Chilean Patagonia and Torres Del Paine

07/04/13 to 14/04/13 - We landed in Punta Arenas, and we had two hours to quickly look around the place before the bus was leaving. It was a small city with the usual street names (O’Higgins, Banquedano, etc) plus some named after explorers, like Magellan and Drake. A lot of Antarctic expeditions depart from here, and it did have a remote, end-of-the-world feel, and was pretty quiet, probably because everybody was inside trying to keep warm. We then caught our bus to Puerto Natales, a 3 hour bus ride north.

 

There are no roads linking Punta Arenas and Puerto Natales with the rest of the Chilean mainland, and as such the area does retain a unique feel. Puerto Natales was a small, sleepy port town (there is one pier which is used as much by large, interesting birds with orange beaks as it is boats). There are a few hiking shops and restaurants, but as we were visiting in low season, it was far from busy. We took a day to relax and work out some details for the next few days.

Some of our blog readers may have the impression that travelling in Chile is all about eating huge great meals and sipping the local tipples (artesanal cervesas, vino tinto and Pisco Sours) in front of gorgeous sunsets. This is mostly true, but it doesn’t go without an element of hardship from time to time. For some reason, we’d decided to rough it for 5 days and 4 nights walking 10-hour days up and down hills and camping in near freezing temperatures in the Torres Del Paine National Park, the infamous “W” trek (its called this because its in the shape of a ‘W’). 

After renting our gear, consisting of a tent, sleeping bags and cooking set) and stocking up on packet noodles, cuppa soups and sachets of coffee, we set off by bus at 7.30am to make our way to the National Park (2hrs). We got a taste of what we were in for as the bus journey was freezing and we were thoroughly chilled by the time we made it the Park Administration where we forked out for the entrance fee. Then it was on to a boat jetty, where we took a boat across Lago Pehoe, with fantastic views of the mountains, and a fresh breeze further chilling us down as we made our way across the lake to the starting point of our trek. 

 

The adventure began with hysterics as Dave, whilst studying the map, took his first step and missed the boardwalk, falling forwards 120 degrees headfirst into the marsh below. Luckily, there was no injury and the marsh wasn’t wet, so only his pride was damaged. 

We carried our 15kg backpacks up the side of Lago Grey (Lake Grey) to a campsite near the Grey glacier. It was very cold and we struggled to sleep as the cold came up through the ground and into our hip-bones, and we soon realised it was a mistake not to rent the foam mats that would have insulated us from the cold floor of the tent. It started to rain and then there was a strong wind blowing which also kept us awake. Somehow we managed to survive the night, and got up early to walk another hour, to warm up, but primarily to get a closer view of the glacier. They say that the locals use ice from the glacier to put in their whisky (but why they’d want ice in it we don’t know). The glacier went back up the mountain for as far as the eye could see, and there were mini icebergs floating in the lake. We could hear huge rumbles and creaking sounds as the ice was breaking off the glacier. We made it back to camp and packed up our tent before walking back down and on to another campsite 14kms away. 

The second night was even colder than the first and we got just 1 or 2 hours sleep, before leaving our tent again and making our way up the French Valley, (8kms) where we got a really close up view of Los Cuernos (some huge, towering rocks) and more glaciers, with chunks of ice falling from the peaks and crashing below. We could see some of the best views of the surrounding mountains and glacial lakes of Patagonia from this point. 

We made our way back to our tent and trekked on beside a lake, where after a full afternoon of walking, we collapsed on the pebble beach to rest. Then it was on to another campsite, where there was also a Refugio and Indoor restaurant, so we could sit in there and warm up in front of the big drum stove after yet another pan of packet noodles. We had a wee dram too to help fight off the cold as we returned to our tent, which this time was pitched on a wooden platform off the ground. It didn’t help much, and we again struggled to get any shut-eye, but we could at least rest our weary limbs.

