Boulder

I arrived in Boulder to see cyclists and runners everywhere. I will be getting new running shoes soon so that I can run in the Bolder Boulder this year. I also have my goggles so I can swim in the pools here. Pools are not my favorite, but the reservoir here is too cold for me.
When I got to my mom's house I was very surprised to find a road bike and wet suit laying around! Now I can swim, bike, and run here. Also my friends Alicia and Jen hooked me up with a Team in Training jersey for my running needs. Thanks guys!

tsa sucks

There was a Starbucks at the airport in Lima. As well as McDonalds, Papa Johns, and Dunkin Donuts.

I am sitting at a quintessential American food establishment, Chili's. I am at LAX.

The flight from Peru to Los Angeles was great. I fell asleep as soon as I sat down and I woke up with an hour left in the flight. It wasn't great sleep, but it worked.

Flight rules change everywhere. From Lima to LA, you cannot take any water onto the plane. I bought a bottle before boarding (after going through security) and had to drink it all before I got onto the plane. They also don't let you bring meat or cheese. I had made a few sandwiches to eat instead of the delicious plane food, but I was forced to eat as many of my sandwiches as I could before boarding and throw the rest away. In Chile, I could take water and food on the plane. I left my shoes on going through security.

When I got into LA, I was selected for the secondary screening. I should have shaved before I left Peru. The customs form asked which countries you visited on this trip. I wrote "a lot". They questioned me about where I had been, what I had done, where did I work. They open every bag and search everything. They were reading peoples letters. It is insane. Luckily, the lady realized how difficult it would be to pull out my stuff from my backpack and repack it for me, so she just x-rayed it. It really made me feel like a criminal. I felt like I was lying every time she asked me a question.

It is weird sitting in the LA airport. I already want to get out. I am beginning to miss traveling. It is starting to sink in that the real world is approaching. I feel like I was just starting to get good at traveling. I could negotiate the price of a t-shirt, a room for the night, or a meal. All in Spanish. I paid $15 for lunch in the airport. I hate to think about it, but that would be a room, breakfast and dinner in Peru.

In the last six months, I have been to

Sydney - Australia

Bangkok, Chiang Mai, and Pai - Thailand
Hanoi, Cat Ba - Vietnam
Beijing - China

Madrid - Spain
Paris - France
Fischerhude, Bremen - Germany
Amsterdam - Netherlands
Prague - Czech Republic
Naples, Rome, Florence - Italy
Ireland

Rio de Janeiro - Brazil
Santiago, Quintay, Puerto Natales, Torres del Paine, Chile
Mendoza, Bariloche, El Bolson - Argentina
Cusco - Peru

Boulder, Co - USA

a couple kilos of chicken please

The Sacred Valley is sacred because the river flows the same direction that the sun arcs across the sky everyday. And the valley ends at Machu Picchu. Quite the sun worshippers. They still build houses from mud bricks. These guys making the bricks will make twice as much money per month than government paid nurses or teachers.

Every Sunday, there are markets in most of the towns. People from the surrounding area walk down the mountains to sell their wares (touristy t-shirts to homegrown corn) hoping to make a buck.

Well a sole, really. They will walk over 4 hours from their mud houses to sell things at the market. They use trails that have been around for thousands of years. Their Incan ancestors made the trails. A few of us gringos intercepted a weaving contest. It was amazing. There were almost one hundred women from the surrounding valleys that came into town on Sunday to weave the pattern of their people. Each pattern represents a town.

Each town is very proud of their pattern. We talked to weavers that made blankets at the rate of about 12-15 centimeters a day. Two people working all day will weave a blanket in about a month. You can buy one for about $70. The wool comes from sheep or alpaca. They raise the animals, shear them, wash the wool, and use natural dyes made from leaves, flowers, cactus, and even beetles.

