Since we “only” spent 16 days in southern Chile, we do not want to do this country any injustice, but except the spectacular scenery in Torres del Paine and the fjords on the way to Puerto Natales, we have not many unforgettable memories.

There are many things that surprised us and at times even disturbed us. Firstly, the country is really expensive, especially accommodation and shopping for food. Secondly, the weather is rather unpleasant: it rains a lot and it is windy, even when the sun is out. Moreover, it tends to be chilly, far more than Argentina on the same latitude. That is of course the influence of the cold Pacific Ocean…Thirdly, the smaller cities we saw (Castro, Puerto Montt, Puerto Varas, Puerto Natales, Punta Arenas) all had rather strange vibes: houses made of wood with thin sheets of metals nailed onto them, then painted in the wildest colour, many times looking abandoned or delipitated, groups of stray dogs, the way people dress, graffiti almost everywhere, all in all quite unrefined.

What we enjoyed was the seafood and the wide assortment of reasonably priced good wine. We had our fair share of sampling wines. The cruise from Puerto Montt to Puerto Natales was as well a memorable trip, at least the third day, the first two being far less interesting. Also when being on a boat for three days, you meet lots of people. When we met these people again and again at other traveller destinations in Chile, this bonding is a real nice effect of that cruise. But for much less money, the Inside Passage in British Columbia, Canada, is at least as spectacular, if not more. The number one place in southern Chile is definitely Torres del Paine. This was one of the most amazing landscapes we have seen so far and the best trek we ever did.

Again, two weeks does not seem enough time to make a general judgment on a country. People were friendly and helpful when we asked for assistance, but they did not go out of their way like in Argentina. To close with an example: after leaving Chile we asked a policeman at the border if there was a public phone booth in order to book a room in Ushuaia. He handed Heidi his personal mobile and when she could not get a signal he walked with her far into the steppe where we had a bit of a reception to make that call. We cannot think of any country where this could be repeated.

As a conclusion, we do not regret we were in Chile, but we do not plan to go back there. The advice of the many fellow travellers, who told us: “Do Chile as fast as you can!”, was a really good one.

Chile is definitely the most expensive country we have been in South America, by far! Of course, prices are lower than in Europe or in North America, but are much higher than Brazil or Argentina, not to talk about Venezuela, Peru and of course Bolivia.

We have spent on average 57.4 Euros or approx. 82 USD per person per day! The only good point is, we stayed there only 16 days… We spent on average 27 Euros or 39 USD per night for accommodation, even though we were not in the bigger cities and we often downgraded our standards and stayed in rooms with shared bathrooms in really budget hotels.

Two excursions strained the budget particularly: the three day / three night cruise from Puerto Montt to Puerto Natales with Navimag, which costs 370 USD per person in the lowest category and trekking the “W” in Torres del Paine, which cost more or less 400 USD for our four day / three night tour per person. Ouch!

So we are glad we followed the advice of the many fellow travellers, who told us: “Do Chile as fast as you can!”

We decided to break up the trip to Ushuaia and stopped in Punta Arenas for two days, discovering the southernmost city on America’s mainland. What we found was a rather rough place. The town is a wild mix of houses of all shapes and colours. In the very centre there are a few old mansions dating back to turn of the century when Punta Arena was the home of a number of “wool barons”.

The more common sight here are houses made of wood with thin sheets of metals nailed onto them, then the building is painted in the wildest colour. There is a lot of graffiti on houses and some of them seem abandoned. Some windows are secured with metal panels or metal bars, or simply boarded up with a piece of wood. It reminded Heidi a lot of poor, rundown neighbourhoods in the USA, where all these signs clearly signal a “no-go zone”, although here it never felt dangerous. In between is the odd nice house or a fenced in parking lot.

As everywhere in Chile, large groups of stray dogs are roaming the streets, playing with each other or chasing a motorbike. Sometime a dog joins you on your walk. We came across a few drunks or drug addicts lying in the streets, which did not seem to bother anybody. Another common sight is groups of men sitting at street corners, drinking and chatting up people passing by.

