Thursday, January 10, 2019 – Birthday at the End of the Earth!
We actually slept until the alarm rang at 5:10, which is a major accomplishment for us! We were ready quickly and on the road at 5:30. The wildlife was beginning to stir as the sun's first light appeared high in the clouds.
The first light on the Towers was magnificent. The scenery looks so different.
But even at this hour, the waters of Laguna Amarga aren't smooth enough for a picture-perfect reflection. We had to settle for the more abstract reflection of shapeless colors in this photo.
Unfortunately there were no pumas to be found today, so we drove around for two hours and had to be happy with the scenery. It was not a bad trade! We returned in time for a nice breakfast back at the hotel, then we lit a comforting fire in the fireplace, and had a well-deserved nap.
We were up in time for lunch. Following the trend first seen in Awasi Atacama, the lunch meal had a much bigger menu than the evening dinner meal. We both started with salads. But look at that view - a few clouds today.
Then I had a chicken leg confit, where the thigh portion was deboned and the whole piece of meat was beautifully cooked. The skin was super crispy and it was served with mushrooms and greens, and a pepper sauce. It was divine! I had to fight Chris off so she didn't eat it all.
Chris had salmon. It was delicious too. We were quite happy with that, and skipped dessert to make our 2:30 tour.
But since it's just us on the tour, we could have easily adjusted the time had we wanted to linger over a dessert. That's the great thing about Awasi. All of your tours are tailored exactly how you like them.
We went east towards the border with Argentina, approaching within a few miles at times as we wound along. It was pretty, and there were numerous mountain ranges as we drove through several different private estancias.
Awasi has agreements with these properties and we have keys to the gates, so we are able to pass freely through those properties to this part of Patagonia where very few others can go. The geology is different and interesting. The mountains are older, and there is more erosion and more vegetation.
Unfortunately our final destination was fairly rustic and the hiking was pretty much free-form, without any trails to follow or any "big" sights to see. There was an uphill walk to a vista that didn’t actually show much, other than the plains on the Argentina side.
Then there was a hike to a fossil quarry, that was more than we bargained for. The climb wasn't bad, but the the ground was boggy and going was slow. So we decided to bail on the fossils, and instead we headed home. We did see more guanaco, though, and this guy actually posed for us reasonably well.
Rodrigo had brought wine and other refreshments for us which was a nice touch, but there were no bathroom facilities in this part of the park. So we didn’t want to drink much while we were looking at a 2 hour ride home over bumpy roads.
So instead we contented ourselves with a really nice armadillo sighting. They move really fast and pictures were a challenge.
Maybe a little more refinement is needed for the excursions in this part of the park? It's pretty, and Awasi is apparently talking about putting in some limited facilities. I think there is potential here and it will just need to evolve over time.
On the way home, we discussed tomorrow’s plans with Rodrigo. It was challenging. Unlike at Atacama, when we'd planned the whole trip on the first day, we weren't doing that here. Instead we were making it up one day at a time. This is certainly understandable, because of the rapidly changing weather patterns. It's best to stay flexible, though it still led to some uncertainty.
On the way home we saw this large flightless bird with his brood of chicks. Yes, "his" is the correct pronoun.
This is a rhea, which is the large flightless bird endemic to South America. It's not an ostrich but evolved to fill a similar niche. And yes, the male is the one who cares for the chicks. Apparently the female rheas drop the eggs in the nest (which the male builds) and that's it.
We asked about some of the boat excursions to the glaciers for tomorrow, (not run by Awasi, but available at an extra price), but the one we wanted was sold out unless we chartered a private boat at a cost of 6x the single price, or only $930. We could have joined the large catamaran cruise to the Grey Glacier for only $120 a person but that seemed like a lot for a generic experience, and it would have taken all day. Not worth it.
So we decided to try puma hunting again tomorrow morning, with another hike afterwards, returning in time for lunch. Then we will see what the weather is like for the afternoon, and plan accordingly.
We had pisco sours before dinner, in our usual spot overlooking the Towers and the early evening light. A very different picture from last night, but beautiful in a different way.
Then dinner, which was really delicious! A welcome aperol spritz, with an amuse bouche of blue cheese potato over spicy tomato sauce to start.
Starters were boquerons for me, and eggplant dumplings for Chris.
Mains were conger for Chris, and another different preparation of guanaco for me. This time, I enjoyed it much better. My appetite is back to nearly normal.
Dessert was a birthday cake for Chris, accompanied by a brief serenade from the staff and some green tea ice cream. Pablo broke out a bottle of sparkling rose wine for us made from Pais, and it was a better end to the day.
We headed home happy and ready for another good night's sleep.
The clouds were blocking the last rays of sunshine so it did feel like bedtime. But it's amazing how your view can change over the course of a day here.
We actually slept until the alarm rang at 5:10, which is a major accomplishment for us! We were ready quickly and on the road at 5:30. The wildlife was beginning to stir as the sun's first light appeared high in the clouds.
