South American Hostage Situation

After 3 days of hiking in Torres del Paine National Park, we learned that a protest had started in the  district of Chile that includes Patagonia (Magallenas). The government in Santiago announced a significant price increase for natural gas which sparked an outcry in the entire region where I happened to be hiking and camping. All roads in the region were blocked by strikers so we were told we needed to stay put in the National Park until the situation calmed down.

I suppose there are worse places to be held hostage than Torres del Paine. The views are amazing and we were camping near a lodge with heat and plenty of food. That said, due to the ever-changing situation, we weren’t able to go out and explore in the park – we needed to be ready to depart if the roads were temporarily opened. So for two days we just hung around the campground hoping for a settlement so we could depart.

Finally, we heard that the protestors were allowing 5 buses of tourists to leave the park and pass through the blockade. We wanted to be on those buses (there were 2000 tourists “trapped” in Torres del Paine). So, we took a boat across the lake (the last boat to go across the lake due to the lack of gasoline) to meet a bus to take us back to civilization. Crazy.

We passed through two blockades full of protestors and burning fires on our way to the nearest town (Puerto Natales). But,I should stress that the protests were peaceful and the entire situation seemed quite safe.

But, we weren’t free yet. . .our flight back to Santiago was supposed to be out of Punta Arenas (about 3 hours south) the next morning. And with the roads still blocked, we had no way to get to the airport. We spent two more days in Puerto Natales waiting for the protests to end. Most shops and restaurants were closed. Those that weren’t were on limited hours and some were getting their windows broken for remaining open. Everywhere were signs in support of the protest and black flags being flown – the flag flown in support of the strike.

Despite the inconvenience, we were lucky as we had rooms in a hotel with showers, food, and water (and wine). But, elsewhere, the situation was getting worse. On Sunday evening, the Chilean government declared martial law in the area since the strike had gone on nearly a week and there was no sign of an agreement.  Monday morning, however, roads were still closed and we had no idea how to get out of town (and out of the region). On past trips, this would have been incredibly stressful since I would have had a return flight and work to get back to. I have to admit, that with no timeline, nowhere to be, and on one expecting me, I was able to just take it in stride. There's certainly something to be said for having no commitments!

Day four of our hostage situation, at about 2pm, we got word that the Red Cross was working with the Chilean army to evacuate tourists from Puerto Natales. We had to get to the Red Cross staging area immediately as the next evacuation would not be for 6 days. So we rushed to the local school which was being used as a temporary shelter and the staging area for the evacuation. Some people had been sleeping on the gym floor and eating red cross meals for several days. This is when I first realized how lucky we had been throughout this situation.

We were loaded onto army vans and driven through the barricades to the small airport outside of town where we were greeted by the Chilean Air Force.

As an added bonus to an already incredible situation, one of my travelling companions and I were able to sit in the jumpseats in the cockpit for the flight down to Punta Arenas; that was an incredible experience! I have to give a special shout-out to Vincent y Rodrigo, the two Chilean Air Force pilots who flew us to safety!

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Towers of Pain

Once in Chilean Patagonia, a visit to the Torres del Paine National Park is a must. The park is ideal for camping and trekking and the views are amazing!

The origin of the park’s name is a bit unclear. In Spanish, “torres” is the word for “towers.” On the east side of the park there are three huge rocky towers standing side by side seeming to look down on the rest of the park. The view of these three towers is one of the most photographed views in Chile.

Unfortunately, on the day I hiked up to see them it was cloudy so, for a proper view, click here: http://www.migranchile.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/torres-del-paine-park-chili.jpg.

However, the origin of the word “Paine” has historians mystified. There are several theories. Some say it’s named after a mountain in Argentina -- although it is both spelled and pronounced differently. Some say it’s named after the word “sky blue” in an indigenous language – but the language was spoken in a distant part of Chile, not by the locals. There are other theories, but in reality no one is certain where the “Paine” part of the name originated.

Until now. . . I think I’ve figured it out.  After four days of being sedentary on a boat, followed by an early morning wake-up call and a two-hour van ride, we embarked on the trek up the mountain to see the famous Torres. Straight up the mountain. It was an 18km trek (that felt) uphill both ways! Nothing like a day of trekking to make a person realize how truly out of shape one really is!! Midway up the mountain it occurred to me: “Paine” is based on the English word “Pain.” Exactly what a hike to see the beautiful Torres causes! Once I realized that the park was called the “Towers of Pain” I really questioned why I was so excited to visit this den of sadism.

Okay, maybe I’m exaggerating a little bit – regardless of my muscles getting a wake-up call they never wanted, the views were stunning and totally worth it!

And after 15km, 19km, and 11km treks on the following days, I was back in the groove and feeling much better! The park and its scenery are amazing and well worth a visit and a few days of trekking to really experience it!
Besides, it wasn’t all exercise, we found time to relax and slow down a bit as well.

In addition to amazing scenery, we were fortunate enough to see some wildlife along the way. Plenty of the infamous Andean condors (which are tough to photograph but beautiful to observe).And during the hour-plus drive through rolling hills and mountains (where we saw no signs of people for miles!) we passed numerous family groups of guanacos. They are a smaller relative of the llama and alpaca and super cute!

We also happened upon a grey fox while trekking up to see the Torres. He wasn’t  too big but we gave him a wide berth nonetheless.

On days three and four, we trekked up the mountain to see glaciers. I continue to be in awe of the size and grandeur of glaciers. 

