YogaSlackers

Community Spotlight | 1988 Mitsubishi Delica L300 | Raquel and Sam

2023-07-25T23:59:00.001-05:00

YogaSlackers Women Who Sport

2017-02-21T15:38:00.001-06:00

2017-01-09T00:13:00.001-06:00

Sam's 2nd attempt. Who knew Sam would chongo? #YogaSlackers #NewZealand #Waterline #slacklineindustries

A video posted by YogaSlackers (@yogaslackers) on Jan 4, 2017 at 8:30pm PST

Money!

2016-10-06T12:44:00.001-05:00

http://yogaslackers.tumblr.com/post/135377288527/remember-to-spread-your-money-around-try-not-to

YogaSlackers Pack for Adventure, true Gear Junkies

2016-06-01T16:14:00.001-05:00

Episode 2 "Road to Wanderlust"

2015-09-07T08:13:00.001-05:00

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JGJ8YZhqRA0&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Road To Wanderlust: The Peace Love Car (Episode 1 • On the Road, Together)

2015-08-08T16:19:00.001-05:00

AcroYoga Breakdown: Outside Slacker Mount (Road to Wanderlust)

2015-05-28T21:18:00.001-05:00

Learn to Slackline in 6 Minuets or LESS!

2015-03-20T21:12:00.001-05:00

Road to Wanderlust: A 35,000-Mile Farewell to the Peace Love Car - Wanderlust

2014-10-15T12:10:00.001-05:00

Road to Wanderlust: A 35,000-Mile Farewell to the Peace Love Car - Wanderlust

2014-08-05T12:35:00.001-05:00

Road to Wanderlust: A 35,000-Mile Farewell to the Peace Love Car - Wanderlust

Dynamic Stillness Trio Flow with Aaron Lind and the YogaSlackers Raquel and Sam

2014-04-30T23:39:00.001-05:00

REDEFINING BALANCE PR 2014 ~ getting trashy in paradise

2014-03-26T14:43:00.002-05:00

“look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better” - Albert Einstein

REDEFINING BALANCE PUERTO RICO ~ adventure retreats in paradise filled with surfing, yoga, rock climbing, slacklining, AcroYoga, Thai Massage and... trash collection?! Yup, we got a little trashy this year...and it felt darn good!

Every year these retreats seem to rise above and beyond with regards to the incredibly talented, outgoing cast of characters who travel from countries around the world and join some of the locals from Rincon to create such an amazing weeklong experience.

The idea had crossed my mind about emphasizing the importance of environmental awareness as one of the principles behind Redefining Balance as a concept to integrate people back into the outdoors. Teaching in an environment where the water is so clear and the rock quality is so pristine allows us to provide amazing experiences with incredible photographs for students to remember. The hope is that these experiences will also help to create appreciation for these parts of the world and inspire small individual acts of conservation and mindfulness to live a more eco conscious and sustainable life when students return to their hometowns.

Our past retreats have always included beach clean ups and emphasized the importance of carrying reusable bags, a personal water bottle & to-go ware to help reduce single use plastic consumption. This year we took personal sustainability efforts to a whole new level and actually made it a “challenge” complete with awesome prizes donated from ecoconscious sponsors.

Based on a “trash tour” that I did 5 years ago to fundraise for children living in trash dumps in Cambodia, the Redefining Balance eco challenge was a one week elective “choice” that the students could take on in which they would be responsible for holding on to all of their personal trash from the week that was plastic or styrofoam (basically anything that would float in the ocean). A big part of the reason for focusing on this particular type of “floating trash” was to raise awareness about the North Pacific Trash Convergence, a large land mass of trash floating in the middle of the ocean. Students who chose to take on the eco challenge strived to keep all of their trash for the week to under the size of a small or gallon sized Zip lock bag.

Many accepted the challenge and in the end 19 students (of the original 35 on the first retreat) had bags to show for the final awards ceremony. We celebrated the last day of the retreat and the closing of the eco challenge with an outdoor party catered by our friend’s Chilling & Grilling taco truck and Brooklyn Cleanse juice bar...both of whom brought reusable plates and glasses for all of the food & drinks! And to top it off, thanks to goal zero we were able to power a turntable and mixer off of solar panels, a battery pack and portable speakers so as to throw in some live music from one of Rincon’s favorite locals, DJ Don.

All in all it was an amazing way to wrap of the first retreat and the first ever group eco challenge which then had many students from the second retreat also requesting that they get to do the eco challenge as well. It was kinda awesome...people were actually requesting the ability to carry their own trash for the week!

Our second retreat, called Redefining the Inner Balance, has all of the same activities as the original Redefining Balance but with a group half the size and a focus on daily meditations based on the 5 elements of earth, water, fire, air and ether. Kadri leads the group through amazing meditation techniques to help you to tune in to these principles and then we apply connection to the elements when we are out climbing (earth), slacklining (air), surfing (water), acro & yoga (fire) and practicing thai massage (ether) to release all those sore muscles!

For Redefining the Inner Balance the eco challenge was renamed the “eco meditation” and rather than competing for prizes students were encouraged to just observe their actions and see what came up with regards to trash and consumerism. It was really cool to have the group get together for the closing group circles at sunset and talk about their experiences with trash and what was challenging, especially in a town where so much of the food is still served on styrofoam plates with plastic utensils.

