After much hemming and hawing about going into the ¨wild,¨I seem to always manage to find some internet connection. I am in Quellon right now waiting for our ferry to Puerto Raul Marin. It was supposed to leave at 10, but now will not leave until 1 AM. We had to buy tons of food here so the extra time is a bit helpful, but after the stores close it will just mean lots of waiting.
There is limited internet access in the hamlet of Raul Marin (i think its about 50 households large), and none on Thomas´ land (a fishing boat or hour´s canoe ride from the town), so, as warning to you ardent followers, I think I will be out of touch for several weeks.
JS
Saturday, April 11, 2009
Friday, April 10, 2009
Travelogue: First WWOOF Experience
I met two other Americans who will be volunteering at the Dutchman's land here in Chile. Max and Matthew are both 25, from Boston, and have already stayed at two other WWOOF farms during the past several weeks. Their current location is conveniently located 45 minutes from Puerto Montt and I spent a night out there a few days ago to get out of the city.
The farm they are staying on grows all sorts of vegetables and has bees and goats as well. The property has several homes--one for the owner, one for his parents, one for his sister, and one, the former main house, is dedicated to the volunteers. The land is close to the sea and is best described as "cold jungle." It is very wet and green with small family farms hidden amongst low rolling hills and babbling brooks. Nearby is a pristing lake, and the views of surrounding mountains are epic. Edible berries such as blackberries and murta grow wild and plentiful.
During Summer there may be more than ten volunteers, staying in the house and camping outside. For the past couple weeks it has only been Max and Matthew. The house includes three small bedrooms and a bathroom upstairs, a small kitchen, and an amazing, spacious, add-on living room with a large skylight and a tree in the middle. This last room is where we slept--on mattresses on the floor--and where the guys, understandably, spent most of their time. It has electricity and running water, but only a few light bulbs work so candles are key. A treasure trove of old junk, the house is filled with books, maps, guitars, clothes, old leather suitcases, and spiderwebs.
The guys had previously stayed at a farm with strict working schedules and family meals, but here they are largely left to themselves. They are free to use vegetables and food from the land, but have to supply their own staples such as rice and flour, as well as gas for the camping stove in the house. The work schedule is loose: Mattias, the owner, comes down to their house every few days and asks for help with various tasks such as picking vegetables, erecting or fixing mobile greenhouses, and working on the construction of a new beehouse.
My brief stay at the farm was amazing, especially after too many days cooped up in the gray, dirty confines of the city. We arrived at night and walked up the road to the farm in the dark, hopping over puddles and streams. The smell of damp earth, wood fires, and cold clean air was refreshing.
That evening we ate some fresh vegetable soup by candlelight and listened to the soundtrack of From Dusk til Dawn, found amongst the rubble. I caught a few hours asleep amidst the sounds of some animals in the walls and on the roof.
In the morning Matt convinced me to take a morning swim in the nearby lake. That morning I saw clear blue sky and sun for the first time since arriving in the South, and it was an amazing sight. The lake itself was fit for a dream the water was so glassy. The water was utterly icy, but afterwards, standing alone in the morning sun in complete quiet, I had one of those "wow" moments for which I have been searching.
We picked a shirtload of murta berries on the way home--the guys wanted to make jam for our trip. Before leaving, I paid my dues by helping to erect a mobile greenhouse. After four months without any sort of gainful employment, it felt great to get my hands (very) dirty and get something done. The trip out to the farm was extremely rejuvenating after so many cities, and I think it is a good omen for the trip ahead.
Thursday, April 9, 2009
Travelogue: Southern Chile
From Santiago I traveled by night bus to Puerto Varas (13 hours) and was greeted by gray skies and a steady drizzle. Thankfully I had heeded the advice of my friends in Santiago--most were aghast that I was traveling South at the front end of a notoriously wet time of year-- and beefed up my gear to include waterproof coverings for my backpack and me.
This part of the world reminds me of Siberia. Colorful wooden houses, weather that changes from gray to bright blue in an instant, and people whose existence in a relatively remote place has blessed them with the peculiar combination of warmth and gritty toughness. Puerto Varas has beautiful views of lakes and towering snow-capped volcanos, none of which I really saw given the weather. I did have a TV there and was amazed and happy to find the Final Four games being broadcast. Puerto Montt, where I have spent the past several nights, is 20 minutes away and is a grittier, more industrial sea port.
