Frances. Very, very tough hike! Rocky and steep. Weather wasn't great- cloudy, cold and rainy. But the views were incredible! Surrounded by mountains, and the Glacier Frances was awesome. Walked up to the mirador, had some snacks, then headed back down. Easier. Got back to Italiano, had lunch, packed up, and headed to Refugio Los Cuernos. It started raining 30 mins into the hike, and didn't stop the entire time. We were soaked. Arrived to Los Cuernos, set up camp, stripped down immediately, and tried to warm up. Rain didn't stop. Went into the refugio to order something to eat but they were all reserved. Damnit! Hung up our wet clothes and shoes inside, and bought some much-needed boxed wine. Got drunk quickly because we hadn't eaten yet. Saw a German dude that we've run across several times and chatted with him. Cooked our soup inside and ate. Lots of wet, cold hikers came through. Went to bed around 11:30- rained all night. 20.5 km today. 67.6 km total so far.

Day 5 (1/24/10)- Woke up around 9, went inside, showered and had coffee. Still rainy and wet. One guy told us the weather would be this way for the next 2 days. Shit. Hiking in the rain flat-out sucks, especially when you're camping too. Ate oatmeal in our tent and packed up. Contemplated staying one more night, but no - couldn't do it. Waterproofed as much stuff as possible. Headed out around 12- a little rainy still but not bad. Sky didn't look good and we expected another rainy, crappy day. Turned out to be great! Tough hike. Passed Christian's old high school teacher that he also ran into in Ushuaia. Small world. The last 2 hours of the hike were straight up. Incredibly hard. Then the last hour was insanely windy- right before getting to Refugio Chileno. Turns out that area's called "Paso de los vientos" (pass of the winds), and it's true. Knock-down winds and raindrops that felt like pebbles on your face. Arrived to R. Chileno around 5- took a break for 30 mins, then headed out again for the last bit to Campamento Las Torres. Only an hour, but pretty tough. All uphill. Arrived to camp around 6:30, set up, had tea, dinner, and wine. Waking up at 4:15am tomorrow to watch the sunrise over the torres- hope the weather's good! Tomorrow's the last day. 16 km today. 87.6 km total so far.

Day 6 (1/25/10)- Damn. It rained almost all night last night. Started around 2am and woke me up, because the raindrops were so heavy on our tent. I stayed awake, hoping it would stop so we could wake up for the sunrise. But it didn't. We decided not to go at 4:15, and wait an hour. Still kept raining. We finally woke up at 8:30, realizing we just couldn't go up there. I was really bummed, as this was supposed to be the "grand finale", if you will. But, what can you do. Our tent started getting really wet inside, and our sleeping bags and pads were getting wet too. We packed everything up, skipping breakfast, and headed out. Pretty crappy walk back, but it only took us 2 1/2 hrs (supposed to take 3 1/2). We really booked it back. Got to the Hosteria- which was a luxurious mountainside hotel- and immediately changed into dry clothes and washed up a bit. We had a celebratory Austral beer and ordered some delectable greasy, cheesy french fries. It felt so good to just sit on a soft couch! Shuttle picked us up, and we headed back to P. Natales. Slept the entire way back. Returned all rental equipment, showered, did laundry, and ate the most delicious hot sandwich ever- with meat, cheese, and avocado. Watched a movie at Erratic Rock, and hit the sack around midnight. What a trip. 5 km today.

92.6 km total.

El fin del mundo!

I´m currently in Ushuaia, Argentina - the first stop of my month-long trip through Patagonia. It´s the southernmost city in the world, and only 745 miles from Antarctica. See it at the very bottom of the map above? Yep, that´s where I am. I´ve been here for 4 days, and am having an absolute blast. The trip here was a bit of a struggle. Well, not so much for me... but for poor Christian (my travel buddy). He had his camera and 3,000 pesos stolen out of his bag on the plane! In total, about $1,000 (US) worth of stuff. No bueno, to say the least. Thank goodness he´s so resilient, though, because he refused to let this ruin the trip. We also tried to book buses on the first day for Puerto Natales, Chile - our next stop- and were informed that we´d have to stay an extra few days before we could get on the next available bus. This, however, turned out to be a blessing, because we´ve thoroughly enjoyed the extra days and have met some of the most interesting people. To give a quick summary of our adventures so far:

Day 1- Hiked up the Martial Glaciar, which afforded spectacular panoramic views of Ushuaia and the Beagle Channel. Ate at a delicious Chilean seafood joint, where I devoured an assortment of shellfish.