All in all the eco awareness spread throughout town with local businesses actually changing the way they served food simply because so many students complained about the disposable single use straws, plates, glasses & utensils. Rincon is slowly catching up and working towards a plastic bag banaswell. And on behalf of all the students who helped make the Redefining Balance PuertoRico 2014 season possible we are donating 5% of our proceeds from the retreats to the Surfrider Foundation & the Access Fund two amazing organizations that fund initiatives to preserve surf breaks and climbing areas around the world.

Special thanks to prAna, goal zero, coco hydro / big tree farms, Joshua Tree Organics, Ocean State of Mind, the uncharted studio and Raw Revolution for sponsoring the 2014 eco challenge and for all of their amazing prizes & support.

And congrats to CHELSEY GREENE for winning the eco challenge with just one plastic straw to show for a week’s worth of trash!!!

For more pics & info on Redefining Balance please visit facebook.com/redefiningbalance or follow us on Instagram at instagram.com/redefiningbalance

As for the rest of the retreat adventures...we’ll let the pictures tell the stories Enjoy!
~ adi

photos courtesy of: Brian Mosbaugh // slacklinemedia.com, Ryan Martin // ofrion.com, Kadri Kurgun // kadrikurgun.com, Danielle Robidoux // daniellerobidoux.com, Tamar Melen and Richard Baimbridge

YogaSlackers: No Cheating the Line

2013-09-12T21:41:00.001-05:00

Sleeping on Ice

2013-03-10T17:57:00.001-05:00

PC2 to Sleeping on Ice

Jumping crevesses was fun. For the first 4 hrs!

Team Four Continents were finally gaining some headway! From dead last at the beginning of the race (after the flat tire) we moved to 8th place. We had an enormous ice field to cross and a gigantic will to do so. Stjepan Pavicic, race director, was at PC2. He gave us a huge smile, laughed with us at our 57 seconds closed call at PC1 and gave us the good-to-go authorization if we happen to miss the PC3 cut off at 11 pm. I put on my ToeSox liners, waterproof socks and crampons. Sam and Tom also crampon-up. Taz felt there was no need to do so. After all to make it to PC2 we walked on the glacier crampon-less for a while. We said our good byes and headed onto the ice.

Soon we were jumping and skipping crevices. Taz decided to crampon-up while we waited on ice. What was supposed to be 10 km of glacier walk turned to be about 20 km. Walking on a glacier, filled with crevasses, is the equivalent of walking on a huge and cold labyrinth. We walked back and forth for hours making slow progress.

Nighttime and bad weather was approaching

It was my very first time walking on ice, using crampons, and even seeing a crevasse! My first jumps were unimpressive. Tom and Sam had to help me cross and gave me a crash course on crampon use. I was so grateful to have the easy to use Kahtoola Crampons and my super light Leki poles! After a few steps I forgot I even had them on. Little by little I gained confidence and started to make some progress. By the end of the glacier crossing I felt pretty confident. After all I had about 20 km of experience!

It is very easy to feel small in this terrain.

The Tyndall Glacier is part of the Campo de Hielo Sur (Southern Ice Fields). The section we were on has big crevasse fields on either side with a river running down the middle flanked by flatter ice. Needless to say that was the easier terrain to travel. But we didn't know that! We only realized that after experiencing it during the race and after seeing our track on the DeLorme inReach site with their excellent detailed aerial imagery. Had we seen this before hand the story to follow would have been very different. After about 2.5 hrs of crevasse dodging and jumping we found the flat grounds. But we didn't know we should have follow it until we were almost parallel to PC3 and then move parallel to the crevasses off of the glacier. Instead we keep trying to go more directly towards the checkpoint at an angle; finding in this way even bigger crevasses and iceberg-like formations.

Walking at night became a real challenge.
Our Fenix headlamps had to work overnight... literally!

Nighttime came and with it a huge storm. Darkness made navigating even more challenging and the rain and the wind made it colder and scarier to walk around or jump the huge crevasses. By then we had joined in with one of the Chilean Teams: Kaweskar. The other Chilean Team: Yagan, was also on the ice, but took a route that brought them to the edge of the ice early on.

Team Kaweskar and us happen to come together in the ice and started heading in the same direction. Soon we were blocked from forward travel. We came to an area of huge ice formations, too tall and steep to climb or to jump around. After a number of futile attempts to find a path through the crevasse maze team Kaweskar decided to make camp on the ice. They had ice screws and a tent that would withstand winds. Our tent in the other hand would require 6 ice screws (that we didn't have) and would not withstand the winds. We had a decision to make: continue on our own or stay with the Chilean team.

A 4 person tent, hosted 8 hungry and tired racers.

If we continued without finding a way off the ice, it meant not having a tent to pass the night. We were already in survival mode. It also meant 'leaving them behind' and even thought this was a race, human nature always points us to stay together in dangerous situations. So we did.