I hoofed it down South from Santiago in order to meet up with Thomas, the Dutchman whose land I am going to live on for the next several weeks. I then left more-charming Puerto Varas for Puerto Montt, also to meet Thomas, who again arrived a day after originally planned. Puerto Montt is crummy enough that all guidebooks suggest skipping it entirely. Nevertheless, our next bus departs from here and I had to meet Thomas. It has not been all bad, though, as Puerto Montt is a bit cheaper than Puerto Varas. Also, I have had a chance to slowly observe life in Southern Chile, prepare more thoroughly for my trip into the wild, and experience a new type of accomodation: hospedajes.
Hospedajes are local homes converted, partially, into guesthouses. The family lives in the house and rents out rooms, going about daily life as usual. There is usually a "senora" or "duena de casa" that acts as manager, receptionist, cook, and all-around house mother--I have only been in a few, but have yet to see one run by a man. To my delight I have found that common practice is to charge per person, regardless of the number of occupants. Consequently, as a single traveler, I can get my own room with two beds and only pay for one bed--generally between $7-$10 per night around here. Some have TVs, almost all offer shared bathrooms. If you want a hot shower, you have to turn on the water heater or ask to have it turned on. The guests are a diverse bunch--some are travelers like me, some are Chileans passing through, and some are students or workers living for extended periods of time. The extended stayers are on the basis of "pension," meaning they pay per month for lodging and meals. I use the kitchens and there have been able to chat and interact with the family. At my current lodging, in Puerto Montt, I have been fortunate enough to share some wonderful meals with Dona Leticia and her daughter Karina. I have cooked a few things to share with them in return, and today had a wood chopping lesson with the great-uncle of the family so that I could contribute to the wood pile for the stove.
In other big news, I finally met the Dutchman, Thomas. Long hair and long beard, he looks like Rob Zombie, but not nearly as menacing. He is incredibly interesting and I have only begun to scratch the surface in terms of getting to know him. He bought land in Patagonia 15 years ago and has been spending several months per year here ever since. He and I have been spending the past couple days provisioning for the trip, as his place is far removed from any developed town. We have to stock up on food, tools, and various odds and ends. For example, he walked into a hardware store and ordered 36 square meters of plastic for a greenhouse and hundreds of feet of nylon cord. In another, liters of caustic acid for making soap from fat, hooks for fishing, and replacement cleats for his catamaran. Foodstuffs include kilos of flour, oats, rice, beans, sugar, and butter--a complete list would be exhausting, but we are bringing a lot. Fish, mussels, and crabs are plentiful at Thomas' land, and he has a greenhouse with some vegetables, but it sounds like at this point a large amount of his food is provisioned ahead of time.
Our journey on Saturday will begin with a six hour bus to the town of Quellon, on the Southern tip of the island of Chiloe. From there we will board an overnight ferry to tiny Puerto Raul Marin, and from there we will hop on with a local fisherman to Thomas' estuary. My plans for the next several months will depend very much on the nature of this upcoming challenge. As such, I am thrilled that I will soon get to see this place for myself.
Saturday, April 4, 2009
Dilemmas: Canine family planning
Spending time abroad you become acutely aware of cultural differences between your home country and the ones you visit. Language, money, food, social customs, clothing, cars--the substantial and trivial alike begin to stand out. Of late, I have found myself hyper-aware of a phenomenon that is strikingly foreign: Dogs with balls.
Testicles, that is. The fact that they are swinging around everywhere, for all to see, is shocking to a guy who grew up in Bob Barker's world and never really thought to ask why his dog had one part but not the other(s). I know little to nothing about canine anatomy, but field research has taught me that the dog's testicles tend to be disproportionately large and prominently featured. Call me weird, but, for someone with nothing to do but explore and observe, its hard to miss a dachsund with avocados dangling between his hind legs.
Generally cause for a gasp and a juvenile snicker, there is a sad side to the free-ball regime. "Raining cats and dogs" is not an idiomatic expression in Central and South America. Many balls means many dogs that belong to nobody and everybody. Plentiful as Hollywood zombies, they scatter fleas, disease, and garbage about the streets. Also detrimental to public health is the noise pollution generated by frequent pack fights and chases.
I have never seen so many dogs sleeping--all day and all over. They lie down in sun and in shade. On streets, in gutters, inside stores and out, they conserve what is sure to be precious little energy by lying for hours at a time. Some are lucky enough to find "mattresses" of cardboard to keep off cold, wet cement. In this mode, they do not get up for anybody or anything. The females seem most exhausted, having been suckled ragged by litter after litter of pups.
