On a Budget

I am not sure what exactly started the conversation or where we got our information, but a random day back in December, Martin and I got to talking about money and eating habits.  Specifically we were 1) re-evaluating how much we spent each night on dinner (mostly eating out) in regards to the national average of $5 per person per dinner (or at least that was the number we came up with) 2) our general understanding that unhealthy foods such as fast food take-out is, in most cases, cheaper than the healthier options of cooking at home and 3) how hard could it really be to cook a nutritious and tasty dinner on a $5 per person budget each night? 

Before we knew it, we had set ourselves out for a new challenge.  For the month of January and beyond, we were going to cook at home every night for less than $9 a meal (two people less $1 for shared supplies already on hand like olive oil and spices).  We still allowed one night out a week for our date night and we made exceptions for when friends were in town, but overall we were putting ourselves on a budget.  No more Tuk Tuk Thai or Golden Boy Pizza because we were too lazy to plan ahead or too tired to cook the food we had bought. 

Much to our surprise, with a little planning and coordination, the goal has been relatively easy to maintain!  And while sometimes well below our $9 threshold, each dinner has been nutritious, delicious and always something new.  We started rereading old cookbooks for ideas and coordinating the weekly menu to use all ingredients with little waste.  We have enjoyed home-made pizzas, cobb salads, turkey burgers, chicken Cesar salads with fresh Parmesan cheese, mushroom and chicken risotto, chick pea cauliflower soup and the kitchen sink frittata that comes in handy on those lazier evenings. 

While the initial challenge was only for January, we have continued through today seeing benefits not only in the bank but also on the waistline… Bon Appetit!

Chile – An Introduction and Wrap-Up

This past month, Martin and I embarked on a 15 day adventure to Chile.  It was possibly the worst time to go after just starting a new job, but we had a wedding to attend and any worries I had were dispelled at the airport.  It was also Martin’s first trip to South America and possibly the first trip truly outside of his comfort zone (unfortunately highlighted during our few nights stay in Valparaiso). 

The trip was an eclectic hodge-podge of experiences ranging from the comforts of friends and hospitality in Santiago to the chaos and grit of Valparaiso both of which were overshadowed by the remoteness of Patagonia.  The weather varied dramatically from hot muggy days in Santiago to cold windy nights further south.  And it marked the transition away from our normal experiences and desires of travelling; moving away from the desire reach a new place and experience the “oh fuck factor” to looking for something more tangible and connected.  Looking for either a connection to the country and the people (similar to my experiences in Hungary with Habitat for Humanity) or to experience personal growth via pushing myself outside of my personal comforts (e.g. hiking for 5 days and climbing the final peak). 

Below are the stories and pictures, posted on the day of occurrence.  Read from the bottom (12/26) and up!

The Edge of the World

Our final night on our journey was spent back in Punta Arenas, at the end of the continent and edge of the world. We arrived around noon, exhausted from the journey from Patagonia and the shock of being back in civilization.  With no set plans for the afternoon, Martin consulted the books and selected the NAO Victoria Museum as the best way to make use of our remaining time. Located just outside of town, the NAO Museum is an interactive museum that boasts four life size models of famous boats from the area. Not only were they life-size, they were accessible to climb aboard and wander through the various decks and rooms and play with the various working parts!

We walked around the life raft of James Caird that Sir Ernst Shackleton used to save his Antarctica expedition from starvation and abandonment.  His attempt to cross Antarctica was quickly stopped by the ice before even reaching the shore.  His boat was eventually crushed by the ice and he was required to sail one of the life boats with two other men in open seas to obtain help and rescue his stranded crew.

 

We wandered about the Schooner Ancud for which no history was provided yet we later learned thanks to Google was used to claim the area as part of Chile.

We stood at the helm of the HMS Beagle, the famous boat Darwin used in his expedition of the nearby islands and began writing his theory of evolution; only just then realizing how close we were to the origins of Darwinism.

The HMS Beagle overlooking the Straight of Magellan

And finally we were able to board an exact replica of the NAO Victoria, one of Magellan’s four boats that travelled the world in search of the spice route and discovering and naming in turn the Strait of Magellan.  It was upon reading his story that I fully grasped that the body of water I was looking at was in fact the infamous body of water that I had learned about during school.  To make history come even more alive, looking at a map of his 3 years of travel, I realized that I had been to at least one third of his stops:  The Azores, Rio De Janeiro, Punta Arenas, Valparaiso, Sydney, Hobart, etc. And always one to grab a challenge, I flirted with the idea of seeing the rest…the moment passed, but the desire to return to a few of the previous locations did not…specifically the Azores, the original destination of my first real international travel…note to self, convince the family that a return vacation should be planned. 

