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November 12 -- Leave Austin at 8:30 to Miami airport.  8 hour layover in Miami.  Then fly to Santiago Chile.  Because the Easter Island pre-excursion was cancelled, but we had already bought our tickets and they couldn't be changed without a large penalty cost, we are staying in Santiago for the 5 days before the actual tour starts!

November 13 -- We left Miami about 10:30pm last night and arrived here in Santiago, Chile about 8:30am (a 8 hour flight).  As we approached Santiago I realized that it is in the foothills of the Andes and they extend to the Pacific Ocean.  We took a taxi from the airport to our hotel and it was one of the more sobering rides I've had recently.  He makes me look like a wuss driving -wise.  I don't think any cars passed us on the 30 minute (should have been 45 min) drive here.  The hotel wouldn't let us check in until 3 pm so we walked around the neighborhood (pictures below).  We finally went back to the hotel and waited until 3 pm to get our room.  Both of us didn't get much sleep last night so we each had a Pisco Sour in the hotel bar followed by a rice and salmon plate.  Neither of us will have much trouble getting to sleep tonight.  

November 14 -- We went to bed last night at 7:30 pm and slept in to 7:30 am this morning.  I would like to stay we were rested, but still have that lingering sinus headache.  After a fairly good breakfast here this morning, Lynne and I decided to hike and see some of the museums.  But in accordance with our good luck, all the museums in Santiago are closed on Mondays.  But we continued to hike around and ran into a military drill (video below).  We have no idea what was going on, but watching their military and their abrupt heel kicks was interesting.  Also saw a demonstration going on (actually heard it first), but not knowing Spanish, we had no idea what they were demonstrating against.  The city was much more populated today (Monday) and not as clean as it was yesterday.  Stopped at a little cafe and have empanadas and fries that were fairly good.

Am resting this early afternoon and will take off toward the  Listarria area (within walking distance), where our tour guide said the best pisco sours and two good restaurants are.  We rested in the room until 4:30ish walked to that area, and went into the Chipe Libre (recommended by our future tour guide).  They have about 80 Pisco Sours on the menu, and we started with a Chilean Pisco Sour followed by a great braised beef plate (we split it).  Then had a great brownie with toffee sauce, and Lynne had a Sigh of Lemon dessert (sort of like a key lime pie in a glass).  We then followed up with a Peruvian Pisco Sour each.  Both were extremely good, and neither one of us could say one was better than the other.  We walked back to the hotel (I literally had to hold Lynne up), and she passed out on the bed as soon as we walked into the room.  

November 15 -- We had booked a day tour before we left home.  Wanted to go somewhere not on our actual tour.  Today's tour was to drive up into the Andes mountains ending at a set of thermal pools (hotsprings) from an extinct volcano.  Mike went into the pools (Lynne opted to stay dry).  He said it wasn't that hot (our hot tub Is hotter!  But it was interesting, but most interesting was driving in the mountains.  Mike thought the mountain terrain was spectacular.  Before we left the thermal area our guide had a picnic lunch set up.  Then on the way back we stopped at any interesting "Casa Chocolate".  We each had ice cream.  We had left the hotel this morning at 6:15 and got back to the hotel at 6 pm.  So we decided to just eat at the hotel restaurant again so we didn't have to walk anywhere!  Going to bed early again tonight! 

November 16 -- After the long day yesterday we slept in this morning -- it was great!  After breakfast here at the hotel, we took off to the Museum of PreColumbian Art that we didn't get to see Monday.  On the way, we stopped to see the changing of the guard (like Monday) and saw it to the end.  Interestingly, during the ceremony, the military band played "It's Not Unusual" by Tom Jones and another contemporary arrangement.  When we got to the museum, it was full of school kids and apparently not open to the public.  Sigh!  So then we tried to get a tour of the Congressional building (where the changing of the guard was) and today there were no tours.  Then we decided to go over to the Art Museum (where one of our fellow travelers on our tour yesterday had an exhibit on display).  We found the museum, but could not find his exhibit.  Our Spanish is very limited and has held us back on several occasions.  So, we then headed off to one of the restaurants our soon-to-be tour guide recommended and had an excellent Chilean version of an Italian lunch.  Of course, Lynne had to have a Pisco Sour -- I limited myself to a glass of Chilean Merlot (very good!).  We then traveled back to the hotel after our 10 mile hike and rested for the afternoon.  We will probably look for a small restaurant near by and have a small meal tonight.  

