Time is flying by...

The days are flying by so quickly and I can't believe that I left the U.S. over four months ago. It's crazy when you think about it. Still, everything is going amazing for me in Puerto Natales. It turns out that the money I donated to the Patagonia Foundation in April was never used for anything, so they have given the money back to me. I've spent the last week meeting people and starting a project for cleaning the beaches in Natales. This was actually my dream when I decided to move Patagonia...I wanted to make a difference somehow. And now, here I am, starting a program with the businesses and schools in Natales to help the environment. It's going to be a lot of work, but it's all going to be worth it in the end. I'll post another blog when I have more of a concrete plan, but I don't have much time right now. Sorry for the short update but I figure it's better than nothing :) Big hugs and lots of love from Patagonia!

Great News!!!

Just a quick update today because I have some great news to share. I have my Temporary Visa to live and work in Chile for one year!!! I went to the office of PDI this morning, and was able to complete the interview alone! I'm incredibly happy and relieved to have this step of the process behind me. There is still one more step before I receive my Chilean ID card and my RUT, which is like a social security number, but I'm almost there! This is cause for a celebration! Cheers to all and I send big hugs from Patagonia!

Where does the time go?

Seriously? Where does it go? It seems that the older I get, the faster the time passes. My days are filled with the simplest things in life...walking along the coast, working in the garden, studying Spanish, baking, climbing, and working in the pub. So it's safe to say that I'm staying busy, but I have to wonder how three weeks has passed since I last posted on my blog!

I guess the biggest news is about the garden...we broke ground at the beginning of the month, and it's great! We have a lot of work to do with removing the grass and the roots, but the soil beneath is rich with nutrients. I've planted lettuce, carrot, and cilantro seeds in the house, and the sprouts are coming up after only one week. I also have pepper, squash, parsley, onion, and few other veggies to get started this week. It's super exciting for me to have a garden in the back yard of my house in Patagonia! The plan is to move the plants outside some time in November, depending on the weather.

Chile's Independence Day is coming up on September 18th, which will be a humungous celebration. My friends have been talking about it for weeks now, and the town is preparing for the festivities. Flags now line the main streets in town and there will be a carnival of sorts with games and food. I'm confident that it will be an amazing experience to celebrate this very important holiday with the locals, so I'll be sure to report back after the party!

There is big news from the brewery that I work at as well...we won a bronze medal at the Copa de Cerveza (the big beer competition in Santiago). This is an incredible honor, especially considering the size of our brewery versus the size of the competitor's breweries. The publicity from this will bring business not only to the pub, but also to the entire town of Puerto Natales. This past weekend the pub ran a two for one special to celebrate the news and spread the word around town. Fun was had by all!

I made another trip to the park with a few friends this last weekend as well. We ventured to Lago Toro, which is an incredibly large lake just south of the park. One of my friends is a geologist who is interested in creating a 'Paleo Park' near the shore of Lago Toro, which is littered with fossils. The only catch is this...you have rappel down three different rock faces before bush whacking through a jungle of bushes and trees covered in thorns. On top the difficult terrain, it was raining, which made for a very long, wet day. Still, it was an amazing adventure until the end, even as we were racing the light to reach the top of the cliff. My friend Sverre, who is one of the scientists I introduced in a recent post, accompanied us on this particular adventure. She is convinced that her friends back home won't believe the story, so I'm her 'eye witness'. Sverre, just have your friends send me an email if they don't believe you :)

Today I'm off to visit the PDI, which is equivalent to the Social Security Office in the United States. I'm in the process of applying for a temporary work visa right now. This visa will allow me to live and work in Chile for one year, where as my tourist visa only allows me to legally stay in the country for three months. My Spanish is coming along quite well, however, it's still intimidating to have meetings like this one. Wish me luck!!!

After the interview with PDI, I think I'll waste away the afternoon working in the garden and planting some new seeds. It's a pretty tough life down here in Patagonia, but somebody has to do it! Big hugs to all of my friends and family! I miss you and think of you everyday!

Torres del Paine

I've made three trips to Torres del Paine since I arrived in mid July, and every time my eyes see the gigantic massif of rock and glaciers, I am humbled. The view is constantly changing with every passing second. Whether it's the wind blowing the clouds into a new pattern or the ice crashing down the side of the mountain during an avalanche, there is always a new perspective.