After searching for a while we found a place that was sheltered from the wind, somewhat level, and not completely flooded (we were in a world of melting ice in a rainstorm after all). A few feet from where we planned to set the tent there was a hole where melt water disappeared into the glacier. We made an attempt at leveling and trenching a platform by scraping off the ice with our Kahtoola Crampons and set up and anchored the tent. We used the Jet Boil to heat water for some very appreciated dehydrated AlpineAire meals and all eight of us - got into a 4 person tent, ate some food, shared some stories, and tried to sleep. It was very cramped to say the least. To fit 8 people in a 4 person tent meant trying to sleep sitting up or lying knees bent on top of another person. We did both.

Sleeping with your body all tight-up after cycling 108 kms, trekking 21 plus kms and walking on a glacier for at least 20 kms was not really pleasant. During the night you could hear random wines, cries and complaints whenever someone tried to move or stretch.

Morning came and both teams continued hiking towards PC3

Morning came and both teams continue walking towards PC3. All of us wanted to continue the race. After several attempts in the direction of PC3, we back tracked to the smoother ice and headed down the glacier. Wind gusts were still about 85 km/h, but there was light and the rain had subsided. We were moving fast.

In the direction to PC3 we saw a person. Yes! We are in the right place! Then another, and another, and another. The other Chilean team and a group of photographers and race personnel were heading back to PC1. PC3 was closed. The race was over for all of us.

The trek to the Magnificent Glacier and finally doing something right!

2013-03-10T17:23:00.000-05:00

PC 1 to PC2

Passing Sam his Wenger sunglasses.

We entered PC1 (Punto de Control or Control Point) feeling exhausted. Two teams were still at the transition area. Again we felt we were not doing 'that' bad... in perspective. Transitioning took longer than we originally planned but at least we had made it.

We left PC1 feeling a little tired but very motivated. That was the most amazing aspect for me. Even when super low in energy as soon as we managed to finish a stage I felt fresh again, ready and eager to take on the next one! Ahead of us was a 21 km trek to the Tyndall Glacier.

Ready for some trekking action!

Torres del Paine is beautiful. Green grass, flowers, rivers, big mountains and glaciers! It is the perfect setting for a fairy tale story. The first part of the trail was really easy: flat grounds to recover our sore muscles and then we started climbing up.

Our packs were heavy. I was carrying extra food, the Jet Boil, gas and a smoke bomb in addition to my mandatory gear. Sam and Tom were each carrying an Alpaka packraft. We are planning to save precious time on the treks legs by pack rafting through lakes. Sam was feeling sleepy through this leg and I felt like my back was about to give up. I truly wondered if I could manage all this weight for 10 days. At some point Tom took a bunch of weight out of my backpack. I could finally come out of the agony. Soon after, we had our first river crossing. Not big enough to open the pack rafts, but to get our feet wet. We were all amazed at Sam's reaction to the cold water. He aroused from his sleepy state instantly even more than eating 5 packages of Surge. Finally we were moving at a better pace.

Taz was really energetic and kept moving ahead, way too far for our comfort. Tom saw this as an opportunity to equalize forces and gave him some extra weight to carry around. After more climbs up through gorgeous rocky mountains, we arrive at PC2 with about 38 minutes to spare and passed two teams on the way there. Not because we were faster, but because our navigation was spot on! Big yeah! to Tom and Taz for that one.

Enchanted forest with rolling hills kept our hearts pumping.

Gorgeous view lifted our energy.

Final climb towards the glacier

How exploding tires and gravel roads almost cost us the race.

2013-03-08T12:26:00.001-06:00

START TO PC1:

It is Monday February 12th. Midnight is quickly approaching and with it the start of the 11th Patagonian Expedition Race. It is my first time competing in a race of this length, caliber and intensity. I am calm and relax, a little too relaxed for my comfort.

Teams busy on final preparations.

I come from a background in triathlon competitions. Before most races I became restless, my energy levels rose and I had to keep moving to control my body. Today is very different. I lay on a pad on the floor trying to catch some sleep. Sleep is challenging since we were placed next to the medical examination area and their constant chatting is not conducive of peaceful sleep. I close my eyes and focus on my breath; I breathe and try to fade into deep recuperative sleep.

It is almost midnight. We cycle into the plaza in Puerto Natales. There was loud music going on, lots of people in a festival-like atmosphere. The race will start with a 108 km cycle to Torres del Paine. Teams in matching outfits gather around the plaza. Veteran teams Adidas, East Winds, and Gear Junky/YogaSlackers are all gathered in the front of the pack. The race is about to start.

Puerto Natales' Plaza, minutes before Race Start

We are Team Four Continents; an assortment of random, non-uniformed people. The team was originally named to represent the union of the Australian, North American and Asian Continent racing in the South American Continent. This year the team is formed by: Team Captain Taz Lawrie (Australia), Sam Salwei (United States), Tom Grundy (United States) and me, Luz Raquel Hernández-Cruz (Puerto Rico). It is Taz's 3rd time racing the Patagonian Expedition Race, Sam's 2nd and Tom and I's 1st. This will be our very first time cycling together and we are about to start the hardest race on earth.

Tom fixing the flat tire.

The race started sharply at midnight with the town people chanting the countdown. Off we go! All 11 teams cycling off to the next check point. Our plan to stay with the lead group for the first leg of the cycle disintegrated almost immediately.

