Don Rolando
Dear Friends,
I got a call this morning at 5 AM from Edgar who
called from Nelli's house to tell me that yesterday at 4 pm Don Rolando
passed away in the hospital in Puerto Montt. Ximena was with him. May he
rest in peace.
He was a great man, always quick to make a joke,
see the humour in life and always always ready to help anybody who
needed anything at all. He built he Bio Bio Camp on the Fu and tended to
it like it was his own. He will be missed and is survived by his sister
Nelli who is of course very sad, distraught and in need of as much
comfort as we can send her.
There is so much more that I could say
and there is lots more that I feel. We are all sad, eventhough we are
happy he is no longer suffering as the last few months of his life his
quality of life had severely taken a turn for the worse. He lost lots of
weight, was incoherent and in the end was also in pain. We may be
thankful that there is rest in death and mercy in passing on. He will
forever live on in our minds, and his work we will enjoy well into the
future. Our energy and thoughts should go out to Nelli and Ximena, who
no longer have a man around the house.
Their number should you choose to call them: (011) 562-1964259
or mail cards:
Sra. Nelida Diocares y Ximena Soto Diocares
Sector el Azul S/ N
Comuna de Futaleufu, X region
Provinica de Palena
The Futaleufu bounces back from a near miss!
Dear friends,
We are so thankful for all the outpouring of
support during the Volcan Chaiten eruption and just as thankful that our
camp and the Futaleufu have been spared! The financial contributions
that we have collected will still make life easier for the locals as
many sold off cattle and sheep to get them out of the area. The money
will also help them deal with fuel shortages and triple price hikes. We
are also studying a way to get the rio Azul residents a web page to
help visitors to the areas enlist their services in the future. Tourists
can then book such things as a home cooked Asado, a home stay, a hike
to hidden lakes, or horse rides etc. This will be a way to get passerby
visitors in touch with the Futaleufu locals and will allow them to make
money well into the future as soon as we all get the word out that the
Futaleufu is every bit as beautiful as ever! It is true that the heavy
winter rains have taken care of the ash fall. In many places the soil
has been actually enriched and this will help grow even healthier
vegetation.
The worst possible outcome for the locals now is
that visitors stay away due to sensationalist press, which would make
carving a living out of the wilderness even harder. They really are
working hard to provide services to the growing number of tourists and
this is for many the largest source of income. So, tell your friends how
great the Futaleufu is and that they should visit soon as much as ever
before!!
Again, thank you all for your concern, support and mindfulness!
50 Best trips of a life time - National Geographic Traveler Magazine
National Geographic Adventurer - When we started this annual roundup of
the world’s top guided tours three years ago, we sought to bring readers
the most transformative, sustainable, and authentic experiences. To our
delight, there’s no shortage of companies that share our philosophy.
Whether it’s staring down a king penguin in Antarctica, sharing mole
with a Oaxacan family, or watching your kids in a pickup soccer game in
Sardinia, this is the sort of travel that will stick with you. We hope
our 2008 picks get you inspired.
Bio Bio Expeditions Futaleufu trip in Patagonia picked as one of the 50 best trips - May 2008
Award Winning Videographers Produce Videos for Bio Bio Expeditions
Bryan Smith of Pacific Horizons production company has created a short
promo video for our website of rafting the Apurimac - Bryan is a well
know videographer and Banff film festival finalist. Enjoy a high
definition trip down the Apurimac!.
Click here to view video.
http://www.downstreammedia.net/TheRangeLife/Video/biobioperu.mov
Alex Nicks, who is also a Banff film festival finalists, produced our video for Kilimanjaro.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qVYab3rpCr0
We hope you will enjoy the videos!
Bio Bio Expeditions is included as one of the “Best outfitters on the Planet”
National Geographic Adventure Magazine - “Best Outfitters on Earth” (10/22/07)
With
assistance from the Adventure Travel Council, Adventures in Travel
Expo, the adventure travel trade Association, and other travel and
tourism organizations, National Geographic Adventure magazine chose the
“Best Outfitters on Earth” and Bio Bio is included as one of them – For
more information please see the November 2007 issue of National
Geographic Adventure Magazine. Or click on www.ngadventures.com/rankings
More press for Bio Bio Expeditions - First Descent in Bhutan!
Travel and Leisure Magazine August 2007
Travel Leisure August 2007 “worlds best awards - Hotels, Cruises, Airlines, Cities, Islands.
In
a feature article called “Getting there first” Some travel for fun,
some to feed the soul. Others are in it for the immortality.
Jeff
Wise quotes Richard Bangs, famous for various first decscents and
especially for starting commercial rafting on the Zambezi river.
“Usually there are a lot of unknowns, and anxiety and tension on a first
descent. It’s all about celebrating chaos.” page 138,
Bio Bio Expeditions is mentioned for their upcoming November 2009 first descent of the Drangme, chhu river in Bhutan.
Call 1-800-246-7238 for more details.
Body and Soul Magazine
Whole Living Body + Soul
March 2007
Pg. 101
A River Runs Through It
Yoga
at BIO BIO EXPEDITION’s 10-day Patagonia retreat is all about going
with the flow. Hovering 50 feet above Chile’s Futaleufu River, the
open-air yoga platform at this adventure base camp offers spectacular
views of turquoise rapids backed by glaciated peaks. Twice-daily hatha
flow classes prep you for the next day’s rafting of fly-fishing trip,
while savasanas allow time for listening to the river rush by and
feeling the subequatorial sun on your face.
From Zambezi to the Futaleufu with Love!
Greetings from the amazing south of
Chile! The Futaleufu is big and wild and the BBX camp looks better than
ever. The summer light pours into the windows of the pagoda where you
can sit with a book and watch the turquoise river flow by. The new
bathrooms with hot showers are five-star! Each platform now has a huge
African-style safari tent complete with beds, down comforters, and
Peruvian rugs. Speaking of Africa – we are delighted to announce that we
sponsored one of our best native-Zambezi guides with a trip to Chile.
Lovemore Kalinda, who until a couple days ago had never been on an
airplane, flew from South Africa to Bariloche, Argentina and had his
first kayak descent of the Futaleufu today. He is an excellent kayaker
and river guide, but this is the first river he has run besides the
mighty Zambezi. We are very happy to be able to provide this opportunity
to Lovemore and he will spend the next two months here on the Futa
kayaking, rafting, and working. Meanwhile, Sabine and Quinn (Laurence
and Marc’s offspring) are enjoying “playdates” Patagonia style. We
celebrated Quinn’s 1rst birthday on January 16th with lots of local
kids, a BBQ of hot dogs and hamburgers, and live music by Ken Kruger. It
was a wonderful celebration and we are truly enjoying watching the
kiddies play and explore in this beautiful place.
If you haven’t experienced the magic of BBX on the Futaleufu yet, there
is still room on the Feb. 11th, Feb. 18th, and March 4th trips. Call
Diana in the home office at (800) 246-7238 and we’ll see you down
here!!!
Love, Damara, Marc, Laurence
Multi-Sport Rafting and Cultural Tour of India
Bio Bio Expeditions is happy to announce an amazing adventure into the heart of India!
expedition on the Alaknanda, an upper section of the sacred river
Ganges - perfect for first timers or experienced paddlers!
The trip includes camping, luxury hotels, and beautiful riverside lodges.
This trip is designed for the active traveler looking for a combination of adventure, expedition, fun and culture!
Dates:
November 5th - November 19th, 2007
March 9th - November 22nd, 2008
Call 1-800-246-7238 for more information or a detailed itinerary.
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