21 Torres del Paine

Holidays and short breaks
Argentina (2001)
Chile (2002)
India (2003)
World trip (2005-2006)
Libya (2008)

Pictures
1 Croydon to Arica
2 Arica, Azapa Valley
3 Arica, Panam + Codpa
4 Arica, PN Lauca
5 Calama
6 Chuquicamata
7 Salar de Atacama
8 San Pedro de Atacama
9 Tatio and Puritama
10 Santiago
11 Santiago to Pucón
12 Pucón
13 Pucón, a lazy day
14 Termas de San Luis
15 Pucón, horse ride
16 Puerto Varas
17 Ancud
18 Chiloé
19 Chiloé, pinguineria
20 Puerto Varas, casino
21 Torres del Paine
22 Torres del Paine
23 Torres del Paine
24 Torres del Paine
25 Zapallar
26 Zapallar
27 Zapallar, rodeo
28 Long trip home

Chile

Sunday 24 November 2002

The lake looks totally windless when we get up. Ness opts for extra minutes in bed, I vote for huevos fritos. Then we’re off in our faithful Basher to Puerto Montt to catch our 9.50am flight to Punta Arenas. We get there on time. It’s another small airport. Our allocated seats, 21K&L, are duff (back of the plane) and I ask about better seats – the Exec Club membership pays off and we’re upgraded to big seats in business class. We doze through the flight. A TV programme about bears is shown on the flight. Views of Patagonia are revealed bit by bit as we get closer to Punta Arenas. At Punta Arenas we meet our lively transfer rep. There are around 15-20 people in total, including two Brits we strike up a conversation with, Nigel and Mhairie (that’s how she pronounces it), also from London, well, Walthamstow. We end up in a van with five Portuguese. It looks like a riot van, with a metal grille protecting the windscreen, with small hatches fitted in the centre on each side. Ness and I have a row each to ourselves in the back and make ourselves comfortable. The wide Patagonian spaces whizz by as we start our six hour journey to Torres del Paine. After two hours we make a pit stop at a café. The other van is already there and we join Nigel and Mhairie over lunch (chacarero and ave y palta sandwiches). Then the long, long drive continues, with a brief stop in Puerto Natales to pick someone else up (so now Ness and I share one row, but still very comfortable).

I spend time dozing, reading, and staring at the landscape. The views of Patagonia are <quick, hand me my list of superlatives> of wide open spaces, wide horizons. The Patagonian sky – is it my imagination or does it really look so very different here? It feels “closer to the earth” – hard to describe. It’s good to be back in Patagonia (and how many can say that?!) There are many flat bits with bushes, rocks and as we start to get away from Punta Arenas we see guanacos, birds, even two big vultures (condors, here?) Large tracts of land are fenced off into huge plots, mostly for sheep.

Eventually we reach the hotel. We have already had a view of the Torres for quite some time while driving, gradually getting closer and closer. The views and landscapes are stunning, but I can’t escape the feeling that this will be a canned experience, in the nicest possible sense. Suspicions are confirmed as we are processed at hotel check-in and take to our room, again in the nicest possible way and luxurious and scenic surroundings. Our room looks out on the back rather than over the lake and Torres view, but I do realise that we’re very “lucky” to have a place here in the first instance. It’s very plush, very sophisticated, very American, and “holistic”. There is lots of blurb about “the art of travel”. I’m beginning to get mixed feelings about this place. The views are stunning, incomparable, but this is a hotel where I expect you’ll be presented with a packaged choice of options, menus, what to do and where to do it. After unpacking we head down to the bar with a fantastic view. I get told off for smoking and now have a major sulk. I don’t like being told what I can or can’t do, now working on a strategy. The guides are going from table to table explaining the possible walks and treks for the next day. Options consist of full and half day walks and horse rides, something for everyone. We opt for the full-day walk to the Grey glacier, as do Nigel and Mhairie, the two Brits we met earlier. The plan is to do something easier the day after and then do the walk to the Torres on the last day here.

That evening there is a bit of confusion and a discussion with the guides since the number of places for the glacier trip is limited to fourteen and there are sixteen of us who want to go. A compromise is reached by getting the “ferry” across the lake to make two trips. Together with Nigel and Mhairie we’ll make the first crossing. We end up having dinner together with them. They are getting on our nerves – we’ll have to make sure we don’t end up spending the next few days together with them. After dinner (risotto), I head downstairs for a smoke and meet a group of six Dutch people travelling together and end up spending more time talking with them downstairs. Three well-heeled silver-haired (only just) couples. The Portuguese family joins later. I ended up staying downstairs longer than intended, drinking more cognac than intended, all in all a pleasant first evening in Torres del Paine.

Prev | Up | Next

Top

Visitors:
Home \| Info \| Blog \| Travel \| Pictures \| Site map \| Search \| Guestbook	Copyright © 2001-2007 Stefan and Vanessa Aalten-Voogd