Tag Archives: Torres del Paine National Park

ARGENTINA & CHILE #15: ENJOYING EL CALAFATE

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There was no way to get around it. This was going to be a long day on the road looking out a bus window while traveling north, crossing the border back into Argentina, and driving to El Calafate.

To begin our journey, we headed back up the hill and stopped for one last look back down to our hotel and to Torres del Paine National Park beyond.

(For all photos, especially panoramas, click on the image for a full screen view.)

Along the way, we saw more beautiful guanacos off in the distance.  They are good at hopping fences, though, so we were forewarned.

A gorgeous day for a drive!

After a few hours on the road, we stopped at a restaurant, El Ovejero, in the middle of nowhere, for lunch.  It was attached to a hotel located at the border crossing and the crossroads between two routes that lead in and out of Torres del Paine National Park. We were charmed by the gaucho theme of the place and the authentic food we enjoyed for lunch. Cazuela is a traditional Chilean stew, and the one we were served was loaded with (much appreciated!) vegetables and chicken rather than beef.  To spice it up a bit, we could add Pebre, a Chilean sauce similar to Mexican salsa fresca.  Delicious!

Clever bar stools– perfect for a gaucho!
The restaurant and hotel, depicted in a wood wall panel
This artwork depicting the hotel was at the end of one of the dining tables.

Since we were leaving Chile and entering Argentina, we had to say goodbye to our bus and driver as well as Sergio, our guide.  Ola Ariel, our new guide!  The moment I saw him, I felt like I knew him from somewhere.  Well, I didn’t, but I realized he looked just like someone I knew from my childhood days while going to religious school at Temple Beth Shalom, in Long Beach, California, where I grew up.  Sure enough, like me, he was a Russian-Polish Jew, 100% Ashkenazie.  I couldn’t get over his Argentinian accent.  To my ears, it just didn’t compute!

Ariel was a hoot!  If I had to be stuck on a bus for that many hours, he was just the guide to be stuck listening to, because he was a great storyteller!  As he told us about the lifestyle and work of gauchos, he demonstrated their typical attire by dressing me up.  (Thanks, Lisa, for grabbing this shot!)

Although this was the day on the itinerary I was not really looking forward to, because of the long drive, it turned out to be quite enjoyable!

Kau Yatun Hotel, in El Calafate, was love at first site!  The beautiful grounds, authentic architecture—it was oozing with charm!  We were greeted with fresh flowers to place in the little vase in our room and gathered for a welcome drink—a nice touch.

The hotel’s entrance

After settling in, Andrea took us on a walking tour to town, a short walking distance from our hotel.  Adjacent to the hotel, a gaucho was tending to his sheep.

Note the cell phone in this modern gaucho’s hand. Times have changed…

El Calafate is in Patagonia, but quite a bit north from where we had been in Punta Arenas.  The town of 25,000 residents is situated on Lake Argentino and is named after the calafate bush which has yellow flowers and dark blue berries.

This is the place to stay if you would like to visit Los Glaciares National Park and see Perito Moreno Glacier, our destination for the following day.  It’s a nice town, too, with buena onda—good vibes. 

Following our tour, I went on into town with a few members of the group to explore a little more before returning for our group dinner.  We would have the opportunity to see more of the town the following day.

On February 28th, it was still Christmas in El Calafate!
A few of the many stray dogs in El Calafate. The shelter holds 1,500 dogs, and it’s full. Sad…

Back at the hotel, we got a kick out of the Quino cartoon panels they had displayed in the hallway at each room.  Coincidentally, this was the one outside our room.  As a glass artist, Bruce could relate!

Next up:  ARGENTINA & CHILE #16: A GORGEOUS GLACIER!

ARGENTINA & CHILE #14: MORE TREKKING IN TORRES DEL PAINE NATIONAL PARK

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As it turned out, we had better weather during our first day of hiking at Torres del Paine National Park. We were so fortunate to have seen the granite peaks of Torres d’Agostini, Torres Central, and Torres Monizino in clear view, because it is rare they aren’t shrouded by clouds. In fact, it is so rare that our next local guide, Ariel, couldn’t believe it!  When Bruce told him we had seen the towers, Ariel asked, “Are you sure?” He thought Bruce was joking.

