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To Chile, Argentina and Back Again - The Trip of a Lifetime

By : Jesson Burnam
Trip Begins March 25, 2010
Trip Ends April 3, 2010

I’ve spent years pouring through my share of Outside Magazines and National Geographics; watched hours of Discovery Channel Programs and marveled at the beauty of nature; heard the tales of many of my well-travelled friends as they detailed their harrowing and exciting adventures. But with all of this, at 30 years old, I had never been outside of the United States. Yes, you heard that right. While I would have given my left arm to be able to say I was an adventurer, the most I had ventured from home was across the U.S. At least that was the case a year ago, when (for my 30th birthday) my boyfriend Jay surprised me with the trip of a lifetime – halfway around the world in South America. He had heard about Adventure Life through a few friends (and a few reads of Outside Magazine himself) and booked the trip without my knowing. Flash forward to March 2010 when, after months of planning, Jay and I board a flight bound for Santiago with an itinerary set to take us to the end of the world and back – and offer us experiences we wouldn’t soon forget. I had no idea what was in store but was soon to find out…
See my photos : To Chile, Argentina and Back Again - The Trip of a Lifetime

Want to go? Patagonia Wildlife Safari

I went to: Chile, Santiago, Puerto Natales, Torres del Paine, Las Torres EcoCamp, Argentina, El Calafate, Hosteria la Estepa, Patagonia, Punta Arenas, Magdalena Island
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March 25, 2010
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And We're Off!

Santiago, Chile

We set out from Philadelphia, PA and landed on solid ground the following morning (and on my first piece of foreign soil!) at 6 AM Santiago time. The sun had just come up and as we headed off the tarmac, it was already evident we were in for a treat. The views (even from the airport) were breathtaking! Jay and I headed off in search of our Adventure Life guide Eugene - our driver, aficionado of all things Santiago, and soon-to-be friend. We found him waiting eagerly, sign in hand, chomping at the bit to take us on a tour of the city. But we were so exhausted that we headed right to the Bonaparte Hotel – a modern, yet homey hotel smack dab in the center of the charming neighborhood of Providencia to get some much needed r & r. After a bit, it was time to set out on the town for our first foray into the city of Santiago. We first headed into Bellavista – a hip neighborhood just a 20 minute walk from our hotel – and enjoyed our first Pisco Sour al fresco! After tasting this traditional South American drink made of brandy, lime juice and yes, a little egg white (trust us it’s delicious!), we understood why everyone was raving about this drink. It was just the thing to cool us down after a hot (if enjoyable) walk around the city. There were so many sights and sounds to take in, it was tough to know where to look next. But we found Cerro San Cristobal – an enormous “hill” located in the heart of Santiago, and took the funicular (cable car) up to the top to enjoy a stunning view of the city with full sun overhead. It began to dawn on us how really small we were. After a day of city exploration, and seriously aching feet, we headed back to our hotel to freshen up and enjoy a coffee on the outside terrace. Dinner that night was six blocks away at a charming outside restaurant called La Guria in Providencia. We heard a lot of good things about this place and they were all true. We enjoyed our dinner outside on a small terrace and a “muy delicioso” bottle of wine and head to bed to rest up for our next big adventure.

March 26, 2010
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Wine, Dancing and Legends - All In One Day!

Santiago, Chile

The day began bright and early as we met Eugene at nine in the morning, to drive us out of the city for a wine tour at Concha Y Torro (which means – shell and bull). Maria, our guide at the vineyard, told us everything we needed to know (and more!) about how they make their wines, and even hinted at a private underground cellar containing the rarest wines which we couldn’t see due to earthquake damage. We decided it might have been a good thing because legend has it that a devil lives in the cellar – a story known as the “Casillero del Diable Legend”. It seems the original owner of the vineyard made up the tale to keep people away from his precious and rarest wines. Regardless, we didn’t want to take the risk! After the tour and a variety of unbelievable wines, we headed off to lunch at a classic roadside Chilean restaurant. Lunch was simple but one of the best we have ever tasted - two steaks grilled on an open flame by an asador, two beers and a traditional gaucho dance called the chicken and the hen. And to think this was something the locals got to experience every day. Perfection! Perez Cruz vineyard was next, a very rustic and charming, off the beaten path vineyard with incredible modern architecture. Out of all of the vineyards we visited, this was the youngest. We got a kick out of the modern “wine lab”, where “wine scientists” were busy creating the latest, most innovative Perez Cruz blends. We decided that must be a pretty nice job to have! One of the most surprising things from our trip was that every wine we tasted had such a full-bodied flavor – surprising to us given the arid soil and climate. After more amazing wines and a few more tall tales and legends, we headed back to the hotel after another long but incredible day and (unbeknownst to me!) a postcard was dropped in the mail by my then-boyfriend (now fiancé!) written to his future wife! We headed off to late dinner at Del Cocinero in Providencia and although I’m still stuffed from dinner the evening before, I have to order a full plate!

