South America – John Collings

The Lost Ruins of Arnak

Where I live in Peru, I am close to some ancient ruins that predate the Inca empire. It is a strange feeling to wander around town, and to stumble across these from time to time, and to think about all of the riches that they hold. These ruins are all over the place in Peru, and over my many travels throughout the country, I cannot marvel of what the civilizations in this part of the world might have been. I also think about the explorer that came out here, and explored these various sites, and took back to their countries the treasures they discovered there. It doesn’t help that my newest game that I have been recently playing, I believe was partly inspired by this dynamic in Peru.

In The Lost Ruins of Arnak, you play an explorer that has recently landed on the island of Arnak. As that explorer, you are tasked with finding the rumored ruins that lay somewhere on the island. You need to collect the appropriate resources required to exchange them for the knowledge and the bribes that the ancient monsters crave to be the one to discover this mythic location. You travel on foot, or take cars, boats and planes to different locations until you can make it to the lost ruins.

The landscape of Peru, and the history that I learn while living here reminds me of the game, and the game reminds me that I am living in Peru. Not only has it been a great game to play in South America, but its design and game play have also made it a fun game to play even if I was not living in this part of the world right now. So do not be scared if you live in a different part of the world that does not include ancient ruins, Amazonian rain forest, and exotic beasts, I am here to give you my thoughts and feeling as whether this is the game for you.

THEME

Even though the game is set in a mythical location, it is easy to imagine to believe that this place is somewhere in South America. From the jungle on the box, to the mythical creatures that you can meet along the way, it makes me feel like I am a part of an Indiana Jones adventure where you are competing against other ambitious archeologists. The big difference is that they are Nazis, but your best friends gathered around a game table. You are not only required to send people out to various dig sites to see if you can find the resources that you need in order to make your way to the final goal, but you also need to complete research on a track that rewards those who do the work.

There are a lot of fun details that add to the storyline that is created during the play of the game. There are items, and artifacts that you can pick up along the way that can be used to improve your ability to outwit your opponents. There are also allies that give you certain privileges on the island that can improve your chances to be the most successful archeologist. Their smiling faces join you in your quest, and as you gain more knowledge about what you are looking for, they also gain in their abilities.

Michal “Elwen” Stach and Michaela “Min” Stachova designed the game with the theme in mind. Everything that happens in this game lends itself to the story being told. It really immerses you in the world they created. It does help that I get to play the game in a place that reminds me of this world, so I feel very immersed in that world already. Still, it is so well imagined that I do not think you have to be in South America to feel a part of the game.

Rating – 9

GAME PLAY

The Lost Ruins of Arnak has won a lot of awards after it was released, and that is mainly due to the unique way that it blended a couple of mechanics into a new game system that has never really been seen before. It feels both familiar and fresh at the same time. It will instantly become a favorite of anybody who loves worker placement games as well as the ones who love to deck-building. It all works together to create a Euro-game with many paths to victory that will keep players trying new ways to gather the most points possible.

The game plays out over a series of five rounds. During that time you have two workers that you can send out to various sites to gather resources. You do this by playing certain cards that you have in your hand that allow you to reach different sites. The easier sites are ones that you can walk to; whereas, you need a car, boat or plane to get to the sites that are further on the island. You also need to collect some compasses to make to the deeper sites. The resources that you can gather there are better, but they are also protected by creatures that protect the riches of the ancient civilization. You can befriend these creatures with resources or you can just sneak in, steal those resources, and retreat with a little more fear that gathers up in your hand making it less powerful.

Still, there are ways to get a more powerful hand. While going out to find artifacts, you gather up some gold that you can use to buy certain items that help you in your exploration of the island. These items give you special powers over the other players, and adds depth to your deck. There are also artifacts that have to be found from searching the surroundings, but the power they give is slightly better than the items. There are fewer artifacts than items at the beginning of the game, but by the end of they switch though you will have less time to play what you have picked up.

There is one more thing that you have to think about while playing the game, and that is the research track. Just like any intellectual doing research, there is a race to see who can get to the top first. It requires for the person doing the research to lose some of the resources they have collected along the way, but there are also rewards as you move up the track, more for those who move up it quicker. There are also a lot of points available if you make it all the way to the top of the track, so this becomes one of the central focuses of the game.

For the most part, there are a lot of twists and turns in how this game is played with many paths that can lead to victory, and a balance to try and control your options along the way. It makes for unique gameplay that you will not quickly forget about.

Rating – 10

ARTWORK

A crew of artists were employed to create the artwork for the Lost Ruins of Arnak though when playing the game, it does not feel that way. Ondrej Hrdina, Jin Kus, Filip Murmak, and Jakub Politzer had a single vision when creating the feel of this game. First off, the board is big, and you will want a good table that will be able to house all of the people on it comfortably. Still the spread of the board gives you the feel of a large island just waiting to be explored. It looks a little bare at the beginning of the game, but as more sites are uncovered, the board really starts to come to life with the hidden temples that can be found in the jungles, and the creatures that protect them. In games with higher player count, the board really comes to life by the end of the game, but this is not the same if you are only playing a two player game. In those cases, the board still looks empty by the end of the game.

