RIO SIMPSON

Dozens of rivers and waterfalls wend their way through the mountain formation as we move slowly north along the fjords on the Chilean side of Patagonia, a long strip of land thousands of miles long but less than 300 miles wide. We took an excursion to the Rio Simpson National Reserve, with a short stop at the tiny township of Puerto Aysen. To be gracious we describe the town as quaint, even though there was not much to write home about. The scenic drive along the river, however, was calming and offered many picture opportunities.

We were shown an idyllic spot where one can photograph the side profile of a lone Moai look alike ... one of the famous 887 monumental statures built by the Rapa Nui people on Easter Island ... on a clear day, that is, as rain falls on this region up to 300 days annually. 'We have a brand new gym but strangely town folks only use it on sunny days, which means 2+ month in a year' ... think about that.