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Published: January 8th 2006
This (non-direct, as I don't have the original to hand) quote from "Stories of Eva Luna" by Isabel Allende has always stuck in my mind for two reasons; first, it is a fascinating example of the power of self-delusion, secondly, it brought home that Southern Patagonia must be a bit of a grim place.
And of course it is. Grim, but stunningly beautiful. And lets face it, I used to live in Crookes, in Sheffield, perched on a hilltop where the wild westerly winds came thundering across the barren Peak District moors, and where for weeks on end the streets are enveloped in thick damp fog, with visibility dropping to near zero so that pubs must be placed close together, lest you disappear forever from this Earth whilst staggering from the one to the next. But for the Gulf Stream Crookes would be a gigantic ice-field - take a look at the latitudes on a map sometime.
But nonetheless, Steve commented several times on Punta Arenas with typical British understatement - "I'm really not sure I'd like to live here." Quite.
This part of the world is about two things - Torres del Paine and Penguins. Three things
really for the many who push on to Ushuaia close to the very Southern tip of this massive continent. We didn't, the Penguins were good enough for us.
The small town of Puerto Natales has one of the nicest hostels we've stayed in in South America, in fact anywhere.
Erratic Rock itself is a rather ramshackle and chaotic place but the two Americans who run it, Bill and Rustin, do their utmost best to make it feel as home-like as possible. They are smart, friendly and know their onions. They also rent gear and run guided trips. We found a similar place in Punta Arenas, Hostel "Al fin del Mundo", run by a switched-on young Chilean couple. Here you trade Bill's unbeatable client facing manner for better quality rooms and fast internet, making it another great place to stay. Maybe Patagonia isn't so bad after all.
What about our experiences at Torres del Paine? Well, we all had a great time, and with good weather it turned out to be a great place to spend Christmas Eve and Christmas day. TDP is the big name in this area, and consequently many people find they prefer Fitzroy. In the end
Glacier Grey
Torres del PaineI liked both, a lot. Fitzroy is more immediately appealing but TDP grows on you the longer you stay there. Sadly I never made it to the classic viewpoint to get a shot of the whole mountain range (see Colin Prior's version
here), but the views from the boat back across Lago Pehoe were such that the behemoth looked simply staggering - remember the surroundings are not much above sea-level, while some of the mountains tower above 3000m. Awe-inspiring. I hope I get the chance to return one day.
After completing the W-walk, a five day 'bush-walk", described below for those who might be attempting it, we returned to the welcome ministrations of Bill and Rustin, before taking an easy bus down to Punta Arenas. This was as far as we were going - it just remained to say hello to the Penguins and let in the New Year.
The Penguin colony on Isla Magdelena comprises something between 60,000 and 110,000 birds, depending on who you believe. It takes about 90 minutes to get out there by motorboat, and the tours aren't cheap - a whopping 30,000 pesos in fact (more than a single days budget for us).
Ma and the chicos
Isla Magdalena, Punta Arenas You have to be careful here - in the advent of bad weather they may not be able to land on the island, and they won't visit the nearby sea-lion colony either - you may well end-up wasting your money as all they will refund is 20%. Well, the day we travelled was, in Patagonian terms, calm and sunny. Even then there was a 2m swell and this was enough to prevent them landing at the official landing stage on Isla Magdalena. After telling us we weren't landing at all they decided it would be possible to attempt a landing on the beach, which we did. The weather was also too bad for them to attempt to visit the sea-lions, and this simply makes me think that a very small proportion of trips will ever manage to complete the full tour that their customers have paid for.
