Pucon, Chile

We arrived in Pucón, Chile on November 29th and left on December 14th. We had an AMAZING 2 weeks there. When I say Pucón, you probably have no idea where that is and what it’s like. So I will tell you. Pucón is a small town 2 hours away from an airport in Chile. In Pucón you can do many activities. It also has lots of nature, including volcanos, lakes, waterfalls, and forests. 

The first few days we stayed in little cabins with a wonderful view of Villarrica Lake. Here, there were some of the most incredible sunsets I have ever seen in my life. The sun reflected on the big, flat, wind free lake. The mountains and clouds turned a pinkish orange color so that there wasn’t a bit of blue in the sky! The evenings were cold so we put on fires that warmed up the house and made the house cozy. We took spanish classes everyday and our spanish has definitely improved. After a few days, we moved to a Hostel called El Refugio. This hostel had inside rooms but also dome tents with real beds in them. Dad, Mom, and Maura slept together in a dome and I slept with 5 other people because I sleep easily without waking up because of noise. Everyone shared 2 small kitchens and a living room. In a hostel you get to know many people and their travels.

The first morning we went zip lining through the forest and over a river. It was fun, except the staff was rushed and it was over in the blink of an eye. In that same river we did rafting. For rafting, We wore wet suits, life jackets, and a helmet. We sat  on the outsides of a sturdy blow up boat and you had to put your feet under something so you could not easily fall out. There was a guide with us that helped us and shouted out commands. When he said "Adelante!" we had to use our paddle and row forward. "Atras!" meant backward, "Piso!" meant we had to crouch down into the boat because a big wave or rock was coming up. We went 11km down the river, seeing the snowcapped volcanos and the landscape, paddling through the waves which were formed by the rocks in the ice cold water and having a lot of fun. Sometimes there were rapids and it was exciting  and sometimes it was calm water and very peaceful. We did it twice, the first time without Mom and the second time with her. The second time, because I was the youngest, I got to sit at the front without having to paddle. Every wave or turn The cold water splashed in my face! On the biggest rapids, i could look down and just see a drop, then I would grab the side and lean back, and KABOOM!  We would go down, the water splashing on my face the whole time and then back up, this process going over and over throughout the whole rapid. This was one of our 2 favorite activities of Pucón. 

The second biggest highlight was hiking up the snowcapped Volcano Villarrica. My mom didn’t join us because she had pain in her thigh. We woke up at 6 am, got ready and went to an agency that plans activities. We got huge backpacks filled with water food, and some other supplies for the mountain such as ice picks, extra jacket and pants, and special shoes for ice. We drove up to the base of the mountain. The first 400 meters up we took a ski lift. After that the snow started, the lifts stopped and we had to walk. They told us the safety rules and then we started to walk zig-zag up the hill. In the first hour we had already taken off all but 1 layer of clothing because it was hot and tough! We walked upwards and after 3-4 hours we arrived at the top. At the top it was cold and windy and we had 5 layers of clothes on! The view was breathtaking! After our lunch, we started to descend. The fun part was that we didn’t walk down but slide down through paths sometimes turning or jumping! This was the first time i climbed a snowy volcano and it was a fantastic experience. 

We also kayaked on the lake, biked, hiked through the Huerquehue Park (pronounced: werkewe) and visited Los Pozones which are natural hot pools.There was also a cold river flowing beside them in which we jumped in many times. If you went under 3 times it was so cold that even 20 seconds after you got out it still felt as if your head was in a bowl of ice! This was more of a place to relax and enjoy the beauty of nature. 

Click below for link to gallery >>

(click here for Pucón gallery)

We are leaving this place with lots of great memories and we will now enjoy 3 weeks in Maui. 
Happy Holidays! 

~ Julie

Update of our Travels

Gerardo #1

It has been a while since we last updated our travel blog but a lot has happened since the end of September!

We went back to Spain in the beginning of October so that I could see a cardiologist in Barcelona, who told me that I could travel safely if taking some precautions, like drinking no alcohol and only taking one cup of coffee a day. The first part is relatively easy for me, but just one cup of coffee is quite an ordeal.

