I’ve discovered the torrontés varietal, and for the first time ever I’m really enjoying white wine. We’ve spent a few days here and haven’t done much more than tour the closest wineries and rent some bikes for a surprisingly difficult ride up to the Rio Colorado canyon. The hot days are chased away by windy afternoons and cooler evenings. It’s a nice place to be.
Riding bikes between vineyardsA desert hike
On our second day in Cafayate, we ran into Sarah and Henry, an English couple that we met very briefly in Frutillar, Chile. They arrived the night before we left that work-exchange, but they lived on famously in our memory because they convinced us that the Galapagos could be done cheaply, and they’re a major reason that we visited. It was surreal to accidentally see them again, 8 months later, touring the same free winery that we chose that morning. Besides the incredible time that had passed, it was also surprising to see them again as they had already been traveling for a year and a half when we met them the first time. In our minds (probably not theirs), we just weren’t going to see them again as they would probably have gone home… Meeting a couple that has traveled for longer than 2 years continuously really puts our trip in perspective.
“A long time ago Lago Llanquihue was home to a bunch of nymphs. One of these nymphs was named Frutilla (strawberry), and she was very beautiful. An Ogre living in a nearby mountain fell hard for Frutilla and decided that she would be his. One day, the Ogre stole Frutilla against her will, to make her his wife, but somehow she managed to escape. Unfortunately, upon reaching the lake shore, she was squashed by a giant bolder, flung down the mountain by the Ogre. The town of Frutillar is located here, with the boulder at its center.”
A descendant of German immigrants and the matriarch at a popular Bed and Breakfast.
“I think it’s good not to have kids if you’re unsure. You have to be fully committed as a parent.”
Me: “Did you want to have kids?”
“Oh yes, always. There are pros and cons of course. And if you wait too long, you’re old when they’re young. If you have kids too early, then they rob you of your youth. But that is life; there are advantages and disadvantages to every decision. [long pause] You could always freeze the eggs for another day… but that’s a little pricey.”
We arrived in Frutillar on a beautiful Sunday, when crowds of tourists lined the beachfront and boardwalk on Lago Llanqihue, the second-largest lake in Chile. After getting scammed by our taxi driver for an extra $3 US (I wanted to fight with the driver about this, but Craig didn’t and since he’s the one who speaks the Spanish, I had to let it go…), we made it to the hotel where we would be doing our work-exchange. Only 3km down a road that skirts the lake, Lagune Club has beautiful views of the lake and surrounding volcanos. (Craig set up our work-exchange through a great site, WorkAway.)
View of Orsono Volcano from Lagune Club
We were pleasantly surprised to find that we would be housed in our own 2-bedroom cabaña (that usually goes for about $150 US/night), complete with a kitchen and a bathroom, but only until more voluntarios arrived to fill the other bedroom.
Next door, three volunteers had already been installed for a week: an Australian, Michael, and a French couple, Martin and Agathe. They, like us, had quit their jobs to travel, and it was immediately apparent that everybody would get along like gang-busters. It has been a common occurence on our trip so far that the English language skills of foreigners, like Martin and Agathe, far surpass anybody else’s Spanish skills, and so the majority of conversations take place in English, despite a shared goal of either improving or learning Spanish. At least for Martin and Agathe, it’s a chance to practice another 2nd language, but for Michael and ourselves, it’s both a comfort as well as a disappointment to not have that challenge.
Wow, everything in Frutillar has been excellent so far! Except for the internet… but I’m actually working to correct that. We all went up to the house on the hill this morning, which Richardo is remodeling for someone to live in during the coming year. The plan was to do a bit of wiring and finish up some molding around the new windows. After pulling a few cables, Ricardo’s dad (Sergio) showed up in a tractor and asked us to help cut down some trees further up the hill. Ricardo explained to me that we were taking down the trees to clear a path for the new internet antenna. Ricardo runs a hosterlería here in Frutillar, and he’s eager to get the Wifi up to speed… Sergio runs the dairy farm next door. We saw a Nestle truck pull up today to take away some fresh milk…
It’s a pretty strange world we’ve stepped into. We’re staying in a cabaña that usually goes for $150 a night, but we get it for free because there are no guests here (it’s the off-season), and because we’re working for our accommodation. We get fresh baked bread in the morning, all the fresh veggies we want, a hot meal at lunch time, and berries and fruit from the nearby bushes and trees. There’s a swimming pool and a private beach. Across the lake we can see three volcanoes. One of the dogs just had puppies last week. One of the cows just had calves.
Volcan Osorno and Volcan Puntiagudo sunrise across Lago Llanquihue
There are three other volunteers currently staying with us; a couple from France and a guy from Australia. We expect a couple more from France and Spain later this week. Because the french couple have international driver’s licenses, we take trips into town in the afternoon and do some grocery shopping for dinner. We’ve traded off cooking dinner so far, which creates a nice communal atmosphere in the evenings.
This area was settled by Germans in the mid and late 1800’s. Ricardo seemed very proud of his heritage and told us exactly when and how his family arrived in this area. (When I told him that I too am a decedent of German heritage, he was really disappointed that I couldn’t give him the same information…) The Chilean government was interested in moving people into this underpopulated section of the country; a form of protection against European imperial powers… They offered some sweet deals to Germans who were eager to leave the homeland and, as a result, this area has good beer and cake (kuchen)!
At the moment, I think this Work Away is exactly what we were looking and hoping for. The work isn’t too strenuous, and the benefits seem pretty great. The only question is, how quickly will the next two weeks pass?
The Wongenbergs 