However the experience of spending a couple of hours strolling around the island of penguins was well worth it. As it is spring they were with chicks, as were the numerous large seagulls, and judging from the very agressive divebombing of the skewers they also had something very precious to protect. In
The towers of Paine
From Los Torres campsite. may cases the Penguin chicks were bigger than the mothers, and just stood there, blank and clueless pillars of fur as the smaller bird hopped around, preening and cleaning and generally fussing as mothers are wont to do. Whilst we were kept to a definite marked track across the island, these hole-dwelling penguins were everywhere, and you had to be very carefull where you stepped. Generally they didn't seem too stressed by our presence, more curious, unless you approached a hole with a chick too closely in which case they might hiss, honk and try to bite you. Kim described how from the Lighthouse at the top of the Island she watched a single penguin climb up the beach and onto the grass, and then totter, navigating the burrows, for some two hundred metres straight to its particular burrow - well almost, it did get the wrong burrow on one occasion. They really are fascinating birds and I could have quite easily spent the whole day their just watching.
If you are the partying kind then Punta Arenas is not somewhere you would want to spend New Year's Eve. As it was we managed a gourmet meal at the
The Torres del Paine
... again. There ain´t much else to see in this little corrie. The map says the highest is 2850m, but it also says that is the one on the left. Go figure. swanky restaurant across from our hostel and emerged with all the other tourists to see the firework show. After that we spent a couple of hours in a dodgy local dance-hall, whilst the locals all engaged in latin-style dancing. We hit the sack at about 2.00am, not bad for us, but unimpressive by local standards - they don't start celebrating until midnight, and continue until the next day. Our hosts guests finally deparated sometime in the late afternoon on New Years Day.
Another comfortable LAN Chile flight back to Santiago, sadly with lots of cloud cover so we couldn't really retrace our route down, and we spent our last night with Steve and Margaret in the pleasant wine-bar district they had found when they first arrived. The next day we said our fond farewells, we to head to Rio, they to Christchurch.
One final comment on Chile. Chile seems to be the safest place in the world, and yet in the end it surprised us. We heard of three direct incidences of theft - one bag snatching and two sneak thefts from the local bus. It seems, as everywhere, that in Chile you need to careful, particularly in
The Torres del Paine
Plus the moraine-dammed lake. or near Santiago. Oh well.
So what the skinny on Torres del Paine ?
TDP is Chile's number one tourist attraction attracting more than 70,000 visitors per year, apparently growing at a rate of more than 10,000 per year. Central to the park is the striking Paine Massif, comprising multiple granite spires and rising nearly ten thousand feet above the worn and heavily glaciated surroundings which lie only just above sea level.
To get the most out of your visit here you need to decide what you are after. If you want good photos then your needs are different to the average backpacker, whose needs may well be different to those on a short annual holiday from work. The park can cater for all, but I'm going to deal with mainly with backpackers.
Most budget travellers choose a multi-day backpack or tramp - carrying your house and belongings through the wilderness on your back like snail. This means doing either "The Circuit", 7 - 10 days around the Paine Massif, or the shorter and easier "W", which excludes the less-visited Northern side and takes 3 - 5 days. We took five days to do the W
and it was excellent, but if you have backpacked or tramped before and are undecided I would suggest try to make room for the whole circuit. I saw enough on the W to make me think the Circuit must be one of the world's great walks, and this is a place where the longer you stay away from the crowds the more it will grow on you. Mind you, we had good weather.
The next question is Refugios or tents. Well, if you imagine the Refugio's to be the most overpriced rip-off imaginable, stocked with miserable, surly and rude staff serving awful food, then, on occasion, you may be pleasantly surprised. Unlike the excellent state-run hut networks in Australia and New Zealand these Refugios are privately-run money-making machines, mostly owned by different companies making booking and coordination difficult. If you are lucky enough to get a bed, they'll take your money off you months in advance and you'll be lucky to get any back should you need to cancel. Most telling, there are no areas to cook inside the Refugios themselves - either eat their overpriced meals or go outside into the wind and rain. It's not really fair
The Torres del Paine
On the right is Torre Central (2800m), on the left is Torre Sur (2850m). to pick on Refugio Grey - after all the evening stew they served us made me happier at that time than anything Heston Blumenthal could have offered me - but I've never read a comments book with so many negative entries. These weren't just the idle grumblings of pampered middle-class westerners. There were many very specific and very pertinent issues; The vegetarian Australian who pointed out that the 8000 peso breakfast comprised two eggs, and so did the 17000 peso vegetarian dinner (that's nearly 19 British quid). Another commented that many had written in the book about how nice the staff were, but they found them rude and dismissive. They put this down to the fact that as campers cooking for themselves they were simply seen as an annoyance. Whilst the staff were generally helpful to us and often friendly, particularly when I gave the chef a standing ovation, it was clear that requests that didn't make them money were met with a lot less enthusiasm and vigour as those that would. Finally, one chap wrote - "They really could do better." Now, I know this is a relatively inaccessible place, but to be honest, I think he is right
Odd Intrusions
On the far side of the Valley Ascencio from the towers. - for the money the company earns they probably could. I got the impression that at Lago Grey they were trying and over time they would improve, but only because they realise that expansion can lead to more profit. Nice to think Tony Blair wants our schools to be run in the same manner.