Day 2- Took a boat around the Beagle Channel, seeing sea lions, cormorants (look a bit like penguins), and many birds. Also stopped on an island, where we had a 360 degree view of the channel and mountains. Cooked a yummy pasta meal at the hostel.

Day 3- Took a van to el Parque Nacional Tierra del Fuego with some friends from the hostel, and hiked the ¨Sendera Costera", a 6 mile coastal trail around a mountain. Enjoyed a beautiful sunset on the water and ate at a "tenedor libre", AKA all-you-can-eat joint. Mmmm.

Day 4 (today)- Crappy weather in the morning, so drooled over the photos of a British friend we met who just returned from Antarctica. 2 of our other new friends promptly ran to the local tourist office and booked tickets for the same cruise. Sun came out, so walked along the water in Ushuaia, climbing up a big hill and picnicking for a bit. Did some laundry at the hostel and ate the leftover pasta from the other night.


You just can´t believe how cool this little town is. It reminds me of an old hippie ski town in Colorado, only with Spanish-speakers and way more diversity. I knew it would be touristy before coming, but we´ve met some of the coolest, most interesting people. There´s a 25 year-old American dude named Alex, who bought a round-the-world plane ticket a year ago, and has been traveling ever since. He´s one of the guys who bought an Antarctica ticket today on the fly. The other guy was a 31 year-old Dutchman, Viktor, who´s also been traveling extensively for many months. Ushuaia, being the southernmost city in the world, is the main hub for cruiseships going to and from Antarctica, and so I´ve therefore met many people going to or having just returned from there. The guy whose photos we drooled over today said the trip was simply wonderful, and well worth the $4,000 pricetag. Yes, $4,000. This is the absolute cheapest cruise you can go on, which is an 11 day, 10 night trip - 3 of which are spent sailing to and from the continent. It seems most people buy their tickets down here at the last minute, as it´s the cheapest way. After looking at Paul´s photos, we were all speechless. Massive icebergs and glaciers, humpback whales, killer whales, seals, penguins of all types, birds of all shapes and sizes, beautiful water, and breathtaking sunsets and scenery overall. It really seemed like a National Geographic slideshow. And so, upon reaching the last awe-inspiring photo, Alex and Viktor bounced up and marched to the tourist office across the street, planning on "only looking at the dates and options". 10 minutes later, they ran back in and announced "We´re fucking going to Antarctica!" That´s right, they booked their tickets right then and there for the "Antarctic Dream", a cruiseship leaving in exactly 8 days. The same trip that British Paul took. I have to say that if I had the means to do so (translation: $4,000 to drop for a 10-day trip), I´d have done the same. That being said, I am ecstatic to move on to our next leg of the trip: Torres del Paine National Park. It´s supposed to be the best trekking destination in South America, and one of the best in the world. We´ll be doing a 5-day trekking/camping trip through the park, along a route called ¨The W¨. We catch a bus at the crack of dawn tomorrow morning, which will take us to Puerto Natales, Chile (which you can also see on the map above). Here, we will attend an information session and stock up on all necessary groceries and equipment. The next day we´ll head to the park, and begin the adventure. I´m very, very excited... but a bit nervous, too. I´m not exactly a professional hiker, and understand that this is a pretty extreme trip. But, I´m ready and up for the challenge! It should be an incredibly rewarding experience.

Oh, and one thing I absolutely love about Ushuaia (and Patagonia in general): The sun rises at 6am, and sets at 11pm! No joke. It´s pretty strange looking outside at 10pm and seeing a completely bright sky, but I love it.

