Penguins, Isla Magdalena, Chile

We are on our way down to Tierra del Fuego. We chose to go the western route through Chile so we could visit the Magellanic penguin colony on Isla Magdalena near the city of Punta Arenas. Punta Arenas is at the southern end of Chile on the Straits of Magellan, so we were just about as far away from the 2/11/11 earthquake as possible while still in Chile, much to John's dismay. Punta Arenas is yet another underwhelming town except for the cemetery.

To visit the penguins, boats do not leave everyday, so we had to stick around town an extra day. The boat ride is four hours round trip for a mere one-hour on the island. It is going to be yet another one of those US$100+ day trips. The worst part was that the boat would not leave until 5pm and all the weather forecasts were predicting rain. I hesitated. All the penguins are going to be in their burrows hiding from the rain, our time and money wasted. John was unfazed, so we went ahead.

We packed all our warm and rain gear and bought John a pair of gloves. It started to rain as we headed out to the ferry terminal. When our boat approached island we could see penguins fishing in the water; the island thick with white, black and gray. When we touched ground, I felt I had just landed in a penguin documentary film. All my senses were filled with penguin, sights, smells, and sounds. All my previous doubts evaporated. There were supposed to be 65 thousand pairs plus their new-borns living on the island. It did not feel like an overestimation. The penguins were every bit adorable "in actu" as in film. The one hour flew by even though it was very cold and rainy.

The highlight for me was being "attacked" by a penguin. Visitors were supposed to stay on a marked path which all of us observed well, as opposed to the penguins which wandered indiscriminately. So when I noticed a penguin stepping into the path towards me, I stood still. I could not bring myself to walk away. He first rooted around my shoe laces which I thought was really funny. Then he proceeded to tug at my rain pants. At which point I had to shoo him away. I was so excited by the encounter, it did not dawn on me until later that the little guy was looking for building material for his burrow. What a smart fellow! My rain paints would make very good burrow material.

The shaped trees and park-like atmosphere of the Punta Arenas Cemetery.


Penguins!

National Park Torres del Paine has been checked off

Everyone from the Navimag that was young and/or fit seemed to be going on some multi-day trekking expedition in Torres del Paine National Park. We had to rule it out due to harsh weather conditions, preposterous pricing, and low interest. In fact our interest was so low that we had even considered skipping the Park completely. Nevertheless on our second day in Puerto Natales we found ourselves boarding the bus along with the old and/or decrepit for a one day "Full Tour" of the Park.

The day was mostly cloudy and windy to very, very windy. The bus took us to various view points and a couple of short walks. We saw the granite towers the park was named after, glacier lakes of various colors, waterfalls, wetlands, icebergs, a lone condor (we think), a rhea or two (nandu in Spanish), and several hundred guanacos. We certainly do not regret not trekking and are glad that we have the park checked off.

All shots below are from Torres del Paine.

The two of us in front of a lake of various colors with the Torres (Towers) del Paine (tops in the clouds) in the background.


The two of us by some rapids and the edge of the Cuernos (Horns) del Paine in the background.


A herd of guanacos.


Lakes of various colors.



Waterfall.


Icebergs, beach, and clouds.

Another strike against Chile -- as in our boat struck land!

We took the Navimag ferry Evangelistas south 1000 kilometers from Puerto Montt to Puerto Natales. Since this is a working ferry instead of a cruise ship, I had no qualms about riding it. When we went to Norway we rode the coastal ferry Hurtigruten to get around. For symmetry we had to give the Navimag a try. Besides John loves boat rides. I, on the other hand, had low expectations.

The first day weather was perfect; that is, sunny, though we did not leave port until 5pm. The second day it rained more or less the whole day. At night we sailed in the Pacific Ocean over 10 to 15 foot waves which was considered calm. If it were not for the Dramamine pill, sleep would have been hard to come by. The third day weather turned slightly better. Along the way there were snow-capped hills, the occasional dolphins, sea lions, a shipwreck, rainbows, and glaciers. The Pio XI Glacier was quite impressive as it's the largest glacier in South America.