Campsites, on the other hand, mostly run by the same companies, can be very good value. At Las Torres the campsite is in a pleasant location and for 3500 pesos per person they provide good quality washing and showers, picnic benches and wood to light fires, although it hardly constitutes a "wilderness experience." As Steve put it - "It's a bit like camping down Langdale on Easter Weekend." Camping at Pehoe is similar, although there is no wood or tables, but a pretty decent covered cooking area for bad weather, including a couple of gas burners. Grey is ok with a beautiful lakeside location but Cuernos del Paine is bushy with limited cramped and rocky sites. The views are outstanding however. Many push on to Campamento Italiano, a basic site for which there is no charge but offers pit toilets as the only facitilities. As
with all the sites it can get very full, so note there are two sections, an upper and a lower, separated by a 100m or so of narrow trail. The upper is nicer. Also note that here people often leave their tents up until early evening before departing, so if it is very full hang around as a few people may yet leave. Also note Pehoe has a free luggage store which mgiht be useful. Reasonable proviisions are available at Pehoe, including fresh bread which can quickly disappear, and to a lesser degree at Grey.
One unfortunate incident befell us at Las Torres. On the second night we found our picnic table had been stolen and taken to another tent nearby. We took it back, and whilst we were showering a Chilean guide approached Kim, introduced himself and demanded the table back, as he was "a guide, worked here and needed it for his clients." She told him where to go and I had another word with him when I returned, pointing out he had no right to take the table as were were paying customers also - we were happy to share it as we had done the
Cuernos del Paine (2600m)
The Horns of Paine I believe. previous night but he needed exclusivity. His attitude was crass in the extreme, particularly as he had already brought other camping tables with him anyway. We found everyone we met in the campsite to be friendly, pleasant and equable, with the exception of one or two of the professional guides or group leaders, of which there were many.
Organised groups also tend to clog up the trails, which can be quite irksome as the paths on the W are both narrow and very busy. Many of course immediately let you pass, but many more don't, large groups being led donkey-style, nose to tail, along the tracks with no interest or inclination in pausing to let the many faster walkers pass. Again it is the responsibility of the group leaders to brief their charges properly, but clearly most don't. By contrast in almost every case we found individual walkers to be polite and considerate on the trails, as you would expect really.
I guess the biggest barrier to the circuit as opposed to the W is food. Carrying 7-10 days food is a lot more difficult than carrying 3 - 5 days worth of food. Chilean supermarkets tend to
be eclectic affairs if you are used to shopping in Europe or Australasia. Whilst they might appear well-stocked, when you look more closely you find that the range is often very limited. Puerto Natales has three supermarkets with widely differing prices, but you'll probably need to visit all three to service your needs. If you can you may well consider bringing some key ingredients from home.
Firstly dried herbs. Chile is widely available, as are cumin, oregano and garlic. Basil, coriander, "mediterranean" herbs, piri piri, ginger etc are all hard or impossible to get, and having some would make like on the trail a lot more bearable. A pot of "lazy chilli", available in Puerto Natales, transferred to a tupperware container, will help spice up a bland meal.
