Sailing down the protected waters of the southern Chilean coast in Patagonia is about a sublime experience as you can get in travel. You can see parts of the world practically inaccessible to humans. The Navimag company provides the service whose main role is to shuttle cargo between Puerto Montt and Puerto Natales and a couple of places in between. Snow capped volcanos, glaciers green coastlines, and water in several shades of blue all await. This beauty is why I had to include it in Season One of The Career Break Travel Show. And this photo is one of many that I could have included in this week’s Suh-Weet Shot.

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The Hidden Patagonian Fjords by Ferry is a post from: Career Break Secrets: Travel show, independent travel blog and advice for career breaks and around the world travel adventures

If you’ve followed me for any amount of time, you know that I love Patagonia and I love the Navimag ferry. Once you dock you have time to mill around on the deck and take in the scenery. Just off the shore of Puerto Montt (the city where you board the ferry) is a small island inhabited by farmers, cattle and boats. It’s unclear if these boats are just docked but are still sea worthy or if they are castoffs, destined to be marooned on these shores forever. Of the many pictures I have from the deck before the ferry left the harbor, I loved this one of the farmers tending to their cattle and have made it today’s Suh-Weet Shot.

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Surf and Turf in the Chilean Patagonia is a post from: Career Break Secrets: Travel show, independent travel blog and advice for career breaks and around the world travel adventures

Last week, I had a shot of a horse on Easter Island and I couldn’t resist throwing up one more Suh-Weet Shot from there. Just outside the town of Hanga Roa (likely where your hotel or hostel would be) within walking distance is the beach with Te Ata Hero, a series of 5 moai on one platform. Given that it’s on the west coast, people flock there at sunset for a truly magical end to the day. If you want to read about my time traveling to Easter Island, feel free. For now, I’ll just leave you with this little shot of mine.

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Sunset on Easter Island is a post from: Career Break Secrets: Travel show, independent travel blog and advice for career breaks and around the world travel adventures

I so loved Easter Island. In a country like Chile with major contrasts, Rapa Nui (its traditional name), offers something completely different. Given it’s polynesian roots, those who have been to Hawaii, New Zealand, Tahiti or elsewhere in the Polynesian triangle will feel a certain familiarity upon arrival. I bought a last minute 4 day/3 night package in Santiago for under $500 (flight, hotel, 3 tours and breakfast included). Given Easter Island’s notoriety for being an expensive destination, I jumped on that deal.  The next time I go, I will spend extra time to hike and bike around the island. The tours are great for seeing the major sites and hearing about the history. In fact, this Suh-Weet Shot came from our tour of the volcano where the moai (aka the big headed statues) were carved. But, I also wish I had more time to explore alone. So, the next time, I will be sure to build that in to my itinerary. One quick tip, outside the hotel, the island operates mostly via a cash-based economy. Take extra pesos as there is only one ATM on the island.

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Horses and Moai on Easter Island is a post from: Career Break Secrets: Travel show, independent travel blog and advice for career breaks and around the world travel adventures

The first hike of my career break was just outside of Santiago, Chile to see the El Morado Glacier. I was about 4 weeks into it and was ready to see something besides a city. It was a field trip organized by my language institute. From our parking spot the hike took a couple of hours to arrive to the glacier. But, I didn’t care. The path snaked through the colorful Andes. The palate was a mix of muted greens, browns, ochre red and purples. This is why I had to make this pic this week’s Suh-Weet Shot. The mountainsides were steep drops from jagged peaks. If you go, be sure to take plenty of food and water. There are no facilities past a nearby small town. If you suffer from motion sickness, some ginger ale wouldn’t hurt as the road has several switchbacks through the mountains. If you are traveling to Chile and have some extra time in Santiago, find a way to take a day trip out to the El Morado Glacier.

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Surprisingly Colorful Hiking Trail to the El Morado Glacier in Chile is a post from: Career Break Secrets: Travel show, independent travel blog and advice for career breaks and around the world travel adventures

Any stroll in the Providencia neighborhood of Santiago, Chile will almost certainly take you to Parque Forestal. It runs along the Mapocho River which on most days has a foul odor. Starting at the Plaza Baquedano, you can take a leisurely walk to some of the museums in the city like Bellas Artes or the Contemporary Art Museum. On my first trip to Santiago, it was fall and the leaves were changing. I was in a fruitless search for a coffee shop in or around the park (I didn’t find one) when I came upon the Fuente Alemana (German Fountain). Sculpted by the German, Gustavo Eberlein, a renowned artist from Berlin, it seems to have been a gift from the resident German immigrant community in 1910. As emblematic as the statue is, I found remarkably little about its history online. So, just go see it on your trip to Santiago. And in the meantime, enjoy this week’s Suh-Weet Shot of it.

