Monday 15 November
Flight from Heathrow to Madrid. Then 5hr wait before 10hr flight to Sao Paulo.
Tuesday 16 November
Had very good views approaching Sao Paulo airport. The place has grown very much. We only stopped one hour before a flight to Santiago. Then half an hour coach trip to the Hotel Carrera. We had a quick bath, a couple of cups of tea then onto the roof for a swim in the pool and a sunbathe.
Wednesday 17 November
City tour of Santiago. We went to the Palacio Cousino, a house built in about 1875 by a very wealthy family. The ground floor is original but the upper floors were destroyed by fire in about 1968. Everything was brought in from Europe – Italian marble, French tapestry and porcelain, magnificent chandeliers and walnut and cherry furniture. The only thing Chilean was a lift.
From there we were taken to the cathedral and then the pre Colombian museum. We then drove up to the Cerro Santa Lucia where we had a good view of the town. The afternoon tour was to the Concho y Toro winery. The most interesting part was the beautiful rose Garden by a small lake. At the end we were given a taste of a white Chardonnay and a red wine. Did not like either.
Thursday 18 November
Up at 4:30am. At 6:15 we were off to the airport. On the flight, even when it was cloudy over the sea, we could see the Andes. We stopped at Antofagasta airport. It looked very bleak. We had a 20 minute wait then off again. Soon we were landing at Calama airport and on the road.
The desert was very similar to Libya except for the Andes with their capping of snow. After about 50 kilometres the scenery became more rugged and beautiful. Our hotel is in San Pedro de Atacama at the Hosteleria Terrania.
Friday 19 November
We drove through semidesert to Toconao. We stopped to take photos of alpacas. At Toconao we went on to the Atacama salt flat where there were some flamingos.
Back at Toconao we went to a local craft shop to see weaving but they were not doing it. Then we were going to visit the church but the guide could not find the key.
We then drove to the Jeria valley which is beautifully green. The water at Toconao is the only sweet water in the area. Earlier we had passed the Lascar volcano which is always smoking. It last erupted in 1993.
The afternoon trip was to the church in San Pedro for a quick look. It dates from the 1600s. We then crossed over to the museum which cost $6 and there is not much to see.
Next we went to an Inca fortified town. Here the Spanish killed about 2000 Incas and then cut off the heads of the leaders and displayed them on a post, hence the name Death Head Valley.
We continued along the Luna valley.
We entered a beautiful canyon where the rocks were creaking as they cooled. It was most enjoyable. Then we carried on through lovely scenery into the mountains. We saw a rock formation called the Three Marias.
Then we returned to a valley to wait for the sunset. The colour change in the rocks was very rapid but it was most spectacular.
Saturday 20 November
Up at 4:30am for the trip to the El Tatio geyser area. We got out to have a look at the plumes of steam and within a few moments we were suffering from frozen fingers. What was so fascinating was the steam and water were at 86 degrees centigrade and yet there was ice on the rivulets of condensed steam.
Some of the plumes of steam were very high, others only a few inches. Our guide put two bottles of water into one hole, supposedly to make coffee, but he had not brought any coffee powder!
On the way back we stopped to photograph some Vicunas and then stopped at the Perima River where there were a lot of birds including Andean Gulls and Andean Ducks. From there the mountains we could see form the Bolivian-Chilean border. We could see an active volcano and a geyser which were both in Bolivia. We photographed a flowering cactus like we have in pots at home.
The final stop was at Guatin Valley where we saw a Rico-rico, which is a very aromatic herb, plus lots of pampas grass.
Sunday 21 November
Drove to Calama for a flight at 12 noon. There was a half hour flight to Antofagusta. Then on to Santiago and then the next flight to Puerto Montt. It was gone 9:00pm when we landed at Puerto Varas. It took over 30 minutes to get to the Hotel Cabana del Lago at Puerto Vanos. We felt very tired. We made ourselves a couple of cups of tea.
Monday 22 November
Breakfast with a beautiful view of the Osorno Volcano. Went for a walk down to the lake – there were lots of wildflowers and birds. On our morning tour, the sides of the roads were covered with yellow lupins, yellow broom and penny daisies. There were quite a few Chilean Flame Trees.
Then to the island of Chiloe. The ferry journey to Chacao took about 30 to 40 minutes. We were taken to Chonchi, a village which was begun in the 1570s and is built in wood. The houses were painted in lovely bright colours: pinks, blues, yellows.
We visited the church, which was very simple indeed.
We then drove to the coast. There were many birds including ibis and Turkey Vultures. We went to the actual coast so that we could see Black-necked Swans which live in salt water. We then headed for Ancud which is the largest town. We walked to the Spanish Fort but there is very little left as there was a devastating earthquake measuring 9.3 in 1961.