As for the temples that you discover along the way, they are a lot of fun to look at. Each one has its own distinct feel, and when you discover it out in the middle of the wilderness, it make you feel like a true adventurer exploring some unknown island. The creatures that are protecting them add another depth to the immersion that this game holds. They look like something you would see crawling out of the Latin American jungle, complete with the mythology that would be found by the people who live there. The creatures do not come with names, but they have sso much personality that you feel like you should name them every time they pop up on the game.

A lot of the game involves iconography to dictate what certain cards or spots can allow you to do. There are a lot of them, and each player is given a cheat sheet to help them decipher all of the different icons. It does make the game easier to figure out, but the icons do not always clearly portray what they mean, so the first few games, you will spend a lot of time referring to this cheat sheet. It works well, but it is not always intuitive.

The playing pieces though are an absolute joy. The meeples are big and chunky. They look like mini explorers and make the perfect worker for this game. I enjoy the fact that they are made of wood, so they feel great when you get to hold them in your hands. The resources you collect are also a treat to handle. The arrowheads, gems, and tablets are made out of plastic, but it is fun to collect them, and place them in a pile of your game-board which, by the way, is painted like a base camp.

Rating – 10

INTERACTIVITY

Like most worker-placement or deck-building games, the interactivity level is pretty low. You are mostly concerned about what you are doing in your play area, and you don’t really think about what other people are doing. The biggest interaction comes when thinking about the places where you are putting your workers, the cards you are collecting for you deck, and the path you are traveling on to get the most points possible. If you take the spot that another person wanted, it could make things a little difficult for them, and it requires them to rethink how they are going to accomplish what they want to accomplish. There is also a little bit of a race element associated with the research track. If you are the first person to move up the track in certain places, you get a bonus. This causes players to put a lot of focus on the research track. There is also the bonus of the person that reaches the top of the track first, as they get a bigger bonus then all of the other who come in behind them.

Basically, this game falls into the range of your basic Euro-style game, where players have their own thing going on in front of themselves which does not have a lot to do with the other people playing the game. Yes, it is a little bit of a bother if someone takes a space before you can, but there are so many paths to victory that you can find another way to set you on the path to victory. I still have fun hanging out with my friends while playing this game, but it is not high on the interactivity scale.

Rating – 6

REPLAYABILITY

As there are many games to choose from on the market, it is important to know which games are not going to get stale, and you will want to bring to the table again and again. Some games come with more difficult challenges within the box to make the game exciting again for those who have played the base game too many times, and then there are other games who offer expansion sets that add new twists or make the game asymmetrical. The Lost Ruins of Arnak do both of these things. The kind publishers at CGE games understand that for a game to become iconic, they must offer this to their fans in order to keep their game in their minds for and on their tables.

The game itself comes with a two-sided board, the Bird Temple side, and the Snake Temple side. The Bird Temple side is what is recommended for anybody who is playing the game for the first time; whereas, the Snake Temple side is for the more serious Euro-gamer who wants to try out something a little more challenging. It also breathes new life into the game after playing the Bird Temple side for so long.

If you still want more to the game, there are four expansions available for the game. The most difficult to find, Surprise Shipment, is a mini expansion that only adds new artifacts and items to the game. It switches up the gameplay a bit, but not enough to make it a must buy. The other expansions add more depth to the game, and extend the table presence that it will have. The first is Expedition Leaders which adds asymmetrical gameplay with the starter decks for each player. It also includes new artifacts, items, guardians, and research tracks to spice up the game a bit. The Mission Expedition adds a campaign mode, and two other players that expands upon the asymmetrical gameplay introduced in the Expedition Leaders expansion. It also introduces a cooperative mode to play and new research tracks, and resources that can be used in any version of the game. The Twisted Paths expansion also adds new mechanisms as well as two new maps, and new temples. Each expansions adds new life to the game, and adds multiple ways to play this game so that it may never get old.

Rating – 10

OVERALL RATING

The Lost Ruins of Arnak is a great Euro-game that adds some new mechanics that changes things up to make it one of the most unique games on the market. It is fun to build your deck with unique items and artifacts while also gathering your resources and using those resources to bribe guardians, move up a research track and eventually find those ruins that have been lost in the depths of the Amazonian-like jungle. It is one of those games where the mechanics work well with the theme to create an immersive experience for everyone playing the game. It has the same complaint that most Euro-games have that you spend most of your time creating something on your own, and not interacting much with the others around you. At the same time, everyone leaves the game feeling like they are still friends, and in the end that is the thing that matters most.

