25 Mar 2019

Patagonia

by Ben & Kourt | posted in: South America, Travel | 0

Muddy & Magnificent

After our three-day stay in Lima, Peru we took to the skies to Punta Arenas and hopped on a bus to Puerto Natales, the jumping off point for Torres del Paine National Park (TDP). Puerto Natales is a dull, quiet town that relies on hikers needing supplies, post-hike meals, and a place to crash. We arrived at our hostel around 4pm, exhausted from the overnight flight, and headed out to the local grocery stores for a list of essentials: salami, cheese, bread, peanut butter, granola bars, fruit, trail mix, and of course the hiking go-to of our trip — Snickers. Coons has no shame that he bought one for each day of our eight-day trek. It took multiple stops and one very heavy reusable shopping bag, but we got most of the supplies we needed. We were also getting snacks to swap with the free-dried meals that Maggie and Alex were bringing from the states; they would be getting in later that night just in time for our 7am bus to TDP. Or so we thought.

Over post-shopping beers, Coons was getting play-by-play texts from Alex who was running through an airport with his wife, Maggie, hoping to make their connecting flight to Punta Arenas. More running, less texting, Al. Adding to the stress was the news from our hostel owner that out first campsite was supposedly closed due to heavy rains. Good. Great. GRAND. We skipped the orientation meeting (we read a blog that said it was impossible to get lost — who needs orientation with advice like that!) to go to the campsite office and check on the status of the site. Thankfully, the trail had dried enough for them to reopen the campsite and the rest of the trek. Crisis averted. Back to Maggie & Alex – they eventually arrived in Santiago, but Maggie’s bag did not. The Santiago Airport strikes again! Since they had already missed their connecting flight, they got a hotel in Santiago and made arrangements to meet the bag the next day in Punta Arenas. Plans were made to rendezvous at the first campsite.

So, the next day while we made our way to TDP to begin the first part of the journey to camp Serón, enjoying the easy but muddy trail leading to the mountains with snow lines that look like zebra stripes, we were wondering if Alex and Maggie will make it to camp tonight and thinking that their honeymoon is going swimmingly thus far.

When we arrived at camp, we had a snack and a shower and read a little, but we were still itching to know if Maggie and Alex were on their way, so Coons paid the $1 fee for five minutes of internet and was rewarded with the text:

“Got a taxi. Going for it. Hopefully see you in 5 hours.”

Around 9pm, we heard Maggie’s sweet voice, “Kourtney and Ben?” We jetted out of our neon green Nemo tent for reunion hugs and helped them get set up for the night. The trip finally felt like it had begun.

For those not away aware of our four-way friend affair: Coons and Alex are avid hiking friends who met on a travel basketball team during high school. Kourtney and Maggie are friends from college, both teachers, and original travel buddies. At a bar Maggie meets the very tall Alex, blocking our view during the Sox World Series in 2013. Maggie and Alex introduce Kourtney to Coons during a ski weekend in January 2015. Maggie and Alex marry three days before we leave for our huge trip (we were in the wedding!) There, now you’re caught up!

The next day was absolutely gorgeous — blue skies, sunshine, and more snow-capped mountains. We couldn’t believe that (some of us) were in shorts and t-shirts in February! Each bend in the trail yielded better and better views, and then we came upon Camp Dickson. Wow!

We set up camp at the most gorgeous campsite of the trip and relaxed in the hammocks waiting for shower time. Before dinner, we went down to the water to skip rocks and look around.

This place was like a dream. Then we took the greatest group shot of the trip!

In the little refugio, we played cards and enjoyed a bottle of wine before it was time to fire up the jet boil and prepare dinner; we are big fans of the add water and wait 9-11 minutes meal prep! Want to know what else we’re big fans of? Every refuge sells beer & wine! Nothing better after a long day of hiking than some booze that you didn’t have to carry for days.

The next morning we got a late start because we woke up to lots and lots of rain. Despite our attempt to wait it out, it didn’t stop. We packed a wet tent and a soaked rainfly and headed into some welcome shelter in that forest.

After dodging massive mud puddles for three hours, we finally came up to a sign that said we had two kilometers left; we were all thinking, okay we can do two more kilometers. We’re all pretty fit and quite quick so we kept on with a mantra — forty more minutes!

1.5 hours later…

We arrive at our third campsite, Los Perros. Thankfully the rain had stopped, but the wind was howling. The refugio and campsites were in the woods, so we picked out a camp spot with some shelter from the weather. We took out the dripping wet rainfly and strapped it to some trees to let the aforementioned wind take care of it.

None of us would be showering because there was only cold water at this site, and let’s be honest, we’d been showering for the past 4.5 hours. We went into the small enclosed hut where our fellow O-Circuiters were warming up with some victory beers and a game of cards. We joined two Aussies, Cally and Luke, and the man we called Mr. Wisconsin (we later found out his name was Billy). They would become our companions for the remainder of the trek. “How about those last two kilometers, right?!” we all joked. For the remainder of the trip, we always took the “Patagonia 2km” with a grain of salt.

The next morning we woke at 5am to roaring winds. Nervous, we went to the hut to make coffee and eat breakfast before packing up camp, for today we were hiking “the pass” which was supposed to be the longest and most strenuous day. There was always a chance the rangers could close the pass due to weather. The wind kept wailing, but everyone said the pass was a go! So we packed up, strapped on headlamps, and took off into the dark woods (and mud, can’t forget the mud!). Soon we were out of the woods and getting some bea-u-ti-ful views of the sunrise through the trees.

The best part — no rain clouds in sight.

The John Gardner Pass is a three-hour climb up loose rock with peeps of snow near the top. The pass was in a valley between two large peaks and the wind was whipping over it. Kourtney and Maggie thought they might actually blow away!

“I LOVE this day!” Alex grins when the girls reach the boys. We all agreed! Over the pass is Glacier Grey. It is breathtaking! There is something about coming over the pass after that climb to an open view of the glacier that will stick in all of our minds for a lifetime.

After the pass, the wind died down and we were treated to another blue-bird day. Happy for some shelter, we enjoyed a snack and more coffee (well, three of us enjoyed the coffee). What an excellent reward after all that hard work! The views of the glacier just kept getting better, and when we finally reached the bottom of the hill, we went into the woods and to Paso, a bare-bones campsite where we stopped for lunch. It was 11am. We were making great time and we would make it to the next tent city earlier than expected. But not before we crossed the suspension bridges!

