South America Archives - Tattered Atlas Tales

Working from Brazil 2021

kmartini — Sat, 31 Jul 2021 22:09:00 +0000

Working from Brazil 2021

Working from Brazil during a Pandemic

After contracting COVID in the Miami airport in December 2019, I decided to take my antibodies on the road. Having been cooped up in my home for most of 2019, the thought of working from somewhere with a warm climate instead of a basement in Colorado felt like the best move.

Granted, Brazil was not doing well on the pandemic front, and Bolsonaro was competing with Trump for who could be the most controversial when it came how to the virus but having just recovered from a mild case and my plasma donations coming back antibody strong, I wasn’t worried about getting sick in South America.

Digital Nomad is a term referring to those who are location independent. Due to worldwide lockdowns, this small community has grown considerably. I work from home 75% of the time, even pre-pandemic. However, I do not consider myself a Digital Nomad. 25% of my meetings are face-to-face in the region I live, and I have meetings throughout the day (during normal business hours), so I can’t exactly pack up and move to Croatia for the year.

What I can do is work from abroad for a month or two, here and there, while we see how the pandemic is going to play out. I took advantage of this situation a few times.

What follows is my personal experience in Brazil. It is what I shard with friends and family while down there. I hope to follow this up with a logistical post soon.

Rio de Janeiro

My first full day in Rio was spent checking off all the major sites: Cristo Redentor, Sugarloaf Mountain, Maracanã stadium, Catedral Metropolitana de São Sebastião, Escadaria Selarón, and lunch at a churrascaria.

It was a nice day out and I didn’t have work, so I figured I should take advantage. Now I’ll have the rest of the time to just hang out in Copacabana and chill out when not working.

Out of all the countries I’ve been to since the pandemic, Brazil is the most lax, which is probably why they are #3 in the world in terms of COVID. I needed a negative test to get into the country, and masks are worn on public transportation and inside some public facilities, but if there are actual rules, they are not enforced. Thousands of people are out around Copa and many don’t have masks. Social distancing doesn’t exist. Beaches and bars are packed. The police (stationed on every corner) don’t care.

Technically it’s Carnival, but all the normal festivities have been cancelled.

I’m glad I came here armed with antibodies because it’s not a real safe place for those who haven’t had it already.

Overall I love this city. Giant urban pockets sprawl in valleys between monolithic granite hills and lush greenery. Concrete meets sand on beaches that stretch for miles in every direction. The people are pretty.

It’s a rough city though. Crime is a big problem here. The favelas are not far from the fancy tourists areas. I’ve felt safe so far. I’ve just got to keep my wits about me and my belongings close.

Rocinha

City of God has always been one of my favorite films. It came out before I was very well traveled and it scared me away from Brazil at the time. Today I went into one of the favelas that inspired that film.

My local guide was a 21 year old kid who was cast in another film about the favelas when he was 10. The film was called 5x Favela.

Pablo met me in Copacabana. We traveled through the tunnel and into what seemed like another city; a makeshift city situated on a hill to the south of Rio proper.

Rocinha has been around a long time and is the largest favela in Brazil. Footage of the place has been used in Marvel movies and Call of Duty video games. About 200,000 people call it home. Most of whom came from (or their parents or grandparents came from) other parts of Brazil in hope of more opportunity in the city.

We rode on the back of motorbike taxis to get up into the main part of the favela.

Rocinha didn’t feel like the place portrayed in City of God, but Pablo assured me the film was true to what the favelas were like in the past; even the very recent past. Power in Rocinha changed from the “blue mafia” (ADA) to the “red mafia” (Red Command) in a war fought on the streets just a few years ago.

Going into a favela the wrong way runs the risk of falling into the traps of dark tourism and being accused of “poverty porn”, but going in with a local organization and with a 1:1 guide who was raised in the favela is a positive thing. I spent money at the locals shops, ate at a local restaurant, and came out with a new perspective I can share with others.

