Tuesday, Feb. 27
Today was a full day of driving though lakes and mountains. We drove through some amazing ski towns that reminded us of the resorts in the Colorado. Stopping along the way we cooked dinner at a mirador and watched the rain stretch across the open water creating beautiful bands of light.
After dinner we looked for a better spot to make camp for the night and we ended up on a beautiful strand adjacent to a lake. It was a very quiet and restful spot for the night.
Keep on Rolling,
Scott and Sarah
Wednesday, Feb. 28
We made plans to head to Mendoza, Argentina which is in the central part of the country so we had some driving to do. On the way we drove through the town of San Martin. What a gorgeous town in a beautiful lake setting. We stopped for coffee and walked around a few shops before we got back on the road.
Our ending point for the day was Junin de Los Andes at a paid campground. Out came the laundry and the chores of washing began. We had not done laundry for weeks and it was time.
With only a week left we discussed our plans and decided to adjust our trip once again. We decided to forego Mendoza and head back over the border into Chile the next day.
Keep on Rolling,
Scott and Sarah
Thursday, Feb. 29
With our plan still intact, we headed back to Chile. Got a workout in this morning, the cold weather makes it much more invigorating. The sky’s were clear when we got to the border crossing and we made it through both checkpoints in good time. There are quite a few items that are not allowed into the country so we usually make sure we have eaten those products before we cross. Sadly, today they took all of our fruit, vegetables and nuts. On the upside, they didn’t make us unload our van to search it.
We drove into the little town of Curarrehue, stopped at a fruteria (fruit & veg store) and replaced our lost produce. Once again we made camp at a beautiful established campground owned by a German man. It was early afternoon so we relaxed, read and played games in the shade of some trees on a beautiful deck next to the river. These are the kind of days you look back on with fond memories.
Our campground was the home to cats and chickens. Those birds kept pecking my shoes and got into our van at one point. It took both Sarah and I to flush them out before they did their business.
They were fortunate that beef, not pollo was on the menu that evening!
Keep on Rolling,
Scott and Sarah
Friday, Mar. 1
We decided to book an Airbnb for two nights in Pucon. We have now come full circle back to where we were two months earlier. Check-in was not until 4:00pm so we headed to the town of Villarrica, another beautiful lakeside resort that is filled with shopping and shoppers. Sarah found a cute dress to take with us to Panama and I spied out a nice place to get some ice cream. The owners of the shop spoke English and had been ski instructors at Squaw Valley in California.
We checked into our Airbnb and spent the night fixing dinner, enjoying the hot tub and playing a game. By bedtime I was beginning to feel a little under the weather with a cold but a good nights sleep should hopefully help.
Keep on rolling,
Scott and Sarah
Saturday, Mar. 2
We had a very lazy day as I was still feeling a little rough. We only ventured out for a run to the market and hung out most of the day in our dome.
Keep on rolling,
Scott and Sarah
Sunday, Mar. 3
Back on the road, we headed to Valvidia which is on the coast. It was a beautiful day as we left Pucón with some great memories. The days are getting shorter as summer is coming to a close.
The tourist season is over.
This trip has been amazing and we are both feeling a little sad that the end is so near. At the start of this trip we had no idea what might lie ahead. Even with all the car trouble we would do it all over again.
We found a beautiful wooded campground just outside of Valdivia. After arriving we walked to a festival that was going on near the harbor. Fun music, games, food and booths were offering up their wares. We strolled through the crowd and enjoyed the festivity.
Earlier in the day we met a young Dutch couple who were travelling for two years with their two young children in a van. When they started the trip their youngest was just three months old. I can't imagine they have had much rest but they have certainly had an adventurous journey.
We have two days left to get back to Santiago which will bring us to a total number of miles driven to around 7,500. It has gone so slow and so fast at the same time, but each mile has been phenomenal.
Keep on rolling,
Scott and Sarah
Monday, Mar. 4
With another day of driving ahead we got on the road and headed north on Ruta 5. We ended up wild camping next to a river near Saltos del Laja. This would be our last night camping in the van and our last meal of pesto and green beans.
While I was attending to the cooking and creating all kinds of wonderful aromas a school bus pulled in and two guys came over to chat. The thing that Sarah and I love about travelling is meeting the most interesting people and hearing their stories. You can find their story on www.globalconvoy.com
They have a unique story and I would encourage you to look at their website. Joel, one of the leaders, is quite the motivator and invited us to take a look of the inside of their bus. It was impressive to see and hear where they have been and how they have all worked together to pull off their journey.
We finished off our last night by playing a game and reminiscing about our last three months. We both realize how blessed we have been to have taken such a trip.
Keep on rolling,
Scott and Sarah
Tuesday Mar. 5
We stopped this morning to look at a waterfall and get some breakfast. Stopping at a roadside restaurant the menu was not what we had hoped for. Sarah ordered a beef sandwich and coffee. I ordered a coffee and sat in astonishment at what my wife had just ordered! (This is Sarah. Truth in reporting...I scraped off the meat for the dogs and ate an avocado sandwich.)
We drove to the same Airbnb in which we spent our first night when we arrived in Chile. The rest of the day was spent cleaning the van and packing for our flight to Panama.
Keep on rolling,
Scott and Sarah
Wednesday Mar. 6
Woke up this morning, had our last workout before we ate breakfast and got on the road.
We arrived back in Santiago at Condor Campers and unloaded the car. Kate (Co-owner) was there to greet us and settle up with all the final details. They went out of their way to apologize for all the car troubles we had and reimbursed us quite equitably.
We are now sitting at the airport for nine hours waiting to board our flight to Panama. We will catch up with you again when we land in Panama and get on the road.
Keep on rolling,
Scott and Sarah