Okay- last night here, so we´re heading out for a bit with some of our new friends. Will try to keep the posts coming as often as possible along the way. Oh, and GO CATS! I hear my alma mater is currently ranked #1 in the country in basketball. Keep it up, boys!

Chile, here I come...

Busy bee

Crazy football match- River Plate vs. Boca Juniors

Some of the Winebrenner family - Thanksgiving in Naples

Oktoberfest Argentina!

Adorable, tiny little town of Colonia, Uruguay

Die Toten Hosen concert - Huge German punk rock band

Halloween isn't really celebrated in Argentina, but that didn't stop us

Garganta del Diablo at Iguazu Falls - incredible!

Garganta del Diablo

Iguanas were everywhere!

Friends! I'm alive! Many apologies for going MIA on my blog... much has been going on down here.

Argentina is feeling more and more "homey" to me every day. However, I still regularly find myself being surprised by learning new things about the culture, history, politics, language, etc.. Every day is different - and I love it.

Let me try to give a brief synopsis of the recent Argentine economic situation:Argentina endured a serious economic crisis in 2001 (among others) which stemmed from a huge amount of international debt, and an attempt to peg the Argentine peso to the US dollar (late 90's). Massive tax evasion and money laundering were rampant, and the unemployment rate was high. Because of a corrupt government and a feeling of impending doom, in 2001 people began withdrawing huge sums of money from their bank accounts, turning pesos into dollars and sending them abroad. Because of this, the government put a freeze on all bank accounts, only allowing small amounts of money to be withdrawn. Well... you can imagine the protests that ensued. Angry citizens crowded the streets and banged pots and pans, and property destruction was common - especially of American and European buildings. I've also talked to people who said that many ended up losing their money altogether, as the banks literally stole it from their accounts. Can you imagine?! I'm trying to picture the scene in the US if this happened. The economy continued to worsen, and in 2003 the unemployment rate was at nearly 25%.

The economy has gradually gotten better since then. However, Argentines clearly (and rightfully so) have HUGE mistrust towards the government and banks. I've heard that it's pretty common for people to stash their cash under their mattresses, and avoid banks altogether. They feel that nothing is secure, and are always on their toes for something to happen. There are also protests on a regular basis, for all sorts of reasons. Around Plaza de Mayo (the hub of the city and location of Argentina's "White House"), there's a protest literally every day. I was late to one class the other day, because there was a huge protest rally on the street I had to take, so I had to stand aside and wait for it to pass. Subway employees will often go on strike, as well, leading to thousands of commuters having to find alternate forms of transportation. It's a little hard for me to grasp having to deal with all of these things on a regular basis, because I know I won't be here forever. I view everything as an outsider, knowing I'm only here temporarily, and not as an Argentine, knowing that this is my country and my government. As one of my students put it, “I love Argentina, and am very proud of being from here. But be thankful that you don’t have to deal with our very complicated country for the rest of your life.”

I have been VERY busy with teaching lately. I now work for 2 different institutes, totaling about 25-30 hours per week between the two of them. I really enjoy it. Most of my students are pretty advanced, and are mostly just excited to be speaking to a native English speaker. So, a lot of my classes end up revolving around current events,US culture, traveling, Argentine politics, etc. I've found that going over news articles is beneficial, because they're able to work on vocabulary, pronunciation, reading comprehension- all while learning about a current issue/event in the news. I went to Naples for Thanksgiving (Explanation coming later), and picked up a few magazines in the airport on my way home: TIME, The Economist, and US Weekly (couldn't resist)- and man, these bad boys have proven to be quite the hit in my classes. They're jam-packed with great vocabulary, and give thorough portrayals of the different US and world issues going on right now (okay, maybe not US Weekly, but the others- yes). The best part about all of this? It's usually a lesson for me, too! Oftentimes I'll go over articles with my advanced students, and feel embarrassed about being slightly… well, lost... but, they'll usually understand what's going on, and explain it to me. Sometimes I feel like I should be paying them, and not the other way around :) I like to think of it as a mutually beneficial relationship: They get to practice speaking about and explaining issues in the news, in English, and I learn about them. Perfect! I'm fairly certain I've learned more about world politics and economics down here than I ever have in my life.

