Our first three weeks were spent touring this distinct region encompassing the
southern parts of Chile and Argentina. With the Andes as the dividing line, the
region spreads from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean from the tip of South
America to an ambiguous border on the north.
Punta Arenas, Chile is located on the Strait of Magellan that connects the
Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. Prior to the Panama Canal, it was a major
seaport but now it is mostly a tourist town for cruises around the tip of
South America and to
Antarctica.
Serendipity or Divine Intervention?? We met Jorge standing in line to board our
plane in Santiago. The next day Larry had lost his Chilean Visa and we accidently
bumped into Jorge who spent an hour shuttling us to different people until he got
Larry a new one. A true blessing!
The
cemetery was noted as a must see and as we toured it found out why. It
is filled with what we would consider as "tiny houses" as final resting place
for entire families of affluent pioneers and immigrants.
On
March 23, Glorine turned 70 years old and we made it a grand celebration at this
fine restaurant in the Dreams Casino. We were hoping to win enough money
to pay for the meal, but no such luck.
Punta Arenas is where we began our five-day cruise around the tip of South
America. The blue lines indicate the route we took.
This
ship is a 200-passenger cruise liner designed for tight passages and rough sea,
which we encountered a couple times during the trip.
This
was the view from our berth, a cozy room with two comfortable twin
beds and a private bathroom. At times, the waters were so calm and the room
so quiet, it was hard to believe we were on a ship.
We
took two excursions on each day of our trip. The man in red, William, a
young German who spoke five languages was able to cater to the diverse
tourist on board. He was an awesome tour guide.
On one excursion, we learned that when the glaciers receded 12,000 years
ago, lichens and mosses began to form which later evolved into the rich flora
of the area that later attracted the animals that could survive this hostile
environment.
We
were fortunate to take a picture of one of these creatures--Andean Condor, the
largest flying bird in the world by combined weight and wingspan. The
largest wingspan measured nearly eleven feet. It is the national symbol of Argentina,
Bolivia, Chile, Columbia, Ecuador and Peru.
Each execution gave us a different perspective of the region. Off in the
distance is the Andes Mountains. We learn that this part of the Andes
is the only region where the mountains run east and west.
We
used these onboard Zodiac boats to get from our ship to the various excursion
destinations. They held 14 comfortably, along with the driver and a
guide. We made sure we paired with William as our guide.
Yes, in this area the world is "COLD!" Maybe one reason these glaciers
still exist. This is Pia Glacier, a huge glacier that resides inside
one of the many fjords that make up this part of the Andes.
We
sailed 150 miles along the Beagle Channel to an area known as the Avenue
of the Glaciers where we saw a string of glaciers along the Darwin Mountain range
on the southernmost range of the Andes.
We were
the last cruise of the year, thus the last people to see these penguins
until next season. There were hundreds that hung out while we sat and took pictures.
One
of our goals on this trip was to step foot on Cape Horn, Chili. We trekked
to the Memorial erected in honor of the thousands of mariners who lost their
lives sailing in the waters at the "end of the world."
The
winds were whipping at 80 mph which cut our stay on the island shorter than
expected. We missed the light house and a tiny chapel for the poor naval
officer and his family who are assigned this post. Over Glorine's
shoulder, is Antarctica about 600 miles away.
Our
last stop was dedicated to Ferdinand Magellan, Charles Darwin, and Captain
Robert Fitz Roy and the roles they played in shaping the history of this part of
the world. The home in the distance was once a ranch house, now turned a
museum.
We missed our "regular" tour guide, but instead got the Director of
Excursions, Mauicio Ruiz, a native of the area and an expert who shared the
fascinating history of the area. An awesome tour!
This
replica teepee, was home to the Yagans, who once numbered over 1,000 residents
of this area and date back to 8,000 B.C. How did they survive this brutal
climate? Within 50 years, they were driven into extinction. Sad!
At the end of each excursion, we received a Hot Toddy, a cup of hot
chocolate with as little or as much rum as we cared to have. A new
meaning to an all-inclusive tour.
Our
table mates during this cruise were Gabby and Vincentz, a German couple spending
five weeks touring South America. She spoke fluent English and served as
speaker and translator during our meals.