As the South America leg of my journey comes to an end, I have been reflecting on what has occurred. This trip was full of familiarity, friends in Chile, family in Ireland, and lot of adventure. But this was also my first encounter with...otherness. I felt like I have been able to discover a new world. Or rather, many new worlds. I have learned a lot of lessons. I would like to think that I have learned about courage, honesty, and trust, but above all, this has been a lesson in humility. I feel like I have acquired a lot of knowledge, but also feel embarrassed by my own ignorance. It seemed like cultures would just open up and show me their trueness by me just being there. Just having dollars does not give you any respect. You can get a lot of attention though!
Initially, I wanted to run home. Somewhere where I understood the language, the currency, the way that things work. Familiar signs and symbols were nowhere to be found. Jet lagged, starving, and cheap, in Australia, we went into a supermarket to buy ingredients for chicken sandwiches. I didn't realize how many sandwiches a kilo of chicken made. It saved me money, but I hated chicken for a while. Southeast Asia was my first real culture shock. I longed to be home with food that I like. After a week, I realized that this is what I signed up for. When my mindset changed, so did my journey. Trying to talk to the locals became fun for everyone. They laughed at me, but so did I.

Robert Fulghum said, "The grass is not, in fact, always greener on the other side of the fence. No, not at all. Fences have nothing to do with it. The grass is greenest where it is watered. When crossing over fences, carry water with you and tend the grass wherever you may be." I couldn't agree more.

Looks like the weather won't be too different for me!

Incan Empire

To get to Machu Picchu, you take a 4 hour train ride to the small, but quickly developing town of Aguas Calientes (Hot Waters). It has hot springs nearby, hence the name. It feels a bit like a frontier town. The locals are trying to cater to people from Japan, Germany, Hawai'i, and anywhere else that you can think of. However, in typical South American fashion, everything is the same. There are 30 restaurants in the town all serving the same food, prepared the same way, for the same price. It makes it easy to find something to eat, but is a bit disappointing if you want something different from day to day. There is development going on in the town that you can tell is being done by outsiders. Big fancy hotels to cater to the rich travelers. The "Inca Trail" runs through Aguas Calientes before it's last stop of Machu Picchu. It is a 4 day hike that requires porters. It is a great way for white people to feel like they are indigenous and the poor local people to make some money by doing all of the work for said travelers.
The history is interesting. The Spanish never found the town and nobody knows why it was abandoned. Impressively, the have a water system that still works today. It brings water from a spring to the center of town. People would fill ceramic jugs and take the water back to their houses. Irrigation wasn't needed because it is in a cloud forest. They grew maize and potatoes, but also papayas, tomatoes, and other fruits and vegetables were found there.I found the bus ride up to Machu Picchu just as enjoyable and less sweaty than walking. I cannot do the area justice. It is amazing. We saw falcons, Andean Condors (thought to represent spirituality), lizards, and of course llamas.
The most impressive things I discovered about the Incas was the shape of their cities. Some were designed in the shape of a puma, llama, or in the case of Machu Picchu, the Andean Condor. There was also the "hitching post of the sun" where it was thought that the sun was tied during the day. Of course there are many amazing things at Machu Picchu that are related to the sun and the moon. The reason for all of these things is still unknown, but there are lots of theories.
The mountain behind the town of Machu Picchu is Wayna Picchu. It was about an hour hike, that provided amazing views of the town. There are only 400 people allowed there a day, and by 10am, the quota was filled. We were lucky enough to get to see it.
I have too much to say about this place. It is a must see for anyone in South America. Tomorrow, there is a trip to the Sacred Valley. Then off to Boulder, Colorado.

who needs EPO?

