Mexico>Brazil, via everywhere!
 Santiago, Chile to Puerto Madryn, Argentina (Patagonia) Our return to Chile through the snowy Andes proved to be something of a double-edged sword. The capital city Santiago on a clear day affords the kind of views from Cerro San Cristobal and Santa Lucia you have to pinch yourself for, with snow-capped mountains backing the city skyline like a protective figure. Even the layer of perma-smog that lingers above the metropolis gives it that extra mystical quality, if you can forget that it is going into your lungs too, that is. The city itself could be in Europe for its wide tree-lined boulevards, Japan for its countless sushi bars, the US for its million hot dog stands and malls and France for its... err... dog shit and skiing(!). Luckily for us, Dom`s birthday coincided with a huge `dump` (as one Aussie eloquently put it) of snow the day before, which meant that we spent an amazing day on the piste on fine powdery snow, ploughing our way through the Andes with clear blue skies, incredible mountain scenery and huge smiles - after my habitual 30min prelude of falling over incessantly and Tourettes-style swearing, of course. By the end of the day I was proud to be completing blue runs with NO FALLS, which to the versed skier sounds trivial but to me definitely ranks as a major personal achievement. We topped the day off with amazing sushi and bottles of wine. Which leads us nicely into our last highlight of Chile, visiting the Concha y Toro vineyards and Italian-styled country mansion, including the Casillero del Diablo cellar which despite the cheesy audio tour (yup, speakers installed in the cellars folks) felt like we were coming home to roost. Alas, the rest of Chile for us was rather anti-climactic. Valparaiso we quickly renamed Malparaiso, as despite an amazing hostel and some quirky attributes seemed littered with graffiti, dog dirt and millions of chaotically entangled electricity cables. Nearby Vina del Mar had an authentic Rapa Nui (Easter Island) statue and a nice enough beach, but after the idylls of Central America we were soon clock-watching. And the `Lake District` further south welcomed us not with open arms, but open heavens as it rained unremittingly for days. The one highlight, Pucon`s active volcano, was again shrouded in cloud - the third anti-Anglo volcano we have encountered so far. So, way ahead of schedule, we decided to cross the border once more and return to the land of the Great Steak. Enchanting Bariloche was our first stop in Patagonia and perched on the banks of the Nehal Huapi lake in Argentina almost looks like a microscopic Switzerland, with alpine buildings crafted from Patagonian wood, snowy mountains, shimmering lakes and the obligatory chocolate shops. By the time we had left this place we had been to five different chocolate shops, Frantoms being my favourite (`The Frantom Menace` became my pseudonym) and all ridiculously addictive. The scenery here was just as special as you imagine Patagonia to be in your mind. One particular lookout Cerro Campanario holds the privilege of once being voted UNESCO`s Best View in the World. True enough, the 360o panorama of a patchwork landscape of green fir-filled islets, meandering lakes and snow-topped peaks was beyond comprehension. It was in nearby San Martin that we enjoyed another of our trip highlights and something that will be difficult to forget - winter dog sledding through the fir-tree forest. With six blue-eyed huskies chomping at the bit to pull us through the forest, we sat in our own sled and were taken on our best mode of transport yet. The sky was blue, yet somehow it was snowing, the snow was perfect white (except for where the huskies left their yellow marks) and the trees had a fresh layer of the white stuff to complete our picture postcard winter wonderland. The dogs were just adorable, although they seemed to urinate every 3 seconds, sometimes on each other, and never wanted to stop running. Perhaps they were being fed amphetamines in their Winalot! This was, for us, a totally amazing day. Southward bound we continued, feeling like Che in `The Motorcycle Diaries` (although `The Long Distance Coach Diaries` has much less of a ring to it) to Calafate, the lowest point, geographically(!), we had ever been. Setting off on this 24hr journey we saw sun rise over the jagged peaks and witnessed the day slowly change its palette of colours from deep crimson to orange to green. Then time seemed to take on a surreal deconstructed and decelerated quality as the lake scenery gave rise to barren and monochrome views that seemed to last for hours, days, possibly even months had I not had access to a watch. This to me was the essence of Patagonia; profound and perpetual, like the corner of the earth that time left off the list. In Calafate we met two other writers for the HostelTrail website we work for and struck up a friendship not only based on our work but also our love of mid-range Cabernet Sauvignon that led to many a late night (we blame Kate and James, although in truth we are equally guilty). We also hired a car together to check out the Perito Moreno glacier, one of only three glaciers that are not retreating. The results are deafening and electrifying, as huge shards of the 30km long glacier suddenly collapse into the water below. This happened once for us very early on when no-one else was around making it eerier and all the more incredible. It was the first glacier I has seen and its turquoise-hued brilliance sent me into a photographic frenzy like no other.Aside from cooking our own amazing steaks and staggering home at 5am, the cold in Calafate was pretty testing so our last stop in Patagonia beckoned - Puerto Madryn. We had come here principally to see right-back whales but winds meant we had to wait three days for the port to re-open, in a town whose aesthetic appeal was comparable to Anne Widdicombe. So, again, we ended up over-consuming wine with Kate and James, whose hostel has its own indoor climbing wall, much to our 3am amusement. When we did eventually make the boat trip to see the whales, it was an alarming sight as children, old women and grown men all struggled to remain their dignity and succumbed to sea-sickness. Those who didn`t were desperately trying to get the ultimate whale photo whilst the line of the horizon was yo-yo-ing frenetically on our wind-rattled boat. We decided it was better to give up on photos and just enjoy it, as the whales swam next to our boat, spurting air through their blowholes just metres away. We couldn`t believe how huge they looked close-up, it was truly breathtaking. Back on dry land we toured the Valdes Peninsula and saw elephant seals, skunks and armidillos, all of which were first-time spots for me. So it was probably worth the wait after all.... and so was the next overnight bus journey to Buenos Aires, without doubt one of our most eagerly anticipated stops yet!!
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Diary Photos
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