Unfortunately my travel diary for this trip was lost and I have not been able to recover it, so this travelogue is based on memory and notes made in my guide books.

In 2000 we made the decision to relocate to Australia and took the long and occasionally painful process of acquiring a skilled migrant visa. Once we got the visa we decided to squeeze a couple of months travel in en-route. Different destinations and itinerary were discussed over many a bottle of wine, and in the end we came up with the decision to “do” some of South America. Originally we had Peru and Bolivia on the list but there was a big earthquake in the region and elections in Bolivia so we opted to go south and concentrate on Chile. This is a summary of our trip.

Flights were booked in advance using the always reliable Trailfinders. We got a great deal with British Airways and Qantas London-Rio then Buenos Aires – Auckland – Sydney. We had originally wanted to squeeze in Easter Island and Tahiti but the cost was too much. For internal flights we used the Mercosur deal – which allows you to travel in certain countries, on certain airlines (with specific rules) for quite a good deal based on mileage travelled. The people at Trailfinders were really helpful and managed to get us a great deal (I think we were 12 miles short of the next step – so got great value). Under this deal we got Rio to Iguaçu, Asuncion to Iquique, Calama to Santiago and Santiago to Temuco for a fraction of the cost of what we would have paid for individual flights. . In addition we purchased Puerto Montt to Punta Arenas and (a special deal with LAN Chile) and El Calafate to Buenos Aires with LADE.

September 9th 2001 -  Rio de Janeiro

We arrived at Heathrow early in order to say goodbye to some friends who lived nearby. As we approached the British Airways check-in we were given a piece of paper. This started that the flight we were booked on was full, and offered us alternative flights tomorrow (although not direct), 250 quid each and an overnight in a local hotel. Very tempting, but we knew Sue, out friend was waiting for us in Rio on her own and we felt it best to get on the flight. We had a bit of a drinking session in the Terminal 4 pub with Bups and his Mrs before getting on our flight.

The flight was great – good seats, tellys in the back of the seats… and everything went on time. We rued the missed 500 quid but counted our blessings that we’d arrived on time and on a nice flight… next time we’d take the money!  We took a cab from the airport through the outskirts of Rio – typical of most big cities they were busy and a bit on the scruffy side.

We had pre-booked a few nights stay at the Hotel Arpoador Inn, located between Copacabana and Ipanema beaches. The staff were friendly and the hotel was quite tidy. The best thing about this place is that it’s in a great location right on the sea front. The restaurant/bar overlooks the beach. The rooms were nice - we took a treble with private bathroom. Sue our friend was waiting for us having arrived the previous day.

It was just before lunch. After changing into our beach clothes we hit Ipanema – along with thousands of locals and tourists doing what they do on a Sunday. The road along the beach front was closed to traffic to allow cyclists, runners, roller skaters (and walkers like us) loads of room. The beach was jam packed with people – sunbathing, playing volleyball and football. We decided to relax for the afternoon and then went to a local restaurant in the evening near the hotel. 

We had heard that Rio was dangerous and thieves were rife. Being seasoned travellers and not wanting to get into any trouble we put all our belongings into the hotel safe and just took enough cash to see us through. We did this everyday, and although none of us got robbed I would advise all travellers to big cities like this to do the same if they can. We soon found out that food in Rio is great, and most sit-down eating places in Rio the meals are designed to be shared by two people. A nice way to done! The local Skol beer went down very well, and as always, to the disappointment to Dibs, her favourite drink of Baileys was in short supply, always served in miniscule measures and was very expensive!

September 10^th

We got up and had a great buffet breakfast in the hotel overlooking the sea. Very pleasant – with lots of tasty fresh fruit. It was a nice clear day so we decided to head up to the Christo. We got on a local bus – which in itself was an experience. Bus travel in Rio is definitely not for the faint of heart. Quite frightening at times and no respect for passengers. I saw an old lady get on and hold on for her life as the driver sped off as fast as he could.

On arrival at the base of the mountain and decided to get a taxi to the top. We had fancied getting the cable-car but the day before it had been held up by armed robbers so the girls decided it wasn’t going to happen.

The top of the mountain is fantastic and we spent quite some time there taking in the views and the ambience. In the afternoon we headed back down to town (via a posh shopping area) and had a mooch around. People in Rio seemed to complete sun worshippers and even in the middle of town it’s not uncommon to see girls walking around in nothing but bikinis - and small ones at that! I really enjoyed the carefree and laid back lifestyle.

The Ipanema area is really good for tourists but still full of locals so we ended up spending quite a lot of our stay there. There were small markets in the squares and plenty of good eating and drinking places ranging from snack bars to proper sit down affairs. We picked a nice place to eat for the night and enjoyed another “shared” meal. While we sat and ate local bands would come and play near to the table before moving onto the next place (and then the next restaurant).

The only thing I thought that Ipanema and Copacabana really lacked was places to eat and drink which overlooked the ocean. Ok – there were shacks all the way along the promenade which were open late and sold beers and coconuts, but all the waterfront buildings were apartment blocks;, while all the “action” was two streets back – with the exception of some parts of Copacabana.

September 11^th

Today it rained heavily but after breakfast we decided to go and have a walk around the botanical gardens - very peaceful with a large variety of plants. A great spot for a walk. As we were leaving we popped into a cafe for brunch and noticed everyone gathering around the TV. It eventually became clear what was happening (difficult as we didn't speak Portuguese). We sat there for an hour at least struggling to take in what we had just seen. The walk back and the rest of the day were very sombre. One thing we were glad of is not changing our flight plans (as tempted by BA on day one) - we may have got stuck in the huge air delays experienced around the world.

September 12^th                             

Wandered into the city centre for a look around. Nothing special. Went to the Gloria suburb, which was nice and generally just spent the day walking and people watching.

In the evening we sort of stumbled into gay pub/club area and even though it was quite early in the evening it was already busy. Lots of “Lady boys” on the streets. It was quite an experience so we decided to have a drink in a bar (which was not too gay) and sit and watch and talk to other tourists.

September 13^th    - September 15th                           

Other than a visit to the Sugarloaf, we did very little other than enjoy the beaches and relax!

September 16^th  - Iguaçu Falls

An early rise to check out of the Aproador Inn. We’d had a great stay and really enjoyed Rio. Definitely a place I would like to re-visit.

We took a Varig flight from Rio to Iguaçu city, which took about three hours including the quick drop off / pick up at Sao Paolo – which looked just I’d imagined it to be -  a massive city full of skyscrapers. We headed via taxi into Iguaçu city (which is on the Brazilian side of the falls) and checked into a basic hotel in town and got a massive room for the three of us, which could have easily accommodated five. It was really good value.

The town itself seemed nothing special. One thing which amused me was the traffic lights – they were not just the usual red-amber-green but had three amber lights. As if tempting the driver to rev his engine and get ready to let rip…!

It was early afternoon so we decided to get on a bus straight away to the Brazilian side of the falls, which was around half an hour away.  At the same time we booked a day trip to the Argentinean side for the next day. The falls are an awesome site. Somewhere I’d always wanted to visit after seeing some pictures when I was younger. Strung out along the rim of a crescent-shaped cliff about two and a half miles long are 275 individual cascades and waterfalls plummeting up to 260 odd feet into the gorge below. The thunderous roaring can apparently be heard from miles away.  I remember one of the falls was called “The Devils Throat”.

The weather was excellent and we walked along some specially built platforms to get close to the falls. We even had specially provided plastic coats, which we needed – everyone got quite wet. There were also some strange animals lurking around called Coatis, which were begging for food. A bit like a cross between a Possum and a Racoon! There was also some beautiful flowering plants and lots of big insects.

Got the last bus back to town and headed to the local Charisscia……. a fantastic way to eat. They keep bringing you different pieces of meat (perfectly cooked) until you submit!

Sept 17^th                              

We took our bus over the border to Argentina. This was relatively painless, but I did notice a big sign on the border proclaiming "The Falkland Islands belong to us" (translated). They still seem to be quite passionate about the whole thing.

We stopped at a "traditional village" to view and be tempted into buying the obligatory crafts before we headed into the National Park. The argentinian side of the falls is not as big on views, but the park is much better organised and much more an interactive experience. The walks around are well mapped and quite spectacular in parts.

Right at the end of the tour we spotted an elusive Toucan.

In the evening we all went to a local restaurant for more huge serving of meet and a Cabaret show (A bit like the BIG SHOW skit from the Fast Show). Food was excellent and entertainment was funny!

Sept 18^{th -} Asuncion - PARAGUAY

 (The exchange rate in Paraguay was around 3000 Guaranies to 1 US$)

We did some essentials in the morning then headed to the bus station where we almost immediately got a bus to Asuncion. The border crossing town is called Ciudad de Este and in a notoriously dodgy area. Although we passed over pretty easily it definitely lived up to its name with lots of sprawling stores selling electrical items and luxury goods. Paraguay apparently produces nothing (in terms of manufactured goods) but makes money out of bus loads of Brazilians buying duty free goods in Cuidad Del Este shopping emporiums.

