ARGENTINA & CHILE #20: ABOVE AND BELOW(!) THE ARGENTINIAN SIDE OF IGUAZU FALLS

Posted on April 15, 2024 by Elaine-iaK's Travels

It was our last full day in Argentina, and we were going to do it up right. Back to the falls we go! This time, we saw Iguazu Falls from the Argentinian side—above AND below. More on the “below” views later…

Unfortunately, the skies were a mucky white and gray, but we were (again!) fortunate to not have rain. It just made for lousy photography—white waterfalls against a white sky. The views (in person) were spectacular, though, and we enjoyed walking around the edges of the falls, out onto platforms, and over bridges looking down on the powerful rush of water:

(For all photos, especially panoramas, click on the image for a full screen view.)

Along the trail, we could see three toucans way off (and I mean waaaay off!) in the distance, so I did my best to zoom in through the mist of the falls to get this shot, (which has been cropped to a vertical). It’s bad, I know, but…

We saw a couple of Coatis, in the raccoon family.

On our way back through the jungle after seeing the falls, we saw some monkeys up in the trees. There was no time to adjust my camera settings, so here’s another bad shot that I don’t want to leave out, because this little guy is so cute!

Now comes the fun part! In the afternoon, some of us took a boat ride to see the falls from below. They warned us we would get wet, so dry bags were provided. I wore my swimsuit, because it was a hot day, and I was looking forward to a refreshing shower from the fall’s spray. What a blast, in more ways than one!

This is a nine-second video from the boat before turning to head into the falls. Make sure to have your speakers on to hear the water:

This is another nine-second video (shot with my waterproof camera) as the captain steered our boat INTO the falls. Notice how much louder the sound is on this one? The falls were roaring!

And this is what we all looked like afterward!

Ahhh, so refreshing!

After returning from our boat ride and walking across the dock, we were greeted by this handsome fellow:

On our way back to the hotel, I shot these murals through the bus window:

Our Farewell Dinner was wonderful, and we enjoyed one last view from the rooftop.

The following morning, we flew back to Buenos Aires and had a few hours to hop on over to the bakery for empanadas and to Rapanui for one last delicious gelato. After saying our goodbyes, we headed home.

Eva (“Evita”) Perrone graces the side of this building on the bus ride back to the airport.

We arrived home on March 7, and more than one month later, we are still in touch with each other on our “Buena Onda” WhatsApp group that Andrea set up for us. It was such a fabulous tour with an amazing group of people, and an experience Bruce and I will never forget. Gracias TOTALES, Andrea and our buena onda OTT group!

Andrea and Julio enjoying breakfast at home following our tour. Ciao, amigos!

Coming up next: ARGENTINA & CHILE #21: A SLIDE SHOW

ARGENTINA & CHILE #19: A VISIT TO THE INDIGENOUS GUARANI COMMUNITY

Posted on April 12, 2024 by Elaine-iaK's Travels

Welcome to the jungle! I was excited to have the opportunity to visit the indigenous Guarani community of 1,500 residents in the jungle of Puerto Iguazu. The Guarani people have always been nomads, so that “1,500” is really +/- depending on the day. As a native nation, they can move freely between Argentina, Brazil, and Paraguay without having to go through border check. There are five Guarani communities in the region, and they walk between them, rather than use horses or other modes of transportation. They will only use a bus to travel to communities outside of the region.

(For all photos, especially panoramas, click on the image for a full screen view.)

We first boarded an open-air covered truck to drive to the community, and then walked the rich clay-soil path through the jungle to meet with Delphin, the village spiritual leader. He taught us their version of greeting one another: “Ou-ja-ve-tay,” said face-to-face with your hands up, palms facing the other person, and looking them directly in the eye. It is the way to say hello, show respect for the other person, and respect for the earth.

Although the Guarani people can afford shoes, they choose to be barefoot, so they can always be in touch with the earth. They also choose to live modestly with only the necessities.

Since Spanish is the national language of Argentina, they are given a Spanish “official” name at birth. But in their community, the spiritual leader will give a native name that has a special meaning.

Delphin demonstrated how they used to catch their food with a small model of a handmade wood trap. The rope of the trap was made from the bark of philodendron plants. They are no longer permitted to hunt, so they must purchase their meat at a store.

To earn money, the villagers make and sell their handicrafts, including beautiful baskets and wood carvings of native animals. They grow their own food, so this money is used for clothes and other necessities.

