Our overnight ‘cama’ bus from San Pedro to La Serena on the Chilean coast about two thirds of the way to Santiago was great. Tur Bus have excellent coaches and our seats were very comfortable. We had even managed to book the front seats on the top deck so we were treated with spectacular views of the countryside as we made our way south on the Pan American Highway which virtually hugs the coast as it winds it way between the sea and the Andes.We arrived in La Serena at about 9.30 on the morning of Thursday 7th February and checked in at our hostal which was really lovely. Close to the bus station and only a short walk from the centre of town it had many rooms set around sunny courtyards with friendly staff and a really nice atmosphere. I really liked La Serena. It was quite a small town but very pretty and laid back. We only spent a couple of days there, wandering around town and down to the beach where we ate a meal on our last evening overlooking the sea. It was a very relaxing place to break our journey to Santiago.
On the morning of Saturday 9th Feb we caught yet another bus for the six hour journey to Santiago. During the day and with great views the journey wasn’t bad at all and before we knew it we were in a taxi on our way from the bus station to our hostel in Chile’s (very European looking) capital city. With only one afternoon to spend in Santiago on this visit (we are going back later in the trip) Simon was determined to visit the Patagonia clothing store (earlier in the trip he lost his lightweight down jacket and with a trip down south on the cards he needs something warm to wear) so we set out to find the out of town mall. After lots of head shaking from our hostel manager at the distance of the mall from central Santiago, we hopped on the subway to the end of the line and picked up a taxi there. It actually wasn’t too far and was well worth the visit. Those of you who know me well will be aware that two months of shopping deprivation is a very long time and this mall was certainly a great antidote. It was probably the best mall that we’ve ever been too, fantastic shops, great prices and beautifully landscaped. We indulged in a little retail therapy, Simon left a happy man having picked up a new down jacket and as we sat back in the sun sipping our Starbucks Frappuccinos I must admit that I felt a little restored! Our stay in Santiago was fleeting and I’m already looking forward to going back.
The next day (Sunday 10th) we flew from Santiago to Ushuaia in Argentina. Known locally as La Fin del Mundo (the end of the world), Ushuaia sits at the tip of Tierra del Fuego, a
n island to the south of Patagonia and is one of the most southerly settlements in the world. Along with it’s beautiful surrounding mountains, lakes and glaciers, Ushuaia is also the start and end to most Antarctic cruises. With the enormous cruise liners and smaller expedition style boats come many travellers and tourists needing places to stay, eat and drink (and also a whole heap of marine style souvenirs if today’s Princess Cruises disembarkees were anything to go by!). The town is actually quite a nice place to while away a few days which is just what we’ve been doing. After yet another bumpy approach and clap-worthy landing (you’ll get bored reading about them soon: I know you all think it’s just me but the woman behind me gasped louder than I did and even Simon was quiet as we tossed and turned in the turbulence and seemed to fall out of the sky as we hit thermal after thermal!) at the tiny airport in Ushuaia we got a taxi all of about a kilometre to our hostel which was situated just outside of the main town (about a 20 minute walk away). The hostel was great. Lovely rooms, clean bathrooms a kitchen so that we could cook for ourselves and really helpful staff. We dropped off our luggage and headed straight for town…we were on a mission. Some of you will recall our ramblings about how we’ve heard that if you turn up in Ushuaia, you can sometimes pick up discounted tickets for trips to Antarctica…not sure how many of you thought it was a real possibility and I’m not sure that I even did. However we went straight to the Tourist Information Office and were directed to a couple of agencies who sometimes sell such tickets. The first (and we’d been told, most likely) had nothing that worked date or price wise for us and we left feeling a quite deflated. While trying to find another of the agencies that had been plotted on our map for us (to no avail: it had clearly been plotted in the wrong place) we stumbled across a sign outside a hostel come tour agency that said Last Minute Antarctica. Not feeling too optimistic, in we went. We regurgitated the question again…We would like to go to Antarctica, do you have anything available? To our surprise and delight, they did! We are booked to set sail on board the MS Polaris (a GAP Adventures boat) on Monday 18th February for 10 days. We saved a lot of money in the process and feel both very proud of ourselves and extremely excited about the prospect of visiting somewhere so remote and different to anywhere either of us has ever been before.With the Antarctica trip booked and sorted we then had to work out what we wanted to do in the mean time. Reluctant to travel too far away from Ushuaia due to the difficulties in finding transport back (this time of year is really busy and buses and planes get booked up well in advance) we decided to spend a day or two in Ushuaia and then head out into the countryside on Tierra del Fuego to stay in a couple of traditional estancias (ranches).
Yesterday we went on an organised 4x4 off road Land Rover tour to the lakes outside Ushuaia. The trip was great with a visit to a Husky breeding centre, some exciting off road driving and a fabulous Argentinian asado (barbeque) for lunch. Our guide was fantastic and provided not only lots of information but some added fun along the way (look out for the video, which I’ll post soon, of our driverless Land Rover experience!) and the others on our trip made the whole day a real success.
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