I was also surprised that there were so many Arabs around (not something you would expect in South America). Word was out that Osama Bin Laden himself was hiding in town… I could quite believe it.

The trip to Asunción took about four hours on a pretty shabby bus. The roads were quiet and the landscape very flat. We stopped at a couple of small towns for refreshment breaks. Little kids would come onto the bus to try and sell us stuff but no-one had any small change and the kids would not accept our large notes.

Paraguay is known as South America’s “empty quarter” and for much of its history has distanced itself for it’s neighbours. It certainly seemed different - very quiet and not touristy at all.

We got a cab at the bus terminal which was just about in working order (like most of the vehicles it appeared). The driver was friendly enough and we decided to check out a Hotel called "Hotel Miami". It turned out to be a bit of a dirt hole so we took the recommendation of the taxi driver to stay at the Plaza Hotel which was right on the Plaza Uruguaya – near to all the action  The room was OK and seemed reasonably quiet (although it was late). It cost around US$20 per night. The locals speak Guarani (the currency is also called the Guarani), which is based on the name of the Indians who originally came from the area. Most people did speak Spanish though. Outside the hotel on the main square we noticed quite a few homeless people camped out in tents. Definitely a lot of poverty

PJ O'Rourke summed it up bluntly when he wrote 'Paraguay is nowhere and famous for nothing' - and then, on a short visit to cover elections, promptly fell in love with the place.

Sept 19^th

We woke up at around 5:30 am to extreme traffic noise. You literally could not hear each other. We saw the funny side of it though! It appears that the road outside was a major truck route – and trucks in Paraguay seem to have forgotten to sit any silencers to their exhausts system. We moved to another room which only had two beds (Dibs and I would have to squeeze onto a single). Less room but at the back of the building and very quiet!

Asunción sits on the east bank of the Río Paraguay. The border with Argentina is on the west bank. The centre of Asunción is quite compact – lots of old building, which would have been spectacular once, but now looked a bit unloved. Dibs description of the place “It could do with a good scrub”!. I sort of agreed with PJ O’Rourke’s comment though – it had a certain charm about it.

We visited the impressive Palacio de Gobeirno (Presidential Palace) and stopped at a museum and learned a little bit about the modern history of Paraguay. A military coup in 1954 saw General Alfredo Stroessner installed as president.  Apparently he was a nasty piece of work and used kidnap, torture, political purges and bogus elections to stay in power for 35 years. We were told looking at (never mind taking photos of) the Presidential Palace was a shooting offence. Sounds like Stroessner was a real bag of fun.

Paraguay opened up in 1989 when Stroessner was other thrown by his right hand man, who turned out to be a good ‘un.  Apparently Stroessner is alive and well and living somewhere in Brazil.

Near to the Presidential Palace we found a sensational little coffee shop in it with a nice view across the river to Argentina. We could see small villages on the other side and pondered about crossing over to have a look. We also visited the Pink Parliament building – the Congressional Palace and some other interesting buildings. Apart from plenty of evident poverty, Asuncion appeared to be quite safe and friendly. The biggest problem was the pollution which hung around the streets from the belching exhausts of the buses and trucks.

At night we ate in a really nice German restaurant called Munich. The food was great and the service very impressive.

Sept 20^th                              

Today we took a bus to San Bernardino, which is on Lago Ypacaraí. It took quite a while to get there (through the suburbs ofAsunción) on a rickety old bus which was overloaded and stopped every ten seconds. Once we got there we realised what a clam oasis San Bernardino must be for the folk of Asuncion. The area was settled by German colonists in the last 1800’s. It seems like there was plenty of wealth there with many large walled estates and fine looking houses – all different styles. We wandered down to the lake and with it being a weekday is was very quiet. We sat and ate ice creams and relaxed before having a good long walk around. It was dead.

The bus back was equally as bad and our arses were sore by the time we got back to base and ready for a couple of quenching ales at the hotel. South Americans are football mad an everywhere we went there was a telly showing a game – quite often an English Premier League or Champions League game.

Sept 21^st

Today we just relaxed around town and visited a couple of the museums which were ok. For lunch we went to a style of restaurant quite common in Paraguay and Brazil where you select your food from a buffet then pay by weight. I think they call them “Kilo restaurants”. The food was great and we got chatting to a lady who was a missionary and had just returned from a long spell in the Chaco region of Paraguay. She painted a very idyllic and unspoilt picture.

In the evening we had a long walk looking for a restaurant which had been recommended in our guide book, but we couldn’t find it so ate at a nice little place near to the hotel.

Sept 22nd  -  Iquique – Chile

Exchange rates varied a lot during our stay, moving between 600 and 650 Pesos to 1US$

We said out goodbyes to Sue and jumped in another standard Asuncion run-down taxi to the airport.  Although it’s an international airport, it was very quiet and we got there much earlier than we needed to – just to be safe.

We ended up experiencing quite a bit of hassle at immigration. Although my Spanish is not too bad (and was improving) I found it difficult to understand what the problem was. In the end two moustachioed men took us into a room and started talking to each other while we sat there trying to understand (I think they were speaking Guarani). They told me they were Police and wanted to know lots of details about us. Why were we here, what were we doing, what did we do for a living, how long had we been married, etc, etc. It was like the Spanish Inquisition. One of them (the one with the slightly larger moustache – must be a status symbol!) indicated that I looked like an Arab and asked if I was a Muslim. I admit I had gained a bit of a tan and not shaved my beard for a while, but it was pushing it a bit far. They also insisted Dibs was from the Middle East, even though she insisted she was English with an India/Malaysia background.  I was starting to get a little bit pissed of with these clowns but kept telling myself to stay calm and everything would be ok. After all, we had nothing to hide. They kept probing though and chatting to each other and making notes while continually turning over pages in our passports.

It was a bit scary to be honest. Luckily we had new passports (My old passport had Syrian, Jordanian and Egyptian stamps in to name a few!). Eventually they let us through and all of a sudden they were all smiles and pats on the back and “Have a great trip”, “Come back to Paraguay”.  A very strange experience.

The departure lounge was very comfortable and had free drinks and nibbles and a band playing, which was nice. At first we weren’t sure if the nibbles and drink were just for special passengers, but in good backpacker style we soon got stuck in. You never know where your next feed is coming from!

The flight took just over three hours and passed over some stunning mountains and high desert scenery in Bolivia before descending into our first destination in Chile - Iquique - which is in the far north of the country.

We took a taxi into town from the airport and decided to give the Holiday Inn a try but it was well overpriced, so we looked around and eventually checked into a small hotel which looked quite nice called Hotel Riorsa. The rooms were neat and tidy and the elderly owner friendly and helpful.

The town itself hugs a narrow coastal strip and is at constant risk of complete devastation if an even moderate downpour occurs – potentially washing down the millions of tons of sediment hanging on the slopes of the Cordillera (The mountain range). Apparently the last time it rained in Iquique was sometime in 1992. It’s also quite a fishy smelling place. We soon discovered that Iquique is an interesting yet strange town. Most of the locals we spoke to seemed to want to be somewhere else, even though there is abundant work in the fishing and mining industries and a reasonably high standard of living. The town is also a “duty free zone” which attracts all manner of imports along with hordes of tourists from down south.

The duty free zone (Zofri) is quite impressive. We walked around for a few hours marvelling at the array of stuff on sale – some of it good but most of it complete tat.

We booked a day trip for tomorrow at one of the travel agencies which worked out at CH$12000 each ($20) including lunch and then headed to a local internet café to check up on emails. Despite its relatively isolated location the internet access was quick and cheap. We ate at a Chinese restaurant near to the hotel which was quite good and then had a walk along the beach before heading back to our hotel.

Sept 23^rd

Our tour bus picked us up early and we headed off to visit the local attractions. The people on the tour were friendly and varied from holidaying Chileans to overseas tourists and a couple of backpackers (I think we fit somewhere between backpacker and tourist nowadays!).

Our first stop was Humberstone which was around a half an hour drive up and over the coastal range. It’s a ghost town and a heritage site of which used to be a booming nitrate mine. Looking around the desert it was hard to believe that what lay beneath was once very highly prized – a war was even fought over it!  Humberstone is fantastic – much more than I had expected. The hulking wastes of machinery and the rotting houses looked like they had not been touched by anything other than the desert winds. It was like the people had just downed tools and let – which I found out that’s pretty much what they did. The whole place is now crumbling but amazingly still intact.

Nitrate was popular in North America and Europe as an ingredient for fertilizer – so much so that Bolivia and Chile fought over this territory in the later 1800s. Chile won and extended their territory by 900kms or so. British investors in particular took advantage of this and poured into the region. Humberstone and other mines were quickly setup by the likes of the Liverpool Nitrate Company. I could just imagine Humberstone in full swing. Chimneys smoking away, Women dressed in their full English flowing garb. Apparently nightly dances, picnics and even balls were not uncommon. Things changed with the war, and then synthetic fertilizers became all the rage and the boom ended – with Humberstone eventually closing down in the 1960’s.