The favela felt safe. The mafia is obviously bad (drug and arms trafficking, etc.) but they do take care of the community in a way the government has failed to. Pablo feels safer in the favela than in Copacabana because of the community. He also said no one will mess with tourists because they know tourism is good for the community.

After seeing all the tourist spots yesterday, and having settled in Copacabana, I felt it was important to see this part of Rio as well. I’m glad I did. Pablo and I talked about life in the favela, but also his life in general, his trip to Germany to act, Brazilian politics, and his dream of someday living abroad.

Churrascaria Palace

First real caipirinha and churrascaria since I’ve been here.

I made the mistake of saying yes to everything and then trying to keep up. I was stuffed within 20 minutes.

Everything was amazing except for the chicken hearts. At least I know what chicken hearts look like now. Won’t be making that mistake again.

I’m always open to new things but I have yet to find an animal organ that tastes better than flesh.

Copacabana Beach

First work day since I’ve been down here.
I am 4 hours ahead of Denver though, so work didn’t get started until noon.

I spent the morning walking Copacabana beach.

Thousands and thousands of people, letting it all hang out. Young, old, big, and small…families, couples, runners, and sunbathers.

Lots of vendors. They aren’t pushy, but it does get old telling them I don’t want their food, drink, marijuana, or coca. I understand they need to make a living though. And I am one of the few foreigners around.

It is the nicest city beach I’ve seen, although I doubt I’ll be spending much time there. Busy beaches have never been my thing.
Luckily there are plenty of other beaches in Brazil and things to do in and around this city in my off time.

Ipanema

Where the girl from Ipanema is from

Leblon

Found the happening nightlife spot. The one night I was out until past closing time

Iguaçu Falls

I woke up in a bad mood this morning. I experienced my first hangover in over a year on Friday. Then I flew to Foz early Saturday morning and was kicking myself to booking my flight, lodging, and transport as a package deal when I could have saved half by just doing it myself.

The resort I’m staying in is geared toward families and there are Monica’s Gang cartoon characters everywhere. The one bar in town I wanted to check out has closed down indefinitely due to COVID.

But then I got to the Falls and all that crap went out the window.

Pictures and video will never do them justice, but I’ll try anyway.

I’ve seen powerful falls before, mostly in Iceland, but never an entire complex of them. 200-300 falls on any given day. This is one of the new 7 wonders of the world for good reason!

Unfortunately, the Argentina border is closed, so I was only able to visit from the Brazilian side, but no complaints here.

Rio de Janeiro

Headed back to the apartment in Rio to finish out the work week.

São Conrado Beach

Got up early and flew off a mountain before work.
I’ve never been skydiving, but hang gliding is way better than bungee jumping or parasailing/gliding!
I would do this every morning!

Starbucks Brasil Copacabana

I woke up this morning to learn Denver had been covered in a foot of snow and Nick Cave had surprise dropped his latest album. It made me a little homesick. I wanted to put on headphones and listen to the new album while Isobel snuggled up and watched Frozen and Jamie snored (I mean slept) next to us. That wasn’t possible though, so I went for a walk and ended up in a Starbucks. I don’t even go to Starbucks on purpose at home, but it just felt right this morning. I found a couch, put earbuds in, listened to Carnage, and watched local students and professionals tap away at their laptops while enjoying free WiFi and subpar coffee.

Real Gabinete Português de Leitura

Went to the library on my lunch break today. Couldn’t read anything there, but it was pretty.

Mural Etnias

“Coincidicing with Rio’s 2016 Olympic Games, Brazilian artist Eduardo Kobra painted a 190-meter long wall in the city’s former port area. Entitled ‘Etnias’, the 3,000 square meters large mural shows five faces from five continents, relating to the olympic rings.”

Tchau Rio! Obrigado!

I only planned on staying in Rio for a few days. I ended up here for two weeks. One reason is because other places I wanted to visit were having a hard time with COVID, another is because I had the perfect work/live apartment here, but the main reason is I just like it here. There are good, bad, and ugly aspects to every city, and all three are extreme here, but I really like this place. Probably my favorite South American city yet.