I have a fond connections to the game, but at the same time, a lot of that might have to do with living in an environment much like the one that I am playing in. Still, I do not think that this matters much. The game has a great engine designed into that allows for fun turns where it feels like you can do so much, and it is dripping with so much theme that you do not need to live in South America to feel like you are there. It is easy to see why it has won so many awards, and I can see it lasting around for many years to come. It should easily find a way on to your shelf because while it is there it will make that voyage to your table on numerous occassions.

Overall Rating – 4.5 out of 5

The Valleys of the Andes

I can see down into all the valleys
From my perch on the edge of the mountains
High within the clouds up in the Andes.
Like ants, the people practice their routines,
Going about in their typical ways,
Not even aware of my eyes above,
Watching them as they bundle through their days.
Have they been able to find what they love?
Are they stuck in their eternal circle,
Living each day like they have lived before?
Do they even know that their life is dull,
Not seeking out something with more allure?
Does my position give me perspective
That is different from the way they live?

Machu Picchu with Elderly

This is the second time that I have been to Machu Picchu this year. During the first time I was there, I was standing on one of the terraces and a tour guide was trying to take a picture of a son with his elderly parent. He was asking for both of them to crouch down so he could take a great picture of them with the fame old city in the background. The older of the two crouched down, but then lost his balance and almost fell over the edge of the terrace before his son was able to catch him and settle him down. It was a scary moment that even brought the employees of the sight out from their hidden corners to make sure everything was okay. It was this moment that made me wonder if taking my dad, who is 86, out here to see the wonders of this amazing cultures heritage sight. There were many questions that I needed to ask myself about making sure this trip worked for him. Would he be able to enjoy the wonders of Machu Picchu? Could he handle the rough terrain that he will have traverse though in order to enjoy the sight? How should I schedule the time that he is out here so he can enjoy it while not feeling worn out?

First off, would my dad enjoy the wonders of Machu Picchu? And that was easy to answer. Of course, he would. I still have not met an individual that would not enjoy this historic sight. There is a reason that so many people have added a day at Machu Picchu to their bucket list, because there is not another place like it in the world. It is not just the amazing views, or the spiritual feeling that this places holds within its haunted stones, but it is the amazing story that is told by the buildings and the history of this place, especially when talking about the precise that it was constructed. There is another wonder around each corner, and it is easy to be caught up in the magic of the place. Of course my dad would love this place.

A bigger question was: Could he handle the rough terrain that he will have traverse though in order to enjoy the sight? Let me start off by saying that my dad did great though we had to take it slow, and there were a lot of breaks along the way. The tickets have a specific entry time to Machu Picchu, but there is an hour grace period to work in. If you are planning on taking it slowly, it would be best to get there as soon as the time opens up because the place allows for four hours to go through your chosen circuit. I would also suggest using the bathroom before you enter the sight. There are no bathrooms in Machu Picchu, but there is a pay toilet outside of it, and it costs two soles (a little over 50 cents) to use, so make sure you bring some change with you.

Now with all of that being said, there are some other points I would like to make if you are considering making this decision. First off, my dad is in pretty good shape for an 86 year old man, and he started walking on a regular basis six months before he came because he knew it was going to push him some. He also lives in Denver, Colorado, so altitude is not always a problem for him. Machu Picchu is almost 8,000 feet above sea level, so being so high up is something that should be taken into consideration.

Also, just because my dad did well, other elderly people we came across on the trail did not fair as well. We saw many people struggle on the paths, and hiking up the uneven stairs that are found in the ruins. Most of them had to get help getting up and down the hilly terrain, and almost all of them were fumbling around with hiking poles while doing it. I am not saying that hiking poles are a bad idea, but it looked like they were being used for the first time by most of these people. If you want to know if hiking poles are going to help or not, the person should get out and walk around with them for a few months before ever coming to Machu Picchu. This way, they will know the height that is comfortable for them, and they will know how they can help them through the difficult terrain.

How should I schedule the time that he is out here so he can enjoy it while not feeling worn out? I will admit that I did not do the best job of this. There are a lot of things to consider when getting out to Aguas Calientes, the town that is the gateway to this amazing sight. First, you cannot drive out to Aguas Calientes; you have to take a train. This is a four hour train ride from Cusco, and a two hour train ride from Ollantaytambo. There are plenty of places to spend the night in the town, and it might be best to plan for two nights to stay there with two of the days used to go to Machu Picchu so you can have enough recovery time. I thought it would be best that we should go up on the day of the train ride, and that was a little too much to do in one day for my dad. It would have been better to spread it out a bit.