We particularly enjoyed the theatre with its rows of dusty seats staring at the stage and the hotel with its huge empty swimming pool out the back, complete with diving board. There were also workers sheds still full of tools and even old invoices and order forms littering the floor. It’s good that places like Humberstone still exist. It was a fascinating experience to just walk around, and the tour guide whom we followed for a while was very good.  There was no entry charge, but some unscrupulous characters were looking for unofficial “donations”

We left Humberstone and visited another ghost-mine called Santa Laura, which was not as interesting, but still eerie with bits of metal clanking in the wind.

Next stop was Cerro Pintados (CH$1000 to enter) which is the site of the largest collection of geoglyphs in South America. A geoglyph is a work of rock art that was made from moving or arranging stones or earth across a landscape. Extending along the side of a hill are around 400 images of birds and animals and other patterns. Very interesting.

We then stopped for a really tasty lunch at a little hotel in the village of Matilla before going for a dip at the hot springs at Pica. The springs were quite busy and well organised with towels available for rent, changing rooms and refreshments. The town itself is quite beautiful with lots of lemon trees. We found people selling a delicious fruit juice called “Jugos naturale” which was freshly squeezed from lots of different kinds of fruit.

We noticed throughout our trip in Chile that whenever we had a sit down meal a small bowl of some kind of chutney was always present. We simply called it “The mix”. It included oil, garlic, tomatoes and chilli and sometimes a fishy substance. We rated “The mix” throughout or trip and this little place in Matilla rated the best!

We finished the tour at the town of La Tirana, which was a run-down yet interesting place with a famous church and an interesting museum about the nitrate boom. We got back to Iquique and relaxed at the hotel before going out for a bite to eat at a little bbq place near to the hotel. The meat was delicious.

 Sept 24^th                              

We decided to stay another day in Iquique before heading off to Calama the following day. We went along to the bus depot to get tickets and found the only options were “overnighters”. Personally we both like to travel during the day, but I think travelling in Chile would be a much different experience to those in Asia. We took the “Semi-Cama” option which departed at around 11:00 pm and sounded quite luxurious. 

We discovered that the long distance buses in Chile are excellent and are better than those in Europe or the USA. There was lots of legroom and various classes. A “Pullman” has standard semi-reclining seats, a “Semi-Cama” has seats with double the standard legroom which recline a lot more and a “Salon-Cama” has wide fully reclining seats.

We spent the day relaxing in Iquique doing very little and then after a few drinks in the evening we headed to the bus terminal called “Terminal Roroviario” at the north of town. This was a decidedly dodgy spot with some less than friendly drunken characters hanging around and a strong odour of piss in the air. Still – no one really bothered us and we sat in the small waiting area until our bus was ready to board. We ate some empanadas and had the pleasure of pissing in some of the nastiest toilets ever.

We had front seats on the bus, which were good and reclined quite a lot. In general it was one of the best overnight bus journeys we have ever done. I think back to those long overnighters in India and it was complete luxury in comparison.

Sept 25^th  - San Pedro de Atacama

The bus stopped on the outskirts of Calama for a couple of hours until dawn was breaking and then we drove into town and they dumped us off at the bus company office. It was very cold and early and everything was closed except for a seriously dodgy looking “men only” bar next to the bus company office. We decided to give it a miss. We found out that the bus to our next destination – San Pedro de Atacama – left from another bus companies office, which was about fifteen minutes walk away. We eventually found it with an hour or so to spare. Eventually the office opened and we bought our tickets. A small crowd had started to form.

The bloke selling the tickets also had a brew on so we enjoyed a cup of coffee and there were cakes and stuff to buy. The journey out to San Pedro took a couple of hours, driving through desert scenery. It soon started to warm up. San Pedro is at 2400m above sea level, has fantastic views and has become something of a Mecca for travellers.

We wandered around and looked at a few small hotels and eventually checked into a place called Hostal Katarpe, which was just on the edge of town and very nice. Basically we just had two rooms next to each other with a shared toilet/shower and a nice little outdoor sitting area. A couple of French speaking girls were staying next to us and it seemed that included in the rent were a couple of mangy looking dogs and some chickens.

San Pedro is a dusty town. After half an hour we were the same colour as everyone else in town – brown. We had a wander around the centre which consisted of mud and brick buildings and rough streets. With a bit of imagination It was like time had stood still (except for the odd soft drinks or cigarette sign). The little plaza in the centre of town is picturesque with old wooden benches and pepper trees dotted around and some very colourful locals who were fun the chat to.

My Spanish was quickly improving throughout the trip. We found it a waste of time in Brazil (they only wanted to speak Portuguese or English), slightly more useful in Paraguay, but in Chile it was essential. Not many people spoke English and having a good knowledge of Spanish really helped to get around and chat with the locals. Spanish in South America is spoken slower and with less accent that in Spain so is easier to follow, although people say the Chileans speak very fast and with a lot of slang. This was the first place in the world outside of some parts of Europe where speaking English meant nothing. It was really good to chat with locals in their local tongue (or at least a mixture of broken Spanish and sign language!)

We stopped into the Museum, which is a really cool place. It's the result of years of work by a Belgian priest and archaeologist. It has many artefacts including the famous mummies that trace the local culture through the Inca invasion and Spanish conquest.

We had dinner at a popular place called Adobe which had a roaring open fire in the middle of the courtyard and some great food and live entertainment. They also had an internet café which was slow but popular (and expensive).

Sep 26th

The landscape around town is really spectacular with vast desolate plains and snow capped volcanoes all around. We decided to go for a bit of a walk, so after breakfast at the Hostel (the usual hard bread and apricot jam… why is it always apricot?) we followed the river north to a place called Pukara de Quito which is a ruined 12^th century fortress built into the hillside, then further up the river we stopped and had a packed lunch at Catarpe, which used to be a major Inca town – which was quite nice.

On the way we bumped into a local farmer on horseback who was very friendly, but other than him and a couple of mangy looking dogs we had the whole place to ourselves.

We got back to sleepy San Pedro and had lunch in a shady café in the square. It was nice (“The mix” was good) but was full of some backpackers just in from Bolivia. They were sitting talking loudly already moaning about Chile (on their first day) saying it was so commercialised and so expensive and being quite rude. I’m sad to say most of them were Australian or British. It sort of upset me that some people forgot how lucky they were and what a beautiful place they were in.

We wandered around the town and stopped into a couple of travel agents to look at tours. You could do a three day tour over the mountains into Bolivia which was very tempting (and looked like quite a challenge) but we decided to give it a miss and do a day tour in a couple of days (We must be getting old!). We paid CH$18000 each for the tour which worked out about US$28 each. We walked back and just relaxed in the sun back at the Hostal for the rest of the day before venturing down to the Adobe for dinner. We sat out quite late at night – the stars in the clear sky were just so beautiful.

Sept 27^th

Today we had the usual breakfast, then stocked up on supplies at a local shop and hired bikes at one of the travel agencies – fairly good condition mountain bikes. We decided to bike to the Valle de la Luna – about 14kms each way – then hang around and watch the sunset.

The first part of the journey was relatively easy on sealed roads but then we hit the dirt roads which were very difficult as they consisted of soft sand. We soon got the hang of it but the last third of the journey was quite tricky with quite steep winding roads. Luckily the traffic was quiet and the road back would be easy as it was all downhill.

The Valle de la Luna (Valley of the moon) really lived up to it’s name. The landscape was dramatic and moon-like with wind eroded hills around a vast dried up lake on the valley floor.  We found a good place to base our selves in a little cave and had some shelter from the heat and a well earned late lunch before clambering around the dunes and rocks. We bumped into a couple of European lads who were also on bikes but were biking around South America. They had all the gear on their bikes and looked liked they had it tough for most of the time! It was good to chat and share a laugh with them.

Later in the afternoon the tour buses and cars started to arrive from san Pedro full of tourists complete with cameras. Once the sun starting going down the valley was transformed into an array of beautiful yellow, gold and red colours. It reminded me a bit like Ayers Rock. We hung around for a while then headed back on our bikes. We were quite knackered when we got back and returned to the Adobe for a well earned meal and couple of Pisco Sours – the local alcoholic drink of choice. (Made from local white brandy, lemon juice and sugar). I had been told they were good for altitude so I was only following local advice!

Sept 28^th                              

Our tour bus picked us up on the road outside the hostel early in the morning and we headed out. The driver was originally from Zimbabwe but had lived in San Pedro for quite some time. He was a nice bloke and a great tour guide fluent in English and Spanish. We had a good mix of ages and nationalities on the bus including some honeymooning Chileans.

We first stopped at the amazing Salt Flats – the Salar de Atacama – which is about 100 by 50 miles of absolutely flat, white salt. There were huge flocks of pink flamingos flying around and even some herds of the local Vicuna. We visited some small villages, which were completely lost in a time warp and chatted to the locals.

We then scaled up to over 4000 meters and did a long walk along a beautiful piercingly blue lake.  The altitude took its toll a bit and made walking quite demanding. The day was beautiful – blue skies and no wind and we had the whole place to ourselves. Dibs and a few others suffered with the altitude so stayed on the minibus while the rest of us walked across the valley, which was amazing.

