Hostal Ainil Punta Arenas

... chocolate, coffee and beer. ~Experiencing all kinds of weather in the Park: 60-mile/hr wind gusts, sleet, snow, rain and plenty of sun (and temps from below freezing at night to approx 60 during the day). ~Hearing the thunderous sound of ice breaking off the glacier at night while in my tent at Refugio Italiano ~Waking up for the sunrise on Easter to trek to the mirador (lookout point) of Glacier Grey for some amazing views of God's ...

... was a colony of sea lions. Not quite as cute n' cuddly as the penguins, and we could only see them from a distance from the boat. Probably a good thing, cause they stink. Anyway, I've seen sea lions up much closer in New Zealand. <br><br>At that point, the crew of the boat passed out life jackets and we were able to climb out to the side of the boat and sit along the edge. It seemed a bit precarious, especially with everyone sitting on one side ...

... it´s really hard to get penguin poo off shoes...hope that´s not the case since i didn´t bring a spare pair of shoes. After today we´re back at sea and then Puerto Madryn where we´ll see more wildlife and hopefully a bit more time to write an update. hope everyone is well and thanks for all the notes! we miss you guys!!

... de pingouins! En tout il s'agit d'une virée de 5 heures: 2 heures sur le bateau, 1 heure à terre, et deux heures pour rentrer. Je pensais faire ça le lendemain de mon arrivée, mais il y avait un bateau qui partait le soir même, alors malgré la fatigue j'y suis allé directement. La chance m'a bien servi puisque j'ai pu profiter d'un super beau soleil pendant tout le trajet! Les pingouins étaient absolument adorables. Il ...

... Munoz Gamero, with a large bronze statue of Magellan in the center. There is a native tribesman flanking the bottom of the statue. Those who hold or kiss his toe will be back to Punta Arenas someday, according to local legend. Around the square were many craft vendors, which we shopped at in the pouring rain. This was the first rain we've had during our trip. It went away around noon and we had sunny skies throughout the rest of ...

PENGUINS, PENGUINS AND MORE PENGUINS. Our tour started very early this morning. We tendered to shore, and after a 10-minute bus ride, we got on a ferry. It was a local car ferry, without any cars. It had a passenger area, very basic, but at least it was heated. The ride took about 2 hours; it was sunny, but windy and very cold. Magdalena Island is very stark; the ...

... weather. I think we expected a run down backwater. Its nothing like that. Some of the houses are a little run down but each is different giving the place a unique quality. They all have large windows and crazy angles. Sunlight is obviously a major factor here. The local paper is called El Pinguino. I think that says something. It is 10pm and the sun is still nowhere near setting. Apart from the spoken Spanish this feels nothing, absolutely nothing, like South ...

... branches faced one way, in the direction of the wind. The wind here is indeed harsh and incredibly dry (after having dumped all its moisture in the Andes). We arrived in Puerto Natales in the dark and were dropped off at our hotel: Hotel Indigo. We were glad to finally get out of that cramped mini-van. We stepped into the hotel and were just blown away by the interior. Black and different shades of brown constrasted sharply with the white, red and yellow in the ...

... Arenas with our Spanish phrasebook and a couple of sentences prepared, we managed to grab a taxi to our hostel and checked in before seeing the sights of the small town. Punta Arenas doesn't really hold a lot of activities for the backpacker. It is a quaint town and the shops are fairly cheap but aside from that and a couple of museums, that is it! There is a national park nearby to walk but it was freezing! We weren't too prepared for the cold weather that greeted us either ...

... a couple metres high, riding in a zodiac boat = not fun. We were supposed to go to sea lions but the conditions were too bad...instead, fate sent us DOLPHINS! That's right, about 3 or 4 dolphins came right up beside the boat...incredible. So the hour trip back which made us all a bit ill was worth it in the end! That's the update for now, tomorrow off to Puerto Natales to camp for a few days in Torres del Paine...*sigh*