When they are awake, they are incredibly attentive, frisking any passersby for possible nourishment. They are generally too tired to be mean, but I have been growled at by tiny lap dogs and attribute their misguided anger to hunger. In Puerto Varas, in Southern Chile, a too-thin Husky followed me around for 30 minutes one morning while I checked out hostels. He trotted patiently at my side, occasionally sniffing and hoping that I might have a morsel tucked away somewhere in my bags. Later that day I found two dogs knocking over a trash can and searching it voraciously. The larger of the two ultimately found a promising bag in the mess and carried it away in his teeth.
Obviously these countries--I have noticed said phenomenon in parts of Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Argentina, Ecuador, and Chile, as well as in Asia and some European cities--are taking public policy one step at a time and may have larger issues to address. Nevertheless, balls, when it comes to urban-canine best practices, seem to be a bad thing. While it might be tempting to romanticize the notion of letting an animal stay "whole," the observed negative consequences of letting nature take its course in this case far outweigh any potential gains.
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Monday, March 30, 2009
It's not a Mexican vacation until you get robbed by the Police
On our first night in Cancun, Jamie and I were amped up to go out. We had been traveling for 19 hours that day and had spent the previous several days in dirty, chaotic, stressful places. We showered, drank a bottle of cheap cane liquor, grabbed a couple of "road sodas" and then went out to the street to catch a bus to the hotel zone.
I knew we were not supposed to drink on the streets, but it was past midnight, not many people were out, and I did not think it would be a problem. To be safe, we wrapped them up in paper. Sure enough, a pick-up full of cops pulls up to the corner where we were standing and, despite our best attempts to play it cool, they were on to us like sharks to blood.
Three of them jumped out, each holding a machine gun, and told us it was against the law to drink in public. At first, I tried to say we had just arrived, grabbed a couple of beers, and were heading right back to the hostel. My attitude said "No problem amigo." Did not fly.
They told us we were going with them, so we hopped in the back of the truck. As we drove off, uncertain of where we were going, I sternly interrupted the mumbling officers to remind them that I spoke Spanish and understood every word, lest they do too much colluding in front of us. Not wanting to beat around the bush, I asked the officers what we could do to avoid going to the station. They chatted between themselves and replied that the fine would be $150 USD each. Aghast, I told them, truthfully, that we did not have that kind of money on us, to which they replied that we would have to go to the station and spend 36 hours in jail.
They drove us to a dark dead-end street and shut off the truck. At this point I started to get nervous/frightened, because they did not seem willing to budge and I was not willing to give up $150 so easily. Jamie and I openly discussed our options in English: He though we should demand to speak to someone from the consulate. I was certain that would not fly with these guys, and wondered if we should try and call their bluff about going to the station. I was, however, doubtful of our prospects for staying whole in prison if it should come to that. As I became more certain we would have to pony up, Jamie kept a cool head and decided we should just keep talking with them.
We decided to play up the fact that Jamie had lost his debit card (true) and was waiting for a new one in Cancun. The story somehow took on a life of its own and soon we were saying that we had both lost our cards, were living on our last few pesos and waiting for replacements. For a while, they did not want to accept this and said we would have to take our chances at the station, where, they made clear, things would be much more difficult.
I played dumb and willing, but unable, to help. Jamie said we should offer them the 2 beers we had left and a bag of chips. Embarassed at such a silly idea but willing to try it, I relayed this offer, adding that we could all go out for some beers like friends. They did not jump at the suggestion but did not scoff either, and the mood loosened up a bit. Ultimately, I said I would give them every last peso in my pockets, which came to around $10 USD, but that we could not offer anything else. They finally accepted, to my extreme relief. Once we had agreed, they frisked us both, obviously checking for more money. One officer found my wallet but did not notice my credit card.
True to my word, I gave them every last coin in my pockets, and Jamie threw in a few Jalapeno chips for good measure. They became friendly and smiling, and one officer even put his hand on my shoulder and told me how to get back to the our hostel. My elation at getting off so easy far outweighed the anger and frustration at having been outright robbed at gunpoint.
Our story is amazingly common. The very next night a friend of ours lost almost $40 to the police after they caught him peeing behind a tree. Another traveler reported that a friend of his was held at gunpoint until he agreed to go to an ATM for hundreds of dollars. I will concede that these situations usually are borne out of dumb decisions by travelers. Nevertheless, the impunity with which these armed robbers operate is truly unsettling and has no place in such a great country. Afterwards, I found myself worried about jaywalking, not wanting to give the swarming patrols any further excuse.