Minas Gerais

“Chances are you have never been here. In fact, it is likely you have never even heard of this place. Tourists don’t really come here. There are few hotels, no major attractions. The state of Minas Gerais, Brazil. It’s about the size of France, covered by farmland, mountains, and savannah. Belo Horizonte is the capital, a center for the Brazilian banking and tech industry. A planned city. Built in the late 1800s. Five million people live in the metropolitan area. It’s one of the fastest growing cities in Brazil, in the world in fact, yet it’s still relatively unknown to the outside world.”

– Anthony Bourdain, Parts Unknown 5 years ago.

“Sold!”

– Me, booking a flight and apartment 5 days ago

Mercado Central de Belo Horizonte

Sometimes I post photos of food while traveling. I rarely have anything to say about the food. But I also rarely come across something like this.

I am in the Mercado Central in Belo Horizonte right now. I ordered a Coke and some food. They brought me a large beer and a plate of tenderloin chucks large enough to feed four.

I experimented with the sauces and ended up overdoing it with the hot sauce, so I asked for a Pepsi because I saw a woman drinking one. They brought me a Heineken.

That’s when I decided to try mixing one of these little red peppers with the tenderloin.

Holy shit! Not what I was expecting!

It is a pepper. It’s full of little seeds. And the flavor is close to that of a habanero. When you bite into it, it pops and hot juices burst out. You brace yourself for the inevitable burn, but it never comes. It’s all the great parts about the hottest of peppers, but without the pain.

I love the hottest of hot, but I never realized you could have that flavor without the burn.

I don’t really eat tomatoes, but I have to imagine this little pepper would be the offspring of a habanero and a tomato, if said offspring inherited the best features of each.

Anyway, now I’m buzzed, uncaffeinated, and feeling like my visit to the market was successful, if a bit misunderstood.

Inhotim

Today I spent seven hours exploring the best modern art museum / botanic garden / park I’ve ever been to.

Situated on billionaire Bernardo Paz’s private land in the middle of the Atlantic Forest, Inhotim is like nothing I’ve ever seen before.

5,000 acres of beautiful scenery, with 23 art galleries (most housing an exhibition by a single artist) and countless works in the least likely locations.

I don’t know why this isn’t one of the top tourist destinations in South America.

Oura Preto

The night before I went to Inhotim, I didn’t know how I was going to get there. It was about an hour outside the city and I didn’t have a car. I took an Uber Black to dinner that night and decided to ask my driver if he’d want to take me there and back for a flat fee. He didn’t speak English, but we worked it out.

It was a mutually beneficial arrangement and he is now my driver.

He took me to Oura Preto this morning. It’s an old colonial mining town with an extremely rich history, including the first (failed) rebellion against the Crown. It was one of the most visited tourist spots in Brazil pre-COVID. I was the only tourist in town today. By the looks I received, I may have been the first tourist in quite some time.

Minas Cuisine

This is the rest of the quote by Anthony Bourdain…

“But if you travel through Brazil and you talk about food, which I have and I do, you hear about this place. You hear about it seemingly a lot. I’ve been told time and again, this is where the best chefs come from. The question is, why don’t you hear that outside of Brazil? Why hasn’t the cuisine of Minas caught on worldwide?”

I’ve ate well here. And I’ll probably eat well here tomorrow. But tonight I wrapped work too late and everything is closing down earlier due to COVID restrictions. So tonight I will be ordering in.

I’ve had a great experience this week in Minas Gerais, but tomorrow night I head to São Paulo for my last stop before going home

Belo Horizonte

My last day in Beagá.

While COVID is on the decline is many parts of the world, it is rapidly getting worse in Brazil.

There are new restrictions going into effect this weekend in many states.

I have avoided hot spots throughout this trip and I just made a last minute change to hang out in the Hilton in Rio for my last couple days.

I can’t avoid a little time in São Paulo first though, so I’ll just be doing my best to avoid crowds and indoor spaces.

