On our way to Torres del Paine, we visited a massive cave where sloths. called milodons (like big bears related to armadillos) lived. They found fossils here and some of the remains were taken and studied by Darwin himself. Enough said.
During the 2 hour ride, we stopped once at a rest stop / gift shop where Amanda found naughty Indian statues that were really hysterical. They were revealing when you touched them a certain way. The locals got a kick out of our reactions. The second stop was a beautiful lookout where you can actually smell the burning from the fire in Torres del Paine. Depending on how the wind blows the burning can be intense or not smell at all.
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| On our way to Ecocamp |
We slowed down 2 more times as well when we saw a family of rhea or American ostriches. We saw the father and all his children as the father is responsible for rearing the young. Then we saw a multitude of guanacos which are a part of the lama family. Sherry who is a biology professor was stoked as these were the 2 species she wanted to see and she had seen them both on her first day.
Upon arrival at Ecocamp, we learned it was cocktail hour and we went to our standard dome and dropped off our stuff. The dome allows for panoramic and sky views and we were seriously surrounded by the beauties of the park. As we are in the standard domes, we have to use the common bathroom which is impeccable. Took me awhile to figure out the compostable toilet, but was really impressed with the environmental conscientious engineering and design.
Dinner was held in the core dome. Amanda and I realized that we were the youngest people there, not including children (about 2) who were with their parents. We realize the facilities had a relatively high price point, but we were slumming it by having to use shared bathrooms. ;-)
We had wine, bean soup, pork loins, potatoes, all sorts of vegetables, and flan. All incredibly hearty for those who had hiked all day and for people like us who rode a van all day. Due to the fire, the guests have had pretty easy excursions that were further out in the park. Everyone was excited to learn that the base of the towers would be open the next day and practically everyone opted for that trek.
At our table, we had the Los Angeles women, the head guide Christian who is from the area, our guide Fernanda who is from Santiago but lives here in the summer, an Aussie family (the mom works for Bloomberg and I had mentioned that my friend Jamie worked there), and some ladies from New Zealand. The conversation was interesting talking about travel, the fire, and hiking experience.
Amanda and I decided to head to bed early where there are about 3 blankets on our bed to keep us warm and so comfortable. They should really sell the bedding like the Westin which sells their "heavenly bed".
Sidenotes: it got real awkward when people called us Americans. The Chileans were quick to point out they, too, were Americans and to make a distinction that we were US Americans.
Also, Fernanda spoke perfect French on the phone, told me her family lives in France and has classic French features. So I asked if she had French heritage. She was quick to point out she was Chilean, but later she busted out a beret. Just saying.
Day 2:
We woke up for a 7 am breakfast for an 8 am hike to the base of the famous towers. Paine means blue in Tehuelche Indian which you can see in the lake below the towers and the rivers and lakes around the park. The towers are granite and soar 2,800 meters or 9,200 feet above sea level.
We could no longer smell the fire and learned it was under control. The rain during the night had helped as well.
The hike lasted 9 hours, 14 miles, and about a 900 meter ascent. The views breathtaking and the hike definitely was tough on my knees as the last part was all rocks.
At the base of the towers, there was a beautiful blue lake. Reminded me of Lake Solitude at the Grand Tetons which I hiked when I was 13. We ate lunch, took great photos, and even napped.
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| Torres del Paine |
We were truly blessed as there was not a cloud in the sky and often the towers cannot be seen due to fog. Also on the way we saw a glacier, condors, and other Americans. At one of the refugio stops, an American introduced herself and was from Oregon but originally from Nevada.
On the hike, Christian asked Amanda if she dances and she said not very well. He said he could tell. I disagree, but the exchange was quite amusing.
On the way down and through the pastures, there were about 30 wild horses. So idyllic!
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| Ecocamp |
Dinner was a delicious bbq with vegetables and some sort of broth soup. The bbq included lamb, chicken, chorizo, salmon, and stuffed peppers. Also some sort of meat quiche. Dessert was some sort of fruit in a soup.
After dinner we all sat around in the living room and Julia and Bob bought drinks for everyone. Drinks at cocktail hour and dinner are included, but outside of that it is pay as you go. We all had great conversations. Manuel, one of the guides, said he can usually tell where people are from. He said he could tell I was a New Yorker, but Amanda was more of a mystery. He wanted to say European mix. He also asked how to tell Asians apart and I said Koreans have a moonface and he started to laugh hysterically. He was funny - he is no longer in a relationship so he is in "catch and release" mode. He also said to never let Carlos, my Spanish teacher go. Columbians will teach / speak proper Spanish and formalities and Chileans do not speak properly. I told him it was easier to understand Chileans than the Argentine "shhh" accent.