We went to the museum which was a waste of time and then we insisted we went to the port which was the most interesting part of the whole town. They dive here for oysters without using airtanks. They go down and when they need air they pull on ropes and it comes down in pipes from the boats. A boat was unloading sacks of oysters and a weird thing that was like a sponge full of water. The guide called it a rag worm. The men there were amused at us tourists being interested in the fishing.
It was almost 8:00pm when we got back to the hotel but we changed quickly and rushed down to the swimming pool. It was like a hot bath.
Tuesday 23 November
We drove by the side of the lake and stopped to photograph the Osorno volcano. Then we visited the Lago Verde. We drove on a few more miles to Soltas del Petrohue, which is a magnificent waterfall.
We continued through lovely scenery to Petrohue. We had a 20 minute wait for the catamaran across Lago Todos Los Santos. We stood for the 1hr 40 minute ferry journey. One beautiful mountain was Cerro Kido at 2493 metres which has a needlepoint peak. By 6:45pm we were back in Puerto Varas.
Wednesday 24 November
Today we said goodbye to the others in our group. We went for a walk along the railway track where in summer there is one train a day. There were a few wild flowers. In the evening we went to walk to see the volcanoes as the atmosphere is so crystal clear.
Thursday 25 November
At 9:30am our driver/guide arrived and we followed the main road to Fruitillar. We then went along a gravel road by the side of the lake. It all looked extra good because the sun was shining. There were some magnificent farmhouses in German style.
We stopped to look over the Centura Peninsula which used to be a private estate where the rich including Prince Edward VII went and ‘enjoyed’ the company of women. We stopped to photograph a large flock of Straw-necked Ibis. The scenery after that was flat farming land, mainly cattle.
We stopped in the small town of Entre Lagos. After that the scenery improved with distant views of snow-capped mountains. We went into the Puyehue National Park and the most magnificent scenery imaginable. We went up the mountainside through rainforest with Chilean Flame Trees, fern trees and bamboo. At the highest part of the forest there were masses of yellow violas. We stopped many times to photograph the flowers, the scenery, ad two waterfalls (the largest on the Rio Pescando) before reaching the ski-lifts and hotel.
We went up a steep narrow gravelly path in the car up to the Reihuen crater. It was rather like a lunar scene. In February there is a concert in the crater – the acoustics are said to be very good. This year they played the 1812 Overture complete with real cannons!. There was quite a lot of ice and snow. The highest mountain was La Casablanca at 2000 metres.
We returned to Entre Lago and then to Lake Rupanco. A very large area has been cleared of local vegetation and planted with eucalyptus. We reached our hotel at the end of a 9.5 hour day trip!
Friday 26 November
Our driver/guide arrived prompt at 10.15am. Our first stop was the town of Llanquihue. The scenery should have been very attractive but it was drizzling. Each house had its own vegetable garden. We went up a narrow track to a memorial to the original German settlers in 1852. We then saw a large salmon farm where this young salmon are bred in the lake and then transported by tanker to the sea. They are then caught from there and sent all over the world especially to the USA.
We continued on to Fruitillar and on to Puerto Octay and back to Puerto Varas. In the evening we walked into the town and were extremely lucky as there were a group of children dancing in the street.
Saturday 27 November
We arrived at the pier at 9:45am and were soon on the Skorpios II boat which will be our home for the next week. Our cabin is on the lowest deck and has no window but it is quite large with a little sitting area. We went to explore the boat, which sailed at 11:30am.
At lunch the boat went off to rescue a small boat that had broken down. Afternoon tea included lots of delicious cakes. We returned on deck and remained there until 7:30pm.
Sunday 28 November
Had a quick look on deck before breakfast and saw quite a few seabirds and a seal. Breakfast included more delicious cakes.
We arrived at the little fishing port of Puerto Aguirre. The houses of the town look very poor but everyone was very friendly. We climbed to the top of a steep hill covered in dense vegetation, especially berberis. The view from the top was quite impressive with lots of islands from large to very small.
At 11:20am we set sail again and the scenery was very beautiful; it was quite warm on the top deck. There were quite a lot of birds including albatrosses. We went into Ferronave, Pilcomayo and Costa channels heading for the San Rafael glacier. Lunch was a special local meal of clams, mussels, meat and dumplings all steamed together; Annette and I had an omelette.
We sat on deck all afternoon and had just gone in when it was announced that we should see some sealions. After tea there was sunshine and some lovely views of snow-capped mountains. Then we saw a waterfall and to our surprise the boat went straight for it until it was actually touching the rocks at the bottom of the falls. We anchored in a small bay for the night.
Monday 29 November
The boat passed through a narrow passage between low islands and then we began to see small pieces of ice in the water. We had passed from Lago Elephantes to Laguna San Rafael. We saw many more icebergs varying in size from lumps of ice to beautiful blue large blocks. It felt very cold.
