It's a hold up!!

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We have been in the Torres del Paine National Park for quite a few days and out of contact. At the moment we are in Puerto Natales waiting for a bus to El Calafate and then El Chalten.
That's the geography, now for the exciting part!! We are travelling everywhere by bus, along unmade roads for the greater part of the journeys. On our way into the park, we drove from rather flat areas into the very dramatic mountainous and lakes area - some of the edges of the lakes have heavy salt deposits and look incredibly white! We saw flamingos in the lakes - not what I expected! But the mountains became more dramatic, the roads more twisting and then a gaucho stopped the bus - He rode alongside the bus and waved, the driver stopped the bus, went out and spoke to the gaucho who was sadly dressed in blue overalls (NOT quite the picture I had of a hold up from the locals!!!) and took a bag which he wanted delivering somewhere!! Well, it was tame, but is was a hold up I maintain! On the journey back two gauchos hitched a lift on a bus, their clothes were quite distinctive, black baggy trousers - rahter like harem pants, knee length leather boots , a wide leather belt with coins attached to it by poppers, I don't know if this is for decoration or safe keeping, they were Chilean coins, then the belt is tied at the back and a rather fearsome dagger is tucked in the back at the knot. They wear a shirt, then a floppy type of Andy Capp hat made out of wool. They look quite distinctive and dashing! They have quite different sacks for loading up their horses too - they are circular and made from carpet like the Omani salt sacks and looked like they carried heavy loads.
Going on.. we took the catamaran to the camp site (lots of wind H&W1, no need to paddle this one!) and camped below one of the dramatic mountain peaks. From there we did three walks two of which were dramatically lovely, the grey glacier walk took us along the side of the mountains, down into the valley which was wooded and alongside lakes of very different colours - a beautiful milky aquamarine colour, dark greenish black, then clear blue. It was a wonderful walk and ended up at a beach beside the lake facing the the glacier - and that was wonderful to see - the clour of it, and the sound of parts breaking off were almost primeval spine tingling stuff. The lakes all had ice floes bumping around in them, they too were blue, as they melted and came closer the ice seemed so clear and granular, interesting!! The other walk i enjoyed took me upto another glacier, this one ended on the mountain side and so was quite different, it looked as if it belonged in the coal mining area - someone seemed to have sprinkled it with coal dust, but in th splits there were almost slashes of that deep aquamarine blue. The constant in all these walks was the wind - it ranged from 40-60 kmh, the gusts were much more. It was strange to try walking forward to find that the wind blew my foot back to the same place and sometimes to have to sit down because standing seemed slightly dangerous!! However a lovely German gentleman called Bruno advised doing just that as he said we underestimate the strength of hte wind to our peril.

The camp sites have been great fun as far as people are concerned too - I was talking to a group of Israeli boys in the kitchen and one of them had been bitten by some kind of bug, so I gave hime some cream and a some anti histamine pills. Next morning he was there with his friends, one of whom quite quietly was praying, the others were cooking and my friend was scratching less! There were some lovely French girls too who gave advice about walks and we have met up with them at points along the way. I love that part of the travel - people of all races mixing in together.
Time to finish on a food note, down in Isla Navorino I was told about a restaurant here in Puerto Natales which is ru by a Zimbabwean. I went fr dinner last night, and my goodness that man can cook, the rack of lab was absolutely delicious, I think the best I have eaten.
So, off to El Calafate, I have swapped my books, need to buysome food and go find a penguin.....

Photos are not easy to do - will download a selection when I return.

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Comments

[John Bown]

Penguins?
Hi Lizzie-P. good to hear your news, it all sounds very exciting from my little house. Hope you find your penguins, I assume we are talking birds here and not chocolate bars? John

[Lizzie P]

Real penguins
Of course John! Mind you I can show you a photo of the worst dressed penguin when I return LOL!