Merge branch 'main' of https://github.com/by-jp/www.byjp.me

content/posts/adventure-awaits/a-patagonian-love-story/index.md

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+---
+title: "A Patagonian love story"
+emoji: 🗻
+date: "2023-01-22T09:09:42-03:00"
+summary: "Exciting times as we hike the W, and visit Torres del Paine."
+syndications:
+- https://adventure.awaits.us/a-patagonian-love-story/
+series:
+- Adventure Awaits
+---
+
+{{< figure alt="The three stunning spires of Torres del Paine,standing in front of the lagoon on top of the mountain." src="header.webp" class="big">}}
+
+A day or two before arriving in Patagonia I started looking at reviews of the “W” circuit hike that is one of the star attractions of the region. It’s a 70km hike with two 1km high viewpoints to reach, that we were planning to complete over 5 days (and 4 nights staying in well tended hostels, or _refugios_), so getting some advice from those before us seemed prudent at the least!
+
+One review stood out to me: “Completing this trek was one of the best experiences of my life”, said Helen from Minnesota. As much as I do it myself, I do tend to roll my eyes at hyperbole — sure Torres del Paine is world-class beautiful, and I know how far people travel from around the world to walk the “W” and the “O” circuits, but… of a _life?_
+
+{{< figure caption="This is the route we walked, from right to left. You can see why it's called the \"W\"! (I forgot to turn on the tracking for the first half hour of day 3!)" src="the-w-route.webp" >}}
+
+Well, my Minnesotan friend, how right you were! Not only was every moment of the hike eye-wateringly beautiful but also, at the practically divine peak of _Mirador Base las Torres_, Yvette proposed to me! “Adventure awaits, mi amor”, the engraving in the compass said, as the needle swung to point directly at her, “and I would love you to be part of all my adventures to come… Will you marry me?”
+
+Any of you who’ve hung out with us will know there was only ever going to be one answer to that question, but saying “yes” in such a majestic space was even more a privilege and joy.
+
+{{< figure alt="The two of us cuddling in front of the engraved inside of my new engagement compass, it reads \"And I would love you to be part of all my adventures to come… Will you marry me? ❤️\"" src="engagement-compass.webp" >}}
+
+That first day was beautiful even before the summit — neither the spitting rain (nor Yvette’s nerves, it seems) could stop our ear-to-ear grins. The final rock-scramble to the top was definitely a tricky one (my [IT-bands](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iliotibial_tract) are still complaining), but that moment where the three towers rose above the eerie other-worldly terrain still glows within me.
+
+{{< figure caption="Day 1, from left to right: Yvette at the river at _Refugio Chileno_; that same river coming down the valley towards the \"Windy Pass\"; the two of us looking very happy with ourselves as a newly engaged couple at the _Mirador Base las Torres_; one of the many waterfalls that refreshed us enough to make the hike; our surprisingly excellent dinner at _Refugio Central_." src="first-day.webp" class="big">}}
+
+With such a momentous first summit you might think that we barely noticed the rest of our 5 day hike, but Torres del Paine continued to show us its most beautiful side. The weather only improved and, on the second day alone, gave us bird-filled hikes along pebbly beaches, long (and very well maintained) rope and plank bridges across raging snowmelt rivers, and wonderful _refugios_ (hostel refuges) filled with surprisingly good food, reasonably priced beer, and the most lovely hikers from around the globe. (We learned a great Israeli card game called “Yaniv”, taught to us by new Dutch friends — the kind of combination you’ll only get while backpacking!)
+
+{{< figure caption="Days 2 & 3, from left to right: Yvette hiking the pleasantly wandering path to _Refugio Cuernos_; the beautiful glacial lakeside views nearing _Refugio Cuernos_; Yvette donning my 'marmalade' down jacket as we cool down (with a beer) post-hike at _Cuernos_; the rather unstable long and rocky downward route from Cuernos onwards; the two of us waving a fond good-riddance to _Miradors Frances_ and _Británico_ (on the right of the valley)" src="middle-days.webp" class="big">}}
+
+Day three was a little more challenging for me, especially after my mistake of not stretching down on day 1 with all the celebrations! The 1km high _Mirador Británico_ (the British viewpoint, hilariously just a little higher up the path from the _Mirador Frances_) was rather daunting — that 1,042m climb, the rock-scrabble down, and the 8km onward hike put a very long day between us and our next ~~refugio~~ beer…
+
+We made it most of the way to the _Mirador Frances_, but at the point my knees were causing stops every 5 minutes, Yvette—travelling on a French passport—proudly proclaimed that “this spot looks very French to me”, which was all the excuse I needed!
+
+{{< figure caption="Days 4 & 5, from left to right: Post-hike beers at _Refugio Paine Grande_ preparing for the final stages; fields of beautiful orchids hidden from the wind on the Western fork of the \"W\"; early morning near _Refugio Grey_, the two of us (and a tiny moon) on the chilly glacial beach at our North-most point; the unexpectedly hot final hike, we'd left as much baggage as possible at _Paine Grande_, time for improvised hats; finito! _Cuernos_ spearing the sky behind Yvette, who grins at the thought of a celebratory beer hunt." src="last-days.webp" class="big">}}
+
+The journey to _Refugio Grey_, the last of our hiking pit-stops, was as beautiful as the refuge was comfortable. Whole hillsides of fuscia orchids, brazen _[Chimango Caracara](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chimango_caracara)_ and other wonderful wildlife preening just off the path, with the enormous glacier always poised at the end of the Lake Grey — it made the 30º sun and 65km/h winds _enjoyable_, not just worth tolerating!
+
+{{< figure caption="The view from _Mirador Grey_ out towards _Refugio Grey_ and the glacier, which is part of a single 1,495km² icefield that spans most of Southern Chile and Argentina." src="the-w-route.webp" >}}
+
+Wow, I’ve rambled on almost longer than our hike! Suffice to say that you should immediately plan your trip to Patagonia’s beautiful _Torres del Paine_, it’s the hike of a lifetime _even if_ you don’t have a wonderful human craftily planning its next thrilling chapter.
+
+{{< figure caption="The new bride-and-groom-to-be!" src="the-happy-couple.webp" >}}

