It'll be blowin' ya in Patagonia

Everything went like clockwork this morning.......van was on time.....flight was on time.....pick-up was waiting for us, and drove to the hotel (4hrs) without a hitch.  We did have an anxious moment in the plane on first approach when the pilot aborted the landing and took a loop before safely landing on the second try..........wind!!.......we were warned, and it is true.......the wind does not stop blowing here.......ever........
It was an interesting drive to the hotel, passing mile upon mile, upon mile, of ranch land on both sides of the highway..........mostly sheep, but occasionally cattle, horses, and some what we thought were ostrich or emu, but are actually "rhea".  Ranches (estancias) in Patagonia have to be huge because the vegetation is not as plentiful, therefore less food/acre/animal.........we were lucky enough to see a large herd of sheep being guided across the highway by a farmer on horseback and his team of dogs........amazing to watch them work.  It wasn't long before we could see mountains in the distance, and once going through the town of Puerto Natales, the roads turned to dirt and we were headed to the Torres del Paines National Park.
Torres del Paines - Towers of Blue, because of the ice colour in the glaciers

Our first view of the Paine massif from a distance.......I have a feeling there will be more pictures of this formation
Water colour is striking......glacial silt = the blue colour......love the UFO cloud
That chunk of ice in the valley between the mountains is Gray Glacier....we hope to visit that

And so after 4 hours we arrived at our home for the next 8 days......Hotel Explora Patagonia

Explora is an older hotel, opened in 1993, on leased land inside the national park.  It couldn't be in a more perfect setting on Lake Pehoe, staring right at the Paine massif, and although it has some shortcomings because of its age, it more than makes up for them with the incredible staff and guides. Being inside the park also reduces drive time in the mornings when heading out for excursions, which is a big deal on the dirt/washboard roads.  There is talk that Explora is planning a new/modern hotel, but don't know if they will ever be able to replace this location.

Jutta testing her wings
Lake Pehoe thunders through these narrows just beside the hotel before releasing into the lower lake

Nice boardwalk tour around the hotel property........we are amusing ourselves as we missed the afternoon excursions
Visited the spa......nice lap pool, and 4 outdoor hot tubs overlooking the lake

This is from our room.........amazing view.....

Our first excursion is booked for tomorrow.........doing French Valley with the 2km extension up to the plateau to view the glaciers........should be out all day, but will report when/if we return..........







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