On Sunday night, the 19th of February, we return back to Santiago. The
ride with our new Chilean friends comes to an end, but a new adventure begins.
Sandy's sister, Kathy and her husband, Steve, fly down from Sacramento,
California to spend a little time in Chile. It is Kathy's first trip
outside the United States. She likes her comforts and is nervous about
visiting South America. We keep teasing her and tell her that it is time
to "Stretch her personal envelope". Peru and Ecuador may have shredded her
personal envelope, but Chile, being as mild as it is, is the perfect spot for an
introductory trip south of the equator.
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On Tuesday, Kathy and Steve gave us a great excuse to
revisit Valparaiso and Vina del Mar which we enjoyed so much in
December. It was also another reason to re-ride the Ascensor's of
Valparaiso.
Another "Envelop stretching" experience for Kathy.
How 2 sisters can have such different envelopes is amazing! |
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Neat old classic electric bus of Valparaiso. |
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The Ascensor's of Valparaiso have been operational since
the early 1900's, but Kathy is sure that they will fail on her ride up.
At first she was afraid to stand near the windows.
I hear faint ripping sounds as her personal envelop is "Stretching". |
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The mix of old and new, from the top of an Ascensor in
Valparaiso. |
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The 14 ascensors climb the hills of Valparaiso at angles
of 35 to 60 degrees. I assure Kathy that there are multiple backup
systems to the backup systems which make any "Free Fall" impossible.
(Yeh.... sure.....) |
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Lunch, in the seaside town of Concon, just north of Vina
del Mar. Steve is getting to be suspect that our "Tough" travels in
South America are a crock of you know what.
I try and tell him that the steak on the table is the first I have
seen this year.
I don't think he bought the story.
I tried to explain that we are on a tight budget which does not allow
these luxuries. |
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In order to replenish my budget for the day, we visit
the Casino in Vina del Mar, and earn enough to pay for the extravagant
lunch. Notice the odd shapes used for chips. |
| On Wednesday morning we walked around downtown Santiago.
I walk Steve and Kathy into the Ministry of Exterior, where we had
previously taken "Then and Now" photos from the roof top.
I was going to explain and show them how tough the security was in
this building.
The guard, Sergio, noticed us from our previous visit. He had
also seen his own picture on our web site.
He insisted that Steve and Kathy see the city of Santiago from the
roof top.
There goes my story of how tough it was to gain entry into the
Ministry! |
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| Although it was overcast, Santiago is still a beautiful
city......... Especially when viewed from a location that few get to
visit....
A very special treat was that Sergio took us to the helipad in the
Presidential elevator! |
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| After spending so much time in Santiago (during
November, December and February), it is starting to feel like home. It
will be tough to leave. |
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| Steve, Kathy and Sandy. I am very frustrated having
them join us for only 10 days. There is so much to see and so
little time.
I want them to enjoy their South American trip, and they get to see
so little.
It is also a real enlightenment on how fortunate Sandy and I
have been to spend so much time and see so much of South America.
And we are only scratching the surface of a fantastic continent!
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| For some more stretching of Kathy's personal envelop we
visit San Cristobal Park, in the center of Santiago. We ride the
Funicular and the Teleferico.
The Funicular is an ascensor and the Teleferico is a cable bucket
ride like the old skyway ride at Disneyland. |
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| View of Santiago, from the top of the ascensor.
Santiago is big.
You could aim the camera in five different directions and get the
same kind of picture. |
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| We end the day, on this "Tough and Tumble" trip in South
America, with dinner on a slowly rotating restaurant in downtown
Santiago. It is a sad night for Sandy and I as we know it will be our
last night in Santiago. |
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We will go back in a year or two...... We will miss the city and
our new friends of Santiago.
And a special "Thank You" to Jose..... You helped us in so many
ways.......... |
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So off to the Lake District, with Steve and Kathy in a
chase vehicle. We are not used to having the support of others while
on the road.........
(Notice volcano in background... Very common in the Lake District) |
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As it turned out, we needed the support. Somebody up
above was looking out for us.
We had a flat on the rear wheel.
The wheel should be tubeless, but we have cracked the rim, and now
must run a tube. |
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Total downtime was only 1 1/2 hours. I got bored, so I
unloaded the iPod and listened to Diana Krall.