I arrived in Cuzco today. This is two days in a row that I happy to be alive. Kinda like Ben. This morning I go to Santiago airport about 5 am. That was fun. I have a few years of Spanish under my belt, but I might as well have learned Chinese. They speak Castellano in Chile. The don't call it Spanish because of the oppression that the Spanish inflicted on the native people of South America. Now the native people refuse to speak Spanish that anyone else can understand.
They refuse to pronounce "s" so even if they ask you if you speak Spanish, pardon me Castellano, they say, "¿Hablas Castellano?"
But is sounds like, "¿Blah kah tay ah no?"
Luckily by the blank stares they receive, they already know the answer before I open my mouth. I digress, my time in Chile is over.
I flew to Lima, uneventfully. I got on the flight to Cuzco and there was a lady in my seat. I asked for a window seat because I was told that the approach to the town of Cuzco if beautiful. She seemed engrossed in her book and not too concerned that she was in my seat. So I sat beside her in the middle seat. And then I looked out the window as much as possible. I could tell this bothered her because she would glance up from her book at me, and then sigh, and shift her body uncomfortably. I made sure to hold shift my boarding pass in my hands as I leaned my head closer to the window.
The arrival into Cuzco is a lot of fun. The town is in a bowl shaped valley at the top of the Andes. If our landing gear was down I think that our wheels would have clipped the trees at the top of the mountains. We circled the valley trying to get closer and closer to the houses. Just as I was sure that we were going to crash, we pulled off some amazing 90 degree turn and simultaneously dropped about 200 meters. Now we were in the valley. I could see the runway, but we looked to be another 300 meters above it, and we were flying parallel to it. No problem. Just one impossible 180 degree turn, drop 300 meters so that my butt raises out of my seat, and my seat belt it digging into my thighs. We come screaming down the runway and somehow manage to land, no problem. It was like being on a roller coaster ride, or flying a fighter jet. As we slowed down on the tarmac I heard about 20 sighs of relief. Mine was one of them, but I was also grinning like an idiot, wanting to do it again.
When I got into the airport to collect my bags I had to walk slowly to catch my breath. Being over 3,350 meters (11,000 feet) really makes it difficult to breathe. My first impression of Peru was pretty typical. There was a "native" band playing local music. The same Peruvian pipes that you here in Waikiki, Austin, New York, London, were playing in the airport in Cuzco. The gringos were stomping their feet, taking pictures of the band, and smiling, happy to be in a place that they immediately love. It reminded me of the haoles that try and hula as soon as the arrive in Hawai'i. Our bags were trying to make it around to the dancing gringos, but the conveyor belt wasn't working. So we tried to manually slide everyone's bags around. Of course most people were too enthralled with the music to realize that their bags weren't coming out. I tried to help, but sliding a bag a couple of meters really made me tired. Then I would start laughing because I am not used to being so out of breath. This of course made it harder to breathe. Eventually, I got my stuff and got to my hostel.

On another note, this proves our dangerous triathlon training can be.

no riots today

Today I got a tour of Universidad de Chile with Azun, a history professor at the university. She started teaching there when she was my age, so technically, I could have been a teacher there. Just in case any of her students asked who the gringo was. I had been warned ahead of time that there is a history of people rioting on the campus. I was told (while on the campus) not to worry, most of the riots occur just off the campus.
Nothing happened while I was on the campus, but I left while the students were gathering in a courtyard. They had a loudspeaker and were discussing something. Riots usually start with discussions.

So now I just sit listening to Jason Mraz and am thankful that I am alive.

Ridiculous

I mentioned earlier that the water was getting colder. One day we were out body boarding
when we noticed lot of birds near us. This can be good or bad. Check out Kurt's bait ball pictures to see what I mean. There were typical gulls, pelicans, probably sea lions, and some weird fast animal. Like a fish, but kinda like a bird. They were penguins. That means that the water was too cold for humans. Of course we didn't have the camera when they were around, so here is just another body boarding picture. I couldn't feel most of my body despite the wetsuit, so I tended to paddle in first. This gave me the opportunity to take pictures of the moon. Yes, Leo was still in the water as I watched the moon rise.
In Quintay, near where Leo lives, there is an old whaling station. There is a little history of the area, but it was tough to find out the details. Lots of bloodshed, obviously. There was a neat area where they would drag the whales up from the ocean. Pictures of the bay full of dead whales. We accomplished a lot in the week that I was in Quintay and I realized again that I am not cut out for manual labor. Or cold water.
Tomorrow, I am off to Peru. Machu Picchu here I come. Then Boulder a week later. It is strange to to think that I will be back in the United States soon.

I saw one

Yesterday I saw my first sea lion. It was probably a South American Sea Lion (Otaria flavescens) but I am not sure. It looked to be about 2 meters (6 feet) and probably 150 kilos (over 300 pounds). At least that is my non pinniped expert guess. The picture on the right is not a sea lion. It is in fact the resident mouse catcher, Gato Yeko.