Probably the most beautiful place in Punta Arenas is the Cementerio Municipal, a large setting with everything from small untended graves to huge mausoleums. By strolling around we learned a lot about the history of the city. The first thing that struck us where the many Serbian / Croatian names on the tombstones, which means there must have been a large wave of immigrants from this area of Europe. Others told about shipwrecks and the many young men who drowned, one inscription told of a family losing three young children, incredible and heartbreaking stories. In between the lines of graves are lots tall manicured green bushes adding to the tranquil and peaceful ambience.

We also visited Palacio Mauricio Braun, the mansion of one of richest families around 1920. All the rooms are very luxuriously furnished. The building also houses a small, but very interesting museum presenting the history of southern Patagonia, an area where the first humans settled only 11.000 years ago.

Our “home” here is The Blue House”, which seems to be a popular name: our hostal in Puerto Varas was called Casa Azul. The owner waited for tourists at the bus station and we simply came along, because she gave us a lift in her car. The place was so filthy that we signalled disinterest, so we were quickly moved into her mother’s house. The room is quite nice but without curtains in a region where the sun sets at 11:00 pm and rises at 04:00 am... And in the evening, we still enjoy chatting with other travellers in the common areas in the filthy place.

First thing we did upon arriving in Puerto Natales was to head for Path@gone to book the three nights in the “Refugios”. These are hostals which offer dorms with six beds for a hefty 35 USD a bed, with shared bathrooms! Although to stay and eat in these refugios is pricey (add another 30 USD for three meals), it allows you the luxury to hike just carrying a small day-bag. Talking about costs: we dished out another 9 USD for renting a sleeping bag per night, 24 USD for the transfer between Puerto Natales and the National Park and 34 USD for the catamaran on Lake Pehoe. In total we paid 800 USD for the two of us for four days! To stay in tents and bring your food is definitely a much cheaper option.

The first night we stayed at Refugio Los Torres, which is near the entrance of the park. From there we walked up to the Mirador Las Torres, which took us eight hours round trip, the last stretch, climbing the moraine, was the hardest bit. Unfortunately, the three Torres were partly covered by clouds, but there seems to be a microclimate around these towers, because even when the sun was out these clouds never lifted.

The second day we deviated from the standard “W” and took the bus and catamaran to the other side of the “W”, to Refugio Paine Grande, where we stayed for two nights. This became necessary because the refugio to spend the second night, Refugio Los Cuernos, was full.

From there we trekked up to Glacier Grey, a 7 hour trek, and the third day to Valle Frances, another 10 hour trek. Heidi preferred the trek to Glacier Grey but Gilles definitely considered the Valle Frances as the highlight of Torres del Paine, even though it is a very long day, especially since one feels the fatigue of the previous days walking.

We actually had planed to do the standard “W”, but the way we actually did it suited us much better. First, all the travellers we met told us the second day, going from Refugio Torres Central to Refugio Los Cuernos is not interesting. We skipped this part, doing this bit by bus and catamaran. Second, by doing so we never had to carry our backpack during treks, which is very pleasant. And third, we got to see all the highlights of the “W” in even shorter times.

The night before and after the trek we stayed in Puerto Natales at Hostal Lilly Patagonicos, a very homely, warm place, with kitchen use, WiFi-Internet. We paid 15.000 Pesos or 30 USD for a double room with private bath, a bargain for Chile. The place was full with other travellers, and we enjoyed every minute exchanging travel stories till late into the night.

Torres del Paine is South America’s most visited National Park, with more than 200.000 visitors per year. It covers an area of 181.000 hectares and is on every tourist’s itinerary who is visiting Chile or southern Argentina.

Why? The geological make-up of this place is very special: bizarre rock formations, uniquely coloured rocks, a string of lakes each featuring a different colour of green, waterfalls, streams of all sizes fed by icy glacier water, snow capped mountains and glaciers looming behind every turn. It could not be more scenic. Since the area is notorious for its unpredictable weather we hardly dare to mention we had almost three days of sunshine.

There are numerous treks, but the most popular one is the famous “W”, a four day hike covering the three highlights of the National Park: (1) Mirador Las Torres, where you have a full view of the three “Torres” or granite spires, plus the lake at its bottom; (2) Valle Frances; (3) Glacier Grey.

The “W” is a very good image to describe the course of the trek: up /down three valleys that separate the massive rock formations of Los Cuernos, Pains Grande and Torres del Paine, thus resembling the letter “W”. The more ambitious and experienced trekkers do the entire “Circuit”, a six to eight day extended version of the “W”. Sticking to this image, it is the route that connects the two “outside legs of the W“, thus walking the backside of Paine Grande, Los Cuernos and Los Torres.