content/posts/adventure-awaits/a-pre-wedding-celebration/index.md

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+---
+title: "A pre-wedding celebration"
+emoji: 🍾
+date: "2023-11-19T17:15:01-04:00"
+summary: "Yvette & I celebrated our upcoming wedding in Venezuela!"
+syndications:
+- https://adventure.awaits.us/pre-wedding-celebration/
+series:
+- Adventure Awaits
+---
+
+{{< figure alt="JP and Yvette look lovingly at each other, in white attire, in front of a vista across Caracas." src="header.webp" class="big">}}
+
+As any of you who’ve been reading this blog for a while know, [Yvette and I are engaged](../a-patagonian-love-story/) — in the past few months, while we giddily awaited & planed our wedding next Summer, we realised that not all of Yvette’s family and friends here in Venezuela would be able to join us in France.
+
+We decided to make our trip here to Venezuela a little longer one so we could both celebrate (Yvette’s sister) Christie’s medschool graduation and have a pre-wedding celebration in Yvette’s late Aunt’s house, on the hills of La Florida in Caracas.
+
+Yesterday was the day! We gathered 15 of Yvette’s (now our!) Venezuelan nearest & dearest for some some delicious treats, lots of stories & conversation, a glass of _espumante_ or two, and some heartfelt speeches from the two of us.
+
+{{< figure caption="Some of our guests! Clockwise from me in the middle is Tío Michel and Tía Stella, cousin Ángela, her daughter Mariángela, then Yvette's Dad Henri, and Yvette!" src="family.webp" >}}
+
+First the food! Venezuela has a _delicious_ bread-like bap called arepa (imagine pita bread but thick as a crumpet and made from ground corn instead of wheat) — always filled with the most incredible flavours. My favourite was _reina pepiada_ (a shredded chicken and avocado mix) with a delicious local cheese, all stuffed into a toasted palm-sized mini _arepa chicharrón_ (where the arepa flour is mixed with deep fried pork rind 🤤). I may have had a few of these…
+
+[Caracas Catering](https://instagram.com/caracascatering) looked after us incredibly well, but our dessert was always going to be brownies from {{< friend yvette >}} & Christie’s childhood friend Isabel, who now runs a brownie business here in Caracas called [Top Brownies](https://instagram.com/topbrownies). She made us a hundred delicious and beautiful brownie morsels — with fillings like guava and cheesecake and salted caramel and extra chocolate — each just big enough to make you want a hundred more. When her business eventually expands to the UK I’m going to grow a few waist sizes.
+
+{{< figure caption="Yvette descends the spiral staircase that is the centrepiece of this stunning home, in her elegant white toga-esque dress." src="yvette.webp" >}}
+
+We finished the day with some heartfelt speeches from the two of us. We thanked everyone for joining us—and Christie particularly for her amazing work preparing the house for us before we arrived—and took a few minutes to tell Yvette’s family about our love for each other, and for our Mums — both very much present in all of us, despite their absence. It was magical and perfect, especially with my new family-to-be, under the tropical sun, in this wonderful family home.
+
+Yvette’s tireless planning of this incredible day showed in every detail, and I’m so thankful that she took on such a huge task while I was mentally absent, planning Mum’s funeral. Clearly our love for everyone involved in both those days brought out the best in us, and I couldn’t have wished for a better way to meet my new family, and celebrate with them. 🥰

