Wow well we have so many more stories to tell but so little time. We lived in a hippi town for a week and hiked the mountains in el bolson, took a 33 hr bus ride to el chalten which had no A/C, no leg room, and broke down on the side of the road. We hiked to the top of mountains in the Glacier National Park just to be blown right back down by rain storms. We ice climbed on Argentina´s largest glacier, which was one of the most beautiful places we have ever seen. We withstood hail, sleet, icy rain, and 70mph winds. We survived a flooded tent and puddle jumped our way to higher ground. Finally we have learned to respect the extreme weather changes of the patagonia and have learned to enjoy the small things in life, such as when the wind stops blowing for a brief second...
We now reside in el calafate the southern most city of the glacier national park. We have rented a car and head south to the Perito Moreno Glacier at 5am in the morning ( thats about 2am for people in nashville). Please pray for us to survive the gravel roads that take us there and back, traffic is crazy here.
We start our journey home on the 19th when we fly from el calafate to Buenos Aires. After spending the night in the BA airport, we head to lima, then to Costa Rica, and then to Miami on the 20th. On the 21st we catch a bus, then a hour and 45min train ride to West Palm beach, then we catch a flight to Tampa, and then finally arrive in Nashville at 12:30pm.
Its been an amazing adventure. We all have stories to tell and pictures to show. Thanks to everyone that has kept up with us and prayed that some day we may return. We all hope to see you soon.
Chow
Nood
Stevo
Roberto
Saturday, January 17, 2009
Thursday, January 8, 2009
Beautiful Bariloche and the Nahuel Huapi National Park
Barriloche
First off pretend that it is still 2008 and we are just arriving in the beautiful lakeside city of Barriloche, Argentina. As we exited the bus, in which we had just spent the last 22 hours, we looked out over the clear blue water at the foot of giant snow capped mountains. After finding our hostel we set out to explore the city. The city itself has a very unique feel of an alpine village one might find in the heart of Europe, but yet it is still distinctly Argentine. In addition to the impressive architecture, mountains, and brandy toting St. Bernards, the city is also considered the chocolate capital of Argentina which we were able to sample a bit.
After getting situated with the city and our hostel we began to make plans about an expedition into the mountains we had viewed in awe when we first arrived. After visiting the national park office, we were given a map (which was primative to say the least) and advised on a route that would take us through the mountains and to 2 refugios (log structures with bedrooms, kitchens, etc. for hikers) located along the path. As we boarded the bus on the first day of our departure we were very excited about finally getting away from the city life and into nature.
Part 2
The Wind Blows and the Flies Bite
As the bus came to a stop we all filed out and looked around for a while for the trail marker. We met up with an English guy who had moved to Buenas Aires and was exploring the area as well. As we began our trek up the hill we we all in high spirits. It was a beautiful day, the sun was shining, the birds were singing, and a slight breeze was blowing, perfect for hiking. About 15 minutes in Steve stopped to pee and promptly set his pack down on a hidden ant hill. By the time I (Rob) noticed what was happening the ants had swarmed the pack and we had to beat them off for 5 minutes. Needless to say this was a great start to our trip.
As we continued up the mountain we remained in a pretty good mood, stopping every so often to take in the beautiful scenery. We had been told that the trek to the first refugio would take around 3 hours, so we had planned to do a few day hikes once we reached the top. However, to our surprise those 3 hours were spent more or less completely climbing straight up. When we finally reached the refugio at the top we were to exhausted to even think about ¨day hikes¨. As we looked for a good spot to set up the tent we noticed that much of the preexisting sites were surrounded by handbuilt rock walls to one side. We decided to use one of these but noticed that the tent was too tall for the wall and stuck over a couple feet. Thinking nothing of it we went on to cook dinner and take in the beatiful mounaintop lake we were beside.
That night we became very aware of the purpose of those rock walls as the mother of all windstorms came bearing down upon our hapless tent. As if the defening howl of the wind was not enough we soon began to fear that the entire tent would soon fly away, or at least the rain cover leaving us totally exposed to the savage wind. At one point the top of the tent was bent all the way down to where it almost touched our faces. The entire ordeal reminded me of a family camping trip in which a huge storm came just as my dad was cooking supper outside. As the wind shook the sides of the tent my little sister (no more than 4 or 5 at the time) kept screaming ¨the wind blows, The WIND BLOWS¨ thinking that our dad was going to be blown away as well. Recalling this memory would have been quite funny except for the fact that we were scared out of our minds.
