Hello again!

We are writing from of Concepción, a busy and populous city on the Pacific Coast of Chile. We are well and happy to say that InterConnection, our American partner organization, has shipped 12 reused and refurbished computers to Paraguay. CECTEC (our Paraguayan partner organization) will soon be receiving and installing the computers in rural schools in Paraguay. YAY and thank you! This is a big first step of the project.

A congrats to Judy Matthews who guessed that the mystery photo was "an interactive statue". She was right in a vague sense as the photo was actually of the "Totem Patagonicum". This interesting conglamoration of materials works as follows: the wind blows the propellor at the top which makes an axle that runs from top to bottom begin to vibrate; this vibration is trasmitted through the large crystal on the side which then transmits energy to the two people that are interacting with the statue. This energy helps to harmonize their relationship. O algo así. That was a tough one...Be sure to check out the lastest mystery photo and keep the guesses coming!

We left off last in Bariloche, Argentina and have travelled quite a ways since then...

The first leg of the trip took us up the famous Seven Lakes Route in Argentina. We started on a sunny morning, but it soon turned cloudy and windy. The clouds turned to rain and after a thorough soaking we decided to camp at a site on a Lake Nahuel Huapi in the Nahuel Huapi National Park. The rain let up late in the evening so we were able to enjoy a warm fire and catch a glimse of the deep blue, clear lake. The next day was freeeezing but sunny and we weaved in and out of the forested hills and by the beautiful lakes along the way. We ate lunch in the crazy resort town of Villa Angostura (if you are looking for a nice place to ski and you have a well-paying job, check it out!) and hit some more gravel roads as we continued on. We camped again next to a lake (one of the famous seven) and had a brief swim in the late afternoon (brrr). Another chilly morning greeted us, and we began to worry about the coming winter season... It is not fun to get out of your cozy sleeping bag and hop on a bike when it is really cold outside! It was more hills and more beautiful lakes that day and we called it quits when the storm clouds started gathering up again in the evening. The owner of a restaurant let us camp in his wood working shop, which was fortunate since it poured and poured that night! What was not fortunate was that the owners several dogs and a cat had become rather enamoured with us and kept us up most of the night with barking, jumping on the tent, and trying to get into the food bags...

We set off in the cold rain the next day but it cleared off before too long. We continued to climb in the early morning, but finally had a long drop down to San Martín de Los Andes, located in a valley on a lake. Big downhills are extremely fun, especially on pavement.. you always feel like you're getting some mileage for free; suddenly 15km fly by in a few minutes! Of course, it's never for free since you usually have spent the previous few hours or days struggling up. The landscape levelled out after San Martín and we were happy on the pavement, flying down the road. The landscape also transitioned back into that good ol Patagonian steppe, with its yellow grasses, small brush, and big skies. What we didn't see back in more southern reaches of Patagonia though that was present here was large, out-of-place, stands of pine trees. A gigantic dark green square of pine trees would just appear on the yellow hillsides...strange looking. We rode past jagged rocks with lines of grey, pink, tan, and black on their exposed sides into the town of Junín de los Andes. We camped next to a river and it rained again that night, a lot.

The next day was a hard one with strong winds, spitting rain, a little hail, and misty hills. We took shelter in a bus stop for lunch and maté break (nothing like maté to warm you up!) and set off again in the rain. The entire day was a struggle as we battled winds, hills, and the cold. We camped in a stand of pine trees off on the side of the road and were protected from the wind and rain for the night. We awoke to a clear morning and were surprised to see right in front of us the large and magnificent looking volcano Lanín. It wasn't there the day before because it was so cloudy and little did we know, we were camping at the foot of it! The volcano of 3,776 meters in height was covered in fresh snow and was a brilliant white in the morning light. WOW! It was a breath-taking surprise. We rode into the Lanín National Park, all the while taking in the sites of the incredible volcano and the strange but beautiful monkey-puzzle trees. Monkey puzzle trees are native to the south central region of Chile and western central Argentina and have been in existence since before dinosaurs, before angiosperms (flowering plants), and when South America, Antarctica and and Africa were all still joined together. It is the national tree of Chile and gained the common name of "the monkey puzzle tree" when some British gardener said it would puzzle a monkey to climb it. Its native name is Araucaria and it is sacred to some Mapuche tribes who live in the region.

