There really isn’t much to say about this place. We cruised through the Chilean Fjords to get here but did so before we got up in the morning. We did have to cruise back out last evening so we saw what we had missed. It is staying light pretty late now; sunset is around 9:30, so we could see outside up until we went to bed.
We anchored in a bay that was surrounded by snow-capped mountains that we could see only when the fog cleared. The landscape is a lush green vegetation. Small tin or log houses line the one or two roads that go through town.
We were scheduled on a tour called The Natural Beauty of Patagonia. The weather was terrible, as it always is in this neck of the woods. It’s summer here and the temperature was to be a high of about 54 degrees. It’s alternately rainy and sunny about every 5 minutes so one doesn’t dare leave home without raincoat or umbrella. That explains why not very many people live here.
Our guide really tried, but most of couldn’t understand much of what he said. Our tour took us to a private park by way of a gravel road. We stopped first at a visitor center where we were given rain parkas, then we proceeded to a trailhead where we would hike ½ mile through a jungle to see the flora and fauna. The weather must have kept the fauna in bed because we didn’t see a living thing on the trail. We did see some interesting plants along the way while fighting the rain, mud, roots and hanging branches. At the end of the trail was a spectacular waterfall, which made the walk worthwhile.
We were all cold and wet after the walk and welcomed a chance to dry off while we had what our guide, who I think was named Sebastian, called a “cocktail”. We went to a huge pavilion with a fireplace in the center and 3 animal skins stretched and roasting over a fire. It was so warm and cozy that our spirits lifted immediately. It didn’t hurt that we were offered wine and pisco sours on the way in. There was the ubiquitous 3 piece band and dancers to entertain us and the food just kept coming; little vegetable appetizers, empanadas, meat and vegetable skewers, pieces of battered fish, and exquisite little desserts. And, of course, wine, wine, wine. I was enjoying mine when I suddenly felt a presence by my side. One of the young Chilean dancers had picked me out of all the other women to dance with him. I had no choice but to accept. He handed me a handkerchief and we made our way to the dance floor. He was elegantly dressed in his folkloric Chilean costume and I was in my mud-caked pants and hiking boots. I tried to mimic his steps but got way behind and it was pretty comical. Luckily one of the girl dancers had chosen a man from our group to dance with her so I wasn’t the only clumsy gringo out there. Sharon has it all on tape so I’ll never be able to deny that it happened.
That’s about all for that day. As Pete says, “one and a wake up” until we get to set foot in Antarctica Friday morning. Everyone is very excited!!
We anchored in a bay that was surrounded by snow-capped mountains that we could see only when the fog cleared. The landscape is a lush green vegetation. Small tin or log houses line the one or two roads that go through town.
We were scheduled on a tour called The Natural Beauty of Patagonia. The weather was terrible, as it always is in this neck of the woods. It’s summer here and the temperature was to be a high of about 54 degrees. It’s alternately rainy and sunny about every 5 minutes so one doesn’t dare leave home without raincoat or umbrella. That explains why not very many people live here.
Our guide really tried, but most of couldn’t understand much of what he said. Our tour took us to a private park by way of a gravel road. We stopped first at a visitor center where we were given rain parkas, then we proceeded to a trailhead where we would hike ½ mile through a jungle to see the flora and fauna. The weather must have kept the fauna in bed because we didn’t see a living thing on the trail. We did see some interesting plants along the way while fighting the rain, mud, roots and hanging branches. At the end of the trail was a spectacular waterfall, which made the walk worthwhile.
We were all cold and wet after the walk and welcomed a chance to dry off while we had what our guide, who I think was named Sebastian, called a “cocktail”. We went to a huge pavilion with a fireplace in the center and 3 animal skins stretched and roasting over a fire. It was so warm and cozy that our spirits lifted immediately. It didn’t hurt that we were offered wine and pisco sours on the way in. There was the ubiquitous 3 piece band and dancers to entertain us and the food just kept coming; little vegetable appetizers, empanadas, meat and vegetable skewers, pieces of battered fish, and exquisite little desserts. And, of course, wine, wine, wine. I was enjoying mine when I suddenly felt a presence by my side. One of the young Chilean dancers had picked me out of all the other women to dance with him. I had no choice but to accept. He handed me a handkerchief and we made our way to the dance floor. He was elegantly dressed in his folkloric Chilean costume and I was in my mud-caked pants and hiking boots. I tried to mimic his steps but got way behind and it was pretty comical. Luckily one of the girl dancers had chosen a man from our group to dance with her so I wasn’t the only clumsy gringo out there. Sharon has it all on tape so I’ll never be able to deny that it happened.
That’s about all for that day. As Pete says, “one and a wake up” until we get to set foot in Antarctica Friday morning. Everyone is very excited!!
No comments:
Post a Comment