One of the three suspension bridges en route to Grey.

Our destination was Camp Grey, one of the larger campgrounds on the trek, and one of the starting points for the “W Trek” — easily accessed by boat. We realized this as we were lounging in the sun, enjoying a Patagonia Pale Ale, and watching people pass with day packs. Wait, why aren’t you carrying everything you need for eight days? Gone were the days when it was just the O-Circuit crew on the trail. To break up the nightly dinner routine, Maggie and Alex enjoyed their first honeymoon meal, a hearty four-course meal, at the lodge’s restaurant. Everyone loved that they were celebrating their marriage in such a fun way! Some thought they were crazy for “allowing their best friends to join.” But we have a close-knit group of friends, and Coons has been crashing honeymoons since 2017. Watch out Sean and Ashley! Kourtney and Coons enjoyed a Mountain House special, Mexican Fajita Bowl, before joining them for a nightcap.

We had a short hike the next day on our way to Paine Grande. Hiking along Lago Grey, we had plenty of miradors along the way to look back at the glacier.

Faced with an early arrival at Paine Grande, we set up camp and went to check out the bar. We were treated to some great views of the mountains and even saw a couple of foxes playing in the field.

The next day brought some relief to our backs and shoulders. Arriving at Camp Italiano after a couple of hours, we got to drop our big bags for side trips to two lookouts: Valle de Francés and Mirador Británico. These miradors, along what one hiker elegantly called the “butt-crack of the W” (spoiler alert, he was from Texas), provide close up views of more glaciers and a 360 view of more enormous peaks.

Looking back there were crystal clear glacial lakes for miles. We felt like spring chickens hiking up & down those boulders without our huge packs on! The views were incredible and once we put our big bags on, we only had a short walk to camp Francés.

Day seven was a long day and featured a tough uphill near the end in the exposed, hot sun when we were ready to be done for the day. By this point, the sunburns and blisters had set in, but we all maintained pretty great spirits. The mountains reflecting off the water and the gloomy dead tree forest made for a lot of uniquely different terrain.

The views when you first see your campsite are always glorious, and this isn’t just because you know you’re almost there, but it’s also that a little too! On our final decent to the site, we passed by Billy (Mr. Wisconsin) who shouted it was lovely to meet us but he had both knees wrapped and 1200mg of Ibuprofen pumping him up for his last section of the hike — he needed to keep moving. Our last refugio was Chileno, and it was another campground on a hill so we set up camp on the wooden platforms and Coons went to work hammering in nails to keep our tent down! Weird, and definitely a first for us.

This campground’s uniqueness didn’t end there. There is no fire allowed in the park, but this place won’t even let you use a jet boil! Maggie and Alex splurged on meat lovers pizza and we sat outside, swatting bugs away and watching people come back from the Torres. We saw Cally and Luke again. Thick clouds started to cover our only view of the Torres and then a light drizzle started. We went into the lodge where Coons’ hunger got the best of him and he ordered us a pizza as well. Good thing because we had to wait an extra hour for boiling water for our freeze-dried meals because all those who purchased dinner had to be served first. At this point, lack of food was becoming an issue and it was some kind of torture to watch huge fillets of salmon on rice and veggies being served to your neighbors, knowing there was still one more course before we could enjoy our second dinner.

At 5am we woke ready for our sunrise hike to the Torres. We expected a chill morning: wake up, change, pee, eat breakfast, pack some victory coffee, and head out. You know who has no chill? The mice who chewed a hole through Coons’ Osprey pack to eat the peanut butter sandwiches we made the night before! They even ate Kourtney’s chocolate covered espresso beans! So before we started out, we hung up our food bags — like we should’ve the night before — Coons cursing under his breath and Kourtney hoping those mice had a serious stomach ache. The trip to the Torres was through the woods and up and over big boulders. The sun was rising in the valley just as we turned to the Torres viewpoint. We set up GoPros and cameras and added some layers to fight the cold. The top of the Torres started to turn a lighter shade and then the sun rose into the clouds looming over the top of the peaks.

We enjoyed some coffee and a snack and then went down to the water to take some final jumping photos.

We descended back down to camp and packed up before the rain started. We had two more hours before we got back to the main lodge to catch our buses back to town. We went out for a big pizza dinner (thanks Alex & Maggie!) before we met up with our O Circuit group at the Last Hope gin bar. The gin bar makes their own gin and has many imported whiskeys from other distilleries. We all enjoyed cocktails and conversation, asking everyone where they were going next and recalling the highlights from the trip. It is always fun to make friends and keep track of them in hopes to run into them again.

Early the next morning, Coons and Kourtney left for Argentina and Alex and Maggie for New Hampshire. We miss them so much already! Two buses and seven hours later we arrived in El Chaltén, a small town inside a national park with lots to offer for restaurants, breweries, and grocery stores. Our hostel was a four minute walk from the station, which was delightful because usually, we’re staying at least 20 minutes out of town (#budgettravelers). We took the rest of the night and the next day to relax so we could start to pour over our 500+ photos from Torres del Paine.

When we were ready to get back on the trail, the weather forecast was meh for the first couple days, so we decided to do one of the three main hikes, Laguna Torres, which has a view of a glacier but doesn’t offer the stunning vistas of some of the other hikes. It was a nice walk and relatively easy, and again, we were loving only having day packs.

Once we neared Laguna Torre, the wind started to go WILD! Knocking off others’ rain covers and making people stop and take cover in order to keep from falling over. It was truly so intense that it was creating waves and moving ice chunks from the glacier across the entire lake. We didn’t get many photos or stay long because we could hardly face the lake.

The next day we finished the Ecuador blog, finalized our fav TDP photos, and went out in the afternoon for a short waterfall hike where we practiced playing more with the camera.

Any closer and the lens got covered with water.

