Wink in Chile

[WinkHPD]

Here I am in Pucon, Chile. Just a little 26 hour jaunt from Boise, Idaho. I was pretty tired last night but I did get a few photos of the early evening action, buy the time things heated up at 10 or 11 I was sound asleep.

We did one roll practice session at the lake yesterday and two easy sessions on the river today, the water is HUGE this year so we are spending some time on technique before we hit the real deal!

This first picture is a view of the Vulcon Villa Rica from the main street in town last evening.

Wink

 

[WinkHPD]

I love the evenings here, every one comes out to walk the street in a traditional Passeo. You will see whole families walking together, sometimes a grandmother with her grand daughters, lovers and friends stroll around town, watch the dancers, play with the clowns and buy ice cream or sit at the sidewalk cafe and drink a beer, which is where I am going in a few more minutes...

 

[hoorray]

Looks pretty wonderful Wink! What part of Chile is Pucon in? We're leaving for Chile next week. We'll be mostly in Pategonia in the south, hiking etc. We plan to try to stay dry on our trip -- no eskimo rolls for us!


eta... yuck on the 26 hours. I hadn't done the math, thinking that ignorance might be easier than knowing how long the trip is.

 

[WinkHPD]

For those who are not content merely to stroll around there are other things to do to. The largest rafting company in town has a climbing wall for the adventurous during their Paseo. This was taken about a half second before the young lady launched into space and hung screaming as the rope handler let her drop for all but about three feet of the way down.

Wink

 

[sevens one]

Great pictures Wink

Be safe!

 

[WinkHPD]

Date: 1/24/2006 7:31:19 PM
Author: lop
Looks pretty wonderful Wink! What part of Chile is Pucon in? We''re leaving for Chile next week. We''ll be mostly in Pategonia in the south, hiking etc. We plan to try to stay dry on our trip -- no eskimo rolls for us!


eta... yuck on the 26 hours. I hadn''t done the math, thinking that ignorance might be easier than knowing how long the trip is.

We are in the lake region, south of Santiago, but north of Patagonia. Hope you have as much fun on your trip as we are having!

Wink

 

[Hest88]

Great pictures Wink! Have a great time!

 

[diamondseeker2006]

This is great! Send more pictures when you can, Wink!

 

[Kaleigh]

Thanks for sharing these wonderful pics with us Wink. Have a fabulous vacation and do be careful!!!

 

[Lorelei]

Thanks for the update Wink, have a great time and mind how you go!

 

[Sundial]

Great pictures Wink, thanks for sharing your trip with us.

 

[WinkHPD]

Thank you all for the kind wishes, here are a few more photos for you.

The local cotton candy vendor does it by peddling with his feet to spin his cotton candy machine.

 

[WinkHPD]

Some of the local young men wanted to play with my balloons, these two could not blow them up... although the one on the left finally got one of the little ones, they are easy, to partially inflate....

 

[WinkHPD]

This guy is our driver Super Mario, he did it, but as you can see, he did NOT enjoy it!

 

[sunkist]

Thanks for sharing your travel photos. The first photo of the snow covered mtn is awesome!!

 

[WinkHPD]

I don´t have any real good boating pictures yet, and the internet cafe is very busy so it takes about 4 or 5 minutes per picture and it is beer thirty here. More another time...

Wink

P.S. Here is one that is kind of fun, we had to come through the little drop, flip over, roll, then ferry accross the current to the other side, pop into an eddy behind a rock, then pop back out into the main current and over in front of a large rock and through a narrow channel. The only good picture in all of this is this one of me in the fish counting phase...

 

[perry]

Wink:

Looks like you are having fun.

My only question is why do you "have" to roll in negotiating that drop?

Other than that - without gates hung I guess I''m not qualified to comment on your negotiation.

One note though: If there were gates - counting fishes while going through one is a 50 second penalty...

Have fun.

Perry

ps: my freinds tell me that counting fishes is the easy manuver. Eating them while rolling takes real skill - but prevents the need to reduce paddling time for lunch breaks...

 

[Patty]

Date: 1/28/2006 8:58:04 AM
Author: perry
Wink:

Looks like you are having fun.