Notice the necklaces Delphin is wearing? These are handmade and worn as identification, blessed by the spiritual leader. Each person wears them differently and the quantity they wear differs. Before he died two years ago, Delphin’s grandfather was the previous spiritual leader of his community and had blessed the necklaces Delphin was wearing in his memory.

Delphin’s mother prepared some snacks for us, including Mbeju, a starch cake served with honey. We were also treated to a performance by some children of the village.

Learning about the culture of the Guarani community was fascinating and memorable—a highlight of our time in Argentina. To remember the day, I bought a small basket and a few of the small carved animals.

Following our visit, we had lunch at a beautiful restaurant and gardens just outside of the Guarani community. We first toured the gardens, which included yerba mate trees, source of the traditional Argentinian drink, mate, which I wrote about previously. I smiled when I saw the trees, because our local guide, Manu, ALWAYS had his mate in arm and mate vessel in hand!

The orchid and butterfly house was beautiful:

For lunch, we enjoyed a sampling of traditional regional food, which was delicious:

The side of the restaurant’s front desk.

The remainder of the afternoon was free, so we enjoyed spending it in Puerto Iguazu and enjoying the views from our hotel:

Next up: ARGENTINA & CHILE #20: ABOVE AND BELOW(!) THE ARGENTINIAN SIDE OF IGUAZU FALLS

ARGENTINA & CHILE #18: INCREDIBLE IGUAZU FALLS

Posted on April 11, 2024 by Elaine-iaK's Travels

Off again for another flight! We had never been on a tour with so many flights, but there was no way around it. Besides, there was no way we were going to miss the post-extension and not see Iguazu Falls! We had been to Niagara Falls and were mesmerized and in awe of how large and powerful it was. Well, Niagara Falls (167 feet high and 3,947 feet wide) are small compared to Iguazu Falls, which measure as high as 269 feet and are 8,858 feet wide!

The falls can be viewed from both Brazil and Argentina because they are located on the eastern-most tip of Argentina and surrounded by Brazil and Paraguay. We were going to get to view the falls from both countries.

After arriving in Iguazu, we crossed the border into Brazil and changed buses, drivers, and guides. Ola Manuel (“Manu”)! More about Manu in my next post, but he was a terrific guide!

We headed straight to Iguazu Falls, which is comprised of 275 waterfalls, the largest waterfall system in the world! There were several viewing platforms to see the falls from different perspectives as well as a walkway built over the water to get an up-close and personal (and very refreshing!) view of the falls. The volume of water pouring over those falls (61,000 cubic feet per second!), was so powerful that a constant mist was present. It was impossible to keep my camera lens dry, but the cold water was a glorious relief from the heat! I got completely soaked (on purpose), which was a lifesaver during the hike up the hill to get more of a birds-eye view.

The sky was a bit mucky, so my photos aren’t pretty like the ones in that Wikipedia link. I think they will give you a pretty good idea of what we saw, though:

(For all photos, especially panoramas, click on the image for a full screen view.)

Wildlife seen on the walking trail overlooking the falls:

This is a South American Coati, in the raccoon family.

Following our visit to the Brazil side of Iguazu Falls, we crossed back into Argentina and headed to Puerto Iguazu, our home base for three nights. We learned from Manu that since the city is situated on the borders of Brazil and Paraguay, the 82,000+ residents are a mix from those two countries in addition to Argentina. As a result, the food, language, and culture is a bend of all three. Spanish, Portuguese, and the language of the Guarani natives can all be heard in this tourist city. And, 70% of the residents work in tourism-related jobs, because Iguazu Falls is the most visited National Park in Argentina.

Our hotel, Amerian Portal Del Iguazu, was beautifully situated on the river where we could see Brazil straight across the river and Paraguay across to the right. A short walk away was the Three Borders Landmark where there were more beautiful views of all three countries. Although our room didn’t have a view of the river, we looked out from our balcony to lush jungle views as far as the eye could see. On the roof of the multi-story hotel, there was a beautiful outdoor bar with amazing views:

See where it says Argentina? Our hotel was the tall building above and to the left.

The view from the hotel’s rooftop bar. That’s Brazil on the right and Paraguay on the left.

During the evening, our group gathered for a wonderful dinner in the hotel’s restaurant overlooking the pool and the lit-up Ferris wheel across the river in Brazil. It was beautiful!

