Torres del Paine to Punta Arenas - 18th Nov

It is funny how wide awake and attentive you become when you perceive the driver of your minibus is falling asleep.

We had said goodbye to the team last night as people were heading their separate ways and would be leaving at different times... we were lucky in that we were not due to leave the Eco-camp until 9.30am whereas the people bound for El Calafate were leaving at 6.30am.

We awoke leisurely, had breakfast and boarded the minibus over the old bridge (which for the record came from Westminster, UK), out of the park and on towards Punta Arenas which was the nearest place we could catch a flight to Santiago from.

The journey was long and would take a total of 6 hours to complete with a break in Puerto Natales for lunch. The first 90mins of the journey was on gravel roads which ensured a sleep free journey for all.

After stopping in Pto.Natales for lunch and dropping a few people off we commenced our journey to Punta Arenas a further 3 hour ride. After lunch I started to drop off and had a good hours sleep before opening my eyes to what I think was the driver doing his best impression of that old counterweight nodding bird ornament – head down as if trying to hit the steering wheel at speed and then back bolt upright all within a split second. Now I am not saying the driver was actually falling asleep, it is very likely that I wrongly interpreted his actions and he was reaching for something, but I knew one thing for sure – I was no longer tired.

Anyway, we got to Punta Arenas (safely I hasten to add) at around 5pm and checked in to our hotel – the top rated hotel in the area on tripadvisor and a kind of trendy place specialising in architecture design and yoga. Our room felt very Feng Shui inspired and the bathroom was the first wetroom of the trip. I could quite easily of sat on the toilet, tended to my facial hair and showered all at the same time.

Sue and Derek, from Eco-camp, had booked the same hotel at the last minute and so all four of us went out for a pretty average meal in town but good company made up for the lacklustre food.

I had inadvertantly ordered steak and crisps!

We hit the sack early and had no problem sleeping despite the 6 hours of sitting on a bus.

Footnote: Saying goodbye to the guides reminded me of our trip to Peru (2003) where on the last night's meal the group gave the guide a tip... after all he had been professional throughout the tour! We had ordered one Peruvian speciality for the table to try, that being guinea pig. It was presented without fur but with head, feet etc. A few of us had tried it but had left the brain for the guide as this was a true Peruvian delicacy, allegedly an acquired taste and a honour for the person who received it. The guide got it bagged as he was going to keep it for later. However this did not go exactly to plan as he then proceeded to drink away the whole of his tip, disappear and apparently pass out back in his room. The next day he had to be awoken for the bus to the airport by some people from the group, he was not sure where the bagged brain was, but we assume he left it in a bar somewhere.