PUERTO VARAS

On our way back to Santiago, we stopped just north of Puerto Montt in Puerto Varas.  Claudio thought we should stop there and take a look around as it is quite beautiful  Even though it is winter here and it was a really rainy day, we did find Puerto Varas quite enchanting with its pristine harbor and old German buildings.  Much of Southern Chile was homesteaded by Germans from East Germany and the German architecture is very evident throughout all of Chile but primarily in Southern Chile.  Here are a few photos of Puerto Varas and some of the German architecture.  Many of the buildings are clapboard.

ROAD TO SOUTHERN CHILE AND PUERTO MONTT

There is a great "autopista" four lane high that runs the complete length of Chile.  It is a great road and made our travel easy and without stress.  (traveling on the two lane roads in Argentina with all of the agricultural trucks can be very stressful!)  Some of the scenery was very similar to the Pacific Northwest and in some parts felt very familiar.

Claudio and Adriana Rosas!  We enjoyed a delicious seafood lunch with them in an old German restaurant in the harbor  of Puerto Montt

Puerto Montt

It was difficult to say goodbye to the Rosas.  We had a really special time with them as we attended church with them, attending a Sunday evening training, and shared a wonderful lunch together.  Hermano Rosas does a terrific job with his trainings and it was really fun to watch him in his very animated manner with a great sense of humor.  We shared abrazos and headed back to Concepcion where we attended a training and had a great visit with our assistant, Rodriquez Fernandez , in the Concepcion Sur Mission.  

SANTIAGO , CHILE

We arrived back in Buenos Aires  from our Argentina trip on July 3.  We had been on the road about thirteen days and had seen an enormous part of Argentina, mostly the Patagonian region. We met with many wonderful Argentine people and experienced first hand the sincere dedication of these warm and kind people, their dedication to the Gospel and each other.  We drove into Buenos Aires around noon on July 3 and were scheduled to leave for Santiago, Chile very early in the morning of July 4!  After unloading the car,  and eating some of our homemade chicken soup from the freezer, ( it tasted delicious after 13 days of restaurant food!) Michael went into the office to do some work for our trip to Chile and I stayed home to wash, dry and iron clothing and get packed up.

The remis came at 6am and we were ready and waiting in  the foyer of our apartment building!  Our flight to Santiago was amazing and flying over the Andes Mountains was definitely a thrill.  I had a window seat which was terrific.

Our friend and fellow worker in the Buenos Aires office, Dante Roig was scheduled to give a special financial training to the Chile Assistant Auditors so Michael and I along with Elder Perry (he helps us with the Chile assistants)  had planned for this training to take place in the afternoon of the day we arrived in Santiago.  We had six of our assistant auditors from Chile here and the training was very successful.  Many questions were answered as new systems have been installed and there was alot of information to disperse!  After the training meeting, we had a lovely little catered dinner in a small room in the church office building here just a few doors down the hall from the meeting room where we had spent the afternoon.  The dinner was catered by a very amazing couple and their daughter.  The salmon dinner was absolutely delicious and the twelve of us enjoyed the food and the great conversation.  Afterwards, we had a meaningful "question and answer " time and there was a great discussion.  All of the Chile auditors really get along well, and their "esprit de corps" is amazing!  In all, there are nine assistant auditors in Chile.

Michael and Claudio Rosas from Puerto Montt, in Southern Chile.  We traveled later in the week to spend time with he and his wife and attend one of Claudio's training. Wonderful couple!

The next day, on Friday, July 5, we checked out a car from the church fleet here at the church office building and headed out early in the morning for Southern Chile where we would meet up with several assistant auditors.  Our first stop  was in Concepcion, about five hours south of Santiago.  We met with Hermano Acuna there in the evening and had a great and meaningful visit with him.  The next day, on Saturday we again arose early and headed very far south to Puerto Montt where we would meet up with Claudio Rosas and enjoy some time with he and his darling wife, Adriana.

COMODORO RIVADAVIA AND CALETA OLIVIA

Comodoro Rivadavia

The sunrise on the early morning drive to Caleta Olivia was sooo beautiful over the water.