Coming up next: ARGENTINA & CHILE #19: A VISIT TO THE INDIGENOUS GUARANI COMMUNITY

Posted on April 10, 2024 by Elaine-iaK's Travels

ARGENTINA & CHILE #17: BACK TO BUENOS AIRES

Since this was a travel day back to Buenos Aires without much to write about, I will combine two days in this post.

As we prepared to bid farewell to El Calafate, we were greeted by this cutie as we looked one last time at the beautiful grounds of our hotel:

(For all photos, especially panoramas, click on the image for a full screen view.)

After a smooth flight from El Calafate to Buenos Aires, we enjoyed a relaxing afternoon before rejoining the group. It was a warm and sunny day, so we enjoyed our short walking tour at the river where we had our Welcome Dinner. This was our last night together on the main tour, so we concluded our walking tour and gathered one final time as our group of 16 at Villegas Resto for our Farewell Dinner.

The following day, we met up with Noe, our Buenos Aires guide at the beginning of our tour. For our last day in the city, we enjoyed a wonderful tour before saying farewell to five members of our group who were not going on with the rest of us on the Iguazu Falls post-extension.

Our first stop was La Recoleta Cemetery, the final resting place of the wealthiest and most famous Argentinians, including Eva (“Evita”) Peron. 94 of the 4,691 vaults in the cemetery have been declared National Historical Monuments. Many of the elaborate marble Mausoleums were worth up to $250,000, and many families are trying to sell them due to financial hardships caused by the unstable economy.

We saw this sculpture after leaving the cemetery.

Tigre City, north of Buenos Aires and situated on the Parana Delta, was next on our tour. Located 17 miles from Buenos Aires, it is a favorite weekend tourist destination for city dwellers as well as rowers and kayakers. There are several rowing clubs on the delta, and it is the training site of the Argentina Olympic Rowing Team.

The skies threatened to drench us during our boat tour, so most of the group stayed inside to listen to Noe’s informative narration. I was thankful for the boat’s speaker system because I opted to stay outside and listen while I shot photos. Nora was so interesting!

Tigre City is a group of islands about half the size of Switzerland. Since there are no bridges connecting the islands, boats are the mode of transportation. A network of beautiful 70-year-old wooden boats serve as water taxis—the way most locals get around. It is also the way mail and groceries are delivered, and the drivers know the houses not by numbers, but by their names. Leaving your house to go on vacation? Hail a water taxi, put your luggage up on the boat’s roof, take a seat inside, and off you go!

Following our tour, we opted to get dropped off at the weekend crafts market in the city square. I liked the colorful and whimsical paintings by this artist:

Four our last two evenings in Buenos Aires, Andrea’s husband, Julio, joined us. Also an Overseas Adventure Travel tour leader, it was a joy to have Julio with our group. The two of them were such a cute and fun couple!

Broccolini Ristorante Italiano, is where we enjoyed our last dinner together in Buenos Aires.

Next up: ARGENTINA & CHILE #18: INCREDIBLE IGUAZU FALLS

ARGENTINA & CHILE #16: A GORGEOUS GLACIER!

Posted on April 8, 2024 by Elaine-iaK's Travels

What the previous day may have lacked in excitement and beautiful scenery was more than made up for on this day. Just wait…

Before you get to see the glacier, I must show you the Rhea I photographed out the bus window. We saw a bunch of them, but this was the best shot I captured:

(For all photos, especially panoramas, click on the image for a full screen view.)

Ok, now I am going to overload you with way too many pictures of Perito Moreno Glacier in Los Glaciares National Park. See how I provided those links? That is how you can learn more about these amazing beauties of Patagonia— another link! I will just let these photos (mostly) speak for themselves. I will preface them by saying I was totally impressed by the infrastructure (including handicap accessible ramps) provided to enjoy spectacular views. The color-coded, well-marked walkways and stairs made it so easy to wander with a plan in mind—and, without getting lost. It is the best I had ever seen anywhere. Gracias totales, Los Glaciares National Park!

This map shows the walking paths in the park. These were constructed of steel and color coded with painted dots on the railing posts.

The splash you see is calving of the glacier.

Here is a calving sequence:

For an up close and personal view of the glacier, our group boarded a boat and were able to witness a lot of calving of the glacier.

Approaching the glacier; we got a lot closer…

…and then we saw this!

A HUGE GRACIAS TOTALES TO ANDREA SALAS for capturing it all on video, which I uploaded to YouTube. Watch this short video; it’s awesome!

