The not-so-secret diary

Pray contain those gasps. I haven't suddenly lowered my culinary standards. However, exceptional circumstances call for exceptions. It so transpired, that a few weeks ago, I was surrounded by the striking landscape of Patagonia in southern Chile. Having spent most of the day walking and 'tour bus-ing' across the National Reserve, Torres del Paine , I had exhausted my full quota of cereal bars and almonds. Any stored calories were taken up by me battling the strong gusts of wind that kept throwing me off the path as our group walked up to the breathtaking Salto Grande waterfalls. Needless to say I survived the walk, albeit with a growling stomach.  When we reached the next rest point, my joy knew no bounds as I spotted a little shop selling instant Veggie pot noodles at this very southern latitude. They even provided free hot water. It was here that I savoured every bite of my 'saviour' pot noodles. Yum, yum - both for the noodles and the view! ...

Officially known as the ‘Ruta del Fin del Mundo’, the Road to the End of the World lies in Chile’s southernmost region, Magallanes y de la Antártica Chilena . This was indeed the path I travelled on my recent, awe-inspiring visit to this narrow but very, very long country. With so much to see I only touched the tip of the iceberg, literally, being only a few kilometers away from floating icebergs near the town of Punta Arenas. The summer landscape in Patagonia (Torres del Paine) threw new surprises at every turn. The clouds changed shape at the blink of an eye. At one point I looked up to the sky and saw castle-like structures morph into conch shells and then into a stack of perfectly-formed discs. My iphone camera could not do full justice to this cumulus art, but here is a taster. We admired the  ñandú  bird and the guanacos that grazed peacefully in the distance, as if they had no care in the world. That was just before we saw a puma run across th...