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A Life Less Ordinary

Tag: Chile (page 1 of 2)

The Last Six Weeks in Our Truck Camper, “Thirsty Bella”, in Central Chile

December 22, 2025 / / 15 Comments

In October, Mark, Maya, and I swapped Paraguay for Chile for two reasons: to pursue a Vario van for our next adventure and to be able to sell our own Thirsty Bella easier, since Central Chile is the starting point for many overlanders. Flights to Santiago are more affordable than elsewhere in South America, gear is easily available in a plethora of well-equipped stores, and there are companies selling cars to foreigners. Since our car was registered in the US, the transfer to a new owner would be easy, regardless.

(As always, click on or hover over photos in galleries to read their captions.)

Back in Chile for the seventh or so time
Los Caracoles is a famously winding mountain road
Looking down Los Caracoles with little traffic

After long days of driving across Argentina, we arrived in Santiago, Chile’s capital, for the second time. We had fond memories of urban camping by Parque Metropolitano, which we’d hoped would become our base soon. We only stayed one night, to confirm if this was still an attractive overnight spot (it was), to fix our back window before the next rain, and to visit Suzie Santiago CTW’s office within walking distance. We would hire them to do the paperwork if we were to buy a Chilean Vario. It was all part of our months of research, gathering data, and interacting with potential service providers.

Camped for one night by the biggest park of Santiago on a cloudy day
Resealing the small back window of our camper
Hello Maya!
Climbing the hill for better views
Exploring the park with Maya
Cable cars go up and down the mountain
Can you spot Thirsty Bella?
A viewpoint in the park
The Costanera building – the tallest one of the city – is visible from many places.
This is the Jumbo grocery store on the ground level of the Costanera building. It is the best supermarket in all of South America!

We also checked out Suzie Santiago’s workshop on the outskirts of the city and spent one night at a noisy truck stop before heading south towards Pichilemu, where we would set eyes on a Vario van that had a horrible conversion done to it.

Visiting Noam’s workshop
Chatting about the work Suzie Santiago CTW does
One short night at a truck stop

The idea was to confirm everything we were told by the owner—the vehicle was supposed to be in “perfect condition”—and make an offer. Then, we’d start the registration process in our name, bring the van to Paraguay to have it built out by a factory we’d visited and agreed on a quote with, and eventually ship it to Europe for the next chapter in our lives.

Since we couldn’t visit this Vario until Monday, we spent the weekend at a nice wild camping spot on a bluff in Navidad, with a pretty view over the ocean and good walks for Maya. Despite this being our favorite spot in a while, we didn’t return because of the strong onshore breezes, covering our camper with salt water. Since Mark had recently repainted our ladder and jacks, he didn’t want corrosion to return before the sale of our camper.

View over the river basin
Back at the Chilean coast!
Sunset by the sea
View of the Pacific Ocean
Walking along the bluff
Maya enjoys this calmer pool in the sea
A cool hike with views
Our camping spot on the bluff in Navidad
It’s always chillier on the coast than inland.
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Monthly Expenses of a Nomad in South America – November 2025 (Chile)

December 10, 2025 / / 21 Comments

 

Expenses - image

Every month, I post a report of our expenses to show that it is possible to live a comfortable, exciting, and adventurous life without breaking the bank. The less money you spend, the less you need to make. 🙂

This report includes ALL of our expenses, in US$, for two adults and one 60-pound dog (we adopted Maya on June 4th, 2019). Under groceries we incorporate food, produce, and non-alcoholic drinks predominantly bought in supermarkets. Toiletries belong in that category as well. Dining out means eating at a restaurant/event or purchasing take-out food. The health category covers non-prescription medicines and vitamins/supplements; medical contains prescription drugs and doctor’s visits. Because of our income level, Mark and I are eligible for free health care within the state of Massachusetts. For check-ups and extensive care, we return to the US East Coast. Other health issues are resolved locally and out of pocket where needed.

In November, Mark, Maya, and I drove short distances to check out a couple of Vario vans in Central Chile and to run errands, but we mostly waited around in our home on wheels, Thirsty Bella, until her new owners showed up. And I made a “little side trip”!

Our expenses were all but usual, with some big hitters, namely my five-day birthday escape to Rapa Nui (Easter Island), buying two one-way flights from Santiago, Chile, to Boston, USA, and a pricey Airbnb for our last three weeks on the continent. I will share that final expense in the December 2025 report.

(As always, hover over or click on photos in galleries to read their captions.)

The flight was on time
Waiting to board my plane to Rapa Nui
Entering Rapa Nui – Isla de Pascua – Easter Island – Paaseiland

Therefore, the highest category in November was travel ($1,050), which accounted for those plane tickets to and from Rapa Nui ($566) for me and the one-way flights to the US for Mark and me ($484 – we used points for the other half of the cost).

Posing by a group of moai at the quarry site

A few weeks after booking our US plane tickets, the price dropped by $250, so we dealt with the headache, frustration, stress, and time sink of eventually receiving credit back and rebooking the same flights. Since these are airline points, they didn’t make this expense cheaper, but we now have extra credit for future flights. That’s how we stay busy!

The grocery category was average at $354. We started to finish off staples, knowing that we’d move out of Bella at the beginning of December. Meals were mostly planned around “getting rid” of stuff.

Local grocery store in the small town of Rapel
Vegetable store in Rapel
Look at those strawberries, for under $2!
Amazing lettuce heads in Rapel: three for one dollar!
Birthday breakfast from a French bakery in Santiago
Maya always gets to lick out the empty peanut butter containers. She loves them!

Finally, our car was not the priciest item of the month. Our drive to Pichilemu from the capital was the furthest we ventured and, of course, we had to return, run errands, and leave enough gasoline for the next owners.

