Things lately have been super up and down, with amazing days that are worth going through all the tough parts of travel, and some shitty, shitty days that really help to put the amazing days into perspective. It's easy for people to assume that we are just on an 18 month holiday. Definitely not. Trying to travel on a budget can be really hard work and there's a ton of downtime when you're just sitting on a bus, or waiting for a bus, or sitting in your hostel, or killing time somewhere and trying not to spend any money. We also have exactly zero solid plans most of the time and it can be hard to decide what to do next, taking into account weather, budget, accessibility, activities, accommodation, transport etc etc etc. Don't get me wrong, we are so lucky to be doing this and I don't regret it for a second, but not every day is a picnic, believe me. So, some things that have happened, good and bad, since I last blogged:
- Travelled to Bahia Bustamante, where we were scheduled to do a month long Workaway exchange. This place is literally like the end of the earth, it's 210,000 hectares of ocean and land on the Atlantic coast of Argentinian Patagonia, 45 kms from the nearest road, completely isolated, wild and beautiful. The land and surrounding islands are home to penguins, sea lions, choique (pretty much a mini emu) and so many species of bird. Our hosts farm seaweed for cosmetics, medicines and consumption, as well as farming sheep - 90 animals per hectare, as free-range as you can get. I was tasked with service in the restaurant, while Dave was lucky enough to do the infinitely more interesting tasks of maintenance and assisting in the veggie garden. This was different from our previous volunteer experiences, as not only were there about 10 full time staff members there, we also had three fellow volunteers from the US. I really enjoyed the community feel of the place, everybody eating together and hanging out in the common room until the electricity was shut off at midnight. We will definitely seek out work exchange opportunities that offer a similar set up in terms of volunteer numbers in the future. While we were there we got to go out on some excursions with the guests - Dave and I had a free day together where we travelled to Penguin Island and got up close and personal with nesting penguins, I took a navigation around 12 islands to see basically all the wildlife in the area, and Dave was lucky enough to visit a petrified forest which has blah blah blah.
- Unfortunately our intended four weeks at Bahia Bustamante was cut short after only 12 days. The combination of complete isolation, inconsistent wifi which made it impossible to book and plan further travel, and repetitive, carbohydrate heavy meals were taking their toll on the Americans. They had complained to management and requested to leave early but their request seemed to be falling on deaf ears. Bear in mind, this is not a place you can choose to leave independently. You're 45 kms from the highway, which is literally just a highway, and then a further 20 kms from the nearest sign of civilisation, a simple service station. The nearest small town is 2 hours drive away. The isolation is the biggest draw card but also the biggest downfall. Fresh fruit and vegetables were almost non existent. The garden was heavily planted with greens and herbs but nothing was even close to ready to harvest, except for the lettuce. Meals therefore consisted of either pasta, rice, potatoes, pizza or polenta, occasionally with some lamb thrown in, and always with a side or bread. The girls in the garden picked lettuce almost daily but it rarely ended up on our plates, instead going to the paying guests in the restaurant. Once we were given a salad of lettuce, carrot and lentils and we celebrated it like it was Christmas lunch. A man in a van visited the farm once while we were there selling fruits and a few veggies and if we wanted these we could buy them for ourselves (note, management never purchased anything from the van man). Seriously, getting a few oranges, bananas and pears, even a tomato was a thrilling moment. Anybody who has visited Argentina will know that breakfast is not important to them, so for that meal we were provided with only coffee and some crackers and sweet biscuits. In short, our stomachs oscillated between hungry, bloated and constipated, and nobody had a lot of energy to do much other than sleep. SO the girls wanted to leave for these very valid reasons. Dave and I had planned to stick it out for another week but I didn't think I could exist on that diet for a month. However, our hand was forced one day, when management abruptly informed the girls, at 5pm, that there was a car leaving in 3 hours that would drop them off on the highway. Three women, alone on a highway in the middle of Patagonia at night. Sorry, not a viable solution. I was almost in tears as the girls started packing, fearful for them but also worried about how things would play out when Dave and I asked to leave. Luckily, a staff member talked the owner into reconsidering this plan and it was decided that the car would leave at the much more reasonable time of 10am the next day. Us volunteers drank our remaining bottles of wine that night, Dave and I quietly packed our bags and the following morning we explained to the owner that we could not support what had occurred the day prior and we had to leave as well. He understood that he had fucked up, but also that certain members of staff were starting to feel negatively towards the volunteers and that things would be incredibly awkward for us if we remained there. So we said our goodbyes and headed for the highway. It was sad to leave as we had made really good friends with a lot of the staff there.