We also set up our solar powered water distiller. It needs some final touches. We made it with things that we found around the house in order to keep the cost as low as possible. This took a little more work (trial and error) but it is technically giving us fresh water from the ocean.
With the weekend approaching, modifications are being made to the kiosk. The goal is to move it more towards a cafe. Kiosks are for high school kids. The ocean has grown significantly colder. Like a child that is all of the sudden a teenager, the water now feels more Arctic. Or Antarctic would be more appropriate. Either way, we plan on a couple good body boarding sessions also this weekend. Hopefully the sea lion
will not appear. They seem scarier than sharks.

Quintay

Luckily for me my computer can barely pick up the wireless internet that is being sent out from the very plush resort nearby so I can tell you about the adventures taking place here on the beach.

We picked up Elisa (Leo's 2 month old daughter) yesterday and ran a bunch of errands. Because Leo lives 45 minutes away from the nearest town, we buy everything in bulk and try to think about everything that we will need for a week of living beside the beach. Elisa is typically happy and we looked like a great gay couple grocery shopping and fussing over our baby.

Last night I was awake to hear Elisa make typical goo goo baby sounds. If she would cry, Leo had to get up. I was in another room. I slept well. I did hear Leo say "F*ck" when he had to get up for the third time in three hours. I snickered and was glad to stay in bed. It gets cold here at night.

This morning, I got up and went wandering around the shoreline. There were gulls, pelicans, shearwaters, and cormorants. I think that they ate all of the fish however because when I busted out my Waterdog fishing pole, there were no bites.


On another completely unrelated note, my friend Ben did another triathlon. It is worth mentioning that he beat Chris McCormack and came in second place overall less than one minute behind Chris Lieto.

rant

So let me get this right. Aloha Airlines is out of business. go! Airlines is also in trouble. Lingle could have bailed Aloha out of trouble, but didn't. How convenient for the Superferry. As airline ticket will double or triple in the future, the Superferry might become cheaper than flying. Of course there are risks to whales, like in Georgia. I don't think that whales are a priority in Hawai'i. Not many of our natural resources are.
I also see that gas prices are at a record high in Hawai'i. Check out this chart I found. It starts at about the beginning of the war on terror...or Afghanistan...or weapons of mass destruction...or bin Laden...or was it the spreading of democracy? However, there is hope. People like Ben, Kurt, Loren, Jim, in fact many people that I know want to change some things. So ride your bike, buy locally grown produce, and start recycling. I am going to the beach. I will leave you with something funny.

Found these emoticons during war time quite amusing from the New Yorker:

:-) No new attacks reported today.

:-( New attack reported today.

=|:-)= This e-mail is being monitored by Uncle Sam for your protection.

:-x I’d rather not say in an e-mail that’s being monitored for

my protection.

:-w Our current leader speaks with forked tongue.

*:o) Our current leader is a bozo.

/:-=( Our current leader in some ways resembles Adolf Hitler,

at least in his disregard for civil liberties during wartime.

:-o Uh-oh, what was that?

:-@ I hear screaming.

B) Now donning protective goggles.

.-) Good Sammy Davis, Jr., movie on tonight.

<|-) Yes, the current conflict resembles Vietnam.

+<:-) Pope to make appeal for peace.

(:3 No, I am the Walrus.

:(=) Interesting Jimmy Carter piece in today’s Times.

[:-) I’m listening to my iPod.

3:-o Bovine encephalitis attack!

@:-[-- New Osama bin Laden message released.

8-/ Local chemical attack causing blindness.

:-# Kiss your ass goodbye.

solution to fish farming

After posting my rant about salmon farms, I thought of my fishing history:

Both my grandfathers were into fishing. In Kona we would fish at night for menpachi (Myripristis berndti, or Squirrel Fish) or charter a boat and go deep sea fishing. My grandpa Jack, who lived in Kona must have been good luck. With him, I caught by biggest fish to date, a 176 pound Ahi, (Thunnus albacares, Yellowfin Tuna). My grandfather in Ireland, Brian, was also an avid fisherman. With Jack he also caught the biggest fish of his life, a marlin over 450 pounds. However, fate usually worked against Brian. His offspring consisted of 3 daughters. None of whom I know to fish. Quite often his fishing consisted of sitting. Not much reeling.