I quickly realized gravel roads are not my kind of cookie. Sam was eager to keep going strong so he offered me the tow rope. It was his very first time towing someone, my very first time being towed. It was scary and weird. It took me a few minutes to figure it out. Not training as a team took a toll on us. It was not the sharp rotation linear drafting formation we wanted but we were working on it.

About an hour and a half into the race, Sam was towing me and we were finally in a semi-decent formation and booom! His back tire practically exploded. Sealant started shooting away from the tire and it became instantly flat. Sam had borrowed a bike from Pete Clyden. He didn't know it was a tubeless tire. The tire sliced so badly that the sealant did not work. We had to insert an inner-tube to fix it. For some reason the valve stem collar was stuck. Both, Sam and Tom tried to take it out for about 10 minutes. We were sure it was impossible. But they manage to use brute force and grippy gloves to take it out and fix the tire. What should have taken 5 minutes took about 30. We saw the last of the team pass us by. We were dead last on the competition.

Tom and I in our Ellsworth Bikes. Ignore the tow rope... ;-)

What followed was several (many – or maybe endless) kilometers of gravel roads; of us trying to establish a formation; of me getting towed by Sam and Tom (also his first time!) and of hills and hills of cycling. Somewhere at about 4 am we passed a group. It was Team Huemul Conservation. They had stopped and appeared to be resting in the side of the road. It gave us a little hope! We were not in last place anymore!

Daylight came and with it an amazing view. We were about to enter the Torres del Paine National Park. The view was spectacular! By now we were afraid we might miss the cutoff time for the second leg of the race. We were pushing it as hard as we could. Bumpy gravel roads are brutal. They take a lot more effort to pedal than most roads. I remember the entrance to the park. We had to go by a bridge. It was concrete. It felt like the most polished surface I had ever pedaled on. It was smooth, soft, easy. I was so grateful for it. All my pains and discomfort instantly disappeared. I felt like I could pedal faster, stronger, longer! It lasted 5 seconds and back to continuous gravel.

By now we were pushing redline on effort and time. Sam was towing me on and off while Tom towed Taz. As we saw the PC 1 (Punto de Control or Check Point) we wondered if we could make the cutoff time. We pedaled, we hurt, but we made it with only 57 seconds to spare.

Entering Torres del Paine National Park

9) Flying with Style

2013-03-01T08:00:00.000-06:00

Puerto Montt

Friday Feb 8^th 3:00 pm

First sight of getting to the airport

The simple sight of the airport brought a sense of peace to our minds. But we knew our 'fight' to get to Punta Arenas was not over yet. We still had to -somehow- check all our 550 lbs of gear into a domestic flight. I headed to the check-in counter and asked how much weight each passenger was allowed to bring. 20 kilos for checked bags and 5 for carry-ons. Any excess would incur in a charge of 2,000 CHP per kilo extra!

Yeah, we were those people you see running at the airport.

We were way out of luck!!! We scrambled and shuffle our gear to make 3 bags in the required weight limit. We thought we will have to spend our life savings (and credit!) to take our gear to Punta. We started to put on all the clothing that we could. Sam even wanted to walk in with our drysuits on! I was sure that would land us straight into Carabineros hands and cavity searches. So we opted out of it. We 'just' had a total of:

15 pairs of pants (including cycling shorts!)
7 shirts
4 pairs of socks
3 pair of bike shoes (the heaviest shoes we had)
1 pair of gloves

The final cost of shipping a bike and 30 kilos of excess baggage.
About $90.

Meanwhile a brilliant idea was formed: let's ask if they do cargo shipments! As we entered the airport I remembered seeing a cargo area. Sam mentioned it again so I ran in that direction.

Running with 5 lbs of extra clothing was a mission on its own. It was hot, heavy and uncomfortable. I felt the instant heat wave generate and the dehydration of the past days kicking in. The cargo office gave me the thumbs up and I headed back to check-in for our flight and bring the remaining luggage and the bike box to the cargo.

Sam and I's carry-ons.

We managed to check-in with a few kilos overweight. Thankfully our carry-ons were not weighed since some were probably pushing 30 kilos. Tom stayed with our carry-ons while Sam and I took one bag and the bike box to the cargo area.

The cargo office was about 700 meters away. Sam and I were hot with all our clothing and way too tight! We felt what an overweight and inflexible person would feel. Now we will be much more emphatic about it. The bike and bag will leave in the same airplane as we but it will cost us a fraction of the price! It only cost us 43,000 CHP! Cheaper than sending the bike box in an American airport. Finally some success for Team Four Continents!!!

Back in the airport the only obstacle between us and the plane was yet another security check point. We were trying to act like our carry-ons were light. But boy! They sure were not! My bag and Tom's went by unnoticed but security stopped Sam dead on his track.

Yeah, we lost a wrench... who cares!

Oh no! The race food! The climbing gear! The equipment! The excess weight! What would it be?! A 4 inch wrench! That we bought for car repairs and saved for bike box work. Whatever! Keep it! Dropped it next to the sling shot at the impound box! It was the most amusing non-dramatic event of the entire trip!

We were free! Just one more flight to go. With lots of relief we saw all our bags and bike box being loaded into the plane. The flight was 30 minutes late. We couldn't really care much. We sat on the second row of our plane and rested.