We also spent $22 on Chilean tolls and $18 on a 24V Mercedes Vario OBD adapter that we never used. We have our own 12V scanner, but this didn’t fit into the console of the grey Vario, so we managed to order a 24V adapter for our scanner with the help of friendly locals to check the red Vario we planned to pursue but eventually never did. Unfortunately, it’s impossible for foreigners to order parts online on most websites due to not having a RUT (local identity number), a local credit card, and a local phone number.

Borrowing the address of a local – and the credit card of another one – to order this Mercedes part
A 24V adapter for our 12V OBD scanner

The $240 entertainment price tag was mostly mine, apart from a cable car ride for our trio in Parque Metropolitano in Santiago on my birthday ($7). I also bought a discounted eBook written by an author friend ($1).

Teleferico in Santiago
Taking the cable car up the tallest hill in the park
The skyline of Santiago with the Costanera building being the tallest one

The national park pass on Easter Island went up from $75 to $102 right before I arrived, and I booked three tours with the rest of the money in this category. While initially appalled at the high entrance fee required to access most of the island, I thought it was all worth it in the end. I will post a separate blog about this magical experience.

One of the many moai on the island
Side view of Tongariki site
Sunrise at Tongariki

Likewise, the close to $200 “we” paid for accommodation went to my four hostel nights in Hanga Roa, the capital of the island and its only town. It was expensive for what it was. I slept in a private room with a shared bathroom.

My hostel on Easter Island
My private room on Easter Island

Trying to save money on my “little side trip,” I only ate out once for about $15. The rest of our dining out category went to glorious French food on my actual birthday and a few other restaurant meals, like a local lunch and take-out Chinese.

Amazing appetizers of salmon carpaccio and octopus at the French restaurant
Main birthday dinner course: fettuccini with two kinds of salmon for me and duck for Mark
Chinese take-out in Bella
Lunch at a Chilean restaurant in Rapel
Ceviche in an open empanada in Hanga Roa

Almost all of our meals were prepared at home.

Sandwich lunch by the river
Stir fry noodles
A healthy salad with Buffalo cauliflower
Easy pizza at home with a store-bought crust
One of my favorite homecooked meals by Mark: mushroom burgers from scratch served on a bed of lettuce with aioli and white rice (sprinkled with seaweed)
Homemade spring roll meal – tasty, healthy, and a lot of work

I was early this year with my Christmas gifts! As always, I created personalized photo calendars for my closest family members and managed to get these to them a month early, because I had time and our best group shots of 2025 had been collected already. Plus, I had no idea what December would bring…

At $64, our monthly Starlink subscription went up again with the Argentinian peso. Half of this amount is paid by us and the other half by our freelancing business. Because we failed to top up our propane tank in Argentina before crossing into Chile and we wanted to leave a full bottle for the new owners, we made the effort to get it filled at a professional outfit in Santiago. It was the most expensive, but the most efficient propane fill on the entire continent! Potable water top-ups were free as usual.

Getting our propane tank filled in Santiago
The filling was quick and easy and we could even park on the grounds of the building.
Filling with potable water at a gas station

Since we had to empty our camper cabinets, including our alcohol stash, we only spent $40 on this category in November. No complaints here!

Our favorite rum in the world! We had to drink it all!
Happy hour by the river
Homemade pizza with a fantastic bottle of cheap red wine

I had forgotten to incorporate transportation to and from the airports in my Easter Island trip budget, so I had to skimp in other areas (like dining out). I used an InDrive taxi ($14) to reach the international airport of Santiago when I left and a shared van ($10) upon my return.

Waiting for an hour at the airport to take a shared van back home

On the island itself, I walked the 30 minutes from the airport to my hostel (I only brought a small backpack as a free personal item) and lucked out with a free ride back from the owner because he needed to pick up paying guests at the small airport building before I left.

I wanted to buy a few small souvenirs ($16) on Rapa Nui, because it is such a special place, and Mark needed more allergy medicine and a fresh asthma inhaler ($6) while in Santiago. These made up the miscellaneous category.

The drinking out category shows zero, because the only time we enjoyed a few cocktails at a restaurant was on my birthday and they were covered by my best friend Rosie. Thank you!

First drink: mojito
Second drink: pisco sour from Chile
Third drink: a glass of Carmenere wine

We boondocked (wild camped for free) the entire month and didn’t spend money on laundry, because I did a few loads by hand in the beginning of November and we saved the dirty clothes and linen from the second half of the month to wash at our Airbnb, which came with a machine.

Hand laundry by the river
Hanging our laundry to dry

And that almost concludes 2025. It was a very expensive month, but if you consider that $1,068 of our total of $2,487 went to my five-day vacation on Easter Island and another $484 was spent on plane tickets, November was actually quite cheap at just $935 of normal living expenses. We shall see what the future brings…

We camped here for a few nights after the Pichilemu fiasco.
One night at a loud truck stop near Santiago
A few nights of free camping near San Antonio on the Chilean coast
We returned to our river spot in Rapel for another week, before heading into the capital of Chile.
Our favorite urban camping spot in South America: Parque Metropolitano in Santiago

November 2025 Overview:

Travel (plane tickets to Easter Island and Boston, MA):

Groceries:

Car  (fuel: $237; tolls: $22; Vario part: $18):

Entertainment:

Accommodation:

Dining out:

Gifts:

Utilities (Internet: $32; propane: $30):

Alcohol:

Transportation (airport taxis Liesbet):

Miscellaneous (souvenirs):

Medical:

Drinking out:

Laundry:

Camping:

 

TOTAL:

 

$1,050

$354

$278

$240

$198

$150

$69

$62

$40

$24

$16

$6

$0

$0

$0

———

$ 2,487

(It might be easier to read the table when turning your device in the horizontal position.)

Find all our expense reports here. To learn what other full-time nomads spend, check out the blogs of our nomad friends Duwan and Greg at Make Like An Ape Man.

Next up: Our last month of Chilean and South American travels in Thirsty Bella!

