Nikos I Puerto Natales

... our hostel and unwind until things opened again and we could get some tea. We could hear it snowing heavy and didn't want to leave our warm room but decided we had to eat, we wrapped up warm and went to find somewhere. By the time we left the restaurant the snow had started to settle and it was rather cold, we rushed back to our rooms and watched a film before going to sleep.

... We arrived in Turbio which is only 2 hours from Puerto Natales to be told that the border crossing closed a couple of hours beforeand. We had no problem with that thinking we would have no problem getting a hostel or hotel in town. This is 11 pm and i get the Lonely Planet out to see what is the story with this place. There are no listings for hostels or hotels so we ask the lady in the Bus Station if there is any places around. She sends us in direction of hotel ...

... time of 6 hours so we thought 4 hours extra was ample leeway. Reaching the summit in 4 hours was an unforgettable experience and finally we felt we had achieved something, we were on the journey and it was special. After a few high fives and a bit of yellow snow writing we continued down the steep side of the mountain. Now - after climbing up a mountain and reaching the top, surely that is enough. The chopper should come with champagne, cheese and a blanket ...

... to just go back to sleep. I think he ended up heading north instead. At any rate, we said a rushed goodbye to him at the hostel and loaded into a taxi to the airport. Breakfast consisted of Dunkin Donuts at the Santiago airport, which was even worse than Dunkin Donuts back home. There are two main airlines in Chile: LAN, the international carrier, and Sky, which is a budget local airline. Scott and I were both booked on a LAN flight and Julie ...

... that sees thousands of hikers each year. Basically, the trail skirts the southern side of Torres Del Paine range forming a W-shape over the 5 days. We basically hiked for 5-6 hours per day over various terrains and had many great views. Although we were cold at night, the weather cooperated. A great experience! We finished with some sore feet and looking forward to a warm bed

... for a bit in the afternoon, so I do have some pretty nice shots, but none of the famous "Torres". The Park is extremely beautiful...a very unique place on the planet. This is exactly what we were expecting from Patagonia: dramatic, rocky mountain sides among rolling green hills, dotted with teal green glacial lakes and waterfalls. We got to see a lot of the indigenous animals that we had learned about... guanacos, pumas, condors ...

... path. Their faces and hands were bloody with small scabs all over. It looked like they got the chicken pocks in the last 5 hours since we last saw them and scratched open every little pock. This was caused by the wind throwing little stones at them at what by then was close to 100 km/hr! To make matters worse, the guys backpack had been thrown into the river. He managed to save it but obviously all of his stuff was socked. Another girl spoke of her bus ...

... proving how tough and rugged we are, ha ha. Connie, Endo and I are super excited at the prospect, Leppy looks a little worried, and Ronnay missed the talk cos we were late and didn´t bother to stop into the hostel to look for him, and is still blissfully unaware of the challenge ahead. Tomorrow is all about stocking up with food, fuel and equipment, then Monday we hit the trail... and I, for one, can't wait!

... photo of her without make-up, so please concentrate on the pizza! ;) <br><br>We'd had a wonderful 4 days in the park, so all in all it's proved to be the best birthday week of my life. <br><br>Thank you to all that have sent birthday greetings, much appreciated xx <br><br><br>Lots of love, <br><br><br>Al &amp; Katie xx

... we couldn't find what we wanted, so agreed to stick with the packs we had and to forget the poles altogether. We bought enough food for 3 lunches and agreed to book breakfast and dinner in the hostels (called 'refugios') inside the park, to save on carrying weight. <br><br>We'd already decided to trek the famous "W" trail, which is so called because of the direction that the trek takes through the park, in the shape of a letter W. You walk up 2 valleys ...