The weather forecast was looking up for our last three days at El Chaltén, and we were really looking forward to Fitz Roy, the iconic peak face of the Patagonia brand. The Fitz Roy hike was wonderful. We started early so we could watch the sunrise over the town and we got to the first mirador in time to watch the sun hit the Fitz Roy peak. The last one and a half hours were straight up, but the finish was absolutely breathtaking. We must have hung out at the summit for an hour or more taking in the sights. It was an absolutely beautiful day, not a cloud in the sky! The Fitz Roy peak line is iconic and unforgettable.

After this hike, our feet were starting to seriously hurt, but we still had one more hike to do. We had another early morning start to climb El Mirador De Los Condores — a rock outcrop nearby that overlooks the town and the entire Fitz Roy range. Coons was excited to try a time-lapse with the fancy camera. The world started dark and then started to lighten. The sun was burning red from the valley to the right and hit the range, changing the peaks from grey to pink.

We were waiting for the sun to light the entire peak but then the clouds rolled in and the peaks went grey again. Laughing, we packed up and headed back to our hostel, but near the bottom of the trail, the clouds cleared to show the peaks a beautiful golden color.

We still had one more hike that we wanted to do — the last of the three main miradors — a windy 360 view of the range from another lake, but it was just not in the cards. Our feet were beat up. We struggled to take it easy because we would have some time off in the near future, but we decided to be safe and instead started to look forward to our last Patagonia adventure in El Calafate.

El Calafate is the jumping off town to the Perito Moreno Glacier. It is the third largest freshwater reserve in the world! The glacier stands around 130 feet high and every ten minutes or so it calves, meaning that enormous ice chunks fall from the ice formation into the water.

The sound is something between thunder and what we imagine a grenade sounds like when it goes off! You can feel the BOOM inside you! We walked throughout the whole park taking in the glacier from all angles. The view never gets old and it is amazing how much time passes while you’re just mesmerized by this huge chunk of ice. We stopped for some DIY charcuterie and vino at the perfect spot to get some footage of the calving. It was a great day!

Patagonia was definitely a major highlight of the trip! Coons began the planning for this trip in August by making reservations for the O Circuit. The four of us met many jealous people hiking another itinerary of the O Circuit, settling for the W Trek, or simply hoping to make a day hike because they didn’t make the reservations they wanted in time. Kudos to my fantastic fiancé for spearheading one of the most incredible experiences we’ve had thus far! Next up a flight to Buenos Aires!

11 Mar 2019

Just Keep Climbing

by Ben & Kourt | posted in: South America, Travel | 0

Our three week Ecuador adventure began in Quito, the capital city that sits at 9,350 feet above sea level. We needed to get our hiking legs back quickly and acclimate to the elevation, for we had some seriously big plans. We stayed in a lovely hostel with lots of Spanish colonial charm and free breakfast!

Our room was long and narrow with lots of natural sunlight overlooking one of the city’s center squares. We spent a few days relaxing and catching up on writing before our first big hike.

Rucu Pichincha is a popular hike because it leaves from the city and requires people to take a cable car up to the base lodge. The summit stands at 15,413 feet and we were expecting the trek to take around seven hours round trip. The trail was well maintained with a nice gradual uphill climb through green grass and orange flowers.

The last forty-five minutes were a scramble up loose and very large rocks, but the end result was literally breathtaking — pause to catch a breath. It was our first introduction into the vastness of green landscape, large rock, and blue sky that makes up Ecuador, and we were so excited to be standing the highest either of us had ever climbed and in just two and a half hours!

We crushed the climb and felt like we were acclimating well to life back in the mountains. The entire trip took four and a half hours, and we were eagerly awaiting the next hike as we rode the cable car back down, singing “We Are the Champions” by Queen with a little Ecuadorian boy and his dad.

We hopped on another bus to Riobamba, but the bus trip was longer than expected because we stopped in the middle of the road for almost three hours with no explanation from police about what was going on. More vehicles joined us and many started turning around. Men and women were begging the driver to take a different road and rallying riders to bribe him with tips to encourage him to brave the dirt side roads through the national park. He refused. When we finally started moving again, we drove past groups of police in full riot gear lining the streets and what we assume were Venezuelan refugees. The scene did not look violent, just sad. Our hearts go out to those in Venezuela struggling to keep their loved ones safe.

Finally off the bus and after a short walk, we met John in his office at Andean Adventures. We tried on and gathered our mountaineering gear: thick waterproof and wind-proof pants and gloves, goggles, helmets, harnesses, ice axes, and crampons. We were going to find the snow for the first time all trip! The next morning we set off for the refugio at Chimborazo.

Our view of the mountain as we approached.

In a van, we prayed for our safety as this crazy grandmother, calling everyone ‘bandejo!,’ swerved in between lanes to bring us to the welcome center. We would spend four nights in the park doing two hikes with the final one bringing us to new heights!

Our first hike from the refugio was Carihuairazo, a 14 mile hike through varying landscape with an aggressive hour climb to the summit post-holing in knee-deep snow. This was the second time we’ve ever had crampons, harnesses, and ice axes on but it’s a much different experience on a steep incline. While walking on a flat glacier and avoiding crevices that go down for miles can be nerve-wracking, climbing steep hills in untouched snow with crampons on is tough work! What a sense of accomplishment to stand in the clouds at 16,469 feet, having learned first hand how to put crampons on in the snow!

We were excited to get back to the refuge for a delicious meal and some coca tea.

Two days later, it was time to make the summit Chimborazo attempt. Because of its location on the equator, and the fact that the earth isn’t perfectly round, Chimborazo is the closest point to the sun on Earth. It has two summits with the tallest standing at 20,564 feet. We have been talking about this climb for months. We’d spent a couple very successful weeks preparing at this point, and we were nervous, excited, and so ready! We had trouble sleeping because of all of the anticipation and build up, but we “woke up” and 9pm, had some tea, bread and cheese with jam, put on all of our gear, and set out around 10pm.

We spent a lot of time looking at this map.

We took the red route which is shorter and steeper but way more badass as we needed to fight our way through steep inclines of loose gravel and rock. In the back of our minds we knew that we needed to be at the summit by 8am before the sun starts melting all of the snow and the way back becomes too dangerous. Easy, right?!

