3 Weeks in Spain!

Well as most of you know already, James’ company lost a big project and are sending us home after 6 months instead of 13. We flew back on Nov 30th. James had saved up all of his vacation time to use to visit family at Christmas. Since we would be traveling back before Christmas, we needed to burn 3 weeks of vacation so we decided to take a vacation to the southern part of Spain. We decided to visit four different places: Calpe, Granada, Tarifa, and Estepona. We were hoping Spain would be warmer than Germany and the weather didn’t disappoint.

Living in Germany vs US

For every one that doesn’t already know, James’ company lost a big project and is ending his contract early. So his one year assignment in Germany turned into about 6 months. He recently had his last day of work and we are currently traveling southern Spain to use up his vacation time before we head back. He recently put a list together of the differences he’s experienced living in Colorado vs Germany and posted it to facebook. I am re-posting them on the blog and added a few of my own:

OMG! I had a baby in Germany!

It’s been a while since my last post (okay, a long while). I didn’t expect to wait so long to write about the arrival of our daughter, Heidi Marie, but she didn’t arrive until 16 days after her due date! It was like Silas’ birth all over again. And now that I have two kids, I can hardly find the time to feed myself or shower which has put blog priority way down on the list.

James’ mom arrived 3 days before the due date on July 12th. I was SO ready for her to get here. I was worried I was going to go into labor and no one would be here to watch Silas (ha!) and I was also getting huge and tired and was looking forward to someone who could help entertain and play with Silas. Well, the days waiting for labor turned into weeks. The midwives here would have probably let me be pregnant forever since the non-stress tests and ultrasounds showed everyone was very healthy. I do prefer the non-intervention mindset but 16 days – geez! By 42 weeks, I would have probably checked myself into the hospital to be induced but labor inductions work differently here. They won’t use pitocin to start labor – they will only use it if labor has already started. So if you check into the hospital, they will try various other homeopathic options as well as some other drugs not used in the US. However, this can take days. James’ co-worker’s wife went past her due date so they checked into the hospital. 6 days later she went into labor! I had a toddler at home and I really don’t like staying in hospitals so we opted to wait it out.

Extremely pregnant. Going in for yet another non stress test. I’m pretty sure I was at least 14 days past due at this point.

By day 14, I was getting a little frustrated and emotional. I think the midwives felt sorry for me so they finally decided to do a membrane sweep (something they won’t normally do unlike in the US). At this point I had tried everything including 3 rounds of castor oil. Finally, the membrane sweep seemed to do the trick. I had some contractions that started almost immediately. They stopped later that day but I went back and they did another membrane sweep the next day at noon. This time contractions started again and they seemed to stay. By 7pm I was heading to the birth center with intense contractions 5 minutes apart. I thought surely I was going to have the baby a few hours later since second labors are usually shorter, right??? Wrong. At around 11pm my contractions were getting farther apart. Not disappearing but just spacing out. After an hour or so of fewer contractions, the midwives decided to transfer me to the hospital to get pitocin. We checked into the hospital around midnight. The hospital midwives didn’t really want to use pitocin. They wanted to try some other more natural methods. Normally I’m all for that but come on! I’m 16 days overdue at this point, I’ve tried every homeopathic option, and I’m 12 hours into labor and counting. I was done. They made me wait until 11:30 am before they finally hooked up the pitocin. It took a little while to kick in but 2 hours later Heidi practically fell out. The timing was almost identical to Silas’ birth. With him, they broke my water and contractions started at noon and I had him the next day at 12:30 pm. With Heidi, my contractions started at 1pm and I had her at 1:30 pm the next day. I’m pretty certain I’m done having kids so I’m just happy I don’t have to go through being overdue and 24 hour labors ever again (knock on wood!).

Just moments after she was born. Rather than whisking her away, they give you a whole 1-2 hours to bond with your baby before taking her to weigh and measure. I loved it!