The next day, with little more than a few hours of sleep, we headed out for the 8 hour trek to the next refugio. Looking at the map we saw that the trail appeared to run straight out of the back of the valley. We thought for sure this couldn´t be the case and there must some gradual path up. Of course we were wrong and the path did in fact go straight up the mountain. After scaling the valley with some difficulty we were delighted to see that yet another climb lay before us, this time over a snow covered path with slide marks where other trekers had slid back to the bottom. After finally reaching the top of this climb we were rewared with one of the most stunning pannoramic views any of us had ever seen.
After all this climbing now came the fun part (or so we thought) going back down the other side. Apperently the notion of gradual switchback descents are nonexistent in Argentina because the red dots marking the ¨path¨ led us straight down. After climbing over larger boulders we hit a bunch of small rocks and proceded to slide down the rest of the mountain like skiers. Althouhg the sliding was pretty enjoyable we couldn´t help but be a little worried when we saw even the larger boulders were begining to slide with us.
After making it down the other side we crosses a large valley and forrest that lay between two mounains. The whole time we were secretly hoping to follow the valley back down, but no. We were greeted by yet another mountain which we once again went straight up one side with only shear rock to climb on, and straight back down the other. At the top of the mountain we saw the next refugio down below and thought that it wouldn´t be more than an hour or so to get to. About 3 hours later we came stumbling down over the loose rock that covered the entire path swating and the relentless flies that attacked and attacked the entire trek. Not to worry though as I (Rob) was able to take down quite a few (54 to be exact) in the process.
Are original plan had been to stay at the refugio for one night and hike to a campground the next day. However, after waking up and barely being able to move we decided to stay another night. All in all the experience was one that we will remember (for better or worse haha) for the rest of our lives, and we were rewarded that night (new years eve) with an amazing bbq at our hostel that we felt we had truly earned. Happy 2009!
Until next time,
Rob
Noodle
Stevo
First off pretend that it is still 2008 and we are just arriving in the beautiful lakeside city of Barriloche, Argentina. As we exited the bus, in which we had just spent the last 22 hours, we looked out over the clear blue water at the foot of giant snow capped mountains. After finding our hostel we set out to explore the city. The city itself has a very unique feel of an alpine village one might find in the heart of Europe, but yet it is still distinctly Argentine. In addition to the impressive architecture, mountains, and brandy toting St. Bernards, the city is also considered the chocolate capital of Argentina which we were able to sample a bit.
After getting situated with the city and our hostel we began to make plans about an expedition into the mountains we had viewed in awe when we first arrived. After visiting the national park office, we were given a map (which was primative to say the least) and advised on a route that would take us through the mountains and to 2 refugios (log structures with bedrooms, kitchens, etc. for hikers) located along the path. As we boarded the bus on the first day of our departure we were very excited about finally getting away from the city life and into nature.
Part 2
The Wind Blows and the Flies Bite
As the bus came to a stop we all filed out and looked around for a while for the trail marker. We met up with an English guy who had moved to Buenas Aires and was exploring the area as well. As we began our trek up the hill we we all in high spirits. It was a beautiful day, the sun was shining, the birds were singing, and a slight breeze was blowing, perfect for hiking. About 15 minutes in Steve stopped to pee and promptly set his pack down on a hidden ant hill. By the time I (Rob) noticed what was happening the ants had swarmed the pack and we had to beat them off for 5 minutes. Needless to say this was a great start to our trip.
As we continued up the mountain we remained in a pretty good mood, stopping every so often to take in the beautiful scenery. We had been told that the trek to the first refugio would take around 3 hours, so we had planned to do a few day hikes once we reached the top. However, to our surprise those 3 hours were spent more or less completely climbing straight up. When we finally reached the refugio at the top we were to exhausted to even think about ¨day hikes¨. As we looked for a good spot to set up the tent we noticed that much of the preexisting sites were surrounded by handbuilt rock walls to one side. We decided to use one of these but noticed that the tent was too tall for the wall and stuck over a couple feet. Thinking nothing of it we went on to cook dinner and take in the beatiful mounaintop lake we were beside.
That night we became very aware of the purpose of those rock walls as the mother of all windstorms came bearing down upon our hapless tent. As if the defening howl of the wind was not enough we soon began to fear that the entire tent would soon fly away, or at least the rain cover leaving us totally exposed to the savage wind. At one point the top of the tent was bent all the way down to where it almost touched our faces. The entire ordeal reminded me of a family camping trip in which a huge storm came just as my dad was cooking supper outside. As the wind shook the sides of the tent my little sister (no more than 4 or 5 at the time) kept screaming ¨the wind blows, The WIND BLOWS¨ thinking that our dad was going to be blown away as well. Recalling this memory would have been quite funny except for the fact that we were scared out of our minds.