March 27, 2010
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Exploring Valparaiso...AND Learning The Subway System

Santiago, Chile

With Jay at the helm, we conquered the Santiago subway system and boarded a bus headed for Valparaiso – a quaint port town and home of the late artist Pablo Neruda. After a daylong excursion in Valparaiso and a ton of walking, we headed back to Santiago to enjoy our last dinner in the city in a famous rotating restaurant called Giratorio. Foreshadowing began when the waiter asked, “Estas matrimonio?” Another beautiful night in the bustling city before we’re off to the wilds of Patagonia…

March 28, 2010
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The Patagonian Wilderness Awaits

Puerto Natales, Chile

We had to take several flights to take us to our next destination of Torres Del Paine – it’s that remote – and flew from Santiago to Puerto Mont, then finally to Punta Arenas. Though the flights were many they flew by – we were beyond excited to see our next destination. Once our last plane landed, we met up with the group we’d be with for the duration of our trip, and headed to an incredible authentic local lunch at a tiny family owned restaurant called El Morro Del Tehuelche. It was our first chance to bond and break bread with our fellow travellers: a young, just-married couple; a hilarious and well-travelled Australian duo; and a family of five (!) hailing from our very own neck of the woods - Philadelphia. What a small world! Frequently throughout the trip, Jay and I would marvel at the guts it would take for these parents to take such young children off to the wilds of Patagonia – but the beauty was never lost on them. After a lunch of traditional Patagonian fish stew, and generous hospitality, we climbed back on the bus for to ride to Puerto Natales to check-in at Cascadia Expeditions. After a brief look around the town, we were off again – this time to the Cueva de Milodon – a massive, ancient cave that once housed a prehistoric giant, sloth like creature called Milodon. On the way back we spotted a rock face called Diablo’s (or devil’s) chair. Then we were off again to reach out ultimate destination - Torres Del Paine National Park. Nothing could have prepared us for the silencing beauty we were about to witness for days straight. On our way there, our driver pulled over so we could all get out and enjoy a majestic sunset that was just beginning. With the Paine Grande mountain range and los Torres as the backdrop, it was such a beautiful sight that Jay and I cried. After a long but breathtaking trip full of so many new sights and sounds, we entered the park at dusk and took a rocky, narrow road through a dark and wild park. Jay and I couldn’t believe some of the roads these drivers could navigate, and they looked so comfortable doing it! At one point, there was a bridge we had to cross that was so narrow, we all had to be silent so the driver could concentrate and he even had to move his mirrors in, to miss the sides of the bridge by an inch! We all clapped when we made it safely onto the other side. After about an hour, we arrived at Eco Camp, a welcome sight. We were immediately greeted by our friendly welcome party, checked right in to suite dome #6 (the last one facing north) and noticed that a welcome fire was already lit in the wood burning stove - a cozy sight. The dome was beyond our wildest dreams – wood floors, a comfy king-sized bed, floor to ceiling windows, a spacious bathroom – all the comforts of home with none of the environmental impact. After settling in, we headed back to the main dome where we were to have all our meals throughout the duration of our visit. It was here we met our guide Manuel and got a briefing on the next day’s hike to Lago Grey while sipping pre-dinner pisco sours. A delicious steamed salmon for dinner awaited, wine…plus good conversation with new friends. We agreed right then and there that life just doesn’t get much better.