Sam and I looking a little bit heavier
with our extra pants and biking shoes.

No further calamities affected our trip. But we must have been really smelly since the flight attendant kept spraying some sort of toxic air freshener whenever she walked by us! If only she knew all the adventures and obstacles we had to surpass the get there.

Once in Punta Arenas our usual unusualness created a big commotion. While waiting for our baggage we started undressing. We shed layers and layers of clothing to the amusement of fellow passengers and other racers.

At the airport we were greeted by our friend Rodrigo. His truck was big enough for us and all our gear. By now, we have become moving experts so it only took us a few minutes to be ready to leave. He drove us to Hostal Victoria our new home for the days preceding the race. Taz was expecting us. Finally, after a week of travel, mishaps and adventures Team Four Continents was together.

Last packing job... Punta Arenas Airport

8) The Bus, The Bike Box and The Truck

2013-02-28T08:00:00.000-06:00

Rancagua, Osorno and Puerto Montt

Thursday Feb 7^th 11:30 pm - Friday 10 am

Our 11:00 pm departure never occurred. Bad traffic in Santiago was stalling the bus for a few 'minutes'. Minutes turn to hours and our hopes started to sink once more. We saw at least 20 different buses pulled into the station, sharply picking up fellow passengers and moved on.

' You want me to fit all that here?!'

Midnight came. It was officially Friday. By 3:00 pm this day we had to be at the airport and by 6:00 pm we were expected in Punta Arenas. Our energy was low. After all, it was been 48 hrs of mishaps, of broken cars, lost buses and eternal wait. Thirty minutes later, hope came with the sight of a Bus Del Norte machine. We rushed into the loading zone with all our belongings. Our load lighter since the bike box was already in Osorno waiting for us.

Just in case you forgot how the bike box look.
Very easy to spot!

As the luggage compartment doors open, we quickly understood their hesitation to take the bike box in this trip. The space was really limited. I couldn't comprehend how we were going to fit all our gigantic bags in the space left. The bus operator could not comprehend either. Bags were re-positioned shuffled and stacked. Space was commissioned from different compartments and one bag made it into the driver’s pit. We were all aboard, welcomed with a snack and a seat to rest and sleep.

That's me, looking sad due to the 'no bike' news.

Morning came quick as the bus stopped in different stations. Passengers came in and out the bus through the whole trip. But mainly down giving us hope for free space for our beloved triangular double-bike box. As soon as the bus stopped in Osorno, Sam and I jumped out and headed to the office. We just had to pick up the bike box and take it into the bus. The box had arrived the night before. Or so we thought.

Our bike box is very easy to spot. It is a white triangular box that resembles a gigantic piece of cheese more than a bike box. From the first sight into the office we knew it was not there. Fear, frustration and hopelessness flew through my entire body. We were still racing the clock to the airport and yet another mishap presented itself to us. Gear check for the Race was tomorrow. We had already missed skills test and we couldn't check our gear without two bikes!

Special Slackers delivery to the Cargo Station in Puerto Montt.

Once more we told our story: the car purchase, the broken car, the lost bus tickets, the race. People felt empathy and became more willing to help. At one point everyone in the office was searching for the box, including the driver. Phone calls were made, supervisors were called upon stage while we gazed through the glass wall and hope for a glance of good luck.

Once more, we communicated using DeLorme's inReach system.

Finally word came from the driver: 'We cannot wait any longer. The bus must leave'. Desperation came followed immediately by some news. A new plan had been forged: the bike box was at Osorno but at a different terminal. It was sitting in a cargo terminal a few miles from us. Our bus could not go there or wait any longer. Our option was to send the box directly to Puerto Montt's cargo station. The bus driver will leave us there and we just had to contact out truck pick up to change locations. After all we've been through in the past days, this seemed simple enough.

We re-boarded our bus and continued on our way to Puerto Montt. Our minds filled with questions: would the box make it in time? Why couldn't they send the box directly there from the first place? Would we be able to contact our truck driver?

A few hours later we arrived to the Puerto Montt, Bus Del Norte’s cargo station. All bags were accounted for and placed on the sidewalk. I entered the office to, once more, not find the bike box.

Sam helping download the truck...
wrongly thinking the box was here... not!

Calls were made and we were assured the box was on its way. Since arriving to Chile most of our communication with the outside world have been possible thanks to our DeLorme inReach system. It allows us to send 160 characters messages through email without the need of an internet connection. However, all we had for the bus driver was a phone number. And even though Taz was helping us contact the truck driver, the fact that it was not possible for us to walk to the other bus station with our entire gear and bike box was lost in translation. We needed to speak to him directly.

Wiiiii!!!! The bike box is here!!!

A gentleman from the cargo station loaned us his cellphone to contact the truck driver and gave him directions to get there. As truck after truck came into the station we rushed to them to find bags of merchandise and luggage but not a single bike box.

About 45 minutes after the bus left us in Porto Montt a small truck came bearing good news. The sight of a bike box had never before brought so much happiness to three people. We had all our gear!

Our truck driver was already waiting for us and the rest of our luggage was already packed. We rushed the bike box into the back of the pick up truck and rushed to the airport.