My antibodies should still be strong, but I’m also all about being responsible and following the regional rules when it comes to this stuff.

São Paulo

São Paulo is the 4th largest city in the world, with over 21M people. It’s the New York City of South America. It’s also known for traffic and violence. I’ve never had a desire to come here. It’s intimidated me ever since I saw aerial footage prior to having traveled.

Today was a strange day to be here. If you’ve ever been somewhere preparing for a hurricane (or any sort of natural distaster), you can imagine the mood. By the time I get done with work tonight, this city will be on lockdown. And people are pissed! A lot of the small businesses that have survived the past year are not sure they will survive the next couple weeks.

An extremely volatile political situation, the high violent crime rate (the woman who showed me around today did so in a rented car because her car was just stolen and then she was robbed when taking photos of where her car was), mixed with the anxiety about the lockdown, and a group of truck drivers who are blocking highways and trying to shut the city down in protest of new fuel taxes, makes for an interesting place.

The old town area, which would be the cool spot in most cities, was real bad. We drove through homeless encampments and open air markets for stolen goods in front of an abandoned cathedral…and by people defecating on the street. Although I’m hearing that area is paradise compared to the area they call Crackville.

There are cool neighborhoods too; safe neighborhoods. The Japan Town area was happening. And Vila Madelena, where I’m staying, is the artsy hipster area with lots of cool bars and restaurants, but it’s pretty quiet right now.

I’m glad I was able to see the city. I learned a lot in the 6 hours I was out today, but it’s not a good time to be here. I’ll be flying out tomorrow.

Rio de Janeiro

I’m back in Rio.

No true lockdown here, but bars and restaurants have to close at 5pm. There is an 11pm curfew.

I decided to forgo the Airbnb experience and checked into the Hilton instead. They have a bar and room service open until 10:30pm. I’m here until 11:30pm tomorrow night, then I start the journey home.

Sounds like everything is gradually getting back to normal in Colorado, so this will probably be my last “work from abroad” trip.

Just gonna enjoy the view from my room for awhile so I can remember it when I’m back working from the basement.

Casa da Feijoada

Feijoada is a popular dish in Brazil. It’s a bean and pork stew that uses every part of the pig.

It’s usually served on Saturday, but this place has it all week. They say this place is a tourist trap, but because of the prices, not the food.

The food is legit.

While it’s much more flavorful than Colombia’s bland Bandeja Paisa, it shares all the gluttonous characteristics.

I believe the kale is just there to make you feel less like the animal you’re consuming.

I just arrived back in Colorado.

There were some back-and-forth conversations between the American Airlines agents in Rio because I didn’t have a negative test result (I had my positive test result from late December and a letter from a doctor saying I had recovered), but it only took a couple minutes to work out.
I was never asked for proof of recovery or test results in Miami. The immigration agent asked me quite a few questions about why I was in Brazil, and about my other travels since October, but no real issue there either.

Brazil was amazing but I probably wouldn’t recommend going right now. New restrictions went into effect in most places a few days ago. Bars and restaurants in Rio have to close by 5pm and there is an 11pm curfew. Bars and restaurants in São Paulo are delivery only for at least the next two weeks.

I didn’t make it to Salvador because I was advised it was pretty bad there. Brasilia was on lockdown too.
I spent my time in Rio (when it was wide open), Foz, Minas Gerais (Belo Horizonte, Inhotim, Oura Preto…all were wide open), and São Paulo (for a couple days before lockdown).

Masks were required everywhere indoors and on public transportation and in Ubers. Most people wore masks outside as well, except for on the beach.

I’m lucky to have gotten through my trip with most things open. I feel so bad for those in the service and tourism industries who are being hit hard, again, as well as the very sick and those caring for them. And for the entirety of people who live in Brazil, because they are all suffering in a game of extreme politics on both sides.

The post Working from Brazil 2021 appeared first on Tattered Atlas Tales.

