Month: January 2021

Food | 饮食, Travel | 旅游

Chaoshan Food Trip – 潮汕美食攻略

2019 Jun. Shantou. Chaozhou. China

This trip was inspired by Netflix Flavorful Origins Season 1. After watching the mouth-watering delicacies and local delights on TV, my food kaki besties enthusiastically decided to make a food trip to Shantou 汕头 and Chaozhou 潮州 together. Itinerary was simple and straightforward, mark out all the good food places, just eat and eat and eat. We found a midweek direct flight on Jetstar for about S$200 and booked hotel for less than S$50 a night, super good deal for a 6-day trip to China! Very happy before the trip even started, hahaha… can’t wait.

Flew in to Jieyang Chaoshan Airport, cab to hotel 城市精选酒店, put down luggage, then straight out to have our first dinner at the nearest 福合埕牛肉丸 outlet nearby. Shantou is famous for its beef cooked in simple broth, to savour its freshness and unique special selection cuts from various parts of the cow that we never heard of.

这趟潮汕之旅，只有一个目的，就是吃！一下机到酒店放下行李，直接出门吃汕头出名的牛肉火锅。汕头人爱吃牛懂吃牛，把牛分割成非常细小的部位，每一个部位都命上独特的名称 – 勃仁、匙仁、吊龙、花趾、胸口朥、肥胼、嫩肉… 不过我们完全搞不清楚，只能随便点个几样试试。

       

Love this auntie selling herbal tea around the corner from hotel. She was so friendly and chatty, such a joy talking to her while enjoying the herbal tea. She gave us excellent recommendation of a no name stall selling glutinous rice sausage and pork stomach soup only locals knew. We hunted it down the next day and the food was as good as she relished it to be.

凉茶铺的大姐是个饕客，听她兴致勃勃地跟我们推荐在地人的私房美食，让人垂涎。

 

Selection of fruits at the stalls along the street was so inviting. Not easy to find fresh bayberries outside of China, so happily bought some back to hotel. Reminded me of the fun time back in Suzhou  when I went farm picking fresh bayberries from the trees, dressed in ponchos to avoid stains on clothes.

水果摊看到杨梅真开心，在新加坡很少买得到新鲜的。第一次看到黄皮果长什么样子。

 

The popular Longbei Market was just in front of the hotel, with an array of stalls selling all kinds of Teochew food and goodies. I was particularly interested in the various seafood and meat balls, which were all so good, that I packed multiple kgs of assortment balls in ice boxes to bring home on my flight back. 🙂

龙北市场就在我们住的酒店前面。疏果生鲜海味各式丸子熟食玲琅满目。

                 

Tried kway chap at 李记粿汁 which looked similar yet tasted different from our local version. Cboice of original or black pepper broth to go with your chosen ingredients, both tasty and delicious.

米浆做的粿条、肠粉是潮州常见的主食，这家粿汁口味和新加坡的有些不同，好吃。

     

Walk past this cheong fun shop 大树肠粉 and tried its beef cheong fun which came packed with bean sprout and vege under the thin layers of freshly steamed rice flour skin, drizzled with a delicious sweet savoury sauce. There is another even more popular and crowded shop 小吴肠粉 not far down the same road selling similar items, which we tried few days after.

   

This was the nondescript shop in the alley at 华坞市场 without any signage mentioned by the herbal tea auntie. I finally managed to locate the address 华坞路14号 on Dianping, as I could not remember its exact spot. Be prepared to ask around and search for the 40 yr-old shop which is a locals’ favourite. The glutinous rice sausage 糯米肠 was really fantastic both in texture and flavour, and ingredient packed with sausage, pork, chestnut and peanuts. Really the best I have ever tasted anywhere. The salted vegetable pig stomach soup 酸菜猪肚汤 goes very well with the glutinous rice. Awesome local street delicacy.

昨晚跟酒店旁凉茶铺大姐闲聊，她热心大力推荐的本地美食，华坞市场没有招牌的人气猪肠涨糯米和猪肚汤，糯米肠的确是我吃过最好吃的，料足味美，超赞！

         

Oyster omelette from a random stall near the lunch place. Big and succulent oysters fried with egg batter with crisp edges. Oily and sinful but nice.

   

Tea time in hotel room, snacking on the 鸡仔饼、腐乳饼 bought from the pastry shops. Teochew biscuits and pastries are popular, with many stores found everywhere along the streets.

 

Took a break, went for a run by the harbour, exercised to get hungry faster and be ready for the next meal.

         

We reached the restaurant for dinner at 8pm, but found out it was too late by local’s standard. The place was empty and most dishes were not available for order as the kitchen was closing. A bit disappointed.

8点钟吃晚餐太晚，很多招牌菜色都没了。

               

The next morning, we headed out to old Shantou city area where there is a cluster of good food places near 小公园, starting with the famous rice dumplings at 老妈宫粽球. Good stuff.