In the middle of the third night around 3am, we were shaken awake by a couple of violent jolts. I drowsily assumed earthquake, proceeded to go back to sleep. John, being the usual alarmist, jumped out his bunk and ordered me to get up and get dressed. I figured that it cannot hurt and decided to humor him. Immediately after that the loudspeaker went off announcing "emergency" and we were order to put on our life jackets and gather at the Pub Deck (the top of the ship). There was hypothermia to consider, we needed to put on or bring all the warm clothes we had. We may never come back to the bunks, we needed to bring our passports, money belts, computer, etc. What if John and I get separated? Good thing I skipped "Titanic" on purpose, so I did not have to cram a playback in my head.

As we were a little slow going, a crew-member was sent to our corner of the ship to hurry us up. By the time we got to the Pub Deck, people were already being sent back to their cabins. The crew had checked out the boat; we were not taking on water and we can still sail. The official word was an investigation was still underway. Through the grapevine we learned that the ship had run into an island. We had to assume that someone fell asleep at the job since the boat is full of instruments: GPS, radar, etc. After some chatting with fellow passengers we went back to our bunks to catch some sleep. The ship now had a vibration it did not have before. It was a restless night.

The next morning we woke up to find dirt and branches in the bow and were informed that we were now sailing at around 8 kmph instead of 16 as only one of the "screws" is operating. In the afternoon a Chilean Navy boat showed up to inspect our boat, ordered a change of course, and escorted us the rest of the way. In the end we spent an additional day and night on the boat. We spent the day working on our will. Well, at least we thought about it. And yet another restless night rooting for our remaining engine to keep chugging. We were very glad to be safely off the boat on the morning of the fifth day.

A beautiful day in Patagonia to start the voyage on the Evangelistas.


View off the stern.


The Pio XI Glacier.


Pio XI.


A rainbow off the stern.


The Evangelistas at the dock at Puerto Natales.


A crew inspects the damage to the ship's bow after its collision with the island.

Back to Chilean Waters

See 04 NOV 2012 UPDATE below.

After our 5-day stint into Argentina, we came back into Chile. First, we stopped in the island town of Castro, Chiloe. Once again it reminded me of North Carolina, the coastal landscape, car ferries, houses on stilts, shingled siding.

From Chiloe we went to the lake town of Puerto Varas. The Chilean Lake District is known for its views of volcanoes next to lakes. From Puerto Varas we had an outing to Lago Todos los Santos, which is known for its distinct color and the falls at its base.

Today, we are going on the coastal ferry Navimag, from Puerto Montt to Puerto Natales, therefore we will be offline From Jan 28 until Jan 31.

Houses on stilts line the waterfront of Castro.


The bus company Cruz del Sur has its own fleet of ferries to Chiloe Island.


Many of the buildings in Castro have shingled siding like this Deco-ish house.


Volcanos Osorno (left) and Calbuco (right) seen across Lake Llanquihue at sunrise from Puerto Varas


Saltos de Pertohue with volcano.


Lago Todos Los Santos.


UPDATE 04 NOV 2012:

Our friend is deciding whether or not to visit Chiloe. Here is my 2 cents:

January 24/25/26 2011: We took a bus from Puerto Monte directly to Castro Chiloe - 2hr 35min total including the ferry. We took a Cruz de Sur bus and since Cruz de Sur also owns the ferry, we pulled right up to the front of the queue and on the ferry. Woohoo!

At the Cruz de Sur Terminal which was in city center Castro, touts (mostly older ladies who wanted to fill their own places - we think) met the bus. We chatted with some of them, took a flyer or two, but set out on our own.

Ended up at Hospedaje Don Miguel, one block from the terminal, in room #6 for $20,000/night. Corner room, very clean, med-to small in size w/double bed; with harbor view, private bath, wi-fi, very clean, heat which we did not need, no breakfast (we opted out), kitchen privileges, & TV. Helpful but not intrusive owners.

