Peru

I was originally booked on a flight back to the US on April 3o, but I decided to extend my stay in South America for over a month and take in Peru on my way home. Hoping to practice my Spanish some more I decided to sign up for a volunteer opportunity for the month. Through my research I came across Bruce Peru, a nonprofit organization set up to help children with basic education. Even better, Bruce Peru also had a small project that involved working with a expat American, Michael, who was trying to set up a Peruvian based business that would make wind generators and solar water heaters. The organization, Wind Aid, was established to provide affordable energy solutions for Peruvians that did not have access to electricity from the grid (approximately 25% of the countries citizens do not have access to electricity). Given my interest in getting into the renewable energy space when I return to the states, it was a great opportunity for me to get exposure to the field. After a weekend stop in Lima (that's the Presidential palace above), where I stayed with my Mom's cousin it was off to Trujillo for the month.

A Wind Aid wind turbine (2 KW) - From Peru

Solar hot water panel - From Peru

Working with Michael and his team of two Peruvians, I helped construct wind turbines and solar hot water panels from basic materials and advised Michael on ways he could improve his production and grow the business. A true start up, the company was based at Michael's house and we used his garage for construction of the product. It was a great experience and I learned a lot about the challenges of manufacturing and operating a business in Peru, where even the process of getting raw materials and parts can at times be challenging.

Building turbine blades - From Peru

You can read more about Wind Aid by clicking on the this link. You can also learn more about Bruce Peru by clicking here.

Cathedral in Trujillo - From Peru

View from the Plaza de Armas in Trujillo - From Peru

When I wasn't working I was able to take in the historic city of Trujillo, the third largest city in Peru, and the surrounding area, which included a number of pre Incan ruins. Once impressive site was Chan Chan, the largest Pre Columbian city in South America. The city lasted from AD 850 to approximately 1470 AD when it was conquered by the Incans. Thought to be the worlds largest adobe city, it is impressive site that spreads out over 20 square km.

Chan Chan - From Peru

In addition to site seeing I also tried my hand at surfing in the nearby surfing town of Huanchaco. While I did barely manage to get up, I found that I do much better when the ground isn't moving beneath me.

Santiago, Valparaiso & Cordoba

Finished up my three week trip in Santiago, Chile on Easter weekend (You can see how much distance we covered on the left). After three long weeks on the road the trip had come to an end. A bit sad leaving the group after spending so much time with them but I was glad to be moving on to a new part of the trip none the less. With a little over a week before I had to be back in Buenos Aires, I decided to spend the weekend in Santiago with a few of the remaining people from my tour, take in Valparaiso (only an hour away) for a day and then head to Cordoba, Argentina, a university town that was supposedly quite nice.

After a farewell tour dinner on Good Friday night in Santiago, it was off to Valparaiso the next morning. A port town that used to be used by ships heading to the west coast of the US before the Panama Canal opened, Valparaiso has been labeled the cultural capital of Chile. With colorful houses, artisans everywhere and amazing wall art (aka graffiti) the city offers much to see for the sightseer. We all had a great time walking up and down the many hills, riding the ancient ascensors (100 year old cars that were pulled up the steep hills by cables) and taking in the amazing wall art.

From Valparaiso, Chile

From Valparaiso, Chile

From Valparaiso, Chile

As the next day was Easter Sunday, we started off by going to mass at the Cathedral in Santiago, where I struggled to follow the sermon in Spanish. Aside from being able to understand that Jesus is life I had no idea what was being said the entire time. To top things off, given that I was not raised Catholic, I was completely lost as I tried to follow the rituals. Despite my best efforts, I found myself kneeling when I should have stood, standing when I should have kneeled and crossing myself at the completely wrong times. Nonetheless, I enjoyed the experience and figured that God probably wasn't too upset with me given I had tried!

The Cathedral in Santiago - From Santiago, Chile

Following the service, 6 of us set out to explore Santiago. It was a beautiful sunny day and we walked all over the city. A modern city by any standards, Santiago is easy to get around. It has a first class subway, the streets are clean and modern and old building dot the skyline as far at the eye can see. The best view of the city can be seen from the top of Cerro San Cristobal, a hill that is about 300 meters above the city. From there you can appreciate how large the city is and how it spans out in every direction. To top things off, there is a 22 meter statue of the Virgin Mary at the top, who peacefully looks out over the city. Despite the ever present layer of smog that blankets the city we were still able to take in an amazing view that day.

The Virgin Mary - From Santiago, Chile

From Santiago, Chile

After spending the weekend in Santiago, it was off to Cordoba, Argentina (after a one day stay in Mendoza). Situated 10 hours by car to the west of Buenos, Aires, Cordoba is the second largest city in Argentina, with approximately 1 million residents. A university town, there are thousands upon thousands of students throughout the city. The city had its share of museums, old buildings, parks and an iconic cathedral (see below), but what I found to be the most impressive was a small museum that had been established to remember those who had been kidnapped by the government during the dictatorship period in Argentina (1973 to 1983).

