The flight to punta arenas is an experience in and of itself. flying the length of chile is like taking a one-day tour of the whole country. chile is so skinny that sometimes you can see the entire breadth of it from the plane---at once. today was an exceptionally clear day, so to the left, we were treated to some stunning views of famous peaks, like the steaming villarica volcano and the lone spire of mount osorno. they stood out against the backdrop of the rugged andean spine, with its maze of placid rivers and its isolated calderas cradling green-blue lakes. to the right, we could see each of chile's major ports and cities pass below us, strung together by long white strands of beach.

as an unexpected bonus, we even flew over the vast ice fields of the moreno glacier (which we will see close up later on), the fitz roy mountains, and the torres del paine national park, six thousand hectares of which is currently ablaze because some idiot tourist thought it was a brilliant idea to use a camping stove in a restricted area. the fire has been raging out of control due to the park's 80km winds and the national fire brigade has been called in. hopefully, it will rain tomorrow and the flames will be contained soon.

right now i am writing from a hostel in the coastal city of punta arenas, where stef and i spent the afternoon exploring and gathering provisions for our 12-hour bus trip to ushuaia tomorrow morning. for dinner, we stopped at a colorful cafe where i ordered a delicious king crab stew. i couldn't stop eating even though i had consumed way past my limit. this may explain why i am feeling a bit drowsy now...so i guess i should get some rest before we ride to argentina. till then!