Update, 13th January

We last update this from the Refugio on 10th January.

 

That night was very cold, but we were snug in our sleeping bags, and the tent did not leak!

 

On 11th we took the ferry back at 10am across Lake Pehoe. Riki, our driver (from Dunedin) was there to pick us up in Cindy (our truck), and took the 8 of us who returned back to our next camp at Lake Pehoe. So we re-erected our tents and had a late breakfast! Did our washing and went for a short stroll. Then just relaxed....had a sing-along around the camp fire in the evening.

 

Next morning we were up and ready to leave by 8.30. We drove 40 mins, to a point where we were picked up by a smaller bus for the sum of 2,500 pesos one way, and driven over a very narrow bridge (ie only centimeters to spare with the mirrors turned in!) and then another 7 ks to the start of our walk.

 

This was a 9km climb up 2500 feet to a stunning view of the Torres del Paine. We started on a good track, climbing steeply in places, before heading through forest on an undulating track. THEN the last 45 minutes was scrambling over boulders up a track. It was steep and a very loose surface. At the top it was snowing lightly, and there was a 50kph wind blowing, so it was very cold. You will have to see the photos to see the view, which was amazing. It took 3 hours 45 minutes for us to climb up.

 

The downhill was easy! We were back to the bus transfer in two hours! All in all a very tough but satisfying day. In the evening we had a half lamb, which one of our group butchered into suitable cuts to barbeque (he is a trained butcher) over an open fire. Liz was on cook group, and helped prepare the fried potatoes, onions and coleslaw. A very much enjoyed meal.

 

Today we were up at 6.30. It was raining, but fortunately our tent was under a shelter. Liz was cooking breakfast - sausages, tomatoes and scrambled eggs - so John packed up the tent. We left at 8.30 and drove back to Puerto Natales to drop of gear which some people had hired. Then we headed for the border and went back through into Argentina.

 

We have now had 6 Chilean stamps in our passports! We drove down Highway 5 and the famous Route 40 back to El Calafayte. Lunch was crackers and pate while driving. We are staying for one night in the same hostel we were in for New Year´s Eve. Tomorrow we are off to El Chalten where we will be staying for three nights at a hostel. There we will be ice walking on a glacier....after that we will head back into summer weather!

10 January - Torres del Paine

We are unsure of the date but think it is correct!

We arrived at the Torres del Paine National Park and took a catamaran over the lake to the Park Refugio. We set up our tent, had a shower (welcome after bushcamping) and went for dinner in the Refugio. >Dinner was a 3 course meal which cost 10,000 Pesos (US$25) each. Prices are very expensive here as everything has to be brought in.

After dinner we went to our tent and had a good night´s sleep. There was a bit of rain in the night. In the morning it was cold and wet, at about 9.15 we set off with Lisa and John to walk to Glacier Grey. The walk right up to the Glacier was about 4 hours each way... We climbed up about for about 2 hours through bush and then over rockier terrain. We could see the Glacier, and the icebergs in the lake which had broken off it. However it was very cold, wet, sleety and about a 50kph head wind, so we decided to return to base.

Spent the afternoon in the Refugio reading and having a drink with our friends. The day actually cleared and it was quite pleasant outside.

This morning we set off in fine, overcast conditions for the French Valley. This was a hike of about 4 hours each way. The first two hours was through scrubby forest and around a lake edge, and was quite easy going. Then we went up the valley. We climbed about 2000 feet up the side of a lateral moraine, and there was some scrambling over large rocks and boulders. The view was stunnings, 2600m mountains up close, with huge glaciers all over them. There were frequently bits of the ends of the glaciers falling off, with loud banging to be heard, all quite spectacular!

John took hundreds of photos of the landscape - kept holding us up!

We had lunch and then descended back to camp. All showered and clean and ready to relax for the evening.

We are staying tonight, then going back on the catamaran to camp for two nights at another spot in the National Park. The following day we intend to walk up to see the Torres del Paine, three granite peaks each of about 2800m.

Friday 8 January

Yesterday we spent the day driving. Left the hostel at 6am and headed north from Ushuaia along the main state highway north. We recrosses the border back into Chile and returned to the mainland on the ferry.
The border guards decided to scan our bags this time and to check the vehicle for forbidden fruit. A fairly cursory inspection.