- These dot points are actually really long and wordy, sorry. Next up: hitchhiking! We got dropped at the gas station on the highway and we knew we had a trip of 200 kms to get to the next major city where we could organise onward buses etc. The girls easily sorted themselves a ride, with a young guy who was thrilled to have three foreign girls in his car, leaving Dave and I to try our Spanish out with motorists filling up, and also stick our thumbs out to try to score a lift with a passing car. A truck driver who was on a refuel and maté break had been watching us for about 20 minutes before calling us over and telling us he'd take us. I had a brief moment of hesitation when he opened the truck door and there was a giant knife on the seat, but it turns out he just spends a lot of time in his truck and often prepares meals there. He wasn't Ivan Milat, is the point I'm trying to make! We spent the next three hours making conversation as best as we could in Spanish and arrived safe and sound in Comodoro Rivadavia, where there were bus tickets, and fresh food, and beer! The simple things in life.
- Having realised that we would not be able to afford to make it as far south as Ushuaia or Torres del Paine we headed down to El Calafate to check out the Perito Moreno glacier, the third largest freshwater reservoir in the world and an absolutely remarkable site. The glacier is continually shedding huge chunks of ice, so you'll hear a sound like rolling thunder and then a piece of ice will slide off the face of the glacier and into the water. It was quite a phenomenon to experience.
- We headed to El Chalten for four days of day hikes (we covered roughly 65km in 3 days) and we were immediately blessed with unseasonably stunning weather. Clear blue skies and not a breath of wind greeted us for our first two days, and we made the most of it, checking out some stunning scenery, a waterfall, and the Cerro Torre mountain. On our third day day the weather closed in a bit but we had committed to the hike up to Mt Fitz Roy, so we soldiered on through the wind and cold, through the final incredibly tough kilometre and were rewarded with an amazing site as the clouds parted for about 30 minutes to give us a picture perfect view. We further rewarded ourselves with dinner and beer at the Cerveceria later that night which felt well earned.
- Meeting other travellers along the way had helped us to alter our travel plans somewhat, and we headed to El Bolson, which had not been on our radar at all before we left. This town was a complete delight, and such a nice place to just chill out and relax for a week. We stayed in two of the best hostels we've ever been to, spent a delightful sunny afternoon at the local craft market where there was artisanal beer, whole wheat empanadas and homemade alfajores (a ridiculously amazing chocolate biscuit), and just generally saved money, researched future travel and feasted on delicious, fresh produce - El Bolson is the food bowl for most of Argentina so we were finally overwhelmed with choices at the verduleria.
- Our next move was a stupid false step, made in hastiness and impatience. We had been in contact with a Workaway host who had what sounded like a fabulous setup and who we were very keen to volunteer with. He took a while to get back to us to confirm our arrival dates and we were stressed about money, stuck in Bariloche which wasn't a place we really wanted to be, and we were really looking for a place in Chile to spend two weeks before heading to Santiago. So we reached out to a few other Workaway hosts, one of which replied immediately saying that we could arrive tomorrow if we wanted. So, we did. Through no fault of the farm or the people there, that was a big mistake. There was no wifi, which was unexpected. There was no work structure, which was difficult. It was also not the place where we really wanted to be, and I couldn't help comparing it to the location we had really wanted to be at. So, once again we left a Workaway early. I felt incredibly guilty about it, but I'd been wracked with anxiety while I was there and I wasn't enjoying myself at all. So many learning experiences, so little time!
- Which brings us to now, hanging out in southern Chile, taking a few days to regroup, rest and get ourselves back on track. We've based ourselves in Puerto Varas which is a cute little place, with a lake and two - count them - two volcanoes to look at. We've meet nice people here, booked some good stuff and are finally feeling enthusiastic rather than anxious about the future.
A couple of small high and low points we've had recently:
- Walking into a restaurant to check out their menu on our way back to the hostel from our hike to Mt Fitz Roy and being greeted by a round of thunderous applause from a table of twenty fellow hikers. We responded in a super awkward fashion because we weren't 100% sure they were clapping for us but next time we will punch the air like Rocky and totally own the cheering like the bosses we are.