Fabian was our guide, a smiley and friendly father of five, and he set out a good slow pace for climbing as we started off walking straight up. By three hours in we were trekking in crampons all roped together by our harnesses. The excitement started to wear off. It was becoming grueling as we were putting one heavy foot in front of the other at nearly a 50% grade. Still, we were keeping a good pace and Fabian figured we would reach the cumbre at 7am.

“Only five more hours!” Fabian says cheerfully at 2am.

What. The. Hell.

So we continued making our own switch-backs, zig-zagging a trail in the snow because we no longer had the strength nor energy to keep putting one foot directly in front of the other to go straight up. The five-hour comment was like a swift kick to the crotch. Then around 3am we started to see headlamps coming down closer and closer to us. The young, energetic American and his guide, Raul, were quickly approaching us. Side-note, Raul might be the craziest person we’ve ever met. Sporting frostbite burns on one arm from some near death hiking experiences, he has hiked with Aron Lee Ralston, the guy from “127 Hours” who sawed off his own arm in order to save his own life. Anyway, the American we’d been swapping stories with hours earlier couldn’t even look us in the eye as Raul told us that 600 feet above us the snow had frozen slabs sitting on top and it was too dangerous to continue. Two days ago it had snowed most of the night making the second summit untouchable, but we had been holding out hope for the first. Unfortunately, the rain during the next day at the lodge meant more snow/hail at the top that froze overnight. If Raul, who has been stranded in the snow before, says it’s time to turn around, then it’s definitely time to turn around. So at 3am and 18,700 feet, we were forced to head back, defeated, exhausted, and heart-broken.

Eager for a break from the mountains, we headed straight to the popular tourist town of Baños, a sure bet to find a bar showing American football because on Sunday the Patriots were playing in the Superbowl.

Done with hiking, time to drink our sorrows and watch the Pats win in Baños.

We posted up at this German bar called Cherusker and watched Brady win his sixth ring which made us feel a little better. We drank delicious beer and had awesome burritos. While in town, Kourtney visited this cool bead shop and got to create her own necklace. Known as the adventure capital of Ecuador, we were looking forward to some biking to the Amazon, waterfall exploring, and some cliff-side swings but it just rained for four days. So we continued to sulk, sleep, and binge one of our favorite comedy series — Brooklyn 99.

It was time to snap out of it and stretch our legs again. We headed to Latacunga to start the Quilatoa Loop, a four day 36-mile trek through four different towns beginning in Sigchos. But first, we got off the bus to find that Coons’ bag that was under the bus had been next to and soaked by a bag of fish. WOOF! This was going to be a long four days, especially for anyone hiking behind us. We soaked it in vinegar in the hostel shower after the first day.

Backpack soaking in cold water and vinegar.

We read online that if you put baking soda on it and let it dry, it helps cut down the odor. So we did so and left it by the wood stove since it was raining outside. We woke up to find it had melted a bit at the bottom, rendering one of the bottom straps useless. We knew our bags would take a beating, but come on!

However, it was so nice to be on long dusty roads winding up mountains and down into canyons. We marveled at the green pastures and endless peaks and remembered that we do love Ecuador.

The countryside was all different shades of green.

We saw more animals than we could count. We made excellent time avoiding these quarter-size beetles with sticky legs that swarmed and attached themselves to us while we stopped for breaks. After school, children would line the trails asking for candy or gifts. On the fourth day, we hiked around the crater of the lake taking in views from every angle.

It was excellent #patagoniaprep as we were getting excited for our next big adventure and one we had been planning since August.

But first, we needed a little redemption. At Chimborazo, we talked to the only female that reached the summit the near-week we were there. This was her second attempt at the summit and she was grateful to have reached the top of Chimbo but honestly loved Cotopaxi much more. That comment (and her pictures) stuck with us and we decided we had to try it. Cotopaxi is an easier climb, although still technical and must be climbed with a guide, crampons, and harness. The success rate is closer to 50% instead of ~25% and the weather had been pretty great lately. We contacted John and met Fabian on the side of the road near the highway exit to Cotopaxi ready to hike that same night!

We woke up (minus air quotes because we actually both slept this time) at 11pm and started out at midnight. A much more manageable grade, the Cotopaxi hike up was actually enjoyable, and we were looking forward to coming down because we could tell the crevices we were passing in the pitch black were going to look insanely awesome in the daylight. It turns out that we were incredibly acclimated and in shape for this hike because our pace was too good. We were crushing the two 22-year-old Americans that set out with us, one of them a dumpster diver who has only spent 300 dollars on groceries in the last two years. We started taking multiple (unneeded) breaks of up to 20 minutes in order to slow ourselves down and reach the summit by sunrise. At 5:20am, we reached the cumbre at 19,347 feet — seven feet taller than Kilimanjaro!

We gave victory hugs and took victory pictures and waited for the sun to start rising and the clouds to hopefully clear so we could see the crater. A little after six the sun started to turn a light blue and orange, but dark clouds were still hugging the crater. We needed to start down in order to avoid further numbness.

The way down was incredibly beautiful. As the sun was rising and warming us up, we walked past and over huge crevices and saw enormous icicles.

Seeing this in the daylight made up for the cloudy summit.

As the clouds parted we looked out into the park and felt a wonderful sense of accomplishment and redemption. We realized it was Valentine’s Day, and it was the most wonderful present to have reached new heights, standing on the third tallest active volcano in the world and the second closest rock to the sun. Although Chimborazo will continue to be our white whale, we are proud to have completed a technical climb in Ecuador at an impressive elevation.

We couldn’t have done it without Fabian!

Eager to get out of Latacunga (the food was decent, but the town isn’t a tourist attraction for a reason), we grabbed the rest of our gear and hoofed it to the bus station to catch a bus to Ambato. Unfortunately, we JUST missed the 1pm bus from Ambato to Cuenca, meaning we had to wait three hours for the next bus. Feeling hungry, we ordered lunch from the cafeteria upstairs. Luckily, Coons’ food came with soup. Unfortunately, that soup had a massive chicken foot sitting in it. Yum!

Not the post-hiking food we had in mind.

After finally reaching Cuenca at 10pm (almost 24 hours after we woke up to hike Cotopaxi), we made our way to our final hostel in Ecuador. Bella Vista was owned and operated by a lovely Ecuadorian man who was more than happy to engage in conversation with Coons whenever possible. Finally back in a hostel with a kitchen, we hit the market the next day to take full advantage of it.

