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!
