I’m Back
It has been so long since I’ve posted. But I have a terrific reason. We went to Chile in December. My niece was attending university in Santiago, so we all flew down to pick her up. And of course, we did some hiking while we were there. Here are a few highlights.
Torres del Paine photo by Angie Allen
First stop, Santiago. It’s a big city. Its population is around 7 million. We got around by taking the Metro (subway). We went to museums, churches, and the MUT. The MUT is a multi-level shopping center, food court, and entertainment venue. It’s very modern and beautiful, and the views are great.
2 days later, we are on a flight south to Puerto Natales. It’s so far south. This was such a cool town. It’s constantly snowing lightly even though it’s the summer solstice for the southern hemisphere. It’s a small town used mostly for gathering supplies to hike. The thing about this town; its loaded with dogs. Stray but well-cared-for packs of canines. Heaven to me. We rented our gear here and had lunch. Then it was on the road to Rio Serrano.
No exaggeration, the bumpiest road in the world. It’s only 66 miles. It took 4 HOURS! It shattered one of the car windows. I’m happy I didn’t know ahead of time. But it was so worth it once we got to our house. From our living room, we stare right at the Torres del Paine. The mountains are not much taller than our own Mt. Rose. The difference is seeing it from sea level. They are overwhelmingly big. I felt a sense of awe and could stare out the window forever, which is great because there was no TV or radio. Heck, you were not even allowed to flush TP. Another thing I’m glad I didn’t know previously. But that’s what travel is about. Learning what it's like to be in another’s world.
The roads in the national park were fine. No more broken windows. We saw Guanaco everywhere. They are in the llama family and populate the park like deer here in Nevada.
Guanaco photo by Angie Allen
We spend a few days here hiking and taking photos. Next, we headed to Punta Arenas. This was the southernmost stop of our visit and my favorite place we visited.
Punta Arenas. You can see the outline of the Antarctic Circle below it
The bustling downtown of Punta Arenas
Our house chicken that snuck inside when we weren’t looking. Loved cuddling
Statue of Magellan
It has a population of under 150k and was cold and blustery. There is a nice mansion turned museum, but not much else. It was just pleasant to walk around and eat churros. But the reason I think I loved it so much is that I ran into my favorite person in the world. My son Patrick. He happened to be in the same southern town at the same time as we were. It was surreal watching him arrive at our house. The warm fuzzy feeling is indescribable. Tony and I were traveling with my brother, his wife, and their daughter. I was on the other side of the world, surrounded by people I loved most.
After Paddy’s all-too-short visit, we hit the hay, for tomorrow was the 14-hour boat excursion.
3:30 am comes so early, but it was worth it to see penguins and glaciers and drink iceberg-laden cocktails. Yup! They grab chunks of ice floating by the ferry, ice pick them into chunks, and put them in our drinks. Fun!
We get home and try to sleep even though the sun is up at 10 p.m. In the morning, it’s back to Santiago.
Courtyard at Matildas. The bar was make your own cocktail and leave a tip. Fab!
The landing on our floor. Good for chilling
The library
Random pup in downtown Santiago. The whole country is dog loving
Back at Matildas, our wonderful boutique hotel, we relax for a bit. The next morning, we are off to the hot springs. Termas Valle de Colina. It was a ride to get there, but really cool. 7 pools of natural spring water ranging from warm to lava hot. I made it to the 2nd hottest. No photos from this stop.
After soaking, we were taken to a restaurant and had some good food and great company. There was the obligatory Latino singer with a guitar. He was great. My favorite guest was the resident dog. He is large and black and the gentlest creature ever. I fed him so much steak. He was a bit dirty, but I couldn’t resist petting him, so I used a fork.
Steak all day, every day!
The next day is our last. We spend the day in Santiago. We walk around town, soaking up the memories before we leave for the airport. At this point in the trip, I’m very worn out. I’m concerned about the long flight in the small seats. Tony surprises me with business class seats on the way home. I almost cried. I think I did cry.
We got on the plane, and after a nice meal, I put the seat into a horizontal position, pulled up my down comforter, and fell asleep. The next thing I know, a beautiful young man is offering me breakfast. As anyone who knows me knows, I can be frugal. This upgrade was worth every penny.
I hope you’ve enjoyed the highlights of my trip. It was so much more than this, but I can only cover so much. For now, it’s back to work. I already have a new listing. Happy midwinter, everyone. Spring is just around the corner.