All in all it was a fantastic day out – made more memorable by the friendly people on the tour and the great tour guide. We got back to the town quite late and most of our group headed to a local bar for a few beers, some food and a couple of those Pisco sours. We chatted about our travels so far in Chile and it was interesting to speak to people heading north with stories of the south and Patagonia, while we were telling them of our stories from the north.

Sept 29^th  -  Calama             

 We got up early and took a bus back to Calama, which took around two hours. We had a flight booked the following morning to Santiago so had a spare day to relax. We had initially though about going to the local Copper mine – one of the biggest in the world, but after all the fun and adventure at San Pedro we decided we would just take the opportunity to relax.

We checked into a place called Hotel Loa, which was quite pleasant and good value and we took the opportunity to do some laundry, write a few letters/postcards and sort a few other bits and pieces out.

Calama is quite a pleasant town. We wandered into a local place for lunch and the waiter chatted to us in Spanish for ages. We had pizza and chips then wandered around the town centre for a while before stopping into a place called Club Croatia for a few refreshing beers. We then stopped into another pub which looked Ok at first but turned out to be quite a dodgy place full of drunken men. We made our excuses and left.

Sept 30^th - Valparaiso

The taxi to the airport took fifteen minutes and our flight to Santiago took a couple of hours. We decided we’d go to Valparaiso first and spend a few days there and then head back to Santiago. We took a bus from the airport to the main bus terminal and then pretty much straight away got onto a bus to Valparaiso.

We were no longer in the deserts of the north – the landscape was of rolling lush hills abundant with grape vines and the white peaks of the Andes in the background. Fantastic.

Valparaiso is an amazing city. It’s a sprawling tangle of colourful houses spread over a number of hills, tumbling down to a narrow shelf of land below. There are not many roads up and down the steep gradient, so most people use the “ascensores” which are lifts – some of them quite old – to go from top to bottom. I think the city has fifteen lifts. Down at the bottom on “the shelf” (or el plan as the locals call it) are all the shops, the wharfs and most of the commercial areas, whilst the houses are up on the hills.

The city definitely has a run-down feel to it but with a certain faded charm of yesteryear. We wandered around and found a nice little place called Alojamiento Juan Carrasco which was an old house with nice (but small) rooms and a shared kitchen.

Once checked-in we set off and wandered the labyrinthine of streets, enjoying the quiet car-less and relatively pollution free air and the fantastic views around Cerro Conception and Cerro Alegre, near to where we were staying.  We travelled up and down a few of the old ascensores while following a walking tour map which we picked up at the hostel. The ascensores were all old and rickety but have apparently always been safe and reliable – most could only hold a dozen people but none were really that busy.

Some of the terraces or houses looked very English with little front gardens and window boxes and there were lots of churches, some of them Anglican, which suggested a British contingent in the past.

We finished off back down on “el plan’ with it’s traffic and noise so took a side street and ended up in an interesting little restaurant called J Cruz Martinez. It was more like an antique shop than a place to eat. We shared a dish called Chorrillana which is basically a plate of chips covered with slices of beef, gravy and cheese. Delicious! 

Food in Chile was dubbed as “unexciting” but we found that the fast food was quite good. Some of the local dishes we particularly liked other than the Chorrillana were Barros Luco (beef and melted cheese sandwiches), Churrasco (thin strips of beef served with various toppings in a sandwich), Empanada (much like Cornish pasties) and of course Hot Dogs – which are very popular in Chile.

 Oct 1^st                                               

Today we decided to jump on a train to the nearby seaside resort of Vina del Mar. it’s supposed to be Chile’s most upmarket and fashionable beach resort. Being low season it was reasonably quiet, but the weather was nice enough for a few people to be venturing to the beach.

We wandered along the main drag and found the shopping really good. We stocked up on some supplies and even made a phone call back to England from a public phone centre. We spoke to both sets of parents. Following our shopping spree we wandered along the beach front and stopped off at a nice little place to eat before heading back towards town.

Later on we went to the local gardens called Quinta Vergara which was full of exotic plants and trees before getting the train back to Valparaiso (which took about twenty minutes).

Oct 2^nd                                  

Today was Dibs birthday so we had a very relaxing day, wandering again around the hills and travelling the ascensores. We spotted a really nice restaurant called Café Turri. We popped in for tea and cakes in the afternoon and decided to return in the evening for dinner, so we booked a table. In the evening we went back to Café Turri. It’s quite a classy restaurant and we sat on the terrace which as superb views of the hills of Valparaiso – with all the lights twinkling at night. We ate some beautiful fish and seafood and enjoyed a very good bottle of wine before wandering back to our hotel for an early night.

Oct 3^rd  - Santiago

We took an early bus to Santiago and then jumped onto the metro to get to our chosen hotel destination. The bus was modern and quick and the metro spotless. We checked out the Hotel Londres but it was quite expensive so tried the Hotel Paris nearby which turned out the be great. The rooms were clean, the water hot and the owner very friendly. Apparently she runs a discreet “by the hour” service in some rooms but we had no complaints about the place at all.

The area we stayed in was an older part of the city. Santiago is big and bustling with a mixture of grand old buildings and some new stuff. The location we were in was pretty good and in walking distance to pretty much everything.

We spent quite a while in the central area where we visited the Colonial Museum and then sat in the main square – Plaza del Armas and watched the world go by. There are many fine building around the square, especially the Correo Central (Central post office) which we visited and bought some postcards. All around the square are market stalls selling fruit and vegetables and flowers. We headed into the Barrio Belavista which is Santiago’s “Latin quarter”. It’s full of small café’s and restaurants (we even saw an Indian restaurant!) and the former home of Pablo Neruda which is now a museum and is well worth a visit. Pablo Neruda was a famous Chileans who won the Nobel peace prize

We also went to the Museo Chileano de Arte Precolumbino, which is very interesting and apparently the best museum in Chile. It’s full of old Latin American pieces and a place where you could easily spend half a day.

After walking the length of the markets and then dropped into a bar at the end for a thirst quenching ale and some chicken and rice

We got back to the hotel we had a rest and then headed out for a wander in the evening and a nice meal at a really cosy little restaurant (although I can’t remember what it was called)!

 Oct 4^th        

We got up early for a walk. The smog had cleared and we got a spectacular backdrop to the city – shimmering White Mountains of the Andes. Quite spectacular. After breakfast we walked up to the Cerro Santa Lucia which is a hill covered in nicely manicured gardens, winding walkways and lookouts near the centre of town. The views were very good and we spent quite a bit of time at the top enjoying an ice cream after the steep walk

We had a few things to buy and some banking to do so we decided to take a free shuttle bus to a big shopping centre on the edge of town called “Alto Las Condes”. This place is massive and very modern with a huge array of shops. We spent quite a few hours shopping and sorting things out before heading back towards town.

After some debate, we decided that we would take the opportunity to go skiing for a day in the nearby Andes ski resorts, which are only 40km from the edge of town. Too good to resist. Although it was the end of the ski season the reports were good and there was still plenty of good snow around. We found a ski-hire shop and did a deal to hire all our gear – skis, boots and warm gear. The return shuttle bus cost CH$5000 each and the gear worked out at around CH$10000 each.

 It took quite a while to sort everything out but the gear we got was reasonably good quality and fitted us fine.

In the evening we went to the night markets at Bellavista. It was a lovely evening and a nice walk. The markets run the length of a street and are quite interesting and colourful selling all manner of souvenirs and nik naks. There are also loads of bars and restaurants along the strip – some quite loud disco type places full of young men. There were plenty of hawkers and young men roaming around trying to entice people into the bars and restaurants.

Oct 5^th      

After an early rise we took the metro to the ski hire shop where the minibus was waiting. We loaded up and headed off fully loaded with skiers. There were a couple of America students who were studying in Santiago and a variety of other nationalities all going up for the day. The drive took us out through the suburbs then hit the winding road up the mountain. It wasn’t long before we hit the snow line and the road was steep and winding. The driver was an expert in his ancient minibus, but it was quite nerve-racking at times. We had to stop for one of the passengers to puke up, but go there within an hour or so.

Our destination was Valle Nevado, which is one of the resorts near to Santiago. It’s very luxurious and looked like an expensive place to stay. The swimming pool which was half indoors and half outdoors in the snow (steaming away) looked very good. The ski pass cost us CH$13,000 each with a “student” rebate which we somehow managed to wangle!

Dibs realised that she had two left gloves (one of the disadvantages of hiring in town is that although it’s cheaper you are buggered if you get the wrong kit!). We ended up having to hire another pair from the ski resort hire shop – which was a lot more expensive than the ski-hire place in town.

There was lots of snow but the clouds were low and visibility was not as good as it could have been, but we still had a great day skiing. The lifts were quiet and the good thing was that at the top of each there was a choice of easy, medium or difficult runs to the bottom. We both did a fee easy/mediums and then I did a few difficult while Dibs took the mediums to the bottom. The resort is at 3670m with 27 runs and 8 lifts. And is in a very impressive location. On the few occasions when the cloud lifted the views around the surrounding Andes mountains was spectacular.