小公园商圈的著名老妈宫粽球。双烹粽球，综合咸甜，好吃！糯米肠远不如昨天华坞市场的，可免。

       

The place 飘香小食店 that would satisfy all your Teochew kueh cravings. They have a whole assortment of  kuehs, and we ordered almost everything to try. Pan fried to a crisp, everything tasted good, although the platter didn’t score well in looks department. Delicious and satisfying, including the oyster omelette 蚝烙 . Can skip the fishball soup though, very mediocre and not worth showing the pic.

飘香小食店是潮州粿天堂，种类多样样可口。蚝烙也超赞，但鱼圆汤别踩雷直接跳过。

             

This chi chi modern tea house served thirst quenching cold beverages, excellent for a hot day. They also sell nicely packaged local food products, which tasted great and made nice gifts. Chaoshan is famous for its ‘3 treasures’ 潮汕三宝  (老香黄，老药桔、黄皮鼓）which are marinated preserved chayote, kumquat, and wampi fruits. The three ingredients each have different health benefits, such as alleviating nausea or cough and warming up bodies. There are many traditional shops selling these along the commercial streets in Shantou and Chaozhou.

小憩片刻再继续… 吃！潮聚装潢典雅，应该是文青喜欢的茶馆。冰的黄皮汤清凉解腻沁人心脾，很好喝。

             

After this bowl of famous dry noodles, I was really almost going to burst and had to stop eating. Took a break at the nice cafe next door.

爱西干面的这碗人气干面下肚后，真的得暂停几个小时了。隔壁的咖啡馆饮料不错。

       

   

This is the biggest and most posh Teochew Porridge place in Shantou, featured in many TV shows. The food selection displayed was amazing. Even though the place seemed touristy and pricey, and locals preferred more modest options, we just had to try it ourselves. And loved it by the way. 🙂

游客必到，但滴滴司机说富苑贵又不好吃，本地人才不会来，都怪谢霆锋和网路捧红的。我们来了，宁可杀错不可放过。菜色超多吃得很爽很过瘾很开心。

                                         

The star dish that surprised and I enjoyed the most was the marinated live crabs. The flesh was full of flavour from the natural seafood sweetness and marinated sauces, with a gelatinous texture that is unforgettably good. So delicious and yummy, and addictive, that we ordered another order!

生腌螃蟹着实让人惊艳、绝佳美味、口感绵密、让我念念不忘！

         

Found a dessert shop after dinner.

饭后甜点，细姨甜汤。

       

Simple breakfast at a local shop around the corner from hotel. The steamed cheong fun is made from freshly ground rice on the spot. Then continued Part 2 of breakfast few shops away, dried noodles with soup, simple but satisfying.

酒店旁边的早餐，现磨米浆蒸肠粉。

       

       

‘Didi’ to Chaozhou for sightseeing at Arch Street 牌坊街。It is a pedestrianised street running 2km north to south in the old quarter, lined with 22 archways recounting the city’s history in Chinese.

到潮州市的牌坊街逛逛。

                 

Had dim sum lunch at 韩上楼 in Chaozhou before heading back to Shantou. Nice setting and decent food.

               

The cab driver who picked us up at Fu Yuan the day before, quipped that Fu Yuan was for tourists and highly recommended this restaurant. So here we were, but food standard was very very so so.

昨天吃货滴滴司机的介绍，中规中矩还不错，没他说的那么有🐲有🐯。

           

Too many food options in Shantou but too little stomach space, planned for supper to try out this beef ball shop recommended by locals. Searching for the hand chopped beef balls seen on Netflix, but was told nobody does that anymore, most are machine ground obviously. The beef tendon balls were excellent, even more bouncy and juicy than the regular beef balls.

宵夜。牛筋丸多汁有嚼劲，比牛肉丸更好吃。听说 Netflix 拍的手打牛肉丸，现在谁还有功夫真的花时间用手打给你看、问了店家，说是在工厂里打，看来算了别傻了甭找了，好吃就好。

         

After trying 3 shops selling cheong fun, this is the most crowded, most popular online, and best tasting one 小吴肠粉. No prize for guessing which one we ordered, the all-in combo obviously, even came with oyster!

货比三家，这家的肠粉最合我口味。粉皮最薄、用料最丰富、生意最旺、人也最多。

       

There is also an artisanal coffee culture brewing in Shantou, with youngsters setting up shop serving barista coffee.

 

Teochew braised goose is so delicious. This famous shop 春梅里鹅肉店 is seriously good. I wanted to dabao a whole duck home the next day I was flying home, like I always do when visiting HK or London, but the stall ran out!

潮州卤鹅拼盘，卤得入味，鹅肉内脏都好吃，超赞！

         

Break at hotel eating more snacks bought from the pastry shops. And my advance order list for meat and seafood balls frozen packed prepared to be picked up just before my flight the following day.