We found it all rather confusing in the beginning when people talked about the “W” and the “Circuit” and whether is was better to start from this end or the other end. Once we finally got to see a detailed map of the area, it became crystal clear.

The third day was the best! The main attraction was a side trip to a glacier, called “Iceberg”, which created some confusion among the passengers, because of the way it was announced. We were all staring at the dark water and when we saw a big chunk of ice swimming on the surface, we held our breath. Everybody knows that the real danger of an iceberg lies underneath the surface! Most of us did not realize we were approaching a glacier until we were right in front of it. There the temperature dropped even more, to 6 degrees Celsius. After everybody got tired of taking photos, the boat slowly backed out of this fjord.

We then continued going south in bright sunshine to Puerto Eden. There, we “called port”, which means we anchored and picked up cargo and passengers, but also delivered two containers. Puerto Eden is a small settlement with 180 inhabitants and the home of the last surviving Kawaskers, one of the four ethnic groups in this part of Chile. Only 12 families still exist and they live in this isolated area of Chile. Only very few still speak their native tongues.

It is great fun talking and watching the people on board: most of them have travelled widely, many for a long time like us. Some read all day, some keep on talking to others, some play cards or chess all the time, some spend all the time outside, no matter how the weather is and some never stopped drinking, having brought incredible amounts of alcohol with them.

In the evening we passed another glacier in the distance, as a consequence large junks of ice were drifting along the boat, giving us a really chilly artic feeling. The day ended by a lively bingo party and a disco. Both turned out to be great fun.

At 11:00 am the fourth day, we disembarked in Puerto Natales, a small city with pastel-coloured houses and roofs, many dilapidated. Like in most other cities in Chile you immediately notice the large groups of stray dogs. Every Wednesday or Thursday, depending on a possible delay as we experienced, when the ferry arrives, the city fills up with tourists dressed in serious hiking gear heading for Torres del Paine, Chile’s most visited national park. Most people walk the famous “W”, which can be done in four days, staying in tents or “Refugios”. We chose to stay in “Refugios”. A far more challenging option is the “Circuit”, an eight day hike.

The success of this cruise is very much dependent on the weather. We started from Puerto Montt around 04:00 pm in bright sunshine and no wind. We could hardly believe our luck, since fog, strong winds, rain or even snow and icy temperatures are the more likely weather conditions in the area. The surface of the ocean was completely smooth, more like a lake. We were travelling along Chiloe Island off the coast, but since its shores were far away, there was not much to see, so we wandered around the boat and met lots of people.

When we woke up the next morning it was raining, there was fog and the wind made a longer stay on deck uncomfortable, at least for Heidi: Gilles stayed there several hours. At around 03:00 pm we entered the open ocean and stayed there for twelve long hours, which quickly changed everybody’s mood on board. Soon we realized that the Pacific does not deserve its name! So, most of this day was spent inside.

The crew prepared us really well for this stretch of the trip, they told us exactly when it would be getting rough and when to take seasickness pills. Gilles, as always, was completely unaffected and enjoyed the scenery on the upper deck. Whereas Heidi, despite taking pills, had to retreat to her bed at around 05:00 pm, the only place she did not feel too sick and could not leave it until the next morning.

Around 10:00 pm we entered the Golfo de Penas, where we experienced the roughest sea, a 7 on the Beaufort scale, which ranges from 0 to 12. Once it reaches 9, it is considered a storm, 11 a hurricane: in other words, it was very uncomfortable. Waves were between 6 and 8 meters and winds between 27 and 33 knots or approx. 55 kph, the boat was constantly, strongly rocking and rolling. Some of the passengers, who were watching a movie at night, fell from their chairs and walking became a real challenge, for the small minority that was not in bed suffering from seasickness.

At around 03:00 am, we returned to the sheltered water of the fjords, so the sea was once again like a mirror. But since we were now about to cross the 50th parallel, the temperature dropped considerably to about 11 degrees Celsius.