We stopped for lunch (hot dogs and chips) at the outdoor snack place. The resort lacked places to stop to eat on the piste and seemed to be centred around the hotel and its facilities. At around 3 in the afternoon we decided to call it a day and had a look around the few shops and a drink in the very posh lounge in the hotel It certainly would be a great place to stay. They had a roaring open fire going and it was very tempting to hang around. 

The bus picked us up at 5:00 and headed back down the mountain. The journey was equally as hair-raising and we had to stop on the way as there was a crash and a car was in the ditch. When we got back to town the rain was pouring down and the streets were flooded. It must have been raining heavy all day. In some places the water was a couple of feet deep! We dropped our gear off at the hire shop and the friendly driver agreed to drop us in town near to our hotel.

We got back and showered then ate at the really nice and cosy little restaurant (which I still can’t remember the name of) near to the Hotel.

Oct 6^th   -  Pucon

Another early start. We took the metro to the main bus terminal and then got the airport bus where we checked in and took a flight to Temuco, which is in the Lake District area of Chile.  The flight took just over an hour. After arrival we took a taxi to the bus station, purchased a ticket to Pucon and then waiting short while for our bus to arrive.

We then took a bus from Temuco to Pucon, which took around two hours and was a pleasant drive through leafy valleys and green fields, and lots of grazing cattle.

People say nature smiled on Pucon, and it has become one of Chile’s top tourist destinations. This small town is on the shores of Lake Villarrica with Volcan Villarrica, which is a perfect cone shaped snow topped fuming volcano, overlooking it. It really is a beautiful spot. The main attractions, other than the stunning scenery, are walking in the national park, climbing the volcano, skiing and white water rafting.

Pucon lacks the charm of San Pedro or Valparaiso, and is definitely a purpose built town full of hotels, bars, restaurant, shops and tour operators – all geared up to take your money!

We had a wander around and decided to stay at a place called La Tetera. It’s a nice wooden hostel with cosy warm rooms and a very friendly Swiss owner.

La Tetera, although a bit more expensive than other options, turned out an excellent place to stay – one of our favourites in Chile. The owner made the best breakfasts (his porridge was the best ever) and had the biggest range of herbal teas we had even seen! It was a great place to spend a few days.

We had a good walk around town, stopping in for some food at one of the many eateries and browsing the travel agents. We wanted to climb the Volcano but agreed we’d do a day walk and maybe some cycling for a couple of days just to acclimatise ourselves and build up our strength. We also popped into a small café off the main streets which was showing the World Cup qualifiers – and England were playing!

There was quite a good crowd in the hostel – the heating was on as the night was quite cool.

Oct 7^th

We got up early and walked down to the bus stop with the plan to get the 07:00 bus to Parque Nacional Huerquehue (not an easy one to pronounce!). When we got there, contrary to the advice of a travel agent the day before, the bus had already left at 6:30! Apparently the timetable had changed. Bugger. We still wanted to do the walk so we got a taxi, which cost quite a bit, but wasn’t too bad.

 Huerquehue is a large national park just 35km from Pucon. The forest clad hills rise up to almost two thousand meters and contains some crystal clear lakes.

We arrived at the park entrance and paid our CH$2000 entry fee, picked up a map, and started our day walk. For three hours we climbed up the slopes, on well marked but extremely boggy trails to the lakes at the top. It was hard work but worth it. We walked around all three lakes – Chico, Torro and Verde through the dense forest. There was lots of bamboo and the beautiful Araucaria (Monkey Puzzle) trees. We stopped for lunch at the shores of one of the lakes and relaxed for an hour in the serenity of this place before a group of walkers turned up. There were lots of native birds and we could hear woodpeckers. The views back across the valley to the volcano were awesome.

We walked back down which took quite a while due to the boggy and slippery trails and got back to the park entrance about an hour before the bus turned up to take us back.

Back at the hostel we enjoyed some of the owners home cooked food and a couple of glasses of wine before heading to bed. We slept well!

Oct 8^th                                   

Today we decided to hire bikes and have a venture around the local area. Hiring was easy and cheap and lots of places had bikes available. We just picked the best looking ones at a nearby travel agent and off we went. We rode around town and then out towards the river – with the aid of a cycle tour map which we got from the hostel. After crossing a rickety bridge across the river we hit dirt roads and were out into the countryside. It was quite a bumpy ride, but apart from that and the odd mad dog deciding to chase us along the way, it was pleasant and peaceful.

We ended up at the mount of the Rio Trancura, which feeds into Lago Villarrica, where we sat and had lunch before cycling back to town. Trout fishing is big in Chile but unfortunately we were too early for the season – which starts in November…… next time!

 In the afternoon we booked to do the trek up Volcan Villarrica the next day. They kitted us out with the necessary clothing, ice picks, etc and told us to be ready at 6:00 am the next day. It cost us Ch$17,000 each including guide, transport and gear.

Dinner was at a nice café in town then retired back to the hostel.

Oct 9^th

Arose early to a glorious yet chilly day and ventured down to the travel agents. A small group had formed and including us was a pair of funny Austrian blokes and a Swedish girl travelling up the volcano today.

The bus dropped us off at the bottom of the ski lifts (they ski on the volcano but we were too early to take a chairlift some of the way up) and we began the assault. It was extremely tough going – easily the hardest walking we had done. Luckily we were the first group out so we had the whole place to ourselves. Our guide a Frenchman was a bit of a twat to be honest but the rest of the group were a good bunch. All a lot younger and fitter than us and although we felt we were slowing them down they were very encouraging. One of the Austrian lads even gave Dibs his walking sticks for a while!

We zigzagged up the volcano until we reached the three-quarter mark for a rest. By now it was warming up and the sun was extremely strong – good job we had sunscreen else we would have fried.

By now the snow was very soft, which made walking extremely difficult. We should have bought snowshoes (and oversight by the guide). Fumes were billowing out of the top of the volcano so we could not see any flames, but the views from the top (2847m), and the achievement of climbing up an active volcano were unforgettable.

The Austrian lads (who were used to climbing  lots of steep hills and mountains) celebrated at the summit with a quick sing song, a couple of warm beers and then proceeded to eat onions as if they were apples! Nice lads – very funny!

Coming down was fun at times but again hard work. Due to the softness of the snow we literally slid down, which was difficult at times as it was very soft by now, but at times it was great.  We were all exhausted by the time we got down and after a short wait for the minibus we headed back to town. We had a couple of celebratory beers at the travel agents before heading back to the hotel for a hot shower. It would have been heaven to have a hot bath at that stage!

We met up with the Austrian lads later on at our hostel for dinner and a few drinks and talked over the day.

Oct 10^th  -  Puerto Montt

We boarded a bus to Valdivia where we changed and got a bud to Puerto Montt. The entire journey took around four hours. This is pretty much where the Pan-American Highway ends – and it definitely looks like it’s a city at the end of the road.

Although there is a modern concrete city centre complete with shopping malls and modern amenities, most of the houses in Puerto Montt are made from wood. The weather was chilly and cloudy (as it always is apparently). It’s a thriving port town with a thriving fishing and fish canning industry. In fact the whole town smells slightly of fish.

The bus station was right on the seafront so we decided to take the short walk downtown to find a place to stay for a night or two. I can’t remember the name of the hotel we settled in but it was on a quiet street just up from the town and was cheap and cheerful. We had heard that the fish and seafood in Puerto Montt was good so we took a nice slow walk along the seafront, past the ferry terminal, to the fish markets. It was getting late in the afternoon so most of the days activity has quietened down, but it was still very interesting to watch the fishwives preparing food and trying to persuade us to buy some. We stopped for a quick drink, before the smell got too much for Dibs.

We wandered back towards town and stopped at a restaurant which had been recommended to us. It was a very rustic place and we chose the local speciality called Curanto, which is a seafood stew complete with chicken and sausages. It was delicious and although we made a good dent in it there was enough left to feed a family of four!

We crawled back to our hotel with full stomachs and settled down for the night.

Oct 11^th                                 

There was a rowdy bar near to the hostel but it seemed to die down before 11 last night so we ended up having a decent sleep. Breakfast was included, and as usual the apricot jam was out!

We got a bus to Puerto Varas, about 17km away as it sounded quite nice. The town itself is small and organised – a little bit like Pucon, and with sensational views over Lago Llanquihue (another easy one to pronounce) to another couple of snow capped cone-shaped volcanoes called Osorno and Calbuco.

It was a fine, sunny day and the bus journey was quick. We had a good walk around the pretty town of Puerto Varas which had many old interesting houses and a small craft market and plenty of tourist shops.  We had a late light breakfast in a nice little café. We bought food from one of the local supermarkets and ate on the shores of the lake before heading back on the bus to Puerto Montt.

Once back we headed to the shopping centre to do some essentials and have a browse before eating a KFC (had that junk food feeling) and enjoying a couple of nice coffees at a coffee shop on the front. The wind was blowing but it was a pleasant day. I think the wind pretty much always blows in Puerto Montt!

