Yesterday we concluded our Explora visit with an easy two hour hike to the Sarmiento Lake, the largest lake in the Torres del Paine park. Amazing that a two hour hike can seem so tame after our bigger expeditions! We took the afternoon off, with Lenny and I getting massages, and Marina playing in the pool. And, I’m happy to report that David successfully completed the hardest hike in the Explora repertoire, the hike to the base of the three towers. We all greatly admired this accomplishment!

It was hard to leave Explora this morning, particularly since we had to get a wake up call at 5:15am for our four hour drive to the airport. This place really is a schlep to get to! It was particularly painful to know that you were driving south for four hours, only to fly north for another four! They’re building a new road, which is supposed to cut the time by an hour – a definite improvement.

We arrived in Santiago in the early evening. Our hotel is adequate but not very well located for tourists – it is more of a business hotel. After Explora, it is quite a letdown to be in a dingy business hotel located on a busy street rather than in our exquisite room with a view of the mountains! Santiago is very hot and very humid, so I think it’s going to be good that we’re only staying for a bit over one day.

We had a nice farewell dinner with Jessica and David (after we managed the find the only restaurant in Santiago that serves dinner before 8:00pm). We enjoyed being on their honeymoon with them!

--- Donna