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The Fuente Alemana (German Fountain) in Santiago is a post from: Career Break Secrets: Travel show, independent travel blog and advice for career breaks and around the world travel adventures

Typical housing in Castro on Chiloe. Copyright CareerBreakSecrets.com

On Saturday, March 1, around noon I headed off to the pier to catch my ferry from Chaitén to Quellón on the island of Chiloé.  I had a final conversation with the family who owned  the home where I was staying.  We talked about Chilean life in southern Chile and how different it was to that in urban Santiago.  I also found out that a large international environmental group was meeting down in Coyhaique and many stars would be or were already were in the area – not that I saw Julia Roberts, Leonardo DiCaprio, Cameron Diaz or Robert F Kennedy.  But, I was apparently close.

The weather had been quite bad the previous couple of days with large thunderstorms rolling through the area.  Today was different – sunny and bright, perfect for making a ferry crossing.  Leaving Chaitén, I went to the back of the ferry and marveled at the large mountains that envelop the town. To the south, I saw a large volcano which I had not previously noticed.  Even though there wasn’t much to do in Chaitén itself, I thought (now that I was leaving) how good of a thing that was hoping that the town stayed pristine and remote.

They really are on stilts...over water. Copyright CareerBreakSecrets.com

We arrived to Quellón around 7PM after an almost 6 hour journey to the southern port town.  I had spent most of the time reading on the boat, but did strike up a conversation with one of the crew members talking about US politics, fishing rights in Chile and life on the boat.  I left the boat and headed straight for the bus station to get my ticket to Castro, in the middle of Chiloé.  There I was to meet my friends from Santiago, Ale and Paul.  The only option was the local bus – there was no express. So, what should’ve taken an hour, took 3.  I dropped my stuff at the hostel and found Ale and Paul in a restaurant waiting patiently for me to arrive.  We had a great meal of Pisco Sours, steak and wine.  There was an 80s party in town and when we showed up, we were surrounded by a mob of 18-20 year-olds. So, we decided to call it a night.

On Sunday, we got up lazily and walked around town.  We took a small boat ride around the fjord the runs through town.  At 2:30, we boarded a bus and headed for the national park where we would spend the next couple of days exploring.

Some of the flora from the hike. Copyright CareerBreakSecrets.com

Ale found a place in her Lonely Planet guide for us to stay.  It had a camping area where they stayed and a hostel option for me since I let Matt take the tent we used down in southern Patagonia.  It was called “Paraiso” or Paradise; it was anything but.  The site was just outside the national park so we headed in to take advantage of the remaining sunlight.  Just before leaving, Ale and Paul asked me to take a bag of theirs in the house with me since it had valuables so I could lock it in my room inside.  I also grabbed our food.  The owner, an old spinster who clearly had been isolated in the country too long, asked me who’s stuff I was carrying.  Why she cared, I have no idea.  So I told her that the food was for all of us and that the bag was mine (well, it was at a minimum, in my hand).  I knew right then this could be a long night.

The park had a few footpaths that all seemed to be at least 25kms or more in length. So, we did our best and then found a small path that led to the beach where we went to watch the sunset.  The beach was empty, windswept and stretched for kilometers to the north and south.  There were only a couple of footprints from the day and a couple of tire tracks from daytrippers.  We headed back so we could get back to the main road before the light completely left for the day.

