We're in Argentina for Perito Moreno!

While we're supposed to be exploring Chile however neither of us could miss out on the opportunity to head over to El Calafate, Argentina to see Parque Nacional Perito Moreno - the most accessible glacier in Patagonia and I can assure you, it didn't disappoint! 

Perito Moreno is the third largest glacier in the world and is about the same size as Buenos Aires city. Impressively, the facade is approximately 70m in the centre - the height of a typical apartment or office building. We had 2 hours to explore the different balconies and vistas that have been constructed for viewing purposes however we generally stayed in one area as we were both waiting for a big section of ice to fall into the water (which it didn't :(. We then rushed to the end of the walkway for 1:30pm so we could head off on the second part of our adventure - walking on this mammoth glacier. 

We took a catamaran to the other side of the lake, donned crampons and headed off onto the glacier. It was gorgeous, particularly as we got some afternoon light however I don't believe the photos are going to be as remarkable as the ones from Franz Joseph in NZ. Fingers crossed I'm wrong!  I know I got a couple of impressive ones on the phone based on the reactions from Facebook :)

Crossing back into Chile was a bit of an event.  I'd thrown out some forms they gave us when we landed (which we were supposed to keep).  The immigration person who proceeded me arriving back into Chile gave me a stern talking to about the importance of not losing the document this time!  Oops :)

Hope you're well!

Sarah  

Torres del Paine National Park

We travelled from Punta Arenas to Puerto Natales by bus and collected our rental car as soon as we'd arrived so we could get on the road to Parque Torres del Paine as it's a bit of a distance from Puerto Natales. There were spectacular views and vistas along the drive and we stopped here and there along the way for photos. 

It was a dirt road for about a third of the drive with some pretty major potholes along the way. We arrived at Lago Grey hotel where they run the ferry out to the glacier how the last boat had already left for the day. Luckily we stopped here for a quick pit stop as it turns out, we'd punctured the back left tire and damaged the rim of the front right. Shannon put on the spare and while he went to the loo to clean up,  some men asked about the tires as I was checking them all. It turns out the hotel had its own garage and so we were suddenly getting their on site mechanic to patch the original tire and change it back again - all for $10 AUD - such great service!!  We walked around Lago Grey, saw Grey Glacier from a distance before starting to head back to town for the night. 

The following morning we were on the road after getting the wheel wells cleaned by the rental agency (the car was fabulous as it gave us freedom to go as we pleased but it did come at a bit of a price :) We stopped at the park office and I was approached by a Spanish woman, asking if they could ride with us for the day - Shannon & I can officially say we've picked up hitch-hikers though it definitely wasn't your standard way of getting some! 

We stopped multiple times along the way to admire the vistas and take pictures before we arrived at Salto Grande where there's a gorgeous waterfall and views of the towers before starting the hike to Cuernos lookout, at the foot of Torres del Paine. It was an amazing hike and we were rewarded with breathtaking views of the towers with pretty clouds at the end - I hope the pics look as good as it did in real life!  After a quick lunch, we hiked up to a condor lookout however unfortunately, someone forgot to tell the condors. No matter, we'd seen many already on our travels at a reasonable distance.

We then rushed back to Puerto Natales to ensure we returned the car in time, followed by food and then getting organised for our early morning bus to El Calafate. 

Happy travels!

Sarah 

We're going to Chile!! :)

Our flight to Santiago was as expected, long and uneventful however niggling in the back of my mind the entire flight was the fact that we'd realised the night before we left that Shannon's passport had less than 6 months left on it which means they might not let him in the country...  Happily, we passed through immigration without a hiccup and took the bus and train into the city centre. 

We found our hotel and settled in, a bit jetlagged but happy with how central the location was and how good the internet was :)  We had a crappy dinner and then wandered through the streets and nearby parks which were alive with people and  their pets.  The following day, we took the train to Sky Costanera for some views of the city and surrounding hillsides.  It was a bit overcast but relaxing all the same.  We returned to the hotel and did the thing we should have done before we left - we planned the trip!

We leave tomorrow for Punta Arenas and Patagonia in the morning.

Take care,
Sarah