Blogs from Punta Arenas, Magallanes, Chile, South America - page 13

Last time we wrote we had just been on the glacier in El Calafate in Argentina. Well we headed up to El Chaten and did some day hikes through some amazing countryside with more glaciers, lakes, waterfalls and some even more amazing tasty cakes! Then it was time to say goodbye to Argentina and head down to Puerto Natales in Chile and the famous Torres del Paine. Now the whole deal with Torres del Paine is that it this amazing countryside that you send 5 to 7 days hiking around and getting at one with nature - unfortunately the budget and timeframe didn´t allow for that so we justed buzzed around in a minibus and did a few short hour or so walks - rather than getting at one with mother nature we more just sat ... read more

Vandaag weer een dag van reizen: we vertrekken uit ons hotel Lago Grey en rijden naar Punta Arenas, zo’n 400 km zuidelijker. Het landschap verandert langzaam; van hoge bergen met sneeuwwitte toppen en bergmeren in pampa’s, uitgestrekte velden met aan de horizon de bergen. Aangezien we eerst uit het nationaal park Torres del Paine moeten rijden via de omweg doen we over deze 400 km zo’n 6 uur… Weer een lange zit, maar dan zijn we toch rond half 4 bij ons hostel in Punta Arenas: hostel Carpa Manzano. Na NP Torres del Paine lijkt Punta Arenas wel een industriestad: veel huizen, drukke straten, veel verkeer, veel industrie (en helaas ook de rook die boven de stad hangt) en boten met haventje. Eigenlijk wilden we onderweg nog naar de pinguïn kolonie bij Seno Otway, maar helaas… ... read more

"Superhuman effort isn't worth a damn unless it achieves results." Thus said Sir Ernest Shackleton, leader of the Imperial Trans-Antarctic expedition of 1914 (better known as the Endurance expedition) and star of one of history's most stirring tales of triumph over extreme hardship. There have been umpteen books written about the Endurance expedition but it's a story that never pales in the telling. The ambitious plan to cross Antarctica from one coast to the other via the South Pole came unstuck at the very beginning, when the Endurance froze into pack ice in the Weddell Sea. After about ten months, the ship was crushed by the pressure of the pack and sank - a distressing moment for all, especially the ship's cat, which was shot to prevent unnecessary suffering in the coming days. After several more ... read more

I think towards the start of our South American blog I made a comment about how cities here feel the same as cities anywhere else in Canada, America or Australia... and that there was not much of a so called third world or developing country feel about it. (Both those descriptions are strange ones though, which I am never entirely comfortable using). I was talking mainly of Chile, and particularly Santiago. But even then, we did not really spend too much time in Santiago outside the central few blocks where our hostel was. Also, so far most of the towns we have been to have been very touristy, and we had not spent too much time walking about in them, outside of the main streets... well, I have now seen a little outside the glossed over ... read more

Onboard the Via Australis, we went through breathtaking scenic 4 days from Punta Arenas through the Cordillera de Darwin, Parque Nacional Alberto de Agostini, the Beagle Channel, Cape Horn and finally Ushuaia. The Captain welcomed us onboard with a cocktail, Pisco Sour!, and we were explained the full program for the four days. Our first landing was on the island Alberto de Agostini where we had the special treat to see an elephant seal very close, two artistic sea lions playing in the water and the beautiful nature of the island. The other days were punctuated by visits to our friends the Penguins, Cormorants birds, and beavers . We saw a Beavers house with all the damage they do to wood with their little teeth, they keep biting and biting on wood everywhere. One of the ... read more