Tuesday, January 8, 2019 – Traveling to Patagonia.
We were up before 7:00 and there was no rush, since we had an 8:40 pickup. There was time for a leisurely shower then breakfast, which was a nice buffet and included in our room rate since we are Gold with Starwood/Marriott. Since we wouldn’t eat anything on the plane, it was good that we had that to hold us until dinner.
We were packed, checked out, and ready for our pickup 8:35 but Cristobal was a bit late. Still no problem and we got to the airport by 9:20.
The check in counters were a total scrum but eventually we found an empty kiosk and printed our luggage tags, then we went to the bag drop. We were called to an empty desk, only to be kicked out for someone else who had a problem and had to cut the line.
But we got the next agent and dropped our bags, then a 5-minute wait at security, before heading back to the familiar Priority Pass lounge in the domestic terminal. We didn’t eat or drink anything this time. Headed to boarding which was a touch early, and we were airborne by 11:25. The mountains were pretty as we ascended.
The view was nice but my window in Row 1 was again dirty. I still got to see some glaciers on the Argentina side, and also some lakes nearby our lodge.
We flew south of Puerto Natales then turned around to land on a northerly course, which kept us from being early. But we were pretty much on time around 2:35. A brief taxi then out of the plane onto the tarmac to walk to the terminal.
Baggage was slow but we were out by 3:00 and met Rodrigo, our guide for Patagonia.
It was supposed to be a 2-hour ride but things went smoothly and we made good time. There were mountains everywhere along the way.
Most of the road was paved and in good condition, but there was a section that was being rebuilt. We had to go slow there.
Saw beautiful views of the Torres, as well as abundant wildlife. There were lots of guanaco and rhea along the way.
We were at Awasi around 4:30. Upon arrival, we had snacks and wine then met with Rodrigo to plan the next days. We decided to do some hiking for views in the National Park tomorrow, as the weather forecast looked very favorable.
Then it was time to explore the villa for a bit. Wow!
There was a sitting area on one end.
The layout was long and narrow. The bed faced picture windows all along one side of the villa.
This view of the Towers, from the window in our villa, is simply incredible.
After snacks and settling in, we did a short hike above the property for an overview.
This lake is the southern border of the estancia, where Awasi Patagonia is located.
The views of Torres del Paine were amazing. There were cows on the trail to chase off but we managed.
What else is there to do up here but pose for a picture, with this as a backdrop?
We were hoping that the hike would stimulate some appetite but not much yet. Too much food last night, plus the snacks we just had, and I was not hungry at all. But we decided to head back and give it a try.
Dinner was interesting. We started with an amuse bouche of octopus salad.
Scallops for Chris and a beetroot “manicotti” roll around rice and ricotta for me, were the starters.
Chris went with gnocchi and I had guanaco for the main course. It wasn’t too gamey, and probably would have been good had I been feeling better, but I couldn’t enjoy it much. The preparation was interesting - a loin cut wrapped in prosciutto, served with a mille-feuille of sweet potato and sheep's cheese. The purple stuff was a puree of red cabbage.
The wine was nice though. Desserts were a mille-feuille and a banana custard with salted caramel ice cream. The latter was based on the cuisine of Rapa Nui.
We returned to the villa at 9:30 for a nice relaxing bath with a view of the sunset. It was very pretty and we enjoyed the view from our windows.
The landscape was endless.
The last rays of the setting sun illuminated the edge of the western clouds like they were on fire.
It took forever to get dark. We lingered and enjoyed it.
But once night fell, neither of us slept well. I was uncomfortably full all night and the villa made a lot of noises during the night that kept startling us. Wind? Pumas? Who knows.
Hope we have some energy for hiking tomorrow!
We were up before 7:00 and there was no rush, since we had an 8:40 pickup. There was time for a leisurely shower then breakfast, which was a nice buffet and included in our room rate since we are Gold with Starwood/Marriott. Since we wouldn’t eat anything on the plane, it was good that we had that to hold us until dinner.
We were packed, checked out, and ready for our pickup 8:35 but Cristobal was a bit late. Still no problem and we got to the airport by 9:20.
The check in counters were a total scrum but eventually we found an empty kiosk and printed our luggage tags, then we went to the bag drop. We were called to an empty desk, only to be kicked out for someone else who had a problem and had to cut the line.
 |
| Lago Argentina, El Calafate Region, Patagonia |
 |
| Lago Dickson, Torres del Paine NP |
The view was nice but my window in Row 1 was again dirty. I still got to see some glaciers on the Argentina side, and also some lakes nearby our lodge.
We flew south of Puerto Natales then turned around to land on a northerly course, which kept us from being early. But we were pretty much on time around 2:35. A brief taxi then out of the plane onto the tarmac to walk to the terminal.
 |
| We debated stopping at the Tourism Office |
Baggage was slow but we were out by 3:00 and met Rodrigo, our guide for Patagonia.
 |
| Driving North from PNT, Rt 9, Patagonia |
It was supposed to be a 2-hour ride but things went smoothly and we made good time. There were mountains everywhere along the way.
Most of the road was paved and in good condition, but there was a section that was being rebuilt. We had to go slow there.
 |
| The Towers! Some view |
Saw beautiful views of the Torres, as well as abundant wildlife. There were lots of guanaco and rhea along the way.
We were at Awasi around 4:30. Upon arrival, we had snacks and wine then met with Rodrigo to plan the next days. We decided to do some hiking for views in the National Park tomorrow, as the weather forecast looked very favorable.Then it was time to explore the villa for a bit. Wow!
There was a sitting area on one end.
The layout was long and narrow. The bed faced picture windows all along one side of the villa.
This view of the Towers, from the window in our villa, is simply incredible.
 |
| Lago Sarmiento from Sierra Trail, Awasi Patagonia |
After snacks and settling in, we did a short hike above the property for an overview.
This lake is the southern border of the estancia, where Awasi Patagonia is located.
The views of Torres del Paine were amazing. There were cows on the trail to chase off but we managed.
What else is there to do up here but pose for a picture, with this as a backdrop?
We were hoping that the hike would stimulate some appetite but not much yet. Too much food last night, plus the snacks we just had, and I was not hungry at all. But we decided to head back and give it a try.
Dinner was interesting. We started with an amuse bouche of octopus salad.
Scallops for Chris and a beetroot “manicotti” roll around rice and ricotta for me, were the starters.
Chris went with gnocchi and I had guanaco for the main course. It wasn’t too gamey, and probably would have been good had I been feeling better, but I couldn’t enjoy it much. The preparation was interesting - a loin cut wrapped in prosciutto, served with a mille-feuille of sweet potato and sheep's cheese. The purple stuff was a puree of red cabbage.
The wine was nice though. Desserts were a mille-feuille and a banana custard with salted caramel ice cream. The latter was based on the cuisine of Rapa Nui.
We returned to the villa at 9:30 for a nice relaxing bath with a view of the sunset. It was very pretty and we enjoyed the view from our windows.
The landscape was endless.
The last rays of the setting sun illuminated the edge of the western clouds like they were on fire.
It took forever to get dark. We lingered and enjoyed it.
But once night fell, neither of us slept well. I was uncomfortably full all night and the villa made a lot of noises during the night that kept startling us. Wind? Pumas? Who knows.
Hope we have some energy for hiking tomorrow!
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