It is not yet clear which type of Tachycardia I am having and that is why they can not do an ‘ Ablation operation’ until I have had a well recorded third attack. (mentioned in the first post).

While in Europe we spent a few weeks in Mallorca, where we encountered a prolonged summer. We also visited Barcelona with the girls so that they could see the schools we are interested in for next year. We had the chance to speak to a number of dutch families attending the international schools in Barcelona to get a feel of the schools and life in general.

After some preparations we left again for South America. We did not have much of a plan but wanted to go to Chile. Since I had to see one more doctor on the very last day in Holland and KLM’s flights to Chile were very full, Yvette and the girls flew to Rio de Janeiro and enjoyed the Copacabana and Ipanema beaches for two days. (click here for Rio de Janeiro gallery) I flew to Sao Paolo the day after and since we were now so close by we decided to head for the famous Iguassu Falls on the border of  Brazil and Argentina, where we all met again at the airport.

We were very lucky with the flow and amount of water and the Iguassu Falls were simply terrific and overwhelming! What a force of nature and what a tremendous amount of water! We visited both the Brazilian and the Argentinian side while hiking, biking and boating on the river. (click here for Iguassu gallery)

The sister city of Iguassu is the city of Ciudad del Este in Paraguay, connected by a famous bridge, and there we visited one of my former Unilever business partners, who is a very well known distributor in Paraguay.

We had several dinners with them (with loads of meat!) and while having dinner they suggested we should visit Mendoza, the capital of the wine area Valle del Uco in Argentina, so we took the plane and after spending two days in Buenos Aires we arrived in this very dry city. 

Water management is very important there and the melting water of the Andes is essential for several industries and also for all the carefully irrigated trees and parks in the city.

The girls did quite some homeschooling and after 4 days we left for the Valle del Uco area (the wine area) and spent two days in a wine estate or bodega, Salentein, owned by a well-known Dutch family. Obviously we had to do a few wine tastings in the beautiful wine estates of  Salentein, Andeluna and previously in Zuccardi in the Maipu area. (click here for Mendoza gallery)

It started to get very warm and so we finally left for Chile, which is only an hour’s flight over the spectacular Andes. We skipped Santiago for now and went straight south to the area of the Viarrica volcano. We are now in Pucon, next to the Viarrica volcano, where we will stay for the next two weeks. Julie and Maura will write the next updates about this beautiful area.

~ Gerardo

Vacation Week

Ecuador #2

This week we went to Otavalo and an outside suburb of Ibarra.

It was a great vacation week for us starting it off by staying at a very calm and beautiful hotel (that we had to our selves!) where I painted, where we did hikes and relaxed as well. 

It was a great experience and then we rode to Otavalo on a very bumpy road but with beautiful views.

We stayed at a cozy hotel and walked the streets of Otavalo in the evening. This is possible here because it's safe enough, in Quito it isn't the best idea. We walked throughout the markets of Otavalo today. Julie and I went kayaking on a big lake when it started pouring rain... 

We did an amazing hike with a great view of a volcanic lake and a snow covered mountain.

We also went to a cute town called Cotacachi. The main street there only has leather shops and all the people make the leather bags and clothes themselves, sometimes in the shop.

We've had a great time this week and are ready to start off with at least two weeks of spanish classes and homeschooling. 

~ Maura

Click here for: Ecuador Gallery

Mindo, Ecuador

Mindo, Ecuador

     We went to Mindo for 2 days and it was really fun! Mindo is a little town in the middle of the rainforest 2 hours away from Quito, with lots to do. We stayed in a cute little hostel with hammocks and a view of the forest. The first day we went zip ling over the treetops. There was an amazing view of mountains and lots of trees. Then we went tubing, which is where you sit on a big floaty with 2 other people and you go down the river, over rocks, and down mini 1-3 ft waterfalls! We got totally wet with ice cold water but it was worth it.

