Written by Yumi Naito

Written by: Yumi Naito
SouthAmerica.travel

Dear Millie

I just wish to thank you very much for the fabulous tour you had provided for me in Chile and Argentina from 12th to 18th November.

Among other things that have made my trip so unforgettable was that I was able to visit the hospital in Punta Arenas where a Japanese friend of mine passed away on 14th November 2016 after the cycling accident on her way to Tierra del Fuego.

To cut the long story short, the Chilean guide, Patricia and the driver who had come to take me for a Punta Arenas city tour on 14th November, took me to the very hospital and explained the purpose of my trip to the hospital reception, and eventually and quite unexpectedly I was given back the personal belongings of my friend they had kept in the hospital until then after her death !! The kindness and sympathy expressed towards me by the hospital staff was so unbelievable and absolutely overwhelming that I could not hold my tears! Patricia also said she was very moved, too. My whole purpose of this trip was accomplished at this stage and I felt extremely happy and relieved at the same time.

Overall the tour was very pleasant and guides were all helpful and informative. Especially Chilean guides and the drivers were excellent and very impressive in their English speaking ability, their overall knowledge about the country, history, etc. etc. and genuine kindness. Hotels were in all in all satisfactory and staff were helpful.
My very favorite one is Hotel La Yegua Loca in Punta Arenas. Staff was very pleasant and helpful always with smiles. This hotel makes you feel at home.
Their restaurant food was excellent, too. And the views from the restaurant was beautiful!

The only complaint is the bus trip from Punta Arenas to Ushuaia. The journey was supposed to finish around 6.30pm in Ushuaia. However, for some reason which I do not understand (as I can’t understand Spanish), the bus finally arrived in Ushuaia around 9.30pm! I was hungry (because I missed lunch during the bus journey for the same reason as mentioned before) and no one was waiting for me to take me to the hotel! I waited for a while but had to take a taxi to the hotel eventually. By the time I managed to get to the restaurant in the hotel it was around 10.30pm! There must be some mistakes in the planning of this trip. Arrival at Ushuaia bus station at 6.30pm after leaving Punta Arenas at 8 am in the morning was far too optimistic or unrealistic. By the hindsight, I should have taken a boat or ship from Punta Arenas to Porvenir to get to Ushuaia although I might get seasickness. Also, there was some confusion at the Rio Grande bus station where we had to change the bus. I did not know which bus I should change to, but eventually, the woman at the desk had a list of passenger names to show who to take which bus. But again no one was helping me there. I really felt stuck and helpless as no one seemed to speak English!!

I am grateful first to my deceased friend to have given me the opportunity to visit the beautiful places in Chile and Argentina and to you to have organized the trip wonderfully.

Regards

Yumi Naito

SouthAmerica.travel