Onward to Patagonia

Patagonia is the southernmost portion of South America, located in both Chile and Argentina. It comes from the word, patagon' , used by Ferdinand Magellan to describe the natives that were thought to be giants. In reality, the Patagons turned out to be Tehuelches with an average height of 5 feet, 11 inches.

Patagonia is the land of extremes. Tierra del Fuego is known as the "Uttermost End of the World" The sea and the mountains come together as nowhere else in the Americas. This region includes the city of Ushuaia, Cape Horn, and the Magellan Straits. It also serves as the gateway to Antarctica. The area is populated by dolphins, guanacos, whales, and penguins.

Before the Spanish arrived, there were several indigenous groups, such as the yamanas, and onasoe or selknam in Tierra del Fuego. The continent was also populated with pehuenches, mapuches, and tehuelches. Most of the Patagonian aborigines live here in reserves or on estancias. The mapuches number around 35,000. The climate is generally cold, though the summers on the central strip are hot. But the wind that originates in the Pacific Ocean is the trademark of the region and has reached 100km/hour. Most roads are ruble, requiring a four wheel drive, which we have rented.

But the area numbers about 1.5 million people. The typical meat of the region is Patagonian lamb. Spanish is the official language, and Roman Catholics comprise the official religion. There are five provinces with an area of 880,000 square kilometers, comprising a third of Argentina. Believe it or not, the Welsh community is one of the region's most important. They did not come for gold, silver, or tin. They came solely to protect the Welsh way of life, that had become endangered in their native Wales.

We had to bring hiking boots, heavy warm jackets, gloves, and long sleeve shirts. Maybe we can ditch or sell some of this stuff when we get ready to leave.

Punta Arenas is really just a jumping off point. The city was big and bustling before the Panama Canal relegated it to ghost town status. From here, we head to Torres del Paine, and region known as Magallanes. At this point of the continent, Argentina may be more interesting and accessible. This region of ice fields, glaciers, channels, icebergs, fjords, bays, and national parks should be enough to keep us busy. Punta is now a hole of a town, gray and ugly.

Chilean Antarctica has more than 30,000 cubic km of ice. Chile is one of twelve countries that occupy and study Antarctica under the Antarctica Treaty. In the summer, when the sun hardly hides, dusk produces red ice. The blue whale, sea elephants, seals, wolves, penguins, and giant birds actually live there. It is a little too far away, and quite expensive to visit.

Punta Arenas is the main city down here. It flourished before the Panama Canal was completed, outfitting ships headed to California for the Gold Rush. The name Punta Arenas, meaning sandy port, was given to this region by Lord Byron in the 17th century. The bustling city of old is now a hollow, broken down, and soul-less old town.

But barbecued lamb is the food of choice here, along with fresh fruit called calafate and ruibardo. Seafood is not very plentiful, though we did see the beautiful centolla, which is similar to our crab. I see lots of surf and turf on our plates in the coming days.

The islands of Magdalena, and Tierra del Fuego are reached by ferry. Here, the penguin population reaches 50,000 couples. And oil plants actually exist on Tierra del Fuego. Patagonia is divided between Argentina and Chile. The Andes in this region reach only 2000 meters. The area is known for ice fields, glaciers, cold weather, and lots of rain. Why are we here in September, as it is their early Spring! Because it is known as "The End of the World"!!!

The big attraction here is Torres del Paine National Park. We may decide to stay in a lodge closer to the park, depending on the weather, the roads, and how well Mike can drive our 4 wheel drive rental on the gravel roads. But there is a duty free zone here, so we may be able to acquire enough adult beverages to make the trip interesting.

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