In this 2009 film, 180° SOUTH, Jeff Johnson makes a road trip to Patagonian Chile. Johnson retraces the steps of Yvon Chouinard and Doug Tompkins’ 1968 trip to Patagonia. But instead of taking the Pan American highway, Johnson hitches a ride in a sailing vessel from Ventura, California and heads  south.

“You learn that what’s important is how you got there, not what you’ve accomplished.“  - Yvon Chouinard.

Johnson’s real trip begins after they are shipwrecked off the coast of Easter Island. After the sailboat gets patched up, they continue on towards Patagonia. Jeff’s goal is to climb the peak Corcovado. In many trips that are worth remembering, things usually don’t go according to plan. But of course that is what makes it an adventure.

It’s a narrative film following Jeff and his crew. The soundtrack is a nice addition too. What I found funny is how Jeff mentioned growing up in Danville, California as being very far from the ocean. I drive pass Danville sometimes, it is one of the wealthiest suburbs in the San Francisco Bay Area. Danville is only 31 miles form San Francisco and there are great surf spots out in SF’s Ocean Beach. And he thinks that is far from the nearest ocean!

Anyway, the film does have beautiful scenes of the land, mountain, ocean, and some wildlife too. I especially enjoy seeing the dolphins swimming along the sailboat.

In this film, Jeff also has the chance to meet up with Chouinard and Tompkins. They have discussions on the the state of progress and it’s impact on the environment. At the moment, Chile continues to plan on building more hydro-electric dams (where much of the power is used for heavy industry and mining). Many environmental organizations oppose the dams.

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I am always on the look out for new fruits, and if there’s a health benefit to eating it then that is even better news.  Lucuma or commonly called “eggfruit” is one such fruit.  It is native to the cool Andean highland coast, especially in Peru. It is also a popular fruit in Chile.

When the lucuma is ripe, it has a nice orange color.  Such a pretty looking fruit, if not tasty as well!  Photo from Living in Peru.

“tastes like maple syrup. very mealy - no juice at all.” - The Black Azar.  This would make a good and filling snack.  Photo from Flickr.

It’s consider to be South American’s most precious fruit.  Lucuma powder is usually exported to European and South American markets. The powders are used to flavor ice cream and other desserts. The powder is also available online at about $15 for 1 lb.

The fruit is low in sugar but has a sweet flavor. It’s been described to be sweet, fragrant and subtly maple-like in flavor. And some say taste similar to caramel too.

The fruit has been shown to grown successfully in Hawaii and Mexico.  This species is not tropical, but grows at temperate elevations in Peru. It can also adapt to dry locations.

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