Month: December 2019

20190708_123744-_D5A8827

Coming from Away by Plane (Gander)

It's the most wonderful time of the year: wrapping up sharing our trips! Here's the end of our July trip now. In the spirit of Newfoundlanders having time and space for their stories, I'll share one final one to wrap up my posts on our time in that place that felt of home and kindness together.  If you haven't already read about our crab dinner with the community here, start there.  Because it was at this fortuitous feast that we met new friends, a dad and his daughter on a trip…

20181201_103022-_Z7A4340

Where in the World (were) We? Santiago

Here we are at last. Almost exactly a year later. And my 20th post on the most pristine trip of all: Patagonia. (The real accolades go to Walker for getting through editing and selecting, unsung hero of this wee blog!) We weren't in Santiago long, because we really used the city as a launch pad to see Valparaiso and the vineyards, but we were glad our travel agents didn't suggest longer there because it wasn't as designed for tourism as Buenos Aires. We stayed at the Singular, and we were very…

20181130_120509-_Z7A4079

Valparaiso and Vines

(STILL a year late. Catching up!) After arriving in Santiago from Punta Arenas, we were delivered to our hotel, The Singular, which was clean, beautiful and very well serviced. We loved it there in the nabe of Lastarria, and our first night, had dinner at the hotel. We woke early the next morning for a full day drive with guide Felipe. He was a bit of a character, and was mainly interested in showing us the graffiti.  Not our biggest interest, but the city's colors did pop and swirl around…

20181129_094159-_D5A7579

A Panoply of Penguins in Patagonia

My friends, we are determined to wrap up sharing our trip to South America last year before this year ends: just a few more posts to share, but they are good ones! Case in point: this one is dedicated to the chubby lil penguin. Here's a preview to whet your appetite. We had one day to travel to Isla Magdalena on our Patagaonian trip, and departed in the morning from our hotel in Punta Arenas. Despite it being a 5 minute walk to the harbor, somehow our transfer bus took about 45 minutes to drive…

20181128_135026-_D5A7367

A One Year Wave to Patagonia: Punta Arenas and Puerto Natales

I sit in the glow of an over-decorated and possibly kitschy tree, the light of a silicon candle bulb waving proudly in the window. It's the most wonderful time of the year, truly. We are just back from a cold-but-cozy trip to the UK that I'll be sharing very soon, stags and highland cows and all, but it's time to finally tie a bow on Patagonia.  Quick recap since it's been a year: we started in Argentina, traveled to Torres del Paine. Our guides from Awasi, magical hotel it was, drove us…

20181127_123736-_Z7A3275

Giddy Up Over the Mountains and Through the River

(Notice: one year late post! We've got a lot lined up right after this, though, so stay perked for them!) We unexpectedly became little horse riders during our time in Patagonia. On our last full day, Diego took us to Laguna Azul to start a final ride with our two pals, Guachita and Carmen. Their home was at Tercera Barranca, a stunningly situated ranch near Laguna Azul. This was our steepest ride, and also the most open. Honestly, I could barely take an iPhone photo with the bouncing, so was…