Spank That Donkey

(Going Up Mr. Tyler?)  After Llima we rolled north a few more hours to arguably the best all around resort in Chile, Termas de Chillan... On the way, we partook in a few 'roadies', as this was a guided tour, and Lord Knows the party was located behind the drivers seat!   Between the six of us drinking we had a great buzz on before we got to the Chilean version of Wal-Mart known as the 'Jumbo'....

Now, as I said before this was my third trip to Chile and I had yet to visit anything even (snowing again enroute to Termas) resembling a Wal-Mart (which is good for Chile), but there we were in the Jumbo.... brightly lit, all the commodities, huge food section, etc. etc... We get the peanuts, fresh fruits, obligatory 2 gallons of agua sin gas per person, and then it's time to find the cerveza and vino....

This was a major cultural experience, and difference with American Wal-Marts... wine

(It's all good in the Jumbo) sampling and shots of liquor... in the Wal-Mart...   I must admit, I bought a fifth of both sampled products....  By the time we got to the cabana, unloaded, and rolled out to dinner... It was all good.

It's hard to figure what's best on these tours, getting there, being there, in between there, repeat steps one, two and three... It's all good... 

 (Don't eat the yellow snow)  Here is a You Tube of the only road into the Chilean Ski Resort Lliama.  This was my first time to Lliama, and it was just freaking wild.  You drive out into the middle of no wheresville Chile... and keep going.  We may have passed one car coming the opposite way past the nearest town...  including brief pit stops to commune with nature...

(stuck again) Anyhow, our mode of travel was a front wheel drive, diesel powered Mercedes van with chains.. We all crushed forward to try and keep the weight over the pulling tires... worked for awhile till we got stuck a few times.  Our guides had called ahead to tell the Llima staff we were coming so they came down with a 4x4 pickup, and hooked a strap onto us for the second leg of the journey.  After it got stuck for like the fourth time, out came the 4x4 tractor, which put a chain on us, and dragged us the rest of the way to the top.... The tractor itself got stuck twice!

(don't get too close to the snowblower attachment) The wildest part of this is note how each snow bank on left and right is over the van.... this is the only road in and out of Llima....  These guys want to sell lift tickets!  This was the absolute highlight of the trip.... We seriously were wondering if we would get to the resort, and would we be buried in the van during the attempt in some kind of mini avalanche... It wasn't uncommon for the tractor and/or our van to slip sideways straight into the snowbanks....

(Hmmm Same Jacket)  Just for the benefit of my latest 'drive by' insulting commenter 'HaHa', (See Chile 4) I'm gonna lay out some more Chile photos.  Lest there be any doubt that is me in the shots... 

Those funky trees in the background are called 'Monkey Puzzle' trees, and those behind me would be over 1000 years old just due to their height.  They are highly regarded and protected obviously.  One as a matter of fact is growing on the POMA lift trail, and they just left it there to run into as you are dragged up the mountain... Believe me over time the dern Monkey Puzzles will wear out the lift riders, they make oaks look wimpy.

(This isn't exactly Wintergreen)

Ever been to a ski resort and they are shoveling out the chair lift so it can operate? How about this shot of the entrance to the hotel?  That is my 160 Burton Fish for you snowboard aficionados to the right.  It is an awesome powder board, and as you can tell it came in handy in Lliama!   As I related before, powder is a whole different ball game and I will admit that I (click entrance to hotel at Lliama)

have had some great moments to minutes riding in it, right up until you fall in the stuff... It's like wallowing in cold wet cement until you can get back up right going back down hill.... I'm learning, but I still have a lot more fun in groomed packed powder, where the edges hold, and the falls (drop and roll) don't hurt.

Enough graphics for one post... I have a You Tube of the ride up to Lliama (pronounced 'Yima'), that will blow your mind... Imagine it has and is snowing so hard that the only way up to the top of Wintergreen is to be towed behind another vehicle....  

August means snowboarding!  Atleast in Chile.