Torres del Paine The Torres de Paine was the highlight of Chile for me, if not the entire trip. I fine tuned my sun dance for this 4-day trek and did it pay off - clear blue skies, low winds and not a hint of rain (unheard of for the microclimate of this National Park). This hike encompassed about 6-8 hours of hiking per day across spectacular landscapes, huge glaciers, breathtaking rock formations and incredible mountains. The 3:00am start to hike up to see th...

Chiloe Similar to Canada's east coast, this island has rolling green hills, clapboard houses and wonderful national parks. A new travel partner, Kathryn, joined me for the remainder of the trip - we met back in Toronto months ago through a common friend from the acting world.

Pucon Started off my time in Patagonia in Pucon - a wonderful lake region with numerous volcanos surrounding the town. Spent some time relaxing on a farm outside of Pucon - hikes, bikes and horse back rides filled the days. Ended off the time in Pucon with a rather difficult and steep 9-hour Volcanic hike up Villarrica (2800) though snow, ice and sleet to the top where I overlooked the huge smoking crater with 80KM winds blowing about. The entire time I kept t...

Valparaiso Valparaiso reminded me a bit of a Chilean San Francisco - a costal city covered with pastel coloured buildings rising through the hills and valleys and trolley-like elevators that take you up the hills. The city is a maze of cobblestone streets and irregular intersections. Most enjoyable was the wonderful art work in the form of murals and graffiti which gave the city so much character and left surprises with each corner that was turned. Pablo Nerud...

San Pedro de Atacama Arriving in Chile after 3 weeks in Bolivia was refreshing - excellent food, friendly people, cute boys, working buses, hot water and fantastic wine - time to go to town. San Pedro de Atacama was our first stop - hot, small, sleepy and relaxing with an excellent night life. It is also right in the middle of the world's driest desert. We ordered up a full moon for the clear night sky and splurged on an astronomical tour at the observatory....