Off to the middle of nowhere

An early start with a 6.30 am taxi trip back to Santiago airport. It looked like most of Chile was flying somewhere so long queues for each stage of the process and a packed plane to Balmaceda, but fun people watching!
It was cloudy in Santiago but the plane climbed above the clouds and the Andes photography improved from my last attempt (not difficult really)

It was a two hour flight south with a spectacular view of mountainous nothingness as we descended

We picked up the car/tank, had the spare tyre put in the boot just in case (risk averse strategy!), eventually worked out how to operate various incomprehensible levers, pedals and buttons, then set off into the great unknown

It was a long drive (254km) and a long day, but very beautiful. We saw lots of touring cyclists labouring up hills into a strong wind with full panniers. I was slightly jealous but mostly relieved to be sitting in a comfortable air conditioned tank.



Our lodge is on the edge of a fjord, beautifully peaceful and decidedly rustic.



Dinner was at a communal table with a German couple spending 5 months independently touring South America, Australia and New Zealand and an Italian couple spending 50 days on a motorbike travelling through Chile, Argentina, Peru and Bolivia - made us feel decidedly unadventurous!

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