Now that we are here

Tenemos WIFI! Ok so I know its been a while since anything new has popped up but the hotel doesn't have very reliable internet and it seems to block a lot of sites including our blog but for some reason today is different. Huzzah.
We're about a month in now and much has happened since arriving in Patagonia. We have our work and our travels to cover and little time to do it in. Anyone and everyone feel free to contact either of us through email, it is usually available via the hotel wifi while the blog isn't. Mine is ajjohns01@gmail.com  and Kelly's is klmaguire@gmail.com.
Upon first arriving here we found ourselves thrust into a world where everyone had specific jobs to do and most people were wondering what the hell these two gringos were doing here but as time has passed we have found our niche. We have been on all but one or two between the two of us and spent the first 5 days or so studying the local flora and fauna, learning about the history of the area, and pretty much trying to acquire all the knowledge that we can. We are propelled unknowingly on a daily basis into wild weather and new tours and the guests always seem to be pleased with our presence as capable English speakers. They are all pleased to hear our tales of departure from the states and commend us on our bravery and cajones. Most are surprised to hear we've only been here such a short period of time as well for the facts we can rattle off and the answers we have for their endless questions. The tourism business is a blast because you get to hang out with interesting people from all over the world.  Mainly the guests are adventurous older American and British tourists. There is a minimum of a four day stay here so it leaves plenty of time between different tours and running into the same people over and over again to build a solid rapport.
As so much time has passed without being able to post I cannot possibly relate all of the little things that have gone on to make this trip interesting but what I am going to do is paste some of my journal entries for the more memorable moments.
This first one happened about two weeks ago. As some of you may know, a huge fire stared here at the end of December and burned a large area of the park. The weather played a huge part along with inadequacies in the forest service's ability to combat the flames. On a regular basis the winds here reach 100kph and can easily surpass that, its just part of the way things are here. Along with that, the year has been spectacularly dry. Those of us in California recognize this as a perfect recipe for disaster. It isn't uncommon for the fire to travel underground from root to root and this is causing all sorts of headaches in the park. The hotel is very near that park and next door to an estancia (ranch) where we take groups for horseback riding.

"Today we had a tour to Estancia Lazo for horseback riding. There have been many spots still smoking from the fire and very high winds the past two days but the fire never showed itself. Then today on the way home we came across a large plume of smoke and soon after drove THROUGH the fire. It had come above ground again and had crossed the road. A 100 year old beech tree was fully engulfed in flame. That was a very emotional sight. There were two people from the estancia who had raced ahead when we were still mounted and their car was down the hill below where the flames had re-started. There was a heavy hose that we could see from the road as we approached and it was stretched around a small pond where they were either pumping water in to buckets or just filling them up. Either way, when we drove through, all that was standing between the fire and endless fuel was one guy, struggling to make his way uphill carrying a five gallon bucket, slopping water all over the place. Good luck."

So now that we can access the site we plan on posting more regularly. Stay tuned, we just got back from our first break from work and spent four memorable days in the Torres del Paine National Park. Kelly will be updating soon. We miss all of you family and friends alike. I have attached a picture of our view from the hotel. We see this every day as we do everything here. It is a view of Las Torres del Paine on the right, Almirante Nieto in the center, and Lago Sarmiento.

TTYL