"That is why it is called fishing and not catching" he used to tell me.

There was rarely anything alive at the end of his line. My grandfather and his friends were quite often called "The Preservation Society of Ireland" due to their lack of luck. Obviously it wasn't a lack of skill.

I was the first grandchild and luckily for him, I was a boy. Boys are supposed to love hunting, fishing, and being outdoors. I like fishing and being outdoors. I am not opposed to hunting if it is for the right reasons. He would take me out whenever we had the chance. Fishing on rivers, lakes, or boats in the ocean. He loved fishing and that love has somehow stayed with me. Funnily enough, I do not like to eat fish. I like the tranquility of fishing. It is like constantly being occupied, yet doing nothing. I am definitely a catch and release kind of guy. In Ireland, I learned the basics of fly fishing. I drove around the entire country looking for a place to rent a pole. One place in the entire country was open. There was a guy sitting in a shed by himself. He only rented fly fishing poles. When I explained that I had no prior experience, but always wanted to learn to fly fish, he spent an hour trying not to get frustrated at my ill attempts to whip the pole over my head. Eventually he left and it was up to me not to accidently throw the pole in the lake. He promised that the lake was stocked with trout. I believe him because I saw the fish jumping. I think that he had recently fed the fish or the fish knew who my grandfather was because I didn't get a bite in the hours I stood freezing looking like an idiot fly fishing for their first time.

In Chile, people were fishing on the beach without poles. They catch some bait (some crab-like animal), tie a giant weight on their line, walk out waist deep in the ocean and throw the terrified crab into the cold green swells. Then they walk backward unreeling line from their pockets. They hold a spool of line and drag in any fish that bites. Not my idea of a relaxing afternoon. If I had a pole, I would have done it my way. In Argentina you cannot rent a fishing pole. You pay at least $300 for a guide, boat, lunch, and a license. Nobody will rent a pole to you, it is like the fishing mafia. So one evening, Leo, Danielle and I were walking through Bariloche and we stopped in a fishing shop. For the first time, I was presented with the opportunity to buy a fishing pole. Then I could fish whenever I want. I bit. I purchased my first real fishing pole. Not the expanding kind that have a picture of snoopy on the handle. This one came with a case. I am the proud owner of a dark green Waterdog Formula 2012 fishing pole. I also purchased a Waterdog Hermes 301 maroon colored reel. My lucky spinners are some copper colored cheap thing for big fish in lakes and a small, but apparently magical lure called the "Black Fury". If that doesn't sound appetizing to some big trout, I don't know what will. Leo likes to eat fish so I can't stop thinking about how much money I will save by catching his dinner for him everyday.

As soon as the first fish is caught, I will post pictures.

life un-plugged

We arrived in Santiago this morning after a long 13 hour overnight bus ride from Puerto Montt. That town is not a fun place to spend a lot of time. There is a collapsing salmon farming community there and not much else. So on the outskirts of town there are huge warehouses with names like "Ocean Harvest Fish Food" or "Bountiful Sea". Of course Coca Cola has a big factory of some kind there too. They are probably all manufacturing the same things.

Talking to a former employee of the fish farms, I learned the truth about how the fish are raised. We could see the cages with the fish overflowing in them. They sit in cubes in the ocean that are too full for the fish to live in. Antibiotics and growth hormones are regularly thrown into the cages hoping that the fish eat them. Of course the excess just floats away in the currents. Sea lions are interested in the salmon, so nets are put up to keep the sea lions away. Some die in the nets. Some get to the fish cages. They can't get into the cages so they just take bites of the fish. This annoys the owners that wildlife is taking bites of their profits so they illegally shoot the sea lions. Of course they are protected, so to get rid of the evidence, the shooter takes the body to shore and ties it to a tree where the carcass rots.

There is a disease that is wiping out the salmon stocks. Because the cages are all kept close together and in a shallow area (unlike the natural habitat) the disease is spreading too fast to control. So more varieties of drugs are being used to try and kill it.

