Powder Day Send Off and the Ritz Carlton, Santiago

It was a tough decision, however along with close to half the guests this week, we departed Portillo two days early and headed down to Santiago ahead of the storm. There had been a ton of speculating going on as what to do amongst the crew, chance staying, luck out, get snowed in, or get out while you can. The weather changed, the blue skies disappeared, and we got 7 inches of snow ahead of the "big one" when only a trace was predicted. The powder morning was a great send off and made leaving a little bit easier. We ended up hooking up with our new heliskiing/powder support group friends Jake and Karl for the early transfer out. We were surprisingly credited for the two days we skipped out on and that total we transfered to two nights at the Ritz Carlton, Santiago. What a treat the Ritz has been and great way to wrap up our going on 9 weeks away from home. After skiing 13 days and the bunk beds in the Inca Lodge the comfortable big bed has been very welcome! Last night we joined our new friends for sushi in Santiago's hip Bellavista neighborhood, while today was spent checking out town with them and experiencing Chilean seafood at the famous Mercado Central. On Sunday we are heading out to the the coast for the day, before ultimately departing for home on Monday night.

Ski Portillo, Chile

After a short overnight in Santiago at the nicest hotel of our entire trip, the Crown Plaza, we finally made it to Portillo. It has truly lived up to expectations, being one of the most beautiful places we have ever seen. Portillo also oozes history and soul... it is a very cool place! We were quickly into our ski gear and enjoying the amazing terrain. (Portillo is our current banner photo.) The hightlight thus far, for Bill anyways, was Heliskiing on Sunday. He was fortunate to be grouped with three other very fun and great skiers for the day he had been dreaming of all his life. For 5 hours they skied amazing terrain, enjoying excellent conditions without a single cloud in the sky. We have been enjoying the great snow, weather, new friendships, pool, food, and afternoons spent at Tio Bob`s restaurant up on the mountain. It has been the perfect ending for our long adventure and we are not so homesick anymore. However, the weather changed today and a storm is forecast to hit Friday that may last for days, close the road, shut down the ski area, and dump over 4 feet of snow. Everyone here is now debating whether to try and leave early or take their chances and wait out the storm. Ever heard of anyone missing the first day back to school because they were snowed in in August!?! We are definitely getting the adventure we hoped for right up to the last day. Day 63, 188 meals eaten out, 6 days left, the end is near...

Our Last Day at Valle Nevado Ski Resort

Hate to say it, but we are feeling ready to move on... This does have to be one of the most beautiful ski resorts in the world, but everything is soo expensive and we have been getting a bit sick of the buffet breakfast, our room, water being an issue (4 dollars a bottle), laundry being an issue (7 dollars an item!), and the less than ideal skiing conditions (3 icy days). Guess we are starting to finally get a little homesick. By no means do we mean to complain, this has been an incredible week and we finally scored a powder day today. Bill, typical, unfortunately got the H1N1 flu and was very sick the last two days, while Jessica over did it a bit on the slopes and has been nursing a sore achilles. We are both feeling a lot better today, powder does wonders, and are incredibly excited to move on to Portillo. Portillo was the main destination of our trip, Bill plans to go helicopter skiing, and we now have 7 days of skiing in our legs as preparation for the world class terrain.

Bolivia Reflections

As we settle into our week at the Valle Nevado ski resort in Chile and our 163rd meal out in a row, we thought we'd share a few thoughts and reflections about our time in Bolivia...

#It is impossible to not to have the "at the copa, copacabana" song stuck in your head when you are in Copacabana.

#It smells like URINE almost everywhere in Bolivia. No proper waste management in the country.

#We may not have summitted Huayna Potosi, turning back at over 19,000 ft. just a few meters below the summit, but at least we didn't freeze to death like the lady did two days before our attempt.

#The "death ride" wasn't really that bad, but sure a lot of fun. From a snow covered mountain pass to the Amazon basin. What a lesson in climate zones.

#The land of Che. His image is everywhere!

#We saw the president playing soccer. Evo Morales, his social programs, presence, distractors, and supporters are highly visible in this interesting country.

#Distictive red brick construction. Everything is made out of these bricks and there are stacks of them everywhere.

#For what was supposed to be our most "dangerous" destination, we sure felt safe and had no problems. My dropped beanie was even returned to me by a stranger. In Ecuador, it would have been gone!

#The most indigenous population in South America. Gotta love those bowler hats.

#For a country so pround of it's national beer, Pacena, it sure sucks. Think warm, foamy, Michalob Light.

#It is amazing how high everything is and how much land is so high. We spent 10 days between 10,000 and 19,000 feet.

#Bolivia looks amazingly similiar to southern Idaho, but then the potatoes knew that.

#Everything happens slowly in Bolivia, except driving, maybe it is that elevation.

#We followed the flu season. Everywhere we went we encountered hacking, sniffling, runny red eyed people. We've never washed our hands or gargled more!

#There are NO grocery stores in Bolivia. Everything is sold on the street.

#We did not meet another American tourist. Lots of Europeans, mostly Germans in tour groups.

#New definition for CHEAP. The western hemisphere's cheapest country. We'll use our airport transfer price as an example... U.S. $30 Costa Rica $25 Ecuador $16 Bolivia $8 Chile $36

#The world's most unique capital city, La Paz, in a country that uniquely has 2 capital cities.

#Global warming first hand. The world's highest ski area is no longer. 5 years ago the glacier disappeared. We experienced weather that locals told us had never happened before this time of year. The capital La Paz and neighbor El Alto, the fastest growing city in south america now at over 1 million, rely on melt water from dying glaciers. 58% of the population is under 14... one day we will hear about a Water Civil War in Bolivia.

#Finally, it is impossible not to chuckle when you say Lake Titicaca.

Skiing in August! Valle Nevado, Chile

We are finally living the dream of the seed planted over two years ago when we started our Masters program. All along our plan was to head to the Southern Hemisphere and ski during the hot Boise summer to reward ourselves for completing our degrees. Pictured is the Valle Nevado ski resort located in the Andes above Santiago, Chile. We arrived yesterday, skiing a few hours in cloudy and windy conditions. This morning however was the DAY. We awoke to a blue bird day and enjoyed great snow and midwinter conditions as we explored the mountain. A very unique ski experience, there are NO trees! Just a massive white ski area where at times it is difficult to tell what is a run and what isn´t. On a powder day I suppose EVERY thing becomes a skiable run. We booked a week package here, so we have enjoyed unpacking and moving into our room, and finally feel like we are on a vacation rather than a trip.