November 17 -- We had a tour scheduled for today and when we were picked up at 9 am, we found out we were the only 2 on the tour.  So Alex, our tour guide, was very friendly and spoke fairly good english.  He had lived in Dallas area for a number of years and has an American wife.  This tour took us to the west coast--west of Santiago.  We drove thru the countryside and saw avocado orchards as well as fruit (lemons and oranges) and many many strawberry fields.  The strawberries here are huge and look really good though we have not yet tried one.  We first stopped at a small town, Pomaire, where they are known for their pottery work.  We saw a few shops and bought a few things, then drove on to the coast.  We stopped at the coastal home of Pable Neruda, a Nobel prize winner poet from Chile, though he also served as an ambassador to France and also served in some government positions in Chile.  He apparently was a real character and his home (one of 3 in Chile) reflects that!  He had many unusual things in his home--maybe most strikingly a number of figureheads from old sailing ships in his living room.  We weren't allowed to take pictures inside the house, but needless to say the whole place was very eclectic!  He had collected most of it from all his travels around the world. 

Our guide then took us to a restaurant that was a seafood store and restaurant run by one family.  Lynne had salmon with a nice white sauce over it and Mike opted for chicken!  After lunch he drove us to several beach and port areas and then we headed back to Santiago getting back to the hotel about 5.  We decided to get a salad in the hotel restaurant (and a drink at the bar) and call it a night! 

November 18 -- We rose later and went down for breakfast.  We had everything packed and met our Uber driver at 9:45 am to be driven to our hotel for the tour, Intercontinental Santiago.  We met our guide, checked in and got our stuff settled in the room.  She then took us on a quick trip around the neighborhood to show us where restaurants, ATMs, etc were located.  At 2 pm we got on a bus and took a city tour.  We had seen some of those sites before on our walks but learned some new things too.  We ended at a restaurant for a Welcome dinner and then back to the hotel.  

November 19 -- Today after breakfast we met at the bus for a trip to Valparaiso which is on the coast about 72 miles away.  Once there we were let off the bus to walk down the narrow streets to see the varied architecture and murals and eclectic decorations.  Valparaiso was the main port on the west coast of South America until the Panama canal was built.  It suffered an economic recession but has slowly recovered as a resort town.  After we met the bus again, we were taken (way up the hills) to a family home that served us a delightful lunch, a normal Chilean meal.  We had a great meal and visit with native Valparaisans.  We left them and went to a neighboring city, Vina del Mar, then headed back to Santiago.  We got to the room in time for Mike to stream the UT-KU game on his laptop.  Since he couldn't tear himself away from the game, we ordered room-service pizza.  Tomorrow we fly south to Punta Montt (away about halfway down from Santiago to Cape Horn).   

November 20 --  We left the hotel in Santiago and went to the airport and flew to Punta Montt which is about half way between Santiago and the very tip of Chile.  From the airport we went directly to a indigenous Indian community in a very rural area.  For many years these people were made to forget their heritage and backgrounds and language, but they are  now trying to bring recognition and remembrance to back to it.  We participated in a welcome ceremony, helped prepare part of the dinner meal, a few played one of their games similar to field hockey and then we ate dinner with them.  It was a very interesting experience.  We left there and arrived at our hotel to check in by about 8:30 pm.  Thus we didn't get to do much work on the blog.

November 21 -- Our first destination after leaving the hotel was the Felmer Museum.  In the 1850s, many Germans immigrated to Chile in the Puerto Varas region.  This museum was put together by one family of descendants of the things they brought with them and the things they had to put together to survive in this area once they arrived.  Unlike Lynne's German ancestors who settled in central Texas, these settlers had a 3-month ship ride to reach their destination.  When they arrived, there was not much civilization--only the indigenous Indians and very thick forests that had to be cleared to make a place for their homes.  The museum was 3 levels in what was the family barn, and the tour was led by one of the daughters of the man who decided the museum needed to be set up to show what their people had to endure. She was interesting, and Lynne got to talk to her about their shared background!

From there, we drove up the road in the Vicente Perez National Park, where the Osorno volcano is located.  We went as high as 1400 meters  (about 4600 feet).  Mike and several of our group walked up a little higher, but we all had a choco-nac (hot chocolate with cognac).  We drove most of the way down the mountain and ate lunch at a nice lodge.  The lodge Is on a glacier lake, so after eating, we walked around, and our guide pointed out different trees and flowers that grow there.

