Zebrafish

We hiked 32 km one day to walk on the glacier below Cerro Torre. This involved winching ourselves across a river and learning with crampons how to go up, down and sideways across ice and between crevices. Ice climbing turned out to be easier than it looks, a least for the short bit we had to climb with no backpacks. I have lots of respect for those crazy climbers that tackle these peaks, we met one USA'er here for several months just to tackle those impossible summits.




 
The next afternoon we hiked out with our tent to camp in one of the free forest campsites. Blue Calafate berries and small bonsai looking trees grow in this harsh environment. In the morning we ascended steeply up to the Fitzroy view point at Laguna de los Tres. Its shorts and t-shirts on the way up, then fleece, waterproof, hat and gloves on the top.

Butch Cassidy and the Sundance kid passed through this area, we stopped for a hamburger at a riverside hotel where they once rested up for a month after a robbery.






 
See Photosynth 360 degrees

Perito Moreno glacier creates awe amongst onlookers. We stood in silence, creepy loud creaks and crashes emanate from within its blue soap stone bulk. Look long enough and a giant house sized block of ice crashes into the lake creating huge waves, blink and you could miss it. Nearby service town El Calafate is boring and overpriced but our HI hostel a little outside proved a great place to cook and relax from travelling.


 
Back in Chile, Puerto Natales had a lot of faded charm. There are no land connections North, only boat or plane and so its very isolated from the rest of the country. Houses are built from wood with corrugated iron roofs and painted in lime green, and pastels.


 
We hiked for 4 days along the famous 'W' of Torres del Paine. The weather can be bleak, rainy and cold one moment and an hour later intense sunlight breaks through a rainbow and strong winds most of the time mean you are always changing your clothes.


 
Day 1 we climbed slowly in this immense landscape carrying all our food and gear to the furthest campsite up the valley for a cloudy view of the towers. We had hired a small stove and cooked soup and sausages with rice then fell slept wrapped against the cold.


 
Hiking about 10 hours the next day was not as steep but exhausting. We crossed glacial streams, went around a black Scottish looking lake and a huge sky blue glacial lake all below the famous tower spires  and munching on red berries growing wild.


 
The 3rd day it started to rain and being tired we skipped the French valley and continued on to the last campsite. But along the way we met up with Eduardo an architect from Viña del Mar and that night we shared food while sheltering the stove from the wind.


 
Glacier Grey was the last leg of the 'W' and so we got up early for porridge and set out. By this point we'd met quite a few people doing the same hike so it was quite sociable as well as hard work. As a result we didn't leave a lot of time to return and it was hard work coming back. However besides sore feet, muscles and knees we are both starting to feel very strong from all the exercise.




 
Punta Arenas is the most Southern town on the continental landmass of the Americas. It was once an important town on the Magellan straights when boats crossed the Cape before the Panama canal was dug and the locals descend from all corners of Europe.


 
The nearby 170 thousand Magellan penguin colony on Isla Magdalena has to be one of our trip's highlights. There is something both comical and cute about watching these birds clumsily walk along rocks to their nests under the soil. But it is a harsh place they choose to live in, the freezing wind howls and hurls up dirt into your face and the low sun blinds your eyes.


 
The Museo Regional Salesiano tells the stories of the last tribes of Tierra del Fuego and the area, sadly all wiped out through guns, disease and religion. There are some wonderful black and white photos of these people fishing by canoe, standing in the snow wrapped in guanaco fur and in ceremonies with their naked bodies painted in black & red with geometric white lines.
 
This is where we turn around and finally turn North after over 10 months on the road. We celebrated our last Patagonian night with scallops in garlic and king crab casseroled in cream and parmesan, the seafood here is amazing.

The next day we caught the flight back to Santiago, where we'd been 2 months ago. Besides our hotel in the central Barrio Londres, we discovered a new museum opening in what was once a secret torture detention centre, street cobbles outside replaced with the names of people.
 
From here we took the high mountain road past mount Aconcagua, the highest peak in the Western hemisphere at 6,990 metres and into Argentina. Mendoza rebuilt after a devastating earthquake is a completely modern city of wide grids. Here is the Argentinian centre of wine-making and home to their famous Malbec grape. Here backpackers hire bicycles and cycle between some fascinating vineyards. The best part was sampling different aged and oaked wines while eating a cut of vacio beef cooked outdoor on an asado (BBQ). Then wobbling back between traffic in the heat with the Andes shimmering in the distance.


 
Valparaiso's port overlooks the Pacific from Pablo Neruda's house high above the city. Brightly coloured home-made houses cling to the steep hillside and colours sprawl organically with no planning. Houses are traditionally made from adobe bricks and covered with painted corrugated iron. They form a maze. Most of the neighbourhoods are very poor and their main access is via 100 hundred year plus old funicular railways that are desperate for renovation but lovingly admired.




 
Since the fall of fascism Valparaiso has embraced free expression through graffiti art and every bit of space is used from the floor, steps and walls, most of good creative quality but alongside the usual bland ´i was ere´ type. It is interesting to hear stories about what it was like to live under fascism and the sense of liberation once it was over.


 
Eduardo whom we met hiking was a an excellent guide being a Valpo fan and a bit of a poet too! We skipped through the limited tourist safe zone and headed out on paths that he chose because he hadn´t walked them before. Finding hidden funicular railways and trying to look inconspicuous in some of the rougher alleyways. In the evening his dad, also called Eduardo joined us and showed us some of the best seafood and Carmenère wine for which Chile is famous for.