Time to move on again, so we boarded another bus; this time for 22 hours…we were heading to Puerto Natales, the gateway to Torres Del Paine National Park. We arrived at 10pm to be greeted by the friendly owner Alejandro at the door who showed us to our room. The hostel was more like a private home converted into a B&B, it was really cute and homely. It was called Hostal Dos Lagunas. Alejandro was great; he had converted the dining room into an information room for Torres Del Paine and comprehensively could help you plan your hike and route. Due to the late running buses (so typical over here) we hadn't actually eaten any proper food that day so when we asked Alejandro if there were any late night stores open, and instead he offered to cook fresh hamburgers for us and invited us upstairs to his private bit of home with his wife. They were so lovely. The next day we booked the campsites and Refugio's and brought our food. We were determined to trek light and squeeze everything into our tiny daypacks for the 4 day trip.

We set off at 7am. We completed the `W`trek and it was one of the most amazing experiences ever. I think the scenery was definitely up there with the most beautiful places I have been. We did the beautiful, but some would say grueling 80km hike in 2 and a half days, it didn't feel rushed though most do it over 4 days, we had trouble getting accommodation on the middle night meaning we had to walk an extra 11km that day, so a total of 37km in one day, we were exhausted but it was well worth. On day one we hiked up to see the Torres Tower. We were so lucky with the weather as people at the hostel who had just returned said the weather was awful and they couldn't even see the towers or the glacier but when we treated to 3 full days of sunshine and mostly blue skies. We layered up as the weather varied so much, it often started so cold, especially getting up at 5or 6am but after hiking uphill for 15 mins we had soon stripped our jackets off. At times we were even walking in our vest tops which was ironic seeing as we were surrounded by snow capped mountains! We walked 20km in 6 hours on the first day, and when we finally reached the peak and saw the three tall, granite towers shadowing over us, snow began to fall, it added to the eeriness of the place. There was a turquoise lake beneath them at this 1000m peak. It was great. We had chosen to do full board on the hike so we only had to carry water and snacks, so it was great to be rewarded with a three course meal at the end of the first hard day. We stayed in a tent this night, we hired the equipment there. We had brought our own sleeping bags but it was still freezing as we didn't know how much the temperature would drop at night, but luckily we persuaded the warden to leave the huge sleeping bag in there for us so we had a warm extra layer so it was nice and cozy. The next day we started at 5am and after rain all night it was freezing cold. What we loved about the trek was that it wasn't overcrowded, at this time of year anyway. So for the first three hours we didn't come across any other people. It was just Hayley and I hiking through the wild and the scenery was beautiful, and the lakes were so still. The colours of the lake were so vibrant it was hard to believe, and we saw snow capped mountains in the background and the land was so green around us with colourful flowers everywhere. We stopped for lunch at the next Refugio ground, a gorgeous wood cabin on the waterfront. We left some of our gear as we would be staying there that night and carried on to complete the 25k circuit up to the `French Valley` it was really hard, especially because we had already hiked through rugged terrain and had the early start. It seemed never ending to get to the top, but it was amazing. We crossed a snowy mountain and climbed up rocks for ages then trekked through deep forest, the terrain was so varied. We finally made it to the top viewpoint and it was a big rock with a 360 degree panoramic view where we could see the gorgeous lakes, mountains and forests. The sun was shining and you felt so tiny up in the middle of nowhere. Once we started heading down the snow began to fall again and it became really misty, thank god we made it up in time. It was a great feeling when we finally set eyes back on the camp that evening and we had another good meal and hot shower. The next day we trekked towards Glacier Grey. It was really windy at times but we were wowed by the scenery once again. We bumped into a guy from our hostel in BA who Hayley had partnered with for our Tango class, it was crazy! We stopped for lunch in the sun at Paine Grande and were surrounded by mountains and the lakes once again, it was so beautiful. We continued the steep inclined trek towards Glacier Grey and when we first saw it in the distance it was breath-taking. That night we stayed in Refugio Grey lodge and in the morning we walked to the Mirador viewpoint closer to the glacier, we were the only ones there, it was so peaceful. It was stunning. We climbed up on these rocks and found our own beautiful spot and just absorbed the surroundings. That afternoon we got on the boat to take us back to the exit points for the trek. The small boat cruise was amazing, we sampled our first Pisco Sour òn the rocks` literally and the captain drove us right up to the massive melting iceberg which was an unbelievably vivid blue colour, you could see the water melting inside the ice it was amazing. Glaciers are fascinating. As we boarded our bus home, it started to rain. We had been so lucky. When we finally got back to the hostel that evening Alejandro was so happy to hear what an amazing experience we had had and that the weather was so good. We worked out we hiked 84km in around 45 hours, and a good half or 2/3s were uphill so it was good to push our fitness and breathe in all the fresh air.

