Torres Del Paine National Park - according to Wiki, Torre means "tower" in Spanish while Paine means "blue" in the native Tehuelche (Aonikenk) language. Blue Towers, here we come!<div><br></div><div>People visit Torres Del Paine for various reasons. Outdoor enthusiasts love to hike the W trek (4-5 days) or O trek (7-9 days). Photographers typically choose to camp out off the beaten path so that they can capture the beautiful lights and take shots from unique angels. As first time visitors to the region, we decided that we would do some hiking, see beautiful sceneries while enjoying some delicious local food and wine! </div> Salto Grande Waterfall First sight of the Paine Horns Salto Grande Waterfall in distance Stunning view along the way <p>Dancing wide flowers</p> Hiking towards Mirador Cuernos My friend took a picture of me - working hard! One thing doesn't change in Torres Del Paine is the unpredictability of the weather! <p>We stayed for 3 nights at a Refugio on a farm. Because there is no WIFI in the park, it took us a while to finally find the lodging place. These are lovely animals around the house. The scramble eggs served at our breakfast came the hens - real free range chickens - so delicious that we wished we could have more every day! </p> <p>View from our bed, literally! When we arrived we were told electricity and hot water would be available for a few hours up to 10pm and from 8am. It later occurred to us the generator was just next to our rooms and it was very loud. After brushing teeth in cold water in the first morning, we asked if we could have the electricity turned on earlier as long as the other guests (a couple from Germany) had no issue. Our wish was granted the following morning!</p> <p>After check-in, we went looking for food. Río Serrano Hotel was just nearby so we went around. Saw a plain small house with an empty parking lot. We went inside, much to our surprise it was a beautiful restaurant with a gorgeous view at the back. We were the first guests so we picked a good spot. </p> Pumpkin soup <p>Mixed veggies - the best in our entire trip!</p> <p>Assorted BBQ meats - more than made up for the calories we burned that day! </p> <p>Morning glory around our Refugio. </p> Day two - On our way to Lago De Grey, we saw a rainbow - hope that's good sign! <p>Lago De Grey within view</p> <p>Icebergs from Grey Glacier</p> <p>Here we encountered for the first time the well known crazy wind - I took this video during a brief period when the wind subsided. </p> <p>Stunningly blue icebergs under a moody sky</p> <p>The wind subsided significantly in a bay area. It must be an incredible experience to kayak around the icebergs. </p> Prince Charm Not too far from Lago de Grey we saw a trail. My travel companions thought it wouldn't be a stretch to hike for a couple of more hours. The trail got steeper and steeper... <p>I have mild vertigo and don't like heights at all, but I managed to carry on!</p> The view of this wild flowers distracted me momentarily from my own fear. Let me take a rest. <p>With the two absentminded bodyguards, I had no choice but to march on by myself! </p> This trail was probably the most difficult one so far and we did it! Here are couple of pictures I took on this trail. <p>Exhausted from the day hikes, we went straight to have dinner at Hosteria Pehoe. It's a very popular hotel, I could only book one night here even 6 months before. Eventually I cancelled as I didn't want the hassle to move from one hotel to another, also to save a few bucks. </p> <p>The restaurant is right on the lake front of Lago Pehoe. We made a reservation the day before, however the food was just plain and we were not that impressed. </p> <p>We didn't have time to climb to the foot of the Cordillera del Paine (the towers). On our last day in park, we stopped by Hotel Las Torres Patagonia which was the closest hotel to the towers. Perhaps next time!</p> A blooming pine tree? <p>Most of the roads in the park are unpaved, with potholes everywhere. Thanks to our very skilled drivers, we didn't have any issue so far. What's blocking the road now? </p> These are guanacos of Patagonia. They are considered as parent species of the domesticated llama. Family outing Young guanacos are called chulengos. <p>Some photos I took in Torres Del Paine. Its beauty is out of this world, you have to see to believe it. Au revoir Paine - till we meet again!</p> <p><br></p> <p><br></p>
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