Surprisingly, we were told that it can get very cold in the park and were told to bring warm layers. (I guess a windbreaker and a knit cap don’t count as warm?) I had a hard time envisioning super cold temps when I was sweating in the 80 degree campsite. So, when we got to one glacier lookout and stood there in the freezing rain and hail, I was cold. Really cold. Amazing how a two-hour trek can change the elevation enough to make a 40 degree temperature swing!  Regardless, I stood in the rain and hail admiring the French Glacier.
Every 10 minutes or so, we would hear a huge sound – like thunder almost. And we could see a chunk of the glacier at the higher elevations falling down the mountain. The avalanche sound was incredible. And watching the snow as the avalanche moved down the mountain was awe-inspiring. Nature is so powerful. I was thankful that I was on a mountain across the valley and not down the mountain from the avalanche!

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NavimagNIFICO!!

There are two easy ways to get from the Lake District down to Patagonia in Chile: airplane or boat. And there’s much more to SEE by SEA. So I embarked on a four day trip on the NaviMag ferry. I'm so glad I did -- what a great trip! I would recommend the Navimag to anyone!

After boarding the ferry I was shown to my new home: a tiny bunk in a room with three others. Fortunately, to avoid feeling too close for comfort, they provide a “privacy curtain.” What more could a girl need?

On board we had a dining room (and were given three squares each day – the food was actually much better than expected!), a bar/lounge area, and tons of seating outside to enjoy the scenery.

During the days there were lectures about the flora and fauna of the area, geology, the national park, etc. There were also movies at night and even a bingo night (where I managed to win a bottle of Chilean wine!). I even managed to both steer and navigate the ship! ;)

As fun as all of that was, the best part of the trip was the scenery . We spent several days in the Patagonian fjords passing mountains, small islands, and waterfalls.

On the wildlife front, we spotted albatross, penguins, jellyfish, and even some dolphins. But watching the people was often more fun than watching the animals. Whenever the crew would announce an animal sighting, I delighted in watching dozens of people run from one side of the boat to the other in unison, cameras in hand, furiously trying to spot something photo-worthy. I swear the crew would just announce something whenever they were bored to provide some on-board entertainment!

But, the highlight of the trip, without a doubt, was seeing a glacier up close and personal. We navigated up one fjord just to see the glacier dipping into the bay at the end. The glacier was huge and just stunning to see. This is one of the few glaciers in Patagonia that is advancing (over 200 meters in 2009!) and it’s already massive. The winds coming off of the glacier were frigid, but it was worth it to stand there in awe of the size and power of mother nature.

While we were taking in the view, several members of the crew hopped into a lifeboat and motored over near the glacier, to a small iceberg.

They returned to the boat with a chunk of the iceberg and brought it up to the bar. What a brilliant sales plan!  Of course, every tourist wants a drink made with glacial ice! The bar was hopping all afternoon. And I can’t say that I was immune to their ploy – I enjoyed a Chilean pisco sour made with ice that was hundreds of years older than me!

Four days later, as the trip ended, Patagonia treated us to one final, navi-magnificent view! Welcome to Patagonia.
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The World is my Barnacle

Puerto Varas is known to have some of the best seafood restaurants in Chile and the ones I tried were certainly no disappointment! I even had my first Giant Barnacle – who knew that barnacles were edible?!? I thought they were just the crusty things on the bottoms of boats that sailors had to scrape off. Apparently, those scrapings are pretty tasty! Especially with a little squeeze of lemon!
Speaking of seafood, there’s an island off the coast of the Lake District called Chiloe. Living on a fishing island in the Pacific means you have access to some really great seafood. We were fortunate enough to go to a “traditional” seafood lunch at a farmhouse on the island with Maria Louisa and her husband of 30+ years. I found their wedding picture in the house and asked them to pose for a before and after picture:

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Region de Lagos (The Lake District)

A few hours south of Santiago nestled between the Pacific Ocean and the Andes (as is all of Chile) is the Lake District, a region of national parks, snow-capped volcanoes, and deep, clear lakes, hidden in the mountains. My visit here was my first chance to get out of urban Chile and explore the natural beauty for which Chile is famous.

Puerto Varas is a quaint little town in the Lake District located on Lago Llanquihue (the second largest lake in Chile, full of crystal-clear blue water).

The town was settled by German settlers in the 1800’s, and accordingly has a distinct look which reminds me more of Europe than Latin America.  

From the hotel in Puerto Varas, there are beautiful views of three snow-capped volcanoes: Volcans Osorno, Calubco, and Tronador. The plan for the first day was to do some hiking in the National Park and around the Osorno Volcano. We (me and my small tour group) hiked to the Petrohue Falls - beautiful rapids with the Volcan Osorno in the background. They are absolutely stunning and reminiscent of some parts of Montana.

After this short hike, we trekked 6km through the forest, across volcanic rocks, and over a dried river bed, all in the foothills of the Osorno volcano. The absolutely stunning scenery makes the hike that much easier – although I need to remember to bring more water – it was in the 80’s!

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Feliz Año!

 

 

Happy New Year from Chile!!

                                                                                   

 

I welcomed 2011 in Santiago. The day started off on the  right foot because my bag finally arrived from Miami. It seems my bag was  enjoying a three-day vacation at the beach while I was traipsing around South  America in the same dirty jeans and shirt! Fortunately, after several desperate  phone calls, the airline managed to track it down and bring it to my hotel. I’m  sure the locals were relieved that I was celebrating in clean clothes!

I wish all of you a safe and prosperous 2011. (Feliz y prospero año!)

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