Well, This place is absolutely incredible. When we were driving in yesterday, we saw all sorts of wildlife - Rheas (basically ostriches), Condors, Grey foxes, and llamas. The landscape here is amazing. It is sort of like the Lake District in England in that it has parts that are fairly flat and waterlogged, with low vegetation and so on, but then in the background there are massive snow-covered mountains and glaciers.
The hotel here is also incredible. From the outside it looks fairly unassuming as it is just white wood paneling, but inside it is really nice. There are lacquered pine wall coverings, on the ceiling etc. Everything here is included - wine, champagne, spirits, food etc, and you can choose what excursions you want to go on (also included). There is a small swimming pool, gym and sauna down on the edge of a lower lake, and an outdoor jacuzzi in which you can relax after a hard day's hiking or riding.
Yesterday we arrived at lunchtime and then had a very nice lunch. We were told there were two excursions we could do that afternoon. One was a long easy walk, and the other was a shorter, harder climb up to the top of a mushroom shaped mountain. I opted for the harder one, and we set off. It was a bit tricky, but well worth it, and there was a great view from the top. I built a couple of cairns at the top or the hill which will probably be blown over next time there are any gusts of wind, but never mind!
After the hike I went for a sauna and a dip in the jacuzzi, and decided I would try jumping into the glacial lake too. It was really cold (around 6 degrees celsius), but very refreshing. I'm probably one of very few people (stupid enough?) to go swimming this far South.
Today I went for a hike over by the Grey lake (so named because of all the things suspended in the water which make it look grey). A bit further up is the glacier, and there were a lot of broken off bits of ice that had flowed downstream. There were much smaller bits of ice broken off around the edge of the shore. Normally when you've got an icecube or any piece of ice, it's not completely see-through and there are air bubbles. Some of the ice at the edge of the lake was completely clear without any faults or bubbles. This means the ice was probably millions of years old!
We came back and had lunch, and the sky was really clear so I could see the Torres del Paine (towers of blue I think it means) across the lake from me. There were a few cloud patches clinging to the mountain like puffs of candy floss, and the bright blue lake was reflecting the mountains.
In the afternoon I decided I'd try horseriding for the first time in my life. It was a fairly easy route, with a bit of riding through the river, and some uphill and downhill. I tried a bit of trotting which was ok, but I think my backside is going to punish me for it tomorrow.
Me at the top of the mushroom mountain
The grey fox that came up to us
A Llama
The hotel here is also incredible. From the outside it looks fairly unassuming as it is just white wood paneling, but inside it is really nice. There are lacquered pine wall coverings, on the ceiling etc. Everything here is included - wine, champagne, spirits, food etc, and you can choose what excursions you want to go on (also included). There is a small swimming pool, gym and sauna down on the edge of a lower lake, and an outdoor jacuzzi in which you can relax after a hard day's hiking or riding.
Yesterday we arrived at lunchtime and then had a very nice lunch. We were told there were two excursions we could do that afternoon. One was a long easy walk, and the other was a shorter, harder climb up to the top of a mushroom shaped mountain. I opted for the harder one, and we set off. It was a bit tricky, but well worth it, and there was a great view from the top. I built a couple of cairns at the top or the hill which will probably be blown over next time there are any gusts of wind, but never mind!
After the hike I went for a sauna and a dip in the jacuzzi, and decided I would try jumping into the glacial lake too. It was really cold (around 6 degrees celsius), but very refreshing. I'm probably one of very few people (stupid enough?) to go swimming this far South.
Today I went for a hike over by the Grey lake (so named because of all the things suspended in the water which make it look grey). A bit further up is the glacier, and there were a lot of broken off bits of ice that had flowed downstream. There were much smaller bits of ice broken off around the edge of the shore. Normally when you've got an icecube or any piece of ice, it's not completely see-through and there are air bubbles. Some of the ice at the edge of the lake was completely clear without any faults or bubbles. This means the ice was probably millions of years old!
We came back and had lunch, and the sky was really clear so I could see the Torres del Paine (towers of blue I think it means) across the lake from me. There were a few cloud patches clinging to the mountain like puffs of candy floss, and the bright blue lake was reflecting the mountains.
In the afternoon I decided I'd try horseriding for the first time in my life. It was a fairly easy route, with a bit of riding through the river, and some uphill and downhill. I tried a bit of trotting which was ok, but I think my backside is going to punish me for it tomorrow.
Anyway, I've managed to upload a few photos, and I'm going to see if I can get some more...
Me at the top of the mushroom mountain
The grey fox that came up to us
A Llama
posted by Ken at 10:59 pm
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