Working from Colombia 2020

kmartini — Wed, 30 Dec 2020 22:15:00 +0000

Working from Colombia in 2020

Working from Colombia during a Pandemic
After breaking out of “hermit mode” for seven months, I did a solo trip to Southeast Europe. When I got back, I couldn’t stand working from my basement office anymore, so I booked a flight to Colombia.

What I can do is work from abroad for a month or two, here and there, while we see how the pandemic is going to play out. I took advantage of this situation a few times.

What follows is my personal experience in Colombia. It is what I shard with friends and family while down there. I hope to follow this up with a logistical post soon.

This will be my office in Medellín, Colombia for the next 18 days.

I have a friend living here, so I rented an apartment in his building in the nicest part of the city.

It’s very cheap here.

El Poblado, Medellín

I honestly don’t have a real feel for Medellin yet because I haven’t journeyed out of the affluent neighborhood I’m staying in.

I’ve only been here a few days and I’ve been working. Tomorrow that will change. Getting out for awhile in the morning.

They take COVID very seriously here. Masks everywhere. They sanitize your hands (and sometimes even your shoes) before you are allowed in anywhere.

My friend who lives here has been key in giving me a good understanding of the city though. We are literally next door neighbors in the same apartment complex. He’s made sure I’ve been eating well and have a good handle on El Pablodo.

This is a huge city and I’m looking forward to seeing more of it mañana.

I’m going to start Spanish lessons this week, because not speaking Spanish is something I’ve always kicked myself for and being here has reminded me why it’s something I need to do. English is just not common in Colombia.

Medellín

Medellin has an incredible metro system. It includes trams, buses, and cable cars. These were the first cable cars ever to be used for everyday public transportation. Before they existed, the people who live in the comunas had to hike up and down the mountain every day.

The people here respect their public transportation. You could literally eat off the floor of the cable cars, if you were to eat in them. The locals don’t.

It’s crazy to see these modern looking pods hovering above these shanty towns, but it’s also pretty cool. I can’t say everything the government has done here has been in the interest of the people, but this was a huge gift and it changed lives for the better.

Comuna 13

Comuna 13 used to be the most dangerous neighborhood in Medellin.

The guerrillas were in full on war with the paramilitary in 2012.

Many innocent people were killed by bullets that would pierce their brick homes.

Today it’s a place of hope.

A lot of tour groups advertise a “graffiti tour”, but this isn’t graffiti. It’s street art. And it all has a message, meaning, and purpose.

Pablo

The jury is still out as to whether Pablo tourism is a good or bad thing for Medellin.

Colombia has done its best to erase this part of its dark past; repurposing his self-built prison as a elderly home, his ranch as a zoo, and the property where his family mansion stood as a memorial to victims of narcoterrorism.

My guide told me the story of how a group of guides fought the mayor for over a year to legitimize what they were doing. The argument against this type of tour had to do with narco tourism and glamorizing Pablo’s reign. The argument for it was based on a history that cannot be buried or ignored…and to teach, in order not to repeat.

I lean toward the latter, but I understand the wounds are still fresh.

Outside of a few select barrios, Pablo is remembered as a terrorist.

My guide did not glamorize him. He talked about the good Pablo did for some people, but never shied away from the violence and damage that will take generations to recover from.

One interesting thing I learned is that a lot of people don’t believe he was killed by the police. There are multiple theories, but the one that seems to stick is that he killed himself to avoid extradition to the US.

It doesn’t really matter how he met his end though. He died on that roof that day in 1993, but he was just a man, and the violence continued for many years after.Pab

Envigado

I was going to take a quick walk and grab some tacos last night. I was exhausted and was going to call it early. My friend decided to join me and suggested we walk 3 1/2 miles to Envigado to get empanadas and beers instead. I hated him a little about 3 miles in, but it ended up being a great experience.

Having an apartment in the wealthy part of the city and having visited the poorest part of the city, it was great to hang out in a normal Colombian neighborhood. Envigado is technically another city (municipality) but Medellin flows right into it. They are both part of a large metro area within the valley.