The night ended as the waiters started to salsa and then Julia and Bob tried as well. The contrast was hysterical, but so fun to watch.
Day 3:
We went on the Seron hike which was 14 miles roundtrip. Patagonian hills so lots of up and down and beautiful views of a valley and river. We also passed by where the 2005 fire affected the park.The hike brought us through multiple fields and pastures of daisies and dandelions. Also we hiked along an icy river that comes down from the glaciers and even all the way down to Puerto Natales. Our guide Rafael and Amanda walked across the water barefooted for a shortcut and for fun. Interestingly, our guide wore barefoot shoes - the kind that look like socks that a lot of people seem to wear in NY and love to wear while running. He said that a few years ago a US Army Ranger wore them and was so fast up the mountain that he searched for the shoes for a year and now that is all he wears. It was counterintuitive to me as I always think hiking shoes should have arch and ankle support, but as Rafael pointed out, it is the way that natives walked and the way you were born. It took him a bit to get acclimated, but his toes and ankles are stronger for it he says.
Other hike participants was a mother-daughter pair from NY (the daughter is a 3L at Fordham Law - go FU Law and the mom works at Pleasantville high school), the dean of the University of Calgary Law school and his wife, and a French family. The French family was interesting as the father works for an environmental waste management company and they currently live in Sydney. They have lived around the US and China too.
We also learned about the El Calafate bush where legend has it that an old woman died and turned into the bush. If you eat the berries, you will return to Patagonia. I definitely ate a few berries - quite tart!
Our guides had downloaded bird calls on their cell phones and we tried to get the magellan woodpecker to come out of the tree. The guides joked the birds are the only thing you can call with a cell phone in the mountains. We could hear the woodpeckers, but did not see it. One of the guides, Claudio who was walking with the slower group did see them - all 3 were on a single tree. The photos he shared wiith us later looked like one of those wooden bird sculptures. We did manage to see a southern crested caracara bird.
After our 2nd 14 mile hike 2 days in a row, Amanda and I joined Sherry and Jeanne in their suite dome where they had their own bathroom and porch. These biodomes were awesome. We tried their Argentine whiskey and then joined the rest of the folks for cocktails in the core dome.
Our dinner was really lovely where our guide, Fernanda asked to join us and we had a rousing conversation. We had a rice pilaf, fettucine with fish or vegetables, and a sweet nutty dessert with ice cream. The head guide, Rafael, taught us a few bad words on the hike to say to the waiters and Fernanda dared me to say them. The waiter, Brian nearly keeled over in laughter and then gave me a hug and a kiss on the cheek. My Spanish teacher, Carlos would not be happy ;-).
It was revealed to us that a few of the guides had discussed whether Amanda and I were lesbians but decided we were not. Haha! Amanda and I both thought that was extremely amusing and then I said to them, "so you do gossip about us?" And used the Spanish word for it - chismear! They said "of course!"
We stayed up awhile enjoying our trappiste beers with Rafael and Claudio. Also the kitchen staff came out and hung out with us. One waiter started playing guitar and the chef was celebrating his 1 year anniversary with his wife. He started speaking French to me and we went back and forth between Spanish and French. After a 14 mile hike and a few drinks, trying to understand my 3rd and 4th languages was making my head spin, but seemed to make it through.
Day 4:
Our pickup was scheduled for 10:30 am, so we slept in and had a leisurely breakfast. We enjoyed the company of Ambert - an Asian male gymnast from San Francisco and a German couple on their honeymoon. Very delightful folks.
As we left Ecocamp, you could not see the granite towers as the fog had set in. We were so lucky not to have any rain and such clear days. Amanda and Cyn for the win! We also think it is because Amanda bought a rain coat in Puerto Natales because she forgot hers. If she had not bought it, it probably would have rained. Thanks to Amanda for buying a raincoat!
Our ride back to Puerto Natales was uneventful and we were treated to lunch by Ecocamp. We ate salad, vegetable soup, chicken with mushrooms, and rice pudding. We then walked around the town before our flight to Puerto Varas.