We saw this from the window of the airplane

Punto Arenas – summer-brrr

Beautiful port – hearty residents. Our Airbnb hosts live here for 35 years – working g in petroleum industry

We gave rides to about 20 hitchhikers- popular with Chilean university students – so fun! And a great way to practice our Spanish. Eco friendly too!

We hiked 8 miles to the Chaitén volcano. Whew!

We really enjoyed our stay in Chaiten and here are a few photos of our hike to the glacier in day one.

….we have just landed in Chaiten and taken a step away from civilization!

No WiFi. Fresh fish. Drink water from glaciers. Amazing Chaiten – the Carretera Austral- road to the area – paved & gravel was completed in 1984. Before that it was a 5 day boat trip to Puerto Montt – large town. A devastating volcano buried Chaitén in 2008 & government told residents to abandon the town. …of course they did not…but many had to abandon their homes for months. No wAter. No electricity for 2 years. It is still very sleepy and earning a living is very difficult.

Benefits of loose travel plans is to make changes. We decided that exploring the hinterlands of Chile’s verde Patagonia could Not be missed. Tricky ferry reservations, scarce lodging in tiny towns and renting a car & navigating mountain roads made this an adventure with huge rewards.

Greg has not driven a car in 8 weeks & he successfully navigated his way to the first ferry on the island of Chiloé. Beautiful

Our Airbnb hosts welcomed us with flashlights as we navigated narrow country lanes – charming! Then prepared a warm delicious breakfast for us at 5:00 so we could make our ferry

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We hopped on a bus & took a ride across the Andes from Valdivia to Pucon. Pucon is in the shadow of a beautiful volcano and stunning lake which is best enjoyed in peace at 8:00 in the morning – instead of shared with thousands of others at 3:00.

A bus ride to the National park offers amazing & rigorous hiking. Beautiful vistas & old timber forests.