These were the towers on the right, the highest topping out at 8,200 feet above sea level:

(For all photos, especially panoramas, click on the image for a full screen view.)

It had to happen at some point. We finally had a not-so-fabulous day of weather. Although it was cold and windy, which is typical for the region, the only rain we had was just a few sprinkles here and there. It was perfectly fine with me. After all, it is what we expected and hand prepared for when we packed for this trip. I finally got to use my Hot Hands!

During our first hike, we saw breathtaking scenery, a hint of a rainbow, and heard an avalanche. After enjoying a delicious boxed lunch that included the most amazing fudgy brownie topped with a layer of ganache (WOW!), we did another hike and saw Grey Glacier off in the distance.

It was a long walk over a rocky beach to get to our second hiking trail, and it was going to be a steep climb up the trail. Bruce’s knee was bothering him, so he turned back while I continued on up the hill with some of the group. This is a telephoto shot of him down below on his solo walk back.
Iceberg from Grey Glacier
Our buena onda group with our tour leader, Andrea (in red), and our local guide, Sergio (second from right)
We saw more guanacos on the way back to the hotel.

By the time we returned to Rio Serrano Hotel & Spa, the dark clouds had given way to a beautiful blue sky dotted with puffy white clouds. The scene looked like those landscape paintings you see displayed at a Sunday art show in the park. We couldn’t have had a more beautiful evening to enjoy during our dinner.

In my next post, we will be heading back into Argentina. Throughout our travels in Chile, Andrea and our local guides kept the bus rides interesting by informing us of recent history, current life challenges, and the culture of this beautiful country.  The following tidbits landed in my notebook:

During the period of 1973 – 1990, the country was under a dictatorship ruled by Augusto Pinochet.  He ruled with an iron fist and committed many civil rights crimes while he was in power.  Sound familiar?  What transpired in Chile was similar to Argentina.  (Officially) 3,000 people were taken and never found.  Meanwhile, the “Chicago Boys” returned to Chile after studying economics under Milton Freeman and worked their way into high-ranking government positions.  They established a free-market economy and constitution that remains today.  According to the transitional provisions of the 1980 constitution, a referendum was scheduled for 1988 to vote on a new eight-year presidential term for Pinochet.  Thankfully, he lost the vote, and the government has been a democracy since 1990.  Like many other countries, however, the country is extremely politically divided, as I described in a previous post.  Attempts were made by both the left and right to change the constitution, however, they failed each time to win enough votes.  About 65% of the 1980 constitution has been reformed, though.

Here on some brief facts on some hot button issues in Chile:

  • Public healthcare is good quality; however, it takes a long time to get treatment, and some people have died waiting.  Private healthcare is very expensive.
  • 10% of personal income is taken for retirement.
  • Gay marriage was allowed one year ago.
  • Abortion is allowed in cases where the health of the mother or unborn is at risk and rape.
  • Gun ownership is not common due to the paperwork required to prove mental fitness.
  • Central Chile is very progressive and not religious, whereas in southern Chile, the church is very influential.

Overall, Chile is very stable politically and economically compared to other South American countries.

I always find it interesting to compare the country I am visiting to what we are experiencing in the United States and reflect on how Americans respond to what we feel are “crises.”  Traveling, in my opinion, is an excellent way to gain perspective.  211% annual inflation in Argentina and 3% in the United States… Americans should be thankful; it could always be worse.

Next up: ARGENTINA & CHILE #15: ENJOYING EL CALAFATE

ARGENTINA & CHILE #13: TREKKING TORRES DEL PAINE NATIONAL PARK

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Here’s a fun fact: The Magallanes region of Chile is so far south and so remote that no sales tax is levied on products to give the residents a break.  All products are transported from Santiago, so they are expensive enough as it is.  There’s a catch, though.  Don’t think you can buy a car tax-free, and then get away with taking it back up north.  Any cars purchased in the region must stay in the region.  If you want to drive north, you need a permit that lasts 90 days maximum, and then you had better turn that car around and head back south.