After a good nights rest in a very old and vintage hotel in Trewlew, we met up with Hermano Ricael
Sosa in the morning.  He has become a dear friend and we were so happy to see him.  After a few abrazos, I gave my seat in the front of the car to Hermano Sosa so he wouldn't feel frustrated trying to speak Spanish from the back seat.  I was happy to sit in the back and let the two men speak Spanish while I contemplated the scenery  and made up Spanish sentences in my head that I might be able to use over the next few days.  We headed south to Comodoro Rivadavia  on a two lane curvy road.  We had about a four and a half hour drive.  Comodoro Rivadavia is an oil rich community situated right on the water which is called The Gulf of San Jorge.  The gulf itself is very beautiful , but Comodoro is dusty and windy  and over all not too striking.  It is a small port.  The church has just situated a new mission here and the new mission president and his wife arrived the weekend we were there .  We arrived late afternoon and checked in to our very tall hotel and ate a simple empanada dinner together.  Saturday morning we were up very early and headed to Caleta Olivia for an early morning training with the District President and one of his counselors.  They were very , very, nice.  The district president was young and has only been a member of the church about 8 years.  Our training went about 4 hours so it was a long one!  Elder Sosa and Michael split the time and both did a great job.  I took notes and leaned a few new Spanish words in the process with my dictionary at hand!  I am getting to where I can understand more and say a few phrases to communicate a few thoughts.  Though only in the present tense!  Here is a picture of the group!

Group in Comodoro Rivadavia

I don't have my notes with me here in Chile so I can't remember the names.  Hermano Sosa, however , is the one on the far right.  The room was narrow and this was the only place to stand!

After finishing the training we drove back to Comodoro Rivadavia as there are no hotels in Caleta Oliva and enjoyed a good nights rest!  The next morning we enjoyed a wonderful day at church! 

The members were particularly friendly and we received many kisses on the cheek!  We truly embraced the warmth of the people and loved our time there chatting with many different members.

That evening we had another training in Comodoro which was great and well attended.  An especially nice group of people.

On Monday morning, we left really early around 7am as we had to drop off Hermano Sosa in Trelew and begin our trek back to Buenos Aires.  We forgot to get gas right in Trelew so we stopped at a gas station just outside of the city to fill the tank up with diesel fuel which is what is required.  The station didn't have any diesel so we had to try and make it to Trelew on the diesel we had.  Gas stations are few and far between in Argentina and our greatest fear of the moment was realized! .... we ran out of gas about 30 minutes outside of Trelew!  Michael and Hermano Sosa flagged down a truck and Hermano Sosa climbed in and reassured us he would be back with some gas.  So about two hours later he came with his adorable wife and daughter with about 10 gallons of gas.  As he began to put it in the car, he looked at Michael and said, "gas , right" and Michael said it has to be dieasel did you forget?"  He hanked out the hose and said that it was regular gas!  So we sat in the car again for another hour until he and his family returned with the diesel fuel.  He and Michael filled the tank and Mike had said to me while we were waiting that with diesel fueled vehicles they are difficult to start again when you run out of gas.......that did prove to be true!  After several attempts to start the car, Hermano Sosa said he would go to Trelew and  get a tow truck or a mechanic and be back.  So another hour and a half sitting just off the highway with huge trucks whizzing by........ Sure enough back came this wonderful Sosa family with a young energetic mechanic!  While they had been gone Michael read in the car manual about what to do.. but it was vague and we had a difficult time finding the right button as did the mechanic.  The instructions said to push a black button, (everything under the hood was black!) and pump it to get the air out of the fuel line.  The mechanic finally found the right button , pumped it about 50 times and the car started!  It had taken all day!  and we still had about 6 hours to go to get to Las Grutas.  We followed the Sosa's to the dealership where the mechanic worked to pay them and they would not take any payment whatsoever!  We bid a found farewell to the Sosas with Abrazos and hopes to see them again in the future... and we were off to Las Grutas about 5pm.  (we had spent four wonderful days with Hermano Sosa and enjoyed every minute!) One of our cardinal rules on the road here is to never drive in the dark, as the roads are only two lanes, they are unfamiliar and it can be dangerous.  However, we both felt okay about going so we headed north.  We landed in Las Grutas on the Gulf of San Matias about 10 pm.  We got up early the next morning and headed to Olavarria, our next stop in Buenos Aires Province, about four hours outside of Buenos Aires.  We had scheduled a training there with a small district that night and we wanted to get there early enough so that getting to the training would not be a rush.  We had a great meeting with a wonderful group.

Olavarria

The left again early the next morning as we wanted to get into Buenos Aires by noon, which we did.  We usually find a great parking place right next to our apartment , but not this day!  So Michael just pulled up on the sidewalk and I stayed with the car while he hauled stuff in to our apartment foyer.... then I hauled it upstairs while he went to find a parking place.  Michael went on in to the office later to return the car and finish up a few things before we left for Santiago, Chile the next morning.  I stayed home and did laundry.... which is a trick as we don't have a dryer.  However, a fan and a heater worked great in the back bedroom and by 8:00 at night the laundry was all done and ironed!  We were up at 4:30 the next morning and  felt excited for our meetings and trainings in Chile and  we headed to the airport around 6am.  

The Gulf of San Jorge

Comodoro Rivadavia

ESQUEL

The day after our training in Esquel, we took an hour to look at a nearby National Park, nestled in the Andes Mountains.  It was breathtaking!  Here are just a few photos.  It was a rainy cloudy day, but it was still amazing!  This was only a small section of the park.

