Because of the projected rain for today Wladimir switched our schedule and we are going to spend the day mostly on a sheltered boat, exploring some glaciers in the area.

Mother Nature always seems to average out and we are paying for the good weather we had in Puerto Varas. It is rainy today and even more windy! But it is the peak summer time here. No matter, says Wlad. It can be this way any time of the year. We were told to wear layers so off I went with my merino wool undershirt I bought last year in New Zealand, my wind breaker, neck/face scarf, wool hat, gloves, my puffy vest and my rain coat. Added to that were my rain pants, woolen socks and luckily the gore Tex covered shoes I added at the last-minute. Oh, and by the time we went on our hike to see the glacier I added the rain poncho on top of all the rest!

We were on a large new catamaran with other groups but had reserved section of the boat so we could all be together. It was a planned all day excursion to see the Balmaceda and Serrano glaciers and stop at an estancia along the way for lunch. During the next three some hours we sailed along the shores of the sound, making photo stops to see a cormorant breeding area, a sea-lion colony, a condor cliff( they were not flying because of the rain), and several very nice waterfalls.

We docked at Bernardo O’Higgins National Park to “hike” to viewing points of the Serrano glacier. There were two options: a short 10 minute walk to a viewing platform or a 1.2 km hike (1 hour estimate) to get much closer to the glacier. It was raining but I was prepared and joined the hearty bunch who opted for the longer hike. One of our local guides led us, although it would have hard to get lost. It was a lovely hike along the shoreline and through some great pine treed forests. It would be a fabulous trip on a sunny day!  Today, not so much. We prevailed and were rewarded with a great view of the terminus of the glacier. There were even some small icebergs floating in the water nearby. Unfortunately because of the almost constant rain and wind some (all?) of my photographs are likely to have water spots on the lens- all part of the experience I guess. We lingered a short time at the viewpoint, took the mandatory “we were here pictures” and headed back to the warmth and dryness of the boat. Surprisingly my clothing choices kept me warm and mostly dry. The shoes were a god send as there were areas of the trail that had water on it and those people who wore tennis shoes came back with wet feet.

Once I returned to the boat landing I decided to also take the short 10 minute walk to the other viewpoint. I did not come all this way to miss something!! Actually I thought you got a better view of the glacier from this point, even though you were further away.

Once everyone returned to the boat we were offered a “warm up” cocktail of whiskey with real glacial ice in it-nice touch. We sailed past a couple of more waterfalls before sailing past the Balmaceda glacier, where we could see the effects of global warming as the glacier has receded from the shoreline which it touched in 1981.

It was lunch time and we docked at one of the estancias on the shore where we had another Chilean BBQ which started with a steaming bowl of vegetable soup (greatly appreciated) before having a table-side grill of barbecued lamb, chicken and potatoes placed on the table for family style eating. There was also bread and a salad and the always present glass of wine or beer. No pisco sour today, however!

We were back at the home dock by 3:30 and some of us were dropped off in the nearby town of Puerto Natales to see what it was like and to possibly do some shopping. Not much there, mostly small stores advertising trekking excursions, hostels, coffee shops, mountain clothing stores, and only a few souvenir stores. There were several restaurants offering lamb barbecued like we had yesterday- splayed on a rack over a wood burning fire. They were on display in the window of the restaurant.

It was a $6 cab ride back to the hotel where a hot shower was in order, followed a quick nap, work on the blog and cocktail(s) before dinner with the group. They have a local version of a pisco sour here called the “calafate” sour. Calafate is a blueberry like berry grown in the area. They make a syrup of the berry which is used in the drink. It was good and many of the group ended up having one before dinner.

Because of the big lunch, dinner was again on the light side. I enjoyed the tomato soup so much that night before I had it again, followed by pasta with seafood. We all groaned when the staff told us they were out of ice cream today, but it was an excuse to tray some of the other creative desserts on the menu.

Tomorrow we are scheduled to head into Torres Del Paine National Park for sightseeing/hiking. Hopefully the weather will be more cooperative.