While there was a highly recommended national park nearby, we decided to take it easy to rest up for Patagonia and instead spent the next day exploring the town. Thirsty from a day of sightseeing, we stopped by Jodoco, a Belgium brewery near our hostel. We both went for the Funky Sour beer and –oooh boy — this was the best beer we’ve had on the entire trip!

Needless to say, this was not the only time we happened to find ourselves thirsty and nearby.

On our last day in Cuenca, we decided to spend the afternoon at the local zoo. Typically, we’re not huge fans of zoos, but this biopark lived up to its reputation. Specializing in rescuing animals native to Ecuador, the zoo prioritized giving animals the space and environments they needed to roam around. It seemed like the monkeys had miles of tracks to move around the park and it took us an hour or so into the park to even see the Andean Bears.

The dirt path wound up hills, through exhibits, and worked in educational areas explaining the dangers of fires, logging, and litter. It was a heartening message compared to the attitude we’ve seen in other parts of our travels.

It was time for one more night bus headed to Lima, Peru where we would spend a few days before our flight to Patagonia.

4 Feb 2019

Coons’ Take Over Colombia

by Ben & Kourt | posted in: South America, Travel | 1

Our adventure in Colombia began in Cartagena. After arriving at the dock on January 3rd from our epic boat trip, we headed to a cheap hostel near the port; it came with AC and a private bathroom that ensured we could still lock eyes at all times. We did our laundry, worked on our blog, enjoyed cooking our own meals in the hostel’s nice kitchen, and went shopping for some “acceptable” clothing (aka something that doesn’t look like it just came out of a backpack). Mama Coons and Maddi were set to arrive on the 6th, upgrading our accommodation status from rags to riches.

Feeling like Cinderella, we entered Hotel Lola right in the heart of the old city. After minute-long embraces from family, we celebrated with drinks at the rooftop bar/pool.

That night we went to the first of many delicious restaurants, La Cevicheria, coincidently Kourtney’s favorite food group (just ahead of tacos).

The next morning we had a jam-packed day planned. We enjoyed the best arepas (Colombia’s famous fried bread) stuffed with meat and cheese for breakfast in Lola’s garden courtyard with delicious coffee served in vintage tea kettles. Then we went on our first of many free city tours. Our tour guide was so passionate about his job and his city.

Morning walking tour of the old town with Ender.

He studied for three years in school in order to land this gig in which he brings people around the walled city, giving the history and culture, showing people the most lavish and large doors, and explaining what the door knockers mean (lions = soldiers and teachers, mermaids = sailors, and lizards = royalty). The streets were so colorful and busy all the time! Then we went to a much larger rooftop bar on top of the city walls to enjoy the sunset before our fancy dinner at Carmen to celebrate Mama Coons’ 60th birthday!

This was hands down the best meal we’ve had on our trip and we highly recommend you treating yourself to a meal here if you find yourself in Cartagena.

The next day we enjoyed more of the walled city with a walk to the castle on the hill, more classic architecture, more decorated streets, more pool time, and more fresh seafood. Next up Salento!

In Salento, we stayed at this adorable finca (Colombian farmhouse) outside the city. We enjoyed home-cooked meals in their formal dining room overlooking the mountains.

The next morning we set out to find the wax palm forest which looks very similar to the land of Dr. Seuss’ Truffula Trees.

The enormity and beauty of these trees was truly spectacular. They can grow up to 200 feet high and are the national tree of Colombia. Later that evening, we went into town square to look at the lights and enjoy a wonderful Venezuelan meal at Cumana.

The next day was all about COFFEE! We began our day at Don Eduardo’s Coffee Farm to learn about the extensive and involved process of producing some of the world’s best Arabica beans which are considered the most flavorful, although lower in caffeine.

Colombia is the third leading producer of these magical beans behind Brazil and Vietnam. Don let us sample six of his roasts (light, medium, and dark in his typico and catora) before brewing all of us a proper cup of the group favorite.

Coons actually tasted a spoonful of light roast from both brews! Don said it’s often the favorite among non-coffee-drinkers because it actually tastes like tea, but he did it — COONS DRANK COFFEE! The girls shopped around town and enjoyed another afternoon cafe at Jesus Miquel where they specialize in foam art. Kourtney was in heaven! We stopped at the food trucks to have trout; this is a must if you are in Salento — it’s everywhere. Then we went to play tejo (think corn hole with gunpowder!) and drink some cervezas, so Coons had a good day too in case you were worried.

A successful toss will light the gunpowder on fire!

The next morning before we left for Bogota, we had brunch at this funky back-packer place and took in a view of the mirador at the top of the hill.

We went for a short hike to a waterfall near our hotel guided by the two dogs on the farm. Coons played around with the camera that we’re slowly learning how to navigate — impressive, right?!

In Bogotá, we stayed in our second luxury hotel of the trip (spoiled much?), the W. This hotel has lush showers, a heated jacuzzi pool, and the most comfortable beds. They make up and take down your bed each day and change the floor mats in the elevators three times per day to say good morning/afternoon/evening. We took in two different free tours the city offers: one that covered the history and culture and one that covered all aspects of graffiti art. We learned how crucial Simon Bolivar was in establishing the city as the capital and more about Pablo Escobar and the havoc he caused all over Bogotá and Medellín. The graffiti tour gave us the vocabulary (is that a quick piece?); history (remember when Bieber was allowed to graffiti legally in Bogotá but local artists weren’t?); and perspective of some artists expressing themselves through art — this stuff speaks for itself!

Our tour guide, Mara, explaining the art.

We also visited two museums: the Gold Museum and the Fernando Botero Museum. The Museo del Oro had thousands of artifacts recovered when the Spanish came in search of gold but the locals wouldn’t reveal their secrets. So much gold.

The Museo Botero was a favorite because who doesn’t like looking at sculptures of big butts? All his work focuses on more of the over-sized images of fruits and/or humans, and his work is everywhere!

We took in many religious sites as well. We visited the Salt Cathedral where you can walk almost 600 feet underground to a place of worship past the 14 stages of the cross carved into the salt. We took a train up to Monserrate which sits over 10,000 feet above sea level and visited the Church del Carmen, a gorgeous display of Spanish colonial architecture. This blog is already long enough, so if you’re interested in seeing more pictures, we have plenty in the Colombia photo gallery.

