The pleasures of Patagonia

We arrived in Punta Arenas, at the southern end of Chile (the world's southern-most city at 53 degrees south), a port and stop-off point for trekkers and Antarctic travellers. It was a five-hour drive from here to the Torres Del Paine National Park where we spent four days. Anticipation was high as we drove towards our destination.

We stayed at the Patagonia Camp, a misnomer if ever there was one, as this was, in fact, a luxury resort. Twenty yurts are discreetly hidden on a hillside overlooking Lago del Toro and snow-tipped peaks. Gourmet meals were served and the Chilean wine flowed freely.  I became addicted to Pisco Sours (a Spanish brandy liqueur with lime juice, egg whites and bitters).
Spot the yurts in the following photo.

A range of activities was offered, from wildly adventurous extreme sports to gentle strolls. We opted for three walks rated easy-to-moderate. It took us an hour to drive into the park, with tantalising glimpses at every turn. At the park entrance we all hopped out for a photo op.

Walk 1 took us around Lake Nordinskjold. Here are some random shots along our walk.

The lake was sparkling in the sunshine. We had been warned to take ponchos, warm hats, gloves, fleeces and  down jackets to ward off the extreme cold and howling winds. As it turned out we got warm sunshine, a blue sky and not a hint of a breeze. Methinks the mountain gods were smiling on us.

Walk 2 was a one-and-a-half hour steep climb. On the way, our guide Ignacio spoke to us about the vegetation.

Great views at the top.

A view away from the lakes and snow.

Walk 3 was the Fauna Walk.

A guanaco, native to South America.

A fleeing fox

Not a great shot, but I spotted two condors resting in a rock crevice.

We climbed a steep incline and came upon an overhanging ledge where Indigenous people had painted hand stencils and figures of men and animals, over 6,000 years ago.

On our last night, we had a lamb feast!!! It had been slowly cooking all day.

The next day we were taken back to Punta Arenas from where we would fly to Ecuador. We had a lovely meal at this restaurant, a former corner shop.

Note for those interested in history: When we were exploring Punta Arenas we came upon a chapel. In 1916 Ernest Shackleton had arrived in Punta Arenas after rowing with two of his crew to get help for his remaining crew who were stranded on South Georgia Island. Shackleton and his two crew had been picked up by a Chilean ship and taken to the port. A plaque outside the chapel said that Shackleton gave a series of talks here to raise money for the subsequent rescue of his crew.  I liked the idea that I was walking in his footsteps.

South American adventures

We have recently returned from a month in South America - to be exact, Chile, Ecuador and Colombia. It was exhilarating but exhausting. We loved the diversity: One minute we were hiking in Patagonia amongst snow-capped peaks, glaciers, lakes and vast plains, the next we were driving through dramatic mountains and volcanic landscapes, then into the Amazon basin in Ecuador. A couple of weeks later and we were visiting colourful colonial Spanish villages from the 16th century and lush green coffee farms in Colombia. 

Everyone was friendly and helpful and we always felt safe and secure.

Here are some photographic highlights. I'll do each country separately another time.

Patagonia, Chile

Torres Del Paine National Park

Hiking through the park

We saw lots of guanacos, native to South America.

A mother and baby guanaco

There were lots of waterfalls in the park.



I made it to the top of a mountain (well, all right, a big hill).

Ecuador

I stood on the Equator. Right foot in Southern Hemisphere, left in Northern!

Volcanoes (extinct and active) were everywhere.

Lots of old buildings in Quito, the capital.

On the way to the Mindo Cloud Forest, 2 hours north of Quito.

Unusual flowers in the Mindo Cloud Forest.

On our jungle walk in the Amazon basin.

A vicuna, another native of South America - their soft fur is worth thousands of dollars.

Colombia

We visited two colonial Spanish villages:

Villa de Leyva

and Barinchara.

I loved the colourful plaza in Jardin (pronounced har-deen) ...

... and balconies.

Coffee country.

Here I am learning how to pick the coffee beans.

And watching how to make drinking chocolate.

The people

But it is the people who make a country. Here is a gallery of some of the people we encountered. Most were happy for us to photograph them, though my super-long lens helped me get some shots unobserved.

And finally, the happy, though exhausted, travellers.