The final full day in the park was spent trekking along the side of another lake before we made our way up a river valley, to a campsite below the Torres Del Paine. We finally got some sleep by sleeping on top of our rucksacks to raise us off the ground, but still, we woke up early to make our ascent up the final 1hr climb to Las Torres themselves in time for sunrise. The climb up was pretty steep and we had to rock-hop with a rubbish Chinese torch that we bought back in Laos. It wasn’t very bright and we found ourselves trying to hitch with some more serious hikers who had high-powered torches strapped to their heads. We’d been very lucky and had great weather for the first 3 days of our trek, but unfortunately there was a lot of cloud on this particular morning, which meant we couldn’t see the towers glow red (we couldn’t see the top of them either). However, all was not lost and as another South Korean trekker pointed out, there was still a spooky ambience to the place due to the mist, and it was still a nice place with the towers reflecting in the silver lake. 

We returned down the steep hill to collect our tent and have a quick coffee before trekking the final 10kms in light rain down to a hotel where we spent an hour drying out and warming up before catching our bus back to Puerto Natales. Once there, after quickly washing our clothes and having long hot showers, there was only one thing to do… after walking 100kms in 5 days and only eating packet noodles and drinking boiled river water, it was time to go for a huge big feed and a bottle of Chilean red. 

The next morning, on the way back to the airport at Punta Arenas, we passed several Llamas, Flamingos and Ostriches as we went past lakes and fields. We even got a free coffee on the 2-hour trip (the service on buses in South America is a bit like it used to be on aeroplanes). We took off to return to Santiago, stopping at Puerto Montt on the way up, and getting fed twice (not bad for a budget airline). We finally got to see Volcan Osorno when we were above the clouds (although it was on the other side of the plane), which was a nice ending to a tiring, but rewarding week.

Puerto Varas

Puerto Varas 04/04/13 to 07/04/13

Puerto Varas is set on the west shore of Lago Llanquihue, and we were supposed to see great views of the Osorno volcano across the lake. Unfortunately the weather had turned and in between the rain showers there was thick cloud obscuring the views.

We visited nearby Fruitillar, which was a quiet town with traditional German architecture and a nice concert hall right on the lake. It was cold and we realised we would need to add to our wardrobe quickly as we headed further south (our minds now made up, we were off to Patagonia as we weren't sure we'd get another chance). We stopped for an artisanal German style beer and some lunch, before heading back to our hostel in Puerto Varas.

Due to the bad weather the hostel was full of people most of the day, and it turned into quite a sociable place. The host organised some snacks and drinks to help everyone feel at home, which was a nice touch. The dog had his own chair which he rarely vacated.

 

Despite more rain and cloud the following day we hired a car to see some dried up lava rivers, the Saltos de Puyehue (where we saw giant salmon/trout leaping out of the water) and we then went for a walk along the beach at Puyehue. We marvelled at how clear and green the water was despite the poor light, and the pebbles were a mix of grey and red. We caught glimpses of what it must be like on a clear day, but we still couldn't see the volcano.

We drove up to 1,200 metres on Volcan Osorno, where it was windy and freezing, and we got to throw our first snowball of the year. There was a ski-lift, but it was closed. We drove back down stopping to see a good rainbow in the valley below, before heading back to Puerto Varas, where we got an early night as we had our flight to Punta Arenas the next morning.

The flight from Puerto Montt to Punta Arenas was very scenic, passing over the Chilean Fjords, several salt lakes and river systems. Populations were scarce and the very few roads we could see were as straight as you can get. We still didn't see the volcano after takeoff, except for maybe a tiny peak poking up through the clouds. Luckily the weather cleared as we went south and we landed into a rather isolated Punta Arenas from over the sea.

Chiloe

30/03/13 to 04/04/13 - The next morning we took the bus from Pucon to Puerto Montt, which took all afternoon. We arrived just in time to catch the ferry to Chacao on the island of Chiloe (the biggest island in South America). The ferry journey was nice but quite chilly as the wind was blowing off the icy Pacific and we felt like we might experience a bit of winter after all. In the channel there were a few big yellow and red boats, that looked a bit like toy boats as they sat in the dark, icy blue sea.

