DESERT, BUSES, EARTHQUAKES AND SLEEP DEPRIVATION (7 APRIL 2014)
It seems like some time ago that we left Valparaiso and her higgledy-piggledy delights behind us. The early departure from our hostel got us onto our bus to Santiago with time to spare, and after a short (2 hours counts as short) journey we were in the Chilean capital. Then, within an hour, we were…
TO VAL-A-PARAISA ROUND THE HORN (31 MARCH 2014)
After a very comfortable night in our home-from-home in Punta Arenas, Hospedaje Magellanes, we got a taxi to the airport in good time, and checked in for our flight to Puerto Montt (apparently, “Muerto Montt” to the locals, reflecting the exciting nature of the town, which is effectively a transport hub for those travelling to…
IN PATAGONIA (WITH APOLOGIES TO BRUCE CHATWIN) (27 MARCH 2014)
Well, eventually the bus made it across the strait and we arrived in Punta Arenas. Six hours late – but this seems to be normal with that particular bus service. It was a good blooding into travelling in South America. We spent a very restful couple of days in Punta Arenas, seeing what there was…
USHUAIA, ANTARCTICA AND THENCE ON LEAVE (15 MAR 2014)
First of all, my sincere apologies to my loyal reader for not having posted anything for weeks. The Iridium dome is completely dead, and the replacement which was to be brought down to Ushuaia prior to our departure for the Antarctic was apprehended by Argentine customs as an illegal import, and is awaiting payment of…
RAIN, ECOLOOS AND MARLBOROUGH SOUND (1 DEC 2013)
We left our somewhat basic hostel in Fox Glacier to drive up the wild West Coast as far as our next hostel near Westport, which promised to be interesting at the very least. The drive took us once again through some areas of stunning scenery, and we stopped at Hokitika, capital of the West Coast…