Footprints on the beach. Copyright CareerBreakSecrets.com

We got back to the lodging site and started cooking our dinner.  It was about 9PM.  The owner lady told that she thought it was a little late to be cooking dinner.  I was irked not knowing why she would care.  But, I smiled and said that we had been out enjoying the beautiful scenery and the amazing sunset.  I went on and on about how amazing it was, really laying it on thick.  She shut up.  There wasn’t much light out so we had to cook by starlight.  We tried to turn on the lights inside the outside bathrooms, but the owner went nuts when she saw that and turned them off immediately.  We were talking fairly softly which in retrospect seems a little ridiculous since there wasn’t anyone around us.  Then again, maybe it was because we had been talking about our surly hostess.  She came out at one point asking who was shouting.  Without breaking a beat, Ale said, “Oh, it’s coming from over there”, pointing in some non-specific direction.  We heard nothing and we had been quiet.  But, the answer seemed to satisfy the woman.  We finally finished up dinner, cleaned up and went off to bed.

I awoke to the same attitude from the owner as the night before. I went to the dining room hoping to find coffee waiting. There was none.  The owner said that there wasn’t hot water for coffee yet so I asked if she could turn on the gas so I could take a shower. She also intermittently started asking me if I was leaving and if I could move my stuff out of the room – it was all of 8:30AM.  After the shower and breakfast and several more times telling me to move my stuff out of my room, I responded with a cold and direct, “I hear you. When I’m ready, I’ll move it.”  I wasn’t asked again.

We finally headed out to the national park to spend the day before I was to head back to Castro for the evening.  Ale and Paul had enough of “Paraiso” and took their stuff to the national park to camp where we had seen how nice the facilities were the day before.  The park staff couldn’t have been more helpful and accommodating.  It was a welcome change from where we had come from.  Señora Paraiso seriously needed more to occupy her time.

Sunset on Chiloe. Copyright CareerBreakSecrets.com

At 4:30, I said a sad farewell to my friends and headed back to Castro.  The next morning I got up early and took the 7 hour bus ride to Valdivia, near the lakes district of Patagonia.  The ride in was beautiful with tall trees lining the roadside.  I found a great little hostel near the bus station and got settled in.  It was too late to do anything so I headed into town to get acquainted.  I decided that I would rent a car the next morning and then return each night to Valdivia.

So, I got up on Wednesday morning and felt lazy.  Mentally I was checking out and all of a sudden felt a great need to get back to Santiago – not that I had anything important to do there.  I was just road weary and ready to end the tour.  So, I took the day walking around town, had a nice lunch, saw a movie and kicked back.  I also changed my bus ticket from a Friday to a Thursday departure.

It has been an amazing trip…definitely one of the highlights in a year filled with many highlights.  I saw amazing natural sites, met amazing people – both travelers and Chileans – and had some new experiences like trekking.  As the time wound down, my mind started drifting to what’s next.  I have a short 2 weeks back in Buenos Aires to meet some American friends of mine who are coming down.  I’ll be then heading off to Colombia. I’m not sure what I’ll find there, but I have fallen in love with the idea of Colombia based on meeting Colombians, talking to others from around South America and travelers who have been.  For now, I am heading back to Santiago happy with my latest trip and ready to head into the next adventure.

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Originally Published March 6, 2008

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Wrapping Up Patagonia in Chiloé and Valdivia is a post from: Career Break Secrets: Travel show, independent travel blog and advice for career breaks and around the world travel adventures

I'm a truck drivin' man. Copyright CareerBreakSecrets.com

On Monday morning after saying a quick goodbye to Matt, I went into town to have a quick breakfast and find a car to drive.  I quickly hit a roadblock as all the agencies seemed to be out of cars.  Furthermore, the prices were even more outlandish than I had originally heard.  I started doubting my plan and my resolve to drive the carretera.  So, I went to have a coffee and think about my plans.  I finally decided to bite the bullet and pay the exorbitant costs.  After all, driving through Patagonia is a once in a lifetime opportunity.  The terrain is magical and I love the mountains.  I ultimately decided that I would regret NOT doing it and taking a bus up to Chaitén, my stopping point.

I went to 5 or 6 agencies with no success. My final hope was Budget Rent a Car.  After my enquiry, they confirmed that they had a truck available.  I closed my eyes to the cost so as not to cause myself any more pain.  They needed about 2 hours to prep the truck so I headed into town to buy supplies for the road.  By 2PM, I was off to explore.