How do you fit 550 lbs of gear and 4 people in a pick-up truck?
Hoping one of them is not claustrophobic!

Me: 'How far is the airport?'

Driver: 'I don’t really know, I've never been there'.

Me: 'oh oh'.

7) What to do in the bus station

2013-02-27T08:00:00.000-06:00

Rancagua Bus Station

Thurs Feb 7^th 7:00 am - 12:30 pm

Playtime!

As daylight percolated through the bus station windows, the station guard asked us to rise. We were woken up twice before: with each guard change, to ensure we were waiting on a bus and not just using the station as a bed and breakfast. Slowly we gathered our belongings and headed outside for the first time.

It was the first time since we got to Santiago that we didn't have to search, buy, or schedule car/bus/plane pick-ups. We were free to explore!

We made our way to a close by park. It was the closest to nature we have been for a while. It was summer in Chile! We came from a harsh winter in SLC with frozen roads and fresh snow.

We set-up a slackline and played Acro for a few hours. We slept a little longer on the grass while the sun warmed our backs. It felt like heaven. We contemplated our long journey, our mishaps and the race to come. We were excited to finish with all the travel and to start focusing on the Patagonian Expedition Race.

We are free to play!

Hunger and thirst came and we strolled our way to the closest market. White bread and cheese never tasted so good. Chocolate ice-cream appetizers nourished our bodies and souls. With full bellys we strolled back to the bus station. Internet connection was required since we still had to figure a way to get from the bus station in Puerto Montt to the airport.

Taz (the team captain) was dealing with this issue. He contacted a truck driver in Puerto Montt. The plan was simple: Pick-up at Puerto Montt. Deliver to Airport. All the pieces of the puzzle were in place.

Waiting 24+ hrs in a Chilean bus station is not an easy task. There was not a single comfortable seat and we were not allowed to lie on the floor. Internet was completely gone by now and the station TV was only showing the Chilean version of 'People's Court'. At least we were able to charge our devices from the single live outlet we found although the internet was very spotty.

Hey... Please don't do 'that' in 'here'.

Boredom came fast and we decided to entertain ourselves and other fellow companions in the station. Sam and I started doing Acro. We were having the practice of our lives! Our bodies wanted and needed all this action. We were deep into our practice when a guard came and asked us not to do 'that' in 'here'.

As I was explaining to him that we were not asking for money and gentleman handed me a 1,000 CHP note! What was a supposed to do?! Said Thanks! And moved on. We only needed 799 more of those to recover from our losses. Perfect timing!

3 Coin Hockey Game... with hairband variation.

After being denied our Acro we continued entertaining ourselves as well as we could. We played: Ninja Destruction, Coin Soccer, Coin Basketball and invented a coin game that included the use of hair bands. It was amusing for us and for children and adults in our surroundings.

Nighttime came and with it the time to board our bus to Puerto Mont. But the bus was not there.

It's 11:00 pm... No bus in sight...

6) A Bike Box Tale

2013-02-26T09:00:00.000-06:00

Rancagua’s Bus Station

Wed Feb 6^th 5:00 pm

Elena, giving us hope

Bus Norte was our salvation. Elena, the sales person, was very kind and helpful. We got tickets for Thursday at 11:00 pm, one day after, to Puerto Montt. From Puerto Montt we would have to fly to Punta Arenas. The one advantage of this transaction? We will make it to Punta on Friday with time to spare for skills test and gear check.

We still had one more issue to handle: the bike box. Since we were boarding the bus at Rancagua, and the bus route staarts in Santiago, the luggage compartment would be full by the time we boarded. We had to send the box ahead to Osorno. By the time we reach Osorno most passengers and their luggage would have debarked the bus, giving us the coveted space to board our bikes. Sounded complex, but we went ahead with it. After all, it was our only real option.

At 10:30 pm on Wednesday we put our bike box into the bus to Osorno. It felt perfectly into the luggage compartment. And once more we felt the joy of having two bikes on one box. Our efforts were paying forward. Suddenly, we felt a rush of energy and celebrated with some Acro and cheers. It felt like the wheels of Karma were finally turning on our behalf.

Farewell bike box! We will see you in two days!

Now all we had to do now was wait. Wait 25 hrs to our schedule departure for Puerto Montt. Wait and get plane tickets!

Internet was even spottier at this time. We couldn't get a good connection to purchase our tickets. Plus, to get the cheap rates through SkyAir you need to have a Chilean credit card. So, we got our good local friends to make the purchase for us.

Jorge and Catalina were taking care of the purchase. They had been helping us since we arrived in Santiago 6 days ago. After picking us up at the airport they had a full time job carrying us around Santiago searching for a car and visiting public offices.

Finally some good news!

Nonetheless, the nightmare net of the Chilean system also affected the locals. The SkyAir website didn't allow them to make the purchase. We had to try through another source.

This is where Rodrigo and Andrea entered our labyrinth of despair offering order and high hopes. We contact them with the huge request: purchase 3 tickets from Puerto Montt to Punta Arenas for tomorrow. They were onboard but they had to wait until later tonight to get home to do so. We waited, un-patiently.