After docking, the bus continued to Ancud. After a huge plate of Curanto (the local speciality, consisting of a huge plate of huge mussels, clams and oysters, with a side of chorizo sausage, Gannon steak, chicken leg and two types of dumplings) we slept well and struggled to get stuck into the full spread of a breakfast the next morning as we were still full from the night before.

We decided to walk off the bulge with a walk up to a viewpoint above the town. There was a great view over the sea and the snow-capped volcanoes in the distance.  We also visited the museum which had a full skeleton of a whale that had beached here some years ago.  In the main square there were a few table football (or baby-foot) tables, so we had a few games there.  Then it was back to our place for a (deliberately this time) meat-free pasta meal watching the sunset from the bench in front of our hostel. We chatted to a canadian couple, Dave and Marilyn, who were very funny to talk to, especially after a few wines and we later saw them playing on the outdoor gym on the seafront at midnight.









They told us about their trip up from the south, and they helped sow seeds into our minds about continuing to Patagonia. Should we go back up north to the warm weather, or down to the extreme south?

The following day after yet another great breakfast of fruits, yoghurt, homemade bread, ham and cheese, we hired a car to tour the island further. We visited Castro, to see the palafitos (houses built on wooden stilts on the beach) and stopped in Dalcahue for a seafood lunch, before catching the ferry across to the island of Quinchao, where we toured around admiring the many wooden churches there, and the magnificent views over the smaller islands to the east with the snow-capped Andes and volcanoes in the distance. We took a couple of dead-end roads to the sea and also saw some salmon farms just off the shore. Then it was back to the island of Chiloe where we took a long gravel road before making it to the tiny village of Tenaun just after sundown where there was a great painted church, with its towers pointing up at the really clear, bright stars.

The weather was uncannily warm for Chiloe, which made all the woolly jumpers and hats on sale in the market in Ancud seem unnecessary. We took advantage of this and hired some mountain bikes to ride along the coast, along a long empty beach, over some rocks and then up a long, steep hill to a village called Picullo, which had another small wooden church and a tiny football pitch. We decided we could go any further as we’d have had to come back up the other side of the very steep hill, which we couldn’t face again (at least not without blood transfusions and some EPO). We got back to our hostel and had a good chat with a german guy who was into kitesurfing and he told us about some good spots in Holland and Spain that we might try out one day.

We also talked to a chileno couple from Santiago, who showed us some of their home videos of the 2010 earthquake.  As Flora's birthday was imminent, we asked them how to sing 'Happy Birthday' in Spanish.  They sang 'Cumpleanos Feliz' to the familiar tune, before jumping into a second verse accompanied by an upbeat samba rhythm they were beating out on the wooden table.

Pucon

27/03/13 to 29/03/13 - We arrived in Pucon with the Villarica volcano looming over the town. We heard the loud evacuation siren sound which made us jump, then we realised it was exactly midday, and that it was the weekly test. Pucon was a bit like a ski resort town, but as it was the end of summer it was quiet and there weren’t many tourists around.

The next morning we took a bus to Huerquehue National park where we did plenty of walking uphill along the ‘Los Lagos’ trail. The route circled near 5 lakes and was supposed to take 3.5 hours. We saw some incredible views of the lakes with their crystal clear water, and of the volcano in the distance. However, the route seemed longer than we thought it would and when we returned 7 hours later, we find out that we had missed the last bus back.



We went back to the ticket office and one of the rangers was there. We told him that his 3 and a half hours walk written on the small board was a big lie. He smiled and pointed to the small print below which read, "one way". We thought, "How on earth can a loop be one way?" The ranger seemed relaxed and told us to take a seat by the entrance and wait for another car heading back to the main road 8km away. We sat down and opened our Spanish phrase book to work out what to say... but we ran out of time as a jeep was coming our way and we jumped in front of it and made up something. After a very fast drive, five minutes down the road we stopped behind a bus and the driver joked "here's your bus". We laughed and the 3 guys in the Jeep got out of the car. We soon recognised the man lying under the bus trying to repair it as our driver from earlier in the day and realised it was in fact our bus that had broken down. We checked to see if it was going to get going again and then we got back on it... relieved. That evening after a hot shower we sat down to eat in our hostel's restaurant, only to realise it was vegetarian. We could have murdered for some protein.

