Blogs from Torres del Paine, Magallanes, Chile, South America - page 8

Following our break in El Calafate we headed west to Chile and the famous Torres del Paine national park. We got picked up by our bus at 5am. The trip across the border was loaded with vast arid landscapes speckled with occasional sitings of rhea (large ostrich like birds) and guancos (wild llamas). After ~6 hrs of driving with occasional bathroom breaks and view stops (one of which we saw the "devil horns", a pair of brown/grey peaks with black tips), we finally reached our destination...the Torres del Paine National Park. Due to many years of consulting, we have become lodging snobs and choose to stay at the Las Torres hotel (instead of camping!). The hotel is perfectly situated for the 9km Torres del Paine hike and makes for a great starting point. The next day ... read more

Highs: The W trek was awesome, in the true sense of the word (not awesome like a hotdog). The erratic rock hostal, owned by a larger than life American guy named bill, who makes his own bread and a fine omelette in the morning! And the people we met along the way, all so friendly and nice, particularly Stijn, who we met in El Calafate and Dragos, who we met in the hostal, both of whom we trekked the W with. Lows: Heavy packs. Gruelling ascents. Uncomfortable roll mats. Mozzie bites! Food: We had fun trying to guess weights and foods at a food weigh-house, where we stocked up on dry fruits, nuts, porridge oats and Quinoa. Then to the supermarket for pasta, sauce, biscuits etc. We ended up with just enough food for two, if ... read more

Having completed the epic journey to Antarctica, there was little rest or time for contemplation as the next destination was already decided. I was heading back into Chile to trek 5 days in the Torres del Paine National Park. I was already planning to do this before getting to Argentina, but the departure date of the Antarctica trip forced me to delay it. I guess that can be forgiven. A 16 hour bus ride later, crossing the border and the Strait of Magellan once more and I had arrived sleepily in Puerto Natales. This is the main gateway town to Torres del Paine and the place to rent equipment. There are a number of options for performing the trek. The entire circuit of the park is usually done in 7-8 days, but most trekkers only complete ... read more

Und noch eine Anekdote zum Thema Geld: Bevor es weitergehen sollte in den Nationalpark Torres del Paine, brauchten wir mal wieder Bargeld. Und die Geldautomaten in Puerto Natales waren ueberwiegend leer. Einen haben wir doch noch gefunden, der Banknoten hatte -- aber nur 2.000-er, was einem Wert von 3,50 EUR entspricht. Und er gibt auch immer nur 10 Scheine auf einmal. Na gut, dann zapfen wir halt in 5 Durchgaengen insgesamt 50 Scheine aus dem Automaten; man fuehlt sich wie nach einem erfolgreichen Casino-Besuch! Und dann waren wir dort, wo alle hinfahren: im Nationalpark Torres del Paine. Das Wetter war uns zur Abwechslung mal recht wohlgesonnen. Es hat zwar auch geregnet, aber nur dann, wenn wir im Zelt waren oder Kilometer abgerissen haben. Beim Auf- und Abbauen und vor allem an saemtlichen Aussichtspunkten hatten wir prima ... read more

Before stepping into the some of the most isolated and unpredictable landscapes on earth we were told there was going to be no search and rescue in Patagonia. We were completely unperturbed while getting prepared for the 6 day hike. We were occupied with questions such as which packet food might sustain us the longest or whether our lack of weather-proof clothing might be an issue. But as we began to feel smaller in our surroundings and more far away from reality than ever before, search and rescue didn't seem like such a bad idea. The hike is called 'The W' trail because that's what it looks like, a w. There are say 500 ways in which you can attack it so naturally we opted for the cheapest. It cost a fair bit of money to ... read more