The next day, with little more than a few hours of sleep, we headed out for the 8 hour trek to the next refugio. Looking at the map we saw that the trail appeared to run straight out of the back of the valley. We thought for sure this couldn´t be the case and there must some gradual path up. Of course we were wrong and the path did in fact go straight up the mountain. After scaling the valley with some difficulty we were delighted to see that yet another climb lay before us, this time over a snow covered path with slide marks where other trekers had slid back to the bottom. After finally reaching the top of this climb we were rewared with one of the most stunning pannoramic views any of us had ever seen.
After all this climbing now came the fun part (or so we thought) going back down the other side. Apperently the notion of gradual switchback descents are nonexistent in Argentina because the red dots marking the ¨path¨ led us straight down. After climbing over larger boulders we hit a bunch of small rocks and proceded to slide down the rest of the mountain like skiers. Althouhg the sliding was pretty enjoyable we couldn´t help but be a little worried when we saw even the larger boulders were begining to slide with us.
After making it down the other side we crosses a large valley and forrest that lay between two mounains. The whole time we were secretly hoping to follow the valley back down, but no. We were greeted by yet another mountain which we once again went straight up one side with only shear rock to climb on, and straight back down the other. At the top of the mountain we saw the next refugio down below and thought that it wouldn´t be more than an hour or so to get to. About 3 hours later we came stumbling down over the loose rock that covered the entire path swating and the relentless flies that attacked and attacked the entire trek. Not to worry though as I (Rob) was able to take down quite a few (54 to be exact) in the process.
Are original plan had been to stay at the refugio for one night and hike to a campground the next day. However, after waking up and barely being able to move we decided to stay another night. All in all the experience was one that we will remember (for better or worse haha) for the rest of our lives, and we were rewarded that night (new years eve) with an amazing bbq at our hostel that we felt we had truly earned. Happy 2009!
Until next time,
Rob
Noodle
Stevo
Friday, January 2, 2009
Christmas in Mendoza...
Well its been a while since our last written post so we are going to bring everyone up to speed... so when you are reading this blog act like Christmas has not happend...
We arrived in Mendoza, the wine capital of South America, around December 20 2008. The city is really beautiful and much smaller than BA. There are trenches that line the roads so that the Mountain water can come into the city. This allows for trees to grow in the city as well it is very cool how trees line every road in the city. Once we arrived to our hostel we met up with some friends from Chile, Kaitlyn and Brenna. Brenna is a friend from high school, and her and Kaitlyn are studying in Chile for a year.
As you may have already seen we then went Canopying. Canopying involves climbing to the top of a mountain, putting a harness, helmet, and gloves on, and then latching your harness on a steel cable which you then race uncontrollably down the cable to your next spot of where you go to another cable. It was very fun and our adrenaline was pumping the whole time. The view was amazing we were suspended above roaring rapids that swept into a crystal blue lake. I´ve never seen a lake that clear, it is made from melting ice from the mountain tops that rushes down the mountain.
We also went to the local zoo in Mendoza. They had to be the most depressed animals I have ever seen, sad to say. The elephant had no water, the lion had a 10x8x6 foot cage, the polar bear had water up to its ankle (it was 95 degrees this day), the Condor (which has a 9 foot wingspan) had a cage that was 6x10x8, etc. Have to say the zoo was a little disappointing.
Then we went on a winery tour. We went to a Choclate Liquor place, an olive oil factory, and two wineries. The Choclate Liquor place had one of a kind liquors such as bannana and dulce deleche, white choclate chip, and then a wine made from actual rose pedals. The wine factories and olive oil plant were fun too...
Christmas 2008!! Lets just say this was the weirdest Christmas ever. It was 90+ degrees, the sun was out until 9:30, we went to an Asado (BBQ) in the back of someone´s yard which looked like we were in the Amazon because of the trees, and then it started to rain. New for us all. We were told the rain would blow over, but once we were soaked from the storm the people told us maybe it would be good to go inside. This BBQ was really fun, though we did not have our families to celebrate with we had about 30 or our new friends to eat and fellowship with.