At the end of the cruise, we were presented with a
diploma signed by the Captain of the Stella Australis stating we
had reached Cape Horn, the world's southernmost point.
After disembarking, we spent a couple of days in Ushuaia, billed as the southernmost city in the world. It began as a penal colony for
hardened criminals, who provided the man-power for public works projects.
Since the prison closed in 1947, Ushuaia is home to European immigrants who
have transitioned this town into a tourist center, with a Swiss/German feel.
Tierra del Fuego National Reserve is located near Ushuaia and where we decided
to take a 12-mile hike through this dense forest.
The
hike also treated us to some grand views of the Andes along the waters of the
Strait of Magellan. Hard to believe we put on that many miles.
At
the end of the hike, the National Reserve housed a small museum featuring the
now extinct indigenous people who were hunted and gathered in this area.
Ushuaia has become a popular tourist destination thanks
to the cruise ships that sail around the tip of South America, day trips
through the Strait of Magellan and tours to Antarctica.
From
Ushuaia, we flew to the city of El Calafate to tour the National Park of the
Glaciers, the largest in Argentina, covering nearly three million square miles.
It is the home of Perito Moreno, one of South America's most popular tourist attraction.
As we entered the Park, we stopped for this photo op by Lake Argentina, the largest lake in Argentina,
with the snowcapped Andes in the background.
We
caught this picture of a Southern Crested Caracara, a bird of prey that is a
cousin to the Falcon and only found in southern South America.
These pictures will not do justice to how overwhelming this glacier truly
is. It is larger than the city of Buenos Aires, nearly
100 square miles, 560 feet thick, 20 miles long and three miles wide. Click to
view.
To
give some perspective to how large this glacier truly is, we took this picture of a
200-passenger boat on the lower right, moving toward the glacier. We took a boat cruise to get a close-up view of the glacier.
We used our zoom lenses to get a closer view of the glacier. These columns will soon be calves
floating in the lake. We heard many smaller calvings, but by the time we turned
to view it, it had already hit the water.
The
national park was kind enough to build miles of walkways and balconies for us
to view the glacier and its surroundings. Note this is the beginning of
April and the trees are turning colors.
We took this 200-passenger tour boat to Los Glaciers National Park.
Together with its sister park in Chile, Torres del Paine makes the
South American ice field, the third largest in the world, behind
Greenland and Antarctica.
Spegazzini Glacier is one of several glaciers we sailed by. It is not as
large as Moreno, but its sheer size of the wall which is 440 feet above the
water line, make it so impressive.
Our tour included a secluded farm house. When the Park was created 80 years
ago, farmers had to move off, but some of their cattle were left behind.
Now numbering over 3,000, they have become a serious problem and will be
removed.
The
enormous iceberg behind us is one of hundreds floating in Lake Argentina. Many
are larger than the ship we are on. And the interesting thing we learned is
that 90 percent of the iceberg is below the water line.
We were astonished by the number and the size of icebergs slowly floating
downstream.
This
is Perito Moreno. The cruiser behind us shows the unbelievable
size of that glacier. Awesome!!
The
next day we took this bus to El Chalten, to tour Mount Fitz Roy, which shares
a border with Chile.
Picture perfect. But that is because it is a picture of a picture.
Later you will soon learn why.
As the bus got ten miles from the mountain, we took this picture and had our
fingers crossed that the storm would blow over.
At El Chalten National Park
office, we grabbed this picture of the face of
the mountain and began a four-kilometer trek to get a closer view.
When we got to the viewing point, it was pouring down the rain and we took
this picture of Glorine soaked to the bones. And we had 4KM to go to get back
to town.
We
sat in a bar, next to a laundromat waiting for our clothes to dry and laughed at
this wall hanging with their version of evolution. From here, we took the bus back
to El Calafate and flew to San Carlos de Bariloche, Argentina.
San Carlos de Bariloche has a German and Swiss influence as they were the
first settlers to arrive in the late 1800s.
The
Festival of Chocolate coincides with Easter. Signs and decorations of the
Festival were all over the plaza.
Giant bunnies painted with different colors and patterns were placed
throughout the plaza. The city even has its own Chocolate Museum.
Larry, thinking his name came from Saint Bernard which this dog is named after,
couldn't resist paying to have his picture taken. Note the large lake in
the background.