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Homeless at Fifty – Our Truck Camper, Thirsty Bella, Has Sold!

December 7, 2025 / / 48 Comments

It is official, our home on wheels for three-and-a-half years (three of which in South America) has been sold to a Dutch couple, ready for their own adventures on this continent.

Old and new owners of the Cow Camper

About five weeks ago, they contacted us after seeing the paid ad for our camper on an international website for overlanding rigs. It turned out to be the best $40 we spent this year!

Max and Marjolein had been looking for the perfect camper in which to travel the world after quitting their successful careers. When they spotted Bella on the Expedition Meister platform, they knew it was meant to be. They love cows!

(As always, click on or hover over photos in galleries to read their captions.)

Pichilemu, a fun and easy coastal town in Chile
The spot in Pichilemu where we had our enthusiastic video call with M&M

A two-hour video call in Pichilemu followed and – to our surprise – by the end of that virtual tour they made us an offer and we accepted. After waiting for a buyer for three months, things turned positive and imminent all of a sudden. They paid a deposit to hold the camper for them (we did have another interested party soon after) and excitedly updated us of their prep and plans to come to South America for the foreseeable future.

Time to remove our website – Before photo
Time to remove our website – Intermediate photo (letters gone, stubborn glue present)
Time to remove our website – After photo
Fixing one of the pesky blinds
Spending hours in the shade on super hot days in Santiago

For us, those last five weeks were a waiting, researching, preparing, planning, pursuing local Vario vans, fixing, packing, cleaning, and stressing game.

Our campground spot in the hills surrounding Santiago
Cleaning the grill
Cleaning cupboards and closets
Maya doesn’t care about cleaning.
Separating the truck and camper for better and easier cleaning
Sparkling Thirsty Bella, ready to change owners
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Our Crazy Mercedes Vario Idea in Chile – A Waste of Time?

November 27, 2025 / / 29 Comments

Warning: This is a summarized yet long story about what we have really been doing the last four months.

I’m trying to remember when this crazy idea first emerged. At least six months ago, Mark was researching campers in Europe, since we thought/think this will be our new overlanding location. He must have stumbled upon a Mercedes Vario campervan, thought it looked cool and roomy, remembered our German friends Sabine and Michael having one, and focused his research on the 4×4 kind, only to discover that in Europe you need a special driver’s license for this “more truck than van” vehicle, prices wavered around a steep US$100,000, and there are many rules regarding registration, yearly inspections, insurance, and so on.

Driver’s side view of a Vario

It seemed like the Vario idea dead-ended right there. But on June 3rd (I checked my diary), an available 4×4 Vario appeared on the South America Overlanding Facebook page. There were only two problems: it was for sale in Peru with Peruvian plates and it was not converted yet. We inquired at a shop in Uruguay — the only place in South America we knew about — about how much it would cost to build out a van. More research followed and from the moment we realized that a vehicle can only leave Peru if it is owned by a Peruvian resident and that a new build would cost close to US$90,000, the idea was discarded again.

(As always, click on or hover over photos in galleries to read their captions.)

The 4WD Vario in Peru
The owner had bought insulation, but never installed it.
The empty van in Peru
The Peru van came with some gear
He also bought fans to build out this van.

Fast forward to sometime in August when Mark discovered that Chile had imported hundreds of 4WD Vario vans from Europe to use in the mines as passenger transportation vehicles. Another problem arose: these vans had been well used and came with a bus door instead of a passenger door. Replacing that with an RV door would prove almost impossible, let alone dealing with the paperwork, the language, and other crazy logistics.

Bus door
Closed bus door
The bus door from inside

Soon after, Mark had a revelation. For months, he’d known about a Vario van that had been built out by a Chilean and had been for sale for a couple of years. It was located along the Chilean coast, four hours south of Santiago, but he hadn’t been interested because the camper section was poorly built and unattractive.

His revelation was this: it had a normal door and two seats in the cab, it was already registered as a camper (as opposed to a company vehicle), and becoming the owner of a new vehicle in Chile was straightforward and popular. It’s why many new overlanders buy a car or camper in Santiago to start their South American overland travels. Why not buy this crappy camper, gut it, and rebuild the living space from scratch?

Passenger side view of the Pichilemu Vario camper – with a normal door

By then, we had found out that there was a company in Santiago — Suzie Santiago CTW — that built out vans for a much better rate — but inferior quality — than the expensive shop in Uruguay. More research and communications followed with companies regarding the build and the paperwork. So many months of work and focus went into this pursuit! It’s pretty much all we did during our five weeks in Paraguay. We even drew up the perfect layout. Fun!

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The Lake Districts of Argentina and Chile

April 21, 2025 / / 25 Comments

Leaving Chile

It was a bit tricky, but Mark and I managed to get a vet check-up and international dog permit for Maya in Futaleufú over the span of three hours and for a total cost of $28. Unfortunately, unlike her other permits, this one was only valid for 30 instead of 60 days. It would keep us moving!

Location of the Lake Districts in both countries
Lake District in Argentina
Lake District in Chile

The same afternoon, we left the country and crossed into Argentina on washboard roads, aiming for six things in one week: sunnier weather on the other side of the Andes Mountains, better roads, cheaper fuel, no ferry schedules/costs that were mandatory on the Carretera Austral, an affordable laundromat, and a full propane tank. After accomplishing those goals, we’d return to Chile for about three weeks.

(As always, click on or hover over photos in galleries to read their captions.)

Back to Argentina
More potholed, gravel roads on the Argentinian side

In Esquel, our first town in Argentina, we failed dropping off our laundry and it took multiple attempts to find a decent camping spot. We did manage to fill our fuel and water tanks for almost half the price than in Chile!

