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Published: February 14th 2007
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After finishing my 4 day spanish course in Buenos Aires, taking the class has been one of the best decisions I have made so far, and buying a copy of Harry Porter and the Philosphers Stone in spanish I quickly hopped a plane down to Patagonia, more specially El Calafate, I place I have dreamt about going ever since I first found out it existed! The town of Calafate itself though is a strange little place completely void of culture or history. This is not to say however that people have not been living in this region for centuries just that the town appears to have been built from scratch within the last 10-15 year, purely to serve as a tourist jumping off point to the Petiro Moreno Glacier. As one of the girls in the hostel said "If it were not for the glacier none of us would be here". But the people running the hostel, I Keu Ken with its gorgeous views over Lago Argentina, did such a good job at making everyone feel as at home as possible that I will look back on the town fondly.
Glacier Moreno is one of the BIG drawcards for Argentinian
Glacier Perito Moreno
Keep in mind this wall of ice is over 60m high! tourism, even featuring on the 4 peso stamp. Concerned about the implications of this and after having witnessed the tourist monstrocity that was downtown Calafate my expectations were actually fairly low. It was, however, simply spectacular. True the long line of tourist (often elderly) moving slower than a hung over snail, stopping every 5 metres to get yet another photo of themselves in front of Moreno, this time from that slightly different angle was certainly increadibly annoying! But Moreno's raw power and energy made it all worth while. At 5 kms across (well at the front wall the narrowist part) and rising 60m metres out of the water this mass of ice is contstantly pushing forward with such force and energy that it because easy to see why they have shaped so much of the landscape. As the ice advances its various layers grind against each other causing thunderous cracks and crashes, heard from miles away, and the sight of house sized chunks ice toppling off, crashing into the water below is so amazing that it keeps you spellbound for hours. But for all those of you concerned about global warming (And that should be all of you!!!) you need
not be concerned by such dynamic activity. Moreno is one of the few glaciers in the world (if not the only) that is still actually advancing. Ironically the quiet, peaceful glaciers like Glacier Grey in the Torres del Paine N.P. are the ones that are rapidly retreating into oblivion. In Greys case by over 15m a year.
After seeing its main (only??) attraction I quickly departed Calafate for the little old quiet chilean fishing village of Puerto Natales. Unlike its Argentinian counterpart Natales does have a strong history, proud culture and is quite charismatic in its own way. On the other hand though, nowadays it too seems to be little more than a jumping off point for the Torres del Paine N.P.. The streets mostly carm and quiet during the day suddenly get a massive injection of life and activity at 6pm each night as the first returning trekkers and day tripper arrive from the park and the soon to be departed, in the last remaining hours, flood the local shops and supermarkets buying museli bars in the dozens, searching anything that remotely resembles cheese and desperately trying to translate ingredients and instructions on pre made pasta packets. And
just as quikcly the town goes quiet again.
The area around southern patagonia and the Torres del Paine is nothing less than the most stunningly gorgeous landscape I have ever seen. It can be described as a little bit like the fjordlands of southern New Zealand, with its long glacial lakes and valleys, but also a little bit like the Tasmania alpine region, with its high mountain lakes, rocking outcrops and similar vegetation. Yet there is a certain furiousity about it all which sets it apart from anywhere else in the world I've been. This fragmented southern end of the Andies rises omniously out of the plains, which are themselves a gorgeous tapestry of red and green glasslands, torquiose lakes and dark green woodlands. The granite peaks, sharpened by the intense Patagonia winds, stand in stark contrast to the gentle rolling valleys and give the area its unique character. The terrain seems almost to have been perfectly crafted for this hike, offering another specticle to get absorbed in and mesmerised by each day while constantly increaing in beauty and diversity. Sitting high above the quiet and tranquil Glacier Grey on the first day, watching the clouds dance around Los
Cuernos from the banks of Lago Pehoe on the second, climbing past moutain top glaciers and through (what seemed like) forests of giant bonzai, deperately clinging to the steep valley edge, on the way up Valle del Francis and to the mist shrouded Los Cuernos peaks on the third and finally walking high above up the gorgeously lush valley leading upto the Torres temselves. On the last morning we got up before dawn and walked through the dark, back to the Torres for sunrise. As the sun came up under the cloudy sky the Torres began to glow the most amazing bright pink, framed prefectly by the deep blue of the clouds and the streaks of red and pink on the mist above. This was an unbelievable climax to a stunning trek. Walking out of the mountain range later that morning, looking on the beautiful tapistry below, you could not help but feel completely satisfied!
While the trek was certainly quite difficult in parts (including one 10 hour day - although with over 16 hours of sunlight this is not too bad) it was not the as completely removed from civilisation as many probably hoped. Although I did carry
all my own food and gear, in a moment of weakness, after the considerable rain I have had so far, I booked to stay in the privately run Refugios each night. A decision I regretted almost immediately! I really have gone soft. I mean booking ahead what's that shit about. Too long in Melbourne maybe. Too long in the travel industry more like it! I never really did feel comfortable in the Refugios, I felt like I had sold out! These are mainly used by fully catered tour groups, usually ferried in to a nearby areas and only made to walk minimal distances or if they can't even make that lumped in by horses. I tried to go out and mix inconspicously with the campers but always felt the need to justify my lodging decision. I did however spot on numerous occasions my Patagonia arch nemisis. This american camper who everynight would try and siddle his way into the refugios, no doubt looking for some rich older widower to get "friendly" with and who would subsequently fund all his future world travels. I disliked him immidiately! No but I did actually meet some fantastic people along the way. Campers and
Refugionians alike. A lovely Italian/Belgain couple who meet in Barcelona but now live in Zurich (how very European!), a great German couple from Berlin and an awesome Australian trio from Sydney who resurrected my like of people from Sydney. All of these guys made it a much more enjoyable time.
So I'm in Rio now and there could not be more of stark difference. I am sad at having left Patagonia, such a beautiful area and I feel i have only touched the tip of the ice berg, if you will. But Rio while quite rough around the edges in many respects is certainly an incredibly charismatic town. One that is really starting to grow on me.
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Paul Gale-Baker
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I'm jealous!
Evan, I'm incredibly jealous about Patagonia. Time to start planning a serious expedition there! Paul