Oct 12^th - Punta Arenas

We got a taxi to the airport and took the three hour flight to Punta Arenas in Patagonia. The flight was smooth and full of some students on a tour, complete with guitars and other instruments they had quite a sing song. It made the journey a pleasant one. We flew over vast expanses of wilderness – huge glaciers and snow fields. We really felt like we were heading to the end of the world, which I suppose we were in a sense.

Punta Arenas sits on the Magellan Straits at the end of Patagonia, overlooking the Terra del Fuego. It’s an awesome place although the town itself is quite ordinary and functional with lots of concrete buildings, shops, offices, etc. It sort of reminded me of a smaller version of Anchorage in Alaska. There were some older wooden houses around and a general feeling of past  wealth.

Punta Arenas blossomed in the nineteenth century sheep boom and there was a bit of a British feel to the place, with a British school and St James church. In fact the town used to be called Sandy Point. We were quite surprised how well maintained and modern such an isolated town was.

We got the airport bus into town and then wandered around to look for lodgings. We settled on a place called Hostal La Estancia, which was just on the edge of the busy part of town, had nice big airy rooms, an English speaking owner and was reasonably clean with a common lounge and kitchen. After we had checked in we wandered down to the main square – the Plaza Munoz Gamero, which is a very tranquil place with big shady trees and a big statue of Ferdinand Magellan (the famous explorer and first person to circumnavigate the globe). One of the toes of the Ona Indians on the statue was polished to a shine. We were told that if you touched it you would return to Punta Arenas. We both touched it.

The square is surrounded by old buildings built in the wool boom. It’s a pleasant area with nice little eateries and shops. We wandered around for a while and ate at a nice little eatery off the main square. We then headed away from town  to walk along the sea front to the port. We passed some hulking wrecks of old ships along the way – a reminder of the fierce winds and rough waters in the area. It was a nice sunny day and the wind was better than the day before – you could at least walk straight! I wondered if the wind even stopped. The most impressive wreck is that of the Lord Lonsdale – beached in 1942.

The port itself if pretty shabby but the walk along the bay was good exercise and we built up a real appetite. We ate at a nice little restaurant and had the local speciality – Centolla chowder (Centolla is the king crab which is popular in the area) washed down with a really nice bottle of wine. The wine is Punta Arenas is good and cheap due to the duty free zone.

We did some shopping in the afternoon and then headed back to the hostel for a sleep and a rest from the wind.

Oct 13^th

We booked a half day tour through the hostel to visit some of the original settlements including Puerto Hambre - which literally means Port Famine. A local lad picked us up in his minibus and luckily we were the only two on the tour. We drove out of town and headed south along an isolated road lined by severely windswept trees and barren fields with the odd herd of Llama or Alpaca. The views over the Magellan Straits to Tierra del Fuego were fantastic and although it was windy (we suspected it’s always windy!) it was a nice clear day.

We passed a couple of ramshackle fishing villages and then stopped at a white obelisk. This is apparently the geographical centre of Chile. This obviously take into account Chilean claimed Antarctic territory right down to the South pole (also claimed by Argentina and the UK!).

We eventually arrived at Puerto Hambre, which is the site of the first Spanish colony on the strait. There is a very sad story surrounding the place. It was discovered by Sir Francis Drake but the Spanish got pissed off and took it over to try and trap Drake. They failed and Drake slipped the net so the Spanish setup a colony. 23 ships containing around 3000 people set sail from Spain. Some sunk, some were taken by English pirates and some gave up and returned to Spain. Only 5 ships and around 500 men and women arrived. As they were unloading a tempest blew up and forced four of the ships out to sea. For two weeks they tried to get to shore but the weather was so bad they gave up and returned to Spain. The colonists survived – forgotten by Spain – for a few years but eventually all but one (who left with a British buccaneer) died.

Our guide told us the story an said that it was possible that rather than die from famine they may have suffered from seafood poisoning. Seafood such as mussels is abundant and would have been a staple of the colonists’ diet, but a red-tide (which happens every now and then and poisons the seafood) may have been responsible.

We travelled on to Fuerte Bulnes, which is a 1940s reconstruction of the first settlement in the area. There are some sturdy old log cabins and an old cannon left on the site. I’ve been to better monuments but it was a great spot with views across to the icy peaks further down in Tierra del Fuego.

The tour was good, the guide was very knowledgeable and we hung around for a while before driving back to Punta Arenas.

In the afternoon we jumped onto a bus to the Zona Franca, which is 3km north of town. It’s a duty free shopping zone (funny how like Iquique in the north these duty free zones pop up!). It’s quite a good place with a large shipping centre and some good bargains. We bought a few bits and bobs – mainly warm clothing (it was getting cold!) and ate before heading back into town. We had a quick drink at an English looking pub before heading back to the hotel.

                 Things start late in Chile, a bit like in Spain. Some bars and nightclubs didn’t open until midnight – well past our bedtime!

Oct 14^th  - Puerto Natales

We took a bus from Punta Arenas to Puerto Natales – which took around three hours. We spotted a Rhea on the way – a big bird a bit like an Ostrich or an Emu. We got chatting to a Lady at the bus stop and she persuaded us to stay at her little homestay called “Ramirez”. It cost CH$4500 (just over US$7) each including breakfast. The rooms were small but Ok with a toilet and bathroom opposite and the family as usual were friendly.

We struck up a deal with her to arrange transport to the Torres Del Paine national park in the morning and then transport back in four or five days, and also to store some of our gear while we were trekking. There were a couple of other people going on the bus in the morning and the owners were going to wake us early (5:00 am) for breakfast.

Puerto Natales is in a stunning location on “Last Hope Sound” – surrounded by tall mountain peaks. The town itself is nothing special – just a collection of restaurants, hotels and travel agents – it’s more of a staging point for treks to the Torres Del Paine or the glaciers. We had arrived on the last day of some sort of car race. There were lots of people in town and lots of racing cars.

We wandered around the town and stocked up on supplies for our forthcoming trek. We had heard that the lodges along the trek supplied meals but decided to take our own food rather than rely totally on theirs (and maybe just take breakfasts at the lodges). We also spent a bit of time at one of the local internet cafes before enjoying some decent food and a few beers.

Oct 15^th    - Torres Del Paine

We were woken early and given breakfast (quite a spread) at the homestay before our bus arrived to take us to the Parque Nacional Torres Del Paine. The journey took two hours and we stopped on the way at Cueva Del Mildon (marked by a great big inflatable dinosaur). Apparently they found some bones and the remains of a giant prehistoric sloth there some years ago.

The Torres Del Paine is a small range of mountains topped by strange twisted peaks and the famous smooth towers. It’s one of the worlds most stunning geographical features and as soon as we spotted the range we knew we were in for a treat. The park consists of the Torres Del Paine (Paine towers), the Cuernos Del Paine (Paine Horns) and Glacier Grey. It all sounded great so we paid our CH$6500 entry fee and decided to do a four day trek. There were a few options available to trekkers; we decided to do the “W” trail.

The bus dropped us off at the Hosteria Las Torres. We checked in, had a quick brew, and then set off on day one of our trek. We headed west along the foot of the massif then crossed a rope bridge and headed uphill up the Valle Ascensio which was quite steep. There was another “Refugio” half way up but as it was early we decided to push on to the top and back in one day (it was still only 10:00 and we estimated 8 hours max for the whole trip).

It was quite a hard climb along the valley and by lunchtime we had reached a small campsite, which was deserted. We stopped for lunch and a rest before turning west again to make our way up the steep valley. This was across boulders and loose rock and was hard going but we eventually made it to the top and soon forgot the pain in getting there. We had a stunning view across to the three statuesque towers – all by ourselves for at least half an hour before a group of noisy excited Germans turned up! It really was an awesome place.

We walked all the way back down to the Hostel and got there just before nightfall. We spotted a herd of Guanacos on the way and spotted some Condors gliding around. We cooked up some pasta at the lodge then settled down for sleep in our dormitory, which was quiet and not too full. It was a pleasant nights sleep.

Oct 16^th

We rose early for breakfast which we bought from the Hostel. It was OK but relatively expensive and I was glad we were cooking our own food most of the time. Today was going to be a shorter day after a lot of walking yesterday. We knew a lot of people would push onto the Refugio at Lago Pehoe so we took a different route around to the “Horns” and decided to stay at the Refugio called Los Cuernos.

We walked for about four hours across flat grasslands around the base of Los Cuernos which were an awesome site. The Refugio was right below them and run by two really nice blokes who were very welcoming and welcomed us with some snack food on arrival before we walked up the “Valle Rio Del Frances” and back.

We sat around outside for a while (the weather was great) chatting to the two blokes in our broken Spanish, and then went in to cook our own food before a late walk outside to take in the awesome starscape.

No one else turned that night so we had the whole place to ourselves- luxury!

Oct 17^th

Our hosts were up early and cooked us an awesome breakfast and even gave us a packed lunch of doughnuts to take with us! We had really enjoyed the tranquil time at Los Cuernos. We continued our walk along to Lago Pehoe across grasslands and past a lake and encountered quite a few walkers on our way of various nationalities. The weather was great – it was another perfectly sunny day. We passed the Refugio at Lago Pehoe where we stopped for lunch, then turned north to walk along Lago de Grey to the Refugio at the top.

