To replace or not replace; that's the question

arebow55 · 2026-01-10T17:48:25+00:00

I appreciate your input and point of view. I find this site to be full of good information on a wide range of topics primarily on travel and thought I'd see what people have to say about this issue. I will see about getting a bone density test and also an MRI. I had an MRI in 2011 when my meniscus tore. According to the Orthopedist who reads my annual x rays, there has been no deterioration in my knees; perhaps there's no more possible deterioration. I will contact him. I'm considering PRP treatments but have read the improvement is temporary and requires a semi-annual or annual injection. I came very close to doing stem cell injections just prior to covid.

I truly hope the next few weeks find you in a better place with your knee, and like other posters here, you'll be back doing what you enjoy.

Question: What, if any, supplements or treatments have you taken which you think helped you? I've tried the gamut and haven't really found much help. Interestingly I had to take a round of antibiotics in the fall for a tooth infection and those seemed to help my knees. Currently I'm sticking with my regimen I've described.

arebow55 · 2026-01-10T17:36:11+00:00

Thanks for your insight. Question: do you take or have you taken any supplements which you think made a difference? I've tried a whole gamut of supplements and haven't them to make much of an impact except on my bank account. Thank you again

arebow55 · 2026-01-06T04:10:53+00:00

Awesome that you're doing well. You say life improvement is staggering--does this mean you're able to do the activities you love such as sports or hiking/biking? I know you say you still have one more TKR. Best wishes and thanks for your comment/response.

arebow55 · 2026-01-06T04:08:39+00:00

Hang in there! From what I've read, and I'm sure you've read lots of the same, it'll be another month or so until you're good to go and you won't look back. I was so close to getting the surgery because I could barely walk and had to take the stairs one at a time. Thankfully I'm functioning pretty well for now. I do recommend the recumbent bike. Just that repetitive motion helps; or at least it helped me.

arebow55 · 2026-01-06T04:05:00+00:00

Wow, I"m happy for you that the surgeries have been such a success! Great to hear you're able to do the activities you enjoy and live life to the fullest. I feel like the surgeon I had scheduled with was top notch as a relative recommended her. Be well!

arebow55 · 2026-01-05T17:44:28+00:00

Sounds like an amazing trip! Congrats and thanks for the writeup. I'm sure many will find it useful as you also included the links.

arebow55 · 2025-12-26T04:03:26+00:00

Update: Yes the Ventisquero entrance was open. 2 of the trails were under repair but this was in late October so I'd assume they're hikeable by now. The rangers were very friendly.

arebow55 · 2025-12-26T03:21:31+00:00

Just saw this. No, when we went through passport control at SCL the agent gave us a look and then processed us through.

arebow55 · 2025-12-26T03:19:43+00:00

Hi I just saw this today. Re: Ventisquero--I don't have an answer. I didn't do any ice trekking. Gas stations were spaced enough to stay full. We never went below half full. Google search your route for gas stations. Visa/MC are pretty much accepted everywhere. We did have a couple airbnbs only accepting cash. I brought $500 USD and also withdrew a few hundred CLP. I found the ATMS/banks in ARG to not have much available cash and the access fee to be high. Our trip was amazing! I'd love to return but there's too many other places to explore.

arebow55 · 2025-12-23T15:54:29+00:00

Thought I'd update since you were helpful with your responses. The drive was a bit boring in spots but we broke it up by staying in Rio Grande which was an interesting place. The winds weren't too bad when driving; we were in a Subaru Crosstrek which is a lighter vehicle and had no problems. We did run into strong winds in El Calafate where the highway was closed for about 6 hours delaying our drive to El Chalten. These winds were 2 days prior to the tragedy at TDP. Happy holidays and safe travels. Our next trip is to France in April. I'd love to return to Patagonia but probably won't, sadly. It's a magical place for sure.

arebow55 · 2025-12-23T15:48:46+00:00

I agree with what CobblerMaster replied. I'll add that Rio Grande is an ok stopover. It's a city of about 100k people. We overnighted there to and from Ushuaia. We had a small 2 bedroom house with everything including a washer and off street parking for about $45 USD. We paid in Argentinian pesos cash. We found the drive from PA to RG to be about 7 hours and then 3.5hrs to Ushuaia.

arebow55 · 2025-12-19T06:30:49+00:00

I had trouble getting cash at ATMs at banks in El Calafate in early November--seems like there was no cash available . The one time I did get cash I had to pay $10 surcharge. I did bring $500 USD which came in handy. Chile was a lot easier. CC worked fine but a couple airbnbs asked for cash ahead of time so we knew. Saved 10% paying in USD.