A few hours went by, the guys slept on top of our now lighter luggage. I watched a re-run movie with english subtitles. Calm came to us when Rodrigo contacted us to get our travel information and peace came with the news of the purchase.

Left luggage at Bus Station

Ahhhhh, finally all tickets were purchased. We could rest and let go. Our destiny was set: bus tomorrow night, flight to Punta Arenas the day after. We got rid of most of our luggage at the 'left luggage' office of the terminal. It was the best spent 7,000 CHP so far.

Adrenaline levels went back to normal and we felt the effects of 48 hrs without proper sleep. After finding a cozy floor space and inflating our Klymit mats we felt in the deepest sleep we had had in a week.

Waking up at the bus station. We were too tired to take a picture the night before. :-(

5) Please sell me a bus ticket

2013-02-25T15:34:00.001-06:00

5) Please sell me a bus ticket

Rancagua Bus Station

Wed Feb 6^th, 3:00 PM

500 lbs on a tow... Heading to the Bus Station

We had our grand entrance to the bus station on a tow truck full of gear. Downloaded our 550 lbs to the closest corner and went on a mission to find bus tickets to Punta Arenas, while Tom guarded/slept on the gear.

All our Casino Internet research told was that we could go from:

Rancagua to Punta Arenas through Osorno by bus, or
Rancagua to Puerto Montt and then fly to Punta Arenas

Flying was a faster option but much more expensive considering our excess weight. Sam and I headed on a mission to find tickets. I was the translator. Sam was the only person with a RUT number.

See all those bus companies? We spoke to most!

Once again we were sent from one bus booth to another searching for a place with open seats to Punta Arenas. We found it! The bus company Cruz Del Sur had 5 tickets for tomorrow night!!! We just had to sleep in the bus station for a night and spend the day there. Perfect! We were tired so resting in one place for a day sounded appealing. Wait, not so fast.

Again nothing comes simple to this crew. The guy would not sell us the tickets without a form from the Argentinian consulate. Some form that I had to fill out and pay online. I tried to explain to him that he could sell me the tickets, put them aside and then give them to me once I give him the Argentinean paperwork. I was afraid that with our luck the tickets would sell before I finish swimming the bureaucratic ocean. But it was no-possible…

The mighty 'Form' at the Argentinian site.

Did I mention that nothing comes easy for this crew? The internet at the bus station was too spotty for our computer to connect. The cybercafé was out of order and the 'mobile' version of the consulate page was a nightmare. As I was finishing the first form, the guy from Cruz Del Sur came to me with unfortunate news: One of the five tickets had sold. He was now concerned that we would not have tickets. By the time we reached his booth, another ticket had sold. Only 3 left! Well, that's all we need.

In a rush he started filling out the form. The tension from all parts was tangible. He was asking questions and typing slowly, I couldn't take it anymore, so I took over. As soon as the first passenger’s information was on the computer the power went out in the whole station.

The power was out for just a few minutes, but to us all it felt like hours. By the time he was able to login again one more ticket had sold. Getting to Punta Arenas directly by bus was no longer an option.

4) On selling a car in Chile. Not!

2013-02-23T10:00:00.000-06:00

4) On selling a car in Chile. Not!

Wed Feb 6^th

9:00 AM

Sam resting on the flatbed truck in his new ToeSox Sandals.

Sergio, picked us at the Casino parking lot. We were all deep asleep in the sidewalk and slept most of the way to the Notary Office. Our bodies and minds were exhausted. We had not had any proper sleep since Tuesday morning when we got up early to buy the car in Melipilla.

With high hopes we headed to the Notary Office. By now we were experts on the process of buying/selling a car in Chile. We knew that the public Registry would not do the transaction due to our temporary RUT number. The Notary was our only hope. We had the entire paperwork ready... We had it from the day before!

Yet another trip to the Notary Office.

Little did we know, that we could not sell a car that we bought only a day before through a notary office. Since they only give us proof of purchase and not proof of ownership. Had the Public Registry Employees accepted our temporary RUT and given us the proof of ownership 'al tiro' (at the moment like they say here) the car would have been sold. But for us, nothing is ever that simple.

We headed back to the towing company. By then the sun was high on the sky and they had enough time to examine the vehicle. Enough time to realize the piece of junk we bought and decide it was not in their best interest to buy it from us.

We were stuck with the:

'Car That Shall Not Be Named'.

Playtime and then to the bus station!

All the employees of the tow company were very helpful. They really wanted us to find a way to return the car and get our money back. However, we were pressed on time. We were all meant to be in Punta Arenas on Friday for the skills tests. We were still heading the Patagonian Expedition Race… remember?

Our only option was to put a formal complaint with the 'Carabineros' (police) stating the kms we traveled and the day that the 'Car That Shall Not Be Named' died on us. In that way we could continue our travels to Punta Arenas, race and head back to deal with our junk with wheels.

Riding with the boys.

Complaints were filled, papers were signed, our story was told yet another time and we headed with our 550 lbs of gear to the bus station in Rancagua.

Click for part 1
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3) Car trouble

2013-02-22T08:00:00.000-06:00

Rancagua

Wed Feb 6^th, 2:00 am

After only 70 km of travel...