On Tuesday, December 11th, with almost 24 hours delay, we boarded the Evangelista, the 120 meter long Navimag ferry travelling between Puerto Montt to Puerto Natales, winding its way through a maze of fjords along the Chilean Pacific coast. It is best described as an inside passage between the mainland and the many small island off the coast.

In the main season this boat is basically a cruise ship, but it also transports quite a lot of cargo. So we are very far from the pioneer experiences in 1980s, when travellers travelled on cargo boats. On our trip the boat carried 180 tourists, in 4 categories of cabins: AAA, private luxury cabins, which cost no less than 1.680 USD for the three day / three night cruise; AA, 4 person cabins with or A, without private bath and finally C, dormitories, our humble home.

We were very surprised about the level of comfort on board: everything is squeaky clean, the dormitories are airy, with windows and the beds are comfortable. We were so lucky, since we were assigned the berth at the very end of boat, so nobody was passing by and no other berth was facing ours. A little oasis, we had our own window and a heating radiator next to Heidi’s bed. The ship offers lots of communal spaces: a dining room and a “living room” / pub, with enough space to find a place to read a book, chat with fellow travellers, work on the computer or enjoy a Pisco Sour.

There are many activities on the boat: of course, three meals a day, presentations about the route, landscapes and the culture in southern Patagonia, up to three movies a day, live music in the pub at night. There is even a “Bingo” evening the last night. Heidi immediately realized that there will be hardly any time to read her book since the programme seemed really extensive!

Heidi had stayed a few days longer in Argentina while Gilles moved on to rainy Chile. We met again in Puerto Varas to catch the Navimag ferry to Puerto Natales in southern Patagonia.

This voyage will take us 1.460km through the fjords of southern Chile, a three day / three night trip. This boat leaves every Monday from Puerto Montt. But instead of spending the two days we had to wait in the rather unattractive Puerto Montt, we chose to stay at charming Puerto Varas, a mere 20 kilometers north. We ended up spending three days there because our boat was delayed one day due to rough sea and strong winds returning from Puerto Natales.

We had made the very cozy Hospedaje Casa Azul our home, apart from comfy rooms and WiFi, this hostal offers a nice kitchen and a very pleasant living room where all guests cook their dinner at night, which turned into a logistic challenge with three burners on the stove. It was so much fun sampling each others food and wine, while doing so we exchanged travel stories and cooking recipes with fellow travelers. As so often we met the most interesting people.

For example, there was a young German coming back from very serious mountain climbing in southern Chile. He had spent three weeks trekking and climbing a 4.000 meter high mountain, all the time carrying a backpack with no less than 35 kg. All this time he slept in his tent in terrible weather and nobody else around. Another tourist from Germany had biked from Puerto Natales to Puerto Montt. The two had unbelievable stories and we truly admired their stamina but also knew that we could never, ever do such things!

We also had two dinners at the restaurant La Olla, where we enjoyed super fresh fish and seafood accompanied with fine Chilean white wine - a bit expensive, but still a lot cheaper than Europe. Chile is the most expensive of all countries we have visited so far in South America.

The two first days we were actually very busy doing nothing and quite enjoyed it. On top of that, the weather was really bad, with heavy rain most of the day, so we did not feel like going out. Since we had WiFi, Heidi finally got to send off mails that she had wanted to send a long time, the FIRST one in four months concerning work. That’s pretty good!

Since the departure of the ferry was delayed for 24 hours, we took the bus to Petrohue about 1.5 hours away, walked around the shores of Lago Todos Los Sanctos and followed the river with its impressive rapids for 3 hour before we - tired and hungry - flagged down a bus. The scenery in this area is stunning: the lake, the yellow Retama bushes, green trees and the snow covered Volcano Osorno in the background. We truly enjoyed this 6 kilometers hike.

Back to the hotel, we followed the advice of another guest and prepared a nice risotto with an excellent filet steak and an outstanding Cabernet Sauvignon.

Another crazy trip! The first bus ride took me from El Bolsón to San Carlos de Bariloche, in the Argentinean Lake District, 2 hours. One hour later, I took another bus from Bariloche to Puerto Montt in Chile, a 7 hour ride and almost immediately after I took the last bus to Castro, the main city of on the island of Chiloe, arriving there at 11:00 pm, after 13 hours on a bus and 15 hours traveling, exhausted and near starvation, since I had nothing all day to eat but two energy bars. There, it was foggy, rainy and bitterly cold, a quite depressing first impression of Chile!

