Woke up to clear sky and stunning scenery from my bedroom window! I have a clear view of two nearby mountains which looked fabulous this morning. I even caught a photo of a rainbow during a brief shower.
I chose a half day excursion this morning which was basically driving and no hiking. Better for my knee.
I spent most of my time with my mouth hanging open, just gaping at the scenery. Although it is raining now, it was sunny this morning, making the lakes sparkle. The mountains are either soft looking steppes or jagged, rocky and snow covered. Our destination was to Laguna Azul (blue lake). The color was spectacular. This was a flora and fauna trip. We saw countless guanacos, three grey foxes, two rheas (like emus), several caracaras (falcons), coots, geese, two Andean condors, and several large hares along with many spring flowers.
The challenge in all this was the wind. It really could knock you over if taken off guard. Picture taking is a challenge. I imagine it is challenging for hikers trying to navigate through the gusts with a pack on their back. Now that it is raining the wind has at least died down.
I had lunch with some of the people from my morning tour. It was a gourmet "lunch" which included a dessert called "pumpkin volcano". How could I resist that? Pretty tasty!
In a break from the rain I went for a walk around the hotel area. This is a such a naturally beautiful area! There are plenty of hares and even a red fox right around the hotel.
I ran into people who I rode in with yesterday. Their boat trip was cancelled today due to wind. Nothing is a given here when it comes to weather.
Had a chance to Skype with Gavin and see some snowfall back home. Nice to touch base.
Supper was delicious though not nearly as exquisite as the gourmet lunch. It is 2200h and still not dark!
Adventure Life has been an extraordinary travel resource for us over the years and today was no exception. Our River Cruise booking was handled by Jess (who has been our personal trip planner for several years) the same day as our inquiry. Suggestions were given for cabin choice and pre-trip options (that were not shown on the cruise line's website) like airport transfers and prepaid gratuities. Trip insurance recommendations followed and we were assigned a travel co-ordinator till the end of the tour. All we have to do is show up! Great service from friendly folks.
APtravelwell
1 day ago
My representative Kevin was very responsive generally and in crafting our itinerary to our specific priorities.
Rocco Labella
1 day ago
Although there was a lot of paper work, I received help and guidance when I needed it.
Donna Kirby
2 days ago
Our travel was flawless! The rider pickup (airport, hotel, ship) was seamless. Jane's recommendation for Emerald Cruise Sakara was everything I wanted but the experience was soooo much more. Adventure Life took care of each and every detail and this was the easiest of all my travels.
Anne Petty
3 days ago
Follow up was effective any questions were answered in a timely manner