We met up with my friend’s buddy who has lived in the area since 2014. We drank beers on the street until about midnight. Lots of stories about what it’s like to be an American living in Colombia.

I only took a couple pictures while out there. It just felt weird to take pictures of people out living their lives, so I snapped a couple shots of the Christmas decorations.

I just finished up work for the week and am off to Cartagena for the weekend. I’ll come back to the apartment Sunday night.

Alcohol sales are prohibited for the weekend starting tomorrow because Monday is a holiday and they don’t want large groups of people partying and spreading the virus.

Cartagena

Cartagena is all about the sea, the walled old town, food, and nightlife. I picked the wrong weekend to be here.
Going out on a boat, or doing anything around the water, was not an option. The rains and winds from Iota made the sea much too dangerous. Really hoping that storm calms down and doesn’t hit an already devastated Nicaragua and Honduras. Those people need some good luck.

I stayed in a very cool boutique in the old town and was able to explore the streets, with wet shoes and umbrella in hand, but it was very quiet during the day and some parts were flooded. The barrios outside of town are under a state of emergency.

The food was amazing.

I was connected with a El Salvadoran who has lived here for years. He had recently connected with a girl from L.A. and they took me for some of the best sushi I’ve ever had the first night and for grilled steak and seafood, with live music, the second night.

As for nightlife, it did exist on Friday night. Lines of impossibly curvy girls wrapped around the street to get into clubs, even though dancing isn’t allowed and social distancing is in place. We found a nice rooftop with good cocktails and a dj when the rain took a break.

Saturday night was a dry night. Alcohol prohibition was in place to avoid mass gatherings and mass spread over the holiday weekend. We were able to get around it a bit though, so I got to enjoy a couple beers while watching the band play.

It wasn’t the ideal weekend I had imagined, but I’m still glad I came. I can see how this place would be great under different circumstances. It is very different than Medellin. It feels like a “vacation” spot. That said, I’m looking forward to getting back to my apartment.

Homemade traditional Ajiaco Bogotano tonight, made for us by a local friend of a friend who knows what she’s doing.

I found this pretty insect in my hallway today. I showed this photo to the girl who made us dinner. She didn’t speak English, but the translation was “it will piss on you and it will burn like a candle.” I’m glad I caught it and showed it the door before it had the chance.

Medellín

The obligatory walking tour of the central district.

One of the best in South America.

Tejo / Sabaneta

We had the Anthony Bourdain experience tonight. Tejo (bowling meets cornhorn, but with mud and explosives) in Envigado, with 83 cent beers.

Then street food (fried intestines, blood sausage, and other stuff I can’t explain) in Sabaneta.

Then a $3.00 cab ride home.

Fun night out. Now it’s time for Spanish homework.

Jardín

Jardín is a town in coffee country where I spent the weekend.

There were a surprising number of tourists there. They were all local tourists though; mostly from Medellin.

I didn’t do much.

It was a great spot to relax. I just hung out, finished Gabriel García Márquez’s “100 Years of Solitude” (highly recommend), rode a cable car that looked like a porta potty, and did some hiking in the country around town.

Cueva del Esplendor

I hiked to a cave in the jungle today.

The cave had a hole in it. There was a waterfall in the hole.

Guatapé

Climbed a rock this morning, in a touristy town with no tourists.

Was back in time for work.

Tested, packed up and ready to meet my family in Costa Rica.

The post Working from Colombia 2020 appeared first on Tattered Atlas Tales.

Pre-Pandemic Patagonia 2020

kmartini — Mon, 03 Feb 2020 03:28:00 +0000

Pre-Pandemic Patagonia 2020

Buenos Aries

Contrary to what I’ve read, men wear shorts here. Most everyone wears shorts here. Which makes sense. It’s hot. It would have been nice if I’d packed some shorts, so I wasn’t the only idiot walking around in pants. Contrary to what the guidebooks say, USD are not accepted most places. And ATMs, while plentiful, don’t work worth a shit. Even if they did, the surcharge is 395 pesos to pull out a maximum of 4000 ($6.50 to pull out $65.00). The exchange rate is amazing for the USD though. We had dinner at the most expensive restaurant in the city and it was as cheap as, if not cheaper than, Mexico City.