From Cordoba, Argentina

Approximately 30,000 people (desaparecidos) were taken during this period and never heard from again. As I learned more about this dark period in Argentina, I couldn't help but appreciate how good we have it in the US. Many off those who were taken had spoken out against the government or were part of the academic community. Often their children were given to prominent military families, never to be seen again. And after being tortured, many were flown out to the middle of the Rio Plata and dropped to drown in the river.

The Detention Center - From Cordoba, Argentina

The museum was on the site of a former detention center in Cordoba. With dingy white walls, peeling paint and crumbling plaster, the building was depressing. Pictures of those who had been taken lined one wall along with descriptions of them, who they were and what they loved. Various personal items were also on display, reminded anyone there that these people were real and had lives like anyone else. While it was a chilling visit, it was definitely the highlight of my time in Cordoba. If you want to learn more about this sad period in Argentinean history, click on this link which will take you to Project Disappeared, a site dedicated to remembering this dark time.

Desaparecidos - From Cordoba, Argentina

On my final day in Cordoba I travelled to Quebrada del Condorito, a nearby gorge where Condor's raised their young and taught them how to fly. After an hour and a half hike to the gorge, I was amazed to be able to see dozens of condors glide within 20 feet of me. One could truly loose track of time staring at these majestic birds as they glided the thermals over the gorge.

See the white tips of the Condor? - From Cordoba, Argentina

Climbing a Volcano

After walking on a glacier, my next challenge was climbing a volcano. After two days of travelling from El Charlten we arrived in Pucon, Chili. A small resort town, it is located at the foot of the Villarrica volcano, one of Chili´s most active volcanoes. The town is quite modern and reminded me of similar resort towns in Colorado. (The volcano from a distance below)

From Patagonia

Early the next day we set out with our guide to climb the volcano. While the volcano also offers skiing in the winter, the only way to the top is on foot. Following our guide we moved forward in single file and after an hour and a half we reached the snow line. There we stopped to put on crampons and reviewed how to use our ice picks to stop us from sliding down the mountain in the event we lost our footing, for the next part of the trek was uphill at about 45 degrees.

From Patagonia

Following a switchback pattern, we slowly ascended toward the summit. About an hour into the second part of our trek we passed a thirty year old concrete shell of a ski lift that was destroyed by an eruption in 1973. Thankfully the owners had gotten the hint and decided to build on a different part of the mountain for their next attempt. With the smell of sulphur everywhere we reached the summit and enormous smoking crater (see below). With Pucon below us and another volcano in the distance and countless other mountains around it, it was an amazing view. Perhaps the only drawback was the 100 or other people up at the summit as part of other tours.

From Patagonia

After 30 minutes at the top we started our descent, slowing navigating our way to the snowline, lest we slip and slide all the way down. Reaching the snowline we removed the crampons and other gear which we had needed and were able to bound down the rest of the volcano, as the volcanic ash was as soft as sand. Racing down the mountain it took us less than an hour to reach our transport and a ride home.

Walking on Glaciers

The final part of my trip through Patagonia started in El Charten, a small town that is the self proclaimed capital of trekking in Argentina. At the foot of Mt. Fitzy Roy, one of the world´s most technically challenging climbs, the town exists only during the summer when thousands of people flock in to take advantage of the surrounding terrain. We arrived right at the end of the season, with the town literally in the process of shutting down. Despite the ongoing shut down process a few guides still remained and the next morning a group of us set off on an all day trek to the nearby glacier. Leaving before the sun rose, we wound our way through small hills until we reached a base camp of sorts. There we gathered our crampons and harnesses and enjoyed tea and biscuts before heading out for glacier.

After zip lining across a river we finally made it to the glaciar around mid day. From afar these massive formations of ice usually look quite smooth, however when you are walking on them you quickly realize a couple of things. First they are as hard as rock. Second they are jagged and have a very uneven surface. Rocks and debris cover the surface and small streams can be found everywhere. In addition, alonside the small paths are large drop offs or holes, which if you fall down, as our guide put it, all they´ll pull up is pieces of meat. And given the South American perspecitive on safety (that is that you are pretty much on your own not to act stupid) the guide had no problem taking us right up the edges of these holes or having us walk along narrow narrow paths.

After arriving at the glacier we spent about three hours walking around its surface and doing a bit of ice climbing as well. Climbing up a 20 foot wall of ice was great but it was damn hard. Its all technique, but being a typical guy I tried to muscle my way through the climb and found myself completely exchausted by the end.



At the end of our time on the ice, we hiked back to the river, crossed it once again, had a bit more tea and then it was a race home, trying to reach the town before the sun set. Thanks to some good hiking companions we arrived home in time to use the remaining daylight to navigate our way back to the hotel. (That´s Fitz Roy on the far right of the picture below - taken as we raced home).