We returned to El Calafate and had the remainder of the afternoon and evening to enjoy the town on our own. Here are some random scenes I captured along the way:

I purchased one of her hangings with a Rhodochrosite stone in the center.

Coming up next: ARGENTINA & CHILE #17: BACK IN BUENOS AIRES

ARGENTINA & CHILE #15: ENJOYING EL CALAFATE

Posted on April 7, 2024 by Elaine-iaK's Travels

There was no way to get around it. This was going to be a long day on the road looking out a bus window while traveling north, crossing the border back into Argentina, and driving to El Calafate.

To begin our journey, we headed back up the hill and stopped for one last look back down to our hotel and to Torres del Paine National Park beyond.

(For all photos, especially panoramas, click on the image for a full screen view.)

Along the way, we saw more beautiful guanacos off in the distance. They are good at hopping fences, though, so we were forewarned.

After a few hours on the road, we stopped at a restaurant, El Ovejero, in the middle of nowhere, for lunch. It was attached to a hotel located at the border crossing and the crossroads between two routes that lead in and out of Torres del Paine National Park. We were charmed by the gaucho theme of the place and the authentic food we enjoyed for lunch. Cazuela is a traditional Chilean stew, and the one we were served was loaded with (much appreciated!) vegetables and chicken rather than beef. To spice it up a bit, we could add Pebre, a Chilean sauce similar to Mexican salsa fresca. Delicious!

Clever bar stools– perfect for a gaucho!

The restaurant and hotel, depicted in a wood wall panel

This artwork depicting the hotel was at the end of one of the dining tables.

Since we were leaving Chile and entering Argentina, we had to say goodbye to our bus and driver as well as Sergio, our guide. Ola Ariel, our new guide! The moment I saw him, I felt like I knew him from somewhere. Well, I didn’t, but I realized he looked just like someone I knew from my childhood days while going to religious school at Temple Beth Shalom, in Long Beach, California, where I grew up. Sure enough, like me, he was a Russian-Polish Jew, 100% Ashkenazie. I couldn’t get over his Argentinian accent. To my ears, it just didn’t compute!

Ariel was a hoot! If I had to be stuck on a bus for that many hours, he was just the guide to be stuck listening to, because he was a great storyteller! As he told us about the lifestyle and work of gauchos, he demonstrated their typical attire by dressing me up. (Thanks, Lisa, for grabbing this shot!)

Although this was the day on the itinerary I was not really looking forward to, because of the long drive, it turned out to be quite enjoyable!

Kau Yatun Hotel, in El Calafate, was love at first site! The beautiful grounds, authentic architecture—it was oozing with charm! We were greeted with fresh flowers to place in the little vase in our room and gathered for a welcome drink—a nice touch.

After settling in, Andrea took us on a walking tour to town, a short walking distance from our hotel. Adjacent to the hotel, a gaucho was tending to his sheep.

Note the cell phone in this modern gaucho’s hand. Times have changed…

El Calafate is in Patagonia, but quite a bit north from where we had been in Punta Arenas. The town of 25,000 residents is situated on Lake Argentino and is named after the calafate bush which has yellow flowers and dark blue berries.

This is the place to stay if you would like to visit Los Glaciares National Park and see Perito Moreno Glacier, our destination for the following day. It’s a nice town, too, with buena onda—good vibes.

Following our tour, I went on into town with a few members of the group to explore a little more before returning for our group dinner. We would have the opportunity to see more of the town the following day.

On February 28th, it was still Christmas in El Calafate!

A few of the many stray dogs in El Calafate. The shelter holds 1,500 dogs, and it’s full. Sad…

Back at the hotel, we got a kick out of the Quino cartoon panels they had displayed in the hallway at each room. Coincidentally, this was the one outside our room. As a glass artist, Bruce could relate!

Next up: ARGENTINA & CHILE #16: A GORGEOUS GLACIER!

ARGENTINA & CHILE #14: MORE TREKKING IN TORRES DEL PAINE NATIONAL PARK

Posted on April 6, 2024 by Elaine-iaK's Travels

As it turned out, we had better weather during our first day of hiking at Torres del Paine National Park. We were so fortunate to have seen the granite peaks of Torres d’Agostini, Torres Central, and Torres Monizino in clear view, because it is rare they aren’t shrouded by clouds. In fact, it is so rare that our next local guide, Ariel, couldn’t believe it! When Bruce told him we had seen the towers, Ariel asked, “Are you sure?” He thought Bruce was joking.

