Tigre delta

Swimming in the Tigre delta

Mat took us to the Tigre delta the day before Sarah left to catch some sun and do a bit of swimming, lots of mosquitos on the Island we were on, and some people who were very suspicious of the foreigners walking around! We spent a most pleasant afternoon swimming and throwing mud at each other.

Looks like the Proct was at the helm of this one!

The pier where we spent the day swimming

One of the many channels throughout the island, mosquito central!

Typical house on the Islands of the Tigre

Mat looking pleased with himself on the journey to the Island

Santiago

Santiago is surrounded by huge Andean peaks and is the most picturesque city I have ever visited, only beating Vancouver because of the amazing architecture to be found throughout the city. 

Due to the number of earthquakes Santiago has endured you often see old style colonial buildings with modern buildings built next them where the previous building collapsed or was badly damaged. Walking around the backstreets of the city many stunning buildings can be seen.

We visited Mercado central which is a fish market just outside the city centre where you can also eat freshly caught and prepared seafood dishes, and the restraunt owners haggle with each other for your custom. The food is delicious!

You can also buy a Completo (highly recommended) which is a hot dog with avocado, diced tomatoe, mayonaise and sometimes saurkraut all for the bargain price of around 45 pence, delicious and a total bargain!! 

Mercado central fish market

Telefonica tower

Old and new

The view from Cerro Santa Lucia in the centre of Santiago, aka the heavy petting zoo due to the huge number of amorous couples to be found lurking on benches and in bushes!

The bottom of Cerro Santa Lucia

The best completo's in all of Chile come from this stall!! All for the price of 45 pence!!!!

The most beautiful backdrop for a city apart from the smog, photo taken from Cerro Cristobal a huge park/hill near to the city centre

Lots of melted candles at the top of Cerro Cristobal next to a huge Mary statue and accessed by the shadiest gondola I have had the pleasure of riding in.

One of the many intricately adorned buildings

Palm lined street

Chanco

This little blighter or one of his friends got into my shoe and gave my toe a nasty sting

Pacific ocean

Traditional fishing method with the biggest rod I've ever seen!!

Sunset through coastal Monterrey pine plantation

We arrived in the small coastal town of Chanco on the day of their annual gaucho rodeo! Lots of horses and "weekend" gauchos. 

The journey to Chanco from Talca was interesting as we passed through forestry country and saw quite literally hundreds of small sawmills and one huge one in the town of Constitution.

Chanco itself was very picturesque, but after two days we had run out of things to do and decided to make a beeline for Santiago and civilisation.

Parque National Huerquehue

Volcan Villarrica

Huge spires jutting out from the surrounding mountains, About two hours later we walked through the area where all the boulders come crashing through the forest shattering huge trees like twigs! 

Walking near the top of the tree line on the way back from the thermal springs to the park entrance.

One of the 4 thermal baths, this was the really hot one 90 C

Algae growing in the hot pool

Parque National Huerquehue is situated near to the Argentine border amongst the lower hills of the Andes and is without doubt the most magnificent area of forest and mountains I have ever seen with my own eyes. Not only is it stunningly beautiful but it has very few visitors making it a very tranquil and magical place.

Our first few days we stayed at the National park campsite and were camped next to a lago, that you could swim in, drink fro and fish in, although the fish didn't seem too bothered about eating any of my elaborately created hook set ups or spinners!

We then decided to trek to a thermal spring on the far side of the park, this took us through mile upon mile of the most pristine forest composed of Southern Beech (Nothofagus) and Monkey puzzle (Araucaria araucana) full of woodpeckers, innumerable insects, and Aguilas (Large hawk) as well as puma's which we were not fortunate enough to see, though Sarah swears something growled at her!

After a night wild camping we walked for three hours to the thermal baths for a well deserved beer and sit in the pools and river.

Trekking through Pristine untouched old growth forest

Monster Monkey Puzzle

Taking a breather on the trek to the thermal springs.

Araucaria forest

More Araucaria

One of the eight pristine Lago's in the park

One of the many monster trees

A nice waterfall for cooling down in

Lizzy the lizard on my fishing log

Kingfisher, more likely kingstickcatcher!

Ferry from Puerto Chacubuco to Puerto Montt

After two days in Puerto Aisen we got the ferry from Puerto Chacabuco headed for Puerto Montt. Getting on the ferry we were pleasantly surprised to find that for the equivalent of £41 that we got a cabin with bunks in it! 

After sleeping for eight hours I awoke to find that the ferry was just leaving the port after spending the night loading her. Which was great as I had been thinking that we would miss all the great scenery with a night time departure, thankfully not, as we had breakfast we were treated to a feast for our eyes as numerous waterfalls and huge landslides could be seen from the galley. 

The first twelve hours were very calm with splendid scenery all around, until we crossed the Golfo Corcovado, where the channels we were travelling up have no land protection from the Pacific. Almost everyone disappeared below immediately as the boat began to pitch and roll (sometimes wildly) for three to four hours, before getting to the shelter offered by Isla Grande de Chiloe.

The ships positioning system

Islands

Looking back towards Islas Las Huichas in the Canal Moraleda

Hermit house

Massive waterfall

2hours into the journey

Moody waterfall

Puerto Aysen

We spent 2 days in the small town of Puerto Aysen between leaving Coyhique and getting the ferry from Puerto Chacubuco, we did try to stay in Chacubuco but there was no campsite and only 1 hotel, which was a five star and slightly out of budget.

Puerto Aysen is not the prettiest of towns and doesn't see too much gringo action so we were a bit  of a novelty! We stayed in what could be loosely described as a hospedaje, but was more like a doss house for workers in the town. 

The surrounding countryside was fantastic though and seldom explored, waterfalls and condors everywhere and the odd glacier here and there.

Wildman in the wilds!

Sarah amongst the debris at the bottom of a cascada

Another day another glacier

Thistles grow in Chile too!

Waterfall central