This was a problem… We couldn’t enter our intended camping area in Esquel this way.
After a big and bumpy detour, we reached the camping spot a different way.
Another victim from the uneven roads – We are down to two cereal bowls now (from four).
Pretty and peaceful park for the night
A nice park to walk with Maya

The next stop was Rio Azul, where we planned to take a mini-break from the road for a few days and sit out bad weather. We did have to move once, because it rained so much that the river rose rapidly and we worried about being flooded.

Can you believe this track crosses the river?
We enjoyed this spot, before it started pouring!
Nice camping spot for a few nights
Cleaning our pee container in the river
And then the river rose! Mark put a stack of rocks on the edge to monitor the flood level.
Walk to the other side of the river with Maya
Our walking destination was this pretty waterfall.
Crossing the suspension bridge
We had to move to a higher spot when the river kept rising.

Bariloche, Argentina

The idea was to – urgently – fill our propane tank at a depot on the way north to Bariloche. We were now on paved roads, the sun had returned, and progress was smooth. We had confirmed this depot was open on a Saturday morning, but when we arrived, desperate for gas to cook, shower, and heat Bella, the people capable of filling international tanks didn’t work during the weekend. The facility was only open to swap Argentinian tanks… Right.

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Monthly Expenses of a Nomad in South America – March 2025 (Argentina & Chile)

April 7, 2025 / / 24 Comments

Expenses - image

Every month, I post a report of our expenses to show that it is possible to live a comfortable, exciting, and adventurous life without breaking the bank. The less money you spend, the less you need to make. 🙂

This report includes ALL of our expenses, in US$, for two adults and one 60-pound dog (we adopted Maya on June 4th, 2019). Under groceries we incorporate food, produce, and non-alcoholic drinks predominantly bought in supermarkets. Toiletries belong in that category as well. Dining out means eating at a restaurant/event or purchasing take-out food. The health category covers non-prescription medicines and vitamins/supplements; medical contains prescription drugs and doctor’s visits. Because of our income level, Mark and I are eligible for free health care within the state of Massachusetts. For check-ups and extensive care, we return to the US East Coast. Other health issues are resolved locally and out of pocket where needed.

In March, Mark, Maya, Thirsty Bella, and I left the Carretera Austral in Chile and explored the Lake Districts in that country and in Argentina.

Our free camping spot at the north side of Caburgua Lake after a day’s worth of driving on awful roads
Camped for free at a red volcanic beach for a week in Conaripe
Camped at the south side of Caburgua Lake

We hopped back and forth between Argentina and Chile a couple of times.

Leaving Chile
Potholed road in Argentina
Welcome (back) to Argentina
Waiting for the gate into Argentina to open
Border formalities to leave Argentina
Approaching the Chilean border
Welcome to Chile
Entering Argentina one last time?

Before I get into our expenditure details of last month, I want to say something about our income. Throughout my blog posts, I mention that we both work on the road. Yet, some of you are still surprised about us trying to make a living, not being retired (will we ever?), or the extra challenges that come with the need to earn money.

Mark and I have been nomads for 20+ years and we have had several jobs during that time. (I elaborate on those in my sailing memoir Plunge.) Otherwise, we couldn’t have traveled this long and this far. And, no, we don’t have rental income or a property anywhere. Our camper – and whatever it holds – is all we own, apart from a few boxes of memorabilia, stored with family in Belgium and the US.

At the moment, since my translation and proofreading jobs have dried up, Mark and I both work as freelancers, completing different tasks that aim to improve AI. While Mark’s work is straightforward, steady, and poorly paid, my projects are sporadic, specific, complicated, and with a higher hourly rate. Rarely, our monthly income covers our expenses. We still have to dig into savings to support ourselves. That’s the reason we need to spend less money. We always try…

Which brings me to our expenses of March, during which we did not succeed to live frugally. As a matter of fact, it was an expensive month. But if you look at the details, it is easy to understand why our total reached $2,000; many hundreds of dollars above our average.

Potholed road in Argentina
Paved roads again!
We are not done with crappy roads yet!
Driving among monkey puzzle trees as we leave Chile

As you’ve come to expect, the car category is the highest again. We actually left Chile to cover a substantial distance in Argentina, where the gasoline is cheaper, before returning to Chile. Still, we spent $419 on fuel. Since motor oil (as well as any imported products) are cheaper in Chile than in its neighbor, we bought enough for our next oil change (7 liters), at a price of $49. The rest of the “car money” went to tolls ($4) and a parking lot for a hike ($3).

Filling up with gasoline in Argentina

The extra category that made our total “jump” was an occurrence that we usually attend to in April or May: Mark’s annual summer visit to Massachusetts for health care and family reasons. He and I were loosely chatting about where in South America he should leave from in July, while Maya and I stay behind. I’m confident we will be in Brazil by then, so he looked into plane rides from São Paulo (more affordable than Rio de Janeiro), and, before I knew it, he had booked flights, because the price was right. Indeed, $435 for a return journey between São Paulo and Boston is a good deal!

Our grocery bill went up again, because we bought a few things in Chile that are not available, or twice the price, in Argentina. We do feel $400 a month for food shopping in third world countries is on the high side. To be honest, we can’t wait to reach cheaper countries again after more than a year of expensive shopping.

European-style bakery in Villa La Angostura
Amazing sourdough bread from a bakery in Villa La Angostura
An empty fridge, because importing fresh food into Chile is prohibited.
Happy to reach a Lider grocery store again in Chile
Stocking up our stores!
Look at that full food cupboard!
Affordable and good-looking produce in Chile
Let’s go shopping!
Returning to our favorite produce store
Look at the size of these vegetables!
Unfortunately, this $1.50 head of lettuce would not fit in our fridge.

And, since we would leave Chile indefinitely in March, we stocked up on Maya’s dog food ($200) as well, for reasons mentioned above – it’s either not available or more expensive elsewhere in South America. Unless Brazil surprises us! Now, she can keep eating her high-end, salmon-based, chicken-less kibble for another six months or so. We needed a new international health permit for her to cross into Chile as well.

