tales of wander
outdoor adventures
La Purga
November 26, 2022 At 5am, we’re wakened for our plant medicine. I haven’t been able to sleep since last night, so I’m feeling severely sleep deprived…and also finally hungry, which makes me sad that I only have dieta food to look forward to: more boiled carrots, beets, potatoes, and rice porridge. A few tomatoes for … Continue reading
By bus, boat, and motocarro…
November 21, 2022 I’ve arrived in Iquitos without mishap, despite the fact that the Lima airport closed for a few days due to an accident. The airport remained closed right up to six hours before I was scheduled to leave, so it was a bit of a nail-biter to see if it would reopen in … Continue reading
Patagonia: Ushuaia
Ushuaia is the capital of Tierra del Fuego, which is an island that marks the southernmost tip of South America before Antarctica. For this reason, it is often referred to as “El fin del mundo” (the end of the world). In truth, I’ve heard there’s dispute over which country (Chile or Argentina) actually lays claim … Continue reading
Patagonia: El Calafate and El Chalten
El Calafate: Perito Moreno glacier When we stepped off the plane in El Calafate, I was immediately struck by the cold, dry air. After six weeks in Buenos Aires’ subtropic humid weather (where it always felt about 10-15 degrees warmer than it actually was), it was a refreshing change to be immersed in the cold … Continue reading
Uruguay and the trouble with Chile…
Though I like Buenos Aires a great deal as a digital nomad destination, a city of three million people begins to wear on a person after a fashion—particularly someone like me, who loves a certain amount of urban life, but who needs the great outdoors and easy access to peace, quiet, and nature. I prefer … Continue reading
Trekking the Torres del Paine… (subtitle: The Goldilocks Trek)
I’m not gonna lie: my last few treks have been hard. I’m not just talking about the physical part either, which was challenging enough on its own, but within my range of ability. What made the last two treks difficult was everything else that goes with any outdoor activity—the stuff that you can plan for, … Continue reading
Spring skiing, Chilean style…
I’ve learned that Chileans love a good switchback. As I already mentioned, the first part of this trip is all about skiing. We researched the Chilean ski season, their resorts, etc. and everything indicated that they’d be open and we’d have snow. However, the beautiful weather and (mostly) dry mountains left us skeptical. Nevertheless, on … Continue reading
Buenos dias from Chile…
This has been a challenging year on several personal levels. Without diving too deeply into it, let’s just say that I wouldn’t be here right now, writing this blog entry, if the planets had not aligned to make this moment possible. Just when I thought I’d be unable to travel this year, good news started … Continue reading
Trekking the Cordillera Real (subtitle: “Cold Mountain”)
I hate camping. There, I said it, and now everyone knows the ugly truth. Just because I love the outdoors—just because I love hiking, trekking, and outdoor sports—it does not follow that I must also love camping. I’m not sure where this assumption comes from, but apparently it’s from those “true” outdoor gods and goddesses … Continue reading
The Salar de Uyuni
To take full advantage of my recent three-day weekend, I took a double-decker overnight bus to Uyuni, which is in the southwest corner of Bolivia. Uyuni itself is a small, sleepy sort of town, most known for being the gateway to the Salar de Uyuni (“salar” meaning “salt flat”), which is the world’s largest salt … Continue reading
tales of wander 