Capilla de Marmól

Capilla de Marmól, Lago General Carrera, Región XI (Aisén), Chile

To avoid having further problems with the unstable fuel situation in southern Patagonia (see post No fuel!) we decided to cross over to Chile and to drive a bit on Chile’s counterpart of the southern ruta 40, the Carretera Austral (I hope the ruta 40 fanatics will forgive us). 

We had no guide book and hence didn’t know what to expect.

We stopped at a grocery store in a small settlement to buy some fruit (you’re not allowed to import fruit to Chile as we learned the hard way while travelling to Ushuaia, fine included) and the friendly shop owners not only told us their life story but also explained about some nice caverns that could be visited by boat from a place called Puerto Rio Tranquilo. And yes, we had to tell them our life story as well.

The caverns called Capilla de Marmól (Marble Chapel) turned out to be more than nice, they were incredibly beautiful. What a great place to stumble upon by chance.

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The Gaucho

A gaucho in the sky, Patagonia, Región XII (Magallanes y Antártida Chilena)

Leaving Torres del Paine National Park and heading to the nearby border to return to Argentina we came across this gaucho crossing the road in front of us herding 20 or so horses.

When he saw us taking photos through the windshield he got his horse to perform a pirouette, gave us a wave and a big smile and rode off into the Patagonian endlessness.

That’s gaucho happiness.

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Las Torres

Lisa admiring the towers, Parque Nacional Torres del Paine, Región XII (Magallanes y Antártida Chilena)

We have just spend one week trekking in the Torres del Paine National Park, located just north of Puerto Natales in Chile.

The park is spectacular to say the least. It is full of glaciers and lakes, incredible peaks and wonderful valleys. We’ve seen hundreds of Guanacos (some sort of Lama) and many Condors. A German family even showed us video footage of a Puma (we were not so lucky to spot one).

The downside is the huge amount of tourists the park attracts (we were not alone out there during our wilderness experience) and the unstable weather conditions. We had several very cold nights in our tent (have you ever slept with a woolly hat on?).

According to the trail maps we walked over 80 km, mostly with heavy backpacks. Lisa had to wait often for me when walking uphill resulting in a renewal of my favourite New Year’s resolution: more exercise!

The photo of the three towers that give the park its name was taken on the rare occasion that they were visible. We got up well before sunrise at 4 am. Lisa needed some extra motivation like: no my love, there’s no clouds, the sky is full of stars. My aim was to try to be at the base of the towers when they are supposedly glowing in pink or orange.

Unfortunately they were hidden behind clouds at first. Then suddenly we had full visbility for 30 to 45 minutes. Everybody clicked away like mad. Before we started our descent at around 8 am they were gone again. And it was snowing.

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The stars are on our side!

Wall decoration in our room, Hostal Erratic Rock, Puerto Natales, Región XII (Magallanes y Antártida Chilena)

Anybody knows what this symbol stands for?

On New Year’s Eve we arrived late in Puerto Natales and were happy to find a place to stay. The room was very basic (and bloody cold) but had some interesting wall decoration.

I hope the stars will be on our side during 2008 thanks to this moon-sun-galaxies symbol. 

Happy New Year to all. May all your wishes and good intentions for 2008 come true.

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Punta Arenas

Rainy sunset, Punta Arenas, Región XII (Magallanes y Antártida Chilena)

Punta Arenas is the southermost city of the American mainland. From here we will start our way up north – if time allows it all the way to the Jujuy province located in the extreme northwest of Argentina, bordering Bolivia.

It’s been rainy and cold last week in Tierra del Fuego. The same is the case today on arrival in Punta Arenas. If this is their summer, how will their winter be?

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Crossing the Magellan Strait

Sheep on truck, Porvenir, Tierra del Fuego, Chile

Same as us the sheep were waiting to cross the Magellan Strait from Porvenir in Tierra del Fuego to Punta Arenas on the mainland.

Sheep are very abundant all over Patagonia and Tierra del Fuego but this is the only time I’ve managed to get close to them. They seem very weary of tourists stopping in the middle of nowhere to take pictures of them (we have somehow missed the sheep shearing season and the corresponding action while living in Puerto Madryn).

A quick snapshot and I left the poor things in peace.

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