We are so happy to have her on the outside. This time around has been way less stressful. I know how temporary the difficult first days and weeks are and how fast they will pass. I know that I will sleep again although it may be a year. I remember the light at the end of the tunnel. Although this time the light also includes a toddler; taking care of two kids under 2 does terrify me a little but I know I’ll figure it out.

Family of four taken in front of our apartment a few weeks after she was born.

OMG! I’m going to have a baby in Germany

With all of the packing, leaving the US, moving, getting settled in Germany, and the small and big details that go with that, I think I’ve been in denial that I’m going to have a baby and soon. I just haven’t had the time to really think about it and I’ve been so relieved that my baby girl is safely tucked away where she doesn’t require around-the-clock care so I can focus on what we need to do to get settled here. But now in a few short weeks, she’s going to arrive and in another country. Yikes!

Before we left for Germany, I started worrying about having a baby over here. I didn’t know how the medical system worked, I didn’t know who to contact to help me, and I had no idea where to start. My plan if we were in Denver was to use the same birth center that I used with Silas. I preferred not to have a hospital birth again even though that’s how it ended with Silas after he was 2 weeks past his due date. The birth was fine in the hospital (honestly I didn’t care at that point – just get this kid out of me!) but I hated being in the hospital for the post-natal care. The nurses come bother you every few hours just when you’ve fallen asleep and everything seems to be a crisis: “Your baby has jaundice? Well, that could lead to brain damage, so we’d better not let you hold him and we need to put him under this light instead and please bottle feed him a lot! It’s the only way for him to get better.”
“Your baby is dehydrated even though he’s one day old and your milk hasn’t come in? We’d better bottle feed him.”
“Since you’re having trouble breastfeeding, here is a recommendation for formula that you can pick up on your way home.”
“Please take the discharge class before you leave the hospital of 101 ways your baby can die after you get home…” Um. No thank you. At the birth center, they discharge you 4-6 hours after birth which may seem crazy to some people but I really just wanted to get home. They still follow up with post-natal care so any of those bad things that can happen after birth are still monitored.

A few months before we left for Germany when I wasn’t even sure if we were actually moving to Germany or not, I started contacting anyone and everyone I could regarding birth. I wanted a birth center but honestly, I was fine with anything – hospital, midwife, english or no english, just someone to help me catch this kid. I sent tons of un-returned emails. In Germany it seems most births are midwife-led which is awesome. Doctors only enter the picture if something goes wrong. The birth center in Dortmund was already full for a July delivery. My preparations were looking futile and my plan became “show up at a hospital and hope someone would help me” until one midwife wrote me back! I had found her on some midwife website and the site said she spoke English. Score! She worked closely with a birth center in a nearby town. She was so sweet and so willing to help me. The birth center she works with was already full as well but she talked to the other midwives in her practice and convinced them to make room for me. We stayed in contact over the few months before we arrived in Germany. I have since met the two midwives who will probably deliver my baby as well has her who will handle my pre and post-natal care. They have all been so kind and helpful. And their medical care is awesome!! All of the rest of my prenatal appointments are done at my house so they come to me and then after the baby is born, they come to check on me at my house every day for the first week and then every other day and then more spaced out – I think she said they will come up to 20 or so times to check on you at home and insurance pays for all of it!

I am also SO fortunate that James’ mom plans to come for a month to help out. I’m not sure how I would manage without her here.

Getting bigger and bigger! Baby resembling more of a basketball than a bump.

Silas doesn’t know what’s about to hit him! He isn’t going to be getting all of the attention anymore.

Settling down in Dortmund

Well, we’ve been here for almost 3 weeks. We’re almost unpacked and trying to make our new place a little more like home. James started work on June 1st which means I’ve been home with Silas for a few weeks now. We’ve had fun trying to figure out life here and enjoying our neighborhood.

Here’s a few pictures that shows how we spend our days. I’m really enjoying spending these few weeks with Silas before the baby comes.

We spend a lot of time walking. Usually it’s walking to and from grocery stores, prenatal appointments, setting up a bank account, out to a restaurant, etc… I usually let Silas walk there and then he has to get in the stroller when we get there and for the trip home. Silas probably walks upwards of 2 miles on some days. Doesn’t that mean he should sleep more.