The vet in Futaleufú creates Maya’s paperwork
In Futaleufú, the vet works out of town hall
More dogfood for Maya

Mark and I went rafting in Chile, which you might have read about in my previous post. Yes, for the privilege of almost drowning, we paid $188. Other than that unfortunate glitch, it was a lot of fun. I’ll mention here that the US dollar kept devaluating against the Chilean peso. So, while a year ago 1,000 pesos amounted to one USD, this was not the case anymore in 2025. Another reason the scales are shifting towards Argentina again, where the US dollar is becoming stronger.

Our rafting company
Starting our rafting trip
Fun on the Futaleufú River

Mark celebrated his birthday on March 1st, so we could potentially have added all our activities for that event under the gift category, but we didn’t. The rafting trip is mentioned above and other related expenses below. Because we changed plans, we arrived in Futaleufú that day, allowing us to enjoy a fabulous, fancy dinner at an excellent restaurant. The cost was $80. The other $11 for “dining out” went to empanadas and a portion of French fries bought at street stands.

Our amazing restaurant in Futaleufú
The homey and comfortable interior of the restaurant
Lamb tomahawk
Appetizers on the house
Gnocchi entrée for Liesbet
Ossobuco entrée for Mark
Birthday dessert on the house

We only ate at a restaurant once in March and that was for a special occasion. All the other dinners were cooked and consumed at home.

A big salad for dinner
Veggie burger, carrots, and frittata for dinner
Fresh mushroom burgers
Homemade pizza in our tiny 12V oven
Another delicious dinner at home: grilled burger on ciabatta bread with potato salad
Blackberry pancakes, with fruit from our surroundings
My usual cereal bowl enhanced with red berries

A bottle of Bacardi rum and a myriad of Malbec, Carménère, and Chardonnay wines constituted our $56 bill for alcohol. Thanks to a donation from MD, this number wasn’t higher. 😊

Dinner al fresco

While we were heading north on the Carretera Austral in Chile (where no facility fills propane bottles), we were running low on propane gas, causing us to be super careful using the heater. We often felt cold inside the camper. This precaution allowed us to reach Argentina, where American tanks can be filled, either at depots or by the gravity-fill method. Unfortunately, the facility we planned to get our tank full again didn’t have crew on Saturday morning to help us out, despite the depot being open…

This meant we had to make it to a bigger town before noon (when businesses close for the weekend), namely Bariloche. Three attempts later, we found a man willing to sell us propane… at the crazy price of $5 per kilo (or $45 for a full tank). Since we were in a bind – our tank was utterly empty by then, because we had confidently run the heater in the morning, thinking we’d get propane an hour later – we had him fill half our tank. Only to repeat this cautious and stressful procedure a month later. Our next camper will NOT have a propane system.

Getting propane gas
Blackberry-banana pancakes – we need propane to cook

And we paid the usual monthly subscription to Starlink for our satellite internet ($36). Our business takes care of the other half. A better exchange rate in Argentina saw a slight drop in this fee.

Mark never wants anything for his birthday, so we went rafting and I bought him some goodies – Belgian-style beer and homemade jelly – in a small grocery store. This year, I didn’t even have access to a Western-style supermarket to spoil him.

On his birthday, we also went out for a drink at a brewery in Futaleufú, something we rarely do. It was nice to just listen to music and relax on a patio with Maya. Until it got too chilly.

Brewery in Futaleufú
Cheers!

Anyone who follows us on Facebook might have seen multiple series of photos of us doing laundry in the icy Patagonian rivers. We continued that tradition in March, since laundromats are, really, very expensive.

Doing laundry every day in the warmish lake water
Not the best day for laundry, but it had to be done.
Sun and wind are a great combo for handwashing clothes.
Another load of laundry to stay on top of things

One shop charged $1 per piece of clothing; sheets, sweaters, towels, and jeans didn’t count. Well, those are the exact items that are difficult to hand wash! Luckily, lake water is warmer than river water! We eventually found a shop where we dropped off our sheets and bigger items for a total of $10.

Expensive laundromat in Esquel
Hidden and affordable laundromat

The last two categories were peanuts. We bought more painkillers, since the container of Tylenol we brought back from the US is going fast, due to my frequent headaches and migraines. And, we needed a new spray bottle for a bleach solution to attack the mold created by condensation and frigid weather.

Every night in March, we camped for free. We enjoyed most of these quiet places in nature.

Decent free camping in Futaleufú, Chile
Free camping in a municipal park in Esquel, Argentina
Camped along the Rio Azul, Argentina
Camped in Villa La Angostura, Argentina
Argentinians like to park on top of other campers.
Incredible camping spot in Argentina on the last day of the month
First camping spot back in Chile
Camped by Volcan Villarrica, Chile
We had to move campsites at the northern end of Lake Caburgua, because of heavy winds.

In April 2025, we will still be driving a lot – this continent is big – but we will do our best to stay within our budget.

March 2025 Overview:

Car  (fuel: $419; oil: $49; tolls: $4; parking: $3):

Travel (flights Mark):

Groceries:

Dog (food: $197; permit: $28):

Entertainment (rafting):

Dining out:

Alcohol:

Utilities (Internet: $36; propane: $17):

Gifts (B-day Mark):

Drinking out:

Laundry:

Medical:

Household:

Camping:

 

TOTAL:

 

$475

$435

$395

$225

$188

$91

$56

$53

$19

$11

$10

$4

$2

$0

———

$ 1,964

(It might be easier to read the table when turning your device in the horizontal position.)

Find all our expense reports here. To learn what other full-time nomads spend, check out the blogs of our nomad friends Duwan and Greg at Make Like An Ape Man.

Next up: The Life of a Prehistoric Nomad – a guest post by author and blogger Jacqui Murray

If you are enjoying these posts, please consider donating to Roaming About in support of our website and lifestyle. A big thank you to all our readers who have helped out in the past!