These were the towers on the right, the highest topping out at 8,200 feet above sea level:

(For all photos, especially panoramas, click on the image for a full screen view.)

It had to happen at some point. We finally had a not-so-fabulous day of weather. Although it was cold and windy, which is typical for the region, the only rain we had was just a few sprinkles here and there. It was perfectly fine with me. After all, it is what we expected and hand prepared for when we packed for this trip. I finally got to use my Hot Hands!

During our first hike, we saw breathtaking scenery, a hint of a rainbow, and heard an avalanche. After enjoying a delicious boxed lunch that included the most amazing fudgy brownie topped with a layer of ganache (WOW!), we did another hike and saw Grey Glacier off in the distance.

It was a long walk over a rocky beach to get to our second hiking trail, and it was going to be a steep climb up the trail. Bruce’s knee was bothering him, so he turned back while I continued on up the hill with some of the group. This is a telephoto shot of him down below on his solo walk back.

Our buena onda group with our tour leader, Andrea (in red), and our local guide, Sergio (second from right)

We saw more guanacos on the way back to the hotel.

By the time we returned to Rio Serrano Hotel & Spa, the dark clouds had given way to a beautiful blue sky dotted with puffy white clouds. The scene looked like those landscape paintings you see displayed at a Sunday art show in the park. We couldn’t have had a more beautiful evening to enjoy during our dinner.

In my next post, we will be heading back into Argentina. Throughout our travels in Chile, Andrea and our local guides kept the bus rides interesting by informing us of recent history, current life challenges, and the culture of this beautiful country. The following tidbits landed in my notebook:

During the period of 1973 – 1990, the country was under a dictatorship ruled by Augusto Pinochet. He ruled with an iron fist and committed many civil rights crimes while he was in power. Sound familiar? What transpired in Chile was similar to Argentina. (Officially) 3,000 people were taken and never found. Meanwhile, the “Chicago Boys” returned to Chile after studying economics under Milton Freeman and worked their way into high-ranking government positions. They established a free-market economy and constitution that remains today. According to the transitional provisions of the 1980 constitution, a referendum was scheduled for 1988 to vote on a new eight-year presidential term for Pinochet. Thankfully, he lost the vote, and the government has been a democracy since 1990. Like many other countries, however, the country is extremely politically divided, as I described in a previous post. Attempts were made by both the left and right to change the constitution, however, they failed each time to win enough votes. About 65% of the 1980 constitution has been reformed, though.

Here on some brief facts on some hot button issues in Chile:

Public healthcare is good quality; however, it takes a long time to get treatment, and some people have died waiting. Private healthcare is very expensive.
10% of personal income is taken for retirement.
Gay marriage was allowed one year ago.
Abortion is allowed in cases where the health of the mother or unborn is at risk and rape.
Gun ownership is not common due to the paperwork required to prove mental fitness.
Central Chile is very progressive and not religious, whereas in southern Chile, the church is very influential.

Overall, Chile is very stable politically and economically compared to other South American countries.

I always find it interesting to compare the country I am visiting to what we are experiencing in the United States and reflect on how Americans respond to what we feel are “crises.” Traveling, in my opinion, is an excellent way to gain perspective. 211% annual inflation in Argentina and 3% in the United States… Americans should be thankful; it could always be worse.

Next up: ARGENTINA & CHILE #15: ENJOYING EL CALAFATE

ARGENTINA & CHILE #13: TREKKING TORRES DEL PAINE NATIONAL PARK

Posted on April 3, 2024 by Elaine-iaK's Travels

Here’s a fun fact: The Magallanes region of Chile is so far south and so remote that no sales tax is levied on products to give the residents a break. All products are transported from Santiago, so they are expensive enough as it is. There’s a catch, though. Don’t think you can buy a car tax-free, and then get away with taking it back up north. Any cars purchased in the region must stay in the region. If you want to drive north, you need a permit that lasts 90 days maximum, and then you had better turn that car around and head back south.

Your drive north is going to be a long one, too, because there is no road that goes continuously through the 2,600-mile-long country from south to north. You must cross east into Argentina, and then head north, and finally back west into Chile.

Many residents of this region will drive 500 kilometers (310 miles) each way, once per month, to shop at a large supermarket or Walmart to stock up on food and goods that are not available at their neighborhood stores (or they are way too expensive).