All throughout the Patagonia Region are thousands of rose hip bushes!  Probably in the spring and summer they are blooming wild roses.  They are truly gorgeous!  Chelsea and I used to love cutting branches of rose hips and making arrangements with them, and Michael and Rebekah love making rose hip tea , so it made me think of our kids!

After spending the morning in the national park, we headed out across Chubut Province to Trelew on the east coast of Argentina where we would pick up Hermano Sosa and then travel to Comodoro Rivadavia and Caleta Olivia and have several trainings.   We had a great drive across this portion of Patagonia.   We had a really fun day.  The scenery was truly stunning with the most fascinating rock formations that we had ever seen.  We arrived in Trewlew just before dark.... after a memorable day we were a little worn out but excited to meet up with Hermano Sosa the next day and head south!

BAHIA BLANCA AND NEUQUEN

Hola!

We have hit the road again and are visiting many of our assistant auditors one by one and participating in trainings and meetings.  We packed up and left Buenos Aires on Thursday, June 20.  Our first stop was Bahia Blanca where we were invited to the home of Hermano Camilo Merino and his lovely family.  We had an hour long meeting with Hermano Merino and then had a wonderful and delicious dinner with his very charming family.

Hermano Merino and his lovely wife and their three sons and daughter-n-law.  The boys all spoke English fairly well and we enjoyed wonderful conversation!  Left to right the sons are :  Santiago, Baltasar, and Juan

Bahia Blanca is a beautiful port city and has some amazing old buildings and is very clean.

After spending the night in Bahia Blanca,  Buenos Aires Province, we spent about 7 hours traveling westward to Neuquen , in Neuquen province where there are thousands of apple and pear trees along side of the road.  It must be very beautiful in the spring!

On Sunday Hermano Saade traveled from Zapala to Neuquen to have a meeting with us and an audit committee.  The meeting went really well and as usual it was great to meet new people!  They had a lot of questions for Michael and it felt good to be able to answer them!  I am beinning to be able to say a little more in Spanish now .. but it is very limited... but this is what I say at the end of each meeting:  "Me gustaria un foto, por favor!"  "mucho gusto y muchas gracia!"

Hermano Saade

After this meeting on Sunday evening, we began our journey southward to the very famous city of San Carlos de Bariloche on Monday morning!  We were excited and left just before daylight under the light of a  full moon.....

SAN CARLOS DE BARILOCHE Y ESQUEL

Outside of San Martin de los Andes

After our great visits in Bahia Blanca and Neuquen we headed westward to San Carlos de Bariloche and then south to Esquel.  The trip to Bariloche was truly one of the most beautiful of our life time.  The first part of the day we drove through the Patagonia region that are much more barren but  many beautiful and fascinating rock formations are scattered throughout the area.  After a couple of hours outside of Neuquen, and leaving the much smaller town of Zapala, we began to see in the distance the Andes Mountain, white with snow and jagged.

Each few miles brought us closer to the foothills of the Andes mountains and the Chilean border.

We drove through two lovely towns that lay at the base of these hills and mountains....Junin de los Andes, and San Martin de los Andes.  The drive was amazing on a two lane road, part of which was dirt!  

San Martin de los Andes

We drove all day through incredible sites of lakes, streams and mountains. Much of the drive was throught the Nahuel Huapi National Forest. We were thrilled with the beauty and embraced each moment to the fullest!  We saw a small herd of pretty large sheep in the middle of the two lane road.

Municpal building in Bariloche

Late in the afternoon, we arrived in San Carlos de Bariloche late in the afternoon to more incredible views.  Bariloche sits on the very enormous lake...... Nahuel Huaupi Lake......the city sits at the end of the lake.  We drove along the lake for many, many miles and we came around a corner and there was Bariloche in the distance.... it was an unbelievable view!

Here are a few views of Bariloche.  There is a tremendous European influence there and many of the buildings are very distinctly German.  We noticed many German Shepherd dogs, and also St. Bernard's!  

We had a meeting scheduled in Bariloche but it was canceled at the last minute so we were very disappointed..... but we enjoyed walking around the city and drinking in the very unique beauty of this city that sits at the base of the Andes Mountains.  

We walked along this shore which is only a few blocks from the downtown area.

After spending one day in Bariloche, we drove south further into Chubut Province and had a wonderful meeting in Esquel, a small town which is known for it's access to great outdoor recreational activities.  We had a wonderful meeting with a great group of people, for about two hours.  Our favorite part of our trips is meeting these amazing and gracious people!

Tomorrow we will head across  eastward to the east coast of Argentina and Chubut Province to Trelew and meet up with Hermano Sosa and travel with him to Comodoro Rivadavia, and Caleta Olivia.