Another Land Down Under

Chiloe is the nucleus of the forty islands in an archipelago 1200 km south of Santiago. The Spanish displaced the native population during the 16th century but Chiloe remained isolated for a long time. The preservation of its simple traditions has made it a popular destination that features one of the few temperate rainforests in the world. To offset the often wet and rather gloomy weather many of the houses and boats are brightly painted.   It has a lot in common with the Sunshine Coast!                            A museum in the town of Dalcahue tells the history of the settlers. During the early years Chiloe was the main producer of South America's railroad ties and an important landing for foreign whalers. The world's largest animal, the blue whale, resides off the northwest coast. Chilean researchers have learned a lot about this species that for decades teetered on the verge of extinction. The m...

The inspiration for our entire trip began with a desire to experience the magnificent spires of Torres del Paine National Park. In addition to its distinctive peaks the setting is known for its icebergs, glaciers, photogenic lakes and grasslands. Like most hikers we chose the W route which requires five days. We added an extra 24 hours to provide flexibility that would improve our chances of clear views at the main lookouts. Fair skies and a  glimpse of the famous granite towers greeted us.           Paine is an old Aboriginal word that means blue , a colour that is on display throughout the park. After registering at the entrance we boarded a bus to where we'd catch a catamaran across Lake Pehoe to the Paine Grande ranger station. Along the way we saw some guanacos, the rarest South American camelid. They're closely related to llamas.        The hike to Refugio Grey is 11 km, mostly up and down until the ve...