Rain and thunderstorms don’t bother people here. Rain and thunderstorms don’t bother us either. Nothing wrong with getting a little wet when it’s in the 70’s. The weather makes my beard do crazy things. The weather makes my wife’s hair do even crazier things.

Our Airbnb is a lot nicer than we expected it to be. We kind of hope the weather stays the way it’s been, just to give us an excuse to stay in and be lazy in this awesome space.

11pm dinner reservations are completely normal.

The beer is alright here, the wine is very good, and the steak is probably the best we’ve ever had.

Cities are not really my thing when traveling. BA hasn’t changed that. A day or two is going to be plenty. There are still a few more things we want to see, and more meat to consume, but I feel like we got a good feel of the place today. There are old buildings, new buildings, and colonial areas. There are cafes, bars, and restaurants. There are parks, statues, cathedrals, monuments, and museums. There are a lot of people and some cool street art.

Evita is a big deal here. Legs (and showing them off) are a big deal here. And there is a women’s clothing store named Kill….

I think I could live here (as well as Lisbon, Barcelona, Bangkok, etc.) for a while, but a short visit is always enough as a tourist.
We’re excited to move on to Patagonia in a couple days, but glad we get to see the city.

Elena

43rd birthday dinner.
Probably the best steak I’ve ever had.
The free champagne and dessert was a nice touch.

Colonia

Heading to Uruguay for the day. My wife is concerned about the ferry ticket I just handed her. It doesn’t help I won’t show her mine.

Spent my birthday in Colonia, a small World Heritage city.

Wandered around. Spread some of Dad’s ashes. Napped on a park bench in front of the oldest church in the country. Had an incredible lunch on the water. And drank beer on the patio at a local brewery.

La Boca

Colorful, full of life, working class neighborhood in Buenos Aries.

Cementerio de la Recoleta

They say you can’t take it with you, but you can spend it on a mansion for your remains.

El Calfate

Our gateway to Patagonia.

Perito Moreno

First time glacier hiking today. The guide said we were extremely lucky with the weather.

Didn’t see any calving but heard it. Sounded like gunshots followed by a loud splash.

Ended the hike with whiskey on ice. It was almost as good as the glacier water we drank from the source.

La Leóna

Interesting rest stop along Route 40 where Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid hid out for a while.

Laguna De los Tres Trek

We made it! And it only took 7 1/2 hours round trip!

The weather was crazy at the top.
Insane winds and rain, and clouds masking the face of Fitz Roy, but it was still worth it to see Laguna de los Tres.

We are not big hikers, but it was coolest hike either of us has ever done.

The sun was setting behind the range when we drove into the little town of El Chaltén last night, so we saw Fitz Roy in profile from a distance, but the weather came in today. It made for perfect hiking (not too hot, not cold) but the summit was taking a beating. I had taken a beating by that point as well.

The last hour ascent was rough!

Our local guide (glad we booked one) and the couple we hiked with (on their honeymoon) were awesome!

Couldn’t have asked for better people to spend the day with.

Mirador del Cerro Torre

Tried to sleep in today. Woke up with the sun.
Looked out the window and Fitz Roy was perfectly clear.

Got up and went for another hike.

Fitz Roy was wearing a cloud crown again by the time we got to Mirador Torre. About an hour later it was completely covered, so we came back to town, had one of the best Italian lunches we’ve ever had.

Los Cóndores and Las Águilas

One last short hike, while my wife gets a massage before we leave El Chaltén.

Torres del Paine, Chile

Different country, different currency, same old stupid scenery.
What a ridiculous part of the world.

Puerto Natales

I’ve been writing so much about the scenery out here, but all the little towns in Patagonia have been cool as well.