One of Magellan's four boats!

We wrapped up the day and our trip to Chile with a great meal at La Marmicita.  We said farewell the next day but not a goodbye… we will be back in six years…Chile is the best way to get to Antarctica for my 40^th birthday!

Some Friends Along the Way

Martin and I hiked the trail alone, however we did meet some great people along the way.

We met two American resident doctors enjoying a free trip thanks to her journalist mother; a Spanish speaker whose group was working on completing the full circuit (approximately 9 days of hiking and true camping); and Ecuadorian single traveler who was looking for a friend in Martin all in the first two days.

At Domo Frances we shared our Dome and dinner with a German couple who Martin decided were officially un-German upon discovering they were taking a nap, but then re-embraced as countrymen when we woke up at 6:30 the next morning to find them already gone; a single Polish, Canadian who had over-packed and was looking to get rid of some items…when saying good-bye, I made the mistake of “wishing her luck at losing some of her extra weight” which of course Martin pointed out as being rude; two Americans from St Louis who loved to hike and were experiencing their lifelong dream of hiking the W trail and a Brazilian couple, avid climbers who looked and acted every bit in love and were a joy during dinner (if not only for the looks of delight on the husband’s face with each bit of food). 

And quite possibly our favorite, our Australian friends, who we didn’t officially meet but kept passing along on the trail on various sections of the hike.

Hotel Las Torres to Mirador Torres

Today marked the final leg and completion of the W trail in Patagonia.  And I experienced the joy of a huge sense of accomplishment! We woke up early as usual to gusty winds and snow on the mountains and nearby hills…it was official, all four seasons had hit Patagonia during our stay – sun, wind, rain and snow!  The weather had met all of my expectations!

And while some might say it was my love for a crazy German that caused me to forgo a day in the spa to brave the elements, I hate to say it was more selfish than that.  Being so close to finishing, I was willing to do anything to say I had completed the hike, including enduring high winds and cold wet snow.



Off on to the last leg of the journey



First up the valley to Refugio Chileno

 

Then up a really steep hill to Torres Camp Site

Up and over the mountain...with snow starting to fall

You can’t tell in the photo, the wind was so strong it practically pulled us up (and unfortunately) down the hills.  I nearly toppled over a few times.

All finally, 800 meters straight up later, we reached Mirador Torres, the look out for Las Torres Del Paine

I was clearly having fun...we just had to walk back to where we came from

With the hardest part over, it was time to goof off

Conversation topics included the next few items on our bucket list, my desire to dope while hiking (aka take Alieve for my knees…the term was prompted by the 5 books Martin had read on the trip about pro-cycling) and how my laughter back down the mountain was echoing in the valley for all to hear…apparently laughing and hiking don’t normally go together but after completing the trail I couldn’t help myself; I was giddy.

Departure: 8am

Arrival 3:10pm

Distance – 22 km

Domo Frances to Las Torres

While not our last day of hiking, Day three marked our last day of schlepping the bags around and wrapped up our last night in a Refugio…we were heading to Hotel Las Torres for two nights!  I had a pang of regret however knowing that we were saying goodbye to our roughing it counterpart…the hotel price tag catered more to day hikers and tennis shoe wearers.  But not to get ahead of ourselves, we spent the previous night in the most unique location; domes on the shores of a lake! 

Bah, it is early and our trip is almost over

But what a cool place to stay for the night

Here are a few photos from the trek….unfortunately you can’t see or appreciate how windy the day was.  With 70kmph gusts, I was almost knocked over a few times.

Off one more time with the full packs on...

Looking back at the domes along Lago Nordenskjold

Into the plains

Our final barrier until Hotel Las Torres

 

Topics discussed were limited due to the wind (and possible exhaustion of topics) but we did discuss potential locations for our next big hike.  The top choices included the High Sierras, New Zealand and Ireland / Scotland.  Even better though, in the quietness caused only by deafening winds, I found myself really enjoying the day and was a bit sad at thought of the hike being close to done.  The past three days had had the rejuvenating effects of 3 weeks.  We need to do this more often.

Departure: 8:20

Arrival 1:30
Distance – 14km