11th/12th November 2011.

Having been so busy before leaving England and also with all the travelling to get here my training has been less than I would have wanted in the last 3 weeks. Our arrival at Torres Del Paine is planned to bring this to an end and with some trekking, swimming and horse riding. I hope these activities will help me tone up before setting off for Antarctica.

After nearly 5 hours of driving with as I said on my previous blog a stop for a blow out and a short lunch break we made it to our hotel the Explora Pategonia in the centre of the Park. This is a very modern building all pine lined with very nice rooms. Sue and I have been lucky and have a corner room overlooking the mountains and lake in one direction and the waterfall where the lake goes into the river from our 2nd window.

This hotel deals with trekking and there was little time to settle in before we were asked what we would like to do on our first afternoon. Within 1 hour of arriving we were off with our guide Raymondo who took us on a fast but scenic 3 hour trek where we got great views of the mountain, lake and our hotel.

The one difference with this part of the World to anywhere else is the constant high winds which were difficult to walk against and when blowing from the side did in fact literally blow Sue off her feet. We did however survive the trek, back to our room for a quick shower and then down for an introductory talk within 45 minutes of our return. Nobody said this was going to be a holiday.

After an enjoyable dinner it was early to bed as the next day Nov 12th was Sue’s birthday and so we had decided to go on a day hike which starts and ends with a boat trip on two of the lakes, the 2nd trip to be to the glacier.

Our alarm went at 5.55am, up for breakfast and down to the boat which left the jetty outside our hotel. We set off on a 5 hour hike once we had landed at the far end of the lake which took us through some wonderful countryside but nothing had prepared us for the breath-taking views of a live glacier making its way off the mountains and ending in the lake. Large chunks break off daily and make their way down the lake and sure enough there were a number of icebergs moving along as we trekked to their source.

We were not sure if the boat would be able to pick us up as the winds were very high and we had to board a small tender from the rocks and then transfer to the larger boat out in the lake. Despite some doubt eventually we were given the go. This was a tricky and very wet exercise but one we all managed with ease as our group all seem very fit people.

The boat sailed access the face of the glacier using it to shelter us from the wind making this a very special experience and one I will never forget and I know Sue will put it down as one of her special birthday moments.

On returning to the hotel it was an opportunity for some running repairs, Sues boots have decided she walks too fast and so have come apart at the toe, another blow out. Hopefully the maintenance guy can get them fixed by the morning. We then took 2 glasses of champagne back in our room and Sue opened all her birthday cards and a present from me with the mountains of Torres Del Paine. Overlooking outside our window.

Still with time to spare before an evening lecture and dinner we went to the spa area and had a swim again with some spectacular scenery to keep us company.

This is a wonderful way to train and prepare for a polar expedition and I highly recommend it to anyone thinking of travelling to the South Pole.

When we arrived at our hotel there were a very large number of children all over the place. Far too many to be the managers children so I concluded it had to be the dreaded “school party”. I am sorry to say I was right and true to form as the clock hit midnight all these kids hit a high. They turned from being knuckle dragging students to high energy excitable sleep wreckers at the turn of midnight.

For two hours I lay awake planning how to deal with the constant running and screaming past our bedroom door. By 2.30 am I had a plan and was out of bed and rummaging in my suitcase for my long bladed knife with the child skinning adaptor. No sooner had I leapt into action Sue was out of bed and beside me. How could I have forgotten that tongue of hers that has taken out many a school child at 30 yards distance over the years. Uma Therman (Kill Bill) has nothing on this woman when she springs into action.

We lay in wait behind our bedroom door but all had gone quiet in the outside corridor. Was this raid over? Had they decided to terrorise a separate part of the hotel? Suddenly there was a noise from behind us in our room. We looked at each other, terror in our eyes, the little darlings had discovered the internal telephone system in the hotel and had now changed tactics, this was going to be a long night. Bring on that Polar Plateau, it’s got to be easier than this.

Breakfast was a non event as the little darlings exhausted from their nocturnal activities were all in bed giving me no chance to sprinkle strychnine into their orange juice.

We were collected at 8.30 am by the Explorer Hotel to start our 5 hour road journey to the Torres Del Paine and had the pleasure of meeting Jim and Carol, a American couple who now live in Shanghai.

Our very interesting and lively conversation helped to make the journey pass much quicker with only one interruption for a blown out tyre part way along our route. Our driver soon had it changed and we were on our way again in no time. As I said at the time I have been in worse places for a puncture, the sun was warm and the views starting to become very special with wide plateaus and a backdrop of the snow capped Andes Mountains.

10th November 2011.

It was a bit embarrassing at breakfast this morning as Sue and I sat next to guys who were discussing the large portions some people order at meal times. As I am working on gaining weight I had ordered a short stack of pancakes with Maple syrup and some bacon. I then decided I should have an egg on top. This was before Sue and I overheard this conversation.

Unfortunately due to some sort of language mix up between me and the waitress I was delivered 2 breakfasts on 2 large plates. One with my pancakes and one with 2 eggs, potatoes, mushrooms and spinach. Before I got over the shock a 3rd plate arrived full of bacon. It has to be said the conversation on the table next to us changed very quickly and yes before you ask I did manage to eat the lot.