One of the most memorable activities was our cooking class in Bogotá (thanks Maddi!). We visited the home of a mother-daughter duo to learn about the different fruits Colombia has to offer as well as learn how to make three different types of empanadas: fish, potato, and chicken.

Here we got an interesting perspective of what it’s like to live in Bogotá, running a business that depends on tourism in a country with a shady past. Despite all that, we shared stories and laughed. The food was so tasty, and the Coons family will never eat another empanada without lime or guac again!

On our last night together, we all went out to an eclectic steak house outside the city to enjoy dinner and some dancing. We are so appreciative that Maddi and Mama Coons came to visit and treat us to such a unique experience — one that we would never have enjoyed on our own! We love and miss you two already! We enjoyed Colombia’s cities so much that it prompted us to visit two more before we moved on to Ecuador.

Before we moved on from Bogotá, we had to get out of the city and into the country, hug some trees, and stretch our hiking legs. After some research, we discovered that the tallest waterfall in all of Colombia was an hour and a half from the city. Yahtzee! We checked Uber prices — illegal but $25 to get us out there — perfect. What was not so perfect was our driver’s poor navigation skills. Apparently, Waze straight up ignores the two easiest ways to get there, instead taking us up and over the mountain passes on some rough dirt roads. Our driver’s car had no business being on those roads, but we finally arrived after three hours (double the time it should have taken). Eager to be out of the car, we set out for the hike. After an hour, we saw something in the distance.

That can’t be the waterfall, can it? – Kourtney Lipka

La Chorrera is a multi-stage waterfall, 1,935 feet tall in total. Unfortunately for us, this just meant we were looking at a big wet wall. The waterfall was basically nonexistent. Good, great, grand!

A bit disheartened, we began the hike back to the entrance. Fortunately, one the way back there was a second waterfall — this time with water!

After the second waterfall, we headed back to the park entrance to face one last challenge — how do we get back? Thankfully a nice couple gave us a lift to the main road where we were able to flag down a bus. It felt good to be back to our backpacker ways.

We decided we had to go to Medellín, well, because, everyone said we had to! We took our first overnight bus and saw a healthy amount of what the bus station has to offer before we checked into our hostel (yes, we’re back to those). A short ride on the metro’s B line from the downtown, our neighborhood was residential and off the gringo trail. We ate quite a few “comida tipicas” — a basic meal consisting of soup, meat, potatoes, rice, and salad with a glass of juice (guanabana!) for breakfast, lunch, and dinner because it was so cheap.

Determined to see what the hype was about, we took another city tour, but there was one major difference; no one in Medellín says his name, the infamous drug lord that gave the city and country its bad reputation. In Medellín, the Paisas (people born and raised in the city) are among the proudest people in all of Colombia, and they choose to smile and keep their heads held high despite their devastating past. It’s not that we didn’t talk about him, but saying his name draws a lot of attention from locals who, lacking context from the English speaking tour, become quite heated. Our final stop in the tour took us to San Antonio Plaza (papaya level 5 = danger!) to view the most powerful image in the city. The statue on the left was the site of a bombing in 1995 during an outdoor concert, killing and injuring many Colombians whose names appear on the white plaque below. Botero donated the statue on the right, with the stipulation that the original statue remain as a reminder of violence inflicted by the drug trade.

The Birds of Peace – representing Columbia’s dark past and bright future.

The people of Colombia desperately want to end the war on drugs, but the economics aren’t working in their favor: demand fuels supply. Similar to coffee, the vast majority of Colombia’s best product is exported to Europe and the United States. It’s been almost 50 years since we declared a war on drugs, but cocaine exports continue to increase. All the “walls” in the world won’t do anything to solve the problem — without demand, there is no supply. Drugs are bad, mmkay!

The next day we decided to get out of the city and do a little hiking. We took the long way up to Parque Avrí through the barrios on the top of the hill before we entered remote farm land. The trail was nice and yielded a great view of the city. Then we decided to take the cable car down!

It was much different being in one of these wearing shorts and tank tops.

I know we mentioned that the Paisas are proud people, and you can tell when you look at the metro and cable cars — they are absolutely spotless and offer great views of the city! They also help people who live in poorer neighborhoods have access to jobs in the city. Later that day we went to El Poblado, the touristy section of Medellín, for some beer, wings, and football. Superbowl here we come!

On our last day in Medellín we decided — why not jump off a mountain? So we went paragliding over the city!

What an awesome experience! We were flying so high that the birds became curious and circled around us. We also got to see Pablo Escobar’s yellow house on the top of the hill, which ironically enough is now a drug rehab facility. Lucky for us, our guide’s decided that we would need to land in the city as the wind and sun were not strong enough to land where we started. We had planned on paying extra for this. Bonus!

After Medellín, we hopped on another night bus bound for Cali, Colombia. We had three days there and one purpose — learn how to dance salsa. We stayed at a hostel that provided free lessons, and we loved it so much that we signed up for a private lesson. Each night we also went to La Topa, a popular salsa club, where we practiced our new moves live and gawked at all of the beautiful people who move their hips and feet like they were born to dance!

Thanks to the private lesson we graduated beyond the four basic movements and have added some different spins and steps to our arsenal. Watch out South America!

To break up the 24-hour bus trip from Cali, Colombia to Quito, Ecuador, we visited one more church which quickly became our favorite — Santuario De Las Lajas in Ipiales. We got to this little town early in the morning before the street vendors lined the road, so we were really able to appreciate the quiet, majestic beauty of this church. This church was built into the side of the valley in the early 1900s and has some of the most beautiful architecture we have come across.

Although big cities are not usually our jam, we spent most of our 22 days in Colombia’s most happenin’ spots, and we can confidently say we really loved what Colombia has to offer. Two big things happened that are worth mentioning. The first is that we were robbed in Cali. WE’RE FINE! Nothing valuable was taken from us, and we were not hurt, but we were a little too lackadaisical and had our emergency money taken from our room which we thought was well hidden (wrongo!).