Mountain lakes everywhere. Copyright CareerBreakSecrets.com

The first day, I headed south a bit to explore a small lakes region.  Once I left the main road, I hit the ripio roads, or dirt roads.  I first headed out to Lago La Paloma where I had a quick lunch.  I then headed up past Lago Elizalde and Lago Atravesado.  All of these were to the southwest of Coyhaique.  I crossed the the southeast side passing by Lago Pollux and Castor.  The scenery was more beautiful on this side.  On the other side, the terrain was mostly flat filled with many farms.  While the east side had its farming side too, there were many more trees and foothills.  I got some great photos of the area.  The sun started to set and my visibility decreased so I decided to head back to Coyhaique for the night.  I wanted to head on a little further, but was afraid of arriving too late to find a place to sleep for the night.  I did have my sleeping bag as a backup in case I needed to sleep in the truck, but I preferred a regular bed.  Plus, I could get a nice cup of coffee in town in the morning before leaving.

The road can get a little bumpy at times as the sign indicates. Copyright CareerBreakSecrets.com

I got up Tuesday morning and headed out for a quick breakfast.  Around 11, I got on the road and headed north.  My destination for the day was Puyuhaupi, described as a picturesque mountain town.  There was a small route past Lago Castor that would take me north along the Argentinean border.  Given the scenery I had seen last night, it looked to be the ideal place to go.  I made a wrong turn and wound up at the border near Lago Castor.  I backtracked and headed through Coyhaique Alto, a military border post.  So far so good.  The landscape changed as I had moved just enough east to where the dry, desolate pampa began.  The road was not well-traveled and I felt good that I had a 4×4 truck.  But, I knew that if I had a flat or an accident, no one would be passing by anytime soon.  It had been a while since I did any real 4x4ing so I enjoyed the challenge.  The road was just difficult enough to keep me alert, but not so bad that I ever felt out of control.  That Land Rover training I had had years ago came in handy.  I came upon a farm in the middle of nowhere with the road blocked off.  I thought I took a wrong turn so I turned around.  With no one outside at the farm, I was not keen to keep going.  Having grown up in Texas, I knew you could get shot for that kind of behavior.  Of course, in Chile, no one has guns, but it was the principle that kept me from going through the gate.  At the checkpoint in Coyhaique Alto, I found out that I indeed was on the right track and could’ve advanced.  But, given the time of day, I thought it best that I go north an alternative, more direct route.

Local birds like these were everywhere. Copyright CareerBreakSecrets.com

I passed through Villa Ortega, a small village in the mountains which took me up to Mañihuales.  The roads were remarkably good except for the off-the-beaten path I had taken earlier in the day.  I had heard horror stories about the roads and wondered where they had come from.

Some got around on motorcycle. Copyright CareerBreakSecrets.com

Just outside of Villa Amengual, I saw two girls hitchhiking and decided to pick them up.  Hitchhiking in Chile and Argentina is done with greater frequency than in the US and I had heard that there would be plenty of people doing it…even the locals hitch.  They were two Israeli girls going up to Puyuhuapi too.  They had the typical Israeli traveler story: young and recently out of the military, and traveling for a bit before starting university.

The road turned tough and we hit a patch that was being worked on.  At the same time, this stretch turned into the most beautiful so far.  We gained altitude as the day went on.  The vegetation took on a sub-tropical look with plants looking like they belong more in the jungle than in the middle of the Patagonian mountains.  The last 30-40 kilometers were along a sea inlet that led us right to Puyuhuapi.  We stopped off to take several photos.  We passed by the Parque Nacional Quelat and got a couple of shots of the Quelat glacier.  It was all very stunning.

Waterfalls on the side of the road, a common site. Copyright CareerBreakSecrets.com

We arrived in Puyuhuapi and I let the girls out to find housing.  Since I had to be in Chaitén the next day by 2 to return the truck, I wanted to find out how long the drive would be.  On the map, it didn’t look very far, but if the road was going to be in the poor condition we had to the south of Puyuhuapi, I was going to budget more time and, perhaps, move on tonight.  I was told that I only needed 3.5 hours to reach Chaitén so I decided to stay in Puyuhuapi.  I had a quick dinner and got off to bed so I could get an early start.

I left Puyuhuapi around 8AM after taking a few pictures of the cute town.  I wished I could’ve had a day here to enjoy the town.  It was definitely a place to enjoy.  But, I was off.  The morning brought with it much fog and I enjoyed the mystical views all around.  As the morning wore on, the fog burned off revealing beautiful forested mountains and lakes all around.  I also saw here much deforestation, something I had seen a little bit along the way, but here it seemed more pronounced.  It was sad to see few efforts to reforest what had been harvested.  I’m sure timber is a big economic driver here, but there I saw little evidence that there was any long-term plan to renew the resources being extracted from the land.