One of Silas’ favorite things to do is to jump off the stoop of every doorway that we pass. Needless to say it takes us a while to get anywhere.

Ready. Set. Ka-Jump. Not sure where he gets that extra syllable.

Silas and I checked out the organic food store. It’s not quite the same as Whole Foods or Sprouts but I could find a few staples like coconut oil and all natural peanut butter.

Silas spends a lot of time in the stroller and he is always asking to “get down?” It’s hard on an almost-two-year-old and tends to end each trip to the store with a whiny toddler. I ended up hiding is favorite snack (dried pineapple) in his snack cup with raisins and nuts. It works so well because he spends so much time trying to find the few pieces of pineapple that it buys me some time to try to figure out what I’m buying at the store (which usually amounts to using my google translate app countless times in one trip)

Aldi is a store here. I think it’s owned by the same company as Trader Joes so you find a “few” of the same products.

You have to put money into the shopping carts in order to use them. That way you return them where they go so you can get your money back. .

We almost always make a stop at the playground that is less than a block from our apartment. He loves playing in the sand and climbing up the ladders…. but the other kids he doesn’t like all that much. We’re working on that.

We still have some colder days here.

The “USA” aisle at one of the larger grocery stores. Our culinary interests have been reduced to squeeze cheese, hot cocoa, pop tarts, and BBQ sauce – probably not the ones I would have chosen.

Sometimes we stop for a doughnut at Ikea 🙂

I’m still trying to figure out the recycling here. It’s pretty complicated and almost everything can/should be recycled or composted. You also have to return your glass and plastic bottles back to the store to get your money back. We never leave our apartment empty handed – whether it’s taking out recycling, garbage, compost, dirty diapers, replacing the grocery bags back in the car/stroller (you have to pay extra for bags), etc…

On Saturdays there is a big market that sets up in Dortmund. They have delicious pastries, bratwurst, meats, cheese, fruits, vegetables, etc…

Silas’ favorite are the waffles from the Saturday market

We visited the Medieval Altena Castle built in the 12th century one Sunday

We have a car and a place to live!

After being on the move for a month, we are finally going to start settling down. James negotiated his contract for this position to include a furnished 3 bedroom place. Knowing that our family would be growing and that we were going to have lots of visitors, we really wanted the 3rd bedroom. However, 3 bedrooms are very hard to come by here especially near James’ work which is in the city. James’ company ended up not being able to find one place with 3 bedrooms so we ended up with two apartments right next to each other – one is a 2 bedroom and one is a 1 bedroom which is really sweet! It will make things much more comfortable for our guests and us.

We just “moved in” yesterday. Everything is still in suitcases and boxes and we expect the arrival of all the boxes we shipped at any time. I’m really antsy to get settled. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that I’m due to give birth in 5 weeks!

Here are some pics of the 2 bedroom unit. It’s so nice!

Master bedroom

Entry way – every room is behind its own door. Kind of weird for the US but seems pretty standard here

our bathroom

Second bedroom – Silas’ bedroom

Kitchen. I see a big trip to Ikea in my future. There’s not many dishes or things in the cabinets.

Living room 

Here’s the 1 bedroom unit which is right next door on the same floor. Come visit us! You can stay here for just a small fee of babysitting our adorable toddler 🙂

Entry way

Bathroom

Kitchen

Bedroom

Dining room

Living room with fold-out bed

James also got his car on Monday. It’s a Ford CMax. I think he might have been slightly disappointed that it wasn’t something more European that he couldn’t get in the US. However, I think it will work really well since it’s on the “bigger” side (at least compared to how small cars are here) and will fit our family pretty well.

Silas approves

Off to Germany!

Well, here we go again. I’ve resurrected my old blog that I used while we were traveling South America. South America was supposed to be our last big adventure before we settled down to have kids. Now we’re in Germany with a toddler and a baby due in 6 weeks! After a few months of not knowing whether James’ company would come through with the formal contract, they finally did and barely in time. He accepted a one year position to work in the Dortmund, Germany office at his company Thyssen Krupp. So I left my job who gave me another 1 year leave of absence (seriously, how many times are they going to let me do this?!).