Another thing I like about teaching is that I walk A LOT. This is something that most people warned me about before starting, saying it's "exhausting" and "stressful". I don't really see it that way; Not only is it great exercise, but I see so much of the city that I wouldn't normally see. And if I have some time between classes, I'll pop into a cafe or lay in a park to people-watch or read. The only downside is that I usually arrive home with very, very sore (and dirty) feet.

I went to Iguazu Falls about a month ago, and it was absolutely incredible. For those who don’t know, these are waterfalls up on the border of northern Argentina and Brazil. They are actually competing as a candidate to be one of the New7Wonders of the World, and are currently at the top of the list. They consist of 275 waterfalls along 2 miles of the Iguazu River, and, at the highest point, they’re about 300 ft. high. This point is called the “Garganta del Diablo”, or “Devil’s Throat”. Reaching the Garganta was definitely the most impressive part of the falls, as the amount and force of water that falls here is truly breathtaking. I’ve also been to Victoria Falls (in Zimbabwe, and currently one of the 7 Wonders of the World), and I have to say that I was more impressed with Iguazu! It’s wider, so you can take many different pathways along the bottom and top of the falls to see different parts. You can also view the falls from both the Argentine and Brazilian sides, but I wasn’t able to see them from Brazil, thanks to a hefty entrance visa fee for Americans. I hear the Argentine side is more impressive, anyway. Overall, the trip was truly spectacular. Quite a trek to get there, though: 17 hours on a bus, each way! But the buses are very comfortable. They serve meals (complete with wine, beer, and champagne), show movies, and have comfy seats that recline 180 degrees.

A week before Thanksgiving, I was really bummed. I’d talked to my sister, who informed me that both she and my stepsister were going to visit my dad and stepmom in Naples for Turkey Day, and 18 other members of my family would be there, as well. If anyone knows my family, they can understand my sorrow… they flat-out rock. It’s also very rare to gather so many of them in one place, at one time- which made it that much more sad. They’re dispersed across California, Arizona, Colorado, NYC, Pennsylvania, Chicago, Connecticut, Tennessee, Florida, Hong Kong, and Argentina. I also hadn’t seen my dad and stepmom in 1 ½ years, and my stepsister in about 5 years. And so, I came up with a brilliant plan. I would ask my dad, as an early Christmas present, to fly me there for Thanksgiving week. Now, keep in mind, this was a week before I was hoping to go. Chances seemed pretty slim, to say the least. I spent a few days dreaming about my fabulous idea, going back and forth as to whether or not I wanted to even ask. It seemed too good to be plausible. I checked out flights, and to my surprise, they weren’t bad at all. My case was growing stronger. However, the strongest element in all of this was the fact that my dad, stepmom, stepsister, sister, and I had not been together (all of us, at one time) in about 5 years. So, I called my dad. He asked how much flights were, and I figured that was the end of it. “I’m finding some roundtrips for around $900…” (heavy perspiration ensued) A quick 3 seconds passed, and he replied, “Well, I think we can swing that.” Words cannot explain my excitement upon hearing this. He told me to look for the cheapest flight and call him later that night. We hung up, and I proceeded to scream, leap up, and sprint down the long hallway of our apartment several times. It was truly a dream come true. Needless to say, that week before I left felt like a year. I spent a week in Naples, and had an unbelievable time with my family. It was very, very strange being back in the States after 4 months. Just like every other time I returned to the US from being abroad, the first thing I noticed was all the fat people. Although, in all fairness to my beloved fast food nation, Argentina has NO fat people. I'm talkin' none. The women have huge amounts of pressure to be thin, for some reason, so it's extremely rare to see overweight people. So, I must say that it was quite a relief to be walking amongst good ole' fatties again. It also felt strange to be speaking only English again. I've gotten so accustomed to asking for/saying everything in Spanish, so it was rather nice to be speaking completely naturally in my mother tongue. Next: the cars. The US has an unnecessary amount of oversized cars. Everything else I noticed had more to do with the fact that I came from a third-world country and a massive, bustling city of 13 million people, to one of the most luxurious beach destinations in the US. Basically, I felt incredibly spoiled all week. On the first night, I laid down in the guest room's Tempurpedic, king-sized bed, and moaned and groaned for about 10 minutes out of complete and utter bliss. I've gotten so used to my 6-inch-thick single mattress from 1970. I slept better that first night than I have in months. And the toilet paper! I have a renewed love for Charmin Ultra Soft. The TP we have in BA resembles something like sand paper, so I ended up stealing a roll from my dad's and bringing it back with me. My bathroom trips improved tenfold.