I would also recommend an afternoon visit and a morning visit, especially on the day you are leaving if you are staying in Ollantaytambo that night. It might seem to be a bit much to get up, hike through Machu Picchu then catch a train, but if you are going up to see the sunrise, and then heading back down, you will only be at the sight for an hour or two, and the train station is not far from any of the hotels with most of the hotels willing to help you get to their hotel when you arrive, and back when you are ready to head on.

There are three different circuits that take you around Machu Picchu and you can only go in one direction on them. They all offer amazing views, but the most spectacular views come from Circuit One. This is the shortest of the hikes, but at the same time, it is up and can take a lot out of many people. It is possible to do, but just make sure you take plenty of breaks along the way. Also know that the steps are the original steps and can be difficult to navigate on the best of days. These steps are at all of the circuits though. The steps are also not uniform so it takes big steps sometimes to go up or down, and that is something that should be considered when coming to Machu Picchu.

Circuit Two and Three go more around the inside of Machu Picchu, and are best experienced with a guide. These can be found at both outside of Machu Picchu, and down in Aguas Calientes. If they are hired in town before the bus rides, they are great in navigating how to get on and off the bus and where to go for the trip. The can also help in making it around the more difficult parts of the hike while taking pictures for you at the same time. The other two circuits can also be difficult, but there are short cuts around some of the more difficult parts, but it also takes away from the overall experience, so this something else that should be kept in mind.

In the words of my dad, Machu Picchu is a magical place, and there is a reason that it is on many people’s bucket list. It is not for everybody though, and great consideration should be taken if thinking about taking an elderly person there. But if they are adventurous and are still mobile, with good planning, they can tap into that magic that is found there. It is also great to watch them as they start to experience that magic with you.

Until next time, enjoy getting out there and seeing what the world has to offer.

Which Circuit is Best for You – Machu Picchu

Machu Picchu is one of the most popular sights in the world because of its beauty and the magical things that happen when visiting. Traveling there takes some planning though, and when that starts happening there are many questions that come up about how to get the most out of the experience. When doing the research on Machu Picchu, one of the biggest questions that come up is about the circuits. There are three circuits where you can schedule specific times to walk through them, and each one has their own specific appeal, so which ones would be right for you?

Circuit 1

At one kilometer, circuit one is the shortest trail, but it is also the one that has the most elevation gain. It is basically a one-kilometer hike on the backside of the ruins up stairs most of the way. Some of the stairs are made out of wood with standardized step sizes, but there are the old rocky uneven Inca steps the rest of the way. It is a little bit of a workout on the way up, and you do go back the same way you came, so there is always the struggle of finding enough space to navigate the steps.

It does take you up to the highest ridge in Machu Picchu, and offers the iconic views that everybody thinks of when thinking of Machu Picchu. There is not a lot of history to the hike up, so I do not believe a guide is necessary for this circuit. Most people just take it so they can get that iconic view of the sight in person. There are a couple of offshoots to the circuit that you can add if you wish to make the hike a little more exciting such as going up the path past the ruins to the top of the mountain path that was first used to get into the sight. It is worth the views, but that is really the only thing that makes this circuit worth it. If you are taking this circuit, I would recommend to get it as early in the morning that you can because this is when the least amount of people will be on the path. It also allows you to be up there during the sunrise which is one of the most magical times of the day at Machu Picchu. When I went, we were a part of the 6:00 group, and the whole sight was blanketed in a cloud. I thought it was going to be a complete bust, but the sun came up and slowly burned away the clouds, making for a dramatic reveal of Machu Picchu that I will never forget. This was also during the end of July when the sun is powerful enough to break up the clouds. If you are planning on going during the rainy season, December through February, the clouds might be too thick, and I have heard that they sometimes stick around all day.

Circuit 2

Circuit 2 starts at the same place as Circuit 1, but it heads into the sight quickly instead of skirting around just outside of the spectacular views of the sight. It still goes up the terraces to some amazing spots with great views, and it is worth getting there early so you can look over Machu Picchu before all of the other tourists arrive and start to fill it in. The pictures are not as dramatic as they are when you are looking down at Machu Picchu from the perch on Circuit 1, but there are still plenty of spots that have great views.

The circuit is basically a big circle that will eventually take you down into the sight, taking a bigger loop around the central part of the sight than Circuit 3 will. There are a few important places that Circuit 2 will take you to that are interesting, but sometimes you will not know about their significance, so if you are only able to get tickets to this circuit, hiring a guide would be suggested because they will be able to explain to you more of what you are seeing, and they will also point out things that you might have missed if you did not have one.

There is an extension that you can add on to Circuit 2 that is for the more serious hikers. It takes hikers up Huayna Picchu (also spelled Wayna Picchu). This is the pointy mountain that is usually pictured when people look at Machu Picchu. Most of those pictures do not reveal some more structures that are on top of this mountain that people can hike up to. The hike itself takes one to two hours to complete and it is not for the more casual hiker. It does take people straight up the mountain over some rougher terrain, but the views from up there are seldom seem by people coming out to Machu Picchu, and it might be something you would want to consider if you are in good shape.