After a whirlwind of packing up our house, renting it out, saying goodbye to all of our dear friends in Denver, and spending a few weeks in Texas visiting family, we’ve arrived in Germany. It was probably the most stressful few weeks of my life. We’re renting an AirBnB for the first week or so while James’ company tries to find us a place to live. James’ contract states that we are to get a furnished 3 bedroom place. However, we’ve looked around and all there seem to be are 2 bedrooms. James starts work on Monday June 1st and I’ll get a taste of what it’s like to be a stay at home mom which terrifies me just a little.

I neglected to take near as many photos as I should have over the last few weeks and the ones I did take were with a pretty old and cheap smart phone since my company took their iphone back when I started my leave. Here are the pics I managed to get:

James’ company allowed us a certain # of lbs to ship. I used every last one of them and it seemed like almost all of it was kid/baby related.

Silas and I flew to Austin by ourselves while James finished up moving out of our house. We met him in Dallas a few days later.

One of the rare occasions I get the tablet out is for airplane flights. It’s finally starting to hold his attention for more than 2 seconds. He will maybe use it for 8 minutes at a time now which isn’t long but it certainly helps!

Hanging out with Uncle ya-ya at my parents house near Austin.

At my parents house near Austin. He could play with water all day.

Climbing trees with the cousins. His exact words “like a squirrel!”

Just hanging out.

He had SO much fun playing with his cousins!

Hanging out with all his girl cousins in Dallas. James’ sister and her family are visiting from Africa for a whole year. So bummed that it’s the same year we’re heading to Germany.

It took two cars to get all of our stuff to the airport to catch our flight to Dusseldorf.

We had SO much stuff. It’s no wonder they lost 3 of our bags. Luckily they found them 2 days after we arrived.

A little snooze on the first flight from Dallas to Chicago.

Silas’ business class seat! Look at all that wasted leg room.

Thank goodness for lie-flat seats on our flight from Chicago to Dusseldorf. Silas did SO well.

Taking a stroll after we arrived. Silas adjusted really well to the time change – thank goodness!

On our way to dinner one night, he found a horsey.

On our way to dinner one night, he found a horsey.

At the playground near our Air BnB rental.

Matching flannels 🙂

Just hanging out.

Only a 5 minute walk from our Air BnB rental is a really nice playground and trails through the forest. Too bad this house is too far from James’ work. We will likely be moving into the city.

Exploring the woods.

Uruguay and Brazilian Visas

After spending a few restful days in Buenos Aires, James and I headed to Uruguay to explore another country and because if you are like us and haven’t done the proper leg work to secure a Brazilian visa (which can take weeks in most consulates) there is a nice town called Chuy on the Uruguay/Brazilian border that we had heard can whip you one up in a day.

Buenos Aires to the far west and Chuy to the far East

When we were making plans to head to Uruguay, we realized that we would be leaving on a Thursday and in order to avoid having to wait all weekend before we could get our visa, we decided to drive all day Thursday so we could arrive at the consulate on Friday before they close for the weekend. Chuy was the town we were headed for which was on the far side of Uruguay from where we were starting (Buenos Aires).

Chuy border town – one side of the street is Brazil and one side is Uruguay

We woke up early on Thursday, drove all day, and slept in our car on a beach an hour or so away from Chuy. We decided we would drive all the way to Chuy and then hit all the places we missed on our way back. I didn’t know what to expect Uruguay to be like, but I was pleasantly surprised. It was really green and very clean, and it seemed to have a similar culture to Argentina.

After driving until dark the previous day, we arrived bright and early to the consulate on Friday only to read a sign posted out front that it was “tourist week” and they were closed Thursday and Friday (the day we arrived). We didn’t see anything on the consulate sign to indicate that they weren’t open Saturdays so we came back the next day eager to get our visa and move on. Again, they were not open. Only then did we figure out what the “2°- 6°” on their
sign meant. 2°- 6° is how they write the days of the week in Brazil – I assume meaning they are only open the 2nd day of the week through the 6th day of the week. Who knew?