Now this was no ordinarry BBQ, it was $15 all you can eat (and all you can drink) with some of the best food imaginable. First off, there was a salad table, which we approached hesitantly at first due to our manly emphasis on the meat to come. But don´t worry moms, we did get our vegatables and were very glad we did, as the table held all kinds of delicious things ranging from carrot salad, to eggplant, 4 different slaws, potatoe salad, etc. But now to the main focus of the night, the meat. The first course was a plate of pork sausage and blood sausage, the first which we scarfed down with delight. The ¨blood¨sausage was a bit of a different story however and we were a bit hessitant to dive into it. Our English friend Stew loved it comparing it to ¨pudding¨ they had in England (a much different concept of pudding than in the states). The following courses consisted of beef chorizo, ribs, chicken, and more and more and more, all amazing. Due to the fact that all the stores would be closed the next day for Christmas we came up with the great idea to stuff as much meat as possible into a ziplock bag in Rob´s pocket. Each time they would bring out a new plate around half of it would go into the bag as we called out for another. By the end of the night the cargo pocket on my (Rob) left leg was so full that I had to limp around like the Hunchback of Notre Dame. Although it seemed like a good idea at the time, the next day we could not even think about eating any more meat and consequently that ziplock bag remains in the fridge to this day.
All in all it was a very eventfull Christmas, allbeit a somewhat strange one, with the only thing missing our families to share it with.
Until next time (which will probably be tonight because we still have some catching up to do)
Feliz Fiestas,
Rob
Stevo
Noodle
We arrived in Mendoza, the wine capital of South America, around December 20 2008. The city is really beautiful and much smaller than BA. There are trenches that line the roads so that the Mountain water can come into the city. This allows for trees to grow in the city as well it is very cool how trees line every road in the city. Once we arrived to our hostel we met up with some friends from Chile, Kaitlyn and Brenna. Brenna is a friend from high school, and her and Kaitlyn are studying in Chile for a year.
As you may have already seen we then went Canopying. Canopying involves climbing to the top of a mountain, putting a harness, helmet, and gloves on, and then latching your harness on a steel cable which you then race uncontrollably down the cable to your next spot of where you go to another cable. It was very fun and our adrenaline was pumping the whole time. The view was amazing we were suspended above roaring rapids that swept into a crystal blue lake. I´ve never seen a lake that clear, it is made from melting ice from the mountain tops that rushes down the mountain.
We also went to the local zoo in Mendoza. They had to be the most depressed animals I have ever seen, sad to say. The elephant had no water, the lion had a 10x8x6 foot cage, the polar bear had water up to its ankle (it was 95 degrees this day), the Condor (which has a 9 foot wingspan) had a cage that was 6x10x8, etc. Have to say the zoo was a little disappointing.
Then we went on a winery tour. We went to a Choclate Liquor place, an olive oil factory, and two wineries. The Choclate Liquor place had one of a kind liquors such as bannana and dulce deleche, white choclate chip, and then a wine made from actual rose pedals. The wine factories and olive oil plant were fun too...
Christmas 2008!! Lets just say this was the weirdest Christmas ever. It was 90+ degrees, the sun was out until 9:30, we went to an Asado (BBQ) in the back of someone´s yard which looked like we were in the Amazon because of the trees, and then it started to rain. New for us all. We were told the rain would blow over, but once we were soaked from the storm the people told us maybe it would be good to go inside. This BBQ was really fun, though we did not have our families to celebrate with we had about 30 or our new friends to eat and fellowship with.
Now this was no ordinarry BBQ, it was $15 all you can eat (and all you can drink) with some of the best food imaginable. First off, there was a salad table, which we approached hesitantly at first due to our manly emphasis on the meat to come. But don´t worry moms, we did get our vegatables and were very glad we did, as the table held all kinds of delicious things ranging from carrot salad, to eggplant, 4 different slaws, potatoe salad, etc. But now to the main focus of the night, the meat. The first course was a plate of pork sausage and blood sausage, the first which we scarfed down with delight. The ¨blood¨sausage was a bit of a different story however and we were a bit hessitant to dive into it. Our English friend Stew loved it comparing it to ¨pudding¨ they had in England (a much different concept of pudding than in the states). The following courses consisted of beef chorizo, ribs, chicken, and more and more and more, all amazing. Due to the fact that all the stores would be closed the next day for Christmas we came up with the great idea to stuff as much meat as possible into a ziplock bag in Rob´s pocket. Each time they would bring out a new plate around half of it would go into the bag as we called out for another. By the end of the night the cargo pocket on my (Rob) left leg was so full that I had to limp around like the Hunchback of Notre Dame. Although it seemed like a good idea at the time, the next day we could not even think about eating any more meat and consequently that ziplock bag remains in the fridge to this day.
All in all it was a very eventfull Christmas, allbeit a somewhat strange one, with the only thing missing our families to share it with.
Until next time (which will probably be tonight because we still have some catching up to do)
Feliz Fiestas,
Rob
Stevo
Noodle
Thursday, December 25, 2008
Monday, December 22, 2008
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