donde esta el hospedaje mas bueno?

I am writing briefly from Chiloe Island. A place I have indeed been before (I also noted Darwin´s dislike of this island when he visited in the early 20th century...he called it a miserable hole which was suitable only for the most resilient of amphibians due to the high amount of rainfall it recieves year round) this time I am in Quellon, a tiny fishing town on the southeast corner. It is typical of other seaside chilean towns: dogs roam, tiny tiendas with fruits and foods populate every street, there is a central soccer pitch and some crumbling abandoned infrastructure, fissured sidewalks with discarded box wine containers piling up in alley ways, artesania markets with ponchos and matte gourds, a walmart owned supermarket (named ¨Bigger¨), the scent of freshly caught fish, the cries of gulls, colorful fishing boats moored offshore, bobbing like corks in the gentle waters, and streets lined with azalias, roses and this time of year (to my great delight) fruit trees bursting with ripe red apples and plums.

Mike and I took a bus, about a six hour ride in quite comfortable quarters on a ferry from mainland to Chiloe to catch a ferry that leaves tonight for Puerto Chacabuco. We stayed last night in hospedaje Captain Don Luis. After some asking around and a recommendation from the Captain himself (who claimed it was un ambiente muy agradable y limpia, con toallas calientes... a nice, clean environment with hot towels... though there were no hot towels let alone hot water) buy pleasant enough!

We will be traveling for 36 hours with no sleeping accomodations (we hope to pitch the tent on deck) many degrees of latitude south to this remote port town in region XI of Chile. It is here that we will visit Conservacion Patagonica´s project site in the Chacabuco Valley. I hope to conduct some interviews and take photographs. We plan to backpack as well. It is my great hope that we will be able to hike from Chile into Argentina as well. From this juncture in southern Chile, the easiest option is east. More will be found out upon arrival, and don´t worry mom, I am getting the inside scoop from a local researcher and we will not be wandering aimlessly in vast, uncharted wilderness.

All is well otherwise. It was sad to say goodbye to my wildlands studies buddies. We parted ways yesterday and it is doubtful I will see them again in South America. But not doubtful that I will not see them again ever! A great group of people.. I will miss stargazing, speaking in nerd voices, washing dinner pots, hiking (and the inevitable falling that took place), jamming, swimming, cliff jumping, waterfall sliding, kayaking, rockthrowing, gooseberry bush trimming, running in the rain, traveling in the rain, huddling under the tarp against the rain, dancing, ´making the deal´ cram studying, book clubbing, temporary tatoo drawing, cooking and all else that took place on these 6 weeks of hyper speed ecological education. SO loved the whole experience, our wonderful teachers and my dear peers.

slight tear...

So, ahead we charge yet further south and more north of nearly nowhere.

Yosemite of Chile

Salutations from home base, aka Puerto Varas. We are back from our latest backpacking trip in the Cochamo Valley a glacier carved narrow vallley, lined with dense forests climbing the steep hillsides that are littered with waterfalls (I´d like to make waterfalls my speciality... I imagine a career where I must visit all major waterfalls and classify them under the christina-cascadas system). the walls around give the place a yosemite of chile like feeling... dark graphite and light grey. jagged, textures rock faces that are sometimes encircled by a condor flying over head, and though more than 10 feet in wingspan, they are but small dots far away. Cochamó valley is a climbing mecca and also a place where you can backpack into Argentina across the border, something I am keen on doing!

Our group did have the priviledge of seeing a condor quite upclose. it swooped below us and we were able to see its huge white tipped wings as it dipped next us and glided out of sight around the bend. YESS!

We hiked to waterfalls and got to waterslide down some of them. the water is more chilly than even than Santa Barbara´s slice of pacific coast... I´d say it was about 48 degrees, it is snow melt afterall. so refreshing after days without proper showering and sweating alll day.

The weather was beautiful all 6 days of our trip. 80 to 85 degrees under a strong southern hemispher sun. even nights were warm (did not need my long johns in my sleeping bag!)
only bain to this beautiful weather was the subsequent infestation of mosquitos. I didn´t count but I think the running total was close to 50 bites... itchy.

More lessons from the back country: camping pizza: a great recipe when the bread is a little stale! ingredients: hockey puck bread rolls, packet of pasta sauce, oregano, garlic, spices to your liking, packet cheese and salami if you need. on your camp stove add oil to the pot, brown the bread, through in the sauce and melt the cheese and salami if you are of a pepperoni persuasion!
delicious.
Another tip; when prunes are not enough to keep digestive processes going, use wheat germ! a simple additive that your intestines will thank you for.

on the personal story front, I really have few... I have so far pulled off a few leeches, I have purchased and begun to use a pee rag (please don´t be grossed out, they are so useful) I have aquired a taste for cold oatmeal (a fine trail lunch, espeically in lieu of hockey puck bread sandwiches with whatever condiments are left. I kid you not, someone on the trip: bread, mustard, jam, cucumber, cream cheese and ketchup). And I am officially an expert on blisters, blisters within blisters and blister care.

I am loving the experience down here and really getting into being in the field. Although I do not plan to go into orthinology or botany the experience is none the lesss valuable. Learning about international conservation issues has been quite enlightening and I have a much broader perspective on the question of conservation and challenges to it.

Next trip is to Pucon where we will mount a volcano and hang out in a supposedly stunning forest, adjacent to a lake in a forest of Arucaria (monkey puzzle) trees that look otherworldly. The class concludes next Monday and I will miss all the great travelling companions that I have become close with these past weeks. I am greatly looking forward to the arrival of
my boyfriend, Mike Bishop so we can further juant southern South America for a good six weeks more. I feel many delights are yet to come!
For now, back to the hostel for my last civilized meal... lots of iron please!

Yours in ecology,

Christina

from fjord to farm

Greetings from the tiny town of Hornopiren! I am situated east and south of the bay of Ancud perched on the edge of a fjord. The water weaves around high mountain cliffs that are covered with thick foliage including prehistoric looking giant ferns.

The group is back after a 10 day stint in Vodudahue, an organic farm part of Pumalin Park, a private reserved owned by Douglas Tompkins an expatriot businessman spending his fortune preserving wilderness areas in Chile and Argentina. A very unique situation this farm.. I won´t go into the politics now, just a bit about the trip:

A particularly awesome moment was the boat ride to this farm... we had a surprise stop at hotspots or Thermas. the silky soft mud bottom was filled with hot water you could change the temperature of by diverting streams.

Additionally, a hike we took up a mountain through thick foliage, generally ferns and bamboo giving way to mosses and trees in riparian areas led us to an amazing waterfall. It was graced with two alerce trees...famed, now rare trees of chile and argentina that take a long time to grow and were almost cut down to extinction before being legally preserved. they are very old and tall, similar to redwoods of northern california. we took a brief dip in the freezing cold water, it was super refreshing and nice, because i hadn´t shower in quite some time!

As for laboring...Work started at 8am and we preformed tasks until lunch. farm tasks included weeding, sheep tackling (in order to trim their toe nails) pruning, road maintenence and seed collecting. Days were often wet with a few, glorious summer days thrown in. The temperate was moderate and would only really heat up if the sun out.

There is much much much to share and I will save it for Puerto Varas. Just a taste but think: sea lion colony, boat ride from hell, fresh baked bread, being close to your meat (slaughtering a sheep that we later ate at an asado de cordero) much ecology, and gorgeous southern stars.

apologies for the rapid and unedited nature of this post.

love from the south, Christina.