The second thing worth mentioning is the border crossing leaving Colombia into Ecuador. There was a separate Red Cross line for Venezuelans escaping their homeland crisis — standing in the long line was one woman obviously trying to flee with all of her belongings stuffed in a pillow case and a fleece blanket wrapped around herself and her child. On the other side were mandatory vaccination clinics set up for refugee children before entering Ecuador. We remember reading about the economic crisis from the comfort of our kitchen before the trip, but now we’re witnessing the devastating consequences firsthand.

We don’t know how to end this section after the aforementioned, so we will let Jimi Hendrix speak for us.

“When the power of love overcomes the love of power, the world will know peace.”

15 Jan 2019

Central America Rewind

by Ben & Kourt | posted in: Central America, Travel | 1

It’s hard to believe, but our time in Central America has come to a close. We spent three months traveling over land and sea from Cancun, Mexico to Cartagena, Colombia. This is the longest either of us has gone without a full-time job since graduating college in 2009 and it’s provided us with an amazing opportunity to relax, explore, meet new people, and adventure. We wanted to write a recap blog of our first three months and decided to deviate a bit from our typical process. Normally, Kourtney writes the initial draft and Ben does goes through it and adds funny anecdotes and drops in pictures before the final edit. This time we’re each writing our own responses independently. We added some fun stats at the bottom as well. Hope you enjoy!

Favorite country?

B: Guatemala was my favorite for a variety of reasons. We finally got back into a comfortable climate after a few weeks spent on the Carribean – the highlands of Southern Guatemala offered warm days and crisp nights. We had the opportunity to take a week of Spanish classes, live in a homestay, and spend some time getting to know Quetzaltenango and establish a home-like rythym for a week. We climbed the highest peak in Central America with Tajumulco, saw some of the biggest ruins in the jungle at Tikal, explored caves and swam in natural pools at Semuc Champey, relaxed at Lake Atitlan, and experienced the raw power of Mother Nature with the lava of Volcan Fuego. For me, this encapsulated the best Central America had to offer.

K: Hands down Guatemala! We stayed for one month, and I think that allowed us to really relax the most. We saw a lot and moved quickly, but we also realized that we didn’t need to stick to the “2-3 weeks per country” rule, and we could stay if we were really enjoying some place. Here we stayed at some of my favorite hostels– Vista Verde, Casa Siebel, and Free Cerveza– that infinity pool overlooking the mountains, making “home-cooked” meals and watching sports in the common area, and those three course meals with two hour happy hour. So pretty, so fun, and so, so cheap. In Flores, we visited the Tikal ruins and walked through the jungle looking at monkeys and toucans. We enjoyed the sunshine and cooled off in tropical pools in Semuc Champey. Some of my favorite hikes were in Guatemala: Talhumulco, the highest peak in Central America, and Acatenango with Volcan Fuego erupting spouts of red lava all night! We took a cooking class in Antigua and walked around looking at all of the old churches. Here we also took one week of Spanish classes complete with a home-stay. Immersion language learning is difficult but so fun, and I love to learn so this was particularly exciting for me because I learned something new every single day!

Favorite hike?

B: This was a tough one for me. These hikes were so unique and each offered a new experience, but the most uniquest, and most new, was Volcán Acatenango. And honestly, it wasn’t even about that volcano. The hike up was nice enough, we got a nice sunset, but had a miserable hike to the summit at 4am in the wind and rain, saw no sunrise, and had to pack up and hike down in the wind and fog. But! Our campsite had a direct view of Volcán Fuego, just a few miles away. From the time we got up there around 4pm till our hands were too numb to be outside any longer, we had front row seats to the raw power of Mother Nature. We got to witness 3-5 eruptions every hour and once the sun went down, we could see the molten lava explode and flow down the mountain. It was mesmerizing. There’s a reason this was one of Guatemala’s most popular tourist desitantions and something undertaken by a lot of non-hikers. We’ll see a lot of amazing things in nature on this journey, but I have no doubts this will remain one of my top highlights.

K: I guess I’d have to say Cerro Chirripo. At this point, we were in great shape, but the three day trek was still challenging in a way that was exciting. I really appreciate a well-marked trail and water refilling stations, not carrying all of the water I think I’ll need for our entire excursion. I loved stopping for coffee. We met some really cool people at the base camp lodge with no heat and electricity for two hours a day. We got up at 2:30 in the morning and hiked under the stars in order to watch the most epic sunrise I think I’ve ever seen. We got to enjoy the view at Lake Ditkevi all to ourselves. I made a plan to hike those Crestones we saw at the lodge and I did! We played cards at the lodge, and I won TWO games! I was in such good spirits too because it was my birthday, and your mental state really does make a difference. Nothing cooler than going to bed at 7:45pm (sober) on your 32nd birthday!

Favorite activity?

B: Hiking the tallest peaks of the Central American countries. We didn’t set out to do this. We obviously knew that hiking and camping would play a big part of the trip, but with the hot & humid climate in Mexico and Belize, hiking was the last thing on our mind. I always knew we would hike Volcan Tajumulco in Guatemala since it was the tallest peak in Central America, but once we were in El Salvador and figuring out the route to Honduras, I realized we would go right by the tallest peaks of both El Salvador & Honduras. Within 5 seconds we decided we would try to hike them all. Of course, in my exictement, I had forgotten that Belize was a country, something Kourtney was quick to realize. Crap! After some research, we discovered that the tallest peak in Belize, Doyle’s Delight, was only 3,688 feet, required ~6 days of trekking through the jungle with armed guards, and cost $1,900 per person. Hard pass!

Ok – I think I got sidetracked. Why was hiking the tallest peaks my favorite activity? Besides the fact that I love lists and checking things off, this was my favorite because it got us the furthest off the “gringo trail” of Central America. Of the peaks we hiked, only one was truly on the gringo trail (Barú in Panama), with another one being fairly popular with hiking tourists (Chirripó in Costa Rica). To summit these, we had to take some very long, very full chicken busses and mini vans, find a spanish-speaking guide to safely guide us up a landmine infested mountain in Nicaragua, spend nights in the wilderness, and hitchhike for miles in El Salvador when we ran out of cash. These peaks aren’t on the “Top 10 Things to do in Country X” list and aren’t easily arranged through hostels. For the most part, we arranged our own transportation, food, and self-guided and camped our way to the summits. We had a blast along the way, saw some amazing sunrises, and is something I’ll always remember.