I passed by Lago Yelcho which had more glacier-capped mountains alongside it.  After a few pictures, I moved on and arrived in Chaitén just before noon.

Glacier at Quelat National Park. Copyright CareerBreakSecrets.com

This was one of the more scenic parts of the Patagonia tour for me.  And, despite the cost, I was glad I decided to drive it.  I saw a great variety of forest vegetation, pampa, lakes, glacier-capped and snow-capped mountains, flora, birds, bridges, rivers, and streams.  it was difficult to get here and to know how to navigate it.  After making the trip through it, I was glad that it isn’t easy to get here.  I’m sure that over time, the number of people visiting will increase.  Certainly, as the road improves so too will the travel infrastructure which will result in more visitors.  I can only hope that more people will not result in the destruction of this jewel of nature.

Leaving Chaiten for Chiloe. Copyright CareerBreakSecrets.com

Originally Published February 28, 2008

4x4ing the Carretera Austral is a post from: Career Break Secrets: Travel show, independent travel blog and advice for career breaks and around the world travel adventures

Looking back at Chile Chico from the ferry. Copyright CareerBreakSecrets.com

On Friday, February 22, we got up, had a quick breakfast at the hostel and headed for the bus company.  We heard that that the bus across to Chile Chico, Chile left just after noon, so we hoped to still be able to get a ticket.  The ideal scenario for the day was cross the border, get on the ferry across Lake General Carrera to Puerto Ibañez and from there get to Coyhaique, Chile, which would serve as our base for the weekend.

Things started off well as we were easily able to get a ticket to Chile Chico. The distance from Perito Moreno isn’t far, but with the stops at the Argentina-Chile border, it took us 3 hours.  We immediately headed for the docks to enquire about tickets across the lake – a 2.5 hour journey that would save us 4 hours if we had to take a bus around.  Again, we were in luck and purchased our ferry ride across.  Now, the last part of our trifecta would be getting a bus on the other side once we landed to Coyhaique.  We were told that this wouldn’t be a problem by the locals, but there’s always that chance that it won’t work out.  We had a nice lunch in Chile Chico and headed off to an internet cafe while we waited to board.

Overlooking Coyhaique from the surrounding mountains. Copyright CareerBreakSecrets.com

At 5:30, our ferry headed across Lake General Carrera, which is shared by Argentina and known on the other side of the border as Lake Buenos Aires.  It was a nice boat ride as we passed over the icy blue lake with mountains and volcanoes to the west.  It reminded me a little of my Navimag ferry ride down to southern Chile a bit.  The sun was out with few clouds in the sky and there was just enough of a cool breeze requiring a light jacket outside, but nothing more.  The ride was also remarkable for the passenger mix.  Most of the people were Chileans, not foreigners.  There were a few of us.  But, after traveling so long on the backpacker circuit, it was nice not to be surrounded by other tourists.  I had a great chat with a grandmother with her granddaughter returning from a visit to Argentina.

The plaza in Coyhaique. Copyright CareerBreakSecrets.com

We landed around 8PM in Puerto Ibañez and the buses were literally waiting for us.  Matt and I found one and off we went to Coyhaique.  I couldn’t believe our luck.  We started the day knowing virtually nothing about how to navigate from the Argentinean border to Coyhaique, and yet, here we were  – on our way.

We were dropped off at a hostel that both of our travel books recommended as good and cheap, Hostal Don Santiago.  There was plenty of room so we dropped our stuff and headed into town for a late dinner.

On Saturday, we took the day off to veg out.  I was surprised to see that the town was not crawling with tourists.  This is central stopping point on the southern highway route and I expected massive crowds.  We found out later that the high season is ending for the region so things had slowed down quite a bit.  Also, as we later experienced, the tourist infrastructure wasn’t as developed here as in other areas so it’s a little harder to navigate.  I’m sure that keeps people away too.  I was happy for that.  We found a great gourmet restaurant for dinner dining on grilled emu.  We were the only ones in the restaurant which again seemed surprising.  As we walked through town after dinner, we saw that most restaurants were empty.