Circuit 3

Circuit 3 has its own entrance into the sight, and it is the one that I enjoy the most. It takes visitors out to the terraces just like the other two hikes, but this is the one that will eventually take you into the heart of Machu Picchu. The circuit is a lot of up and down that takes people over the original steps of Machu Picchu, some of them easier to traverse than others, but all of them can be handled by most people. Just know that you will need to exert yourself some if you do take this route.

This is also the route that has the most history and stories to tell. I would highly recommend getting a guide during this section because they will really make it come to life, and most of them know how and where to take the perfect picture of you in the majesty of Machu Picchu. You can find many of the guides waiting outside of the entrance to Circuit 3 or down at the bus stop in Aguas Calientes, but make sure you ask how much they will cost before you hire one. I would also recommend that you talk with them for a bit to see how well they speak the language that you would like your tour in. All of the guides are multi-lingual, but sometimes an accent or pronunciation of certain can make some of them hard to follow, and you would like to know that before you are already on the trail with them.

Circuit 3 does offer some views, but none of them as amazing as the ones that you will see in Circuit 1 or 2. This is why I would suggest that you schedule at least two different tours. I would start off with Circuit 3 with a guide who will give you the background knowledge that you need so you can take one of the other circuits on your own and know enough about what you are seeing and why you are enjoying it. I would also spread the circuits over two days, one in the afternoon and one in the morning. This way you can see what Machu Picchu has to offer during the different times of the day. If you plan it right, you can minimize the time you have to spend in Aguas Calientes because out of all of the towns you can stay in the Sacred Valley, this is the one that is the least interesting. It is more exciting to take that twenty minute bus ride up to Machu Picchu and see the real attraction of the area.

Machu Picchu is an amazing sight, and it can easily be seen why it is on people’s bucket lists. If you are going to scratch it off your list, make the most of it by choosing the circuit that is best for you. Until next time, keep adding to that bucket list, but make sure you are crossing off things on it as well.

Ballestas Islands – A Morning Boat Tour

Paracas is not one of the top destinations for people visiting Peru and who only have a week or two, but for those who spend time in the country, they find a way to make it down to this beach town. The town itself does not boast anything special that you could not find in any beach resort anywhere in the world. There are numerous restaurants, and sandy beaches, but it is when you get out of the town and look at the sights a little distant from the shores that you discover what Paracas really has to offer.

One of the things that many people do is to take a boat trip out to the Ballestas Islands, a group of two jagged outcropping that was once used to harvest guano and brought to Peru many riches. It has since been taken over by the government and kept as a nature reserve that you can take a two-hour boat ride out there to see the various animals that now overrun the islands. It is often called the poor man’s Galapagos, and though the islands are rich with animals, you cannot see the diversity that Darwin discovered that made the other island chain as famous as it is today. Still for only twenty U.S. dollars, you can enjoy a nice morning traveling around the islands and watching the birds, crabs and sea lions that call it home. It will also take you along the coast of Peru where you can witness one of its more famous Nazca lines, strange traces in the earth all along Peru that were left behind by an earlier civilization and nobody knows much about except they are cool to look at.

The islands itself is best visited in the months of December through March because that is when the wildlife is out their in abundance. It is the perfect place to look for penguins as they jumps their way over the rocky cliffs and jump into the water to go for a swim.

It is also the time of the year when the sea lion are out there engaging in their mating rituals. They will move off to warmer waters soon afterwards, but at the end of March, they are engaged in raising their newly born children and relaxing on the beaches that are a part of this island.

It is not always the perfect nature reserve though. There are still the remnants of a time when humans controlled the islands. Most of these ruins have been left behind, but the Peruvian government has built up a couple of the buildings so a couple of people couple work there to make sure that they could conserve the area of this preserve and make sure nobody came along to destroy the delicate balance of nature that is left behind.

Though many people who make their way out to Peru will never witness this little piece of paradise, it is a nice spot to go to for those who are willing to spend a little more time out in the area. It is easily the biggest highlight on a trip to Paracas and one you should consider if your path takes you our here during the months of December through March.

At the End of the Americas: My Time in Patagonia

It was not exactly what I was thinking of when I think of Summer Break. Most of the time I get visions of hot weather, lying on the beach, and roaming around the world. Of course, most of the time when I think of Summer Break, this happens during the months of June, July, and August, not January and February. Then again, I had never lived in the southern hemisphere, and never really thought of this time of the year as the summertime, so when I got to my first Summer Break, I thought of the one place where I could visit that would let me experience the travel fun of Summer Break, but give me a little chill that I have become accustomed to this time of the year, and the place that was closest to me where I could achieve this goal was Patagonia, the very southern tip of South America where summer does happen, but more like I would see if I had visited Alaska, or some place in Scandinavia.

