Ater 16 cumulative hours of overnight buses we were rather surpised when we awoke amidst arid, cactus-covered hills. What happened to the lush green we have been used to for the last few months?

What drew us to the Elqui valley is difficult to determine; was it the powerful magnetic energy of this mystical valley (apparently the Elqui valley is where the earth´s magnetic center is located and has much significance in the spiritual world); perhaps it was the chance to see a UFO (the most reported UFO sitings in the world happen in the Elqui Valey); or maybe it is the fact that the Elqui Valley is the center of pisco production in Chile (Pisco is a type of grape brandy that is extremely popular in Chile)?

Though tempting, we declined an opportunity to have our auras cleansed despite the bargin price, and failed to see a UFO, but we did sample the pisco during our stay. We had a wonderful day cruising around the valley checking out the small towns, watching the workers pick grapes whilst chomping on bucketloads straight off the vine, and finally watching the beginning of the pisco making process at Los Nichos, the oldest pisco distillery in Chile.

We took a lazy week in Santiago. Treated ourselves to a 1-bedroom apartment in the city and spent a lot of time relaxig there. We were fortunate to be able to connect with some Chileans we had met a few months previously on the Carretera Austral. Reminiscing over traditional Chilean fare was a real treat and a great way to experience ´normal´life. It´s been some time since we´ve had the pleasure to meet with friends for dinner. In our typical style we managed to avoid most museums, opting instead for the joys of strolling the fruit and veg market, particularly enjoyable considering how hard it is to come across anything remotely fresh in Patagonia.

Our day trip out of the city to do a bit of wine tasting was quite a treat. Amazing that we could take the metra out to some of Chile´s famous vineyards. And of course the wine was delicious! Especially the Carmenere variety which was thought to be a lost variety after a virus wiped out all of the vines in France. But in the last decade the grape was rediscovered in Chile. It was thought to have been a Merlot grape for over a century.

From Santiago we had a whirlwind tour of Valparaiso. This port city set amongst some 43 hills was very important during the California gold rush days as a stop for the ships rounding Cape Horn. Two full days had us dizzy trying to enjoy everything the artsy town had to offer. Two months or two years may have been a more appropriate time period.

The real highlight of the cities, Santiago and Valparaiso, was the street art. Wherever there was available space some creative artists displayed thier spray paint skills. These colorful images help to liven up even the most drab and run down of neighborhoods.

Just kidding... this will never be 500 words or less.
Let´s see... how to describe the ´Torres Del Paine´ experience. 
Eight nights, nine days.
One hundred thirty five hard fought kilometers.
A section of massive vertical structures towering 3000 meters above seal level.
We encountered all sorts of funky weather patterns during our outing, from blue-bird gorgeous days to tempestuous snow storms with ridiculous gusting winds.
It´s easy to sit here and type this in the comfort of a hostel, with a cold beer in hand and warm pizza in the belly and focus on the good things, but that would not quite do the experience justice.
Torres Del Paine is renowned for being an erratic and unpredictable trek. So in that sense I am glad that we encountered the good with the bad. We had a really enjoyable first half, with wonderful weather and grandiose views of the peaks and glaciers. Our only difficulty during these few days was having to carry so much food on our backs, a problem we were addressing just as quickly as we could stuff food into our mouths.
We had a tremendous encounter towards the end of one particularly arduous day as we were entering the back half of the trek. About six in the evening we were strolling a pampa (field) when we happened to spot a puma about 150 steps ahead of us on the trail (we counted this later). It spotted us at about the same time and within about ten seconds had disappeared into the grass and shrubs. Later we learned that a mother and two cubs were known to be living in the area. Still having a hard time deciding how to categorize the experience... not terrifying but with a knowledge that these cats are capable killers it took a while to fall asleep in the tent that night.
Two nights out from finishing the circuit the bad weather set in. Beautiful to see the peaks covered in the seasons first snow, but disheartening to know that the pass was now closed. As a final definitive hard stop to our progress we learned an avalanche had taken out the trail on the other side of the pass in an area that was already quite treacherous. An interesting insight into what kind of frustrations many expeditions must face.
As a final note to link back to the title - we still don´t have a clear understanding of what a ´paine´ is. Best theory we have heard yet is that it is a native word for ´blue´in reference to the many glaciers that plaster the slopes in the area.

