I figured this is a good time to take a break from posting. I am having a difficult time writing. The areas we visit in the next few months are harder to write a captivating article about. Also, we do not have…
Near Puerto Varas and Pucon, Chile
During our stays at Puerto Varas, we did day drives. There really is not much listed in guide books to see in this area. Like I said, it is mainly a hub for excursions to other places. One day we…
Puerto Varas, Chile
Back on mainland Chile, we headed north along the Pan-American Highway. The town of Puerto Montt recently grew to 168,000 residents due to salmon farming. Chile is divided into 3 regions: the Andes to the east, the coastal mountains to the…
Chiloé Island, Chile
Dec 18, 2013 ”We rode the ferry yesterday to the island of Chiloé. Especially after the gray ash of Chaitén, the plush green hills of the island looked very inviting. Love our palafito! I already know this week will go…
Volcán Chaitén in Chile
December 12, 2013 “We climbed the volcano today. I have never been so tired. I thought the glacier was bad. That was a pleasure walk.“ If you have never witnessed first-hand the devastation from a volcanic eruption, it is hard…
Chaitén, Chile
December 9, 2013 “Our springtime drive, all the flowers were blooming. We are staying outside of Chaitén. The town was almost completely destroyed by a volcano in 2008. Lots to do here: whitewater rafting, climb the volcano, visit tiny parks.…
Coyhaique, Chile
December 7, 2013 “We celebrated my birthday with the owners of our rental. We were only in Coyhaique for one week. The view from our cabin was beyond words. Our rental was quite rustic. “ It only took one day…
North on the Carretera Austral, Chile
December 1, 2013 “We awoke to snow . . . it was a cold night in the car. Had to start the heater a few times. Headed north. Caleta Tortel is the farthest south we will go in Chile. The drive was…
Carretera Austral, Southern Chile
November 30, 2013 “The scariest road we have been on so far. Would hate to drive it after dark. Arrived at Caleta Tortel just as the sun was setting. We are spending the night in the car, in the freezing…
Salta to the Chilean Border
July, 25 2014 “We left before sunrise. Long drive today. New border crossing. Heading back to Chile. Learned the definition of Argentine is ‘pertaining to, or resembling silver;’ seems perfect. “ We left Salta when the sky was just beginning to lighten.…
Day-trip from Salta
July 15, 2014 “Spent a day just driving. I LOVE having a car. So many places would be missed without it. The people continue to impress us with their welcoming attitude.” We headed north out of Salta for a long…
Salta, Argentina
July 4, 2014 “We arrived in Salta. The drive provided lots of great scenery as always.” As we were fueling up to leave Mendoza, we saw this car filling up with natural gas. If they can have it here, why…
Mendoza, Argentina
May 10, 2013 “We have been in Mendoza almost two weeks. Our main activity is eating and drinking. We are in an amazing villa. Too much house for us, but not complaining. The owners connected us with Peter, the wine…
Perito Moreno Glacier Calving
November 14, 2013 “We went back to Perito Moreno glacier to watch it calving. The power behind this massive sheet of ice is humbling. Spent the day watching. Should have brought sunscreen. Wish I had a recording of the continuous…
Perito Moreno Glacier in Argentina
Nov 4, 2013 “After rearranging the furniture, we have settled into our large room. We overlook a bog. The main body of the lake is in the distance. Saw an iceberg floating by today. We booked our glacier hike. Hope…
Still in El Chalten, Argentina
El Chalten was created 30 years ago by the Argentine government. There was a land dispute between Argentina and Chile, both wanted this area. So Argentina sent people to live here, to claim it for Argentina. There are now 800…
El Chalten, Mount Fitz Roy
October 25, 2013 “We arrived one week ago. Already we have been on some challenging hikes. Wish we had hiking boots. We have hiking shoes, but this is serious hiking. Weather is changeable. We have lucked out (again) with some…
Driving southwest across Argentina
October 18, 2013 “Sleeping in these cramped quarters provided only a few hours of marginal sleep. We pushed on. At the end of another long day in the car, we reached El Chalten. It was a demanding drive, but I…
Punta Tombo
October 17, 2013 “We left Puerto Madryn on Wendesday. Stopped at Punta Tombo along the way. We heard there were lots of penguins; still shocked seeing the masses of these 2 foot tall, black and white characters. I am writing…
Southern Right Whales
DIDYA Did you know . . . The SOUTHERN RIGHT WHALE is one of three right whales, the only one in the southern hemisphere. The right whale is the rarest of the large whales. An adult is 45 to 55…
Argentina’s Southern Right Whale
October 6, 2013 “It was hard to wait until 5 pm to board the boat. The excitement builds. For months we have been looking forward to seeing the Right Whales, up close! We drove the long drive back to Peninsula…
Peninsula Valdes on Argentina’s east coast
October 5, 2013 “We drove up the coast from Puerto Madryn to Peninsula Valdes. It is a large area that can really only be seen if you have a car. I did not see any buses. There is a lot to…
Heading east to Puerto Madryn, Argentina
October 1, 2013 “We had one of our longest drives so far, but, we were rewarded with a room-with-a-view of whales off the coast. They are quite far away, but you can still see black blobs break the surface and flop over.…
San Martin today, part 4
Final post about San Martin in 2015. The ash was our biggest problem in May. In June, the serious rains started. We are talking torrential rain, day after day. The drainage system at the golf course was overwhelmed. Our tap…
San Martin today, part 3
After finishing our drive from Uruguay to Colombia (2015), we decided to return to San Martin de los Andes in Argentina for the ski season. We had fallen in love with this area in 2013. This scene was so familiar .…