26 April 2012

The photographers get out before sunrise hoping to catch the first light on the mountains.

Morning at Estancia Cerro Guido
Morning at Estancia Cerro Guido

The photo-shoot is not as great as they’d hoped but they’ll have more opportunities tomorrow when we’re closer to the mountains. We have a wonderful breakfast that includes delicious cherimoya and strawberry juices; pastries including a wonderful strawberry tart; eggs and toast; cheeses and meats. We are in the warm dining room gazing out the huge windows at the beautiful mountains.

Estancia Cerro Guido
Estancia Cerro Guido

A lively white horse gallops around the area just outside the window. Then 3 gauchos and 15 dogs (!) ride past apparently on the way to a nearby sheep camp. I can’t believe they need that many dogs–I think they just wanted the company. As we’re packing up to leave, 2 cute rambunctious puppies run over for our attention. They are hilarious. As they scramble for us to pet them I realize that in the kennels they probably don’t get a lot of affection from humans. We leave with Rex, Karen and Bill. Each morning there has to be a “huddle” to discuss who’s traveling with us and in what car. I REFUSE to travel with Scott. So, the three of us set out for our ultimate destination: Torres del Paine National Park. We make a stop at a new hotel, Tierra Patagonia, to check it out. What a place! It was designed to blend into the surrounding terrain.

Tierra Patagonia Hotel
Tierra Patagonia Hotel

It’s all gorgeous wood and stone–and costs about $4000 per couple for 3 days (all meals, park excursions and transportation are included). It has a beautiful spa–now that sounds really good. Their post-wind facial would be just the ticket. But, no, we must move on to the snow-covered mountains we see from the luxurious hotel’s windows.

Infinity pool at Tierra Patagonia
Infinity pool at Tierra Patagonia

We drive through areas that were burned from a huge camper-ignited fire last December. Some of the bushes have spouted but the beech trees that were destroyed will probably never come back. We take lots of photographs of raptors and birds taking off in flight along the way. We finally get photos of rheas,

Rhea
Rhea

the ostrich-like bird that has been so shy. We arrive at the hotel that will be home for 2 nights, the Hosteria Pehoe.

Hosteria Pohoe
Hosteria Pohoe

The view is unbelievable but the room and resort amenities are a bit of a step down. The Pisco Sours are incredibly strong–Howard says “lots of Pisco and no sour.” Dinner is good however–the best beef that we’ve had and we have the French dessert “Isle Flotant” (meringue floated on custard). At dinner I try to get a group together to go back to the resort for spa treatments tomorrow but no one will commit. I don’t press it because the treatments are not cheap–but I think it would be worth it. There is an early morning photo shoot ahead for the photographers. Howard decides to stay at the resort for sunrise photos. The view can’t be any better somewhere else. We get emails saying that Len is not doing well at all–in fact he seems to have lost his mind completely. It’s likely that the anesthesia from the surgery is clearing his body slower than expected and he has also been receiving strong pain medications. There is concern that he has an intestinal infection that is also causing him pain. All-in-all it does not look good but Nancy says to not make plans to return home yet.

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