Planes trains and automobiles as we went from Puerto Varas to Puerto Montt to catch a flight to Punta Arenas and then a bus to Puerto Natales.

We were on the flight minutes before it departed as LanChile in the small airport could not cope with so many people at once (they had put two small planes together on one big one). I could see loads of snowcapped mountains just before we landed.

The landscape on the bus was a lot of nothing, with the occasional snow-capped mountain thrown in to wake you up again. Snow-capped mountains in Chile are what cathedrals are in Vatican city, or temples in Thailand: there's an overkill, so they have to get more and more impressive to keep your attention after a while...

In Puerto Natales, we had to do the shopping for the camping trip to Torres del Payne at high speed (it was five in the afternoon) but we managed to get everything. I had a lovely sandwich in El Living, where Sarah from Porthsmouth runs the bar. It's funny where people end up in their lives.

I sorted out my camping stuff and updated my diary and got mentally ready for being cold and dirty for a few days.

I have to say I've warmed to Chile (no pun intended), especially after the trip to Chiloe. It may not be as exotic, but it's a nice country, very un-Latin in many ways. You don't really see the fiery passion so much, more the controlled and organised German side of things, but combined with hospitality and warmth. It misses the wow-factor as far as the people are concerned, but makes up for it in spades with it's nature and wildlife.