The first light on the Towers was magnificent. The scenery looks so different.
 |
| Sunrise on The Towers at Laguna Amarga |
But even at this hour, the waters of Laguna Amarga aren't smooth enough for a picture-perfect reflection. We had to settle for the more abstract reflection of shapeless colors in this photo.
Unfortunately there were no pumas to be found today, so we drove around for two hours and had to be happy with the scenery. It was not a bad trade! We returned in time for a nice breakfast back at the hotel, then we lit a comforting fire in the fireplace, and had a well-deserved nap.
We were up in time for lunch. Following the trend first seen in Awasi Atacama, the lunch meal had a much bigger menu than the evening dinner meal. We both started with salads. But look at that view - a few clouds today.
 |
| Boneless Chicken Leg Confit, Awasi Patagonia |
Then I had a chicken leg confit, where the thigh portion was deboned and the whole piece of meat was beautifully cooked. The skin was super crispy and it was served with mushrooms and greens, and a pepper sauce. It was divine! I had to fight Chris off so she didn't eat it all.
 |
| Salmon with broccoli puree, yellow peppers, roasted radishes |
Chris had salmon. It was delicious too. We were quite happy with that, and skipped dessert to make our 2:30 tour.
 |
| This range of hills marks the border. Along Ruta 9, Patagonia |
We went east towards the border with Argentina, approaching within a few miles at times as we wound along. It was pretty, and there were numerous mountain ranges as we drove through several different private estancias.
 |
| Along Ruta 9, Baguales Region, Patagonia |
Awasi has agreements with these properties and we have keys to the gates, so we are able to pass freely through those properties to this part of Patagonia where very few others can go. The geology is different and interesting. The mountains are older, and there is more erosion and more vegetation.
 |
| A View towards Argentina, Baguales Region, Patagonia |
Unfortunately our final destination was fairly rustic and the hiking was pretty much free-form, without any trails to follow or any "big" sights to see. There was an uphill walk to a vista that didn’t actually show much, other than the plains on the Argentina side.
Then there was a hike to a fossil quarry, that was more than we bargained for. The climb wasn't bad, but the the ground was boggy and going was slow. So we decided to bail on the fossils, and instead we headed home. We did see more guanaco, though, and this guy actually posed for us reasonably well.
Rodrigo had brought wine and other refreshments for us which was a nice touch, but there were no bathroom facilities in this part of the park. So we didn’t want to drink much while we were looking at a 2 hour ride home over bumpy roads.
So instead we contented ourselves with a really nice armadillo sighting. They move really fast and pictures were a challenge.
Maybe a little more refinement is needed for the excursions in this part of the park? It's pretty, and Awasi is apparently talking about putting in some limited facilities. I think there is potential here and it will just need to evolve over time.
On the way home, we discussed tomorrow’s plans with Rodrigo. It was challenging. Unlike at Atacama, when we'd planned the whole trip on the first day, we weren't doing that here. Instead we were making it up one day at a time. This is certainly understandable, because of the rapidly changing weather patterns. It's best to stay flexible, though it still led to some uncertainty.
 |
| Male Rhea and Chicks |
This is a rhea, which is the large flightless bird endemic to South America. It's not an ostrich but evolved to fill a similar niche. And yes, the male is the one who cares for the chicks. Apparently the female rheas drop the eggs in the nest (which the male builds) and that's it.
We asked about some of the boat excursions to the glaciers for tomorrow, (not run by Awasi, but available at an extra price), but the one we wanted was sold out unless we chartered a private boat at a cost of 6x the single price, or only $930. We could have joined the large catamaran cruise to the Grey Glacier for only $120 a person but that seemed like a lot for a generic experience, and it would have taken all day. Not worth it.
So we decided to try puma hunting again tomorrow morning, with another hike afterwards, returning in time for lunch. Then we will see what the weather is like for the afternoon, and plan accordingly.
 |
| Evening Colors at Awasi Patagonia |
We had pisco sours before dinner, in our usual spot overlooking the Towers and the early evening light. A very different picture from last night, but beautiful in a different way.
 |
| Eggplant Dumplings, Awasi Patagonia |
Then dinner, which was really delicious! A welcome aperol spritz, with an amuse bouche of blue cheese potato over spicy tomato sauce to start.
Starters were boquerons for me, and eggplant dumplings for Chris.
 |
| Guanaco Loin Wrapped in Ham, Awasi Patagonia |
Mains were conger for Chris, and another different preparation of guanaco for me. This time, I enjoyed it much better. My appetite is back to nearly normal.
 |
| Happy Birthday! |
Dessert was a birthday cake for Chris, accompanied by a brief serenade from the staff and some green tea ice cream. Pablo broke out a bottle of sparkling rose wine for us made from Pais, and it was a better end to the day.
We headed home happy and ready for another good night's sleep.
The clouds were blocking the last rays of sunshine so it did feel like bedtime. But it's amazing how your view can change over the course of a day here.
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