Part 4 - Patagonia

 Lost in el Sur

Part 4 - Patagonia

I woke up early and had a good breakfast. It was so good to eat again that I took my time ! Then, I went to the typical point of view of Punta Arenas :

It's a view of a part of the Strait of Magellan, the Strait that was first discovered by...

Fernando de Magallanes !

Then, I went downtown to look for the Map of Chile I promised my brother to find. It as very (very) difficult but I managed to find it in a souvenir's store. I remember saying to myself that it was the last one I was checking ! But the good news is that from now I can say "¿ se vende una mapa de Chile ?" pretty well !

Anyway that gave me the opportunity to see Punta Arenas, which is not ungly at all :

 

After having checked the bus that drove me later to Osorno, I went to take the boat for the Magdalena Island, where I was told I could see some pinguins...

Part 3 - The walk - Day 5

Everything was going according to the plan. I woke up at 9:00 only disappointed because it was not possible to see the Southern Cross that night. I have only two nights left in Punta Arenas to see it. Afterwhile, it will be too late. I really wanted to see it from here because the orientation of the cross is different regarding the latitude you are on.

It was December 25^th, so the first Catamaran was sailing at 12:30 (9:30 normally). SoI took my time to have a breakfast and pack-up. After that I went up on a hill to have a view on the lake.

The colour was still amazing and the weather still very nice.

Gear up and welcome aboard. The crossing of the lake does worth the 12 000 pesos once have to pay, because everything is really beautifull... Did I mention Torres del Paine was a nice place to see ?

And when you think you have seen it all, you are still surpised with a waterfall...

The catamaran stop in Pudeto where the bus to Puerto Natales is waiting. But before I leave there was still the surprise of some local wildlife...

After we left Pudeto with the bus, we go to Laguna Amarga (where my journey started) and we were joined by the last group. Then started the two-hours way back to Puerto Natales. I slept and enjoyed the landscape.

Arrived at 16:44 I only had time to thanks the driver, take my bag quickly and walk/run to the Fernandez bus station. The bus was going at 17:00 and I had it lucky me.

So I had my 3-hours trip back through the steppe, which is a long time to ask yourself why someone would like to found a city in Puerto Natales. The only thing I remember from my travel guide : it was a fishing-men town. I told myself that it would also have worked somewhere else on the strait of Magellan, just like Punta Arenas.

We are maybe at 500km from the Cape Horn, but it seems near from here.

Anyway I arrived at Punta Arenas (Hostal Independencia) which is a really good place. For only 10 000 pesos I had to days of bed (in a room shared with three other people) and good breakfast.

I left the Hostal while there is still daylight and I go to the american restaurant I saw in the travel book. I was able to take some maney from the bank, and I ate warm (and with avocado...).

Everything was well.

Part 3 - The Walk - Day 4

I was becomming better at closing my sleeping bag properly, and the wind that was hitting my tent did not prevent me to sleep that night...

New day, new part of the "W", but I have plenty of time since I don't have to come back early to take the catamaran, unlike my fellows Austrians and Australians.

The last trail

So I took a 3and a half hour hike to the Glacier Grey, which was beautiful as every walk I took here, and kept reminding me that this place could be a climber good spot !

I had lunch at the first mirador, with a view and the lake, with the wind strongly hitting my coat. I was on an wind open rock upon the lake. While enjoying the view I met again Andre and Andrea, and after by Leah and Jasmine. But the australian girls didn't had time to rest here, and they did not go further neither, due to schedule requirements...

So I went to the Camp Grey alone. The second part was easier and less windy, and I arrived soon at the second mirador, a beach on the lake, near the glacier. There was some little ice-berg I almost could have touched, but judging the temperature of the lake, I decided not to go for it. Some say that you can take a boat (I didn't saw it) that get you on the glacier, and you can then enjoy a very real whiskey on the rock !

View from the beach

View from the mirador

I was still surprised that this "mirador" didn't look like one, and I asked some man if he knew another... It turned out that I was at the wrong place and I went to the real mirador, from where I had a real spot on the glacier. Then I went back to Paine Grande, trying to go faster than I did today. And I must confess that I actually played the bad tourist that roughly overtake a group of other people... But I think I did it kinder than what have been done to me !

Anyway I was at Paine Grande soon enough but badly tired (my joints were hurting even while walking). I started to be hungry again when I arrived at the camp, and that give me the sensation that you can actually make some sport with only one meal a day, but it would not work that way very long... I wrote that I would go the day after to a huge restaurant in Punta Arenas !

When I arrived at the camp, I stood at a table and saw Andre and Andrea who were waiting the catamaran. Andre took a picture but I didn't realized I did not had their e-mail, so I can't show you anything ! I also gave a farewell to Leah and Jasmin, who were also going at the end of the day...

This day was December 24^th, so I decided to give myself some gift, and I took a beer at the hostal's bar, plus half an hour of internet. There was a special meal at the restaurant for Christmas, but of course I didn't go, just promising myself to enjoy each and every meal I would have later !

I used my internet time to give some news and remind Rodrigo to meet me at Puerto Montt, 3 days later...

Part 3 - The Walk - Day 3

To your comments :

• Hermano : it depends on the day, I will show you a map where distances are written. But between 7 and 20 km a day... And I did not get any phone number in Torres del Paine !

• Mr President : yes, merveilleurs is the word !

Anyway there was a 3^rd day ! As you might remember, I was having breakfast everyday in the refuge and it was not really really good... So some people would not eat everything but me... I ate this ugly / disgusting milk with rice there was, and when André asked if someone wanted his, I rised my hand. So maybe they noticed or not that I was hungry, but Andrea gave me a part of their lunch bag so this day I had a lot to eat and that was a nice feeling of safety !