It seemed as though they were back in 10 minutes.
We spent the night in Temuco at another PanAmerican hotel. |
| On Friday, the 24th of February, we finally arrive at
the northern edge of Chiles famous Lake District. When you have a
Chase Vehicle, you also have somebody to take your picture. |
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| More cute kids in South America! With
limited Spanish I was unable to get their mother out of the picture!
If you believe that, I have a bridge for sale in New York...... |
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| This is another "Tough and Tumble" day in South America.
We HAD to go for another boat ride to get another "Then and Now"
photo in Pucon, on the shores of Lake Villarrrica.
Hey.... Somebody has to do it! |
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| The jungles of Ecuador seem like they are a million
miles away.... It seems like it has been years since we were sweating
on desert shores in northern Peru....
Again, we are not taking a single day of this adventure for granted. |
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| Another view of the Volcano Villarrica from the Lake of
Villarrica. |
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| This is the view of Volcano Villarrica, from the end of
the dirt road which climbs it's side. |
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| Sandy and Kathy, with Lake Villarrica in the background.
The picture was taken from about 1/3 the way up Volcano Villarrica. |
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| Sandy, walking the streets of Villarrica, which is on
the shores of Lake Villarrica. And the Volcano of Villarrica always
looming in the background. |
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Time for one of the southern most "Then and Now's". The picture is from
the book called "Fireside Travels in South America", printed in 1948 by James
Fitzpatrick. The book I own is signed by the author, so it seems very
special for me to visit many of the places which James visited over 57 years
ago. I bet James had no idea that his photo would influence somebody to
take a boat ride 57 years in the future and try and take a picture from the same
location. Thank you Mr. James Fitzpatrick, as I will always be indebted to
you for the motivation to visit locations I would have never seen without
reading and being inspired by your great book of 1948.
The caption, from the book, for this picture reads.... "In the lovely Lake
District of Chile snow-capped Mount Villarrica forms a scenic background for the
Hotel Pucon, popular center for vacationists".
The caption is still appropriate. The hotel has changed some, but the
backdrop is as beautiful as the day James Fitzpatrick snapped his photograph.
| On Saturday, the 25th of February, we leave our cabin on
the shores of Villarrica and head for Puerto Montt. We could have
spent a week in Villarrica, but Steve and Kathy have only 5 more days in
Chile. |
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| About 11 months ago, we received a letter from a friend, Dr. Greg
Frazier.
He has circled the world more times than anybody else (five times, I
believe).
Dr. Greg Frazier knew how much I like Studebakers, and that we drive
an Avanti (see Avanti ).
The letter included many pictures he had taken while traveling
through South America, of a Studebaker Museum located 12 miles east of
Osorno, Chile.
Very cool to have a friend remember our personal interests and take
the time to send pictures, while traveling the world.
A sincerely thank you Greg.........
Greg... You cost me a "Studebaker T-Shirt from Osorno", that I can't
wait to wear to the next Studebaker meeting we attend when we return to
the States!
Sandy, waving "Thanks" to Dr. Greg Frazier. |
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| My father drove a 1957 Packard Clipper Station Wagon.
This is a very similar 1957 Studebaker Station Wagon.
Who would have thought that we would find something like this 6,500
miles from home. |
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| My father also drove a 1953 Studebaker like this one,
from Minnesota to Acapulco, when much of the driving was on dirt roads.
Hey.... Maybe I got a long distance and dirt road "gene" from my
father?
Our thoughts are frequently with you Dad! Hope all is well.... |
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| Sandy and Kathy's father had a Chevy similar to this one
in Chile. |
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| A beautiful yellow "Bullet Nose" Studebaker. |
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| Although it was in bad shape, there was something about
this rusting 1955 Oldsmobile that I really liked. |
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| Do you have any idea what it is, that I liked about it?
If I have new travel business cards made, I will use this as the
background! |
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We leave Osorno and head for Puerto Montt, which is the end of the
PanAmerican highway, unless you take a ferry to Chiloe Island.
| On the 26th of February, we looked out our 7th story
window in Puerto Montt and see this ship in the harbor. What was funny
about this is when we were in Santiago, Kathy ran into somebody from
Sacramento, that was on a 3 week trip in South America. She was on
a cruise on this ship.