Incredible food at insanely low prices. Some of the most welcoming people anywhere.
And just a laid-back feel.

Reminds me more of Scandinavia than other South American towns I’ve been.

Estancia La Peninsula

We (and by we I mean me) don’t really believe in the Hallmark holiday, but I got her a white horse for an anniversary this time. I think it makes up for all the years I did nothing.

The rest of the day was spent eating well and learning about ranch life on this working estancia.

I ended up getting allergies and my eyes felt like they had rocks in them toward the end,
but it was a great experience overall.

Punta Arenas

This is NOT Penguin Island. No penguins here.

This is Punta Arenas, with the Strait of Magellan on the horizon. This is the furthest south I’ve ever been (by 1,000 miles: 53°9’17.4” S) prior to this trip. We are a 2-hour flight away from Antarctica: the one continent I haven’t visited.

Our Magdalena Island trip was canceled due to weather. It’s nice here, but rough on the Strait. The boat would have had a hard time docking.

Disappointed, but not defeated. This trip has gone like clockwork up until this morning, so we were prepared for something to go wrong. Now we have a relaxing day of doing nothing before stating the journey home.

Civil Unrest in Chile

Chile is a beautiful country, but it is also a country with an uncertain future. Mass protests, rioting, arson, and destruction have been the norm (in the cities, not the parks and small towns) since October last year.

Santiago was hit worst (most of the public transportation system has been destroyed), but Punta Arenas is also plastered in fresh paint, scarred with smashed windows and doors, and has the smell of fresh smoke from burnt down buildings.

The people want change and the resignation of President Pinera. The government isn’t giving them what they want fast enough. It doesn’t help that the Carabineros police force has been accused of torture, false imprisonment, and sexual violence. Many people have been killed, thousands injured, and close to 10,000 have been arrested.

The last mass demonstration in Santiago (yesterday) was nonviolent, but the situation is far from over.

That said, we feel completely safe here. We hadn’t been in a Chilean city until we arrived in Punta Arenas last night. Everyone has been great here. This isn’t about us…it’s about them and their government.

We start our journey home tomorrow and will be in Santiago for the day but will just stay away from the protests if they are happening.

Santiago

Unwritten rule of travel: When you notice guys wrapping bandannas around their faces and donning gas masks, right before you hear loud pops and see a fire in the middle of the street, you go back to the airport.

We were having a nice day in Santiago, checking out the historic buildings and hanging out in the parks, when I decided I wanted to see the epicenter of the current situation here. I wanted to see where the state decided militarized police were the best response to high school girls protesting a subway fare increase.

We were walking around Plaza Italia, taking photos of all the political graffiti and commenting on how calm it was compared to what we see on the news (just Google Santiago protests and check out the images) and in a split second the mood changed. We didn’t stick around to see what happened next.

Home

We are home after 15,478 miles of travel!

101.2 miles on foot
25.3 miles actually hiking.

Lots of mountains, lakes, steaks, seafood, weird plants, and amazing people…

We drank water we collected from the top of a glacier, took a ferry to spend the day in Uruguay, and spread some of Dad’s ashes in the wind at the base of Fitz Roy.

We were educated on some history, got an extremely close glimpse at some civil unrest, and my wife taught me that you can eat a peach like an apple, fuzz and all, which I find very strange.

We rode white horses, hung out with guanacos, ate fresh lamb on a working estancia, and saw flamingos and black neck swan.

We learned from a Venezuelan couple that it’s much worse there than we are being told, but that Trump is actually helping things…which led to a US politics conversation with a guy who interviewed for the CFO position at Google, but didn’t get the job and is now retired and traveling the world with his wife.

We also discovered things in Argentina are 3-4x cheaper than Chile.

There were only two disappointing things that happened: our penguin trip being cancelled and my wife eating all my Pringles while waiting for a ferry on a rock in the middle of nowhere, so I had to starve to death. The fact I didn’t have to step foot in a single museum the entire time (a personal goal for me) almost made up for both.

It was a successful journey overall.

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