Mendoza, Argentina

My adventure has taken an unexpected but exciting turn! I decided that I am not picking up Spanish like I was hoping to and I think the reason is because I don’t have any glue to hold the pieces together. I learn words but I have no idea how to form sentences and so I speak in poor broken Spanish. My solution was to enroll in an intense four week school, but not in Chile that is for my WWOOFing experience, I decided to experience another type of culture in Argentina. So for the the next four weeks I will be learning all the Spanish I can as well as exploring what great things Mendoza and the surrounding area has to offer!

Chiloe Island

My farm after Carmen and Andy’s was in Chepu, Chiloe, an island a little further south from Valdivia and the furthest south I will travel in Chile...this trip. Just like my previous travels from one farm to the next, of course I have a story! So, Juan and I are up and ready to go on time, mostly due to my persistence and repeated statements of how important my 8 o’clock bus is, but he decides to be very Chilean and takes just a few extra moments in the morning to talk to his mother. Those few extra moments cost me my 8 o’clock bus and I was quite upset. The reason the 8 o’clock bus was so important was due to my connecting bus in Ancud to go out to the country side, it left at 4 and only ran Monday, Wednesday, and Friday if I missed it I would have to spend not one but two nights in Ancud. I got on the next bus that gave me 20 minutes to change terminals and be on my way, I don’t think I would have made it if I hadn’t made the mistake of getting off earlier than I was supposed to. I saw a rural bus terminal just as the bus pulled into Ancud and thought that was the one I needed to go to, I was wrong, but ended up taking a taxi to the correct terminal and made it with 10 minutes to spare! I am not sure how I end up getting so lucky but I sure am happy it happens!

            My next farm, called Alihuen is mostly tree restoration and the fruits and vegetables are fairly new.  The owner, Jeroen Beuckels, came from Belgium and started building his house 6 years ago.  He used to be a chef, also WWOOFed in Australia and Romania, and is a tour guide 9 months of the year.  He lives with very little and the farm is still in the process of becoming self sufficient.  However, I was so happy to work on this farm, not because the work was amazing, but because I found a friend! There was another WWOOFer there and we got along great! Her name is Emma and she is from New York, she started her travels in Argentina learning Spanish then decided to WWOOF a little in Chile and we have plans to meet up in the future.

             At the farm we harvested potatoes and seeds from trees, picked seeds from a native fruit, planted seeds, and picked apples. You might say that is not a lot of work, but harvesting potatoes is a lot of work when the only tools you have are your hands, but we always seemed to laugh and make the best of our potato harvesting time (and yes, we both appreciate our potatoes now).    

            Senor Beuckels strongly advised Emma and I to go somewhere for the weekend and suggested we stay at a Bed and Breakfast just up the hill and go on a horse ride Saturday morning. We took his advice and stayed at the Bed and Breakfast for Friday night and went on a ride Saturday morning. The ride, was the scariest thing I have ever experienced in my life. My horse was not a friendly horse, he did not like Emma’s horse and there was a young wild horse that somehow found its way to us and my horse did not like him either. There were two scary experiences for me: first, we were riding along the beach and my horse just started galloping away and racing Emma’s horse going faster and faster until he decided to stop by going up a hill that just dropped off; second, was when the mysterious wild horse stopped in front of him and started to kick him, my horse raised up and started to buck, and yes I will say that I didn’t even realize the tears of fear until Emma asked if I was alright. Even though the ride itself was not fun it was my first horse ride along the beach and the views I saw were amazing but I will not be getting on any horse in the near future. The rest of our weekend was relaxed and very nice and we were able to explore Castro, a town close by. To sum it up, the experience was great and I was so happy to see Chiloe, it truly is a beautiful island.

Farming with Andy and Carmen

I spent a total of two weeks with Andy and Carmen, one week at Puquelehue and one week at their place in Valdivia named Nanihue. During my time at Puquelehue I arrived just at the end of season but the beginning of preserving time, so I became quite familiar with the kitchen, a nice change from working outside. I can now say that I am a pro at peeling and cutting peaches and tomatoes! I made some amazing peach marmalade and the great thing is it’s so easy I don’t think I will be buying any store bought jams in the future! I also learned how to make chutney but I wasn’t a huge fan so I won’t be making it in the states. I milked my first cow and it was thrilling but a little tiring at the same time. I enjoyed the milk with my coffee that morning and I am a little relieved I don’t have to milk a cow every morning. I also helped with picking raspberries and tomatoes, and watering the plants. One afternoon Carmen took my on a walk around her property and on top of on of their hills they have an amazing view of the valley they live in, the surrounding farms, and the Bio Bio River; a gorgeous view and a great walk!

            Nanihue is located just outside of Valdivia, a place south of Puquelehue.  Andy and Carmen have just started living in the house and planting trees and crops. So at this place I helped their hired help, Don Victor, clear land for the fruit and vegetables and then planted strawberries.  They also have ducks and chickens so I helped with feeding them as well. It was also at Nanihue I witnessed many stages of a Chicken’s life: feeding time, wing clipping time, killing time, and feather plucking time. I did not kill the chicken, Don Victor was given that mighty job, but I did pluck the feathers and ate the chicken!  The weather in Valdivia is similar to the weather in Seattle, but with a little more sunshine. I really enjoyed Valdivia and felt very comfortable walking around and exploring the town a little.

            Carmen’s brother and sister live in Valdivia and I was able to meet them during which Carmen’s nephew invited to show me around town. I accepted and we set up the afternoon before I was to leave for my next farm. The nephew’s name is Juan and he should me the university he attends, the Valdivia River, took me to a nice little place for dinner, and then I experienced my first bar in Chile! There is a type of liquor called pisco that is specific to Chile and maybe one or two other South American countries and so my first drink in Chile was Pisco and it was not bad at all! We had to call it a night early by Chilean standards so I could catch my 8 o’clock bus the next morning.

           To sum it up I had a fun time and enjoy staying with Andy and Carmen, so much so to make my travels easier I have left a suitcase full of unnecessary belongs at their house to pick up before I leave Chile and to ensure I get to see them one more time before departing back to the states.