   

Teochew porridge for dinner again at a modest local place near to the hotel. Food is decent, and at a fraction of the price compared to Fu Yuan. Ordered the marinated raw prawns, not as mind blowing as the raw crabs previously but still delicious.

酒店旁转角处的巷弄小店，本地人称为 ‘打冷’ 的潮州粥经济实惠。

                         

Dim sum for breakfast, decent food but nothing to shout about. We are blessed with too many excellent choices with high standards in Singapore, tough to impress.

       

Too full from all the eating, found a nice cafe to hangout. Interesting “dirty coffee” named 脏啡, basically hot espresso over chilled milk, first sip to be drank in a gulp to taste the layered flavours and temperature.

   

We really ate A LOT in these 6 days. I must say Chaoshan is a food paradise with so many delectable local dishes, snacks and offerings, mostly cheap and very affordable, with high culinary standards. I will definitely want to come back here and do it all over again.

潮汕美食名闻天下，绝对是老饕必游之地，吃过就知道，让人回味难忘！

Travel | 旅游

Iguazu Falls

2020 Jan. Iguazu Falls. Argentina & Brazil.

I have always wanted to visit Iguazu Falls, having read and heard about it being more impressive and magnificent than Niagara Falls which I had visited during my college days 20 years ago. Indeed it was. A friend suggested that I book my stay at Gran Melia, the only hotel within the National Park on Argentina side. That turned out fantastic, with good view of the falls upon stepping into the lobby and hotel room.

         

Iguazu Falls is divided between two countries: Argentina and Brazil. Both parks offer a different experience and have different characteristics and attractions. I planned to visit both sides. After check in and a quick lunch, we set off by car to cross over the border to Brazilian side of Iguazu National Park. The park set up is touristy and accessible to all ages. We boarded a park visitor bus to get into the forested area and walked along a dedicated trail to enjoy views of Iguazu Falls from Brazilian side.

                

We approached the lookout point for Devil’s Throat Falls, where there was a viewing bridge and observation tower.

         

 

          

The one-way visitor trail on the Brazilian side was not long, entire visit took less than 3 hrs with ample time stopping and taking pictures. We were back at the hotel to enjoy a dip in the pool at sunset. Beautiful clouds and falls view from Gran Melia pool.

 

Notice the mist cloud hovering above the Devil’s Throat Falls due to the immense water volume plunging down.

       

The next day we explored Iguazu National Park on the Argentinian side, which had more trails. We started with the Lower Circuit, followed by the Upper Circuit, and then the main attraction Devil’s Throat trail. Iguazu Falls when viewed from Argentinian side, was even closer and more impressive. Good fun getting wet on the boat ride as well in between the trails, which required separate booking and payment. Best to plan and book a day in advance from hotel concierge.

                       

The trails were well maintained and easy to access for all fitness levels. Had a nice early morning stroll along the boardwalk. The lower and upper circuits offered different vantage points to take in beautiful sights of the vast landscape, with a total of 275 waterfalls in the national park.

                   

We did not make advanced booking for the boat ride as we were unsure how much time we would spend on the trails. Decided to try our luck after completing lower and upper circuits before mid day. We walked in to check but all slots were taken. Luckily we waited as standby, and managed to board with the last group.

             

The most thrilling moment of the boat ride was going under one of the waterfalls and getting thoroughly drenched. It was exciting and great fun. Check out the video clip.

   

Exciting plunge under the waterfall

The Devil’s Throat Falls is the key attraction in the National Park, best visited in the afternoon for better photo opportunity and avoid direct glare from the sun. Access is via the jungle train to the Devil’s Throat Station. From there, a 1km footbridge led to the immense monumental waterfall. The level bridge was quiet and safe, and wheelchair accessible. Incredible views of the falls await at the end of the platform. Everyone will be wowed!

                           

Very difficult to capture the magnificence of the falls in photos, videos are better, but the impact and immense wonder of nature needs to be experienced in person. Just amazing!

Beautiful view of Devil’s Throat and surrounding falls

Impressive water volume cascading down Devil’s Throat 

That was the finale for this trip! Flew home the next day on multi leg flights via Iguazu – Madrid – Abu Dhabi – Singapore, which took a super loooong 36 hrs.

   

Home sweet home!

Travel | 旅游

Buenos Aires

2019 Dec. Buenos Aires. Argentina.

Buenos Aires was a quick city stop between my Patagonia trekking adventure and sight seeing visit to Iguaza Falls. The phobia from the birdshit scam was still fresh in my mind, so I wasn’t too keen to explore crowded places in cities. Had an unexpected good dinner at Bar Chin Chin around the corner from Curio Collection Hilton Hotel we stayed in. The steak was also excellent, hence my conclusion that steaks are very well executed by most decent chefs in Argentina generally.

 

Highlight of the evening was drinks at Bar Sur to experience live Tango dancing. Cover charge was not cheap, as this was the bar made famous by Wong Kar Wai’s movie ‘Happy Together’ (春光乍泄）starring Tony Leung and Leslie Cheung. Not surprising, a number of the guests were asian tourists.