Small world.... |
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| We drove about 30 miles southwest of Puerto Montt and
rode the ferry to Chiloe Island. We drove about 110 miles south to the
end of the PanAmerican Highway.
We got to check off another one of those "Do it before you die"
things!
Seems like we have been doing that a lot recently! |
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| Steve, Kathy and Sandy trying to stay warm on the
crossing to Chiloe...... |
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| Typical Chiloe Island construction....... |
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| Another angle..... Note the reflection.... |
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| We have now covered every mile of the PanAmerican
Highway (except the Columbian section). The plaque states that it is
22,000 Km (about 13,200 miles).
I think I am glowing! I am proud to have had a goal and to
have completed it. It is a good feeling. |
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As I sit typing this I actually have a tear in my eye.
After 15 years of collecting and reading books of others which have had
the good fortune to travel and write about their journey's of traveling
the PanAmerican Highway, I have finally completed the journey myself.
Makes you wonder how many people have actually traveled the road from
Alaska to the Southern end of Chiloe Island. I would think that
we have experienced something which fewer than 5,000 people have
experienced. If 50 people per year have done this for the last 100
years, that is only 5,000. people. For an old guy, I FEEL REAL
GOOD TODAY!
Sunday, the 26th of February, was a good day......... |
| Steve, Kathy and Sandy at the end of the road. |
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On Monday we drive around Puerto Montt, Lake Llanquihue
and Lake Todos los Santos. The picture and the overcast skies do not
do justice to the color of the waters in this river.
The color of the water was similar to Lake Louise, near Banff,
Canada. |
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We may have been to the end of the highway, but there
are many more places to visit.... Tomorrow we will take a boat west
bound on Lake Todos los Santos, to visit the village of Peulla, which
has a population of only 120 people. |
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Same sign post, with the lake in the background. It is
tough to decide which pictures to use....... |
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When we got back to Puerto Montt, we stopped to pick up
our laundry. Kathy wanted to know how they knew she was a Gringo?
Kathy.... the Chilean's have a finely tuned skill that allows them to
identify a persons origin, with a minimum of clues.........
And Kathy... I still have that bridge in New York for sale. |
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We spotted this bird on the drive to Lake Todos los
Santos. I am not a birder, and have no clue what it is........ |
| On Wednesday, the 28th of February, we travel about 30
miles into the Andes on a boat to the Village of Peulla. It is a very
remote area with no roads and few homes. |
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| As I sit here on Thursday (March 2), working on the web
site, Sandy really misses her sister (they flew home on Wednesday, the
1st of March). It was a nice break in a long journey. A welcome
break from the isolation one feels when gone from home for extended
periods.
Steve and Kathy, thank for you for the enjoyment you added to our
trip. You are missed. |
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| The boat ride has an "Alaskan" cruise feel to it.... |
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| A few boats along the shore line..... With cabins
hidden in the trees.... |
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| Waterfalls and azure colored waters....... |
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| Puerto Peulla, with Sandy, Kathy and Steve. We sure
hope you guys enjoyed the short time you spent here, as much as we
enjoyed having you travel with us.....
And Kathy.... Life is not bad with a few tears in the envelope....
Is it? |
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| Sandy, and a few of the homes in the small village of
Peulla. |
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| There are NO roads in this area, so people get in and
out of the area by stopping the boat for a ride back to Petrohue, where
we started the trip. The boat travels the lake once a day. |
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| After dropping somebody off on the boat, he heads back
to shore in a very remote area in the Lake District of Chile. |
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| This was a mail drop off only.......... No Fed-Ex or
DHL in this area...... |
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Steve and Kathy.... Thanks again for spending the time with us.
We enjoyed it, and you guys are sincerely missed.
Right after you left, we rode off and found some dirt roads and headed back
to Puerto Varas. Sorry that the weather was not the best during the last 4
days of you trip. This is what it was like, just as your plane departed.
Go figure! That is Volcano Osorno on the left, which you guys never got to
see.........
Hey... If you guys retired early you could return and see it yourself!
Think about it...
For "Chile 9" hit the Next button...
For "Chile 7", hit the "Back Button"...
   
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