The next morning we were on the coach to our next stop, El Calafate which is the gateway for the famous Perito Moreno Glacier. We stopped at America Del Sur hostel which had a great view. We treated ourselves to a lovely meal out and our first glass of wine. The next day we went to Perito Moreno, it is one of the world's largest glaciers which is actually still growing, whereas most are receding. It was pretty impressive. It was huge!! We walked along the boardwalk to various viewpoints and also watched as large chunks of ice broke up and echoed a loud thundering noise as it hit the icy water. It was an amazing sight really. We cooked dinner in the hostel that night and chatted with an American guy who we had met before in Ushuaia and also met Neil, a traveler from the UK who was an animal lover and had just come back from whale watching, had done the Galapagos Islands and was just about to go to Antarctica so he had some pretty amazing stories. I was beginning to feel like I would turn into an ice cream as I was being tempted everyday by these amazing homemade ice cream parlours, also this region was famous for its home made chocolate so every other shop was filled with the stuff. We boarded yet another 20 hour bus (you forget how huge the country is) and headed to the east coast, Puerto Madryn. We spent the afternoon enjoying bottles of (cheap but great) Argentinean wine and played cards. We spent the next day doing an amazing wildlife tour which started with whale watching! It was absolutely amazing!! We had always dreamed of doing it, and though it's not cheap, when we read we were still in season for the Southern Right Whales we couldn't resist. They rest in the bays of Peninsula Valdes from June to December to mother their newborns. It took a while when we got on the boat but once we spotted our first baby whale we were all mesmerized. They came so close to the boats it was crazy. They played around the boats, and their mothers were in sight. We saw them coming up for air and slapping their fins against the water, in the distance we saw huge whales jumping out of the water, it was just amazing!! Then we went to see a penguin colony, they were so cute! And we saw sea lions and elephant seals! It was a beautiful day and so nice to feel the hot sun again. When we got back we went for a really nice dinner and they made us our favourite Paradise Punch cocktails! Then we jumped on the 9pm overnight bus to El Bolson, in the Lake District part of Argentina!

In El Bolson we stayed in a great, eco retreat type hostel with 2 hectares of beautiful gardens. Again, we were blessed with blue skies and sunshine and surrounded by mountain valleys, green grass and colourful flowers. We caught a bus to the national park, of course stopping for more amazing ice cream enroute. We walked around the lake and relaxed on the rocks at the top of the viewpoint overlooking more beautiful scenery. We didn't realize it was a public holiday so the buses only ran back every two hours. So when we spotted two guys with motorbikes about to leave we thought we would try hitch a ride. They didn't speak English so our basic Spanish would have to do, but before we knew it we were on the back of motorbikes cruising through the open roads back to El Bolson, they took us on a scenic route up through the valley it was so much fun. People are so friendly here and trustworthy, all too often we would assume the worst of people and not trust in the safely but these two guys were totally genuine and proud locals wanting to show us their beautiful town. They were even nice enough to wait in the town whilst we did a quick food shop and then they biked us back to the hostel, which was great as it was 5km out of town! We finished the day with more wine and reading in the garden, pure bliss. The next day we had a lazy morning, and I enjoyed the homemade bread and jam you got for breakfast at the lodge. We went back into the town as Tuesday was market day and we wondered through looking at the stalls. We brought nice homemade bracelets. That night it was the birthday celebrations of a guy at the hostel Ben, so we all sat together on the big table and had dinner and wine. It was really fun.

Next stop was Bariloche, we were excited to come here as we had been recommended a hostel called Penthouse 1004, which sounded great, but it was near a volcano and everyone at El Bolson had warned us not to go because it was really windy and the ash cloud had blocked the views in Bariloche and the surrounding areas, this also dampened our plans to do the famous Seven Lakes Drive which was meant to be beautiful. We decided to pass through anyway just in case and thank god we did as we arrived to blue skies and the view from the penthouse hostel was just amazing! We have been so lucky with the weather! We decided to stay and hire a car the next day as the weather was supposed to stay good so we sorted everything out with the car and enjoyed a bottle of wine and watched the sunset from our hostel balcony. Who said backpacking was a hard life ;) the next morning we picked up the car and headed out on the road. The ash had spread overnight a bit so it was slightly cloudy but to our luck when we got further away from Bariloche and started the route it was blue skies and the sun was shining again. It was amazing. To have a car, we had our music blasting and felt so free cruising the roads. You barely passed any other cars; we were surrounded by stunning lakes and animals roaming freely. It was nice to have the car so we could stop wherever we wanted, we took our home made lunch and sat at the time of a viewpoint overlooking one of the many bright coloured lakes, and it was so peaceful. On the way back Hayley managed to off road the car, it was pretty funny looking back at it. The wheels then got stuck in the dirt and rubble so it was quite a sight to see both of us on our hands and knees trying to dig the wheels out of the holes. Luckily after a while a local drove pass and helped drive the car out. It was part of the fun adventure anyway.

The next day we got on a 12 hour bus to cross back across to Chile, this time heading to Pucon. We stayed at Ethnico Eco Hostel and had to stay in a 14 bed dorm which we were dreading to when we arrived we saw the room was actually divided into two and Hayley and I were the only ones in one part so it wasn't so bad. We booked on an excursion to climb the volcano but we had no idea it would turn out to be such an amazing day, it was definitely one of the highlights of our trip so far. Climbing Volcan Villarica, which is still active. It was a full on adventure day, they provided all the kit, we had snow jackets and trousers, snow boots, ice pixels, helmets, gloves, hats, the lot. It was pretty full on. We didn't realize we were to actual climb the volcano through the snow! There was no proper path; you just simply hiked via the steps the person in front of you embedded in the snow. It was amazing. The sky was bright blue and before we knew it we were hiking into the clouds! At the very top we were actually above the clouds, it was absolutely amazing. Without a doubt one of the best things I have ever done! It was really hard and steep at times but I think the fitness from the previous hikes really helped as I wasnt out of breath too much! At the top you walked around the edge of the volcano opening, the ash was coming out. It was surreal. After about 45 mins at the top, it was time for the descent. To top the day off, we got to slide on our asses down from 3,000m to the bottom, I have never laughed to myself so much it was so much fun! We wore protective things over our bums and just flew down the snow calved slides, it was amazing!! Snow flakes flying in my face, flying over dips in the snow and down through the clouds it was incredible! When we got back to the hostel we thawed out in the sun and had a bottle of wine in the hostel garden. That night we went to the natural hot springs! I love this life :)