   

 

New Year’s eve was free and easy day to explore the city, but many places closed early. We headed to La Boca, Buenos Aires’ famed neighbourhood for its colourful houses, tango and soccer team, and supposedly the one attraction that every tourist must visit. The centrepiece was the cobblestone strip El Caminito. Outside the tourist area was a fairly poor neighbourhood with many crime reported, so need to be extra careful.

                     

Visited another shopping and dining area in Palermo in the afternoon, stores were starting to close early. Chanced upon this street with graffiti all over.

                 

We headed to Recoleta Mall next and walked past Participatory Science Museum with an interesting painted facade.

Visited Recoleta Cemetery in the heart of Buenos Aires, arguably the world’s most beautiful place to rest in peace. Buried here were the who’s who of notable Argentinians including politicians, Nobel Prize winners, and of course Argentina’s most beloved Evita, Eva Peron.

       

This place reminded me of the cemeteries in New Orleans, but bigger and nicer. The entire cemetery is a huge maze and impossible to navigate. Took us some effort to locate the most famous and visited tomb of Eva Peron. 🎼 Don’t cry for me Argentina…

             

Decided to take a long walk to the revamped dockside area Puerto Madero and then back to hotel, to take in some views of the city.

   

The unique 335-foot pedestrian suspension swing bridge designed by Santiago Calatrava.

       

Finding a restaurant for dinner on New Year eve was not easy. Decided to eat at Bar Chin Chin again early before the countdown partygoers gather at the bar. Of cos, I had to order the excellent steak again. And that was probably why despite all that self-punishing hardcore trekking for this trip, I did not lose any weight. 🙂

               

We did not want to go to the big countdown parties with huge crowds in the city. Decided to stay in our hotel and sat at the small square right in front. Nice ambience with customers from the restaurants and bars flowing out, and locals gathering to dance in the small park.

         

Dancer performing outdoors at the restaurant

Countdown moment to New Year 2020

Revellers dancing and celebrating

It was a nice low key countdown to 2020 in Buenos Aires, great ambience! Flew to Iguazu the next morning on New Year Day.

Travel | 旅游

Los Glaciares National Park

2019 Dec. Los Glaciares National Park. El Chalten. El Calafate. Patagonia. Argentina.

Part 2 of my Patagonia adventure continued, in Argentina. Bus ride from Puerto Natales across the border to El Calafate took 5 hrs, then another 2.5 hrs car ride to El Chalten. El Chalten is a tiny tourist mountain town within the Los Glaciares National Park near the base of Cerro Torre and Fitz Roy spires. It is 220km north of El Calafate, and a popular base for hiking numerous trails to the base of surrounding peaks and glacial lakes, such as Laguna de los Tres and Laguna Torre.

Our dinner at La Tapera on Christmas Day was awesome, and deserved special mention! The steak was marinated and rustically grilled to perfection with flavourful chimichurri seasoning on the slightly charred crust, moist and tender on the inside, hitting exact medium rare doneness, with just the right amount of fat trimming on the edge. The portion was humungous and the price unbelievably reasonable. It was so delicious, that we went back again specially for the steak. I am salivating once again as I describe the unforgettable meal. Move aside US prime beef and Japanese wagyu, Argentinian beef is now my new favourite!

       
I did not realise there were 2 more full days of 21km hike AGAIN!!! awaiting me in Argentinian Patagonia after W Trek. Clearly I did not read the details of my itinerary carefully enough, more hardcore trekking after a short break on Christmas Day. I could hardly walk or stand straight in the wind by this point, and thought to myself I had done enough hiking and seen enough glaciers for this trip. But having gone through the trauma back in Santiago, I was determined to make the most out of this trip and soldiered on.

Day 1 in Los Glaciares National Park was a guided hike to Laguna de los Tres, 21km roundtrip with 730m ascent in about 9 hrs. Entrance to Los Glaciares National Park in Argentina is free and does not require any permit, unlike Torres del Paine National Park in Chile. The trail started with an open terrain, before crossing a dense forest of lenga trees, and then opening up to nice glacier views.

     

             

The trail went deep into the forest before reaching the Poincenot campsite.

     

 

From here onwards, the route climbed steadily and steeply to the lake. Some parts gain height zigzagging along the slope, further up a rocky section. Near the destination, tough stretch with more steep slopes to advance through a bare terrain directly towards the lake.

       

Finally reached Laguna de los Tres, which supposedly has the most spectacular view of Fitz Roy, but was covered by clouds. Laguna de los Tres is an emblematic and must visit to El Chaltén, as it is possible to appreciate different glaciers from the beginning of the trek.

   

Few steps away, there is another lake on a different level with different colour. Quite an interesting sight. Climbed the small hill on the left of Laguna de Los Tres, and there was a good view of Laguna Sucia right next to Laguna de Los Tres.