During my last adventure, I joined three environmental scientists from the National Science Foundation as they collected water samples from Lago Sarmiento. They are here from Stanford University to gather data from different bodies of water in Patagonia to study climate change over several thousands of years. This lake is one of the few bodies of water that has no inlet and no outlet, and so the water is completely contained within the sprawling shoreline. Another special feature of this lake is the calcium carbonate (Bioherms) that grows beneath the surface of the water. Bioherms are a coral like growth that continue to die as the lake level decreases, however, it makes for an incredibly beautiful white shoreline around the lake's perimeter. I've been told that Lago Sarmiento is one of the few lakes that have these special characteristics, but the most amazing part of the story is that boats are not allowed on Lago Sarmiento. The scientists had to apply for special permits and received permission from the National Park to use a boat on the lake to collect data for their research. So basically, I am one of the select few who have traveled on the majestic blue water of this enormous lake! I spent the entire day collecting samples of water, samples of soil from the lake bottom, and reading the depth of the water (the lake is over 350 meters deep in some spots). Needless to say, I learned a plethora of new information about geology, climate patterns, and the evolution of the glaciers that filled the lake thousands of years ago.

So why me? Why did I receive the invitation? Well...I was asked to join the project as the photographer. Which means that my photos will likely be published with the results of the research! The scientists will work for another two years, collecting and studying the data, so please don't hold your breath for my big break...I'll keep you posted once the findings are actually available. But even if my photos are never published, it's likely that I'm the only photographer that has ever taken pictures from Lago Sarmiento. It was definitely a once in a lifetime opportunity!

In other news, I've been talking with a board member from the Fundatión Patagonia about my ideas for the trash clean up along the coast of Natales. I'm not making much progress, as most of the board members are on vacation for the winter months. I'm hoping that we can set up a meeting once they return to Natales for the tourist season. Until then, one of my friends and I are planning a trash clean up day of our own on Tuesday. We will walk the coast in town until our bags are full, which probably won't take long. Who knows if I'll end up working with the Fundatión Patagonia, but I'll get that garbage cleaned up one way or another!

I'm also planning to create a website for my photography. Again, please don't hold your breath, as this is a huge project, but it is in the works. A few people have asked to purchase my photos for their websites to advertise for trips to Torres del Paine, which will be great publicity. That, in addition to the opportunity with the scientists, is a red flag that it's time to put a little more time and energy into my photography. It's really quite exciting!

And so I continue to fill my time in Patagonia with amazing experiences! It makes me wonder what is in store for me in the future? Only time will tell...

P.S. I tried to upload photos but the internet down here is a bit slow. I'll try again next time! Big hugs from Patagonia!!!

Update from Natales

The weather here in Natales has been gorgeous this last week! There seems to be a misconception that the winter in Patagonia is unbearably harsh, but this is not the case at all. On the contrary, it’s quite comfortable to spend the day biking along the coast in the sunshine, which is how I spent my afternoon yesterday. Earlier this week we awoke to rain in Natales, but by mid-day, when we arrived at in the park, the clouds parted and the sun warmed our skin. Torres del Paine is absolutely incredible in the winter, covered in a blanket of snow. The perspective of the rolling hills leading up to the gigantic massive of rock has an entirely different dimension. It’s difficult to find words to describe the beauty of this wonder of the world. Simply, it’s breath taking.

Even more amazing, are the animals that survive in the extreme climate of Torres del Paine. The nandu, guanaco, condor, and several other species of birds are just a few examples of the fauna we witnessed that day. The nandu is a large land bird that makes its home in the southern region of Patagonia. This ostrich like creature can run at speeds near 60km per hour, but lacks the ability to fly. The guanaco, like the llama, is blanketed with thick wool to protect it from the ever-changing weather of Patagonia. And the Andean Condor, the largest bird in the world, has a wingspan of 6-9 feet. I couldn’t even begin to count how many condors we watched soaring through the blue sky on our drive to the park.

So you may have concluded, from reading my last few blog posts, that I’m enjoying my time in Patagonia. Indeed, I find myself in a world that is wild, exciting, and filled with adventure. Every morning I’m grateful for the vista of the sea, dwarfed by the towering, snow covered mountains. Every day I appreciate the smell of the salt water blowing up from the coast, filling the air with a richness that warms the soul. And every night I enjoy taking dinner and tea with my friends in a warm house, filled with laughter. For these things, I am thankful for my time in Patagonia.