Chile - Santiago - Patagonia

After a crazy week packing the house and finalizing almost everything in Bogota we headed for our first official stop, Chile.

Friends and family! Sometimes that's all you need.

Santiago was dedicated to Lili's family and renewing her passport and drivers license. After a failed first attempt where Lili was asked to try to read line 5 for her eye exam (she saw everything except the letters), it took a quick visit to the optometrist and 3 days to get her license, now with a brand new pair of glasses.

set and ready, we headed to La Escondida, a beautiful house in the shore of Lake Bertrand in the Chilean Patagonia. After a quick flight we met Paulo and Mauro at Balmaceda airport and immediately started our 4 hour roadtrip on the Carretera Austral.
Nothing that we can write could describe the overwhelming elegance and majestic scenery of Cordón Contreras and Lago General Carrera.  The boat ride gave us a glimpse of Campos de Hielo Norte and turquoise water rivaling the most exotic Caribbean beaches (we'll maybe minus the warmth). We were speechless.

We were welcomed by a group of people ready to make us feel as comfortable and warm as possible. Fires were lit and the cabins felt like home. Menus were defined (and changed), but the potatoes never failed.

Our first few days included fly fishing lessons, trolling fishing, Exploring the property, and hiking an island full of wild sheep. Being the only humans among the sheep, we soon discoverred that these sheep ruled the island, fearless of strangers. The alpha sheep made us move quickly out of their sight.

The big hit and King Fisher was Mauricio who caught and released 7 trout, naming them as his own (Mauricio the 1st, 2nd and so on). Everyday was a fishing day and we were soon trained. Fish were named as our own too (Paulo the 1st, Lili the 1st, Riggs almost the 1st, 2nd and 3rd).

Later we went rafting on the Baker river with its big and fast Rapids.  The day was gloomy, but our determination and team spirit were high.  We were known as Las Truchas.

Max and Benja joined us later in the week and the fun continued with an amazing lamb cooked in the Patagonian style.

We went horse back riding and visited the confluence of the rivers Baker and Neff.  We also visited the marble chapels, among other things.

We had a blast, and loved every minute. Patagonia is amazing and adding friends makes it even better.

Thanks Camilo for organizing this amazing experience, thanks everyone who helped made our stay memorable Ledy, Nelson, Arcadio, Santos, Silvio and Farty the horse.

Special thanks to Diego and Wanda who hosted Max and Benja and for showing all of us a great time in Coyhaique. Gracias primo!

Thanks again for joining us Paulo, Mauro, Max and Benja!