When I thought of going to a place where the sun set for only a couple of hours a night, and the weather of summer does not reach as well as some other place closer to the equator, I had visions of my time spent in Iceland. It was amazing, but it is also a hard place to stay in. We had encountered a lot of rain there, and the wind can be brutal. I was pleasantly surprised to not see the same thing in Patagonia though we did have some rain, and one day of brutal wind. It was so bad that things would just blow off of us and disappear over the mountain ridge. Also when renting our car, they showed us how to open up the doors to prevent the wind catching them and blowing them off the car.

Despite the possibility of harsh conditions, life is still able to find a way. I know I should not have been surprised by all of the wildlife that I would find out there, it still shocked me. The animals varied from guanaco, a large relative to the llama, to the fox, to the condor, and even puma which we were not fortunate to see. Still, almost every day out there we encountered an animal that was living its best life despite the fact that they also had to contend with the wind, and rain, and probably even harsher conditions when it is no longer summer.

Even though we had some amazing days, it still did not feel like summer. A lot of that probably had to do with the fact that we had to always carry layers of clothes with us wherever we went. At any time the weather could go from sunny and warm to windy and cold, and if I did not have a rain coat with me at all times, there was the possibility of getting drenched in a torrential downpour. It just meant that we had to do a little extra planning every day before we left our place to go and adventure out into the exciting things we could find at the tip of the Americas.

And the surprises came from many places other than the natural beauty that we came out there to see. I will be honest that I did not have grand expectations for the food. It is not like Chile and Argentina are either known for their cuisine, and coming from Peru meant that there would probably be a step down in the quality of food. This was not always the case. I was able to have parrilla which is a grilled food where you see whole animals slowly rotating over an open fire, and that was spectacular. But I was also able to find great seafood, bar-b-q, and some sandwiches that were nothing like I had ever had before. I still do not know how to describe the cuisine in Patagonia, but I can tell you that there are some places, especially in Puerto Natalis, that are delicious, and can compete with many other countries out there.

I also thought that the language would not be that big of a barrier considering that I am starting to pick up a little Spanish. I would even go as far as to say that my Spanglish es muy bueno. Spanish is the main language used in this part of the world, and I was able to get by okay when reading it. It was when I had to interact with the locals that my limited Spanish did not do so well. I have gotten used to the Peruvian accent, and the Chilean and Argentinian accents are dramatically different. I have to really concentrate on what people were saying, and I still could not get it because of this barrier. Still, it is a big tourist destination, and there was plenty of English spoken in the region, so it never prevented me from having a great time.

I was also surprised by the amount of German I found there. I am not talking about German visitors because that happens everywhere in the world. I am talking about the German influence that can be found in this part of the world. There were German towns filled with German architecture serving German food. I was not aware that the German people were also some of the ones who immigrated to this part of the world, and I knew that after World War II that some Germans came out here. But I never thought that I would see their influence in the towns, and people.

After a while, I started to look closely at all of my surroundings, looking for those surprises. They started to pop up all over the place, one part familiar, and yet at the same time exotic enough to remind me that I was in a different place, experiencing a season during the time of the year I was not expecting it. The whole trip became another moment of wonder and made Patagonia one of those places that I will carry with me wherever I go.

Of course, the real attraction to this part of the world is the natural beauty. It seems as if Patagonia is one of the untouched places left in the world. Yes, there are the towns filled with restaurants and hotels, but they are a ways from the natural attractions that can be found out there. Tours do come through to drop off a bunch of tourists. Still, if you plan your time right, you can find yourself in some spectacular locations where it feels like you are the only ones there.

It did not take me long to adjust to the change of seasons and accept what I was seeing as part of my Summer Break. I got into the groove of the towns and forgot that my family living on the other half of the world was enduring a cold, and bitter winter. I do not think that I will have a problem making this adjustment as I continue to live in the southern hemisphere. Jus like the dogs that we ran into in all of the places we visited, I start to become comfortable with my surroundings and enjoyed them for what they had to offer when they were willing to offer it.

Until next time, enjoy those seasons whenever they are given to you.

The Museo of Pablo Fierro – Puerto Varas, Chile

In a small vacation resort town among the volcanoes of Chile right next to the lake district, and wine country, the architecture reminds one of a small German town in the Black Forest. Among these beautiful buildings, there is one that sticks out more than all of the others, and draws visitors to it. The building is hard to miss. People will take a stroll along the beachfront and come across this building, and wonder what it is they are looking at. It is the strange museum of one of Chile’s most known artists, Pablo Fierro, and it is the main attraction in the small town of Puerto Varas.

