Marph didn't go to Patagonia

I'm sorry you got left behind buddy! 

This is what you missed out on:

The holiday started with a seasonal Starbucks to give us sustenance for a long travel day at the much improved Sao Paulo International Airport.

The first stop was Puerto Natales where we enjoyed awe-inspiring views,

and exploring the Torres del Paine National Park.

The wind is very strong here, 

and the views simply breathtaking. 

We enjoyed some short windblown walks in the park,

and re-fueling with pizza and beer back in town.

We explored the Cave of the Milodon, 

with a long walk to the smaller caves and a milo, cherries, and pannetone picnic near the Devil's Chair. 

A long bus ride took us across the border to Argentina to the town of El Calafate. 

The view over Lago Argentino from our hotel in Calafate. 

Give that man a beer!

Our favourite chill out spot in Calafate,

where we also indulged in dulce de leche pancakes.

And of course there were lots of ice-cream dates!

Our favourite ice-cream shop in Calafate. 

The main attraction in this area is the spectacular Perito Moreno Glacier in the Los Glaciares National Park and it didn't disappoint.

We provided the champagne picnic and Perito Moreno provided the show. 

On Christmas Eve there was further exploration of glaciers with a day boat trip further into the park,

followed by a delicious Christmas Eve dinner of Patagonic lamb in Malbec sauce. 

Christmas Day was nice and slow with a visit to the Glaciarium,

and a walk around the Nimez Lagoon bird sanctuary.

View over Lago Argentino from the Glaciarium. 

Christmas Day dinner involved more Argentinian steak and more Malbec. 

One of the many busses that we used to travel around Patagonia. 

This one ferried us between El Calafate and El Chalten.

A short hike to a viewpoint overlooking the town and the two main mountain peaks, Cerro Torre and Cerro Fitz Roy, served as a warm up hike on the first afternoon. 

On the following two days we tackled the two most popular day hikes in the area to Laguna Torre and Laguna de los Tres. 

And we took the opportunity to go for a walk on Viedma glacier. 

This was our favourite ice-cream shop in Chalten and we also discovered a delicious Fabricas de Pastas and Wafleria which we frequented.

The last town we visited in Patagonia was Punta Arenas. 

We enjoyed some quiet restful days here since not much was open on New Year's Eve and New Year's Day. 

And then we were back in Santiago enjoying braais and

days on the beach with our wonderful friends Joan and Mayira. 

Thanks for having us!

We are sorry you missed out our mellow yellow travel fellow!

We will try not to forget you on the next adventure.... 

Wishing you all a Happy New Year and a blessed 2015!