Brazilian consulate in Chuy

Oh well, there are much worse places to pass the time than lounging on the beaches of Uruguay soaking up some sun. We passed Friday, Saturday, and Sunday exploring Punta del Diablo, Santa Teresa National Park, and Barra del Chuy before finally getting our Brazilian visas ($150 USD each – yikes!!!) on Monday.

Passing time on the Uruguayan beaches waiting for the consulate to open

During all this back-and-forth from the nearby beaches to Chuy, we had to pass through customs because Chuy is a border town and half of the town is in Brazil and half of the town is in Uruguay. Only during our first pass through customs

Vehicle Importation Papers with the wrong dates!

did we realize that the wonderful border officials into Uruguay (14 hours of driving earlier) had stamped the wrong date on our importation papers for our car. Not only did they stamp the wrong date (5 April 2011 instead of 2012), they also hand wrote in the date as 5 April 2013. This caused quite a headache each of the 3 times we had to pass through customs (of course we got a different customs agent each time). We also have US plates which always raises a red flag so we were stopped every time. When they would realize the dates were wrong, we would explain to them what happened and show them our passport stamp for Uruguay was dated 2012. They have limits to how long you and your car can be in the country so if 2011 was indeed when we entered, we would have a problem; they seemed to be sure that we had broken some law. After tons of hassle, each time they would finally let us through.

We were so happy when we passed through the custom for the last time with our Brazilian visas in hand. Next stop was Montevideo. We only had a few days in Montevideo but we made the most of it. We spent our time walking the pedestrian streets, strolling along the Rambla, visiting the Mercado del Puerto, and feasting on asado and chivitos. One things that stood out about Montevideo was how much Mate Uruguayans drink. They all have the mate stance with the Thermos tucked under their arm and their mate in their hand whether they’re walking the streets, riding the bus, or riding their bikes.

Getting ready to dive in at one of the famous Parillas in Montevideo

Awesome painter we met in Montevideo in the typical Mate stance

Our next stop was a quick trip to Colonia del Sacramento, the oldest town in Uruguay, before taking a ferry back to Buenos Aires. The Brazilian visas hit our budget a little hard so we decided to sleep in our car for our last 2 days in Uruguay – we found a gas station parking lot just outside Colonia with a shopping mall nearby with free wifi (score!). We only had a day in Colonia (really all you need) which we spent walking the old cobble stone streets in the historic center and enjoying a long lunch.

Old streets of Colonia

We headed back to BA on the morning ferry and checked back into our home-away-from-home the San Telmo lofts where a nice comfortable room was waiting for us after a week of almost all camping. We were only in BA for a few days since we would soon be catching a flight to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil! Our few days in BA were fairly hectic since we needed to sell our car – at this point we already had a few potential buyers lined up, and on the day before our flight to Brazil we signed over the papers and freed ourselves from the car!

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Visit From Friends and Family

So, first I must admit that we are a bit behind on our blog since our friends and family actually visited in the month of March. I will try to crank a few more blog posts out as fast as I can so we can catch up.

After our amazing adventure to the end of the world and back, we were really looking forward to our visiting family who was set to arrive in Santiago. My father, brother, and sister-in-law made the long flight to visit us for about a week and a half and we wanted to make the most of their time here so we packed in a lot.

Breaking for pisco sours during our tour around Santiago

Group shot after some amazing Argentine beef at Don Mario’s in Mendoza

After visiting Cerro San Cristobal, Santia Lucia Hill, Plaza de Armas, and many other sights around Santiago, we headed to Valparaiso to see the colorful architecture perched on steep hills and connected by a maze of winding streets. We then headed over the Andes to Mendoza where we sampled wine, watched some tango, and admired the beautiful Andes.

