ALIVE!!! (take 3)

We know we haven't updated the blog in a couple of days. We're not dead, in case you were worried. We've had only spotty access to the internet over the last week, as we arrived in Bariloche only to leave again on a loooooong road trip (the famous 7 Lakes Road), followed by a trek up in the Andes (the equally famous Circuito Chico in Nahuel Huapi National Park).

More photos to come once we've had a chance to shower, eat an entire cow at the local parrilla, and sleep for a solid 8 hours.

In the meantime, here's a taste of the incredible scenery we've been enjoying:

Nahuel Huapi lake

12 January 2010

Picture of the day: morning kayaking on the Puntra River in Chepu, Chiloé.

We intended to do a nice little 2-hour kayak trip at dawn. We actually did a 5-hour marathon starting at 8am--hey, it may not be Patagonia, but the sun still rises really early here! People sometimes joke about trekkers who end up looking like little human T-Rex's (massive muscle-bound legs, itty-bitty puny arms). After this kayaking trip, I think that won't be so much a problem for us. By the fourth hour, my arms were ready to fall off. Massive biceps, here I come!

11 January 2010

Picture of the day: palafitos (traditional houses on stilts) in Castro, Chiloé.

10 January 2010

Picture of the day: fishing boats in the tiny town of Quemchi on Chiloé.

This is where we stopped for lunch--a big bowl of curanto, or a traditional stew of mussels, clams, pork, and potatoes. (I suggest only the brave click that link to find out how the stew is made. After Torres, I fear no food poisoning!)

The churches of Chiloé

We caught a very early flight out of Punta Arenas and arrived in the Chilean Lakes District with plenty of time to rent a car and hightail it to the Isla de Chiloé. What a change from Patagonia! It was all rolling hills and tiny fishing hamlets. And rain. (Did I mention the rain?)

Chiloé is famous for its churches, which are built out of wood and painted wonderful colors. The blue church above was down a long, long dirt road, in a town of about 600 people called Tenuán.

The ceiling of this small church was painted light blue, with stars.

The church in Quemchi, also painted brightly.

The interior of the church in Castro (the capital of Chiloé), built completely out of native hardwood.

9 January 2010

Picture of the day: a totally unreal sunset in Punta Arenas (timestamp: 11pm). No photoshop involved, I swear!

Goodbye, Patagonia

On our last day in "real" Patagonia (technically, I think the Lakes District is considered Patagonia by the Argentinian government, probably just so they can label wine as Patagonian!), we traveled back to Punta Arenas, where we had flown in nearly a month before. Our bus made it into town with just enough time to run to the docks and catch a boat, all so we could fulfill Allison's final Patagonian wish:

PENGUINS. PENGUINS. PENGUINS.

We sat down for another (knee-agonizing) 2 hours to make it to Isla Magdalena. Totally worth it.

There are 69,000 breeding pairs of Magellanic Penguins on the island. I tried to fit them all in this picture, but some were hiding in their burrows.

A set of penguin chicks, looking very cute. They're starting to lose their gray fuzz and develop the distinctive black-and-white feathering of adult penguins.

I stared at the pengüinos, and some of them stared back.