content/posts/adventure-awaits/preparations/index.md

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+---
+title: "Preparations"
+emoji: 🇬🇧
+date: 2022-11-29T20:49:00Z
+summary: "I've just finished my ninth-last day at work before our sabbatical begins. And for the first time, our travels are starting to feel real."
+syndications:
+- https://adventure.awaits.us/preparations/
+series:
+- Adventure Awaits
+---
+
+{{< figure alt="" src="header.webp" class="big" >}}
+
+I've just finished my ninth-last day at work before our sabbatical begins. Nine isn't a special number, and nor was today unique except, for the first time, our travels are starting to feel *real*.
+
+Maybe it was our weekend of fun with family, celebrating our 4th anniversary yesterday, or that the mountain of Things To Do™ has shrunk enough to let the light from our semi-nomadic future shine back into 2022 — whatever it is, something has clicked into place, and I can't stop grinning!
+
+{{< figure title="We're crossing quite a lot of timezones." alt="A world map showing the planned flights from London to Cartagena, then Santiago de Chile, Patagonia, Rio in Brazil; a gap, then Lima in Peru to Vancouver, Canada, and finally Tokyo, Japan." src="the-plan.webp" >}}
+
+Along with the excitement we're also working through some disappointing realisations, in particular that we're not likely to be able to visit Yvette's family in Venezuela. The [FCDO advises heavily against trips](https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/venezuela), recommendations from friends in the country are cautious at best, and the USA's [prohibition of flights](https://www.reuters.com/article/us-venezuela-politics-airlines-idUSKCN1S733E) over Venezuela has even made finding ways into the country challenging. This is crushing for both of us; I'd love to see Christie again, and to meet so many of Yvette's family for the first time, but Venezuela's instability has kept Yvette away for the last eight years, and it's going to really suck being so close, and yet so far.
+
+We're investigating the possibility of staying in Aruba during February and offering a space for Yvette's family to visit us there, which might work out depending on how quickly the [USA's recent U-turn](https://www.state.gov/joint-statement-on-venezuela-negotiations-2/) changes travel options. Yes, we've had [Kokomo](https://songwhip.com/the-beach-boys/kokomo) stuck in our heads and blasting from speakers for days.
+
+{{< figure title="Don't start playing Kokomo, or even thinking about it. I promise it won't leave your brain." alt="The Beach Boys sitting on in and around a yellow truck, on a beach with a surfboard." src="beach-boys-kokomo.webp" >}}
+
+Our trip's project management software is seeing a lot of use, we've taken full advantage of the recent sales to get lightweight backpacks, and friends have put us in touch with a lovely couple who are going to look after our flat while we're away too. There are 34 days remaining. As I said, it's starting to feel *real*!
+
+Here's to the last few, important steps of our planning, to the last days of work, and to spending Christmas with our family and friends here in the UK before we set off!