We all put on life jackets and climbed into the covered small boat. It is made of steel so it can go through the ice. We went right up to a large iceberg and the crew got out little axes and cut lumps of ice off. Then we went amongst the real ice floe, breaking a path through it. The colour of the ice was lovely. We were all given a glass of whiskey with ice from the glacier. We then watched the glacier which is 2 kilometres wide and 210 foot tall. We were half a mile away but it felt like you were on top of it.
As we waited we could hear noises like thunder but it was the ice cracking and falling. Sometimes we had a wonderful view of these. One in particular was a large ice fall followed by large waves under the ice. The strange thing was that we did not feel cold. Most of the time we did not even wear gloves.
We returned for lunch and after that we went we went up towards the glacier in Skorpios II at full speed and then suddenly stopped, turned and proceeded very slowly, pushing the ice out of the way. It was a wonderful experience. We spent the rest of the evening sitting on deck watching the scenery. The boat docked at Quitralco just before I got to sleep.
Tuesday 30 November
After breakfast we climbed up a path towards a lookout. We were joined by a lovely greyish-white dog who led the way. We got back to the boat in time for a trip around the fjord. Before lunch we went to the heated pool for a swim. The water is from the thermal springs and has to be cooled down to 93 degrees Fahrenheit. It was too warm to do much other than sit in it.
After lunch we went for a second walk up the hill. Earlier we had seen a sailor taking bottles to the top. There is a fridge there and you can help yourself. There was only one bottle left when we got there so we shared it as we sat in the lovely hot sun.
Back on the boat we had tea before returning to the deck for the rest of the evening. It was beautifully clear all the way as we went along the Quitalco Fjord. There was a magnificent view of the Maca Volcano, a perfect peak covered in thick snow gleaming in a clear blue sky. It was a very good end to a pleasant day.
Wednesday 1 December
The ship had sailed all night. In the morning we saw quite a lot of different seabirds including terns and cormorants. We sat on deck birdwatching so time went very quickly. We arrived at Queilen about 10am. It is a small fishing town of about 4000 people. We walked along to a jetty then turned inland where there were quite a few shops. Every shop seemed to sell everything.
Back at the jetty there were about 20 children with recorders, guitars and tambourines, a priest, and men in army and naval uniform.
Lunch on the boat was 18 courses: 1) fish in mint; 2) salmon and crab claws; 3) chicken drumsticks; 4) fish on sticks; 5) kebabs; 6) mussels; 7) clams; 8) entradas with fish; 9) entradas with cheese; 10) shrimps; 11) quails’ eggs; 12) pizza; 13) fish with cheese. This was followed by fruit salad and then a meringue and cream gateau.
In the afternoon we went close to the shore and had just finished tea when we landed at Castro. We walked up a steep hill up to a square where there were many people including some gipsies. We then went along the coast to the craft market which sold mostly knitted jumpers.
Dinner was another large meal but we kept to our soup and dessert.
Thursday 2 December
At 9:15am we left the ship and found a taxi to take us to Conchi and to a lake. It was attractive scenery all the way. We stopped at a very small village called Huilinco where there was a little jetty and wooden houses and a beautiful little church. We went to the graveyard where there were little houses [more of a shed], so that the people could go and talk to their dead relatives.
In Conchi we visited the church which is wooden and was begun in about the 1500s and then rebuilt in the 1800s. Inside the pillars are out of true because of the 1960 earthquake. The ceiling looks in bad condition too. The outside appears to be corrugated iron.
Back in Castro we stopped at the third oldest church in Chiloe which is well over 200 years old and all timber. It is held together with wooden pegs.
Back on the boat we were told the meal would be at 9pm so we all trooped in and stood looking at the food for 20 minutes. Then the captain arrived and there was more waiting until finally the captain gave a long speech. At last we were permitted to eat. There was champagne to go with the captain speech for toasting something or other. Ramon was very good and bought us 7-UP which looked exactly like the champagne. The boat tied up in Puerto Montt for the night.
Friday 3 December
Back to the airport. Our plane went up the coast but there was a good distant view of the Andes all the way to Santiago. We have a very posh room on the 10th floor at the Hotel Carrera. It has two windows and another in the bathroom. We went up to the swimming pool and spent the remainder of the afternoon there.
Saturday 4 December
Headed to the airport. Landed at Sao Paulo and had about 15 minutes in the transit lounge.
Sunday 5 December
Had the most awful cabin crew imaginable. They refused to speak any English. Glad to get off the plane in Madrid. On the trip to Heathrow, we had an American woman sitting next to us. She had been waiting four days for her luggage. She said the street outside her hotel in Madrid was full of prostitutes.
We were soon circling Heathrow and saw the Millennium Dome and the new ferris wheel. We got a taxi back home and watched Heartbeat and went to bed after what had been a wonderful holiday.