Monday, January 09, 2006
4 January - boats and more boats!
Today was yet another travelling day, to the Torres del Paine National Park. What a long way from anywhere this place is, but that is one of its attractions as you will hear.
Our day started early. We arrived at the Puerto Natales pier and climbed aboard a ferry to travel for four hours or so to the Balmaceda and Serrano glaciers. It was our first true glimpse of the effects of global warming on the planet. The Balmaceda Glacier is receding every year. Fifteen years ago it met the lake - now it is at least 50 metres back.
The scenery was magnificent, and we got our first glimpses of the Condor (the largest birds on the planet) and also saw some sea lion families.
After a short walk to the Serrano glacier (and some beautiful icebergs) we had lunch, and then spent two hours on a zodiac travelling up the Rio Serrano. Then we were hustled out of that zodiac at the waterfall, clambered up and down a hill, and into another zodiac which took us to our Hosteria.
Magically our two bags had arrived by car (Whew!) when we arrived.
Hosteria Tyndall is fairly small. There are no phones other than at the main desk. There is no internet, mobile coverage or other signs of the 21st century, and everyone, staff and tourists alike, seemed very relaxed. It was going to be a great few days.
Our pre-planned package included three days of guided day walks in the park.In true South American style, the promised phone call from the ¨tour guide¨ did not come....
Don´t worry! (a favourite saying of the South Americans - it often means, go away and stop troubling me). At 930PM we received a call from Punta Arenas, saying a guide would be coming at 5am the next morning! So we decided to call it an early night ready for the start. At 1030pm the guide came to the door and knocked. I hopped up, and answered the door with a towel wrapped around me - I guess we got to know each other a bit! Change of plan - we would be picked up at 530am the next morning. Well, I was not so sure that waking me up to give me another half hours sleep in the morning was so good, but what the heck - we were on holidays!!
Our day started early. We arrived at the Puerto Natales pier and climbed aboard a ferry to travel for four hours or so to the Balmaceda and Serrano glaciers. It was our first true glimpse of the effects of global warming on the planet. The Balmaceda Glacier is receding every year. Fifteen years ago it met the lake - now it is at least 50 metres back.
The scenery was magnificent, and we got our first glimpses of the Condor (the largest birds on the planet) and also saw some sea lion families.
After a short walk to the Serrano glacier (and some beautiful icebergs) we had lunch, and then spent two hours on a zodiac travelling up the Rio Serrano. Then we were hustled out of that zodiac at the waterfall, clambered up and down a hill, and into another zodiac which took us to our Hosteria.
Magically our two bags had arrived by car (Whew!) when we arrived.
Hosteria Tyndall is fairly small. There are no phones other than at the main desk. There is no internet, mobile coverage or other signs of the 21st century, and everyone, staff and tourists alike, seemed very relaxed. It was going to be a great few days.
Our pre-planned package included three days of guided day walks in the park.In true South American style, the promised phone call from the ¨tour guide¨ did not come....
Don´t worry! (a favourite saying of the South Americans - it often means, go away and stop troubling me). At 930PM we received a call from Punta Arenas, saying a guide would be coming at 5am the next morning! So we decided to call it an early night ready for the start. At 1030pm the guide came to the door and knocked. I hopped up, and answered the door with a towel wrapped around me - I guess we got to know each other a bit! Change of plan - we would be picked up at 530am the next morning. Well, I was not so sure that waking me up to give me another half hours sleep in the morning was so good, but what the heck - we were on holidays!!
