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El Chalten & the legend that is… Navimag

Friday, June 1st, 2007

After El Calafate we traveled, together with a great couple from New Zealand we met at the Glacier, to El Chalten to visit the Fitz Roy Massif, a well know blingin´crew from the Argie´south. No, really, some more pointy mountains. Unfortunately we only had about two ours of clear weather, during which we did manage to visit the view point and be suitably impressed. The rest of the two days was spent leisurely doing nothing and chatting about crap. The second day was Liberation Day so we wandered to some waterfalls to rightfully claim them for Guernsey, then went off to look for some Germans to heckle. Finding none we settled for throwing things from the balcony onto an unsuspecting group if people below us – Andy claims it was an accident but we know the truth.

After El Chalten in was back to El Calafate for a night where we arrived to find our dorm covered in lacy underwear which was definitely not suitable for trekking. I would have confronted the offending hussy but she found another bed to sleep in before she ever made it back to the dorm – need I say more?!

The next day it was the bus back to Puerto Natales and onwards to board the Navimag, from Puerto Natales to Puerto Montt in Chile. Unfortunately there are only three ways to get north from El Calafate, overland which is direct on the Ruta 40 but which is now closed (bloody off-season) or a three day diverted bus, flights which are all booked or unobtainable expensive or else the good ship Navimag. She was our only hope.

The Navimag is essentially a cargo ship that takes along passengers for the three day, four night voyage to make up some cash. That said, the food was good (although a bit like school dinners by the end of the trip), the cabin was comfortable (albeit shabby) and there was a reasonable amount of entertainment aside from the stunning views, and it was nice just to do nothing and watch the world go by for a few days.

The boat wasn’t particularly busy so we had a cabin to ourselves and it wasn’t cramped at dinner times. The crossing was also pretty smooth even the bit that leaves the fiords and goes out into open water. It was a pretty uneventful voyage, except that I won a bottle of wine at Bingo, but relaxing and a bit of a different way to travel. We arrived in Puerto Montt to disembark early on the Monday morning (14th May) and took a bus (via a vehicle ferry) down to the town of Castro on the Chilean island of Chiloe – a lot of alliteration there my friends.

Posted in Chile, Puerta Natales, Travel | 1 Comment »

What is the difference between hiking and treking?

Friday, June 1st, 2007



Torres del Paine 1st to 5th May 2007 (148)

Originally uploaded by kathsmee.

At 7:00 the bus picked us up for the two and a half hour drive to the park, together with a lot of sensible day trippers. There was a lot of “oooh you’re really going to trek in this, good for you kind of talk” as we all gazed bleakly at the sheet of white outside of the windows, and yes I did feel like a hero for being so tough as to want to camp in this weather, but also a little sad thinking these would be the last people I would meet before I died, only to be found perfectly preserved in ice 3000 years later.

But we blundered on in the snow and ice for seven hours to our first camp site where it was just growing dark as we pitched our tent. Then, joy of joys we discovered the Refugio was open at this site and that it had a fire!! So, whilst we bravely camped out in the night, for that night and the next we could at least dry our socks.

I won’t bore you with a blow by blow account of the trek, needless to say it was an ordeal and that Tucky really deserves a medal. We trekked for four days through ice and snow, camping in sub zero temperatures so that our sleeping bags were frozen solid by morning – cold does not even begin to describe it! I hate to admit it but we didn’t do six days, we did four. Partly because parts of the route were impassable and partly because I had groin strain so bad I could hardly walk on the last day. I am disappointed that we didn’t finish it, but there is a line between an enjoyable challenge and misery and it would have been both miserable and possibly dangerous to carry on.

My advice, if you are thinking of trekking Torres del Paine, do not go in the off season, its cheaper yes, but it’s the OFF season for a reason. We were the only ones in the park it seemed and we met just three other couples along the whole (50km up, down, through snow, down icy paths etc) way. But that said, the mountains and entire area was just so stunning and the snow did clear the second day so that we could appreciate the awesome view, just so as you didn’t stand still to appreciate it for too long. We also saw three of the parks equivalent to the “Big 5” – Guanacos, Tucky´s new favorite animal (like Llamas), Nandu´s (Like emus!) and Condors, and on our way out we also saw a flock of condors ripping apart a sheep until a fox decided that he actually would have the food and chased them all off!! Again, Animal Planet eat your heart out. It was like a real life BBC documentary. No pumas though although we thought we saw tracks at one point, much to Tucky´s excitement and my horror! Only then we decided the tracks were too small for a puma and were probably a fox, and then also that that it would have to have been a two legged fox and they were actually someone’s walking poles! David Attenborough’s we aint.

Please note the wonderfully shiny waterproof trousers I am sporting in this picture! Actually, please do look at the rest of our photos if you can, just go to the link on the right, some of the really are quite interesting (in my humble opinion) and I think may also have stared in some recent school projects.

Posted in Chile, Puerta Natales, Torres del Paine, Travel | 1 Comment »