Hanging on for dear life

I was wandering around Pucon on the afternoon of January 2 finalizing arrangements for my climb of the Villarrica Volcano with the kind folks at Summit Chile when they suggested I head a few doors down and talk to the guys at Freeride Pucon about going mountain biking. They are the best riders in Pucon, and Juan Pablo agreed to take me halfway up the Villarrica Volcano for an afternoon of freeriding with a little cross country mixed in along the way down. Before we could descend, we had to ride up a little farther towards the summit. The views both in front (volcano) and behind (lake) were outstanding.It ended up being an epic guided tour of some seriously gnarly terrain on some otherwise impossible to find local trails. We had to hop over or through more than one barbed wire fence on the way down.I've been riding mountain bikes since I was 12, but parts of the descent took me to the absolute outer limits of my ability. The ground was extremely soft and loose, made up as it was largely of volcanic ash and crumbly rock. This photo of Juan Pablo descending one section gives you some idea of what we were riding.It was very difficult to scrub speed, but the sheer drops on the side of the trail made scrubbing some speed necessary to ensure we actually made it around the turns. At point we were riding alongside, and high above, the river bed where the lava flows when the volcano erupts.Later we rode in the lava river bed. There were many rock drops on the trail itself. Halfway through the ride, I understood why Juan Pablo had asked me earlier at the shop if I wanted a full-face helmet and body armor (both of which I foolishly declined because I've been riding mountain bikes forever and never wear anything more than a normal helmet). If you crash here, particularly at speed, it is going to hurt. Thankfully, neither one of us bit it and other than getting whipped by a few thorns, we emerged unscathed and with big grins on our faces. Juan Pablo is one of the most skilled descenders I've ever ridden with, and he was a great guide.Ride details here.

New Year's Eve in Santiago

Santiago is a ghost town on New Years Eve. Half the city absconds to Valparaiso for a huge party and fireworks display. Those who remain tend to dine with their families and then gather by the Entel Tower for some more modest fireworks. The only place we could find to eat, other than our hotel (which wanted an offensive $120 per person for a buffet, ruthlessly exploiting the lack of alternatives), was a Chinese restaurant downtown called Lung Fung. The place has existed in its underground lair for 40yrs, and the decor is amazing.Everything is carpeted or covered in velvet -- including walls, doors, and some ceilings. Those pieces not covered in carpet or velvet are brightly adorned with wood carvings and colorful paintings. The food was middling. The taxi ride home continued my fine tradition of finding an aspiring Formula 1 race car driver on New Year's Eve in South American capitals (see: Buenos Aires, 2007-8). He cranked up a remix of Another Brick in the Wall and hit 80+ mph on the empty boulevards.

Wandering around Valparaiso

There are few things I enjoy more than wandering around interesting places, camera in hand, and Valparaiso is one of the most visually interesting places I've visited -- paradise for curious photographers. Also, Clark and I both love trains, so we were very excited to find and ride as many funiculars as possible  during our brief time in Valparaiso. We set off mid-morning on December 30 with Osvaldo as driver and the excellent Walter as guide, both from A&K Chile. It didn't take long in Valparaiso to find a funicular squeezed between some buildings and nestled into a hillside. The conductor operates the cars from the station at the top.We rode it down to the main commercial area of town. Something nearly as cool greeted us at the bottom. Valparaiso has a small fleet of very old trackless trolleys running around town. Walter told us that every time a public official tries to get ride of them, there is a huge public outcry and the trolleys survive. The contrast with the newer buses dashing about is cool.I prefer the old shade of green. After a quick side trip to Vina del Mar for lunch, we returned to Valparaiso and found another funicular. The old turnstiles were neat.They each had a counter (probably long since broken, unless it is reset regularly).After riding this funicular back up into one of the hillside, we had a field day wandering around the streets of Valparaiso taking pictures of the colorful houses and street scenes.There is lots of graffiti in Valparaiso, but it is more artful than what you find in a lot of cities.The hillsides make everything look dramatic.Osvaldo drove us along a ridge through some of the more interesting neighborhoods.And then we headed back through Chilean wine country to Santiago.