My only question is why do you ''have'' to roll in negotiating that drop?

Other than that - without gates hung I guess I''m not qualified to comment on your negotiation.

One note though: If there were gates - counting fishes while going through one is a 50 second penalty...

Have fun.

Perry

ps: my freinds tell me that counting fishes is the easy manuver. Eating them while rolling takes real skill - but prevents the need to reduce paddling time for lunch breaks...

LOL Perry at the eating the fish and reducing the need for lunch breaks.

 

[WinkHPD]

Date: 1/28/2006 8:58:04 AM
Author: perry
Wink:

My only question is why do you ''have'' to roll in negotiating that drop?

Have fun.

Perry

ps: my freinds tell me that counting fishes is the easy manuver. Eating them while rolling takes real skill - but prevents the need to reduce paddling time for lunch breaks...

My roll is my weakest stroke so my instructor is making me practice it in many locations, some of them absolutely no fun at all!

I like Sushi, but I prefer it cleaned and skinned, I will leave that maneauver to your friends...

Wink

 

[WinkHPD]

We did a wild section of the Trancura yesterday and I had NO time for pictures as I was more interested in getting through the rapids. In the after noon we did a quiet stretch of the Maitchin (pronounced "my Cheen" and I probably spelled it wrong). Lots of incredible scenery. You may notice in this photo that one of my lenses is photo grey and the other isn''t...

 

[WinkHPD]

Our driver is quite a guitar player and singer, the young lady just left this morning on a scholarship to Spain to study linguistics. The people who organize my trip every year paid for her education for the past several years, and she has worked hard to grow!

Wink

 

[WinkHPD]

Oops, forgot the picture...

 

[WinkHPD]

This is a picture of me climbing back upstream for a little play wave...

More another night...

 

[cflutist]

Date: 1/30/2006 6:48:12 PM
Author: Wink
You may notice in this photo that one of my lenses is photo grey and the other isn''t...

Ok, please tell us why?

Love your pictures Wink. Websailor and I still can''t wait to meet you in person someday.

Enjoy your trip.

 

[WinkHPD]

Date: 1/30/2006 6:56:44 PM
Author: cflutist

Date: 1/30/2006 6:48:12 PM
Author: Wink
You may notice in this photo that one of my lenses is photo grey and the other isn''t...

Ok, please tell us why?

Because somebody at the glasses shop messed up, I will get it fixed when I get back to the States...

 

[JohnQuixote]

I''m having a great time living vicariously through Wink while keeping my socks dry.

Keep ''em coming!

 

[AGBF]

Date: 1/30/2006 11:29:20 PM
Author: JohnQuixote

I''m having a great time living vicariously through Wink while keeping my socks dry.

I actually did a search on the Trancura River yesterday and found myself absorbed in learning about the six classifications of rivers with rapids!



Deb

 

[Lorelei]

I am so glad you are having such a fantastic time Wink, great pics!

 

[partgypsy]

Date: 1/30/2006 11:29:20 PM
Author: JohnQuixote
I''m having a great time living vicariously through Wink while keeping my socks dry.

Keep ''em coming!

Ditto! What an escape while sitting here at my office computer!

(Some things I prefer to live vicariously, such as reading Into Thin Air while laying on the beach...)

 

[perry]

I on the other hand do like to get a little more involved. While I have not recreationally paddled in years - and my roll was dreadfull (but I don''t mind swimming - or portaging arround the tough stuff) - I can easily see myself paddling down a river. I used to be good at handling up to class 2 with ease -and could handle some class 3.

On the other hand - have seen a lot of whitewater kayaking from the best paddlers in the world. I''ve judged 2 world championships and 1 olympics (whitewater slalom). I found I was a better judge than a paddler and focused on judging. There is more than one way to get to the olympics...

I visited Wink last summer to talk about diamonds - and we spent most of the morning talking Kayking and racing. Wink has a tie to the racing circuit - but I''ll let him explain it. Also, nice to meet someone benifited from the work I did helping set up a program about 15 years ago.

I know you are having fun Wink.

See ya arround.

Perry