Rafting the Rambunctious Futaleufú River in Chile – From Exhilarating to Life-threatening

March 30, 2025 / / 35 Comments

My previous blog post about the Carretera Austral in Chile was getting too long, so I’m reporting on our rafting trip in Futaleufú separately. This cute town is located near the border with Argentina, two hours from the Carretera via a really bad dirt road. Mark and I booked a tour with Rio Futaleufú Rafting for March 3rd, which would have the least amount of rain in the forecast. We left Maya at home for six hours, a record for her, and looked forward to this exciting adventure.

(As always, click on or hover over photos in galleries to read their captions.)

Office of our rafting company
Mark and I booked our 2.5-hour rafting trip with this company.

I love, love, love rafting. In my book, it is the most fun and thrilling excursion one can experience; the more rambunctious and frequent the rapids, the better. The action of rushing through the water, frantically paddling to the instructions of the guide, and being one with the elements is invigorating. And that’s how this ride started out.

Our group consisted of two rafting guides, two rafts, eleven rafters, and three support crew in individual watercraft. Everyone was equipped with a wetsuit, undershirts, booties, a rain jacket, a life vest, a helmet, and a paddle.

In full rafting gear
Ready for a cold day on the water
The two groups of rafters and guides

After some instructions ashore, we practiced commands on the water and got to know each other better. Each of our six-person team had rafted before. Mark and I did so in Costa Rica 19 years ago and my first rafting trip was in New Zealand, when I backpacked in Southeast Asia and Down Under at age 25. It had been a while, since rafting isn’t cheap.

Listening to instructions
Pampa preferred to practice the moves on the water
Here we go…

Every river is different and the Futa is famous for its high density and frequency of Class IV and Class V rapids. Mark and I had never rafted a Class V stretch of water, so we’d paid for the longer session ($92 per person, including photos) to experience them. Within the first five minutes of floating down the foamy river (the water level was quite high), we were soaking wet and loving it. We rushed through the sequences of Class IV rapids, smiling wide, and most of our group jumped down a 20-foot-high cliff just for the fun of it.

The first rapids were benign
Once we reached the foamy parts of the river, we got soaking wet.
Down the rapid
Both groups rafting downriver
Navigating the river
So much fun!
Quick sequence of rapids
Down another Class IV rapid
Hold!
Forward!
Photo moment
Rafting down more Class IV rapids in different positions
Continue reading

The Carretera Austral – Chile’s Famous & Scenic Road through Patagonia

March 25, 2025 / / 32 Comments

Paso Roballos Border

After a quick clearing out process at the remote Paso Roballos border in Argentina – and receiving a rare exit stamp – entering Chile was supposed to be easy. Fast. Straightforward. Uneventful. Well…

First, about twenty people were waiting to clear out of Chile, filling out forms and not having applied for the right paperwork online. Mark and I were the only ones entering, but we couldn’t cut the line in front of the one window. So, we waited for over an hour.

(As always, click on or hover over photos in galleries to read their captions.)

Driving to Chile in the rain
The remote border crossing at Paso Raballos, Chile, is manned by police officers.

When we finally approached the booth, the officials seemed to be surprised we were actually arriving in Chile. I guess they hadn’t seen our giant cow-like camper through the window, on the Argentinian side?

Since this is a police-manned post instead of the usual offices of immigration, customs, and agriculture, reports of 5-minute crossings abound. What we found, however, was a team of unhelpful and inefficient cops. Our paperwork was in order, yet, we were told to wait in our car until “Interpol confirmed our identities.” How long would that take? What about them keeping our passports and original car title? Oh, and it was raining as well.

After another hour of sitting in the cab of our truck, one of the uniformed men opened the gate and motioned us to drive forward. He handed us back our important, now water-stained documents. Because it was after 5pm already and too late to make it to our next destination of Cochrane, we spent the night by a historic building in Patagonia National Park.

At 1am, when the relentless wind shook the camper violently, preventing us from sleeping, we moved behind the protection of trees. Our neighbors did the same.

The heavy winds at night created blue skies in the morning.
Entering Patagonia NP

Patagonia National Park

Usually, dogs are not allowed in national parks and there are steep entrance fees, but because pretty Patagonia NP envelops the bouncy dirt road to the border, anyone can drive through. So, that’s what we did. We kept Maya in the car and skipped the trails. Instead, we observed this special and somewhat spiritual park through our car windows.

Driving through Patagonia NP
Scenery along the route
Immense mountains along our route through the park
The scenery was super enjoyable.
Snowy mountains not too far away

We stopped by the visitor center to pay our respects at the grave of Douglas Tompkins, an American philanthropist and conservationist, who was responsible for founding this park and preserving millions of acres of land in Chile and Argentina.

Wild guanacos in close proximity
Douglas Tompkins’s gravel in his favorite part of the world
The most docile guanacos we ever encountered
Grazing guanacos with a spectacular background
Unfortunately, we didn’t’ spot any pumas

Cochrane

Continue reading

The Real Patagonia – Welcome to the Mountains of Southern Chile and Argentina

March 19, 2025 / / 34 Comments

Ushuaia, the southern-most city of the South American continent, was a pleasant surprise with its excellent free camping, well-developed trails, and beautiful mountain scenery. But, by the time we left in our camper, Mark and Maya had been there for five weeks and I for over three, due to my 10-day trip to Antarctica.

Topping up our propane tank once more at Sartini Propane in Ushuaia – the best place ever!
Leaving Argentina on my first day back to shore
Back to Chile!

Needless to say, Mark was more than ready to head north again, especially since the weather had turned rainy. So, from the moment I disembarked the MV Ushuaia, we topped up our propane tank, received copies of our dog paperwork from the friendly attendant after asking for this favor, and left. Mark had taken care of groceries, fuel, and drinking water during my absence.

(As always, click on or hover over photos in galleries to read their captions.)

