Tag: Chile

Punta Arenas to Torres del Paine

Blog post for Friday, October 20 2023

We did a lot today. We had breakfast at the hotel in Punta Arenas. About 9:30 we walked to the bus station and caught a bus to Puerto Natales. it was about a three hour ride through relatively flat grasslands. We saw guanacos and Duke saw rheas.

Bus station in Punta Arenas

In Puerto Natales we took a taxi to the rental car office. Our car wasn’t quite ready so we walked down the street and had lunch at a wonderful cozy restaurant called El Bote.

Restaurants El Bote
Bonnie and I each had seafood stew

When we returned to the rental car office our rental truck was ready and we loaded up. We stopped at a grocery store and got picnic food, wine, and beer.

Loading up our truck

Then we drove about an hour north to Torres del Paine. We are staying at a ranch or Estancia that is set in the middle of a vast valley. We can’t see any other signs of habiatation in any direction.

Our accommodations

We played cards and later ate dinner in a building separate from the cabin we are staying in. I loved the big fire pit in the room.

The dining room

Ventus Australis day 2

Note: We just finished our wonderful 5 day Patagonia Cruise on Ventus Australis. We had no internet access during the cruise so I am posting my blog entries for the last 5 days now.

Blog post for Monday October 16 2023

Our first shore excursion of the trip was supposed to be to Cape Horn Island, the southern tip of South America. Our disembarkation at Cape Horn Island was scheduled for 6:45. But the wind was blowing more than forty miles per hour and the landing would have been too dangerous so we just took pictures from the ship.

Cape Horn Island. It was too rough to land.
The Cape Horn Monument

Next we anchored in Wulaia Bay. We took the zodiac ashore and hiked to a lookout point.

In the Zodiac on our way ashore
The view of Wulaia Bay

The food on the Ventus Australis as wonderful.

Ribs
Desert

Ventus Australis Day 4

Note: We just finished our wonderful 5 day Patagonia Cruise on Ventus Australis. We had no internet access during the cruise so I am posting my blog entries for the last 5 days now.

Blog post for Wednesday October 18 2023

This morning we landed on the beach and then walked around the glacial lake in front of the Aguila Glacier. It was a very nice walk and our expedition guide told us al about the flora

On the beach with Ventus Australis in the background
A short detour into the woods
I think our guide told us that this is called pig skin seaweed
Aguilar Glacier

After almost every excursion we are offered hot chocolate and if you want it, whiskey.

After the hike

This afternoon’s we took a boat tour to the Condor glacier it’s one of the prettiest glaciers that we have seen.

At the Condor glacier

After dinner we were talking with the Spaniards at the next table. They asked Duke about “Trum”. It took a while for Duke to translate, but he eventually realized they were talking about Trump. Duke told them what he thinks about Trump and they said they couldn’t figure out how such a wonderful country as the United States could have a president as stupid as Trump.

This evening was our last full day on the ship. They auctioned of the chart of our voyage to Cape Horn and held a drawing to give away the ships flag. We didn’t get either. After dinner one of the waiters sang and there was even a conga line!

The auction
Duke and I with our waiter

From Huilo Huilo Biological Preserve, Chile to Home

When we changed our itinerary because of the unrest in Chile we decided to return our car to Puerto Montt where we had rented it and fly to Santiago from Puerto Montt. Our flight was at 1 am on Saturday so Friday we swam at the hotel in the morning and then drove south. We stopped, took a walk and had dinner (including a Pisco tasting) in Puerto Varas before turning in the car and catching our plane. There was an overnight stay in Santiago and the long flight back to San Francisco was uneventful.

It was a wonderful trip. It’s good to be home. We are beginning to plan our next trip. It will be to Europe probably leaving in February.

Huilo Huilo Biological Preserve – Exploring a bit of the Chilean Temperate Rain Forest and Thundering Waterfalls.

We are staying in the Huilo Huilo Biological Preseve. This is a picture of our hotel. When we look out the window of our room it feels like we are in a tree house.

Today was a busy day. This morning we visited the red deer enclosure, the wild boar enclosure and the Museum.

The museum had a mammoth tusk that had been carved.

It also had a really extensive mineral collection. This is a scorpion in amber.

This afternoon we hiked to two more waterfalls not far from the hotel. The first waterfall was Huilo Huilo Falls.

Next we hiked to Puma Falls. There is so much water in the river right now that we got wet from the spray. They have a tree tunnel to walk through but it didn’t help keep us dry at all.

Dinner was pizza and beer at the Peterman Brewery across from the hotel.