And chocolate stores were located all over. Everyone living here must have a
sweet tooth to keep these businesses open year-round.
Bariloche is home to the Catedral Alta Patagonia Ski Resort, one of the
country's largest. While already cold, the snow is not expected until
late-April.
We used this 1937 vessel for our tour of Lake Nahuel Huapi that has a
national park. This crystal-clear lake is about 200 square miles and
an average depth of 500 feet.
This
National Park is dedicated to preserve the Arrayanes Trees, which is a unique
tree that only exist in this part of the world.
While touring the park, we learned that they also transplanted trees from
different regions of the world including this Sequoias Tree from California.
Two
things that made this tree so unique was the color and the fact that it has no
bark. This fence is made from the wood of the tree.
We had an awesome border crossing over the Andes Mountain range from Argentina to
Chile, leaving Bariloche at 7:00 am and getting into Puerto Varas at 6:00
pm.
This
trip required us to take a bus, boat, bus, boat, and bus. The scenery was
spectacular on both sides of the border.
This was one exciting way to explore the lake district on both sides of the
Andes.
The
waters were pristine and the snow-capped mountain spectacular.
Getting from boat to boat was by bus, but through the jungle on
dirt roads. There were two busloads of people on this adventure.
After
a half hour of a bumpy bus ride, we arrived at our next port where this
cruiser was waiting for us to arrive.
After a remarkably short cruise, we took another bus ride over more graveled
roads for this photo op at the Chilean border at the top of the Andes
Mountains.
Down
the road a bit, we all went through immigration and customs at this little out
back.
Our next stop was Hotel Peulla--the Gateway to Patagonia. This
enormous structure is in a community of 120 people which can only be accessed by
boat. A true nature get-away in the Chilean Lake District.
After some drinks at the restaurant, we took a hike along a gravel
path crossing several bridges before getting to a small, but cool waterfall.
How many rhubarb
pies do you think this Chilean Prickly Rhubarb plant will make? Locals use the stalk for jam or
they eat it with salt.
We
hiked a short distance from town to board our last boat of the day on Lake Todos
los Santos (All Saints), which has depths of over 1,100 feet.
More spectacular snowcapped mountains.
Remnants of 25,000,000 year-old eruptions.
One of four volcanoes that can be seen from the lake.
One
of many beautiful water falls.
As we turned into
this channel of the lake, we got our first glimpse of Osorno Volcano, one of
the most active in the southern Andes.
After more stunning views, we took our last transport over more gravel
roads. Eventfully, we would travel on a paved road for the trip into Puerto
Varas.
Views from the bus along Lago Todos del Santos.
As
we were getting closer to Puerto Varas, the clouds were starting to cover
Osorno Volcano.
Puerto Varas is another tourist community with a look and feel of Switzerland.
While touring the lake front of Puerto Varas, we took advantage of this photo
op.
While a little on the chilly side, Chilean's don't mind it.
We
sprawled out in the common area of this hostel we called home for a few
days--mostly website and family activities.
One of the most sees of the area is Chiloe Island, which was a ferry
hop away. It is the largest of what makes up the Archipelago on the Pacific Coast
(a group of islands).
The
tour of Chiloe Island focused on how the people live much as their ancestors
did. This is one of four Catholic churches built by the Jesuits in the
1800s.
This church was packed. While most Catholic churches throughout Chile
are declining in Sunday attendance, they are maintaining post-Columbia
traditions.
And at the
same time many indigenous descendants have held on to pre-Columbian beliefs like finless mermaids
protecting fisherman.
The ceilings of these churches are up-side-down boats. Hanging
miniature
boats for those that died at sea is a tradition that brings greater peace to the
families.
Castro is the largest city at about 40,000 and they love their colors.
Palafitos are homes built on stilts to deal with the constant tides. One
of the buildings was a restaurant we
ate at.
This
wooden fishing boat is under construction and one of many sitting as a work in
progress.
Sundays consist of going to church and handicraft shopping at the market.
Nothing here made in China.
We
stopped at one
last church on our way back to the ferry, unfortunately it was closed. It
too was a wooden building.
Argentina
Uruguay
Chile
Peru
Ecuador
Patagonia's web page includes March 21 through April 9.