The Lake was a sensational site. Full of icebergs floating downstream from Glacier Grey at the top. It was quite a tough walk along some muddy trails and the wind really got up in the afternoon to the extent that we had to be very careful crossing exposed areas. I was worried Dibs would get blown away!

We reached the Refugio after about five hours of walking. To be honest we were disappointed with Refugio Grey. It was quite busy with lots of trekkers (some of which were friendly), but the people running the place were rude and the entire building was dirty. Quite a disappointment after our last two nights accommodation. Our dormitory was ok and we shared with a couple of young English lads who seemed quite pleasant and had plenty of travel tales to share.

We eventually got into the kitchen to cook and a good fire was lit (it was cold and windy). The atmosphere was good and the story telling continued quite late into the night.

Oct 18^th

We woke up early (as usual) and did a good two hour walk around to the front of the glacier while the weather was good and the wind wasn’t too bad. We got back to the Refugio and had breakfast, packed up and headed back down towards Lago Pehoe with a few other travellers.

The walk was pleasant although quite muddy. We encountered some men on horseback bringing supplies in and out. And a few other walkers heading up towards the glacier.

When we got to Lake Pehoe we waited around for a while before getting a boat across the lake to a place called Pudeto near the main road where we waited around for a bus for an hour or so. While we were waiting we walked to some waterfalls and a scenic viewpoint but were quite tired by now and ready for a good shower and a nice hot feed!

The bus eventually showed up and we got back to Puerto Natales and our homestay late in the afternoon. The owners got a brew on and we had a nice hot shower and changed into clean clothes before heading into town to treat ourselves to a slap up meal.

We ate at a place called “El Maritimo” where we had delicious garlic prawns and a huge “lomo a la pobre” (pepper steak), washed down with a bottle of Gato Negro red wine. Delicious.

The trek was one of the most memorable treks we have ever done and the Torres Del Paine is a truly memorable place to visit. We had not initially planned to head south to Patagonia but we were now realising that we’d made a great decision.

Oct 19^th - El Calafate - Argentina

 1 Argentinean Peso was pegged at 1US$ during our visit.

 We had toyed with the idea of staying in Puerto Natales for a bit longer but decided to head over the border to El Calafate in Argentina. 

We took a bus from the terminal to El Calafate which cost around US$22 and took almost six hours. We drove over flat plains to the small border post where we all had to get out and pass through immigration. It was literally a collection of shacks on the border with a few bored looking uniformed guards with guns. I noticed a map of Argentina on the wall which had the Falkland Islands called “Las Malvinas” and all the towns had been renamed to Argentinean names – Port Stanley was Porto Argentino.  Seems like the Argies are still a bit hung up about the Falklands. I was tempted to say something but decided it would be wise not too. It didn’t take long to get our passports stamped and off we headed across Argentinean Patagonia to El Calafate.

The town itself is quite pleasant and we immediately noticed a bit more wealth around than in Chile – just the types of cars and the goods which were being sold in the shops. It all seemed quite European.

Our bus journey included travel all the way to the Merino Glacier (It worked out much cheaper this way), so we had a quick stretch in El Calafate and grabbed some food from the supermarket. The quality of food was excellent and there were lots of European style goods – it was much more expensive than Chile, Paraguay or Brazil though.

The bus drove on to the Moreno Glacier; again it was a beautiful hot sunny day. The journey took just over an hour and the scenery changed to lush forests. The Glacier itself is breathtaking. It’s one of the only advancing glaciers in the world. It’s around 60m high and stretches across the entrance to Lago Argentino, which is the countries largest.

It possible to get right up to the face of the glacier and walk along the many purpose built catwalks. There were plenty of people there – in fact trucks loads of tourists, but it was still an awesome place to visit. Every now and then huge chunks of ice would carve off the face into the freezing water below. It really is an audio and well as a visual experience.

We got the bus back to El Calafate (some people were going all the way back to Puerto Natales). We changed some money and wandered around looking for a hotel. We fancied going a bit more upmarket after our walking and hostelling in Chile so tried a few of the better looking places. They all seemed quite expensive, but we eventually stuck a reasonable deal at a the Libertador Apart Hotel, just off the main street. It’s a very nice place to stay.

At night we ventured to a place called Mi Viejo, which has a Parilla (Argentinean BBQ) in the front window which tempted us in. Basically you eat as much as you want – another place where they just keep the meat coming until you submit! The open BBQ had lamb and other meats roasting on it and it all was just so delicious. I now understood why Argentineans loved their meat so much!

Oct 20^th

 We had quite a long lie in – the hotel was very comfortable and quiet, and just made it up for our inclusive breakfast, which was an impressive spread.

We didn’t do much during the day just spent most of our time deciding what our next step would be. We could either take a flight straight up to Buenos Aires, a couple of long bus journeys, or find another destination to break the journey. Most of the day was spent mulling over the options and decided to get a flight up to Buenos Aires. It would have been great to take our time and travel slowly up Patagonia, but we were starting to run out of time.  We visited the local travel agencies and eventually booked a flight to Buenos Aires via Rio Gallegos. It cost around US$150 each

We decided that we wanted to spend a few days in luxury so phoned around a few hotels in Buenos Aires. We opted for the Hotel Castelar. They gave us around 50% of the rack rate, which seemed very reasonable.

The weather was still fantastic, jut a little bit on the chilly side at night. We enjoyed a final feed at a Parilla restaurant. The meat was so good. We were becoming carnivores and had no desire for anything other than barbecued meat!

The Argentineans love their meat. I read an extract from Charles Darwin’s diary during his travels in Argentina in the 1830s saying for several days he ate nothing but meat, stating” I do not dislike the regime but I feel  that it would only agree with me with hard exercise”.  Although I think most locals realise that it’s not entirely healthy to just eat meat all the time, they certainly seemed to enjoy it – especially barbecued on hot coals. We found that the diet of meat and salad (and occasionally a bit of bread) was the norm and I must admit we really enjoyed it.

Oct 21^{st  -}  Buenos Aires

Our flight to Buenos Aires via Rio Gallegos was smooth and took around three and a half hours. We took a bus to town and then walked to the hotel Castelar. It turned out to be a fantastic place to stay. An older style hotel with elegant décor and huge rooms. The staff were very friendly and we really felt looked after. It was also in a very handy location, just a short walk from the main drag  - the Avenue 9 de Julio – which is a pedestrians nightmare being something like twelve lanes wide.

A lot of streets in South America are named after a  relevant date in history. For example In Buenos Aires there is Ave. 9 de Julio, In Montevideo they have Rambala 25 del Agosto de 1825 (quite specific!) and in Asuncion they have 25 de Mayo.

 Buenos Aires is a big, imposing city like London or Paris, but the city centre is quite compact and most of the places of interest are walkable. We had a quick wander around to orientate ourselves before heading back to the hotel for an early night, in anticipation of a few days exploring.

Oct 22^nd

The hotel breakfast was excellent and we sat for a while in the beautiful dining room.  After managing to cross the Ave 9 de Julio (which took some time!) we headed down towards the Plaza de Mayo, which is the main square in Buenos Aires (It’s named after the month in which the revolution of 1810 occurred). The Plaza is a grand open space surrounded by colonial buildings including the main cathedral.

As we walked along the square we arrived at the Casa Rosada – the presidential palace. This place was off limits during the military dictatorship of 1976 to 1983. Apparently it was built on the river bank but it’s now more than a kilometre away due to landfill. This is where, from its balcony, Juan Perón made speeches to the locals.

We spent quite a bit of time around the square, looking at the buildings and indulging in a spot of people watching.

Argentineans, Paraguayans and Uruguayans love a thing called  mate (pronounced mah-tay). It’s made from a dried leaf called Yerba and warm water. They walk around with these little pots and a metal straw which has a filter at the end to stop the leaves  from entering it. It’s all a bit of a ritual and they pass it around. I tried it (in tea bag form) but I’ll admit it’s a bit of an acquired taste.

We wandered the streets and dropped down into the barrio of San Telmo – an interesting but run down area favoured by artists and the like. We found a nice little place for a late lunch (more meat!) before heading back towards the hotel. At the end of the day we had done quite a lot of walking and had a late afternoon nap.

In the evening we walked back into the San Temlo district to a bar called Bar Sur to watch some Tango. Bar Sur is a tiny little place and it soon got full. We paid a US$15 cover charge each, which included one free drink and “unlimited pizza” while we watched a tango show. I think the whole thing lasted about two hours. The pizza was ok and the tango was sensational. Different singers and dancers and a little bit of audience participation. Dibs was invited onto the floor and as always put on a great show. It was a good job they didn’t drag me up as it was a very small dance floor and I could have caused some serious damage! The free drink was the smallest beer ever – but it was all good entertainment.

Afterwards we had a stroll back to the hotel via a couple of nice little bars in San Telmo.

