Puerto Montt

I write from Puerto Montt, Chile, about 1000 km south of Santiago. The weather here is cold and quite rainy too, but the surroundings are so beautiful here in the south that it doesn´t bother me. I arrived here yesterday morning after an overnight bus ride; yesterday was mostly a day of relaxation, as well as going to prayer meeting in the evening (after all, I am staying in the house of a pastor). Today I was able to take the jeep with the pastor´s daughter Pilar and see some of the nearby towns, Frutillar (translated that would be "Strawberry Plant") and Puerto Varas. Both towns are located on the beautiful Lago Llanquihue. Apart from getting some great photos of the lake and surroundings, we were able to visit a German colonial museum, which was fascinating and also quite beautiful. Here are a few of the pictures I got today. I was able to use my memory card in Pilar´s camera, so for a change I actually could see what I was taking photos of today!

Here´s a photo of beautiful Lago Llanquihue.


There was a grand piano sculpture by the lake, so of course I had to try it out. If only it had been real!


I stumbled upon a pretty cool old bowling set in one of the houses at the German colonial museum.


Of course I had to stop to check out the tractor that was out back too.


And at the museum´s cemetery there was a grave that had a spot perfect for me to fit inside, so I did.


To cap off the experience perfectly, a brilliant rainbow stretched across the lake.


I am very grateful to once again be able to see God´s great outdoors and His power and majesty displayed in the world that He has created. Tomorrow I plan to go to a nearby national park, and on Saturday I head to Punta Arenas--right there near the southern tip of South America! You can check it out on a map or globe if you´re curious.

For a more complete photo album of today´s adventures, check out this link.

Uruguay

I crossed the Río de la Plata that divides Argentina and Uruguay two nights ago. Before I mention what I´ve been able to do here, I should make a few comments. First of all, hostelling alone is boring, especially when you are sick! Second, packing lightly on clothes when you are in the middle of winter is not necessarily a good idea. Just so you know. And if you´re going to be traveling with a camera, try not to break the screen until after your adventures are over! I miss knowing what I am taking pictures of.

My Buenos Aires experience started off a bit sour. First of all, the plane was delayed several hours, getting me into Bs. As. around midnight. Then on arrival, I learned that they charge gringos $140 to enter the country for the first time. Major bummer. Taxis were too expensive (and I didn´t even have a hostel reservation--I looked up hostels on arrival to the city) and it was already late, so I just found a bench and made myself as comfortable as possible. In the morning I was able to head to town hostel hunting, and eventually I found something workable. Pretty much all I did in Buenos Aires was a lot of walking. I also made some Chilean and Israeli buddies who were staying at the hostel, so I hung out with them a bit. The city has a very European feel (when I arrived to the center, I thought to myself that I could very well be in Europe).

When I got to Uruguay to the bus station, it was too early for things to be open, so I decided to make myself comfortable and try to sleep on a bench. Just as I was finally really comfortable, some security kid told me I couldn´t sleep there. Ridiculous. Sometimes I ask myself what the world has against sleeping. Actually, it reminds me of how in the Universidad Católica library in Santiago, you are not allowed to sleep--cruel and unusual punishment, if you ask me. Maybe it´s just that some of my best memories of junior and senior year of high school are nestling into the plush couches at Coffman Memorial Union and Bethel University Library, respectively, and sleeping delicious naps. But I digress...

After wandering the city for awhile, I was able to find a hostel here. So far I really have not done much, but today I took the bus to Atlántida, a coast town about 45 km from Montevideo. I was able to just walk along the beautiful coast of the Atlantic, where there were many fishermen fishing from the shore. I also visited the church that Luke Van Sistine recommended to me--La Iglesia del Cristo Obrero (church of the working Christ) which was just outside town. Unfortunately, after walking the 2 km to the church, I found that it was closed, as I´d been told it might be. It looked cool though. Here are a few pictures online of the building, inside and out:




Tomorrow I´ll probably just roam the city a bit more, before I head back late at night to Buenos Aires, and then later on Monday, to my beloved Santiago, before heading out on Tuesday to southern Chile. One thing is sure... I´m surely looking forward to seeing all my wonderful family and friends back in MN, and enjoying some of the summer heat! Make sure you save some good weather for me, please! :(|)