Day 1: SantiagoOur group of friends flew overnight from the US to Santiago, Chile, arriving in the morning. We spent the rest of the day exploring Santiago. Opting to walk around and just see what we saw, we wandered into the Santiago Museum of Contemporary Art. As the workers were on strike, we were able to just walk in, with the option to donate to the museum in lieu of the typical entrance fee. One of the best experiences of the day was climbing up Santa Lucia Hill, a hill in the middle of Santiago with great views over the city. Accommodation: The Princesa Insolente Hostel Santiago Day 2: Travel to Puerto NatalesIn order to access Torres del Paine National Park, we needed to fly to Chilean Patagonia, which meant an in-country flight to Punta Arenas and a bus ride to Puerto Natales. Punta Arenas has the main airport for Chilean Patagonia, and it's located about 3 hours from Puerto Natales. We woke up before early to get our flight down south. When we arrived, we were assured that a bus headed to Puerto Natales would soon arrive. Now the Punta Arenas airport only has three gates, and, as we waited on the curb, we watched our flight crew, airport workers, and other people slowly trickle out of the airport until we were basically the only people at the airport. But, we remained on the curb, confident that some sort of bus would eventually show up. Over an hour later, we hopped on a bus headed to Puerto Natales. It cost approximately $5, and we all promptly reclined our seats for a nap. The bus pulled into Puerto Natales and dropped us near our hostel. That afternoon, we checked in, attended the (free) Erratic Rock info session on trekking in Torres del Paine, rented a few pieces of gear, and shopped for food. That night, we packed our backpacks, prepared to leave on the morning bus for Torres del Paine to begin the W-Circuit. Accommodation: Erratic Rock Hostel **At Erratic Rock, we got a free information session (open to all), ate a delicious home-cooked breakfast, and were able to store our luggage at the hostel for the entire length of our hike. Winner in my book. Day 3: W-Circuit, Torres del Paine National ParkOur first day of hiking! We took a 7:30am bus from Puerto Natales to the park. We were able to purchase bus tickets to the park from the hostel, which made the morning easy. The bus stopped to let us pay our entrance fee before dropping us by the catamaran. We wanted to trek west to east, so we had to start by taking the catamaran across Lago Pehoe to the start of our trek. The first day, we hiked to Refugio Gray, past Glacier Gray. For a rundown of our hike and the distances, see my Hiking Torres del Paine National Park post. Accommodation: Camping near Refugio Gray Day 4: W-Circuit, Torres del Paine National ParkOur second day of trekking in Torres del Paine National Park involved retracing our steps and continuing on to Camp Italiano. For a rundown of our hike and the distances, see my Hiking Torres del Paine National Park post. Accommodation: Camping at Camp Italiano Day 5: W-Circuit, Torres del Paine National ParkThe third day of the W-Circuit involved a trek into the French Valley and then back out to our campsite at Los Cuernos. For a rundown of our hike and the distances, see my Hiking Torres del Paine National Park post. Accommodation: Camping at Los Cuernos Day 6: W-Circuit, Torres del Paine National ParkDay number four brought us to the base of the Torres del Paine. We camped at Campamento Torres, in order to wake up early and see the sunrise at the towers. For a rundown of our hike and the distances, see my Hiking Torres del Paine National Park post. Accommodation: Camping at Campamento Torres Day 7: W-Circuit, Torres del Paine National ParkOur last day of hiking in the national park, intended to be our opportunity to see the famous Torres del Paine. We hiked out and caught a bus back to Puerto Natales, where we warmed up with hot showers, pizza, and wine. For a rundown of our hike, why we didn't actually see the Torres, and the distances, see my Hiking Torres del Paine National Park post. Accommodation: Erratic Rock Hostel Day 8: Puerto NatalesWe built in a rest day in Puerto Natales, thinking we could either leave a day later and use it to prepare before the hike or rest post-hike. Ultimately, we were so excited to start trekking that we took our rest day after the five day W-Circuit...and, boy, am I glad that we did! Our day in Peurto Natales involved sleeping in, eating a homemade breakfast at the hostel, reading and journaling, doing laundry so that our hiking clothes weren't smelly, wandering around town, grabbing some hot chocolate at Patagonia Dulce, and enjoying a leisurely dinner with views of the water. Accommodation: Erratic Rock Hostel Day 9: Estancia Cerro GuidoAfter securing a rental car, we headed out to Estancia Cerro Guido, a ranch with views of Torres del Paine. Renting a car seems to be the only way to get to the estancia, since it's far away from any other towns. For more about the accommodations, activities, and my thoughts on our stay, refer to my Estancia Cerro Guido blog post. Accommodation: Estancia Cerro Guido Day 10: Estancia Cerro GuidoThis was our full day on the estancia.We wanted to make sure that we spent at least one full day at Estancia Cerro Guido, particularly since it wasn't easy to access. Our morning was occupied with a horseback riding tour of the estancia property, with views of Torres del Paine National Park in the distance, while our afternoon was a relaxing mix of walking, napping, and reading. At night, we enjoyed a leisurely dinner with friends and amazing food. For more about the accommodations, activities, and my thoughts on our stay, refer to my Estancia Cerro Guido blog post. Accommodation: Estancia Cerro Guido Day 11: Travel to Punta ArenasIn order to fly back to the United States, we had to make our way to Punta Arenas for a flight to Santiago. So, we drove the rental car to Punta Arenas, a city just north of the Strait of Magellan, where we returned it and spent the rest of the day exploring the city. We checked out a few shops and met up with a fellow backpacker that we had met in Torres del Paine for dinner. Accommodation: Hotel Boutique Antarctica Day 12: Fly homeAdios, Chile! We flew from Punta Arenas to Santiago, Santiago to the USA.