March 29, 2010
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Happily Ever After

Las Torres EcoCamp, Torres del Paine

After a good night’s sleep and hearty breakfast of eggs, cereal and tea, we packed our own bag lunches with all of the Chilean basics (cheese, avocado, tomatoes, salmon) and headed out on our first trek to Lago Grey (Grey Lake). On the way, we stopped at Salto Grande and spotted a waterfall. As we approached we saw a rainbow right over the falls! On to Lago Grey, but before we headed onto the boat to reach the massive glacier we stopped at a local hotel to hit the bathrooms, and spotted two gray fox cubs playing just ten feet away. They barely knew we were there and Jay caught them in a picture mid-air! While we were still in shock with how close they were, we heard a deep rumbling and all of a sudden, a huge chunk of glacier fell off an iceberg! Everywhere we turned it seemed, was an incredible act of nature to be witnessed. Once on the lake, it was amazing to see just how grey it really was from all of the rock sediment. The glacier was massive, beautiful and majestic and as we approached, we were served pisco sours on the deck with glacier ice!! Jay toasted Glacier Grey, and I don’t think I’ve ever seen him so happy. On the drive home we saw another amazing sunset AND a full moon. Jay would tell me later that was when he knew he would propose that night. The usual inky blackness of the Patagonian night was so lit up by the moon, we could have literally hiked in the darkness. Dinner was beef and potatoes – a welcome meal after such a long day and then we headed back to our cozy hut. Once inside, we sat in our chairs by the fire looking at the Torres Del Paine through our floor to ceiling window. After a bit, Jay asked me to come outside with him to see the full moon again before we went to bed at about 11:30. I was getting cold quickly and turned to go inside, but felt a tug on my arm, turned to face Jay, and found him down on one knee, proposing. I will never forget the awe I felt as I said yes to marrying him under the Patagonian stars at the base of the Torres Del Paine range. We went to bed with the fire burning low, ready to start the rest of our lives together.

March 30, 2010
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Celebrations and...Slovenian Bachelor Parties?

Las Torres EcoCamp, Torres del Paine

We headed off to breakfast bright and early to tell our newfound friends the big news and received a round of applause from the whole camp! Then, it was time to get down to business. We had a VERY full day ahead with our “Towers trek” – a difficult trek to the base of the gigantic spires of El Paine (8 hours roundtrip!) to see three granite monoliths reaching 9,400 feet, up close. The ascent was incredibly steep but we still took in the startling views: valleys, camps, rivers, bridges, forests and moraine. The temperature must have changed twenty times! We made it in four hours - which apparently was good time, and after a rejuvenating lunch at the top of our hike, we had to head back quickly since the descent was steep and Manuel knew it would take us much longer. Jay’s knees were bothering him so he walked backwards almost the whole way!! When we finally made it back from our hike, I had never been so happy to be back on level ground. The hike gave me a new respect for our guide, and for the many people who trek through Patagonia on a regular basis. It’s a truly unforgiving wilderness, and I felt honored to be in such distinguished company as Manuel and his friends who we met along the way. We finally took a load off (my feet have NEVER hurt so badly) but it’s was a good hurt, as we reveled in the success of our challenging climb. At dinner that night, we met a new family to join our crew – this one from Seattle – right around the corner from where my brother lives! We really celebrated our hike with our fellow travelers that night, since it’s safe to say it was the toughest, but most liberating hike we’re ever taken. For some of our newfound friends, it was their last night in the eco camp, so we all stayed up late drinking wine, talking about our different cultures, customs and marriage traditions. We heard some interesting stories about Slovenian bachelor parties, where the soon-to-be groom must drag a life-sized cross from bar to bar, all while wearing a dress!

March 31, 2010
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Say Hello To Aching Feet And Beauty