   

Video clip of Laguna de Los Tres and Laguna Sucia on different levels

After enjoying the views and taking a short break at the 2 lakes, we continued trekking and climbed down toward the direction of Laguna Capri.

           

It began to rain when we reached Laguna Capri. Really need to be always prepared for all weather conditions when trekking in Patagonia, both in Chile and Argentina even although the climate is somewhat different with the Chilean side getting much more rain from the Pacific Ocean.

   

       

The trail ended in the northern end of El Chalten as we exited the National Park. My feet were hurting and I could barely walk properly, trailing behind the group in a distance. After cleaning up in hotel, we had dinner at Techado Negro, another recommended restaurant. Food was ok but nothing near as good as La Tapera the night before.

   

   

Day 2 of the guided trek was to Laguna Torre, also 21 km long roundtrip and estimated to take about 7 hrs. I seriously considered sitting out for this trek as I could hardly walk normally. In the end I decided to just follow and try my best and to turn back when I feel I could not go on anymore. The day started miserably wet with rain again. Luckily the ascent for this hike is only about 250m and mostly right at the trailhead starting in El Chalten.

       

From the first viewpoint Mirador Margarita, the hike is mostly on a flat path, with occasional up and down sections.

       

   

It was wet and freezing cold when we reached Laguna Torre, not much of a view due to the poor weather again. Supposed to have an iconic Cerro Torre mountain towering behind and a glacier that spills into Laguna Torre.

         

Video clip of Laguna Torre

The weather only started to clear up toward the end of our trek on the way back to El Chalten in the mid afternoon.

                  

Ended Day 2 hike back in El Chalten and by this time, I was limping on every single step, unable to walk properly. Nevertheless I was really glad I managed to complete the entire trek. Decided to go back to La Tapera for the awesome steak, and had a delicious meal again.

         

Day 3 was a free day in the morning to explore more of El Chalten on our own, but I was not in the condition to do another trek, so I only walked around the small town, which was very charming at dawn basked in the beautiful light.

                         

We had lunch at Maffia, where the freshly made pasta was pretty good.

       

A nice cafe with decent wifi around the corner from Hotel Senderos where we stayed. The wifi at the hotel was unforgivably lousy and impossible to even connect properly throughout our 3 night stay, including in the main lobby. So for that, I would not recommend anyone to stay there.

 

This minimal and nicely designed food store La Roti had excellent quiches and empanadas, great choice as packed lunch for hikes or afternoon snack.

     

We transferred via minivan to Hotel Patagonia Queen in El Calafate in the early evening, and was treated to the beautiful cloud formations along the long 3 hr drive.

           

Day 4 in Argentinian Patagonia was a guided boat tour operated by Southern Spirit to Los Glaciares National Park to see Perito Moreno Glacier, with some easy walking. No more hardcore trekking, more like a touristy excursion for families, thankfully.

             

The boat stopped at Bahia Toro for a quick discovery walk through the vegetation, nothing that wowed.

                   

And then another stop at Cerro Negro for a short hike with some views of the glaciers in a distance. Probably planned for lazy tourists on boat tours to enjoy a ‘hiking’ experience, though I already overdosed for that. 🙂

 

                            

And then the finale was going up close towards the Perito Moreno Glacier. It was the most impressive and largest one I have seen so for, comparing those I visited in New Zealand and Alaska. It is the third largest ice field in the world after Antartica and Greenland.

        

This 250 sqkm mass of ice is one of the most impressive sites in the world, its massive ice walls rose 74m over the water on average. Seeing giant chunks of ice ‘calving’ off this great wall and plummet down crashing into the lake below loudly was memorable. We alighted the boat and had some free time to climb up the viewing deck to explore the glaciers and huge ice field from various vantage points. Gorgeous!

       

 Video clip of Perito Moreno Glacier

   

 Another video of Perito Moreno Glacier

   

Back in El Calafate, we had dinner at the famous La Tablita restaurant. Its famed mixed parrilla, included steak, sausage and Patagonian lamb cooked on wood fire grill. Good meal.

             

Day 5 in Argentinian Patagonia was a free and easy half day before we flew off to Buenos Aires. Had breakfast at the delicious looking local bakery Panadería y Confitería Don Luis around the corner from our hotel, and the food did not disappoint.

   

Spent the morning exploring El Calafate which is a big touristy town, and strolled to nearby Reserve Laguna Nimez, which is a natural sanctuary for indigenous bird species, such as flamingos & swans.

                            

… and that was a wrap for my unforgettable and breathtakingly beautiful Patagonia adventure!

Travel | 旅游

Torres del Paine – W Trek

2019 Dec. W Trek. Torres del Paine. Patagonia. Chile.

This was an amazing and memorable 5-day W Trek in Torres del Paine National Park in the extreme south region of Patagonian Chile, in the southern tiers of the Andes with picturesque mountains, lakes and glaciers.

