Torres del Paine: Towers of Pain

An unobstructed view of the towers or torres of Torres del Paine

We had booked our hotel, Las Torres, with an “all inclusive” program.  Beyond all the pisco sours, food, and the room, the program included excursions throughout the park, as many as we could handle.  The night

Puerto Natales to Las Torres

Puerto Natales in the setting sun

Our uneasy sleep was broken when the intercom blared to life with rapid, urgent Spanish.  Outside the window, the sky was dark.  We waited patiently for the English translation that usually, but not always, followed and was on some occasions understandable.

On the Navimag

The Patagonian Channels

Around six in the morning, rolling waves and the resulting repetitive sway of the boat let us know that the ferry entered the open waters of the Gulfo Corcovado.  Our ferry generally traveled inland channels and

Puerto Montt and on to Southern Patagonia

A fishing boat in the harbor at Puerto Montt

Our short stay in the Lake District was over and it was time to move on to the ferry that would take us south.  During our arrival in the Puerto Montt airport, amongst the Tony Bourdain distraction and all, we

Puerto Varas: Volcano Osorno

View from the base of the Volcano Orsono ski resort

Chile’s Lake District offers many outdoor activities.  We had thought that river rafting or a mountain bike ride would be in our plans for the day, but cool temperatures, heavy overcast, and a persistent drizzle dampened our enthusiasm in the morning.  As the day progressed, the weather improved but it was too late for any serious adventures.  Consequently, after a walk about and lunch in touristy Puerto Varas, we took our small rental Peugeot out for a drive around Lago Llanquihue (pronounced, oddly enough, “Yankee way”) towards the symmetrical, glacier capped cone of 2660 meter high Volcano Osorno

Puerto Montt and Puerto Varas: What would Tony Bourdain do?

Morning in Valapraiso from our room

We left Valparaiso in the morning retracing the route of our trip out from Santiago by first taking a taxi to the bus station.  At the station, we needed to exchange our return trip voucher with the old man at the

Valparaiso: Prat and the German Pirate

Arturo Prat Monument in Valparaiso

Back on the shore at the end of our cruise of Valparaiso’s harbor, we continued on to Prat.  Prat is Valpo’s Wall Street and is its historic financial center.  At the end of the workday, the street was a bustle of pedestrians moving along on the dark channel formed

Valparaiso: Cerro Alegre, Cerro Concepcion, and Muelle Prat

Flowers in Cerro Concepcion, Valparaiso

Off the steps of our hotel, we moved into the still air and shirt-sleeved weather of another comfortable Santiago morning.  With our brigade of bags loaded into every crevice of a taxi, we wormed our way into the slow moving traffic of a working morning

Santiago: Fuente Alemana and Cerro San Cristobal

Panoramic view of Santiago from Cerro San Cristobal

After a siesta in room, we headed back out to see one of Santiago’s iconic sights—Cerro San Cristobal and the statue of the Virgen de la Inmaculada Concepcion.  It just did not seem like a good idea to travel the great distance to Santiago with much more ground to

Santiago: Mercados Vega, Vega Chica, and Central

Bunching parsley at Mercado Vega Chica in Santiago

Markets are always a must see for us, so our Monday itinerary started with a visit to Mercado Vega and the nearby Mercado Central.  It was mid morning when we moved out into the bustle of public transportation of a workday in Santiago.  With our highly