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Will someone please remind me the next time I get another great idea of going hiking that it actually means you have to hike!!! I laugh at myself. Torres Del Paine is proclaimed in the guide book as one of the most beautiful National Parks in South America so of course I had to go but i don't seem to take on board that an 8 hour trek means serious hard work! I flew down to the south of chile on Monday Morning. Of all the places on this trip Patagonia was top of my list. I was so excited on the plane and kept waiting to catch a glimpse of some mounds of snow outside. None appeared just lots of flat desolate land.Anyway I headed north for three hours to the town of Puentoa Natales, rushed around to get everything organised and bumped into two french guys I shared a tour with on saturday 1,000km North. How random! in the end we had the same plans for the following day so we formed alittle group and headed off in earnst for the summit on the Tuesday morning.
The first two hours were a steady uphill climb to the first lodge. I had to admit that I felt abit of a fraud. This place is for seriously climbers, walking sticks, pace and professionalism, nothing less. People seem to walk with such authority while i huffed and puffed and moaned to the boys how long more. Some people were even carrying the big back packs and they ran ahead of us. Now that deserves some credit! The morning was misty, low winds but everything was covered in a blanket of fog and mist so visibility was minimal.After a stop for lunch , we had a slight respite with a relative easy run for an hour and half and then we hit the challenge, 50min hike uphill over rocks and bolders to the viewing point of the Torres.I have to give credit where credit is due. The boys were great, one ahead and one in front of me making sure the rocks were stable enough, pulling me up when I needed it and making sure there was cushion behind if i fell. The perfect campanions and the perfect gentleman.As they stated we started this together so we'll finish it together but I have to admit i did let the side down alittle girls. I moaned incessantly, ' god this is very dangerous', 'how long more??'. I don't know why but it took alot more out of me than Macchu Piccu. We did reach the top and the photos are the result. It is interesting to see that when we first arrived it was very clouded over and dark but the clouds did stir, the sky opened and the sun came out for our descent. A mere 3 hours back to our hotel. ohh yes we made it up in 4 but now we had to walk all the way back. A helicopter would of been a blessing! After a bit of cursing and blinding my mood lifted with the sunshine and I began to enjoy it abit more. As you can imagine i was damn glad to see the hostel come into sight.. 7.05 , 9 hours after we started!
Chile has been alot more expensive and the park was no different, if not completely overpriced. The only choice of accomodation , well without being $200 a night are refugios. I think the name says it all, they don't even graduate to the name of Hostal. It was very modern and warm but completely overpriced at 35euro for a bed in a 6 bed dorm with not a sheet in sight. All the rooms were open so yes you could hear every last creak, voice and door but to be honest i passed out quite quickly around 10.30, early in comparsion to the way i have been. I was sharing with an american girl and an older italian gentleman. At 3.30 i woke to the train next to me. I thought my dad snored but this guy was unreal. The american girl woke as well and as they would she poked his toes and told me in english which he didn't understand a word of ' You're snoring, can you stop please'. All very polite I think!! she said to me the next morning that all she thought was god, i hope i don't marry someone who does.Funnily i had thought the same thing.
Yesterday we took a boat across one of the internal lakes. I let the boys head off on a longer trek to see another glacier. I took a shorter route as i was coming back to Puenta Natales last night. Th day was bright but so windy. I got blown about a fair bit and thrown off a rock at one stage. I have to admit I was glad to be on the bus back so I could get back to land and ring Marcelo. It's terrible, a month beforehand you don't even know someone and then you suddenly can't live without them! well not quite but i knew he would be worried as i haven't made contact. The french guys laughed at me as I argued with the receptionist that it was crazy that there wasn't a phone that worked available to use. I mean really ' in this day and age'! she looked and me and said quite seriously here we communicate with smoke!
Today I came back to Puenta Arenas to visit the Penguins before heading across to Argentina tomorrow. I was suppose to take a boat out to an island off the coast but the wind was too strong so i had to settle for a trip to the Ottoway Sound. It felt quite unusual to see them in the context of a field. .You always associate them with ice and snow but no here they were nesting in little burrows couples huddled together plucking each others feathers. I am a converted animal lover in these occasions!
Tomorrow is a 12 hour bus journey all day long so just think when you get into work i will still be on the bus when you leave. For the irish amongst us enjoy the long weekend! i might even venture into an irish bar on Monday! we'll see!!
Lots of love from Chile
Clodagh XX
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