We returned to the hotel for a short time before we left to split up into 3 groups to eat at private homes.  We were put with another couple and ate dinner at the home of a Chilean woman/American husband who hosted with their friends--Chilean man/American wife.  They served us a great meal (crafted beer, Pisco sours, wine, and then Pisco on the rocks), had a great view of the bay, and were great company.  Our host is a beer crafter in trade, and we did taste some of his beer -- it was quite good.  

November 22 -- We headed out early to drive to Chiloe Island.  We had to take a ferry across the island and then drive to the bird sanctuary.  We had to put on life jackets and ponchos over that because it was lightly raining.  You will see in the pictures the ingenious way they had to get us in the boat without standing in the water!  We had about 30 minutes of cruising around several islands where two species of penguins return in the summer (remember, summer down here is Dec to Feb) to mate.  The islanders there used to be fishermen, but now they dedicate themselves to protecting the islands for the penguins' habitat.  They do still fish some, but they are most focused on the bird's welfare.  No one is allowed on the islands, so you can only cruise to see them.  Unfortunately, Lynne's camera had not charged the night before (though it was plugged in), so we couldn't zoom in as well on the birds.  Once back at shore, they took us off the boat the same way!  Rain in this area is about 300 days per year.

From there, we went to a local home where they prepared lunch.  It was cooked in the ground with hot stones and then covered with the large leaves of the plant that is in the rhubarb family, as well as other greenery.  They served us in their house.  The meal consisted of sausage., pork, chicken, mussels, and various potatoes.  We did not try the mussels (not our thing), but everything else was really good.  For dessert, they served an apple dish.  After looking at their yard and garden, we returned to the ferry and the hotel.  At 6:15, we met in the bar for a pisco sour-making lesson.  After we had a short tour of the town (where the stores are, etc.) then, we were on our own for dinner.  We ate at a local restaurant and shared a hamburger.  On the way back, we stopped for gelato!

November 23 -- We had a late departure today because we are flying to Punta Arenas (very south Chile), but the only flights available were to fly back to Santiago, then fly Santiago to Punta Arenas -- a long day.  We had free time until 11, and Lynne went shopping, but unfortunately, the stores don't open until 11.  At 11:30, we left to go to a market (mostly a fish market), where we also ate lunch.  The airplane ride to Santiago was no problem, but the flight to Punta Arenas was delayed as they had overbooked, so we finally got to the hotel after midnight!

November 24 -- We had a tour guide, Diego, today.  He showed us around the downtown area on a walking tour.  We had free time for lunch and shopping, then at 3, we got on the bus to see some things further out in Punta Arenas.  We went first to the city cemetary--which was very different.  Lots of family mausoleums but the interesting thing was the rows of cypress trees separating the rows of graves.  They are kept trimmed so it was easy to walk down the rows.  Next we went to the industrial area to a spot on the Straits of Magellan where they have replicas of Magellan's ship, the Victoria. and the Beagle which is the ship Charles Darwin travelled on when he did is world trip of exploration.  Not sure how they survived so long on these ships as they were sparse and the stairs to go below were not easy to climb up or down and we were on solid ground.  On a rolling sea or in a storm, it would have been very treacherous!  One last surprise before heading to the restaurant for dinner--we stopped by a inlet of the bay where there were a number of flamingos!  They migrate here for the summer, but we were all so surprised to see flamingos in such a cool environment.  Speaking of cool--the weather today was sunny and nice but cool.  But the wind was blowing so hard!  In downtown they even have railings at several corners to hold on to when walking because the wind here can blow as high as 100-150 kilometers/hour.  We had several gusts today that almost knocked you down!

November 25 -- We left Punta Arenas at 10 to drive to Punta Natales (somewhat north of PA and much more remote).  It was over a 3-hour ride.  We drove through Punta Natales to a ranch where we were to eat lunch.  They had a lamb roasting over a fire, and once inside, we were served pisco sours, then sat down to eat lunch.  They had lettuce, tomato with marinated onions, a sort of pico de Gallo, and a smooth red sauce that was somewhat spicy already on the table.  Then they came around with a potato for each person and brought out pans with a space below for hot coals to keep the lamb warm.  We all helped ourselves.  We also had mayonnaise on the tale, and after inquiring what it was for, the answer was they put it on their potatoes along with the pico de Gallo and the hot sauce.  It was all very good.  We were served flan for dessert.  After lunch, we had a demonstration of sheep herding--probably 30 sheep with 4 sheep dogs running around, keeping them corraled in a circle--amazing control!  Then one of the women put on her poncho, hat, and boots with spurs and did a horse riding demonstration.  It was all very interesting, but Lynne stayed mostly inside and watched thru the door or a window as the wind was blowing really hard, and it rained off and on.  When we finally left, we drove to our hotel, the Remota Patagonia Lodge.  It was built to be very ecological and use as many native materials as possible.  The only thing they don't have is an elevator, and we were on the second floor.  At seven, we all met for cocktails, then a nice buffet dinner.