Oct 23^rd

After breakfast we wandered down toward the port area – Puerto Madero  It’s not that impressive, but has a good selection of shops.  The main reason was to enquire about ferry transport to Uruguay. We got the information we needed and made a booking for return travel to Colonia in a few days time.

We walked back into the more upmarket shopping district and spent quite a bit of window shopping, occasionally popping into one of the stores for a browse. The quality and variety of goods was excellent but value was not particularly great – no cheaper than the UK or Australia. I had a haircut at a little barber shop and the barber kept asking questions along the line of “How can I get into the UK” and “What do I need to get a work permit”!

One thing we noticed in Buenos Aires were a lot of professional dog walkers or paseaperros as the locals call them – usually with ten or twelve dogs on leads!  We walked into the Retiro district to look at “Torre de Los Ingleses” which is a little replica of Big Ben. Just as we were walking back down the park, there was a military parade (sort of a changing of the guard) which was associated with the Falklands war.

We kept walking and reach the famous cemetery at Recoleta. This is one attraction we definitely wanted to visit during our stay. It’s a truly amazing place – the detail and variety of the tombs is fascinating. A common saying by the Porteños (locals of Buenos Aires) is “It’s cheaper to live extravagantly all your life than to be buried at Recoleta”. We wandered around the maze of mausoleums which include the very famous (and popular) resting place of Eva Perón, and managed to tag onto the end of a and English speaking guided tour.  We spent lots of time in the cemetery and bumped into the Swedish girl who we had last seen at Pucon. She had lots to tell us including the fact that she’d been mugged by armed robbers in the La Boca district the day before. She’d lost her passport, money and camera, and wasn’t the only one staying in her hostel that had been mugged.

Outside the cemetery was a row of open air bars and eateries, and with it being happy hour we decided to pop in for a bit and a few beers, which cheered the Swedish girl up. We stayed for quite a while talking about our travels. We took the underground (very clean and quite historic) back towards the hotel. On the way back we stopped at a café we had heard of called Café Tortoni – just a short stroll from our hotel. Tortoni is a huge and popular place which oozes an atmosphere from the 19^th century. Although not cheap, the food and drink was exceptional and we really enjoyed it. The service was impeccable.

Oct 24^th

Following another excellent hotel breakfast we ventured out into a beautiful warm sunny day. We lounged around in a cafe for a while before deciding to head  to the botanical gardens, which was a long but interesting walk. The gardens themselves were Ok but not really too impressive, but it was nice to relax in the sun for a while watching the world go by.

We walked back to the hotel and made the decision to  take advantage of the Hotel Castelar spa facilities.

I noticed that there was some Champions League football on telly (I think ManU or Liverpool  were playing) so I sat on the bed and watched that while Dibs went to the ladies spa. She returned an hour or so later glowing, saying it was a fantastic experience. This made me decide I would give the male spa a go, so headed down to the basement.

When the lifts opened I thought I’d gone to the wrong place as I was in a small corridor with a few beer crates and empty bottles, but I head voices and walked through a small entrance to the spa. What a strange place. I had walked into a large bar – football on the TV and cigar smoke in the air, with men lounging around on various stages on nakedness. I felt like I had walked into the “Slaughtered lamb” –everyone stopped and stared for a brief second, but a man in white uniform soon approached me with a key, some towels, and some toiletries. I was ushered to a small changing room (the key unlocked the door) and was given a quick run down of what went on. I could get a shave, have a massage or play backgammon – but I declined all these just to use the steam/sauna facilities.

Basically there were three steam rooms, each interconnecting and hotter than the previous one, a couple of saunas and lots of showers. It was a really strange place but I enjoyed the steam and saunas, going from hot to cold, but there was a strange edge to the whole thing. The mainly overweight and older men liked to stare and didn’t say much o each other. It felt a little uncomfortable. I went into the bar for a while and watched some more football, but that was equally as weird – lots more staring and smiling.

In the end I retreated to a shower. As I was washing I felt that “someone is staring at you” feeling. When I turned around a short fat hairy bloke was standing stark naked behind me! He legged it immediately! I though about chasing him but then thought that would be wise.  I got changed and left the spa with a feeling that maybe it’s some weird gay hangout – or maybe I was just getting the wrong impression! I got back to the room and told Dibs all about it. She just pissed herself laughing.

 We ordered room service – a real treat and watched an English language film on the telly.

Oct 25th - Colonia

The Uruguayan Peso (Ur$) worked out at about 12 to the US$ during our stay,

We took a taxi to the ferry port and boarded our ferry across the Rio de la Plata to Colona in Uruguay. We decided to take the fast ferry, which cost around US$30 and took just over an hour. It was a calm trip. Colonia is a small village-like town which has been very well preserved. It’s popular with holidaying Argentines but doesn’t get many overseas visitors.

 We checked into the Hotel Beltran, which was very nice, with large clean rooms and a restaurant. It cost about US$40 per night. We were told it was good to be in Colonia during the week as priced doubled at weekend when the place was full of Porteños getting away for the weekend.

Our hotel was on the edge of the historical district, so we decided to have a wander around to orientate ourselves. The streets are small and cobbled with lots of small old buildings around. It was very quiet. We stopped in a quaint little café for a late afternoon glass of wine and noticed the clouds were coming in and it looked like a storm was brewing. We finished our drinks and headed back to the hotel just before the storm broke. We stood one the hotel terrace and watched a fantastic display of lightning. The rain really started to come down heavy.

 We ate in the hotel restaurant that evening. It was a little pricey but the food was excellent.

Oct 26^th

The storm last night raged for quite a while but stopped and we woke up to a bright fresh sunny day. We strolled down to the old Portuguese fort and visited a small museum, which was quite interesting. There is little to do at Colonia other than get lost if the little cobbled streets, popping into the odd gift shop of café – which is pretty much what we did for most of the day. It’s a very relaxing little town and felt a long way from the hustle and bustle of Buenos Aires.

 We ate in the hotel again and had a couple of drinks at the bar.

 Oct 27^th  - Montevideo

There are a few bus companies in Colonia. We chose the first one we came to and booked onto a bus to Montevideo. It cost around US$8 and took two and a half hours.

Montevideo is home to more than half of Uruguay’s 3.2 million people. It’s drawcard is that it’s a natural port located on the Rio del Plata. I read a quote in a book that it’s a “worn out city” and at first glance it is. It compared with Asuncion as far as needed a lick of paint was concerned! It seemed to be a mixture of older buildings and huge horrible monstrosities that would not be out of place in your average Russian city.

We took a taxi to our chosen hotel – Hotel London Palace – which turned out to be quite nice and in a decent location just off the main drag – Avenue 18 de Julio (another street named after a date!). It cost around US$60 per night. After checking in we stopped at a little snack bar for a late lunch then walked down to the Placa Independencia, the main square for a look around. Some of the buildings were very 1960s… one even looked like my old school!

We continued down into Cuidad Vieja, the old town, which was far more interesting. It’s scruffy and smelly but very colourful. Little kids with not a lot on running around and even crap all over the place – but it was quite intriguing. We had been warned about street crime in the area but it seemed quite safe, although I’d be double careful if it was late at night. There were still horse drawn carts working the streets and some dodgy sewerage systems. Laundry was hanging out across the streets and old – very old – cars were parked up on the kerbs.

We headed back to the London via snack bar and had an early night.

Oct 28th

Today was Sunday – and as in many parts of the world, Sunday means markets. We ventured down to a park which ad a flea market on and spent a bit of time browsing and buying a couple of small souvenirs.

We then headed through the old town again to the port where we had been told there was a great market (Mercado del Puerto). This place turned out to be the highlight of our stay in Montevideo.  It was open in the late 1800s and had a very olde-world, almost medieval feel to it. The market contained a dozen or so Parilla (barbecues). Basically you sat on a stool at the bar surrounding the huge square Parilla and chose the cuts of meat you wanted. The meat was fantastic and we sat for ages eating meat and shared a bottle of the local drop – Medio y medio, which is a mixture of white and sparkling wines.

It’s certainly a very colourful place and a superb place to eat. We wandered around the market stalls before making our way back to the hotel via a couple of bars. A very boozy afternoon!

Oct 29^th    -    Farewell South America

ur flight to Auckland was around midnight so we had all day to make our way back to the airport in Buenos Aries. This turned out to be quite a long trek. 

First of all we check out and took a taxi to the bus station in Montevideo where we go a bus to the Colonia (where we had our return ferry ticket). Once there we sat around while we waited for the ferry. It was quite busy - I think a lot of people had been in Colonia for the weekend and had taken the Monday off work too. Once we got to the other side we hung around in the port area for a while before we jumped in a taxi to the airport (where we hung around for a few hours more). All in all it was a day or travelling and hanging around – and we had a thirteen hour flight in front of us!

The airport is quite good and luckily our Qantas flight to Auckland was leaving on time. We got great seats – a double seat at the back of the plane. The couple In front of us were obviously chain smokers – they had their cigarette packets in the top pockets and were looking scared at the thought of thirteen hours without a fag!

We had both really enjoyed our trip to South America – it had exceeded all of our expectations.

Click to email me        This page was last updated on 05-May-2009             © Simon Wheeler