About 6 weeks ago, we went to a football (soccer) match between the two teams that constitute the biggest rivalry in Argentina, and arguably South America: River Plate and Boca Juniors. It was IN. SANE. It put American football games to shame. For 2 hours, the entire stadium was standing and chanting fight songs. It was at River Plate's stadium, which is supposedly MUCH tamer than Boca Juniors'. The teams are comparable to the Cubs/White Sox, in that one stadium (River Plate) is in a very nice neighborhood in the north, while the other's (Boca) is in a not-so-nice neighborhood in the south. Boca's fans only took up a small section in the stadium, but they were ridiculously loud! Apparently, when the game's played at Boca, the entire stadium shakes throughout. Anyways, when the game was finished (it ended in a tie), everyone seated in the River Plate fan section had to wait about an hour in order for Boca's fans to safely leave the stadium and head home, with no heckling, fighting, or killing. We were also advised before the game not to wear any jewelry, open-toed shoes, or Boca colors (we sat in River's fan section). It's a bitter rivalry, to say the least.

In 10 days, I'm going back to Kentucky for 3 weeks. Excited is an understatement! I haven't seen my mom, best friends, cat, and dogs in over 5 months. It feels like much longer. I have no plans at all while home, other than to spend as much time as possible with everyone. The only thing I have planned is a weekend trip to Chicago on January 7th, thanks to my wonderful Chi-town friends. They all chipped in and bought me a plane ticket! I won't have a car while home, so I suggested they all come down to Louisville for a visit. But we concluded that it made more sense (and was cheaper) for me to go up there, instead. And, since I'm broke as a joke (thanks to earning my wages in pesos), they decided to split the cost and buy a ticket for me. What a fabulous Christmas present! I can't wait to see everyone back in the States. I'm flying back to Buenos Aires on January 13th, and then leaving for a trip to Patagonia 2 days later. This is the southernmost region of South America, and the closest anyone can be to Antarctica. We plan on backpacking/hostelling for about 3 weeks to a month. So many things to look forward to!

I've been trying to map out my next move after Argentina. Here's the plan: Move back to Kentucky in June/July, get a job somewhere, study and take the GRE, and apply to graduate schools. I'm looking at programs in International Education. Sounds broad, I know. Basically, it prepares you to design, implement, manage and evaluate international education programs in schools, colleges, foundations, multinational corporations, and public and private educational and cultural agencies. Still very broad, I know. Personally, I'd be interested in working with non-profits/NGOs to help them develop educational programs in developing countries. Another route under International Education is to work for study abroad and intercultural exchange programs at universities and private companies, which also sounds interesting to me. Right now, I'm looking at applying to NYU, Columbia, Boston University, GWU, and a few others. I'd love to be in NYC, as the internship/networking opportunities are boundless. I've always dreamed of living in the Big Apple, too. Many of my students have traveled to NYC, and describe it as "magical." I agree.

Apologies, again, for neglecting my blog. Won't happen again! I've been quite the busy bee down here. Argentina is, indeed, treating me quite well. It's an experience that's giving me even more than I bargained for, while allowing me to develop both criticism and appreciation for my own country. Margaret Mead sums it up well:

"As the traveler who has once been from home is wiser than he who has never left his own doorstep, so a knowledge of one other culture should sharpen our ability to scrutinize more steadily, to appreciate more lovingly, our own."

Besos from Buenos Aires!