JFK -> PTY ( Copa Airlines)
Check-in at JFK required me to show me leaving Chile at some point. Wasn't expecting that so luckily I had internet to show my bus ticket towards Argentina. I packed extremely light so no check-in for me. Here is my packing list:
1 sweater
1 fleece
1 waterproof jacket
5 pairs of underwear
2 pairs of pants
3 pairs of socks
1 pair of Hiking Boots
1 pair of casual shoes
Toothbrush/paste
A few tiny soaps
Phone Charger
GoPro
Daypack
and a dream!
Ended up going to the SWISS lounge to kill time which was completely dead.
Slept pretty well considering they are pretty much domestic J seats and arrived in Panama City in the early morning. I juggled with the idea of doing a 5 hour tour but hearing how bad the traffic was, I decided to just hang out at the lounge. Lounge was terrible, couldn't even find forks or spoons? Sorry for the lack of airplane pictures, not missing much. There will be plenty of pictures coming up.
PTY -> SCL (Copa Airlines)
The crew was much better and it really felt like I was flying a completely different airline. See Copa showtime and my seat below.
Santiago - Holiday Inn Airport
Arrived late at night and was indifferent about visiting downtown during the late night. The Holiday Inn is directly across the street from the airport, super convenient. They had a big giant clear divider by the entrance of the hotel that was only accessible by keycard. Never seen that before. Ended up ordering room service which wasn't bad. A shower after a full day of traveling is simply divine. No pictures of the hotel or room, sorry!
SCL -> PUQ (SKY Airlines)
Punta Arenas - Hotel Rey Don Felipe
I had a nice 6am flight and slept pretty well the night before. Muffin from Starbucks at the airport, bleh. Plane was half full and was only a 4 hour flight down to Punta Arenas. I slept almost the whole way which is rare for me.
View from the sky
Ending up taking a cab from the the airport to town, approximately 15 minutes. Punta Arenas is a tiny town in Southern Chile by the water. I wouldn't say the town is kind of crummy but I got really bored here. Most people come here for the penguin tours or go straight to Puerto Natales but the weather was not on my side. My penguin tour ended up getting canceled due to the high winds and rough seas. Not a great start to the trip considering I've been traveling for two-three days and I've seen nothing! Ended up walking around and found some empanadas for breakfast. Pretty tasty stuff for $1 USD.
breakfast
sushi anyone?
deserted...
Went to check out the bus depot just to see where my bus was leaving from. Picked up some chilean chocolate for the hike which was a lifesaver on 10 hour hikes. I kind of regretted staying here for so long to be honest, I was literally bored out of my mind. At around 7pm, almost every restaurant I wanted to try and went to was closed or too far away. Started to pour as well so I ended up eating at the hotel.
hot tub at the hotel, which I didn't get to use.
light ceviche dinner
Went back to the room after and knocked out early. Pretty disappointing trip so far at this point.
Punta Arenas -> Puerto Natales (Bus Sur)
Since I knew penguin tour was going to get canceled this morning, I decided to head to Puerto Natales earlier. Went to the bus depot early to exchange my ticket which was fairly easy, I had pre-booked my ticket online prior. It was a 3 hour bus ride on a pretty nice coach bus. Ride was pretty comfortable, the buses were pretty modern actually. It was quite nice to see the countryside for a bit. I also forgot to take pictures, doh!
Puerto Natales - Singular Patagonia
I decided to splurge a bit here instead of staying near the bus depot where I had a early bus to Torres National Park in the morning since I wasn't sure when I'd be able to travel again post baby. A rep from the hotel was waiting outside the bus with a sign and it was about a 10-15 min drive to the hotel. (I called in to let them know I changed my bus) Puerto Natales had some great views and I was really getting excited. The hotel is very secluded and out of town. It used to an old storage facility and they did a really good job embodying that. One of the coolest hotels Ive ever stayed at.
nifty elevator to transport you to the front desk
Check-in was very easy, since I got in early, I decided to do an excursion with the hotel to maximize my day.
check-in area
old machinery
walk towards the rooms
hotel used these buildings as catering parties
Ending up staying on the 1st floor, room 105:
I can look at this view all day long..
Amazing room views and heated floors was a great touch. I was beyond hungry at this point. The dining area was very nice along with the lounge/bar area.
The food was featuring really all local products. Pretty shocked how great the food was and I'm the biggest food snob you'll ever meet.
cauliflower soup
seafood pasta
Another great touch by the hotel was that you can meet your personal guide (the night before) or day of in my case to discuss what you want to do and what excursions were available. There is a minimum # of people required so I couldn't pick and choose. I thought that was a nice personal touch. Ended up doing a Condor bird viewing which didn't sound so great to me at first to be honest. Nothing against birds or birdwatchers but i didn't come to Patagonia to bird watch.
After lunch, went back to get changed and met up with the guide and one other solo traveler. He was an American from Chicago in the Finance industry who just came from Annapurna on an expedition and made a stop here before heading to Antartica. (So jealous) It really puts things into perspective how much I want to do in the world. Our guide was extremely friendly, knowledgeable and from the area actually. Since we were both experienced hikers, we decided to bushwhack all the way up to the condors nest on top of the mountain. I figured it would be a nice warmup hike before tomorrow. I didn't train for this trip because it was so late minute and it really showed.
Some views going up:
Uphill is typically harder for me and I barely made it up. 3 hour hike turned into an hour with our pace. This is a little concerning lol
Finally reaching the top, I finally got a taste of true Patagonian weather. Zero visibility, pouring rain and winds that could blow me off the mountain. Literally sunshine 10 minutes prior. We did see some condors which was cool but it wasn't very life changing for me. I get that the usual clientele at this hotel are typically older and not as mobile, but it was really nice to see some scenery that I was looking forward to after so much traveling.
Once we ran down the giant hill, our driver had wine, beer, cheese and snacks waiting for us. Much appreciated!
Back to the hotel, after a nice hot shower, I decided it was time to check out this beautiful hotel and hit up the pool.
room hallway
entrance to the spa
Love how unique it is! I think I may have a thing for concept hotels now. The pool was tiny and you have to be a brave soul to go out there with those Patagonian winds. They really do whip. Hung out at the pool for a bit then time for dinner of course.
scallops au gratin
lamb chops! I also had dessert, but didn't want you guys to judge me.
I had an early morning and a long day planned so wanted to crash early. I don't really mind dining alone, after living in NYC my whole life. Its kind of relieving not to be around anyone. Off to Torres National Park tomorrow!