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The wilds of PatagoniaFeb 6, 2009
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Greetings from Puerto Natales - on the Chilean side of Patagonia. We´ve covered a lot of ground since our last entry and are briefly back in civilization before embarking on the "W" trek in Torres del Paine.
After a draining couple of days fighting over the toilet and generally feeling sorry for ourselves we started our trekking in ernest covering over 70km in 3 days to an altitude of 1600m whilst based in El Chalten. Neither of us have done this kind of thing before and is proving quite challenging but, as we are the youngest in the group, pride will no doubt play a part in us completing the remainder of the hikes. The landscape here is truly breath-taking and changes as we walk from desert to forest to marsh to moonscape to snow-capped peaks all within an hour or so.
Yesterday was arguably the highlight of the trip so far - trekking (complete with cramp-ons) on Perito Moreno glacier. We took a boat to the base of the glacier which is 5 km wide, up to 200m deep and stretches for 14km. The central part is moving at about 2.5m per day and as a result is continually creaking and groaning with large building-sized pieces crashing into the lake every half hour or so - an absolutely spectacular experience. We explored the glacier and took hundreds of photos before having a whiskey on the ´rocks´ (400 year old glacial ice).
During our time in Patagonia we´ve seen quite a few of the `locals` including rhea (stumpy emu-like birds), guanacos (the Argentinian llama), flamingoes, kestrels, a cheeky armadillo (just like the one in Melbourne Sas & Jac) and some magnificnent condors. Of course there`s also lots of cattle which we´ve personally sampled many times - very tasty!. I have to mention the horses as Bryony is obsessed with playing "spotto" - a highly competitive game requiring immense skill and concentration. She now has half the group yelling "SPOTTO" each time they see a horse!
We have a lot to thank the Italian minority in Argentina for - the coffee, cake, pastries, pasta, pizza etc... is excellent and we are consistently ordering (and eating) enough for a family of four at every meal. Dinners in El Chalten were particularly memorable - our waiter had clearly missed his calling (as a stand-up comedian). He is Argentina`s very own Manuel!
We´ve also been initiated into the world of tango. All you need is passion and apparently the rest will take care of itself. You clearly also need rhythm, coordination, and dancing shoes all of which we tried to substitute with copious amounts of cachaca!!!
We are off tomorrow for a 5 day trek in Torres del Paine. Currently it´s about 5 degrees in the town and the wind is howling! We catch a boat to get to the starting point which we can see across the sound in the distance. It´s raining and the mountains are covered in snow!!! Each day will be 6-8 hours of trekking then staying in refugios or camping overnight - we´re both a little nervous but very excited.
We hope all is well.
Lots of love,
Paul and Bryony.