As a (mostly) pescetarian, I wouldn’t do so well as a Magallanes region resident. They eat beef or lamb at all meals and have the highest rate of diabetes in Chile.

It’s a tough life in the frigid, windy climate, especially for the gauchos (cowboys), and especially in winter. Each gaucho typically works 20,000 acres and manages 10,000 lambs.

The cost of living is also very expensive in the region. The minimum salary is $500 per month; however, rent averages $500 per month. You think it’s tough here…

(For all photos, especially panoramas, click on the image for a full screen view.)

As we made our way to Torres del Paine National Park, we were fortunate to see a lot of wildlife. Our bus driver was awesome! Whenever he spotted wildlife, he would pull over and drive slowly or stop the bus, so we could observe and take photos out the window.

My favorites were the guanacos, which are similar to lamas, but native to South America. When the Europeans first arrived in South America, there were an estimated half billion guanacos, but there are now approximately 500,000.

These cuties are fast! We saw one jump over a fence and run off at probably a fraction of the 35 miles per hour they are capable of running. Their only enemy is the puma, so they need to be able to outrun them, since there is no place to hide in the open land.

We also saw some beautiful, large birds:

Surprisingly, while on our hike, we saw flamingoes, too! They were too far away to get a clear shot, but I did get this (somewhat blurry) photo out the bus window of some flamingoes we saw while driving to the park:

Once again, we (somehow!) ended up with another day of good weather for our first hike. More hikes would follow the next day, so our fingers were crossed!)

We made a pit stop here for refreshments. The sign reads, “Here we open when we arrive and close when we leave. If you come and we aren’t here, it is because we cannot meet.”

What a gorgeous park! Torres del Paine National Park is widely considered to be South America’s finest and most beautiful national park—and one of the most remote places in the world. Bruce and I felt so fortunate to have the opportunity to surround ourselves with such beauty.

We have Douglas Tompkins, founder of The North Face and co-founder of Espirit, to thank for this protected land. After selling his stake in Espirit, he spent a lot of time in Patagonia enjoying climbing, kayaking, and skiing. This led him to develop an interest in land conservation and become an environmental activist. Tompkins established the Foundation for Deep Ecology, which supports environmental activism and The Conservation Land Trust which works to protect wildlands. Along with his wife, Kristine McDivitt, a former chief executive of Patagonia, they bought up a massive amount of land in Patagonia and donated it to the government of Chile to establish Torres del Paine National Park. Sadly, Tompkins died in 2015 while kayaking with a group in Patagonia. Large waves caused their kayaks to capsize in the 40-degree water, and Tompkins died at the age of 72 of hypothermia.

Following our hike, we continued on to the Rio Serrano Hotel, a wonderful all-inclusive hotel located in the national park. I loved the vibe and atmosphere with all the wood and stone, and the views were gorgeous! It was also a beautiful place to walk in the grounds surrounding the hotel.

This was located just across the field from the hotel.

A nice touch in the room was a fully stocked mini refrigerator with a variety of non-alcoholic beverages and Chilean beer as well as healthy snacks. Although we aren’t drinkers (at least when we don’t travel), we also enjoyed Pisco cocktails with the group. Dinner was served upstairs in their dining room overlooking this view; a highlight of the trip:

P.S. Don’t believe the title of this post; “trekking” just sounded good with “Torres”!

Next up: ARGENTINA & CHILE #14: MORE TREKKING IN TORRES DEL PAINE NATIONAL PARK

ARGENTINA & CHILE #12: PLEASANT PUNTA ARENAS

Posted on April 1, 2024 by Elaine-iaK's Travels

Punta Arenas was quite a distance south from Puerto Varas—so far that the flight was over 2 hours long. We were in the back of the plane with some empty seats, so the guy in the window seat in my row insisted I move over from the aisle, so I could see the beautiful views of the snow-capped Andes. Meanwhile, he opted for the row behind us, which was really nice! The window was quite scratched and cloudy, but I managed to get this shot out the window:

(For all photos, especially panoramas, click on the image for a full screen view.)

We were so fortunate to have relaxing and uneventful flights on this tour, and this one was no different. It was smooth sailing through Puerto Montt airport before departure and an easy arrival at Punta Arenas.

Located in Chile’s southernmost Magallanes region, Punta Arenas, one of the world’s most southerly ports, is the capital city with a population of 143,000. There are only 184,000 people living in the entire region, because it is very remote, windy, and cold most of the time— except this day, when Bruce and I got quite warm walking around in the late afternoon sunshine!

