Capitan Eberhard Puerto Natales

... the Puerto Eden, disembarked from. We were also delighted to have been upgraded from the no window (or porthole as its refered to in maritime terminology)dormitory style cattle class we had booked to a 4 berth cabin with a sea view! Night one, day one also went well with calm sailing conditions, some dolphin and sea lion sightings and good views but we were warned that night two could get pretty choppy as we came out of the channels, and into ...

... two nights in Torres del Paine. The hostel, where we could hang out to keep warm and out of the rain for a little bit was cozy but the people who worked there were not so friendly. Ryan was worried about the day we had to hike back because there was predicdted in those parts to have wind up to 80 mph. We didn't run into any wind problems, but on are final days hike the rain started to pour just as our main goal came into view. The hotel where we ...

... the 11km that lies ahead this afternoon, with my pack on my back&#8230;&#8230;&#8230;.<br><br>Our journey into the park was perfect (well almost), the sun was beaming and we got great views of the towers, Valley Francis and the rest of the mountains in the park. It was at this point that I learnt valuable lesson #1: there&#8217;s no point carrying a spare camera battery if it&#8217;s not charged! Aaargggggghhhhhhhhh! I spent the rest of the trek telling myself not to take the ...

... and the tag along older guy Aussie sports teacher Linton. It was funny as David I had already shared the same dorm with for two nights but not really met, and Mary and I realised we were in the same mine tour group in Potosi, Bolivia! That afternoon we all ran around like crazy, five people who didn´t know each other trying to arrange equipment and food for a week of hiking. It was interesting to see the group dynamics and how ...

... tent etc, was tough, and i did get blisters and sore bits, but the scenery was stunning and there was a pure sense of contentment that is rare, also feeling totally self sufficient... realised how succeptable to sugar i am as often these euphoric moments were after a sugarey drink...! the first day involved trekking over a hill to see the most stunning glacier, and an indiana jones moment where i had to pull myself up a cliff face with a ...

... météo là-bas est un peu particulière. Elle change littéralement en quelques minutes, et on se retrouve parfois à courir se mettre à l'abri alors que 5 minutes avant on enlevait pulls et cirés à cause d'un soleil brûlant... (La couche d'ozone est détruite au-dessus de la Patagonie, le nombre de cancers de la peau a explosé, et on se fait cramer en quatrième vitesse.) La première journée a été particulièrement humide alors je n'ai rien fait du tout. Au prix que ça coûte, c ...

... carry it - no porters here. Most people will end up with about 15-20 kg´s of stuff on their backs - you got to take that up and down hills for 7 days. That´s a lot of work on your back and knees. Pays to make it as light as you can. Jesse, being Australian starts with 25kg´s - he is a bit bigger than me but thats a lot of weight to carry. Poor bugger is a celiac which is very difficult for a trekker. Also got a fancy SLR camera - that alone weighs 2 kg´s. The ...

... entire face, forehead and bald pate was red and peeling, and he sounded like he was drunk. I did not let on that I knew German. Then a group of motorcyclists pulled in on their new BMW's from a deluxe organized tour, and a guy from the tour in his 60's from Chicago, Don, came over and we chatted - great guy. I prayed I could make it down the last 30 mi of gravel without another flat and I did. Back in town I returned all the equipment and headed ...

... towards ferrying gringos to Punta Natales. The ferry ride itself is very picturesque and well worth it although it is a bit pricey. The alternatives are a hellishly long bus ride where you don't see a lot or a hellishly expensive flight where you see even less. The route takes you past most of the major channels in Patagonia and past the Pio XI glacier. It also takes you out into the open Pacific where the ...

... absolutely nothing. It had stopped. B*llocks ;) <br><br>I stepped outside the tent, saw a few people headed uphill with head torches on and really didn't know what to do. <br><br>As The Clash once famously put it: "Should I stay or should I go now?!" <br><br>I went inside the refugio, where it ...