On to the End of the World - Patagonia

After a very brief return to Buenos Aires, we headed to Punta Arenas, Chile and our multi-sport trip with REI in Patagonia. It is not possible to fly from Buenos Aires, Argentina directly to Punta Arenas. You must first fly through Santiago, go through customs and have a substantial layover. Ours was 6 hours - too short to go out into Santiago. It is necessary to get to the airport hours before any flight when you leave a country because it takes a long time to get through immigration. Then when you get to the next country you need to get your luggage and go through immigration in the new country. We left the Airbnb in Buenos Aires at 2:30 AM and made it to Punta Arenas at 7:00 PM that night - 16 1/2 hours later December 2nd. As we got closer to Patagonia, the view out the plane window was incredible!

We stayed one night at a B&B outside of Punta Arenas called La Casa Escondida run by a woman who is a high school teacher of English in Punta Arenas. We were the only guests that night and we were able to eat right there and not go into town. We sat by the fire in a large room made of logs and ate steak, fish, potatoes and salad. It felt like a hunting lodge. This is the beginning of summer here but it was chilly outside and much colder than Buenos Aires.

The next morning (December 3rd) we met with our REI guides Claudio and Alberto and ten other people who are on the Patagonia tour. We piled onto the small bus and began the 5 hours drive to EcoCamp in Torres del Paine where we would stay for the next week. On the way, we stopped in Puerto Natales to sign into the park register and also have lunch at a cafe that would have been very much at home in Portland or San Francisco. It was cute and hip and had great food and drinks. The waitstaff was young, had colorfully dyed hair and many tattoos. I guess there are hipster spots everywhere, even at the end of the world here in Chile. We were able to walk around town a bit with Claudio who lives here when he is not leading tours. We were given a hint about weather conditions in Patagonia when we saw a sculpture on the End of Hope Fjord. Wind is always a factor.

End of Hope Fjord, Puerto Natales, Chile

Claudio, the lead guide, spent the bus ride from Puerto Natales to Eco Camp where we would be staying for the duration of the tour, pointing out animals, talking about the mountains, and giving a bit of the history of the area. EcoCamp serves many people from around the world, traveling on their own, with a private guide or with another tour group  staying here. It is made of 33 geodesic domes, not surprising since the wind blows hard and often. It is fully sustainable and includes a Community Dome and Yoga Dome. Our little dome felt like a hobbit house where you had to duck down to get in the door.

The view in the morning was amazing.

It was really nice to be able to stay the entire tour in one place - one that served amazing food every meal. The dinners here were better than most restaurants - three courses, beautifully prepared including wine if you wished. 

Appetizer Salad our first night

For the next five days, we would explore some of what Patagonia offers - glaciers, hikes to craggy peaks and through meadows and crazy mountain biking.