Top of Cerro San Cristobal

Beautiful Valparaiso

The most amazing steak I’ve ever had was in Argentina. Look at those babies. PS – Konrad, are you taking photos during the prayer? tisk tisk

Our awesome friends, Chris and Sara

After a wonderful visit with our family, we were graced with even more visitors. As soon as we saw our family off to the Mendoza Airport, we rushed back to Santiago to pick up some of our best firends, Chris and Sara who came to visit for 2 weeks!

We had a little more time with them, so in addition to showing them around Santiago, Valpo/Vina, and Mendoza, we were also able to include several days of surfing in Pichilemu as well as spend some more quality time in the Andes mountains.

Chris and Sara ready to hit the surf

James and Chris’s view of the clouds on their early morning start hiking in the Andes as they try to see how high they can climb

Checking out some Mendoza Malbecs in Valle de Uco

We were so so so happy and grateful to have friends and family come visit us so far away. However, after they left I felt a bit more homesick than usual. It made me want to be back in the states just for a few weeks to hug my mom, see our other friends and family, eat our favorite foods, and just be in a place that feels easier to navigate.

Nice shot, Chris

After the whirlwind of family and friends for nearly a month, we headed back east across the continent to the city that we first arrived in, Buenos Aires, where we relaxed for a week before making our plans to see Uruguay.

Kirsten

Stopping for pisco sours during a break around Santiago

Loading into the funicular on our way up to Cerro San Cristobal

Konrad and Loma on the top of Santa Lucia Hill

Top of Cerro San Cristobal

at the base of the Virgin Mary looks like a good place for a nap

Funicular in Valparaiso

Beautiful views of Valparaiso

Great lunch spot in Valparaiso

Sometimes you have to stop and smell the roses – Valparaiso

Walking the hills in Valparaiso

Who is smiling for the picture – me or the dog?

Beautiful Valparaiso

Playing on the beach – Valparaiso

Valparaiso

If you order “nachos” in Chile, this is what you get – green olives, salami, sliced cheese, etc…

Stopped for views of Aconcagua on our drive over the Andes to Argentina

What is a Mcdonald’s burger without a few empanadas and a half bottle of wine?

The most amazing steak I’ve ever had was in Argentina. Look at those babies. PS – Konrad, are you taking photos during the prayer? tisk tisk

Group shot after some amazing Argentine beef at Don Mario’s in Mendoza

Getting ready for a big hike in the Andes

On the way up

At the summit ~13k ft above sea level with surrounding mountains of 17k ft

James looking over the edge in Pichilemu, Chile

Surfboards loaded and ready

Pichilemu, Chile

Our awesome friends, Chris and Sara

Fresh catch of the day that we later made into fish tacos – yum!

Horse and buggy in Pichilemu, Chile

Chris and Sara ready to hit the surf

Checking out some potential beach camping spots

Great views on the Chilean coast

Oh crap!

More stunning Chilean coast

Nice shot, Chris. Chilean coast

Campfire on the beach

Not a bad spot to watch the sunset from inside the tent

Cool morning clouds

Crazy pass over the Andes into Argentina

Great shot of Aconcagua

Puenta del Inca – Sulfur land bridge

Checking out some Mendoza Malbecs in Valle de Ucu

Malbec grapes

Chris making friends

James and Chris’s view on their early morning start hiking in the Andes as they try to see how high they can climb

Crazy ice during the hike

crazy ice in the mountains

Be careful what rock you overturn before you go to the bathroom

Stunning views of the Vallecitos region outside Mendoza, Argentina

James pausing for a short break near a glacier

Cool penitentes in the ice

Hike in the Vallecitos area outside Mendoza, Argentina

Stunning views in Vallecitos outside Mendoza, Argentina

Chris dominating from over 17k ft elevation

Altimeter reading of 17,218 ft above sea level

What better way to get clean than a quick swim in the river after their grueling hike.