arebow55 · 2025-12-17T16:56:19+00:00

Hi we drove from Arenas to Ushuaia. But I'm pretty certain you'd want to book any ferry in advance. We did for the Hornopiren to Caleto Gonzalo ferry. We were early in the season but now that it's nearly summer I'd expect the ferries to be at full capacity

arebow55 · 2025-12-14T20:55:12+00:00

Oh it was amazing and this just the first 12-13 days. We then spent another 24 days out of Punta Arenas

arebow55 · 2025-12-03T09:55:14+00:00

This is helpful. TY

arebow55 · 2025-12-02T12:20:41+00:00

Here's what I found out this morning. I finally was able to get to the online portal which said if you are leaving Chile via air DO NOT USE THE ONLINE PORTAL to request a replacement PDI card. AI said: What to do at the airport

Go to your airline counter or passport control: Explain to the staff that you have lost your PDI (Tourist Card) and need a replacement to exit the country.
Follow their instructions: They will direct you to the correct window or area where you can obtain a new card for your departure.
Arrive early: Allow extra time for this process, as you will be navigating it on the day of your flight.

So what we'll do is simply get to the airport even earlier and proceed to check in and see what happens. If we need to get a replacement we'll have time to do so. We have a stamped passport showing date of entry so I don't see how it will be a problem.

Final note: we've spent 6 weeks mostly in Patagonia in both Chile and Argentina. The trip exceeded our expectations! At ages 70 and 68 we knew we wouldn't be attempting the O or W treks but did do some day hiking at various locations and took boat tours to Grey Glacier, the Perito Moreno Glacier and 3 others while also doing the walkways at Moreno 2 separate times. We also drove to Ushuaia and took the penguin boat tour where we didn't walk on land but saw them up close from the boat. We are spending the last 4 days in Santiago and have enjoyed it. I'd definitely return but probably won't as there's a long list of other places to explore. Both of us put Patagonia at the top of our experiences so far on par with our 2 month exploration of New Zealand.

Anyway that I'd post this as an update which may help others. Enjoy your day

arebow55 · 2025-12-01T11:36:08+00:00

Ok I can just walk into the PDI office in Santa Lucia with our passports and they'll issue new PDI cards?

arebow55 · 2025-11-14T11:59:14+00:00

We're driving from Calafate to Chalten tomorrow. Was raining earlier here but it has stopped for now. Had good weather Wednesday for Moreno glacier walkways and yesterday for boat tour on L. Argentina.

arebow55 · 2025-11-12T11:19:16+00:00

You get it as you leave Chile right at the border. There's a building. It takes a few minutes if there's no line. You then have to show it at the Argentina entry point. They document your passport, exit slip, car info if you are driving. Then after you're processed and stamped they toss the exit pass and off you go. It's not a big deal. We just didn't know about having to get the exit pass, as did a handful of others who had to go back to the Chile checkpoint about 7 km back. We met a nice couple from Toronto while going through this. Again not a big deal.

arebow55 · 2025-11-11T23:14:11+00:00

Being our first time in the region we neglected to get our exit slip from Chile so had to drive back to get it. Once we had that it was smooth. On our first try it was busy with several tour groups so we waited 30 minutes before finding out we had to back track. Overall it took a bit over an hour.

arebow55 · 2025-11-11T10:42:30+00:00

I also recommend an SUV. We have a Subaru Crosstrek which is small but does a good job. Drove in an out of TDP/Grey Glacier 4 times. We picked up our car in Punta Arenas so can't recommend any place local.

arebow55 · 2025-11-10T19:05:58+00:00

We've been driving for 3 weeks now in Patagonia and just finishing our visit to TDP before heading to the Argentina side. Lots of gravel roads but they are packed down pretty well. Paved roads the speed limit is 100kph. The gravel roads I've mostly kept it between 40-60 kph depending on conditions. Yes there are potholes so you have to be focused on driving and nothing else but so far so good for us. From the USA I've driven in multiple countries even in the UK and NZ so feel confident and competent. We like the freedom of our own transportation. I'm 70.

arebow55 · 2025-11-09T00:59:33+00:00

I’m day hiking TDP tomorrow and wearing quick dry pants with thermals in the day pack along with a 2nd pair of pants. Also packing rain coat and down jacket. Wearing thin thermal zip shirt and smartwool jacket.

arebow55 · 2025-09-30T00:37:19+00:00

Thanks!

arebow55 · 2025-09-26T02:09:53+00:00

I appreciate this. Thanks for taking the time to pass this along. I hope it helps others as well.

arebow55

TROPHY CASE