Las Torres EcoCamp, Torres del Paine

After a solid (and much needed) night of sleep, we headed off to the French Valley – named for the hikers who discovered it - for our last official trek in Patagonia. On our way, we saw a huge pack of guanacos, which look a little like llamas and are everywhere across the countryside. I had to be convinced to go since I was so sore from our hike the day before. We stopped at Salto Grande for another view from the top and take a boat to Lago Pehoe – a breathtaking blue-green lake. The boat served hot chocolate for the passage, which only took about 30 minutes or so. Again, amazing hospitality! We geared up and headed off (with a little grumbling from me because my feet were still sore) but much to our pleasant surprise it was a much easier and still beautiful vista hike. We made it to Campo Italiano and enjoyed lunch sitting on the rocks on the river. As we were eating, an avalanche happened right before our eyes. We heard the low rumbling we were starting to get accustomed to, and just saw the snow drifting down afterwards. As we started to head back down to make it to our boat in time, the signature Patagonian winds picked up – our first time experiencing since Punta Arenas. It was amazingly refreshing and even knocked us off balance a few times! As we started our final descent with a view of Lago Pehoe we happened upon our last Patagonian treat - two Andean condors flying right above the winds. I could see their white necks and white wings as they went by overhead. They are as big as three meters (ten feet) wingspan and I’m pretty sure one of them looked right at me as he flew directly overhead. Even our guide was astounded, as he had only seen these birds a handful of times since they are almost extinct. We headed to the park lodge to wait for the boat, and grabbed two Austral beers to enjoy while taking in the incredible wind and fresh air. On the boat, it was time for hot chocolate #2 but I was so exhausted that I fell right to sleep. It was our final night so after dinner, and more good talks with our newfound friends, we exchanged emails, hugs, well wishes (and cold medicine!) with our fellow travelers. But one more surprise was in store for us. With the moon less bright, the stars were visible and we truly saw them all – they blanketed the sky! Very tired, we headed right to bed to get ready for our trip to Argentina.

April 1, 2010
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Our First Foray Into El Calafate

Hosteria la Estepa, El Calafate

We had to get up at dawn to prepare for the final leg of our trip, and leave before the other “eco-campers” got up. As we took the last bumpy ride out of the park, we saw the sun rise over the spires – a breathtaking farewell, and then onward to El Calafate. We were so sad to leave Patagonia and it’s truly an experience we will never forget, but we were excited to experience what Argentina had in store for us. As we got ready to board the bus (situated in a quaint little station off a dirt road) to cross the border into Argentina, we almost didn’t make it across the border since we couldn’t find out temporary visas!! But after a few panicky moments, we found what we needed and boarded the bus to El Calafate. The town was such a gem, and we would remark a few times that it was so much like Bar Harbor, Maine – with the quaint little shops and delicious smell of food everywhere you went. The town was so bright, clean and colorful that we immediately felt right at home. We checked into our cozy hotel – Hosteria La Estepa, right outside the town at the top of a hill, and were taken to our “honeymoon” suite. It was a simple room but very cozy, bright and best of all, remote. Almost immediately, Jay spotted flamingos grazing right outside our window – not a sight we were very used to seeing! After settling in, we hit the town to explore. We talked to a few friendly locals, and got their recommendations for dinner, and ended up at a traditional Argentinian “parilla” – specializing in various types of grilled meats. Our “dinner for two” was enough meat to feed a small village (!) but it was so delicious. We shared some laughs with our waitress when we discovered she was a vegetarian. After dinner, we headed right to bed knowing that we needed to rest up for yet another big day – this time, we were going to WALK on a glacier.

April 2, 2010
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Learning To Walk On Ice

Hosteria la Estepa, El Calafate

We awoke the next morning at dawn to board a bus to the 60 meter high Perito Moreno Glacier in Parque Nacional Los Glaciares. It took us about an hour to get to the boat that would take us over to the actual glacier. When we finally reach solid ground with the glacier looming – it looked MUCH bigger than it looked on the boat. I couldn’t believe we were actually about to WALK on this thing, and as we started to strap on crampons, I was getting VERY nervous. Once up on the ice, the view was indescribable – like something out of a movie – and it was a truly humbling experience. After hiking up and down a few hills, and jumping over several “crevasses” we finally got to enjoy a much-deserved scotch served over glacier ice. It was such an invigorating and awe-inspiring experience to stand on top of this monstrous glacier, and hear the roar of hear giant chunks of ice plummet into the waters of Lago Argentino, that I quickly forgot my fears and took in the full experience. We enjoyed one more meal in El Calafate and already begin reminiscing about the trip – we just didn’t ever want it to end!

April 3, 2010
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Sad To Go But Ready For More Adventures

Philadelphia, PA

We finally headed back to our hotel for one last restful night’s sleep, and to prepare for our journey home. Our trip is something Jay and I will not forget for a long time to come. The natural beauty, the people, the culture and the experiences surpassed our expectations. And we truly feel that the Adventure Life Staff, had a huge part in making the trip what is was. We are already making plans to go back to Patagonia for our fifth wedding anniversary, and I’m already counting down the days….

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