     After, we had lunch and then did a chocolate tour. We learned about the history of chocolate, and the steps of making chocolate and we got to try a lot of different flavors. Then we headed to Descending down a Waterfall (that's what I call it). My sister and I hiked up to the top of  a waterfall with a guide. We got a harness and were connected to 2 ropes. Then facing the waterfall you slowly walk/go down. It was pretty scary considering it was very steep and 40 meters tall (135ft). But we made it to the bottom, wet and shivering but we enjoyed it both. A while later we had dinner, and then me and mom went to do a nocturnal hike. We hiked with a guide through his big yard which seemed like a jungle itself. He pointed out many spiders. butterflies, and insects with his flashlight. We also saw bats flying overhead, and an owl sitting by the street on an electricity cable.  

     In the middle of the night, I had to throw up. It was probably food poisoning. I also had a fever. 

Also it was the morning of Maura's 14th birthday! We celebrated her birthday with cards, cake, and a nice breakfast. I stayed home because I was sick while my parents did a hike that included swimming, waterfalls, and going with a cable car over the trees. When they got back we had lunch and started the drive back to Quito.

~Julie

Click here for: Ecuador Gallery

The start of our trip.

By Yvette
Ecuador #1

Dear Family and Friends,

Yes! we finally left after a wonderful summer in Spain, where Maura and Julie experienced their first burst of spanish during 6 weeks of Spanish summer camps.  

After many efforts to make plans for our 'year trip' we decided not to make much of a plan!! And just  go!

So we flew on August 30, and started way too luxurious in the world business class of KLM from Amsterdam to Quito, Ecuador.  How relaxed was that, before hitting this crowded, polluted and pretty dangerous city.

Already in the plane,  we got overwhelmed by kidnap stories, robberies etc. Wow! How are we going to do all this,traveling with our two blond girls and still be safe?

While staying in the Marriott the first days safety was our biggest concern and we slowly started to get more informed and to feel how we wanted to travel/live in this country. 
Conclusion, we need to stay in good hotels and travel in well known taxis, etc. Never walk with too many valuables and don't walk at dark.

We were lucky on the 2nd day in Quito and found a well organized, dutch owned, cozy spanish language school, a 10 minute walk from the hotel. We decided to start classes here and to stay in the Marriott instead of looking for an apartment. We have everything here, space, internet, which we need for the girls homeschooling online, sport facilities and it is safe.

Maura and Julie are taking one to one Spanish classes, which makes them talk more!  They like it and are pretty focused and motivated. And I joined them too and I love to practice my spanish again. 

In the meantime they are also getting their homeschooling program started by first making  mind maps,so the teacher can adapt the program to their needs and to the way they like to learn. 

By the way, Quito is at an altitude of 2850 meter, so your body needs to adapt.. and this takes time. So we tried to take it easy the first days,but unfortunately it hit Gerardo. It looks like the altitude triggered his SVT (heart tachycardia) and so he ended up in the ER because of his 130 heartbeat on day 3 in Quito. 
Luckily the hospital was very goo  and well developed with doctors who did a really good job! His heartbeat came down after 4 hours but went too far down and it took a while to get it back to his normal 40-50 beats per minute. 
It was quite scary for a while, but he knew what it was, since this is the 2nd time. 
We see it as a warning sign and will be more cautious with the altitudes here, since you can go up to 4.800 meters and higher if you like.

Then the ladies of the house all got a stomach bug which is part of eating in a developing country !

Our first trip out of the city was to Mindo which is a small village 2 hours from Quito. That was super fun,ziplining, tubing, abseiling, a chocolate tour and more.
And that's where Maura turned 14!

(julie will write a bit more about that fun trip to the rainforest)

On the way back to Quito, we stopped at the Museo La  Mitad del Mundo, which is right on the Equator. 
So on her birthday Maura stood on the Equator with one leg in  the northern and  the other leg in the southern Hemispere. A special feeling!

We just planned our next adventure and are off for a week to Otavalo and Ibarra, 3 hours north of Quito.

We wish you all the best and lets stay in touch.

Lots of love,
Yvette, Gerardo, Maura and Julie


Click here for: Ecuador Gallery