One of the lakes around the area. Copyright CareerBreakSecrets.com

On Sunday, Matt and I went to the local National Park for a hike.  It wasn’t the most beautiful hike I’ve ever done, but it was nice to get out and do some activity.  We had a nice talk with the local rangers afterwards (they had also let us in for the local rate of 800 pesos instead of 2000 pesos, i.e., $1.60 instead of $4.00.  Afterwards, we went back into town for a quick dinner before heading back to the hostel to pack up.

Matt and I decided to split up after tonight.  I wanted to rent a car and drive up the highway.  The cost estimates were significant so Matt decided to move on.  Plus, he had to start heading back home to Cuzco, Peru and needed to allow enough time to get back.  So, Monday morning, Matt headed off to the bus station and I started looking for a rental car.  The trip was changing again and it was time to look forward.

Originally Published February 25, 2008

Getting Started on the Southern Patagonia Highway, aka, “La Carretera Austral” is a post from: Career Break Secrets: Travel show, independent travel blog and advice for career breaks and around the world travel adventures

Penguin pair sharing a private moment. Copyright CareerBreakSecrets.com

On Monday, February 11th, we slept in after our long night getting the car back from the Torres Del Paine park.  After over a week on the boat and the trip through the park, we had tons of laundry to do and all just needed a day’s break.  So, we all hung out around Puerto Natales and then went for a final dinner out together.

Seals on the way to Isla Magdelena. Copyright CareerBreakSecrets.com

On Tuesday morning, we packed up, had a quick breakfast and then said our goodbyes.  Arris and Eva took the car to head on to Ushuaia, Argentina while Zoe, Linda and I got on an early bus to Punta Arenas, Chile.  We arrived a little after noon and walked around to sort out a hostel for the night.  We found one and headed out for a nice lunch of king crab.

Fishin' Time! Copyright CareerBreakSecrets.com

There were 3 things I wanted to do in Punta Arenas: buy a camera lens at the duty free shopping zone, visit the southernmost continental point of the Americas and take a flight over Cape Horn to “touch” the southernmost part of the Americas.  None of it was meant to be.  The shopping area was large, but lacked more technical camera equipment. The flight to Cape Horn was $6000 which would have been a bargain if I could’ve found 20 people to split the cost with.  And, the only tours to the southernmost tip were on Sundays; without direct access possible by car, that too was out of the question.  So, we found a tour to some of the surrounding islands to see a large penguin colony on Isla Magdelena.

Guarding the next while the partner goes fishing. Copyright CareerBreakSecrets.com

When buying our ticket for the trip that afternoon, we passed by a group of 20 somethings who had all been drinking.  As we passed by, they started cat calling to Zoe and Linda.  It was obvious that they didn’t think that we spoke Spanish.  A couple of comments were exceptionally rude so I turned around and shouted out, “Hueón, por favor”, “Dude, come on” in a tone you would use when a friend has started going over the edge with rude comments and needs to be shut up.  These guys fell over and started apologizing immediately.  it was quite funny to watch.  They got called out unexpectedly and had no comeback.

Penguins in their nests. Copyright CareerBreakSecrets.com

On Wednesday, the trip on the water was nice.  The weather started out a little cool and overcast but soon changed to clear sunny skies.  Once we reached Isla Magdelena, we had a couple of hours to walk around.  The penguin colony was smaller than what I saw in Punto Tombo, Argentina.  But, so was the island, so the penguins were grouped closer together making the site much more interesting.  We saw 3 penguins crossing the island at roughly the same pace as us.  While the others were concerned with their daily activities, these 3 looked like they were out cruising the colony.  A couple of other penguins tried to join them, but these guys were too cool for school and couldn’t have been bothered by these other seemingly “uncool” penguins.

Just off the lighthouse. Copyright CareerBreakSecrets.com

In the evening, I said goodbye to Zoe and Linda and headed back to Puerto Natales where I stayed for a couple of days hanging out.  I didn’t make it back to the Torres park as I thought I might.  So, I prepared for my next trip heading north through Patagonia, first a little on the Argentinean side before popping back over to Chile.

Originally Published February 16, 2008

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Taking It Slow Down South is a post from: Career Break Secrets: Travel show, independent travel blog and advice for career breaks and around the world travel adventures