Day 66
Puerto Natales, Chile
Population 15,000 people. 700,000 sheep. For those of you mapping.....you will have to back track five hours North.

We have spent the last two days in this funky little hippy/tourist town. Its really quite adorable with shops and cafes. Its filled with vegetarian restaurants and camping gear shops. We were lucky to find an excellent and charming lodge here, called the Weskar Lodge, with stunning views of the mountains and a causual living room and bar from which to enjoy them. The first night here we went into town for dinner at a fun homemade pizza joint and who should walk into the restaurant...our English friend Sally! I think that makes four countires and fivce cities for the four of us! Its a small world does not even begin to explain traveling in SA. The next day we again ran into our German friends from Puerto Montt!

Anyway.....everyone comes to Puerto Natales because it is the gateway city to Torres Del Paine National Park. 15,000 hectares of unspoiled wonder and beauty in the heart of Patagonia. Torres in the local indian language means "Towers" and Paine means "blue". But these names do not even begin to describe the towering infernos, glowing green plants and icey blue glaciers that greet you at Torres Del Paine. I have found that the Cone of South America makes a liar out of you. Because each time I say "We have seen the most beautiful place in the world." something even more breathtaking falls before our eyes.

The park is access down a three hour dirt road. (They are building a new one that our book said would be finnished in 2005.....ummmmm)

But, you don´t even mind the drive because everywhere you look is stunning mountains and plains. We saw LLamas, alpacha, fox, deer, sheep, hawks, and cowboys along the road....all beside the backdrop of these fabulous peaks.

Inside the park we did two hikes. Many people here hike for five days or more....but with Bryce in tow we stuck to the "begginer" trails. The first went to a place called Salto Grande......Interpretation....magnificent waterfall!

Our second hike took us through the 500 year old woods to the beaches of Lago Gray. Here on the beach a huge iceberg had recently broken off the Glacier Grey and washed up near the beach. It was as large as four 747s and as blue as a robins egg. Colors like I have never seen before.

Overall it was a great day. At one point Bryce exclaimed "This is my best day ever. I am going to live here forever!"