Best time to visit is between Nov and Apr, which coincides with spring and summer in the southern hemisphere. You need to book entry permit and accommodation well in advance, and be mentally and physically prepared! I have experienced myself that weather can change dramatically very quickly, and four seasons in a day is a fact. The trek is gonna be tough, and STRONG wind is something you need to brace yourself with, no joke.

We took a flight from Santiago to Punta Arenas, and then a 3-hr bus ride to Puerto Natales. We had to attend a pre-trek briefing at the local travel agent office upon arrival.

 

So excited and all geared up for the 5-day W trek when we arrived in Puerto Natales, a low key and laid back town which is the main portal to access Patagonia. We put up at Hotel Altiplanco Sur, which had a unique layout with nice views. It was 3km from the small town centre but the walk along the water was enjoyable.

                     

Found a nice small restaurant Lenga serving modern cuisine run by a young couple for dinner. The pisco cocktail had the nicest garnish ever! Food wise, commendable effort in plating presentation, food prep execution was good but not top notch quality. Supposedly one of the better restaurants in Puerto Natales, the other being Santolla which was full when we walked in.

 
     

Early next morning, we left our big luggages at the hotel, cab to the bus terminal to take the bus to Torres del Paine National Park. The journey was about 2hr, and once out of Puerto Natales, there was no more mobile or wifi signal. Radio silence till Christmas Eve, how nice! The photo below showed Laguna Amargo, where everyone need to disembark to submit entrance ticket, register and attend another safety video briefing. We then transferred to another minivan to reach Las Torres’ Welcome Centre few km away. The arrangement was confusing as there were many operators, but you should find the right car by asking around.

This was the Welcome Centre, and our accomodation Refugio Torre Central/Norte was just a short walk away. Saw a fox when we walked towards the refugio! Hiking in Torres del Paine National Park is significantly cheaper if you go self-guided. The W trek is well marked and so busy that you will probably see people all the time, so there is absolutely no chance you will get lost.

 

After checking in and storing our backpacks, we departed from Refugio Torre Central/Norte towards Refugio Chileno with our daypack. The hike for the Day 1 would cover 18km to reach the iconic base of the Towers, which would be steep in parts, particularly the section up to the towers, and return the same way, in about 10 hrs. The W Trek can be done in either direction, our itinerary was planned East to West due to limited accommodation availability. Many trekkers plan the hike to the 3 towers as finale of their W Trek or the big circuit O Trek. It was the most tedious hike of all the days and I was glad we did it in the beginning rather than at the end.

                 

The Windy Pass along the way to Chileno. The wind in Patagonia is notorious for being so strong that it could blow you over. Patagonia is an enormous, mostly treeless plateau which gets blasted by the relentless dry polar winds that continually blow from the west. As the trail gently wound down the side of valley, there were gorgeous views of Rio Ascencio and the surrounding mountains.

         

Water in Torres del Paine National Park is safe to drink without sterilization, and you can fill up your bottle from any moving body of water such as a river, stream, or waterfall. The cold water may look slightly cloudy but it actually tasted crisp and delicious, even better than potable tap water! I really missed drinking from these natural sources. Water at its purest and best!

       

It took about 2 hrs to reach Refugio Chileno, a good place to break for our packed lunch. Throughout the trek, we would collect a lunch box from the refugio with a meal ticket during breakfast. The lunch boxes were often similarly packed with cheese sandwich, snacks like nuts, cereal bar or chocolate, and a fruit. Quantity was always more than enough to not let you go hungry.

   

 

The next stretch of the hike after the refugio was largely unremarkable, climbing through a lengthy section of forest.

         

End of forest trail, the view opened up. From this point onwards, it was a tedious climb upwards on rocky and sandy terrain. This was the most difficult and intense part of the trail, had to navigate steep pile of rocks and boulders while fighting to maintain balance fighting the strong winds that whipped through at high speeds. The ascent in elevation for the day’s hike was about 900m or 3000ft, most of which was this stretch. I struggled hard with the tedious climb, and had no desire in taking any photos while catching my breath… 🙂

   

I was thoroughly exhausted when I reached Torres del Paine (Spanish for ‘Towers of Paine’, ‘Paine’ being the old indigenous name for the colour blue), the three immense rock towers that give the park its name. Took me a while to recover, but the view was worth it. No sun with overcast sky, and the wind was loud and strong, sweeping across the turquoise lake. Beautiful!

               

Short video clip at Mirador las Torres

 

It was the same route back after the stunning views at the mirador. Climbing down the rocky trail was equally tough, watching every step on slippery rocks and fighting to keep my feet on the ground against the strong winds, careful not to get injured on the first day.

               

I had underestimated the difficulty of trekking in Patagonia, it was way tougher and more strenuous than I imagined. I was dead beat by the time I returned to Refugio Torre Central for dinner. Dinner and breakfast was basic and bleahhh, but I was thankful for hot food and shan’t complain. Our bunk was in a small quaint outpost Torre Norte (shown in pic below) a stone’s throw away from main Torre Central building. There were power points in all refugios for charging phones and batteries, so remember to pack your adaptor and cable.