Volcán Lanín stayed out out of the clouds for us the entire morning. When we rode by, the clouds finally started to envelop the side and we cruised on through the Argentinian-Chilean border. Well, it wasn't as smooth as previous crossings had been, actually. We were of course carrying various goods from Argentina: honey, veggies, fruit, cheese, salami... it's really hard to do without these things when you're riding on a bike! The officers usually see our bikes and gear and let us pass through without even a raised eyebrow, but this post had an x-ray machine! Uh-oh. The officer looked at our bikes and at the machine and decided he would let us keep our things on our bikes, but he would have to look through it. By some miracle, he only found our honey and an apple which we got to eat. I think he let us off pretty easy. The pass through the Andes at this point was not a difficult one since we did a slow, steady climb over the course of days. The other side was a different story though and we went down and down hairpin curves on gravel once more through an amazing, dense, forest of mixed native trees. It was beautiful.

We got lucky and camped at an actual campsite in a Mapuche town, had a great fire, and dried our things out. Alas, they got soaked the next morning as we made the final push into the tourist town of Pucón, Chile. Many a time we ride in the rain, but it is usually not pouring, and it usually does not last for hours on end. Well, this day was a first. We had pavement again and flat ground so we rode with heads down in the driving rain and wind, taking short breaks so as not to get too cold. We made it at last to Pucón... found a hostel, took hot showers, and drank some beers and ate hamburgers for lunch next to a warm fire. Ahhhh. We relaxed in Pucón while it rained and rained some more... but we decided to hang around an extra day with the hope of clear skies so that we could climb up nearby volcano Villarrica! It was looking grim the morning of the climb with light rain when we woke up....We headed down to the guide agency and found 3 other guys waiting around to climb as well as some anxious-looking guides. We were half-heartedly trying on equipment when lo and behold, the clouds broke away and blue sky and sun came out! We grabbed our stuff and jumped in the van to head up to the start of the climb. We took a ski lift up the first part of the climb and from where we got off, it was another 4.5 hour walk to the top. There were a LOT of people climbing the volcano that day since it had been crummy weather for the past 5 days. It was definitely a different hiking experience with so many other groups of people... and our 2 guides for our little group of 5 acted pissed off at the world and especially at rich tourists. The view however would not be diminished by any of this and we climbed and climbed, stopping to put on our "cramp-ons" when we got the the snow, which are metal spikes that attach to the shoe so that you won't go sliding down the slippery slope.

Close to the top, we started getting whiffs of intense sulfur...almost unbearable at times! The volcano has not erupted in about 15 years, but it is constantly "steaming" and this steady flow of sulfurous fumes puff out all day long. Eventually we crested the summit and were supprised to see how large of an area it was...with the vent hole and all the area was probably equivalent to four football fields! Due to the recent rains it had snowed at the top of the volcano and it was coated in a beautiful white blanket, the first snow of the year. From the top, the view was breath taking! It was amazing to look to the north and see four different volcanos fading into the distance. The nearest of which was having a minor eruption and a large plume of smoke could be seen. To the east we could see volcano Lanín which we had just ridden around a few days before. And, to the south there were another five volcanos fading into the distance! Along with the volcanos were many lakes, the closest and largest was the Lake Villaricca. What an amazing and unique landscape.

We hung out on top of the volcano for a while and ate some lunch and walked around the vent hole. Talk about a crazy thing... There in front of us was a HUGE, GAPING hole that was spewing fumes and led to the inside of the earth. One wrong move and WHOOPS your gone! We marveled at the view and the hole for a while and then headed back down the mountain. This part was interesting as the cramp-ons that we had were terrible and would fall off every few minutes because they didn't fit the type of boots that we had. What a pain! But, finally we made it back down and headed to town to get ready for the next day's ride.