Castro is a very picturesque town, with local boats and fishermen, views of water and tides, an old wooden church, and very colorful buildings from fishermen's shacks on stilts to an Art Deco cinema which is now the library. [The photos I posted on flickr and the original blog post barely give a hint of the richness of the architecture. I may just have to post a few more.} All of these "scenes" are in easy walking distance. And once you've seen it here on Castro, no need to see the same anywhere else on Chiloe IMO.

The return trip to Puerto Mont and onward to Peurto Varas was just as easy. We left Castro on the 8:50am Cruz de Sur, and were in Puerto Varas at 1pm (CdS terminal is 1km outside of town).

So, it may just be worth taking a chance on finding "accommodation on arrival" in Castro.

-john

Hospedaje Don Miguel info:

Barros Arana No 152 - Castro

Fono (065) 634748

RUT.: 7.170.365-7

You get what you wish for

We left Talca in a hurry as we thought it was too hot to do anything. After an 8-hour bus ride we landed in Valdivia, cold and rainy. It rained everyday expect for one and on that one sunny day we made a day trip to the nearby port towns of Niebla, Corral, and Amargos. These towns are great for touring: several old forts, working fishing fleets (rowboats and sailboats), ferry rides, great views of the mouth of the Valdivia River and the Pacific Ocean, and a giant pile of wood chips.

I continue to be unimpressed with Chile so we decided to go over to the Argentine Lake District for a few days. Since this is a new plan, I will be spending more time trip planning than blogging. Part of the reason that I find Chile underwhelming is that it is not exotic. Especially this part of the country seems very similar to home. It is about the same latitude south. The vegetation, landscape, and culture seem familiar, unlike Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru.

Fish Market - Valdivia, Chile.


Had a couple of tasty pints at Kunstmann Brewery, just outside Valdivia. That's the Unfiltered Lager on the left and the Torobayo Ale on the right. Although John usually prefers ales, the Unfiltered Lager was declared the winner on this day.


The harbor at Amargos, Chile with fishing fleet at center and giant wood chip pile at right.


Castillo de San Luís de Alba de Amargos - Amargos, Chile. Very cool.


View to the Pacific from the Amargos Fort.


The ferry arrives at the Corral dock.

Unintended Talca - Unexpected Talca

John likes to think of himself as a train fan. There are not many passenger trains left in South America. However, south from Santiago there is a three-hour train to Talca, so Talca became a stop we would not have bothered with otherwise. During research we learned that the real train attraction in Talca, the narrow gauge to Constitución on the coast, is no longer running due to the earthquake last year.

Yet when we arrived in Talca, we were surprised by the earthquake damage from 11 months ago: whole city blocks still closed for business, empty lots free or filled with rubble, visible damage inside and outside buildings. We came across hotels one after another that are now a pile of rubble, closed for business, in the process of fixing up rooms, in a state of managed disrepair. Yet all the newer buildings stood tall and strong. It makes one wonder about all the collapsed buildings in the Sichuan earthquake....

The other surprise in Talca was the hot weather. We had ambitions of going hiking in the mountains to the east. We quickly killed that idea once we realized that we probably could not carry enough water to stay alive. Bicycling among the vineyard in the blazing sun was also out of the question even though Talca is in the middle of vine country where the local Walmart(Hyper Lider) sells vine by the liter or gallon. To escape the hot weather, we pulled out of Talca only after one night.

The train we rode from Santiago to Talca just before departure in Central Station, Santiago.


School Clock Tower - Talca, Chile. Stopped at 3:34 AM.


The entire block around the Central Market building is closed due to earthquake damage. Many of the vendors appeared to have moved to a temporary location by the Bus Terminal.


This church shows damage where the steeple meets the roof.

Santiago, finally a piece of the puzzle

We are having a hard time figuring out Chile. The cost of goods and traveling is comparable to the US or higher, more like Europe (Chilean wine being one of the few exceptions), yet the level of development is barely discernible from Peru where the cost is half.

After a few days in Santiago, we are finally seeing signs of development that begin to justify the prices.

• Santiago has more miles of downtown pedestrian streets than anywhere we have been. People love them, overflowing the streets all day long.
  
• There are all kinds of pleasant neighborhoods in the city center, blending residential and commercial, the old and new. There are street cafes everywhere.
  