Your drive north is going to be a long one, too, because there is no road that goes continuously through the 2,600-mile-long country from south to north.  You must cross east into Argentina, and then head north, and finally back west into Chile. 

Many residents of this region will drive 500 kilometers (310 miles) each way, once per month, to shop at a large supermarket or Walmart to stock up on food and goods that are not available at their neighborhood stores (or they are way too expensive).

As a (mostly) pescetarian, I wouldn’t do so well as a Magallanes region resident.  They eat beef or lamb at all meals and have the highest rate of diabetes in Chile.

It’s a tough life in the frigid, windy climate, especially for the gauchos (cowboys), and especially in winter.  Each gaucho typically works 20,000 acres and manages 10,000 lambs. 

The cost of living is also very expensive in the region.  The minimum salary is $500 per month; however, rent averages $500 per month.  You think it’s tough here…

(For all photos, especially panoramas, click on the image for a full screen view.)

As we made our way to Torres del Paine National Park, we were fortunate to see a lot of wildlife.  Our bus driver was awesome!  Whenever he spotted wildlife, he would pull over and drive slowly or stop the bus, so we could observe and take photos out the window.

My favorites were the guanacos, which are similar to lamas, but native to South America.  When the Europeans first arrived in South America, there were an estimated half billion guanacos, but there are now approximately 500,000.

These cuties are fast!  We saw one jump over a fence and run off at probably a fraction of the 35 miles per hour they are capable of running.  Their only enemy is the puma, so they need to be able to outrun them, since there is no place to hide in the open land.

We also saw some beautiful, large birds:

Southern Crested-Caracara
Buzzard-Eagle
Black-chested Buzzard-Eagle

Surprisingly, while on our hike, we saw flamingoes, too!  They were too far away to get a clear shot, but I did get this (somewhat blurry) photo out the bus window of some flamingoes we saw while driving to the park:

Once again, we (somehow!) ended up with another day of good weather for our first hike.  More hikes would follow the next day, so our fingers were crossed!)

We made a pit stop here for refreshments. The sign reads, “Here we open when we arrive and close when we leave. If you come and we aren’t here, it is because we cannot meet.”

What a gorgeous park!  Torres del Paine National Park is widely considered to be South America’s finest and most beautiful national park—and one of the most remote places in the world.  Bruce and I felt so fortunate to have the opportunity to surround ourselves with such beauty.

We have Douglas Tompkins, founder of The North Face and co-founder of Espirit,  to thank for this protected land.  After selling his stake in Espirit, he spent a lot of time in Patagonia enjoying climbing, kayaking, and skiing.  This led him to develop an interest in land conservation and become an environmental activist.  Tompkins established the Foundation for Deep Ecology, which supports environmental activism and The Conservation Land Trust which works to protect wildlands.  Along with his wife, Kristine McDivitt, a former chief executive of Patagonia, they bought up a massive amount of land in Patagonia and donated it to the government of Chile to establish Torres del Paine National Park.  Sadly, Tompkins died in 2015 while kayaking with a group in Patagonia.  Large waves caused their kayaks to capsize in the 40-degree water, and Tompkins died at the age of 72 of hypothermia.

Following our hike, we continued on to the Rio Serrano Hotel, a wonderful all-inclusive hotel located in the national park.  I loved the vibe and atmosphere with all the wood and stone, and the views were gorgeous!  It was also a beautiful place to walk in the grounds surrounding the hotel. 

This was located just across the field from the hotel.

A nice touch in the room was a fully stocked mini refrigerator with a variety of non-alcoholic beverages and Chilean beer as well as healthy snacks.  Although we aren’t drinkers (at least when we don’t travel), we also enjoyed Pisco cocktails with the group.  Dinner was served upstairs in their dining room overlooking this view; a highlight of the trip:

P.S.  Don’t believe the title of this post; “trekking” just sounded good with “Torres”!

Next up:  ARGENTINA & CHILE #14: MORE TREKKING IN TORRES DEL PAINE NATIONAL PARK