Still driving at the end of the world.
Monument of the wind

We made decent progress that first day I was home, but I felt like I was thrown right back into our challenging lifestyle. Extremely strong headwinds made the drive dangerous and ruined our fuel economy. We lost an hour at a fuel station near the border with Chile, because they were out of gas. We waited for the tanker to supply the station and filled up our truck and a jerrycan. This container travelled at my feet and was leaking profusely, spilling liquid and fumes. At the border in Chile, officials took all our beans and lentils, which had never been a problem before. And, the next morning, we woke up to a flat tire!

Quiet night along a dirt road in Tierra del Fuego
We woke up to this. Ooops.
Before the relentless wind started, Mark put our spare tire on.

Day two started with a tire repair kit that didn’t work, us installing the spare tire before the relentless wind picked up, and Mark discovering that the flat was caused by the car reversing onto a screw that had fallen off our own camper due to all the bumpy, gravel roads! Irony is ever a big part of our lives. We left Tierra del Fuego on a ferry and continued our journey north to the real Patagonia, covering a chunk of miles every day.

A guanaco jumping over a fence: we hated watching this as some of them get caught this way and die a horrible death.
Taking the same ferry off Tierra del Fuego from two months prior
It was a tight fit!

That day ended unexpectedly as well. We had parked at the only level spot, in front of a small, seemingly abandoned boat that rested on the grass, not on a trailer. At 10:30pm, commotion outside had us up and about. You guessed it. Exactly on this particular Sunday evening, someone needed to pick up this particular boat! So, we moved. This one had us laugh out loud…

Camped in front of what appeared to be an unused boat…
Right! At 10:30pm, someone decided to pick up this boat, so we moved.

A detour to Punta Arenas was necessary to get our tire fixed with the last local cash we had and to stock up on groceries, Chilean pesos, alcohol, and Maya’s dogfood. You have no idea how much Mark and I had been looking forward to visiting these decent, affordable stores. We could finally splurge on a few items that are unavailable or unaffordable in Argentina!

Getting our punctured tire fixed in Punta Arenas, Chile
One more time, Mark installs a tire on our truck. It was cheaper this way, especially since we only had so much Chilean pesos in cash left.
Splurging on some favorite booze
Mushrooms are affordable in Chile. Yay!
And another massive bag of dogfood for Maya, which we have only been able to buy in Colombia and Chile thus far.

The next town in Chile, Puerto Natales, also required a stop for more errands. We dropped off our dirty sheets, towels, and jeans, made dentist appointments for teeth cleanings, topped up with potable water, took Maya for a walk, and did work and research while waiting for our laundry to be done. I started to feel sicker and realized I must have picked up a bug on the expedition ship.

Welcome to Puerto Natales!
Old train engine in Puerto Natales, Chile
Church in Puerto Natales
Another historic building in town
Taking Maya for a walk in this clean and attractive town
Decent camping spot, despite being in a city
The harbor is full of fishing boats
Now this is a much cooler monument to commemorate the wind!
And we found another “Hand” sculpture by artist Mario Irarrázabal. We spotted two before, in Chile and Uruguay.

One of the main attractions in this part of Patagonia is Torres del Paine National Park. We had found an amazing free camping spot in iOverlander, one that friends had recommended, and looked forward to resting up and working in this pretty location, across from a river and the incredible park.

Continue reading

Monthly Expenses of a Nomad in South America – February 2025 (Argentina & Chile)

March 9, 2025 / / 24 Comments

Expenses - image

Every month, I post a report of our expenses to show that it is possible to live a comfortable, exciting, and adventurous life without breaking the bank. The less money you spend, the less you need to make. 🙂

This report includes ALL of our expenses, in US$, for two adults and one 60-pound dog (we adopted Maya on June 4th, 2019). Under groceries we incorporate food, produce, and non-alcoholic drinks predominantly bought in supermarkets. Toiletries belong in that category as well. Dining out means eating at a restaurant/event or purchasing take-out food. The health category covers non-prescription medicines and vitamins/supplements; medical contains prescription drugs and doctor’s visits. Because of our income level, Mark and I are eligible for free health care within the state of Massachusetts. For check-ups and extensive care, we return to the US East Coast. Other health issues are resolved locally and out of pocket where needed.

In February, Mark, Maya, Thirsty Bella, and I explored an attractive part of Patagonia. The first week, we drove north in Argentina and the rest of the month, we bounced on the gravel, potholed Carretera Austral (Ruta 7) in Chile.

Driving through pretty Patagonia National Park
A sunny day is reason for a smile
A decent gravel road
Border crossing in the middle of nowhere
Arriving in Chile again on another rainy day
Maya is getting used to the roads again
Following the Carretera Austral southwards in Chile

While it is still summer in the Southern Hemisphere, the rainy weather has made our time here less pleasant. But more about that in future posts.

A windy and particularly bumpy part of Ruta 7, aka the Carretera Austral
Crossing a wooden bridge
Road construction worker reading a book!
Driving inland to check out a couple of lakes
Driving north on the Carretera Austral in Chile
These bridges look narrower than they are.
Beware of falling rocks!
Crossing a pretty river in Chile
Can you pick out the dog? He’s there to keep pumas at bay.
Tunnel along the way
Yes! They are grading the road…

This expense report could well be the most straightforward one ever. Nothing complicated, unexpected, or weird happened. And, despite fuel being at an all-time high (I say this every month) at $670 (!), we stayed on budget. This record amount accounted for more than half of our expenditures in February! Blame all the driving, the awful roads, and the high fuel prices in Chile ($6/gallon).

This town’s gas station ran out of gasoline, so we needed to buy it elsewhere…
The only place in town to buy gasoline!
These five gallons held us over until the next town with a gas station.
Another visit to another Copec fuel station along the Carretera Austral
Prices at the Copec gas station in southern Chile: $1.60 per liter.