Another chapter in my story. Tomorrow, Danielle goes to Peru. I go back to Quintay. Quintay is the small seaside town where my friend Leo lives. Together, we are going to try and open a hostel. He has the perfect location and almost everything that he needs to have a successful hostel. However, he needs to have water trucked in because he is in such a remote area. So now we are going to try and desalinate the sea water that is very abundant. We all need to do our part to help lower the sea level. An off the grid hostel sounds like a place that I would like to stay. I finally get to put some of my ideas into action.

With all this extra water, I would like to get a compost, garden, and outdoor shower going. Maybe I am getting ahead of myself, I don't even know if we will have the water, but I have big plans. Eventually we will need some wind and/or solar power. Anyone have any ideas about how to generate power cheaply?

So for the next 3 weeks, I will remain on the beach, probably without internet. That is a lie, it would be difficult for me to survive like a caveman (without internet, I won't shower or use utensils the whole time) so don't miss me too much.

new schedule

Things have been revised. I will be traveling for at least a year. I am staying in Chile an extra few weeks. I am staying in Boulder for a few months. I arrive in Boulder May 13 and leave October 15. The Bolder Boulder 10k running race will be taking place on May 26. I can't wait. 50,000 runners and walkers through the town of Boulder. And Crocs is sponsoring it so I will get a pair.

On another note, our hostel Erratic Rock has been fantastic. They rented us all of our camping gear, make a killer breakfast complete with homemade bread that has enticed me to get a bread maker when I get home.

So check my itinerary for the new details and expect some more changes in the future!

Towers of pain...

April 1, 2008: This morning, I woke up and put on my clothes. Long underwear and jeans. Long sleeve shirt, sweater, light jacket, down jacket. Thick socks and hiking boots. Gloves in my pocket along with a wool hat. Then I got on a plane and flew 1500 km south to Punta Arenas. upon arrival the weather was a nice 12C (50F). I didn't need my big puffy jacket yet. We hopped on a bus to Puerto Natales which was about 2 hours away. We were told to check out Erratic Rock hostel. So we did. They were full, but offered us a place at what they called Erratic Rock 0.5. They put some mats on the floor and we slept in our sleeping bags for the night. That night we packed for our week long camping trip. Dehydrated mashed potatoes and soups, some cheese, salami, bread, tea, powdered milk, sugar, trail mix, oatmeal premixed with powdered milk and nuts. Stove for heating water, fuel for stove. Mess kit of pots, spoons, knife. Sleeping bag, pad, 3 person tent. And all the warm clothes that you can wear.

Beginning: You have to pay to enter the park. You also have to pay at half the campsites. That seemed ridiculous, so we decided to only stay at the free campsites. We were warned that meant there were no bathrooms or rangers, but I always thought that was what camping was about. Being outside.

Day 1: Most people pay to take a catamaran half an hour to Camp Pehoé. We walked six hours to avoid paying and stick to the free plan. Our bus dropped us off at the administration center in the southern part of the park. Hiking for only a couple of hours, we arrived at the first campsite, Las Carretas. It was a few hundred meters from the river Rio Grey (appropriately named if it was named for the color of the water) and seemed decent. There were piles of wood that we assumed were protection from the wind so we set up our tent next to one. The weather was good and there was no wind and we expected things to be pretty easy. We had a good dinner and went to bed early.
2:30 am: Mice are in the tent. The had chewed through the tent, through our backpacks and into our food. The wind is now at least 50 kmh and it is raining. We grab our stuff and run to the shelter 20 meters away. Because the campsite was closed (hence free) the bathrooms were locked and people had used the shelter as a bathroom. So we are standing in a shelter (think 3 walls and a roof with a picnic table) holding our backpacks, freezing, trying not to inhale. We know that we have about 6 hours of hiking ahead of us tomorrow and we consider starting now. We can't put our bags back in the tent, we can't stand here holding them all night, what else is there, but to start hiking? Luckily, a tiny bit of logic crept into my brain and we decided to put all of our food into one bag and hang it from the shelter. However, if the mice chewed the rope that supported the bag all of our food could be lost to rodents, foxes, feces, whatever. But we wanted to go to bed. We collapsed into our bags after hanging the food and woke up later than we wanted.