K: Learning to scuba dive has been incredible! I loved that my instructor gave me a briefing of skills we would practice in the water and then we just JUMPED right in! He made me feel comfortable and confident the whole time. And it turns out that I am really good at it! Aris complimented us on our air consumption and our bottom time. The second day he took us to 90 feet even though we were definitely not certified for that depth! We swam through these tiny caverns in places I was certain we might not fit. You really feel like a guest underwater; the colors and the marine life–everything is alive! It’s really indescribable and it leaves you speechless. I was crying tears of joy and awe when we finally reached the surface!

Thing we miss the most (excluding the obvious answers of family & friends)?

B: There’s a lot of things that could go here: our bed, bathroom mirrors I can see my face in without my quads burning, nonstick cooking pans, PBR, a meal that lasts less than 45 minutes, first chair on a pow day, legroom, paying with credit cards, etc. You get the idea. But the thing I miss the most? My car. More specifically, the ability to drive. The freedom to decide what time you want to leave and arrive at a destination with a reasonable time frame. The ability to go from point A to point B without 87 stops and three bus transfers. Whenever a person tells us how long a bus trip takes, we usually multiply by two. For a large portion of the population, these buses are their only means of transportation. That means they really act like the school buses they used to be – they stop constantly to pick up and drop off people. They rarely travel direct past the next moderate sized town, and forget about getting a time table. While it is nice to not have to worry about gas, parking, or car security, the freedom a car provides… sweeter than a cold PBR (yeah, those are probably #2 on my list).

While this is something I miss dearly, it has provided me with some first-hand insight into what it’s like to live without a car. To have to rely on public transportation to get to and from work, to grocery shop, to see a friend. Wow. You can lose hours out of your day on these things. Time that could be spent applying to new jobs, leaning a new skill, cooking a healthy meal, or spending time with loved ones. For us, this is an adventure. It may be tiring and uncomfortable at times, but we know the Subaru is waiting in Mom’s driveway and we can pick our life back up when we’re done. While our wallet is certainly glad we haven’t hired direct tourist shuttles everywhere, three months of public transit has certaintly been eye opening.

K: I miss access to sanitary restrooms. Is it too much to ask to sit down and wipe with the amount of TP I deem necessary? Often I have to pay to use facilities with no toilet seat, no toilet paper, and no flush. Seriously, what is my money paying for? If there is a person outside the bathroom, they might hand me a lump of paper with six single-ply pieces; you must never flush the paper as the sewer systems cannot handle anything that is not organic, so I always get a good look at what others before me were up to as I discard my TP in the nearby trash can. If the flusher is missing, then there are large barrels full of rain water and a bucket; you fill the buckets with water and dump them into the toilet until the toilet flushes. There is usually never soap and forget paper towels or those fancy electric hand dryers. I’ve had to learn to bring toilet paper in with me and I always have access to hand sanitizer. When we luck out on a hostel room with an attached restroom, sometimes the bedroom and bathroom are attached and separated by folded pieces of wood. This way Coons and I can still see each other when we’re doing our business—number one only! Honestly, sometimes it makes going in the woods sound more appealing.

Most uncomfortable experience?

B: Riding the local chicken buses, for a couple reasons. While these provided us with an very economical and convienent way to travel the region and gave us the chance to meet and interact with locals, I was never able to be comfortable on these for a few reasons. First and foremost, these ex-school busses were not built for someone of my size. I had a hard enough time fitting into these seats in high school. Compounding this was the fact that we always ended up with the seat with the wheel well and no matter what time we left, the busses were always packed. I’m talking three to a seat, people in the aisles, chickens in the back, luggage on the roof, packed. Speaking of luggage, this was another aspect that was always a bit sketchy. Since we decided to pack roughly 30% of our remaining belongings in our backpacks, they weren’t exactly “carry-on friendly”. For the most part, this meant that the bus driver assistant would haul the bag onto the roof and strap it on while we got inside. This left us praying that our bag would be there safe and sound (and dry!) when we got to our destination. We’ve heard and read plenty of horror stories, but thankfully we managed to always arrive with our bags intact.

The last component of my uncomfortability was the trash. Specifcially what happened to the trash. Anyone who has visited a third-world country is probably familiar with the scenes of trash littering the sides of roads and sidewalks. Due to our massive amounts of time spent on these busses, we got to witness firsthand where a lot of this comes from. Instead of hanging on to an empty soda bottle or chip bag, the locals simply open up the window and out it goes. It’s frustrating to read about the multitude of environmental issues we’re facing and watch countless plastic items end up on the ground of these beautiful countries. I know a lot of these people live below the poverty line and have more pressing items to deal with every day, but it doesn’t make it any easier to watch.

K: When you encounter a rotting canine carcass in the road during your bike ride, it is time to TURN AROUND! We were in Tulum, Mexico–first week–and we thought it would be a lovely idea to rent bikes for a day and explore cenotes nearby. We had a blast cruising around and visiting the first cenote complete with rope swings, diaper bobs, and shelter from the sun. We had some delicious nachos and cervezas, and they hit the spot before heading out to the next destination. The next two we wanted to see were a farther bike ride but close together. Coons had Google Maps ready to go and we set out. The road started out smooth and then became unkept and bumpy with large puddles everywhere, but who doesn’t love splashing through puddles? And then we saw it. The skeleton of what once was a cute little perro. As soon as the words, “Wait, was that a dead dog?” came out of my mouth, we rounded the corner to piles, nay MOUNDS, of trash blocking the road. The smell was unbearable. There were rail thin dogs climbing in the filth to find food and vultures squawking and lurking above. A man and his two sons approached us with this sneer and told us that we couldn’t pass because the rest of the road was filled with garbage. Mucho basura. It would take me hours to tell you all the things that ran through my mind, but I have never been so ready to bounce.

Our Central America travels by the numbers:

925

$132

Countries visited

Towns visited

Days spent traveling

Mountains hiked

Scuba dives

Bus rides

Nights camped

Doctor visits

Total books read

Stray perros counted by Kourtney to practice her Spanish

Average cost per day

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