- Being so relieved to leave Argentina (a country I absolutely loved) after 6 weeks of frustrations with money and organisation and everything just not running as well as it should, and then missing it two days later when we couldn't understand Chilean Spanish or Chilean currency or even why Chilean empanadas were so different.
- Being able to have long conversations in Spanish with a French couple in one of our hostels, as well as the super sweet 'Nana' owner of another hostel. We finished both of them feeling mentally drained at having to concentrate so hard but also so happy that our fledgling Spanish is getting good enough to actually have meaningful conversations with people and not just book bus tickets or ask directions on the street.
- Rocking up to El Chalten without many Argentinian pesos on us (our 'blue dollars' are well and truly finished) and finding out that there are only two ATMs in town, one of which is completely empty and the other doesn't accept bankcards with a microchip - as if cards without a chip exist ANYWHERE in the world other than the financial joke of a country that is Argentina.
- Travelling for a bit over a week as a group of three rather than just in our couple, with Monica who we were volunteering with in Bahia Bustamante. It was such a nice way to break up the monotony (no offence) of being together and we will hopefully do more of it as we meet more travellers in South America.
- Leaving our Workaway in Chile, waiting on the side of the road for a minibus and then travelling for an hour and a half back to the nearest town with no idea where we would go next or even sleep that night, only to connect to wifi and find out that my beloved dog had passed away. Fair to say, that was the worst day so far.
- Meeting not one, but two couples who were travelling with their three year old child and staying in hostels. Life and travel does not end once you've had children!
- Being 'banned' from drinking wine in the common area of our Workaway at Bahia Bustamante after the owner came in at 11pm one night and there were two bottles of red wine being shared amongst 12 of us. We had to move our drinking to the volunteer accommodation area AKA Bar Lopez, where we sat on a concrete floor, ate water crackers and played music through our phones.
- A silver fox by the name of Gonzalo, the brother of the owner of Bahia Bustamante. He was an absolute man about town, warm and welcoming, with a great energy and super charismatic. He was travelling to Australia a few days after we met him, and staying with the one and only Mark 'Touchdown' Holden while he was in Melbourne. He also deliberately flouted the 'no drinking in the common area' rules and encouraged us all to do the same, like we needed any encouragement.
- Witnessing a 'travel couple' go from super happy together at one hostel to very snipey and awkward around each other at the next hostel in a different town a few days later. She clearly knew that the travel relationship had run its course but he was desperately holding onto whatever had drawn them together in the first place (he was also definitely the 'reacher' in the relationship so he had much more to lose).
- Cold showers on cold days after taking walks in cold wind.
- Being invited to a neighbours house for lunch, after spending one day at our Workaway in Chile. This woman's son had recently moved to Australia and she was thrilled to meet us and to learn everything she could about Australia. We sat at her dining room table for 7 hours, stuffing our faces with delicious food and trying to keep track of the conversations in Spanish going on around us. It was the most lovely, tiring, rewarding and unusual family lunch we have ever attended and we felt so lucky to meet her and to be welcomed so warmly into her home. There are so many wonderful people in the world, don't listen to what the papers tell you. Seriously, we are going to have to work our arses off when we get home to repay the hospitality we have experienced from strangers around the world.
I think it's fitting that we end on such a high note, as realistically, despite the poor decisions we've made, despite the bad luck we've experienced, despite the frustrations of everything related to money in Argentina there have been much more good days than bad. I've developed a terrible habit of latching onto anywhere that feels comfortable and assigning it as my new 'home' and then suffering terrible anxiety and homesickness as soon as we leave. I think 6 months without a home base has been tough, and because this isn't an easy continent to travel and we never know what the next location will have in store for us I'm definitely subconsciously putting down roots anywhere that feels comfortable. I've been challenged in a way that I've never felt anywhere else I've travelled, but I've also learned so much more than I ever have anywhere else I've travelled, and met so many fascinating, brave and knowledgeable people along the way.
Tomorrow we head to the Workaway we always wanted to do, who finally confirmed a date with us. Fingers crossed it's as good of an experience as we imagine it's going to be. Whatever pans out we will be wiser for it, hopefully with new friends, new skills and a whole bunch of stories to take away from it.
Merry Christmas everybody! If you're lucky enough to be spending it with your family make sure you tell them that you love them, give your dog an extra big cuddle, and for god's sake, eat as many Cherry Ripes as you possibly can - we are so lucky to live in a country where they exist! I think about Cherry Ripes every single day. Never take anything for granted. xox
