Finally, the so much awaited trip on the boat was here. I checked in at the office of Navimag for a 4 day cruise in the Patagonian channels, south to Puerto Natales, and I had a day for myself in Puerto Montt. The city itself is quite a dive, with the shoreline filled with dirty looking sailor bars and shabby looking tourist hotels. I disappeared in a nice local restaurant where I spent the whole day reading my guide and a Spanish book. I was pretty much their only guest, and so the cook always invited me to the kitchen [View Full Entry]

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I was again saying goodbye to my friends and heading even more south - to the Lake District, a lovely region sprinkled with lakes and volcanoes. This time I traveled alone. I took an overnight bus to Puerto Montt (14 hrs from Santiago), at the southernmost point of this region, and the same day transferred to Puerto Varas, a small touristy town sitting on the edge of the largest lake in Chile, sharing the shore with the Volcan Osorno. I had three days to explore the oldest national park in Chile, rich in wildlife and home to the oldest standing [View Full Entry]

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It was hard to leave the city since I was also leaving many friends behind. In a very short time, I met so many wonderful people, mostly at the language school, from all over the world. But the road was calling. The first stop Pichilemu, the surfing capital of Chile. It was 8 of us: me, Jordan and Jenna (US), Becca (UK), Joanna (France), Marcello from Brasil, and two Chileans whom I did not know before. The town definitely had a laidback atmosphere, as one would expect from a beach town where surfing dudes hangout. What a change from the [View Full Entry]

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First three weeks in Santiago, studying Spanish, gorging on seafood, getting to know the culture and people. The arrival was spectacular. After 24 hours of travel and 3 plane changes, I woke up with a grand view on Santiago from atop, a city surrounded by mountains, in a close proximity of the ocean. I was also able to discern the vineyards, as tiny spots of green space, nested in the suburbs of the city, and I imagined my favorite wine- Marquis de Casa Concha. I always wondered where the lovely grapes came from; and now I was finally going to [View Full Entry]

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