So I left camp los cuernos, following my fellows indians New Yorkers. But they distanced me within the first hour. I know it might confuse some of you that I can actually be distanced, but I'd like to remind here that I was carrying a big backpack, whereas Rahul and Navin haf smaller ! So I was no more with them when I arrived on the beach.

Two hours and a lot of nice landscapes later, I arrived at the first stop : camp Italiano. For the faithfull gugusses that have readme so far, you might remember it was the place I planned to rent a tent in the first place. That would have been a freezing night mistake !

But I could here drop my backpack to start the trail through the "valley of the french". And this track was rocky ! I had luck because my ankle stood it good.

There is not much to say about this part, except that the landscape was beautifull, maybe I didn't mention it already...

Sometime one might hear an avalanche falling from the snowy montain, but nothing dangerous because our part of the vally was dry.

The first stop on the way was a spot on a little galcier, where I found Rahul, who was waiting for Navin, who had gone further to see the second mirador on the Torres.

While I was chatting with him Leah and Jasmine arrived so we kept going together. Most of the way was either rocky, or in a forest, but most rocky... From this place I will actually remember this image of a dead burned forest in the middle of a very green and healthy one !

We saw André and Andrea who were better equiped than me (with trecking sticks)

And the more we went, the better we saw the torres .

We went through camp Britanico (what a joke to put a camp Britanico in the middle of a french valley...) which was made of... Small little thing that might (or might not) protect you from the wind. It's a little bit like someone built a cover with trees and called that a camp. But there was people enjoying it (at least you are not crowded!).

We met Navin on the way, but he was going down because the New Yorkers still had a lot to walk that day.

But when you arrive on the top, you see that :

And you are happy :

So what is it like... Like Grenoble but without the town ! You are surrended by mountains (some of whom you can climb on, but I has been told that you then have to sleep on the wall, because you have not enough time to do it completely in one day!), it's beautifull, the down side if very flat and Paris seems far away.

We ate there and I left the girls soon because I knew I needed time to go down. Some people can tell I'm very very (very) carefull when I go down. So I take my time and maybe 20 minutes before arriving at the Italianos, I'm caught up by Leah and Jasmine... (no of course I let them).

We did not stay long at the Italianos, because we still had a 2-hours walk untill the next camp. This part was really windy, and cold, and windy, but still marvelous / beautifull / magical.

Paine Grande is a very huge camp ! The atmosphere is more comfortable, but the spirit is not the same as in smaller camp where everyone gather at diner time, and stay in the heated place after. But there is internet, a mini-market, a restaurant and so on (warm nice spacy shower...)

I asked the receptionnist of los Cuernos to book me a tent for this camp and he did, so I had tent and breakfast paid without giving money. Everything was well !

There was a lot of people, a lot of group so it was not really easy to meet new people here, but there was a lot of different languages spoken.

I had the opportunity to load the battery of hernan's phone, and there was no PIN code as well as... No Servicio acqui.

Hmm... But it was allright, a almost warm tent, something to eat, a place to take the catamaran the next day and I could almost pay everything here with my credit card.

I slept well.

Part 3 - The Walk - Day 2

There are not only girls on the way and there is nothing to know about the counter...

Anyway I woke up for the second day in Torres del Paine and I had breakfast meeting some people from Grenoble, that told me the typicall stuff a tourist should do here (which is wake up early and go to the mirador in order to see sunrise) really worth it.

Well, who told me that ? A certain Marion that has made an Erasmus semester here and decided to have a year break working and visiting the country.

I left after having said goodbye to John and Diana and I was on the trail for the most part of the day. There was a lot of people, but it seemed to me there was more going from West to East than the other way.

As I already said you can't really get lost

The small lake

All the day I was not far from André and Andrea, but I didn't knew them at that time. Depending on the break we made or the pictures we wanted to take, there were 5 min ahead or 5 min late...

Here you can see André and Andrea 15 sec ahead !

As I said before, the weather can change very (very) (very very) quickly. I remember hidding behind a rock to put my clothes on again (I mean 'more' clothes!) becaused I had been surprised. And thare had been no corner nor cliff before the change !

As I had been told by Marion and her friends, most of the day I was going along a lake, blue or opal I can't say but beautifull for sure.

I had a break here, with a lot of wind, but so nice !

You can almost refill the water anywhere...

André told me that I missed a Condor while I was walking. He said he saw him because he saw his huge shadow on the ground. But a few minute later, I heard him crying "COOOOOONNNDOOOR" and I had time to take this picture :

I also had some time to consider this : walking alone has some very good parts I won't detail here to not be considered as a misanthrope, but one should consider his music playlist first. Because there are some very long parts still ! Plus there are actually some dangerous places where you can fall and disapear. If no one has seen you I don't know what happen. But it cas usually be done easily. I later met Leah and Jasmine who told me they were lost and had to climb a little bit with their backpack in order to catch again the trail...

Arriving at the second camp (Los Cuernos - The Horns), I met two indians of New York City. Two men ! The first one is consultant and the second works at the university.

Arriving in the camp...

And that is the story of how I met Navin and Rahul !

There was also a dutch that is used to treck and the two fellows I had been seeing all the day.

I think that this camp was the best of the three I saw. It had the perfect size, good comfort and you can pay with your credit card !

But I went to bed early because my shoulders started to hurt at the end of that day, and I knew the next would not be a piece of cake...