We left Pucón in the mid-morning and rode along the shores of Lake Villaricca. Our legs were so sore from our climb up the volcano, they felt like Rocky Balboa's punching bag. The entire route was lined by very nice homes, resorts, and private beaches; of course there was plenty of fast moving traffic too. This type of riding is very different from what we have been used to. In the past we frequently found ourselves on empty to lightly frequented roads. But, that was the past. The traffic is we experienced that day has stayed with us and will be here for quite some time. We pushed on along the lake, through the town of Villaricca, up and down gently rolling hills passing hectare after hectare of farmlands until we came to rest at a hosteria in the town of Pitrufquen.

From Pitrufquen we had our first taste of serious freeway traveling. Ruta Cinco as it is known in Chile, the famous Pan-American is just like any ole interstate freeway system in the USA. It is a four lane beast of cement that huge semi-trucks, cars, and jalopies speed down, spewing their exhaust into the air and in our faces. It is complete with truck stops, toll stations, kilometer after kilometer of agricultural land, as well as a nice big shoulder for us to ride on. The truth is, the riding is easy as the road is always (so far) at a nice low grade and we can hide from the traffic deep in the shoulder of the road. Its a good way to get somewhere fast; even on a bike. Luckily, we only rode on the Ruta Cinco for about 40 kilometers until we got to the large town of Temuco. We weaved our way through terrible traffic and made it out of town to better roads and better riding....or so we thought it would be.

From Temuco to Concepción it was not what we expected. Essentially, we rode our bicycles on a roller coaster track. We would climb one hill only to descend and find at the bottom of that hill another hill to climb. Up and down. Up and down. Up and down. It never ended. That's what we get for riding through Chile's coastal range. It may very well be the hilliest place on the earth. The hills never end. The landscape through this section of road was very influenced by the presence of humans. It stands in extreme contrast to the southern reaches of our trip where we were immersed in the beauty of (relatively) untouched natural environments. The first day of the four days it took to get to Concepción was dominated by agirculture. After that we rode through kilometer after kilometer of dense forest. The forest was either comprised of Oregon Pine or a variety of eucalyptis. Phenomenal is all we can say. This region of Chile, Bío Bío, is one ginormous forestry project. It is the strangest type of monoculture that we have seen. Summiting a hill one can see as far as possible only three colors; dark green (the pine trees), light green (the euculyptis trees), and brown (the clear cut areas where forests once stood). It is truely a sight. Absolutely amazing. It must be said that we also passed through two areas that were covered in possibly hundreds of thousands of apple trees that are destined for the USA.

We camped in some eucalyptus one night, and stayed at a very cheap hostel another night. We rode into the huge city of Concepción yesterday afternoon. With a populous of 1 million, we were surprised at the size and quickness of this city. We stopped at a fruit stand before really getting into the city and a big group of bikers passed us... We caught up with them at an old bridge and told them where we were going (we didn't really know). One guy, Victor, said hey, I live a few blocks from there so come with me! We followed Victor through the traffic and to his house for a bit of juice and chocolate Easter eggs (given to us by his 4-year-old daughter). Although his house ended up being pretty far out of the way, we enjoyed his and his family's kindness and chatted with them for a while. With no guide book to tell us where to go (we are on a different route than originally planned), we wandered the streets for a while after Victor's, and finally found a decent place to rest our weary, weary bodies near to the downtown area.

It is amazing to be in such a big city again... the streets are alive with people, so many different people doing their own things. We will ride out again tomorrow for the town of Chillán and then back to ruta 5 for some quick kilometers but ugly riding.

Thanks again for your support! Check out our web page: www.bikingtobuildschools.com if you would like to learn more about our project or if you would like to make a donation.