     

It was sheer mind power to be up and ready to go for Day 2 hike, from Torres Central to Los Cuernos, approximate 12km in about 6 hours. Pure mind over body, as I was determined to go on with the W Trek. The rain did not make it any easier as we started the hike, seeing rain was unlikely to stop anytime soon. Within short few hours, waterproof shoes just no longer work, so wet socks throughout the day. Luckily the hike was shorter and relatively easy compared to the day before, although we had to carry our backpacks all the way.

           

Not all trails were nicely paved, be prepared for all conditions including crossings over shallow streams and muddy areas.

           

As the weather cleared up, beauty unfolded. The intensity of colours started to reveal, the turquoise Nordenskjöld Lake contrasted the shades of green of local flora, against the blue skies and white clouds.

                                         

We were booked camping at Refugio Cuernos as the travel agent did not manage to secure a bunk bed for that date. Ended up I had the best night rest sleeping in the tent with good privacy. Temperature was not as cold as I thought, the tent shielded the wind effectively and the sleeping bags provided were adequately warm and comfortable. Love the camping in nature experience and the hot shower in the toilets. Great views!

       

Dinner at Refugio Cuernos deserves a mention, rice was uncooked and beef was tough and tasteless. I don’t usually waste food but this occasion was an exception. Just glad I always pack emergency ration of Korean instant ramen on standby for supper, which tasted heavenly in cold weather.

  

Day 3 hike from Los Cuernos to French Valley Lookout and then to Paine Grande. Another 17km, to be done in about 9 hrs. It started to drizzle again just as we were about to set off. Due to the wet weather the day before, water level on some streams were high and got my shoes soaked and wet in no time. Another wet socks day right from morning, bummer!

     

Rainbows were a common sight during the W Trek. Check out the double rainbow! The rainbow instantly lifted our mood and spirits to keep on going.

           

Video showing views of Lake Nordenskjöld

The hike from Cuernos to Camp Italiano took about 3 hours. We left our backpacks by the ranger station and hiked to French Valley Lookout with a smaller daypack.

 

Weather was freezing cold near the lookout point. Even taking my phone out of the pocket to snap pictures was unbearably cold. And there was no cover to hide from the freezing winds.

     

Weather can change very quickly, and when the blue sky appeared, the views looked even better.

     

Backtracked to Camp Italiano to take a break and eat our packed lunch box, before continuing the hike.

                 

The landscape at Lago Skottsberg midway between Cuernos and Paine Grande was gorgeous. The deep blue hue of the water was very different from the turquoise colour of Lake Nordenskjöld. Simply breathtaking!

                       

As we caught a glimpse of the different coloured water of Lago Grey, it meant we were reaching Refugio Paine Grande soon. Even in plain sight, the walk to the refugio was quite a distance away.

 

 

Refugio Paine Grande was a relatively huge complex packed with many guests, both hikers and lazy luxury tourists who came by boat. 🙂 There were several spacious and comfy lounging areas with fireplace, and we enjoyed nice conversations sharing experience with other fellow travellers. Cafeteria food was mediocre again. Slept in a stinky bunk, sharing the room with noisy western hikers with smelly boots and wet clothings hung everywhere in the cramped space unfortunately.

The next day, Day 4 was an easy shorter hike of 11km from Paine Grande to Grey, in about 4 hours.

             

Took about 2 hrs of hiking from Paine Grande, before we reached the lookout point halfway with a glimpse of Grey Glacier in the distance.

     

       

Refugio Grey was a small cosy place, and I enjoyed the stay there. Blessed with pleasant and considerate bunkmates for the evening.

         

I should also mention that drinks and food at Refugio Grey were the best we had, comparing across all the refugios we stayed in.

         

On Day 5, the morning was free time to explore the area. We were told by fellow travellers that a hike to the second suspension bridge northwards (about 3 hrs roundtrip) would offer beautiful close up views of the Grey Glacier.

           


   

   Video of bridge crossing

After the second suspension bridge and a short walk, we got to the viewpoint of the ice fields of Grey Glacier up close. It was grey and gloomy at first, but weather changed quickly and the sun and blue took a quick peep momentarily where I managed to capture a few nicer shots.

                 

We hiked back to tho Refugio to have lunch before making our way to the beach nearby to catch our boat excursion on Grey III across Lago Grey.

       

The 2 hr boat ride went across Lago Grey, took us up to the face of the glacier where we saw icebergs calve. The icebergs were so blue and beautiful!

           

   

The boat trip continued down the lake to Hotel Lago Grey where we disembarked, transferred via minivan to National Park Administration Office (30min), and eventually boarded a bus back to Puerto Natales (3 hrs).