What exactly in the Museo Pablo Fierro? Well, that is hard to describe, and the pictures do not do it justice either. It is definitely something that people need to experience. Basically it is the studio of Pablo Fierro and he opens it up to the public from 9:30 to 1, and 3 to 8 everyday but Sunday. You can wander around the place, look at the art, and interact with the way he has put together the house.

The museum reminds me of Meow Wolf, and could easily have been the inspiration for it considering that it predates that museum by almost twenty years. There are random things that are place all over the house, and at times you will find yourself in an old boat, a cuckoo clock or school bus. Everything is interactive, and there is a lot of strange things placed in weird location, but there also seems to be some kind of logic concerning how things are palced.

The surprises are endless and you do have to play around with what you see because sometimes what you think is a wardrobe turns into an entrance to another room, or a door will open to a beautiful sight that you had not expected.

My favorites were what I called the ghosts that we hanging out in various places in the house. They were men that were put together in an origami fashion from large pieces of cardboard. They looked a little out of place, especially with the first one that I found, but in an odd way, they also looked like they belonged to this living museum.

And that is the best way to describe what Pablo Fierro has and continues to create. It is a living piece of art that grows and builds upon itself based on the whim of its creator. It is a work that you have to walk through in order to experience it the way that it is meant to, and it is impossible to walk away from when you first come across it. The museum is the must see sight in Puerto Varas, and I think that goes for every time you come here because you do not know how it will evolve the next time you come out this way.

Until next time, look for those crazy places in the towns you visit. That weird location may be the best thing you see on your travels.

Mirador Cuentos – Torres del Paine, Chile – Without the W or the O Part 5

One of the things that they do not show you in the pictures of Torres del Paine is the weather. Well, they do show you the weather, but only one those days when it is perfect. The sun is shining. There is a slight breeze. People might even be walking around wearing shorts. This is the ideal, and I get why they show these pictures. This is the best way to sell a vacation to this part of the world. The reality of the situation is that Torres del Paine is on the tip of South America where the weather is unpredictable and though those beautiful days do exist, there are just as many rainy, cold, and windy days, even in the middle of the summer, so the hikes do not always go as planned.

We had this problem with one of the hikes that we had planned to go on to, Mirador Cuernos. This is a very popular hike with the tour groups. It starts off at a cafateria just a little down the road from the Hotel Pehoe, and after a leisurley twenty minute stroll it takes people to a big waterfall that many people stop at to take pictures and watch large portions of water dive over a cliff. But if you take this hike another three kilometers away, the crowds start to die down, and you are rewarded with some of the more impressive views of the mountains in the area. This is the reason to come out and take this hike.

The hike basically follows the lake that feeds into the waterfall that most of the people stop at. It is on a well-groomed path that is wide and basically flat. There are a couple of rises on it, but it is nothing to strenuous and most people should be able to complete the hike without any problem. In fact, I saw many people on the hike that did not even bother to bring water or any additional equipment with them, and treated the hike as a lovely Sunday stroll. But do not be deceived; that could be the worst thing that you do if you take this hike.

Like I said earlier, the weather in Torres del Paine is unpredictable. A beautiful sunny day that you see in most of the pictures of the area can turn on you really quick, and you might find yourself out in the middle of nowhere as a storm blows in over the mountains. And let me tell you that when I storm blows in, it is not at all a pleasant experience. The winds out there can be extreme. We experienced one such day where we struggled to walk and after certain gusts, even continue to stand. Even though, the path is flat and wide, the weather can add a new diificulty to the hike. There are even times when they will shut down the path if the winds are too strong which happened to us the first time we attempted to make this hike.

Still, we did not let this deter us, and we came back another day when the weather was perfect. It wasn’t shorts weather, but it was just crisp enough to make for the perfect conditions to make a hike. We packed layers just in case the weather changed on us, and we brought a small lunch to enjoy at the beach we came across on the shore of the lake. And when we finally made it to the viewpoint, it was worth the wait. The views were stunning, and the sun shining on the peaks made for the perfect conditions to take pictures. It was a great hike to take that gets you close to the same places on the W loop and it only takes a couple hours to do, easily worth the time for those that are not doing the bigger loops.

Thank you for following me on this exploration of places to go in Torres del Paine besides the W and O loops, and I hope it gives you some ideas for your trip out to this area.

A Stroll Along the Boardwalk – Torres del Paine – Without the W or the O Part 3

We had an hour to kill in the afternoon and the weather was beautiful so we decided to take a leisurely stroll down the road to the Explora Hotel where we heard that there was an easy boardwalk stroll to see a waterfall next to the hotel. What we did not realize was that the boardwalk was actually a maze of paths set up by the hotel that did not always go directly to the viewpoint of the waterfall. In fact, what we thought would be a twenty minute stroll to see a waterfall turned into an hour and half of wandering over old wooden paths, always hearing the waterfall, but taking a long time to finally get to the spot that we had heard about.

