No rainbow this morning. We could see snow on the upper elevations this morning. It’s about 40 degrees with a chance of rain. The anglers have all gone out, nothing stops them! I do have rain pants and a rain jacket so I will stay dry. One good thing about the wind here, is NO BUGS! The little black dots in the field are cattle.
Good morning! No breakfast spread for you as you have a hike to accompany me on!
Here is a view of the Simpson River that runs through Coyhaique. Steve was hoping to fish this but due to the rains it looked like he would be unable to do so.
This is called the haunted house. It represents the building styles of the early European settlers of the area. The houses were erected so quickly it was said that they were built by witches. The haunted aspect is due to a mistranslation to English!
A view of the city of Coyhaique. The city is the capital of this part of Patagonia.
Snow capped Andes Mountains!
C went off with Gaston today for a more strenuous hike. I stayed with Juan who promised me a more relaxing flat hike.
Our first hike hike was around Laguna Verde. Green Lake.
Juan was well prepared for any eventuality. He even had hot water in his backpack in case I wanted hot tea!
There were piles of pine cones many layers deep.
Here is Juan in front of a grassy bush. Juan was not tall, but this was still a very large plant!
This means trout bridge.
No trout live here, maybe once upon a time.
Here are some wild strawberries that Juan pointed out to me.
We next visited a fragile ecosystem trail in an old growth forest. Steve should come next time, he likes to look at really old trees.
Swamp lake.
Juan leading the way.
Juan said that all the lichens on the trees meant that the air was very pure. I always thought that lichens were a bad thing.
More tree growth of a different sort. It looks really healthy!
There is a trail here!
Juan really liked this part of the trail. I really liked it when he said ten minutes more and we get to turn around. I can imagine this being a place of ceremonies by the native peoples. The trees were really huge!
Yay! Turn around point.
On our way back to town. More views of the mountains.
Here is a statue of a hand holding a cup of mate. Mate is a drink that many South Americans drink all day long. We were told that it is not caffeine based, but it is. It is a communal drink that is poured into a metal cup, with a metal straw that is part of the lid. You don’t wipe off the straw when it is passed to you. You just hope that no one with communicable diseases drank just prior to you. You are not to say thank you when it is passed to you either.
You didn’t think I would not try to find a grocery store and explore did you?
Front desk. This is also where you exchanged the empty display boxes for the real boxes that held the bottle of Scotch.
I love the brand names of toilet paper all over the world!
Some of the bottles of wine were quite dusty. Although who would want to drink Yellow Tail from Australia when you could drink a nice Chilean wine?
Papas Fritas.
The world loves potato chips!
There was also a big display of Pisco mixes!
We returned to the lodge for lunch. Lunch was a chicken cutlet, mashed potatoes and a glass of white wine. I was able to catch up with C. Her hike was an equivalent of 113 flights, I am happy I didn’t join her!
Dessert was vanilla ice cream.
After lunch, I rested while C went out on another hike. I think she went on another 100 stair flights on her trek.
We had two beds in our room. Many of the guests are guys who don’t want to share a bed with their fishing companions.
The great view from the bedroom.
This is a picture of the great room. The couches were great for reading and enjoying the amazing views.
There was a gift shop above the dining area with local crafts. I bought this beautiful top for Sally.
Steve did catch some fish. Here are two trout that he caught on one cast. The technique that he used had two flies on the line. It is unusual to catch two fish at once!
After Steve came back he showered and changed for dinner. Let’s eat some Chilean food!
Seviche.
Chopped up something or other. Tasty.
Lamb prosciutto, fresh greens, onion marmalade on toasted bread.
Paella.
For some reason, staff thought that I didn’t eat seafood, so I got tender chunks of beef. I coudn’t figure out what the nuggets were made from. 
Dessert was a poached pear in a pastry, crumbles, and fried dough with vanilla ice cream on top.
Are you tall?
What is your favorite brand of potato chips?
Shouldn’t liquor stores in America have a better Pisco selection?