Day 2: Back in the stinky shelter, we made breakfast and tea and tried not to mention the weather. It was still windy and rainy and we had a long way to go. We eventually got everything together, saw what food was lost and began the hike to the next site. We walked northwest around Lago Pehoé to the first refugio. The refugios are like mini hotels. For about $40 you can stay the night in a bed, a warm, dry, bed. The even offer meals. $10 for breakfast, $20 for lunch and dinner. We used their shelter to make some soup and kept hiking northwest. The shelter at the refugios had four walls, free fuel, and pots and pans. Showers and bathrooms were also available, but those facilities were only supposed to be for the people that paid. The weather cleared and we got our first sight of the Torres. Inspired and enthusiastic once again, we set off for another free campsite. First though, we had to pass through another pay site.

As we approached the pay site, I saw my first glacier (Grey Glacier) and icebergs. The ice broke off the glacier, floated down the lake (Lago Grey), melted and became Rio Grey. It was getting dark as we walked into the pay campsite. They also had hot showers, bathrooms, and a shelter. It was another uphill 2 hour hike to the free campsite and my companions couldn't resist the urge to drop the packs and make dinner. We sucked it up and paid $20 for a campsite for 3 of us. I wasn't complaining. We camped beside a glacier. That was impressive.

Day 3: We packed everything and back tracked a few hours to the pay campsite where we made lunch the previous day. We were hurting, but did another 3.5 hours to the free campsite Italiano. It was beside another river that was made of glacial runoff. From there we collected water to make more soup, tea, and cheesy instant potatoes. The weather is still nice and although we are becoming more bruised, sore, and tired, we are happy and the idea that we are hiking around these stone giants is making us more determined with each step.

Day 4: Today was a great day. We left our big heavy backpacks in camp and hiked a couple of hours uphill through Valle Frances, French Valley, to Camparmento Britanico, the British Campsite. This place is very international. On our left, there were avalanches, rock slides, and icefalls that sounded like thunder. On our right, colossal towers were looming over us like skyscrapers. We were surrounded by the Torres del Paine. On our way back down to our camp, we stayed and watched avalanches for a while. We sat on rocks that had been carried to their current position by the glaciers that carved the valley. When we couldn't feel our butts anymore we returned to camp. Dinner was served early and then the rain started. We darted into our tent and hoped that the weather would clear before we had to start another long day.

Day 5: Rain. We woke up early anticipating about 8 hours of hiking. Of course if it were just hiking, it wouldn't be too bad. It is hiking sometimes gaining 1000 meters in elevation with at least 20 kilos in our backpacks. My back, knees, hips, everything hurt when I put on my pack. They were so heavy that we would have to help each other put them on. It was only 2 hours to our first refugio and it rained continuously. We dried off as much as we could and had a snack in the refugio. After a while we realized that we needed to get a move on. It was another four hours to the next stop, then two more to our final destination of the day. So we hoofed it. It rained, then got windier, then it rained some more. We were drenched. Nothing is waterproof in that kind of weather. Luckily, I put all of my stuff in a trash bag inside my backpack. My backpack was getting heavier by the minute as it soaked in the cold rain. After a few hours we were cold, miserable and grumpy. We stopped talking and got to the refugio. Inside was like paradise. They had a fire going with lots of gloves, jackets, and hats drying around it. We were able to sit down and relax for a bit. The weather was getting worse and we still had two more hours of uphill hiking to go. Talking to the people that were also sitting around the fire we found out that most of them had come from the campsite where we were trying to go. It was raining harder there and the clouds were preventing anyone from seeing any of the towers. We decided to stay at a lower elevation. The point of going up higher was to see the opposite side of the torres than we had seen the day before. There was snow at the highest campsite. We paid for a campsite (after debating renting a bed) and went to sleep as it was still raining outside.

Day 6: We woke up and it was still raining. The snow line was lower than the day before and the temperature was also dropping. More people had come to the refugio. It was colder and the trail was full of snow. The clouds still prevented the towers from being seen. We decided to sit inside, have tea and wait for the bus back to Puerto Natales. All went as we planned for that day.

So in the end we hiked about 65 kilometers. Saw some things that we have never seen (Guanacos (think llama), Ñandus (like an ostrich), Andean Condors, glaciers, icebergs, avalanches, Torres del Paine), and got to fulfill one of my goals in life.