patagonia – Ann Street Studio

Patagonia’s Sky

January 20, 2014March 5, 2014Posted in TravelTagged chile, Chilean, Chilean patagonia, Glacier, glacier grey, landscape, nature, only in south america, onlyinsouthamerica, patagonia, south america, southamerica, Torres del Paine, Torres del Paine National Park, travel, trip, waterfall9 Comments

The most beautiful view is the one looking up.

Patagonia’s skies are true works of art. With the drama of a Renaissance painting and the bizarre UFO-like nature of lenticular clouds there is never a dull moment, as if the sky was nature’s form of entertainment. It all just gives way for the spectacular light show that happens this far south leaving you with the memories of the most beautiful saturation and contrasts of colors that can only be found in Patagonia.

“The poetry of the earth is never dead.”

– John Keats

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Patagonia Camp

January 17, 2014March 5, 2014Posted in TravelTagged accommodations, chile, hotel, only in south america, onlyinsouthamerica, patagonia, patagonia camp, south america, southamerica, travel, yurt4 Comments

The word “yurt” does not sound like it should be compatible with glamour…but at Patagonia Camp, I couldn’t get enough of them. The yurt combines nature and comfort in one beautiful experience – being able to stargaze on the terrace overlooking the lake while sipping a glass of wine, or hear the wind blow through the trees while staying warm and dry in a luxurious bed.

As if that weren’t enough, the owners of the Patagonia Camp are committed to staying eco-friendly – the entire complex is on platforms and wooden stilts, uses only ecological detergents, and runs two waste treatment plants that release pure water without any residue. Not only can you take in the stunning views of the Torres del Paine National Park, but you can rest easy knowing your stay has minimal impact on the lush nature around you.

What a beautiful, romantic hideaway….and it can be found #onlyinsouthamerica…

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Patagonia’s Water

January 16, 2014March 5, 2014Posted in TravelTagged chile, Chilean, Chilean patagonia, Glacier, glacier grey, landscape, nature, only in south america, onlyinsouthamerica, patagonia, south america, southamerica, Torres del Paine, Torres del Paine National Park, travel, trip, waterfall8 Comments

It’s hard to describe seeing a glacier for the first time: the seemingly unnatural color, how still it appears to be when in fact it is a moving river, the god-like size that reminds you of your fragile, ephemeral life… all I can say is that I couldn’t stop staring until I had become completely enchanted. And now, thanks to our Quasar tour guide, I can say I have eaten glacier ice straight off of an iceberg.

The might of Patagonia has to lie within its waters. From the spectacular green color of Lake Pehoé to Lake Grey with its floating icebergs and then to be hit with the rapid roaring waterfalls of Salto Grande and Cascada Rio Paine, and finally down comes rain out of clouds that redefine the word drama. Water is all around you, and never in a boring fashion.

“I climbed a path and from the top looked up-stream towards Chile. I could see the river, glinting and sliding through the bone-white cliffs with strips of emerald cultivation either side. Away from the cliffs was the desert. There was no sound but the wind, whirring through thorns and whistling through dead grass, and no other sign of life but a hawk, and a black beetle easing over white stones.”
― Bruce Chatwin

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Tierra Patagonia Hotel

January 15, 2014June 2, 2016Posted in TravelTagged accomidations, chile, only in south america, onlyinsouthamerica, patagonia, personal-favorite-hotel, south america, southamerica, Tierra Patagonia, Tierra Patagonia Hotel, Tierra Patagonia Hotel & Spa, Torres del Paine, Torres del Paine National Park, travel11 Comments

As you drive up to the Tierra Patagonia Hotel, your first impression is unlike any other resort experience. The hotel looms, skeletal and prehistoric looking, like a fossil slowly coming back to life half buried into the curvature of the earth. As you draw closer, however, you realize how remarkable the building is – constructed almost entirely from native lenga wood, the curves of the building allow for seamless blending from one room to the next while providing extraordinary views of Torres del Paine National Park through floor-to-ceiling windows.

What a dream to be here amid the warmth and hospitality of the hotel and yet feel as though you are a part of the glorious natural landscape occurring just outside…a dream that can be found #onlyinsouthamerica…

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Patagonia’s Land

January 14, 2014March 5, 2014Posted in TravelTagged chile, Chilean, Chilean patagonia, gaucho, horse, horseback riding, landscape, nature, only in south america, onlyinsouthamerica, patagonia, south america, southamerica, Torres del Paine, Torres del Paine National Park, travel, trip18 Comments

We headed out for adventure. Deep into Chilean Patagonia in Torres del Paine National Park we rode horses for hours with gauchos, explored caves where giants used to live, stared in awe at Cleopatra’s Needles, stopped to take in the first sights of guanaco I have only read about in Charles Darwin’s descriptions and enjoyed endless fields of baby sheep. The first thing that struck me about Patagonia was how untouched it is by man. No red lights or bill boards, no gas stations or pavement and no cell service. It is truly a completely unpolluted environment. You stand in the center of Patagonia, so far from anything familiar, so alone, hours from other humans and as far as the eye can see there is infinite beauty, purity and vast wonderment.

“What on earth makes you choose such an outlandish part of the world to go to? What can be the attraction? These, and similar questions and exclamations I heard from the lips of my friends and acquaintances, when I told them of my intended trip to Patagonia, the land of the Giants. What was the attraction in going to an outlandish place so many miles away? The answer to the question was contained in its own words. Precisely because it was an outlandish place and so far away, I chose it. Palled for the moment with civilization and its surroundings, I wanted to escape somewhere where I could be as far removed from them as possible. There I would be able to penetrate into vast wilds, virgin as yet to the foot of man. Scenes of infinite beauty and grandeur might be lying hidden in the silent solitude of the mountains that bound the barren plains of the Pampas, into whose mysterious recesses no one as yet had ever ventured.”

–Lady Florence Dixie, 1880

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The Singular

January 13, 2014March 5, 2014Posted in TravelTagged accomodations, chile, design, frigorifico bories, hotel, Hotel Singular, interior, interior design, interiors, only in south america, onlyinsouthamerica, patagonia, puerto bories, singular, Singular hotel, south america, southamerica, The Singular, travel6 Comments

I love traveling the world, seeing all the places I dreamed of as a child. All my life I have wanted to adventure down to South America, but nothing could have prepared me for the natural beauty I was to find in Chile’s Patagonia. Way down south, the furthest I have ever been in the world, lies The Singular Patagonia, a stunning piece of living history.

Recently restored as a luxury hotel, the complex had previously been a cold storage plant built in the early twentieth century. The owners, descendants of the families who built their lives in this area, recognized the importance of the structure and made the decision to keep it alive. Now the Singular boasts not only one of the most sustainable five-star hotels in Chile, but also a private collection of machines, engines, and other artifacts from the original factory.

It was so fascinating to walk the grounds and see how the hotel and factory merged together, how wood and steel shipped over from England many years ago became something brand new. Come along on our tour, see what can be found #onlyinsouthamerica…

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