 

The Navimag Ferry – Puerto Natales to Puerto Montt

The Navimag Evangelista

There are no roads in Chile connecting Puerto Montt to Punta Arenas

The Navimag ferry was a nice break from all the driving we had been doing over the last few months. In addition to having to drive less, you also get to see scenery that can only be seen from the water. There are no roads connecting far-southern Chile — the area including Torres del Paine and the cities of Puerto Natales and Punta Arenas — to the rest of the country. The land connects, but the terrain is so extreme and the distances so long that it just hasn’t been connected yet; and I can’t imagine it ever will, considering there are also several ice fields that stretch from the Pacific Ocean to the Argentine border. So to get from the main part of Chile to the southern part by car, one must cross into Argentina, drive south, then cross back into Chile.

Doing that, as we did on our southward travels, may lead you to believe that Patagonia solely consists of vast empty windy grasslands and sharp granite spires of mountains. What you don’t realize is that on the other, Chilean, side of the Andes, stretching from Puerto Montt to the end of the continent, is a long skinny temperate rainforest. With no roads leading north from Torres del Paine, the only way to see this beautiful green landscape is from the water, and that is what the Navimag ferry offers. The Navimag ferry Evangelista is actually a cargo ship that brings goods to the southern part of Chile. Years after it was built, it was modified to have simple accomodations, a dining room, and a lounge area with outdoor decks.  The trip is made even more spectacular by the fact that the coast is made up of over 1,000  islands, so the vast majority of the route follows the patagonian fjords and not the open Pacific Ocean.

Navimag Ferry Route through the Fjords

Having a set budget that was to last us most of a year, meant we could only afford the cheapest accomodations possible. However, the cheapest beds are actually located in the hallways, with only a personal curtain to separate your bunk from anyone walking the hallway.  We decided to spend a little more on the next cheapest option, which was a 4 bunk room which would be shared with two other travelers.

The 4 Bed Berths

The idea is that this would help us sleep a little better and possibly get to know some other travelers. Looking back, I’m not sure if the $50 p/p was worth it or not. The clientele of Navimag’s ferries are decidedly – shall we say – more mature, and we can attest to the fact that the more mature Chileans have the same tendency to snore as do the more mature North Americans we know! So, did we sleep any better? Probably not…in addition to the snoring, our room was uncomfortably hot since the controls for the small radiant heater seemed to not be working properly. Recommendation: for the budget traveler, bring good ear plugs and stay in the hallway (by this time our ear plugs were getting worn out and losing their springiness).

We had done a ton of research by reading other travelers’ blogs and had heard that the food was edible but bland. I would say that it was actually pretty decent and better than we were anticipating. As budget travelers, only eating one real meal a day, and just doing something small for the other two, we went a little overboard the first day, taking advantage of the large meals served three times a day. Without much physical activity, three full meals a day was a little overkill and by day two and three, we found we weren’t all that hungry by the time the next meal came.

Playing Rummy in the Dining Room

Aside from eating and sleeping, the rest of the time we were enjoying the scenery through the windows, playing lots of rummy, and meeting other travelers. The weather on our first day was nice (i.e. not raining), but it rained most of the second and third days. In short, the scenery was beautiful!

Going through a narrow channel on our first day at sea

Enjoying the scenery off the deck

The ferry leaves in the middle of the night on night one, spends three full days heading north, then arrives in Puerto Montt in the middle of the fourth night (they let you sleep till 8 and still feed you breakfast, which is nice). When we received our car in the Puerto Montt port, I noticed the car next to ours had an audible leak from one of its tires, and I thought ‘that sucks’, thinking nothing more of it. Well it turns out they weren’t the only ones to get a flat that day – we got a little ways down the road and realized our tire was low. We filled it a gas station, and kept going to our destination for the night, which was beautiful Puerto Varas. By the time we reached Puerto Varas it was completely flat again, and it was raining, so we had the joy of figuring out how to get our flat fixed in the hardest downpour we’d seen in all our South American travels.  Luckily we found some very nice Chileans who let us pull into their garage so we weren’t out in the rain!

Bummer – flat tire in the rain!

We spent the next week or two exploring the Puerto Varas area and revisiting the family we met in Valdivia (You can read about these wonderful people here).  Ultimately our goal was to get back to Santiago, where we had family then friends arriving to travel with us for most of a month!

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