Originally when we planned this holiday we had allocated today for a boat trip to see penguins. However as we had already done that on Tuesday, and given the boat journey was six hours there and six hours back, we decided to pass and walk down to the port and promenade. Having been chilled to the bone yesterday, we togged up warmly and walked down a few block to the sea front. Given it was the longest day, a Sunday too, there wasn't exactly hundreds on the prom. ...

Today we had a tour of Punta Arenas on foot. Despite togging up for the trip there was a bitter wind which seemed to penetrate every layer of clothing. Apart from that it was mainly sunny with a few clouds. The place we are staying is south of the centre, maybe a fifteen minute walk from the centre. Our first stop was the obligatory statue of General Bernardo O'Higgins. Virtually every town in Chile has one and he is typically depicted on horseback. Sadly there w...

Neither of us slept well as we were both aware that we had to be up early to catch the bus to Punta Arenas. Joan was also aware that the local government settlement had been announced the day before, and after a plea on Facebook, Caitlin sent her the spreadsheets. Dire news for the north. The taxi came and hurtled around the street as if it was in Grand Theft Auto and dropped us off at the bus departure point. Despite its length the journey passed quickly. Initia...

Always the least favourite bit of the holiday is preparing to go home. We left our cabanas and our new friends, the cats about 11. After thanking the hosts we headed north towards Rancagua where we planned to spend the night. On the TV before we left, the main story was the toxic smoke that was covering Santiago and three other regions. This is from the forest fires that have been raging all around. So far the days in the lakes have been crystal clear, but toda...

Having sorted out our battery problem, today we visited the Parque Nacional Conguillio and Volcan Llaima. The entrance was 28 km from Curacautin down a ripio road. Just before the entrance the woods opened up and there was Volcan Llaima and fields of ash. Llaima last erupted in 2008 whilst we were visiting Chile but unfortunately we were in the far north at the time. It was an awesome site and it is difficult to believe that something that looks so permanent and...