Day 7-8: Pumalin and Two Lagoons National Park
Well these have been two full days of diverse ecosystems and hiking!!
Pumalin National Park
We hiked to two amazing waterfalls yesterday in a temperate rain forest, quite a bit uphill but I made it. The boys were sure I could do it.
The variety of moss and ferns we saw was amazing, so plush but it was also raining and a complete slippery mud slide. The other highlight were the alerce trees which are similar to the giant redwood were quite impressive, 1-2 m wide and 2-3000 years old.
We had a nice dinner in the Chart room with the National Geographic Photographer. It was fun to hear his story and experiences. He has worked for National Geographic for over 20 years and developed film at a 1 hour fast photo shop for Ronald Reagan and Michael Jackson.
Two Lagoons National Park
Today was another hike with moderate elevation changes. We first crossed the Andes on a 2 hour bus ride from the coast and spitting distance to Argentina. The difference in topography was amazing. Once you are on the other side of the Andes there is fescue grass and almost a dry vegetation. We also saw basalt formations at the top of the hill between the two lakes at the Dos Lagunas Park.
We had noticed the Dolbek brewery driving through Coyhaique and it turns out that it was founded by the de Smet d’Olbecke de Halleux family who emigrated from Belgium in 1948 and started the brewery in 2004. We enjoyed their products with our lamb barbecue at lunch.