Despite the fact that, as many will point out, a public drinking ticket in the US would probably be more expensive, I'll take the rule of law any day.
I knew we were not supposed to drink on the streets, but it was past midnight, not many people were out, and I did not think it would be a problem. To be safe, we wrapped them up in paper. Sure enough, a pick-up full of cops pulls up to the corner where we were standing and, despite our best attempts to play it cool, they were on to us like sharks to blood.
Three of them jumped out, each holding a machine gun, and told us it was against the law to drink in public. At first, I tried to say we had just arrived, grabbed a couple of beers, and were heading right back to the hostel. My attitude said "No problem amigo." Did not fly.
They told us we were going with them, so we hopped in the back of the truck. As we drove off, uncertain of where we were going, I sternly interrupted the mumbling officers to remind them that I spoke Spanish and understood every word, lest they do too much colluding in front of us. Not wanting to beat around the bush, I asked the officers what we could do to avoid going to the station. They chatted between themselves and replied that the fine would be $150 USD each. Aghast, I told them, truthfully, that we did not have that kind of money on us, to which they replied that we would have to go to the station and spend 36 hours in jail.
They drove us to a dark dead-end street and shut off the truck. At this point I started to get nervous/frightened, because they did not seem willing to budge and I was not willing to give up $150 so easily. Jamie and I openly discussed our options in English: He though we should demand to speak to someone from the consulate. I was certain that would not fly with these guys, and wondered if we should try and call their bluff about going to the station. I was, however, doubtful of our prospects for staying whole in prison if it should come to that. As I became more certain we would have to pony up, Jamie kept a cool head and decided we should just keep talking with them.
We decided to play up the fact that Jamie had lost his debit card (true) and was waiting for a new one in Cancun. The story somehow took on a life of its own and soon we were saying that we had both lost our cards, were living on our last few pesos and waiting for replacements. For a while, they did not want to accept this and said we would have to take our chances at the station, where, they made clear, things would be much more difficult.
I played dumb and willing, but unable, to help. Jamie said we should offer them the 2 beers we had left and a bag of chips. Embarassed at such a silly idea but willing to try it, I relayed this offer, adding that we could all go out for some beers like friends. They did not jump at the suggestion but did not scoff either, and the mood loosened up a bit. Ultimately, I said I would give them every last peso in my pockets, which came to around $10 USD, but that we could not offer anything else. They finally accepted, to my extreme relief. Once we had agreed, they frisked us both, obviously checking for more money. One officer found my wallet but did not notice my credit card.
True to my word, I gave them every last coin in my pockets, and Jamie threw in a few Jalapeno chips for good measure. They became friendly and smiling, and one officer even put his hand on my shoulder and told me how to get back to the our hostel. My elation at getting off so easy far outweighed the anger and frustration at having been outright robbed at gunpoint.
Our story is amazingly common. The very next night a friend of ours lost almost $40 to the police after they caught him peeing behind a tree. Another traveler reported that a friend of his was held at gunpoint until he agreed to go to an ATM for hundreds of dollars. I will concede that these situations usually are borne out of dumb decisions by travelers. Nevertheless, the impunity with which these armed robbers operate is truly unsettling and has no place in such a great country. Afterwards, I found myself worried about jaywalking, not wanting to give the swarming patrols any further excuse.
Despite the fact that, as many will point out, a public drinking ticket in the US would probably be more expensive, I'll take the rule of law any day.
Travelogue: Next Steps
Tommorrow I will fly to Santiago, Chile, spend a couple days there, and then head to the far South to volunteer on a "farm" in Patagonia. I signed up for an organization called "WWOOF" (Willing Workers on Organic Farms, google it) and found the listing below. Sounds amazing, and my hope, pending confirmation that Thomas is not insane, is to spend 6-8 weeks there before exploring more of South America. I think it will be an amazing opportunity to see a beautiful part of the world up close, to get my hands dirty, learn some new skills, and, importantly, live for a time without spending money.
Apologies for the late notice, but due to the enigmatic scheduling and pricing of flights, I will be spending 7 hours in Miami tomorrow. If anyone is dying to see me, we can meet on South Beach for a mojito.
See below for a more thorough explanation of what the heck is going on in Chile. After reading you will know as much as I do.