We were picked up at at around 11am, Sue by mini bus and me by crane and taken to Santiago airport to catch our flight to Punta Arenas. We have been looked after by Pro Tours on this leg of our journey and their service has been fantastic. Jose who was responsible for getting us to the airport knew from our arrival we had a lot of kit and so excess baggage would be a problem. He stayed with us all the way through the check in process and I am certain our excess baggage cost was much cheaper because of his assistance.

The 4 hour flight to Punta on LAN Chile went on time and we were through baggage collection and picked up again by Pro Tours who took us to hotel Diego de Almagro where we stay for one night but will return to next week and meet up with the team on my Polar Expedition. It has been a good idea to use this hotel as the manager was very happy to allow me to leave all my expedition kit here when Sue and I travel 5 hours by car tomorrow to our hotel in the National Park. This will make the next part of our journey so much easier not having to carry so much kit but also it means all of my Polar gear is in place for when we meet the team next week.

8 & 9 Nov 2011

Having arrived at our hotel in Santiago I decided I should get my toothache sorted out ASAP. The hotel had told us to go to the local hospital where there would be a duty dentist. Sue and I jumped in a taxi and arrived at a modern and friendly hospital and were directed to the dental section.

Not many people in Chile speak English but we were lucky to have a doctor and dentist on duty that spoke and understood English.

After a short inspection and then a trip to another floor for mouth X-rays it was decided the problem was to do with some recent fillings I had done in the UK that were too high and putting pressure on one of my nerves. The dentist dealt with this immediately with files, picks and an electric drill. Once she had finished my mouth felt better without the use of anaesthetic either which was good, so dinner in the evening was still very much on the cards.

After dinner and a very good nights sleep Sue and I went to the dinning room for breakfast. As I took out my glasses, they fell apart due to one of the small screws coming out. I have a spare pair of glasses with me but as I am away for the best part of 3 months it seemed daft to fall back on them on day one. We had to go on another mission this time to find a optician. Will Sue ever get to the shops?

After being sent in many directions and visiting a few places we had no luck so we then decided to go downtown and take a look at the government buildings and Cathedral.

As we turned the corner, there in between two large shops appeared to be a small opticians. The lady behind the counter fixed my glasses in 2 minutes and refused to take any money for getting me out of trouble. I must say the people we have met in Chile so far are all so very friendly and helpful.

Time now to let Sue do some exploring of old buildings. We got to the Cathedral but all the doors were locked. We walked around all 4 sides and suddenly Sue spots a door that was closed earlier but is now open. Like two members of the SAS we are inside in a flash and looking around only to find we have now been locked in. How do we escape I asked myself?

We should have gone to one of the confessional boxes and asked for forgiveness but that may cost too many hail Mary’s. Suddenly a tour group emerges from our right and we hook onto them. We didn’t look too conspicuous being English and they were all Japanese but despite this it worked and we escaped back on the street with only one final hurdle to cross; the dreaded gift shop.

This was all too much for me so I settled in the square with a Mr Whippy ice cream only to receive a call from my daughter in law who had pushed the wrong button on her phone back in England.

This is all great polar training. After days like this I will be ready for anything. I will however tighten my belt tomorrow in case a leg or something more vital falls off.

Great flight from Heathrow to SaoPaulo in Brazil, then just under 2 hours on the ground before our flight to Santiago. Arrived and much to my relief all bags were on the carrousel and we were good to go. Our one last obstacle was customs.

When approaching customs we knew we had a lot of kit and the entry restrictions on value and food are very strict. However we were confident that we had good reasons for bringing all of this kit and I’m sure this was the case for many others on their way to Antarctica before us.

All bags go through an X-ray machine and sure enough I was pulled to one side and my ski bag which was also stuffed full of clothes and food (nuts, jelly babies, raisins and Mars bars) caused a stir with the customs officials.

I went to unlock the bag only to find the lock had gone, somebody had been in there already so this was not the first time my ski bag had been inspected since check in at Heathrow.

I opened the bag getting ready to explain what I was doing with so many bags of Jelly Babies but their interest was immediately on the packs of hand warmers I had thrown in the bag as a last minute thought. Once they saw what they were and I had explained where I was going they became very friendly, wished me luck and we were soon on our way.

Sue and I debated for some time why the hand warmers had caused them to be concerned, was it their chemical content making them seem like explosives but this didn’t stack up as they are sealed in plastic bags and only work when exposed to the air so they are air tight. We finally decided it must be that they looked like a stash of drugs. Each pack contains 2 small hand size cloth chemical bags which when seen through an X-ray machine must look like street size packs of drugs. No wonder we were stopped…

We thought about this earlier and then remembered back at Heathrow our flight was delayed due to cargo issues. Was it my ski bag and it’s suspect packages? We will never know but if you were on our flight from Heathrow to SaoPaulo on Monday evening Nov 7th I guess we owe you an apology for the delay.

Lots of Drama already and we haven’t even got anywhere near a man eating penguin yet.