Mike's notes:  We have been here for almost 10 days now and have noticed that they serve very few vegetables with their main meals.  It seems like it is almost always meat and potatoes (or rice).  Down here in the south, it is too cool to grow crops, so all vegetables have to come from central Chile.  The people are very friendly, and pedestrians have the right of way when crossing the street.  For the most part, they seem to have similar problems as the US -- rampant inflation, high cost of gasoline, and wages not keeping up with either.   They also have a fair amount of illegal immigration from Venezuela and Cuba.  Actually, their inflation is almost mind-boggling -- every Thursday, the price of gasoline goes up.  

November 26 -- We were off at 8 am to go to the east side of Torres del Paine National Park -- the park. is very big.  We go to the west side tomorrow.  Our driver and guide would slow down whenever there were animals to see.  The park is called Torres del Paine because of the three tower formations (Torres) and they thought they were blue (Paine).  The scenery is really beautiful (glacier lakes and rivers, regular lakes and interesting rock formations).  We saw rhea (in the emu family), guanaco (in the llama family), a fox far away, and many types of birds.  We stopped at a rest station for a nice lunch, and after lunch, a number of our group took a 2-mile walk (Lynne stayed in the rest area as they said there were many inclines on the walk).  Then we headed back to the hotel arriving at about 5:15 pm. (Static in video from wind).  Mike's comments:  As I said before, the Chileans are very friendly and proud of their country.  Most want a better way of life and would be eager to migrate to the US if they had the means.  

November 27 -- We left this morning to go to the national park's west side.  We stopped at several places to view the back of the mountains we had seen the day before.  At one stop, we took a hike down to a beach of a glacier lake (the beach is a loose term as the whole area is rock--small to larger ones which made it somewhat difficult to walk on).  From the beach, you could see the Grey glacier and some icebergs that had fallen off.  We went to a camping park where our guides cooked lunch for us, and we sat at a table in a camping shelter area.  After lunch, we visited several other areas for picture opportunities, including a waterfall.  The pictures below are not totally in the order we saw them as they started to run together when we went back to look at them.

November 28 -- Today we left early to go to a nearby dock and get on a boat.  The boat ride took us out to two different glaciers.  The first one, the Serrano glacier, had a 30-minute walk ending by the glacier and the lake below it that then flowed out into the fiord (called the Lost Hope fiord).  Mike walked the whole trail, Lynne went with two other women on the short 5 minute walk to see the glacier.  It didn't calf while we were watching it.  We got back on the boat and went by the second glacier which ended above the water level and you could see he rivulets of water dripping down into the fiord.  We then went onto an estancia (essentially a small ranch) where they served us lunch.  There were people from our boat and another one so they served about 200 people in a special building they had built for this purpose.  Once again we had the barbequed lamb, chicken and sausage and potatoes..  Once back on the boat, we headed back to Puerto Natales and to our hotel.  We had a short 30 min break and then a number of us went into the town square to look around and shop a little.  Mike abstained.  Every night dinner has been at 7 pm with cocktails right before and then we come up to our room to write this blog!

November 29 -- This is probably our last entry for the next couple of days.  Today we traveled back to Punta Arenas, the flew to  Santiago.  We checked into our hotel (Intercontinental Santiago (as before), and then several of us walked to a local restaurant for one last round of pisco sours and empanadas!  We took no pictures today.

Tomorrow we leave the hotel at 10:30 and go to visit the Santa Rita winery for tasting and lunch.  From the winery we will be taken to the Santiago airport, where almost all of us have late evening departures back to the US.  We should be back in Sunrise Beach late afternoon on Dec 1st.  

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Mike's notes:  We have really enjoyed Chile.  It seems to be one of the more modern countries in South America and definitely has a bunch of pride.  The people are friendly, and there seems to be no terrorist activity within the country.  If I were a few years younger, I would move down here and teach database administration.  

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