Our grocery bill is back on track at around $300. We didn’t come across “real” supermarkets, so have been buying our bread at bakeries, our produce at vegetable shops, and other necessary goods at convenient-store like establishments. We buy what we need, rarely what we want.

Finally! A decent-sized produce store in a decent-size city, Coyhaique
Our healthy bounty for $15

Once we reached Chile, we ate out again! Empanadas in Cochrane that consist of ground beef, boiled egg, an olive, and a raisin (beware of the pit in the olive; yes, many dishes containing olives down here, like pizza, still have pits); a tasty fish lunch in Tortel; an incredible pizza in Puerto Rio Tranquilo; and a set lunch menu in La Junta. None of this was cheap, but the total remained under $100.

Salmon lunch out!
Our restaurant of choice in Tortel didn’t open for lunch until 1pm.
Dinner out in Puerto Rio Tranquilo: : Mark’s (vegetarian) pizza
Dinner out in Puerto Rio Tranquilo: my pizza
The set day dish in La Junta consisted of a stew topped with egg and a side salad
The restaurant we ate lunch at in La Junta
Maya rests under the table of the La Junta restaurant.

As usual, most of our meals were cooked and eaten at home. I’ll never tire of Mark’s cuisine, but when he’s busy, working, or tired, I take over.

Pizza in our little oven! This is only possible when we have excess power.
Couscous, falafel, and eggplant with a bun
Eggplant dish with egg noodles
Pasta with corn and pepper, anyone?
An appetizer of crackers and artichoke dip
Maya’s dinner is augmented with vegetable compost whenever possible
Vegetarian lentil dish
Fried eggplant with quinoa, fish, and cucumber salad.
And when I cook, our meals are simple: quinoa, coleslaw, fried potatoes and a veggie burger (for me) / chicken thigh for Mark
Back to Mark: spaghetti with a cherry tomato sauce
Hamburgers on the grill, French fries in our oven, and coleslaw

We also paid for excursions in February. An intended highlight was a boat tour on stunning General Carrera Lake to the famed Marble Caves ($54). The trip didn’t really go according to plan, but we still enjoyed the experience. And, the three of us walked up to Las Manos in Cerro Castillo, to observe rock art in the form of hand paintings ($6). I’ll report on these Chilean attractions later.

Boat ride to the Marble Caves
Part of the Marble Caves
Las Manos in Cerro Castillo

Our engine still contains two generic injector coils that we purchased new in Bolivia over a year ago and that we ideally replace with OEM ones. Mark ordered one on Amazon (he always waits for the best available price – one more to go) and, when discovering that an unopened tube of caulk had gone off after we separated our camper from the truck for a repair, we had to hunt for caulk locally. Again, we only found a temporary solution. These two items brought the camper repair category to $58.

General store in Cochrane, where we bought our new caulk
Re-caulking some seams

Life is more enjoyable with a glass of wine, so we spent $54 on alcohol: some local beers for Mark and a few bottles of wine for both of us. The $39 for utilities went to our monthly Starlink subscription. The exact amount depends on the exchange rate for Argentinian pesos. Our company pays the other half. Filling up with potable water was free.

Because the line was so long for gas, we filled with water first.
More potable water is needed.
Topping up with potable water at a gas station

For once, we needed to stay at a campground, because we had to wash the car, take our camper off, and fix parts of the box. We managed to keep it to one night.

The owner begrudgingly let us wash our car.
We took the camper off to fix something underneath.
This is why we don’t like official campgrounds – they are often busy and loud.

In general, we wild camp and avoid official campgrounds for several reasons (just like marinas when we sailed). Boondocking/wild camping is free, offers privacy, flexibility, and natural surroundings; you don’t have to reserve or register; and there is no check-out time. So that’s what we did the other 27 nights in February. Although we were rarely alone then, too!

The very popular free camping spot in El Chalten, with Mount Fitzroy in the background
We camped here by ourselves to be protected from the insane winds. By evening, we had a lot of company!
Camped across the border, in Chile, since the check-in procedure took much longer than expected.
Camped by one of the many rivers in Chile
We loved our river camping spot in Tortel.
A rare moment of being able to sit outside for happy hour
Camped by the Rio Baker, one of our favorite rivers in the world!
Cerro Castillo on a sunny morning
The afternoon we arrived, it was sunny at Lago Paloma. But this was followed by two days of solid rain.
Another rainy day and burs in the grass, so we only stayed one night here.
Meeting Swiss overlanders at Puente Piedra
Another nice river campsite
We hoped for beautiful weather in Puerto Raul Marin Balmaceda for Mark’s birthday, but it was not meant to be.

The last item of this month’s expense report is laundry ($10). Mark and I have been washing, rinsing, and drying our clothes and linen in nature most of the time. The river water in Patagonia is extremely cold, but the sense of accomplishment – within our own time and space – after finishing a load, or three, is immense. That being said, we do wish laundromats get cheaper as we head north, especially since it has been raining non-stop, lately. This means lots of dirty clothes and no option of drying anything out.

Hand laundry by the river
Mark rinsed the clothes in the river, after I washed them in a bucket.
Without trees around us, we connected our washing line to a parked truck on a Sunday.
Of course, the truck had to leave for a few hours…

The grand total for February was $1,307, so right on track. But we do need to start spending less on fuel!

February 2025 Overview:

Car  (fuel):

Groceries:

Dining out:

Entertainment (Marble Caves & Las Manos):

Camper repair:

Alcohol:

Utilities (Internet):

Camping:

Laundry:

 

TOTAL:

 

$671

$306

$94

$60

$58

$54

$39

$15

$10

———

$ 1,307

(It might be easier to read the table when turning your device in the horizontal position.)

Find all our expense reports here. To learn what other full-time nomads spend, check out the blogs of our nomad friends Duwan and Greg at Make Like An Ape Man.

Next up: The real Patagonia!

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