In the past I've replaced bread with Ryvita or other crispbreads, usually with salami or cheese. You'll not find crispbreads in Chile, but we substituted crackers and savoury biscuits, which worked but Ryvita would have been better. Salami is widely available as are small waxed balls of Edam "substitute" which last ages. Cheese spreads and nasty meat spreads pretending to be pate are common, but fans of vegimite or marmite
Lago Nordenskjold
From beneath the Cuernos del Paine. may well wish to bring their own.
Noodles are a problem. In China dried-noodles are commonplace and heavenly, as long as you like spices. In Australasia they are pretty good. In Chile there is limited availability and they are bland and uninteresting. Dried pasta and sauces are far more common, but you get through your fuel more quickly if you are having to boil your water for 7-10 minutes. For this reason rice is best avoided. We toyed with the idea of cous-cous, but weren't sure how to cook it. If you are coming to Chile on a short holiday from a western country and plan to do the circuit, you may wish, as a supplement, to bring some of those expensive dried-ready meals targeted at campers. Normally I would say they are overpriced and unnecessary, but in this case they would be worth it. I found some for sale in an outdoor shop in Natales, but they were only desserts.
My favourite meal, concocted by Kim, was dried tomato soup added to pasta or noodles, mixed with sliced salami and "lazy" chilli. Yummy. My least favourite was mashed potato. Porridge is available for breakfasts, and after three
Valle de Frances
On a grey day, just above Campo Italiano. days you will feel as murderous as a Glasgwegian SAS soldier. Bring sugar.
Bizarrely, an enterprising Puerto Natales local has spotted a gap in the market and opened a dried fruit shop. It's not cheap but there is a large variety. The sweet and sugery dried-melon went down very well, the dried-mango was also good and the dried-banana was lightweight and fairly palatable - if you shut down the appropriate lobes in your brain you could believe you were eating smokey-bacon crisps. All varieties of nuts are on offer.
If you must have Earl Grey tea then bring it from home. Powdered orange or fruit drinks are available, unnecessarily sweet but they provide a great hot or cold alternative to the regular grind of tea and instant coffee. Powdered milk is plentiful as is hot chocolate.
Reaonable cask-wine and fairly decent bottled-wine is available at the commercial refugios, as are cans of beer. The prices are inflated but not bad by western standards. Stick to the low-end wines, which are of similar quality to the top-end ones for which three times the price is charged (in the supermarket they are nearly the same price, go figure).
Granite Pyramid
Near the top of Valle De Frances If you are carrying a thermarest best to bring a puncture kit - you can't get such things anywhere here. Also some form of blister repairs. The tracks, in summer at least, tend to be quite dry, hard, rocky and stoney. There are few forgiving marshes and muddy sections to relieve your feet, so even if you are a regular walker you might well suffer a little.
Kim tells me all this is very boring. Oh well. If you want salacious gossip try
Piers Morgan ... according to him Tony Blair never ran matters of policy past Alastair Campbell, only matters of PR ... Diana wrote that it was Charles who was planning to have her killed in a car accident ... George Michael admitted to having hundreds of lovers whilst with his partner Kenny, and Jeremy Clarkson finally lost his rag and punched Morgan at an Awards ceremony but the (unusually) sober Morgan didn't punch back. If that doesn't float your boat then how about - America never had a law governing foreign copyright for the first one hundred years of its existence, and many Americans made money pirating the intellectual property of other country's citizens ... thanks to
Hanging glacier
On the Paine Grande, just above Campo Italiano. Laurence Lessig for that one. Also for pointing me to
Archive.org who have calculated that all films, TV, radio broadcasts, music and text ever published by mankind could be archived on a small room full of computers affordable by a small company. But for various reasons they aren't. These people are trying their best. Not your bag? How about, according to
Greg Palast (search for "Glaxo"), the anti-AIDS drug AZT which India and South Africa were desperately trying to pirate to save millions of lives, was discovered not by Glaxo, who hold the patent, but by researchers funded by the US taxpayer. Go figure.
Clearly, sustained lack of marmite, basil and ginger has gotten to me. And bookswaps.
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Macaya
non-member comment
Good
A very good Travel, Chile is fantastic!!!!!