We traveled from Campground Pehoe by turning right out of the parking lot from the restaurant and walking fifteen minutes to the Explora Hotel. The boardwalk was hard to miss when looking from the right side of the road, but this was the back part of the boardwalk, and we made a few mistakes from this point. When wer got to our first four-way intersection on the boardwalk, we thought taking a right would be the logical choice because this led to the lake and we could hear the waterfall coming from this direction. But this was incorrect. This took down to a dock where a large boat was parked, and we could see the rapids that were formed at the top of the waterfall, but could not see the waterfall itself. It was still okay because we had some beautiful views of the mountains in the distance and the whole lake, but we knew there was a better view, and we just needed to find it.

We backtracked and took the left turn this time because if we had gone straight from our original position, this would have taken us to the hotel. This part of the boardwalk seemed promising even though it was taking us down to the hotel’s spa. Still, there was another fork in the boardwalk that went right and took us down by the lake on the other side of the hotel. This followed the shore of the lake and its calm demeanor. We were able to get nice views from here as well, and there were even a couple of ducks sitting on the side of the lake that were there to greet us. Just to warn you, the boardwalk was at its most dangerous here with many of the board rotted and ready to break at any moment, but we took it slowly and were able to get to the other side without any problem.

This is where we were rewarded with the waterfall. We had to climb up a series of rickety wooden stairs to get to it, but once again we took it slowly and we made it up without a problem. Lo and behold, there was a waterfall there. It was a great spot to get some great photos and we were still able to talk over the roar. Even though it turned into a much longer hike than we were anticipating, it still made for a fun outing, and we were able to find some other nice viewpoints along the way.

Going back we found the last of the boardwalks that took us straight to the hotel’s parking lot. It took us a lot longer than we expected but eventually we found the path that we were originally supposed to take to make this a twenty minute stroll instead of the afternoon adventure that we had. Still, I am glad that we did it the way that we did because I think we got more out of the experience. It is a great way to spend some time if you have a lovely afternoon and you really do not have anything better to do.

Laguna Nimez – El Calafate, Argentina

I have made it to the tip of the Americas, and it is here that I have found another frontier that is free of people and big on beauty. It is a big portion of the continent that spreads out over the countries of Argentina and Peru and is known as Patagonia. People do make their way to this part of the world to explore the wonders of nature and enjoy one of the places left where you can feel as if you are not fighting through crowds, traffic, or the annoying barrage of modern society. It presents itself with a calming Zen like atmosphere that I feel I will enjoy as I explore the area over the next couple of weeks.

The people that make their way out here are usually looking for the adventures that the mountains and expanses of wilderness have to offer, and I have made some plans to make sure I participate in this, but I first needed to acclimate myself to the area after a long day of travel to get down here. I wanted to get out and explore the area, but not do anything too strenuous to start off. The obvious choice came from a wetland preserve on the edge of El Calafate called Laguna Nimez.

The preserve is a avian sanctuary where numerous types of birds find themselves at home. There are many types of sparrows, finches, ducks, swans and other birds that hide among the tall vegetation, swim in the lakes, or hunt along the sandy shores. Most people make their way here to see flamingos as they graze in the wetlands, and take pictures of the beautiful landscape along the way.

Though we spent time looking for these colorful birds, we did not find any while we were out there. We were told that they are in town year round, but the prime viewing times happen in the spring or fall months. We were hoping to get lucky, but it just did not happen. Still, we saw many ducks, and other kinds of birds to satisfy our curiosity about the place.

And what we did not see with birds was made up for by the bounty of nature that was blooming all over the location. The fields of wild flowers was just as beautiful to look at as did the landscape of mountains and blue waters that were all over the place. It no longer was about the birds as we strolled through this area. Instead, we just enjoyed the scenery.

The walk was not that difficult either. The whole path is three kilometers long, and basically flat. Most of it follows a wooden boardwalk that they would like you to stay on so that you do not disturb the fauna of the region. Even if you tire out, there are many benches along the way that you can sit down and enjoy the relaxing views while you collect your breath, but that was not necessary for someone who spends a lot of their time outdoors. But for those who struggle with longer walks, this is a great one to take because it is not too strenuous and has a lot to see at the same time.

There is even a place where you can pop out of the wet lands and go to the sandy shore of the lake. It would be a wonderful place to spend an hour or two and the tickets for the location allow for access to the sight for ten days. So if you go down to look at the birds one day, you can come back the next day and enjoy the beach. It is a nice ticket to have if you are spending a couple of days at El Calafate.

There are many things to do in the town of El Calafate and most people spend that time up in the hills and the glaciers, but Laguna Nimez is a nice way to ease yourself into the business that will happen when you start to explore these other places. It is a nice way to get out in nature, and enjoy what this part of Patagonia has to offer. It is definitely worth an afternoon to stroll around the place, enjoy the birds and the scenery.