Following our arrival, we stopped at the Museo Nao Victoria to see replicas of the fleet of ships commanded by Ferdinand Magellan that contributed to the “discovery” of the area. (I put “discovery” in quotes, because all of these “discoverers,” including Christopher Columbus, landed in places that were long inhabited by natives.)

It was fun to explore these replicas to see how they were built and to get birds-eye views of the Straight of Magellan. I had never been that far south, so I wanted to dip my hand into what proved to be VERY cold water! Our group did, too:

Upon our arrival in town, we took a bus and walking tour before arriving at our beautiful hotel located on the main square. The Hotel Jose Nogueira, declared a National Monument, was the most beautiful building in this European-inspired city. The rooms were quite unique, too. I had never seen an octagon-shaped shower before (with two shower heads and a rain shower head above)! It was so large, much of our group could have fit in!

We noticed this on the streets in several cities. It is meant for the blind, so they know by the change in the raised pattern that they are at a corner or where two paths meet.

The remainder of the afternoon was free, and it was gorgeous outside, so Bruce and I headed to the waterfront to see painted murals that Andrea had told us about. What we didn’t know we would also be seeing was this massive quantity of cormorants hanging out on the pier and beach! I’m always excited just to see one of these beautiful birds but look at this! They seemed to be enjoying the sun as much as we were on this uncharacteristically warm and calm day.

A larger-than-life-sized wood carving in front of a souvenir shop in town.

A surprise performance by a band and choir on the street near our hotel.

Flag of the Magallanes region: Blue represents the night sky with the Southern Cross, the gold represents the steppe region, and the white is snow.

Our group reconvened in the evening for a customary Pisco Sour, which I previously failed to explain other than it is the favorite cocktail of South America. Pisco is a wine distilled into a high-proof spirit. It is then mixed with a sour mix and tastes quite good!

A delicious salmon dinner in the hotel’s beautiful restaurant followed—a perfect ending to a wonderful day!

Coming up next: ARGENTINA & CHILE #13: TREKKING IN TORRES DEL PAINE NATIONAL PARK

ARGENTINA & CHILE #11: PHOTOGENIC PENGUINS AT PUNIHUIL

Posted on March 31, 2024 by Elaine-iaK's Travels

While visiting Chiloe Island, we had seen a few of the 16 wooden churches designated by UNESCO as World Heritage Sites. On the way to Punihuil Wildlife Preserve, we stopped by the Museum of the Churches of Chiloe to learn about how these churches had been restored.

(For all photos, especially panoramas, click on the image for a full screen view.)

Next, we were off to see the penguins! And, yes, it was another gorgeous, sunny, calm day—perfect weather for a boat ride! Mother Nature sure was kind to us throughout our travels!

When we arrived at the boat launch, I was surprised to see that vehicles were permitted on the beach. We drove right up to the site, collected our life jackets, and boarded a cart that was pushed down the shoreline directly to the boat. No wet shoes on this boat trip! I had never seen anything like it.

Punihuil Wildlife Preserve is comprised of three rocky islets off the coast declared a National Monument to protect the breeding colony of Humboldt and Magellanic penguins. The best time to visit is October thru mid-March, so we were fortunate to see the penguins before they ventured back out to sea.

Although the boat was able to maneuver quite close to the islets for a good look, there was some boat movement with the current making photography of the birds a challenge. I needed to back off the zoom to get sharper shots, so these photos have been cropped.

These cuties are Magellanic penguins. They grow to be 24-30 inches tall and weigh 6-14 pounds:

Humboldt penguins, which range in size from 22-28 inches, have some pink in their face, so this is one here:

It was so exciting to see the penguins in their natural habitat, rather than at Sea World!

When we returned to the beach, our group had a seafood lunch at this restaurant with a beautiful view:

It was a lovely day for a walk on the beach afterwards, and Andrea snagged us for another “seeing double” fun photo:

Visiting Chiloe Island was a wonderful experience, but it was time to take the ferry back to the mainland for more adventures. We returned to Puerto Varas and were ecstatic to see a clear view of the volcanoes! Bruce and I grabbed an ice cream and headed out to enjoy the amazingly clear views, savoring one last evening in Puerto Varas before flying south to Punta Arenas, our southernmost city of the tour.

Coming up next: ARGENTINA & CHILE #12: PLEASANT PUNTA ARENAS