I checked in the very pleasant Hostal Cordillera, with simple but very cheap rooms with shared bathroom. The atmosphere was very cozy, a living room with a chimney that was lit every evening, Internet, kitchen-use and a very friendly family who do everything to make you feel home.

I immediately found the restaurant La Piazza near the Plaza de Armas, where I ate the three nights I was in Castro: a warm place where you can get fantastic grilled steaks and good Chilean wines. So the first night I went for the baby portion: 250 grams. The second I decided to be more serious and took the “normal” portion: 400 grams. Friday, the thirds night, there was an “All you can eat” barbecue … Heidi was not there so I just could enjoy it intensively without anyone rolling eyes and making unwelcome comments. One of the unforgettable experiences there was the cook taking care of the barbecue, called “El Macho” by the staff. In his mid-fifties, with a great sense of perfection and impeccable service, he led the operations with an iron fist but a nice touch of humor, truly enjoyable. I cannot recommend this place enough, even though it is a little pricy!

Chiloe itself is surprising … Different! There is definitely no highlight to see or do. But the atmosphere has something special. The weather is the first thing that strikes you: if there is no fog, it rains, or the other way around: the sun is rarely seen. It is very green, with low trees or high bushes, and in spring full of yellow Retima bushes. Here and there you see fields with cattle grazing around. Almost all houses are made of wood with tin roofs and are painted in bright colors.

The Chilote, the 155.000 people living on the 40 islands constituting the Archipelago of Chiloe, are of Indigenous and Spaniards origins and have lived a very isolated life. They seem very different from the mainlanders in many ways, physically, but also in their traditions and history. Faces often show the marks of a hard life. During discussions with a few people I met, I learned that the vast majority of them hardly ever leaves the Archipelago: a trip to Puerto Montt, the bigger city nearest to Chiloe on the mainland, is considered by many as a long trip that will only be seldom undertaken! And Santiago seems like a different universe …

On my first day I visited Castro and its wooden churches, especially the fascinating Iglesia de San Francisco, a small cathedral completely made of wood! I also went to see the "Palafitos", the trademark of Chiloe. Those wooden houses were built in the beginning of the 20th century. There used to be 1.000 of them on the shores of Chiloe, now only 120 remain. In the afternoon, I went to Achao to visit the oldest church on Chiloe, built in 1660, a cathedral-like building completely made of wood.

The second day I took a tour to Chiloe National Park, where you can find primary rainforest, moss-covered trees and foggy beaches ... Nothing really spectacular! The most pleasant aspect of the visit was that I joined a group of travelers coming from Chonchi, another village in Chiloe: several Germans and Italians on a “Round The World Trip” and a French guy in his mid-fifties traveling around the world on a horse! A lot of different characters, a really pleasant and interesting crowd, I spent a great day with them!

On Saturday, I took the bus back to the mainland to meet Heidi at Puerto Varas, 30 kilometers north from Puerto Montt, a city that wants to be the Bariloche of the Chilean Lake District.

Travelling south in these two countries (Chile & Argentina) means crossing the border several times. From Atacama we will travel to the north of Argentina and visit the area between San Salvador de Jujuy and Cafayate before we go on to Mendoza, where we will enjoy some serious wine tasting.

We will then head for the Lake District (Argentine & Chile), Puerto Montt and the island of Chiloe. Back in Puerto Montt, we will take a boat to Punta Arenas, on the way do a trek in Torres del Paines.

Finally, we will reach Ushuaia, latest on December 23rd, to meet the whole Barbier Family (the family of Gilles) to spend Christmas & New Year´s Eve with them. With a group of no less than 11 persons, we intend to visit south Patagonia: El Calafate, Perito Moreno & El Chaltén, flying then to the Iguazu Falls.

After two weeks, we will come back to our “normal life” when the Barbier Family leaves on the January 5th and discover the district of Misiones, the National Parc Esteros del Ibera & finally Buenos Aires.

First stop in the Pacific will be one week on the Easter Islands, discovering the Moai statues.

Unfortunately, we might have to fly back to Buenos Aires and then fly to Auckland (New Zealand), before flying back into the Pacific … But tickets seem to be much cheaper when you fly that way. Crazy