The following day (with stiff legs) we went on a rafting trip down the Rio Trancura. It was great fun, and we got be right at the front, with the responsibility of setting the tempo, as well as getting the most wet. The water was icy cold, but really refreshing. Half way down the river we had to get out of the raft, walk through a small bit of forest and then jump (from 5/6 metres high) off a rock back into the river and swim to our raft.



In the evening, after trying a traditional chilean Brasero (barbeque) to warm us up, we went to some Termas (hot springs) by night. We could sooth our aching legs and arms to warm up after the icy cold dunking we got earlier on the day. Unfortunately, the water didn’t feel that warm and there was a power cut soon after we entered the pools, which meant we bathed in the dark and the pumps stopped pumping in hot water. At least we could get a better view of the stars.

Valparaiso

25/03/13 to 26/03/13 - If Santiago could be summed up by couples kissing in parks and hazy orange afternoons in front of the Andes, then 'Valpo' could be summed up by colourful tin houses and loads of friendly dogs. There were a lot of dogs wandering the streets and it wasn't long before Dave put his foot in it (‘it’ being the inevitable by-product of so many dogs).

We took the bus from Santiago in the morning and arrived in Valparaiso around midday.  After asking some locals the way and getting lost on the tiny uphill streets in the main town with our big bags, we found our hotel, which was hidden up a narrow lane. The host was very friendly and drew on a map of where we should walk and this was helpful as we would have got lost much more without this.

Valpo is a gritty port town, with huge container ships sitting out in the harbour, and like most working ports has a seedy feel down on the harbour front. However, the part of town that makes it so attractive is set up on the hill, climbing many levels, with streets layered on top of each other, criss-crossing at times and forming a labyrinth of tiny lanes and streets. For those that have been to Lisbon, it is similar in style and, like Lisbon, has many wooden funicular elevators that take you up to the higher street levels. 

We were amazed that only a couple of these rickety old things were closed due to damage in the 2010 earthquake.  We'd heard rumours that the 2010 earthquake had destroyed much of the beauty of the place, but we were pleasantly surprised as it wasn’t obvious apart from a couple of derelict buildings. The majority of buildings were made of wood, with tin cladding on the outside, and every house had been painted to a different vibrant colour scheme, with the rickety appearance adding tons of charm to them. Artists had also been encouraged to paint murals and graffiti on many of the buildings, walls and lampposts, so it almost felt like we had walked onto the set of a cartoon.

We walked a lot as it was the only real way to explore the town and hunt down the nice paintings on the facades of private houses. Ok, we have to admit that we took a couple of the funny wooden funicular elevators, partly for the experience and the views, but mainly because our feet were hurting after so much walking.

After wandering around the streets for the whole afternoon, it was time for a proper Chilean aperitif:  Pisco Sour watching the sunset and take in the great views of the bay. Although the industry and the metro blighted the seafront slightly, it was still a nice place to relax and look out at the mist rolling in from the Pacific. We also ate yet more great food, trying albacorra (swordfish) and rabbit, along with some really nice Carminere wine, which you can only find in Chile (the Andes and the Atacama desert protected this grape from disease in Chile, unlike the rest of the world).

We spent another day wandering yet more colourful streets before catching a bus back to Santiago for our connection south to Pucon. At the bus station in Santiago everyone was watching the Chile vs Uruguay match on TV screens and we watched as Chile caused an upset and won 2-0. Everyone went crazy at the final whistle, before calmly regaining their composure and catching their buses to wherever they were going. We did the same and were glad of the huge seats, legroom and leg rest on our night bus to Pucon.