Central & South America 2017
March 30, 2017
Time Flies! We are nearing the end of our trip. Since my last update we have been to Buenos Aires, Bariloche, Santiago, Pucon, Puelo and currently we are in Puerto Varas. Phew! Our traveling has involved an overnight bus ride (not something I'd highly recommend), three flights, twelve hours of driving, a short boat ride, and a trip up a mountain via oxen. The boys have fished their way through many of these places.
Buenos Aires and Santiago were a big change of pace - Ryan has decided, with no possible doubt, that he is most definitely not a city-boy! Kylie and I are right there with him. I will say that Buenos Aires had the most amazing architecture, parks and historical sites. So many people, so many high-rise buildings, it was incredible! And yet still no peanut butter could be found.
Santiago was a change of pace. Eventhough it is a big city it didn't feel nearly as overpowering as Lima or Buenos Aires. We rented a loft very close to the tallest building in South America and low and behold a huge grocery store/mall was there, which had peanut butter and almond milk! Still no dryer in the apartment. It's amazing how you can have a washing machine, no dryer, no clothes line and only a tiny drying rack. Explain to me how people get their sheets dry?! I know this will come as a complete shock but we did find an amazing sushi restaurant there.
Time Flies! We are nearing the end of our trip. Since my last update we have been to Buenos Aires, Bariloche, Santiago, Pucon, Puelo and currently we are in Puerto Varas. Phew! Our traveling has involved an overnight bus ride (not something I'd highly recommend), three flights, twelve hours of driving, a short boat ride, and a trip up a mountain via oxen. The boys have fished their way through many of these places.
Buenos Aires and Santiago were a big change of pace - Ryan has decided, with no possible doubt, that he is most definitely not a city-boy! Kylie and I are right there with him. I will say that Buenos Aires had the most amazing architecture, parks and historical sites. So many people, so many high-rise buildings, it was incredible! And yet still no peanut butter could be found.
Santiago was a change of pace. Eventhough it is a big city it didn't feel nearly as overpowering as Lima or Buenos Aires. We rented a loft very close to the tallest building in South America and low and behold a huge grocery store/mall was there, which had peanut butter and almond milk! Still no dryer in the apartment. It's amazing how you can have a washing machine, no dryer, no clothes line and only a tiny drying rack. Explain to me how people get their sheets dry?! I know this will come as a complete shock but we did find an amazing sushi restaurant there.
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We finally rented a car so it was time to start driving! We left Santiago and headed south to Pucon where there is a stunning steaming volcano, which is well overdue for eruption. We stayed in a beautiful, little house on the side of a wooded hill overlooking the lake. The house was shaded 90% of the time so we had the fire going 100% of the time. Ryan was in heaven as he had his own fireplace in his room, which he tended to constantly.
Doing schoolwork with a view and a fireplace!
Checking out a pool at the hot springs.
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Besides feeding steak to much of the population of Pucon street dogs, which were very polite I might add, we found the most handsome, younger version of Noah hanging out at a shop with two of his young puppies. It was hard to pry Tim away!
We visited the Geometrica Hot Springs. Along the way Ryan spied some great fishing spots, it was hard to pry him away! These hot springs are special because they took three years to build by hand (no trucks or heavy equipment). The architect didn't want to disturb the natural surroundings in this little box canyon. There are seventeen different small pools all winding their way up with a couple of waterfalls, which help provide cold water to keep the pools at the right temperatures. It was beautiful! |
After a five hour drive we arrived at Lago Tagua Tagua outside of Puelo. The directions given were to drive to the end of the road and Barraco Lodge is right there in front. No problem! Sounds easy enough, right? We finally get to the end of the road and we find a ferry station. Hmmmmm. There were a few houses but nothing that looked like the pictures we had seen online. Now what? Tim starts asking around and we aren't getting much help. There is no cellphone coverage. No one is working in the small ferry station although there are quite a few people waiting. Ryan notices that the beautiful group of buildings way across the lake has a helicopter and landing pad, which was pictured on the website. Tim found someone to call over on a walkie talkie, and after quite a delay they come and get us. We were wondering what could take so long......hitching up a couple of oxen and leading them down the hill is what. It was well worth the wait!
The boys went fishing with a guide one day but Ryan discovered the best fishing was at the waterfall on the property. The waterfall is spectacular!
Another big perk at the lodge, besides the amazing food and views, were the two dogs. Reina was obsessed with fetching sticks, especially those thrown in the water. I thought for sure she would jump in the hot tub with Tim to get one! |
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A little info about our family......
We are a family of four - Kylie, Ryan, Betsy and Tim. In 2012 Betsy and I decided to take Kylie and Ryan out of school and travel. We had never homeschooled before and were scared to death but we decided to go for it. After two wonderful years our adventure came to and end and we put the kids back into school. In the process of writing a book about our experience we re-read the kids’ blogs and looked at every photo several times. It gave us the chance to reflect on what we did and realize just what an amazing experience it was. Well, one thing lead to another and as of January 2016 we went back on the road again and are continuing on into 2017.