So we drove all day through steppe land, coercing about 700ks in all. Lunch was a pasta dish on the roadside. Camp long bushcamp along a sideroad. It was a beautiful spot with a view
over a lake. A lovely calm evening. We were very warm in our tent.
This morning we set out at 8.30 and drove till about 10 30 when we reached Puerto Natalis. This is an inland seaport, town of about 18000, which services the teeming industry in the nearby national park. Along the way we saw a fox, rheas, guanacos, (llamas), some cattle and lots of sheep.
We have been to the supermarket and stocked up with food for the next five days treking. Not easy as they don't have the range we have at home.
Now we are having lunch at a cafe with wifi so using the iPhone to write this.
Soon we depart for the National Park. We are going camping Ans treking there for five nights and will do the "W" walk. A Google search of Torres del Paine should give you an idea of the
landscape.
Weather is overcast and cool but it is currently fine.

6th January / Ushuaia

Despite problems with computers being like an abacus for speed we have today got online. Went to the Tierra Del Fuego National Park today and spent an enjoyable 5 hours with a guide showing us the local wild life and beaver dams.

He described how the new migrants sorted out the local indigenous people in the 1860's, they shot them all and cut off their ears and made necklaces out of them......

The park is only about 10km from town. It's along a dry dusty road. Mountains about the height of those inland from Hokitika, with lakes full of trout I'm sure Denis Pfahlert would love to chase. The southern most post office in the world was paid a visit, and Liz bought some stamps there. We also visited the end of the Pan American highway, which starts in Alaska and is 17886km long. Its about 3000km from here to Buenos Aires.

John went shopping for dinner tomorrow night with his cook group. Because we are crossing the border into Chile tomorrow we have to cook a meal without meat and veges / as you can't take fresh food over the border.

Tomorrow we drive back to the ferry crossing to the mainland about 500km away, into Chile. May be offline for a few days. We are visiting the Torres del Paine National Park for 5 days and doing some treking.

Beagle Channel / 5th January

This morning we went on a trip on the Beagle Channel. This is the stretch of water which joins the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, and is the border between Chile and Argentina. It was a lovely morning, 8 degrees. We went out round the lighthouse and past islands where sea lions and cormorants live. We also went onto a Sub-Antartic island and looked at all the vegetation there... There are no trees - too windy - but many little shrubs and hardy flowers and grasses.

The city is ringed by mountains. Lovely views from the channel back toward the city. When we arrived back we wandered over to the old prison which operated here from 1896 to 1947 / clearly a joke by some official in the capital back then who had the task of deciding what bleak part of the landscape to keep prisioners.

Have just had lunch in a little cafe on the one main street here. It has started to rain but is clearing again. We've just sent a few family and friends some post cards. Now back at the hostel and about to deal with our laundry / an essential matter when travelling on the road.

Rio Grande to Usuhaia

A short drive today to the southern most city in the world. I should mention the tides before we leave though. They can rise 15 meters at the equinox. It absolutley roared into the river when it finally came in, very impressive.

The drive to Usuhaia was finally through forested country with wonderful alpine scenery. We are staying at a hostel here for 3 nights. Nothing too pre/possessing about this place either. Everything about it seems run down . It is geared up for tourists wanting to go south to Antarctica or cruise boats visiting for a day or two.

There is an airport and quite a busy port through which presumably all freight gets to Terra Del Fuego. Tomorrow we are to have a trip out onto the Beagle Channel.

Rio Grande

3rd January / El Calafate to Rio Grande.
Today we set off at 7.30am on the first leg of our trip south to Usuhaia. We have had to retrace our steps to the Atlantic coast and then head south from there. Again the trip has been acoss very arid country with little sign of habitation. What towns there are are very industrial looking with lots of power and telephone poles, broken footpaths and concrete roads.

There can't be a building code in Argentina, since the huge variety of run down looking houses suggests you just get on and build what you like.

We crossed the boarder twice today between Argentina and Chile. Finally we reached the straits of Magellan and crossed into Tierra del Fuego on a ferry. About a 20 minute journey with dolphins putting on a display near the bow of the ferry.

The next 160km were on a rough gravel road through Chile, then back across the border and sealed roads in Argentina. Finally decided to stop in the "camp ground" at Rio Grande, a coastal city of 58,000. A truly ghastly town if I ever saw one. The camp ground was beside the river mouth and was sufficiently bad that some went back into town to find a hotel. Liz and I quite enjoyed it though. We are well kitted out with warm gear and had a good warm sleep in our tent.

The camp also had a communal room where we all cooked dinner and sat around chatting. The sun set was lovely and went down about 10.30.