What an adventure, hiking in the infamous Torres de Paine National park is one of the most wonderfully scary and mysterious experiences that I have had travelling. As you arrive in Puerto Natales, the gateway for all the travelors to the park, you start to feel that you have left Chile and arrived in the land of european and american travelors. For some reason it is quite hard to get information about the park ahead of time and therefore you have your hardcore hikers, inexperienced yuppies, and the average adventurist all trying to scramble around and get ready for what is quite possibly the most unpredictable weather in Patagonia. Torres de Paine creates a culture and atmosphere all its own, and it is quite remarkable the kinds of people you meet, for it is quite distinct that just your average travel gossip in the typical hostels. The range being a group of 20 +65 germans taking over the comfortable refugios in the park, to the most common travelor trekking the W route, to the extreme hiker living off of practically nothing and hiking the entire circuit of 12 to 14 days. Yet, almost everyone has an entirely different experience that is all dependent on your luck with mother nature and when she is scorned, beware. Luckily after my first day of horrid rain and waste deep river crossings, the next two days were gorgeous, sunny and clear, she tried to scare me off but it didn´t work!! Yet, after 3 days of hiking and camping and carrying my life on my back I was glad to get out of the park and return to real travel culture, HOSTELS!!
The 10 hour bus ride and crossing of the magellane strait, good have been worse if I hadn´t been sooo exhausted from Los Torres, but Ushuaia is well worth it. I always forget how much cheaper argentina is, and am amazed my the Italian influence and the great quality of food! Of course the argentins all make fun of my chilean accent and insist that Argentina is better, and I have to admit for a young person traveling, I whole heartedly agree. After visiting the glacier and national park with stunning views and navigating through the beagle channel with beagle beer, I am ready to get back to the warm country......Buenos Aires here I come!
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