-------
My name is Thomas, I am from Holland , I travelled around the world several times and came across this natural paradise in Patagonia , Chile. I fell in love with the valley , the waterfalls , the untouched jungle (Cold Jungle) I am active and enterprising , I need help building log cabins , perfecting my dams, turbines and windgenerators to make electricity. I also bought materials to build a katamaran and heaps of tools for all kinds of mad scientist projects. I own this beach right on the estuary. Plenty of fishing seafood , swimming kayaking and more. Dolphins and curious sealions often come spy on us strange human beings . I heard a ferocious roar of a puma (american lyon) a while ago. All I need is a few helping hands as the challenges of survival in pure unadulterated nature are many . Lodging in tent, meals rich in fishs. Come see . Adelante. Bienvenidos! But I need wwoofers remain 3 weeks or more.
Total freedom to choose from...to participate in whatever projects you enjoy :
1) exploring & clearing the jungle ( small scale ) using machetes
2) making a path to the lake ( 6 kms )
3 building a bridge over the stream/small river involving some cement work
4) farming and 2 greenhouses .
5) making repairs .......tents or structure or broken tools
6) some work involving chainsaws
7) setting up tents and alternative accommodations
8) building log cabins
9) cutting, drying and storing firewood ( using only dead trees )
10) cooking with woodstove , baking whole wheat bread or raisin bread
11) installing copper tubes into firewood systems in order to make hot water for
boiling baths and hot showers ( involves bending and soldering copper tubes )
12) washing your own dishes and /or taking turns ......I am not the maid
13) fishing witha net and collecting buckets of seafood ( mussels ) for meals
14) Smoking and preserving seafood which I give to friends , no charge .
15) Sailing a catamaran to go into town for shopping and picking up volunteers
16) Enlarging present DAM/reservoir to store 20 times more water
( Water is delicious and safe and used for drinking , cooking and generating electricity )
17) Some small scale electric projects ( mostly lighting and music )
18) taking care of livestock ( limited to 3 goats at present ) the challenge here is to keep them safe from PUMA
19) Learning , participating and actually helping in various projects .
20) Taking photos of projects and activities ...in order to improve my very amateur
internet site and helping me prepare the way for ADVENTURE TOURISM
some time in the future
Apologies for the late notice, but due to the enigmatic scheduling and pricing of flights, I will be spending 7 hours in Miami tomorrow. If anyone is dying to see me, we can meet on South Beach for a mojito.
See below for a more thorough explanation of what the heck is going on in Chile. After reading you will know as much as I do.
-------
My name is Thomas, I am from Holland , I travelled around the world several times and came across this natural paradise in Patagonia , Chile. I fell in love with the valley , the waterfalls , the untouched jungle (Cold Jungle) I am active and enterprising , I need help building log cabins , perfecting my dams, turbines and windgenerators to make electricity. I also bought materials to build a katamaran and heaps of tools for all kinds of mad scientist projects. I own this beach right on the estuary. Plenty of fishing seafood , swimming kayaking and more. Dolphins and curious sealions often come spy on us strange human beings . I heard a ferocious roar of a puma (american lyon) a while ago. All I need is a few helping hands as the challenges of survival in pure unadulterated nature are many . Lodging in tent, meals rich in fishs. Come see . Adelante. Bienvenidos! But I need wwoofers remain 3 weeks or more.
Total freedom to choose from...to participate in whatever projects you enjoy :
1) exploring & clearing the jungle ( small scale ) using machetes
2) making a path to the lake ( 6 kms )
3 building a bridge over the stream/small river involving some cement work
4) farming and 2 greenhouses .
5) making repairs .......tents or structure or broken tools
6) some work involving chainsaws
7) setting up tents and alternative accommodations
8) building log cabins
9) cutting, drying and storing firewood ( using only dead trees )
10) cooking with woodstove , baking whole wheat bread or raisin bread
11) installing copper tubes into firewood systems in order to make hot water for
boiling baths and hot showers ( involves bending and soldering copper tubes )
12) washing your own dishes and /or taking turns ......I am not the maid
13) fishing witha net and collecting buckets of seafood ( mussels ) for meals
14) Smoking and preserving seafood which I give to friends , no charge .
15) Sailing a catamaran to go into town for shopping and picking up volunteers
16) Enlarging present DAM/reservoir to store 20 times more water
( Water is delicious and safe and used for drinking , cooking and generating electricity )
17) Some small scale electric projects ( mostly lighting and music )
18) taking care of livestock ( limited to 3 goats at present ) the challenge here is to keep them safe from PUMA
19) Learning , participating and actually helping in various projects .
20) Taking photos of projects and activities ...in order to improve my very amateur
internet site and helping me prepare the way for ADVENTURE TOURISM
some time in the future
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
