SwiftRambles

Messin' with Milodon - Puerto Natales, Chile (Patagonia)

Before and after the W hike, we stayed in Puerto Natales, a small town in Chile on the Last Hope Sound.

Some pictures of the sound:

The main thing that we did in Puerto Natales however, was eat. After all, we were either preparing for a long hike or rewarding ourselves AFTER the long hike, right?

A lomo steak, which is basically a steak with a fried egg on top accompanied by french fries. It is awful for you so of course it's delicious!

Doing the "W" - Torres Del Paine National Park, Chile (Patagonia)

Of of the "must-dos" on this trip for both of us was hiking the "W" trail in Torres Del Paine (Blue Towers) National Park in Chilean Patagonia. This 5-day/4-night 40 mile hike involves trekking to a series of refugios and/or camping sites with amazing scenery in between. From the air, the route looks like a "W" so hence the name. Although sadly reminiscent of George Bush's nickname, the hike isn't technically difficult but the notorious winds blowing off the nearby South American ice field can make it a challenge weather-wise.

I must apologize for that boring introduction. Now on to the good stuff - the pictures! Here are the top 10 reasons to do the W hike, if you are so inclined to hop on a plane, travel to a very remote area, and hike around in windy/cold weather for a few days.

Us at the start of the hike:

1) SCENERY

Quite simply, this was the most beautiful hike we've ever been on - and we've been on our fair share of hikes!

2) RAINBOWS

Due to the fine mist that was either from precipitation or from the wind blowing water off the top of the numerous lakes (we could never tell) there were often rainbows all around us. What was strange about it was the rainbows could last hours! It was breathtaking.

Gearing Up - Punta Arenas, Chile (Patagonia)

After arriving from the relatively cheap and steamy area of Central America, Punta Arenas, Chile was a bit of a culture shock for weather and costs.  We quickly realized we were unprepared for both.  Like many others before us who have landed in the staging town of Punta Arenas, we spent a few days trying to formulate a plan on what to see and do in Patagonia. For instance it took us two days to find a travel adapter for the different electrical sockets here.  And after going back and forth we decided the best way to economically experience Patagonia was to camp!  Little did Amber know, that her somewhat limited camping experience was going to be dramatically enhanced by our decision. 

We don´t have too many pictures from our days in Puntas Arenas.  $1 to anyone who can tell us what the sign means below.  Is it a cross between a park ranger and a snowman? We never did figure it out.

Earthquake! - Santiago, Chile

We were no where near Chile when the massive earthquake occurred, but since we had not updated our blog it made sense that people were concerned with our welfare.  We will do our best to keep our itinerary updated so folks know where we are. 

We made the joint decision to make our way down to the south as soon as we could so that we could enjoy the fall months in Patagonia.  Because of this and the earthquake we decided to not check out Santiago and go directly to Punta Arenas.  This meant we had a long layover in the Santiago airport.  We didn't realize that even though flights were going in and out, that the airport was "closed".  The buildings must have sustained damage because the whole airport infrastructure was set up in large tents outside.  We ended up sleeping at the "airport", literally outside under the stars and then the sun, and using the porta-potties outside.  As we queued up for our flight, the lines were chaotic with people trying to get out of town, but we eventually got on our flight after a 12-hour layover.  Though I caught a cold/flu from the tough travel conditions, this doesn't really count as being affected by the earthquake compared to the local Chileans.  We later met a Chilean girl who had some friends killed in the earthquake as well as some fellow travelers who experienced the earthquake firsthand which definitely hit home that we were blessed to have missed the quake and were far south during the aftermath. 

We are feeling a little superstitious about earthquakes right now as it seems that they are occurring prior to our arrival in different countries/regions.  Quakes have hit Guatemala, Haiti (near Cuba), and Chile.   Let´s hope the ¨Big One¨ doesn´t hit California!

- Tom