Caught the 8.00am bus to Puerto Natales. I´m border hopping again back into Chile, a 5hr journey this time. Puerto Natales is the jump-off point for anyone going to hike in the famous Torres del Paine national park. Its also the southern port for the ferry ride down through the Chilean fjiords from Puerto Montt, a 3-5 day cruise. The Torres del Paine are considered one of the foremost national parks on the continent. I haven´t really thought about going into the park. I thought I´d come over anyway and have a wee look around Puerto Natales and perhaps meet up with Fionnuala again. She´s arriving in Puerto Natales around about now as well.
Leaving El Calafate the bus heads back up into the high plains we´d crossed a couple of days earlier. It turns onto a gravel road and rambles along towards the Chilean border. As we cross into Chile we can actually see the distinctive peaks of the torres over in the national park but the road veers south for another 120km to Pto Natales.
It feels very like Norway here. Puerto Natales sits in a sheltered bay with mountains ringing the north and wetern skyline. Its very overcast today and is very reminiscent of Tromso where they run the midnight marathon. I´m staying in ahostel called erratic rock which was recommended to me by a lad up in San Martin. I can stay here for 1 night but then have to make my own arrangements.
The lads in the hostel give an introductory talk about the park at 3pm each afternoon. I decide to tag along and listen as they give advice about hiking in the park, what routes to take, what equipment to hire etc. It can take 8 days to hike all the park, the most popular routes take 4-5 days. I get swept along in the talk and by the end I head off with another Irish lad, Mark, to buy food for the hike. From having no intention of visiting the park I´m now preparing for a 3-day trek. I´m not giving it any more than that though. Mark is going in for the 5 days. Mark has been travelling now about 4yrs, working for a while in Asia and Australia and the U.S. to fund his travels. Hes bused it down through Central America from Houston. He semms sound and we appear to have fallen into cahoots without ever really saying anything. It was a case of "Are you heading for food" "Yep". "Right, Lets go so." We donçt have to bring any bottled water into the park as the streams are as pure as it gets. I buy the lightest foodstuffs I can find. Noodles, crackers, pasta etc. We hire the equipment at Erratic rock.
Back in the hostel we stick on a stew for dinner. Mark has a yearning for stew and Içm happy enough to chip in. I start having second thoughts about going in tomorrow. Içve been emailing Fionnuala but havençt recieved any replies yet. Içm thinking of hanging on for a day to see if we can meet tomorrow. Also, Içm very tired and I donçt want to go in feeling the way I do now. I tell Mark Içm going to hang on for a day before going in. In a way its a pity. He would have been good company in there. We have our beef stew and down a bottle of wine with it, my first since arriving in South America. I had to bed aroun 11pm as the rest of the lads finalise their preparations for starting their hike.
No comments:
Post a Comment