• The subway system is modern and clean. The stations not only have stores but also services outlets for train, bus, bank, etc. Except the system is not so tourist friendly. The per ride cost for us is more than the Washington DC subway.
• The Changing of the Guard is among the biggest of the dozens of such spectacles we have seen, while it may not be the most unique.
• We found the best vegetarian restaurant of the whole trip, where we he had all three lunches there though there are over a dozen ineffectual alternatives.
  
• Santiago is supposed to be one of the most dramatically situated capitals with the snow capped Andes to the east. We could hardly see anything through the brown haze of auto exhaust. Development.
  

As sophisticated as Santiago may appear, we still think the exchange rate with the U.S. dollar is wrong. Of course our opinions are biased here.

Pedestrian Mall.


Changing of the Guard.


Evergreen Vegetarian Restaurant.

Half Way

We finally bought our return tickets to the US on January 10th which happens to be the halfway point of our epic eight-month trip. On May 5th, we will fly the red-eye from Lima, Peru to Fort Lauderdale, FL then to Roanoke, VA to attend Niece Sophie's college graduation, after which my in-laws will deliver us home on May 7th.nt

Atop Cerro Santa Lucia in Santiago.

Things are looking up for us

We have been in Chile for ten days now. I find it to be the most overpriced country compared to its level of development.

• The exchange rate is 20% lower than when I was researching this summer.
  
• Being the summer high season and New Year, we have had a hard time finding rooms. Hotels and guesthouses are either full, way overpriced, or have way too small rooms that seem more like caves. It is disheartening.
• We bought first class bus tickets on the best bus company, Pullman. We had paid less for airplane ticket. When we showed up at the scheduled time, the bus turned out to be a phantom. As buses with other companies were full and we loathed to return to our not-so-friendly and haphazard guesthouse, we had to suffer the humiliation of taking another bus with the same company over two hours later, stuffed in the back of the bus. I want to cry.
• Chile is a tremendously long country. We wanted to stop in on cities every now and then, otherwise the whole country would seem like one long bus ride. So far, none of them seem particularly remarkable.
  

Valparaiso (Valpo) finally seemed like a reasonable city, but of course, being UNESCO World Heritage, it is expected to be a highlight for any tour of Chile. Finding a good room with a view helps, though it costs almost twice as much as our mostly expensive rooms of this trip. BTW, the Central Bank decided this week to drive down the peso. Good news for us!

Sun-Ling works on the next blog entry in our room at The Yellow House in Valparaiso.


The sun sets and the city lights come on.


Valparaiso claims to have the world's oldest electric trolleybus system.


Valpo is also famous for its hills and funiculars.


Street scene.


Mercado - Valparaiso.


The port.


More of the port.


Valpo has quite a few 20th century Art Deco and Art Moderne buildings.

Precious water

Since John last wrote about oasis, we have bused through another couple thousands of kilometers of desert and sand in southern Peru and northern Chile. We now think we understand what true desert is, maybe until we travel North Africa and the Middle East.

Whenever a river flows through the desert, then you can have a green valley. East of La Serena, the Elqui Valley is such a valley, much treasured and touted for northern Chile. Having been through countless such valleys in Peru, we were not so impressed. However, I liked the unusual blue of the storage lake behind the dam. Overall, we found our outing the next day to the port city of Coquimbo more interesting.

View of Elqui Valley from Cerro de la Virgen in Vicuña.


Another view of Elqui Valley from Cerro de la Virgen in Vicuña. That's a vineyard at left center.


The storage lake and dam as seen from a speeding bus.


Sharing this pint of homemade ice cream (half coffee, half chocolate) at El Cobre Soda Fountain was the perfect way to end our day trip to the Elqui Valley.


View of the coast at Fort Coquimbo.


The Cross of the Third Millennium in Coquimbo which soars 93 meters above the highest hill.


Felt pretty safe as we walked up the hills in Coquimbo, being that we were out of danger from tsunamis.


The bandshell on the Plaza de Armas in Coquimbol ready for The Feast of Epiphany.