From Bariloche, we take a 5-6h bus to Puerto Montt (500$AR/person), one of the most important transportation hubs in Chile. So important that there is a screen (like at the airport) with the bus departures and their location Day 1: Puerto Montt After 3 weeks of deserted streets in Patagonia, it is a bit of a shock to see so many people in the streets, hence a false impression of insecurity in Puerto Montt We could have taken a bus to go directly to Castro, but we really have a lot of time to waste so why not spend a night here, just to learn about the city and the…

We are on December 24th, at the water’s edge, in a super picturesque stilts hut near Castro (Chiloé Island) In the middle of the evening, JB tells me that we hear waves, it’s completely abnormal. We have been here for 4 days and this is the first time we hear some. JB thinks of a big boat passing by, I think directly of a tsunami. A small check on Twitter tells us that a very small earthquake has just taken place 30 minutes ago super far from here and that no tsunami warning has been given. JB blames me for being paranoid since our two earthquakes in Burma & New…

After fleeing Chile like thieves because their Spanish was too hard to understand, we are back after 3 weeks of youth hostels in Argentina where we spoke more English than Spanish.Too accustomed to the deserted streets of Patagonia, finding civilization in Puerto Montt seemed a little strange to us.Well, now it’s time to put our Spanish to the test in Chile and see the progress (or lack thereof).JB reserves a hospedaje (guest house). Who says “guest house” says “nobody speaks English here”.The owner is really nice but she doesn’t speak English at all. However, she seems to want to talk with us. Let’s go for it! I try to ask…

Torres del Paine has been presented to us in many guides and blogs as the dream destination for hikers. Who says “hiking” says “it’s not for us”. Luckily, we decided to dig a little deeper and discovered that it was quite possible to drive there for a day trip. We have two choices: (1) Ushuaia -> Puerto Natales. One night in Puerto Natales then day trip the next day. Another night in Puerto Natales before taking the bus to El Calafate (Civitatis link) (2) Ushuaia -> El Calafate. One night in El Calafate, then day trip from/to El Calafate (Civitatis reservation link) After calculation, option 2 suits us better (no…

After these first mixed impressions of Chile, we decide to flee to Argentina to see if we can understand their Spanish better. If we have to leave, we might as well go to Ushuaia. However, to go to Ushuaia, we first have to go to Punta Arenas, which is on the Chilean side. Part 1: Travel Diaries Part 2: Practical Tips Part 1: Travel Diaries As we are in mode “Let’s run away, quickly!”, we booked the flight the day before to Punta Arenas and the bus to Ushuaia 2 days in advance. For the plane, there were only 9 seats left I think and we did very well by…

I warn you: this isn’t a very joyful post. Morale has fallen well during these first 4 days in Chile. Our biggest problem is communication. We understand NOTHING in Chilean Spanish. Let me give you a simple example. We only wanted to do laundry at our hotel. After 5 minutes, we finally understand that the guy has a washing machine and is going to do it for us. “Cuanto cuesta?” (how much does it cost?), it’s not a difficult question isn’t it? and the guy answers us with a monologue where we can’t even understand a single word. Why make it complicated when you can make it simple? Following this…