The Most Expensive Fishing Trip in the World

by Neil Woodburn on

A $15,000 fishing trip?!?!?

When I was young, I used to tie fishing line I found hanging in trees to a long stick, tie on a hook I also found, and pop on some Zeke’s floating cheese. This, I actually bought.

But to spend $15,000 on a seven-day fishing trip, wow.

Of course, this isn’t just any trip; it’s the most expensive in the world. And that’s why Forbes Life has written about it.

Casting a Coast Line, by Charles Gaines takes us on board the luxury yacht, Atmosphere, for a fishing trip along the coast of Patagonia in Chile. And what a trip it is. First off, the boat is just loaded with all sorts of toys, most of which I have no idea what they are; “six 23-foot, 200-horsepower Rogue jet-boats, four McKenzie-style drift-boats, four inflatable Zodiacs and a $250,000, 18- passenger, 33-foot Zodiac Hurricane RIB with twin 250-horsepower four-stroke outboards…. and a cherry-red, six-passenger Bell 407 helicopter.” Wow.

Apparently the staff makes use of all these toys to whisk their guests to remote lakes, rivers and lagoons that are teeming with fish and cannot be reached by any other means. Of course, if the guests would rather eat world class food, go whale watching, or be rubbed down by the onboard masseuse, that’s cool too.

Me? I’d want to do it all. I just have to scrape together $15,000 first.

Take A Seat And Help Me Pedal…Please!

by Willy Volk on

Dominic Gill is attempting to cycle 20,000 miles from Prudhoe Bay, Alaska, to Ushuaia, Argentina, the southernmost city in South America. Lots of people (well, not lots, but some) make this trip; what’s so special about Gill? He’s tackling this journey on a tandem bike — and he’s asking the people he meets along the way to help pedal! What a fun idea.

Claiming one of the most interesting aspects of cycle touring is meeting folks along the way, Gill was concerned that such meetings would be limited to stopping-off points. Therefore, by riding a tandem bike solo, he figured there’d be a good chance he’d meet people willing to pedal. So far, over half his trip has been solo. As he heads into South America, I bet his chances of recruiting fellow passengers diminishes — unless he speaks globish.

Naturally, Gill is filming, photographing, and blogging (irregularly) his journey. He also recently gave a short but interesting interview to Vagablogging. If you’re interested in pedaling with him, send him an email. He’s looking for some extra legs.

Aconcagua Not Tallest?

by Erik Olsen on

I think it was just a year or so a go that a good buddy of mine spent three weeks down in Argentina acclimatizing and then climbing Mount Aconcagua in the Andes. Why did he do it? Well, because it was there And because it is the tallest mountain in the Western Hemisphere. There is pride to be taken in an accomplishment like that. Especially for desk jockeys like us.

But it turns out my friend’s accomplishment may lost some of its luster. A team of French and Chilean climbers are undertaking an effort to determine whether Americas’ highest summit really is Aconcagua in Argentina, or if that title should actually go to Ojos del Salado in Chile.

“Proving that it is the highest spot in Latin America could change world climbing history,” one of the French climbers said. And he’s right. That would be a big, big deal. And just think of the increase in tourism in Chile, not to mention the blow to national pride in Argentina. Marc Turrel, editor of Andes Magazine, said such a change would dramatically effect the appeal of Ojos and draw climbers to Chile instead of Argentina. Aconcagua is listed in the record books at 22,841 feet, while Ojos del Salado comes in at 22,614 feet, but the new measurements may change that. But it looks like we’re going to wait not just for these new results, but for the results of another climb to the top of Aconcagua, which they are also remeasuring.

Why they didn’t already have this figured out with all the high tech wizbangery we have at our disposal is a mystery to me, but we’ll find out soon, I guess, which mountain and country gets the honor. The answer could be a big deal for both these countries and for my friend.

One for the Road (04/08/07)

by Kelly Amabile on

The remote island of Rapa Nui is known as Easter Island thanks to Dutch explorer Jacob Roggeveen, who christened the name when he came upon the secluded spot in the South Pacific on Easter Sunday in 1722.

Many travel guides simply include a section on the island (and its famous mysterious moai statues) in their books that cover Chile. One of the more recently updated guides containing information on Easter Island is the Moon Guide to Chile. The second edition of this book was released in January 2007 and is written by Wayne Bernhardson, who has been traveling to Chile since 1979.

Whatever resources you use to research a visit, be sure to thumb through several Chile guides to compare their Easter Island sections. A good starting point right on the web is the Easter Island Foundation, a handy and well-organized online guide to the history, culture and people of Easter Island. Their Ideal Easter Island Bookshelf is an excellent place to look for additional book resources.

Torres del Paine in the LA Times

by Erik Olsen on

There are few places I’ve blogged about here more than Patagonia. If ever you wanted to visit a place of immense beauty, gaping space and old-fashioned, Latin American charm, it’s the bottom of the South American continent. When I lived in Chile, I took several trips down to Patagonia, one of which had me trekking and riding the long, cool trails of Torres del Paine, a magnificent national park in Chile that is something of a mix of Yosemite, Yellowstone and, well, another world. The towers themselves (or Torres) are like modern art layer cakes carved by eons of wind, water and ice. The animal life is unique and varied and includes the guanaco (some of which actually spit at you) and the Nandu, an ostrich-like bird that lumbers around and one of which actually stalked a friend of mine and I as if we were prey.

Well, seems the mainstream media is catching on…they have for a while, actually…and the grandeur of Torres is revealed nicely in this piece in the LA Times. One key place mentioned here that I too, highly recommend, is the Hosteria Pehoe and it’s amazing dining room overlooking Lake Pehoe. I don’t recall EVER having eaten a meal with as fine a view as this one…with the exception, perhaps, of sitting one day years ago eating a sandwich on the lip of the Grand Canyon. But that’s a different story, and one that I’ll refrain from telling here.