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Before leaving Vermont, Brett and I decided we had to visit Quebec City. We had enjoyed Montreal but weren't as impressed as we had expected, mainly because it was so similar to many big US cities. However, we heard that Quebec City had a more European, historic, francophone flair and were eager to experience it for ourselves. We conveniently had a bedandbreakfast.com gift card. So, we looked up B&Bs that accepted the gift cards and planned a weekend getaway in Quebec City. Old QuebecThe place that all the tourists visit in Quebec City is Vieux Quebec, or Old Quebec, the historic, walled city, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. So, Brett and I decided to explore VIeux Quebec as well. The streets were lined with adorable stone buildings and sidewalk cafes. Some of the shops in Old Quebec were more tourist-oriented, but Brett and I enjoyed walking through the streets, grabbing snacks, and looking at the various historic buildings. Sometimes, even though you know you're surrounded by tourists, it's fun to feel transported to a different time and place. Compared with Montreal, which felt more similar to large American cities, Quebec felt more like being in another country. Walking around the walled part of Old Quebec reminded me of being in a European city. We stumbled into a church-turned-library, and we climbed up the old wall, which provided a view of the old town. We wandered through the Fairmont Le Chateau Frontenac, a beautiful and historic hotel on the top of the hill in Old Quebec, too luxurious for our budget but fun to see nonetheless. CantookOf course, Brett and I couldn't visit a new city without finding a coffee shop to try. We had looked up La Brulerie Cafe de Quebec, which had changed its name to Cantook Micro-Torrefaction literally days before we arrived. With the name change, we got a little lost, but ultimately found the small, cozy, wood-paneled shop in Old Quebec. It was on an adorable street of shops and restaurants though situated outside the historic city walls. Roasted coffee beans lined the wall behind the counter and big coffee roaster stood partially hidden in a back room. We ordered a Chemex for two and thoroughly enjoyed the coffee, as evidenced by the fact that we returned for coffee two more times on our trip (and bought a mug). Our experience at Cantook Micro-Torrefaction was a great example of why I love to visit coffee shops on our trips. As we traveled around the city, we had noticed buildings labeled CEGEP, and neither Brett nor I had any idea what CEGEP was. So, we started chatting with the baristas and asked them. They explained that CEGEP is part of the educational system, unique to Quebec, and is a college that students attend between high school and university. I enjoyed drinking my coffee while chatting with the baristas and learning more about the local customs and culture. Coffee shops in a city are a great way to explore the vibe of a city and interact with people who live and work in that place. Samuel-De Champlain PromenadeOn our way out of town, Brett and I drove along the St. Lawrence River and stopped for a lunch on the Samuel-de Champlain Promenade, a path that follows the river. All along the promenade, people were running, walking, biking, and taking advantage of this scenic path. On the pier is a cafe, an overlook, and a number of tables. We ordered food, then sat outside to enjoy the sunshine and views of the river. Auberge AmerikThe Bed and Breakfast that we found for our stay in Quebec was called Auberge Amerik, which we chose for the price and the fact that they accepted bedandbreakfast.com gift cards. The main pro of the B&B for us was the price, especially when compared with staying in a hotel closer to the old city. It wasn't as cheap as some hostels, but we were able to use our gift card, have money left over, and have a room to ourselves. The staff members that greeted us were extremely friendly and helpful, and our room was cute. However, the ceiling in our room had a leak, which caused a dripping sound all night that we tried to mask with towels on the floor. There was a gelato stand and a few restaurants within walking distance from Auberge Amerik. We definitely were not in a tourist bubble. The location made us feel like we were staying among people who actually lived and worked in Quebec City. We were also about 5 minutes by car from Third Avenue in La Cite-Limoilou, another neighborhood in Quebec featuring restaurants and old architecture. The major con of Auberge Amerik was our distance from the oldest, walled part of the city, meaning that we had to rely on our car and worry about paying for parking downtown. Still, since we had a car, this did not hinder our exploration of Quebec. One thing that we did not have time to take advantage of during our short weekend in Quebec City was the bike rental at Auberge Amerik. It is situated near multiple bike paths, and the hotel offers half and full-day bike rentals. We talked about renting bicycles and pedaling down to the Old Port along the St. Lawrence RIver, but we simply ran out of time during our visit. Brett and I both enjoyed visiting Quebec City, more so than our day-trip to Montreal. As I mentioned above, we enjoyed driving only 3.5 hours but feeling like we had entered a completely new place. There is much more to experience in the area - such as explore the quaint Ile d'Oleans, a mere 5 kilometers from Quebec City - but, for our quick weekend getaway, we stuck with the traditional Quebec City experiences. I was excited to have another opportunity to try out my rusty French, and we loved exploring this historic city, wandering through the twisted cobblestone streets at our leisure.
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AuthorMy name is Alyssa Good and I have a passion for travel, adventure, culture, and new experiences! I focus on budget friendly travel, trip planning resources, and seeking out new experiences. Archives
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