On of my favorite experiences during each international travel journey is seeing how people live in different countries and learning about their work and daily life. Traveling with Overseas Adventure Travel (OAT) assures us plenty of opportunities to do this on each tour.
First, we visited Osiana, a women’s cooperative that was founded in 2024 and became a beneficiary of Grand Circle Foundation (OAT is owned by Grand Circle). The foundation donates equipment and fabrics to Osiana, so the women can make products to sell at local farmers markets, empowering them to be financially independent. The cooperative is open to any woman in the community, and the ladies can make whatever products they would like.
Hand-stamped tote bags are one of the products, and we had the opportunity to make our own bags with their handmade wood block stamps dipped in paint.
(For all photos, click on the image for a full screen view.)
This lady made this cute little hot air balloon key chain, which I purchased for $6:
Tote bags in hand, we headed to the countryside to visit a family and learn about life on their farm. Irfan and Zeliha Abdullah, along with Irfan’s parents, grow grapes to sell for making wine. Cappadocia produces the best wine in Turkiye; other crops in the region are potatoes, peanuts, and pumpkin (grown for seeds).
After learning how to make Gozleme, we enjoyed a wonderful lunch with the family. Don’t know what Gozleme is? See for yourself by watching a short four-minute slide show I made that will appear in the next post, Turkiye #7 (Part 2).
Zeliha, especially, made quite an impression on me. She was so full of joy; lots of smiles and laughter! We really connected, even though we didn’t speak each other’s language.
Next, we visited Omurlu Ceramics, a family business that began in 1807 and now has 20-25 potters and artists and is in its seventh generation. Such beautiful works of art!
Our final stop was to tour a cave home that has been in the family since the 1800’s. The current family has lived there since 1954, and they earn money by inviting small tour groups or individuals to tour their home. They also have a small gift shop in an adjacent room.
An abandoned cave house
This was up the street from our hotel.
What a fabulous day!
Next up:TURKIYE #7 (PART 2): A DAY IN THE LIFE OF CAPPADOCIA- A SLIDE SHOW
Orsano Volcano can be seen across the lake from Puerto Varas if it’s a clear day. Fortunately, the 8,000-foot-tall volcano hasn’t erupted since 1869. There is another volcano that can also be seen from town, Calbuco, that erupted in 2015—the first time since 1972. This morning, we got a peak at the volcanos in between the clouds that were forming and threatening to douse us with our first rain in eight days. Fortunately, as it turned out, it didn’t rain until late in the day, when we were indoors, and it didn’t matter.
A rainy morning would have made for a messy and slippery hike—our first activity of the day. It rains a lot over ten months of the year at Petrohue Falls in Vicente Perez Rosales National Park , so we were lucky this wasn’t a wet day.
The park is a popular tourist destination, so Andrea made sure to get us up and out early to beat the crowds.
Following our guided hike with Daniel, our local guide, we took a break for another “discovery” (we were getting good at the traditional toast by then), before having free time to explore the falls on our own. The sun broke out from the clouds revealing a beautiful landscape and a snow-capped volcano. Bruce and I spent almost all our time just watching the clouds pass by, listening to the water, and hoping for a better view of the volcano. It was lovely!
(For all photos, click on the image for a full screen view.)
Scenes from our hike:
Mary caught me in action!
Andrea with another “discovery” joining our guide, Daniel
The volcano kept peaking in and out of the clouds; a very dynamic sky!A close-up view
After we returned to Puerto Varas, we had a few hours of free time to grab lunch and enjoy the town. We quickly grew fond of empanadas when we were in Argentina, but the ones we picked up at Café Danes were the best!
Here are more scenes around Puerto Varas:
I just love these mosaic stairs!
The view from Kunstgarten (Garden of the Arts), located at the top of the mosaic stairs.
These, uh, interesting(?) wool fiber art sculptures were hanging from the tree at the entrance of the garden.
Rose bushes lined many of the sidewalks.
This is what the Chilean currency looks like. Their peso was valued a bit stronger than the Argentinean peso; however, they print larger denominations, making our wallets less bulky! Today’s exchange rate: $1 USD = 975 CLP. So, that green 1000 note is worth a little more than $1.
Later in the afternoon, we visited the Combas Music School, a wonderful school that is supported by Grand Circle Foundation. This was the first performance for the new music students—so charming!
The evening was spent doing what Bruce and I look forward to each time we travel with Overseas Adventure Travel (OAT): a home hosted dinner. It is always a great opportunity to visit with a family, enjoy the cuisine of their country, and have meaningful cultural interaction.
Our group of 16 was split in half to visit two different homes. Bruce and I were assigned to Carolina and George, a warm and wonderful young couple. As soon as we stepped into their home, I felt comfortable, and I loved much of the décor! It felt almost too familiar; they were listening to American classic rock played by their local radio station!
Throughout Argentina and Chile, we had enjoyed Pisco Sour cocktails—a South American favorite—and learned how to make them at our hotel. Carolina and George welcomed us with their version, which they make with whatever fruit they have available at the time. Delicious!
Carolina taught us how to make empanadas, which we enjoyed with our cocktails. We all took turns making our own and George fried them while we chatted in the kitchen. They were eager to learn where we were all from and to tell them something about our state. Carolina had a map marking where all the OAT travelers they had hosted were from, and she was eager to see if we were from any new states.
In between the laughs we all shared, we learned a lot about the two of them and their views about Chile. Carolina is a former English teacher and now has her own business raising and selling plants. George, also a business owner, is a landscape builder.
They explained that much like many countries throughout the world, including Argentina and the U.S.A., Chile is very politically divided. Their current president, Gabriel Boric, is far left—opposite of Argentina’s far-right president. Asked what their top concern is for their country, Carolina and George agreed that crime and safety worry them the most. In October of 2019, there was a “spontaneous” (organized?) uprising in the city centers throughout the country. Young people burned churches and city buildings causing major destruction. They doubt it was spontaneous at all. After all, ten metro stations in ten different cities burned at the same time. Speculation is that it was connected to mafia.
As we learned about our hosts and their concerns for their country (which sounded all too familiar; they echoed concerns we have in the U.S.A.), we enjoyed delicious corn pie with chicken—a traditional Chilean dish, followed by a German dessert. German? Yes, many Germans settled in Puerto Varas and the region, just like they had in Bariloche.
The evening ended too soon, as it always does during a home hosted dinner. It was so enjoyable; the time flew by!
Coming up next: ARGENTINA & CHILE #9: CHARMING CHILOE ISLAND
Elaine-iaK's Travels: A Traveler's Tales of People, Places, Photos, Pools... and CHOCOLATE! 