lago region

flew into puerto montt from punta arenas today. today marks the last of deadlines and specific obligations for the whole trip until we fly home in april. we are in puerto varas at the moment. contemplating life while admiring the beautiful osorno volcano.

so far we have been majorly lucky, striking up deals with chileans everywhere we went. for example, today by not merely consenting to the first fishing wharf meal we could find, and mentioning we lived in santiago, we got a discount on our lunch promo. we made friends with a chilean lady in punta arenas who let us stay at her hostel after we returned from argentina for half the price (after we had stayed there the week before for a bit). another hostel owner dropped his rates significantly after we explained we weren't really there with earned american dollars. we negotiated a discount price for a tour of the penguin colony (also chilean accent helped there). the lady in punta arenas discounted us on our hostel because she didnt have correct change. we also talked to a guy today who was going to sell us a centolla (king crab) for 10 bucks! which probably is because we are so far south, but it felt like a hookup because those things are practically on the black market anyway.

so yeah, were doing well.

observations about patagonia-

the wind can knock you off cliffs. the wind can destroy one's tent. patagonian argentines don't like giving tourists free water in their restaurants even though their cities contain some of the best agua dulce (fresh potable water) in the world (seriously, a lady tsked at me). trekking poles are a must at torres del paine. pumas are cool. conaf rangers can be your friend if you're smart enough to bring them hot chocolate when it's 10 degrees outside and you need a place to not feel like you're constantly freezing. i have never seen water so blue. tourists can be annoying as hell and can be super cool as well. traveling with a language and cultural grasp can be financially rewarding as well as a self-esteem boost. nothing's a stupid question unless you can't figure out how to ask it. glaciers are fucking awesome and incredibly massive. the ice the calves from the front of arguably the most famous glacier in the southern ice cap (el calafate) is about 500-600 years old. taking cold showers is worse than not showering for a week. staying dry is key. sleeping with a rain jacket keeps the warmth in. penguins are super curious and daring creatures. the flora here makes you realize how south and north americas were connected a time ago. the people who live in the south are a tough bunch.