By mid-March in Antarctica all of the new penguins had hatched and most had already fledged. This meant that many of the adults had left land for the season and were back out at sea. The young penguins were molting out of their adorable downy coats and getting their real feathers. The downside, fewer penguins, the upside, many friendly and curious chicks!The rules – stay 5 meters from the penguins, which was difficult at times because there were so many penguins everywhere. An interesting and fortuitous quirk of human-penguin interactions; the humans know the rules and have to follow them, the penguins do not know the rules and hence tend to do whatever they wish which led to many amazing penguin encounters. They are busy little creatures waddling around on land, preening, chasing each other, chasing an adult in hopes of a meal and splashing around in the water. It is unbelievable that these little guys can spend so much time at sea and survive in these freezing waters, they are real hardy animals. Again with the photos, if you click on them the caption should appear.

We were fortunate to sight many seals of all shapes and sizes during our journey. It seemed the fur seals were always posing for the camera, the leopard seals were either sleeping or hunting (the good life), the few Weddell seals we encountered hauled out on the rocks or ice for a nap, the crab-eater seals always swimming around checking things out and the lone baby elephant seal was biding his time before he took to the water. Note that the photos have captions when you click on them.

The Great White Contienent did not disappoint as far as encounters with ice. To the contrary we were dazzled by dozens of icebergs of all shapes and sizes, each one unique and beautiful. Additionally with changing weather we could appreciate the different facets of the ice. Only 1/8th of the iceberg is above water, the rest is hidden below which turns the water a beautiful aquamarine.

We spent five wonderful days in El Chalten during which we succeeded in walking ourselves ragged. Our saving grace was to recharge each night on every artisanal beer we could get our hands on. We hadn’t planned on starting out with back to back 20km+ days, but as they say ‘make hay while the sun shines’, and the sun rarely shines long on Mt Fitz Roy.

Our first day in town was amazingly clear and tranquil so we got out early to spend the day hiking up to Laguna Torre where we were able to marvel at the serrated mountain peaks and listen to the rumble of moving glaciers while eating our lunch overlooking a gorgeous glacial lake. The next day started out perfectly clear and beautiful and we were quite excited about the amazing views we had of Mt Fitz Roy. The hike was relatively moderate until the last hour when it took a definite turn towards the heavens. By the time we reached the top of the hill (or mountain as dad would call it) the clouds had moved in and covered the peaks. And true to form the top of Fitz Roy proved elusive for the rest of the week. Still we could not help but gaze in its general direction in the hopes that the clouds would break temporarily for another quick glimpse.

Atta boy! Easy does it! Hooves steadfast to the path!

Three horses grinding up the slope, sweat glistening on their flanks.

 
Hugo; Camilo; Cabeza; have faith in our trusty steeds.

For should they slip, or bump or trip; it’s a mighty long way down.


Camilo carries Mark alight, the leader of the posse;

Try to pass aside, a hoof will fly, she'll let you know she’s bossy.


Bek rides Cabeza, light and sound, quite likely to meander.

To her delight, when time is right, will drop into a canter.


Hugo trails the pack, Dale on his back, uncertain of his carriage.

With spirits akin, a curious thing, fond memory of mornings’ fodder.


We’ve found the spot, right at the top, stark canyon walls ablazen,

Tranquil waters of Laguna Carazon, disturbed only by our wading.


Ride ‘til near dusk, but worry not, for lovely is the greeting.

Exhausted you return, only to discern, a grand dinner there a-waiting.