I woke up in the back of the 'furgon' to a lot of smoke and a quiet engine. Sam is driving and Tom is acting as a copilot. The car coasts for a while before stopping dead next to SOS highway phone station.

Our Carry Furgon’s engine is located underneath the front seats. Sam and Tom lifted the sits to let the hot air escape and cool the engine. They assessed the situation for a while and decided to sleep for a couple to hours before trying to restart the car. Two hours later the guys refilled the coolant liquid and oil and gave it another shot. It looked like we had put liquid in a colander, oil was dripping on the ground from several places and coolant was coming out the exhaust. There was no hope of restarting the car again.

DeLorme once more allowing us to stay InReach.

I walked to the SOS booth and called for help. An operator answered the call quickly and sent a tow truck while we slept a little longer. The plan was to tow the car back to Santiago. The public highway tow could only take us to a private tow company; they would have to tow us back to Santiago at our expense.

On the way to the towing company we told our story to the tow operator. The operator became interested in buying our gas canister and car! Our plans changed immediately, we just had to wait until 9 am to go to the local Notary Office to sell him the car, for 1/8 of the price we bought it for.

At the gas station using the internet.

It was 4:30 am when we met Sergio. Sergio is the owner of Gruas Flores, the private company that will take our car to Santiago. Him and our truck operator spoke for a while and decided to purchase the car from us. They had the means to fix the car and re-sale it later. Since we had to wait until 9:00 am to do the paperwork, we left the car at Sergio’s place.

Sergio took us to a gas station where we could use the internet for a few hours. Since the internet was not working we called him again and he was nice enough to pick us up and took us to a nearby Casino that had internet. While we wait for the working day to start, we would have to figure our best option to get to Punta Arenas. Taking the bus to Punta Arenas seemed to be our only option. However, none of the online sites allowed us to purchase tickets. It seemed that the only option was to go to the bus station directly and hope for the best.

Heading to the Casino or maybe trespassing charges.

A few hours later Sergio picked us up at the Casino’s parking and we headed to the notary. Finally, we will be able to get rid of the car and continue our travels.

Wait... Not so soon, Not so easy.

Click for part 1
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2) On buying a car in Chile

2013-02-21T08:00:00.000-06:00

2) On buying a car in Chile

Santiago

February 1^st - 5^th

Jorge with the long To-Do List

Traveling on a very tight budget with 550 lbs of gear is not an easy task. We decided that our best chance was to buy a car in Santiago and head down to Punta Arenas on our own. This fancy move would save us money on overweight luggage fees in buses and planes and will allow us to adventure in the Chilean and Argentinian roads both before and after the PER.

The information we found on the internet was straight forward:

Get a RUT # (Tax payer ID #)
Find a car
Buy a car

They said the process should take one or two days. Very fast and easy!

What they failed to mentions is that none of the public employees are aware of the process of selling a car to a foreigner. And due to this lack of knowledge are unwilling to search for a solution. Ohhh and most public offices only work Monday to Friday from 9:00 to 2:00 pm! So, our Friday arrival to Santiago was unfortunate.

Sam signing and 'digitizing' the purchase

For four days we were ping-ponged from agency to agency. Almost every place we visited told us first hand that the process was impossible. We had to cite the internet, pretend that we know what we were talking about to have a supervisor sent to us with some willing hands.

As I said, our budget and time frame was very limited so we bought the best car we found, for the price that we could afford, which wasn't much! Our new ride was a 1985 Suzuki Carry that we found advertised on the internet in Melipilla, 1hr away from Santiago. Our salesman ensure us that it will make the trip to Punta Arenas and back -no problem! We were very excited to find a car that would fit the three of us and all our gear.

Our sweet new ride!

Buying the car was a long and tedious process. We had to:

Have both buyer (we) and seller present at the moment of transaction
Have both RUTs
Have the Circulation Permit and the Mechanical Revision Paper for the Car
Pay the Contract
Pay the Car Transfer plus 1.5% in Taxes in a Bank
Have an Official Estimated Car Value (equivalent to the Blue Book in the states)
Receive the Padron (proof of ownership). This should be given immediately if done in the Public Registry. If not, it takes between 15 to 20 days.

It took us a day of walking from office to office to buy the car. The public sector would not help us buy it so we had to do it through a notary office. The notary group was very helpful and understanding of our needs. They helped us expedite the process and even get a travel authorization form.

Fenix Power for All!

The thing is that to go to Punta Arenas (Chile) by car you have to travel through Argentina. To do so, the car must be on your name (you need the Padron) or you will need a travel authorization from the owner. The last of our bureaucratic transactions was that. Finally we can head to Punta Arenas!

Car paid, with temporary RUT and temporary acquisition papers we were ready to head out to Santiago. In our first short ride we realized neither the windshield wipers nor the blinkers worked. We bargained with our salesman to lowered the established priced or to fix it. He took us to a mechanic whom after seeing the car for a few minutes said it was not possible in a rush. That was a bad omen. Yet, we were determined to go on.

At 11:00 pm, from Maipú, we said good bye to Jorge and Catalina and with our new car featuring Fenix headlamps and Nite Ize turn signals, we started our trip down to Punta Arenas.

Click for part 1
Click for part 2
Click for part 3
Click for part 4