       

That was the end of my Chilean Patagonia W Trek, on Christmas Eve. We arrived back at the Altiplanco Sur Hotel at around 10pm. We had reserved the special Christmas dinner at the hotel and had an enjoyable late night celebration with delicious hot food. The friendly waitstaff was very generous in pouring us cocktail, champagne and wine. This had to be a memorable Christmas dinner to remember in many years to come.

           

Very happy that I survived W Trek in Patagonia! The hike was way tougher than I imagined, compared to my previous Inca Trail to Machu Picchu. The mountains, valleys, lakes, and glacier views along W trek were simply breathtaking. The 5-day trail is for serious trekkers, not casual holiday makers. Thought I had reached my limit after the first day, and it was mind over body struggling to push on for the next four days. Glad that I completed the entire route on Christmas Eve, rewarded with gorgeous scenery along the way. Feliz Navidad!

Travel | 旅游

Easter Island – Rapa Nui

2019 Dec. Easter Island. Isla de Pascua. Rapa Nui. Chile.

So so glad I made it to Easter Island after all, following the horrible experience in Santiago the day before. I was very thankful and counted my blessings for the miracle, and decided to focus on enjoying my long anticipated trekking holiday and making the best out of it.

Easter Island, Isla de Pascua, or Rapa Nui, is a remote volcanic island in Polynesia, famous for its archaeological sites, including nearly 900 monumental statues called moai created by inhabitants during 13-16th centuries. Easter Island is one of the most remote inhabited islands in the world, and an UNESCO World Heritage Site with much of the island protected within the Rapa Nui National Park. The flight from Santiago took 5 hours, that is how remote Easter Island is from urbanisation.

 

There are additional requirements like completing an online entry form 72hr before your flight to Easter Island. Park entrance ticket (about USD88) can be bought at the airport upon arrival, though our local guide knew his way around and took us to CONAF office in Hanga Roa to skip the long queue. We stayed at Hotel Altiplanco Rapa Nui, rooms were individual units spread out in the garden compound.


       

      

 

We started our guided tour after check in and a quick munch. Our guide Jose Ika (ikanimes@hotmail.com), a native Rapa Nui, was very knowledgeable and generous in sharing his ancestors’ history, culture and stories with us during the 2 days we spent together. We started with Ahu Akivi, an archaeological site featuring 7 moai positioned to face the setting sun during the Spring Equinox.

             

Next was Puna a Pau, a rock quarry known for the red scoria extracted to carve decorative elements for moai.

    

During 18th and mid-19th centuries, Orongo was the centre of a Birdman cult whose defining ritual was an annual race to bring the first manutara (sooty tern) egg back undamaged from the nearby islet of Motu Nui to Orongo. In the 1860s, most of the Rapa Nui islanders died of disease or were enslaved, and when the survivors were converted to Christianity, Orongo fell into disuse.

  

    

Rano Kau is a crater lake in Orongo, and one of the island’s only three natural bodies of fresh water.

           

We explored Tahai on our own, as it was within walking distance from our hotel. In fact we came here at dusk to watch sunset, at night to star gaze which was super amazing, and at dawn to catch daybreak.

 

   
We even chanced upon a tourist couple getting married in a traditional ceremony.

   


 

           

The next day was a full day guided tour of the main Rapa Nui National Park, which spanned across the island.

                    

Rano a Raraku was a quarry for about 500 years until the early 18th century, and supplied the stone from which about 95% of the island’s known moais were carved from.

        

               

Tongariki is the largest ahu on Easter Island. Its moai were toppled during the island’s civil wars, and in the 1960 swept inland by tsunami. It has since been restored and has 15 moai, including one that weighs 86 tonnes, the heaviest erected on the island.

 


       

Anakena is a beautiful white sandy beach with turquoise water, backed by a palm tree grove & ahus with moais.

    

 

 

On our last night, we walked to Tahai again and had a nice dinner at Te Moai Sunset Restaurant.

     

The next morning, we flew back to Santiago for layover before continuing our journey to trek in Patagonia.

 

 

Travel | 旅游

Santiago

2019 Dec. Santiago. Chile.

This was a long anticipated trip to South America to trek in Patagonia, which required many months of advance planning and coordination. I was referred to an UK travel agent Swoop and decided to give them a try, instead of using my previous US travel agent Latin America for Less. On hindsight, I was not too impressed with Swoop‘s attention to details nor service partners, compared to LAFL who did a wonderful job for my previous trip to Peru back in 2013. For this trip, I ended up booking all the flights myself, both international and domestic, as the domestic flights quote from the UK agent came at a substantial premium, when I googled online for the same flights. Travel time to Santiago in Chile via Sydney was only 24 hours surprisingly, but return trip from Argentina via Abu Dhabi took 36 hours.

My trip did not start well and I went through the WORST travel nightmare during my first day in Santiago. After putting down luggages in the hotel, we headed out for a walk in downtown, mindful of the hours to avoid certain areas due to ongoing civil protests that vandalised many city infrastructure. Continue Reading