Punta Arenas has a tax free shopping zone, Zona Franca, so we decided that we would see if we could by a small compact, waterproof camera to take on the tramp in Patagonia. By all accounts, the weather is very changable and it would be easier to take pictures in the howling wind and rain with a small camera rather than the large DSLR we have. Zona Franca was only a 10 minute bus ride away, but we were a little surprised once we arrived. It was more like an indu...

We needed to be ready for a 7:30am pickup for our tour to see the King Penguins. Breakfast was early and a typical Chilean affair with bread rolls, jam and instant coffee. There was some avocado on the table and we had a few of our own slices of cheese so it wasn't too bad. By 8am our transport hadn't arrived so we had to ask Betty to call the company to confirm they were actually coming and hadn't left us behind. We had a fear, that despite confirming the addr...

The Casa Azul hostel has some pretty good security and David had the foresight to wait with the front door open while waiting for the taxi. Reception wasn't open and without keys we could only open the external gate once, so getting back in to chase a late taxi wouldn't be an an option. As it turned out, our booked taxi was at least 5 minutes late when the young guy who booked the taxi happened to wander past. He phoned another driver who promised to be with us i...