Pretty close to paradise. |
Definitely paradise. |
"Tengo la cara agria, por eso tal vez dicen que soy un dictador."
- Augusto
Pinochet
The following post will
contain excessive use of the words “beautiful” “stunning” and “incredible
view”. Apologies for the shortage of adjectives, try turning it into a game of
Buzzword Bingo. The quote above has no particular relevance to Chile’s
beautiful South.
I am sitting once again in
Sao Paulo’s hideous Guarulhos International Airport. An airport so truly
hideous that it goes beyond mere ugliness to become genuinely impressive in its
own right as a monument to bad taste and blind architecture. From the outside
it looks like the kind of place where my jeans were probably made by small
children for a few cents a day. I could literally dedicate this entire post to
describing it in all of its foul glory, but that would get tiring. I have five
hours to kill here and Brazil is a beautiful country which deserves a better
first impression.
Arranging a trip to the
South of Chile apparently takes a fair bit of admin, as does moving out and
moving in, and working through it all. The last few weeks in Santiago were thus
filled with distracted goodbyes as everyone just had so much to do around the
farewells. It was all absolutely worth it however, with a trip to Valdiva,
Puerto Varas, the charming island of Chiloe, and of course the 8th
natural wonder Torres Del Paine making for an unforgettable end to the year.
Rushing to collect my
Chilean ID document necessary for re-entering the country on the day of
departure, we (meaning me, my flatmate and fellow Escudo enthusiast Jordan, and
ever loyal travelling companion Shane) made for a fairly stressed departing
trio as we made our way to Puerto Montt in the evening. Chasing the sunset all
the way, we arrived just too late for an airport shuttle to our hostal for the
evening, opting instead for a taxi driven by a man with a limp as pronounced as
his moustache. We later wondered if the limp was from an accident he got into
on the same day as his driving style was best described as “death wishful”.
Starting early the next day,
we headed North through rolling green hills (with trees!) to the old German
town of Valdivia (also with actual trees). Imported en masse in the 1800s, the
German settlers were encouraged to come to Chile to help secure land claims
over an ungovernable South as well as introduce a good work ethic as they tamed
the land. Of course, they set to work in brewing fantastic beers immediately.
The architecture of the region is also very Germanic and thus very beautiful
too, so these small towns had a very Alpine feel about them. Eager to take in
some older history though, we took a boat to visit some Spanish forts at the
river-mouth and were treated to a dramatic re-enactment of a famous battle in
which Chilean nationalists seized control of the fort from the Spanish in 1820
as Chile consolidated its independence.
The day ended at the famous
Kuntsmann Brewery, where we were treated to beer tastings, delicious
dead-pig-centred cuisine, and festive amounts of the fine brews made there and
sold throughout the country. By the end we were so full our bus creaked to a
halt when it attempted to climb a hill and broke down completely. As they say,
moment on the lips, lifetime on the hips.
Pushing South again, we made
for a national park which lay beyond the pristine lakeside hamlet of Puerto
Varas. There we camped out on the side of a wooded lake called “Todos Los Santos” in the shadow of three
huge volcanoes. Incredible views even if the whole place was bug infested. The
lake was gorgeous, clear blue, and surprisingly warm considering snow could be
seen in the mountains above it. We could have spent a lifetime in and around
that lake, were it not for the continuous onslaught of biting insects the size of
bumblebees. A fantastic kayaking trip was cut short after we decided to “relax”
on a lakeside beach on the edge of the forest. The bug assault was relentless
so we had to move on eventually.
It was decided that
Christmas would be spent on the mysterious, picturesque, and distinctly bohemian
island of Chiloé. Known for its mist, fairies, trolls, huge quantities of
seafood, and hospitality, the island came to hold a special place in our hearts
due to just how ancient and filled with character every part of the island
felt. “Ancient”, in particular, was one of the first words to come to mind in
that landscape.
I was astounded at how many
allowances are made for nature in Chiloé. Many whole ploughed fields will have
an old tree, or several, rising out of the middle, as the Chilote farms seemed
to defer as always to nature. The remoter parts of the island are thoroughly
untamed and feel as though they never have been. Taking day trips around the
island by bus or hired car, we ended up enjoying a drizzly Christmas day in the
only place we could find open on another small island. Being the only place
open on Christmas day (even our hostel closed, leaving us with the keys), this
boathouse bar/restaurant boasted a cast of characters who clearly had nowhere
else to be on Christmas. An old man who angrily challenged me at the door to
make sure that there were no women with me “¡Solo
hombres!”, the rosy-cheeked town drunk who was very adept at making a
trumpet impersonation with his lips, a few other people playing a loud game of
dominoes, the moustached owner of the establishment himself (Francisco), and
then three gringos in Santa hats.
During our meal we had the
pleasure of an impromptu trumpet performance from the town Boracho, with free spittle, a traditional and stirring song of the
island, and of course a bottle of champagne on the house from our incredibly
generous and quite over-served host as well. Our host also served us Chica (another fermented grape beverage
made at home) poured into a cow’s horn on our way out the door which was of
course accepted politely (declined refills). More or less a normal Christmas. Boarding
the bus out of this peculiar town later in the day, we were pleased to see
trumpet man careering around on his bicycle next to the bus to give it a proper
send-off. Moving to the other side of the island to its main town, Ancud,
provided us with even better scenery as well as the most famous dish of the
island: Curanto.
Curanto is
simply ridiculous. Huge amounts of mussels, fish, potatoes (some semi-raw),
clams, pork, chicken, and just about anything are barbequed underground for
some hours before being removed from the hot rocks at just the right time for
consumption. While we were waiting for ours in a restaurant famous for it the
owner himself sat down at our table and detailed us the entire illustrious
history of this distinctly Chilote dish. Pride. I didn’t fancy my chances at
finishing the meal too highly, but we all pulled through and crawled into
hammocks after for recovery.
Sad to leave Chiloé but
excited to find out just how long the days can get if you go further South, we
hopped on the next flight all the way down to Punta Arenas in the independently
minded Región de Magallanes y de la
Antártica Chilena for the final leg of our journey, a five day hike in the
wondrous Torres del Paine National Park. I am not entirely sure how the whole
“8th world wonder” thing works. Last I heard there were seven, then
people tried to make me like Facebook pages with ads on them to make Table
Mountain an 8th natural wonder last year. Apparently the concerted
effort was successful but it still looks like a table. What is a “wonder”
anyway? In any case, many people have assured me that Torres Del Paine is now
one, and this is a cause for excitement. Whatever status it holds, Torres Del
Paine National Park is without a doubt the most extraordinary place I have ever
visited in my life.
Though the weather seemed
foul the week got off to a fantastic start when a sharing Chilean family
offered to host our entire party in their home for the night. Armed with full
stomachs, maps, and plenty of advice we entered the park the next morning quite
ready to see what all the fuss was about, provided the clouds lifted.
Unfortunately, in Patagonia a weather forecast is about as useful as your
average parliament so we just had to hope it didn’t get too awful. The clouds
lifted, see below:
The hike followed the well-known “W” trail. Taking in three major valleys which cut into the glorious mountains of Torres del Paine as well as some trails which follow the lake. The first day we saw the massive Glacier Grey which lies at the end of hundreds of miles of the Hielo Sur icefield which separates Patagonia from the rest of Chile. The second day was New Year’s Eve, which had to be observed in some way. Huddled in our tent by the lake, we enjoyed whiskey out of hip flasks and stared at the stars. The clouds had kindly decided to leave altogether that night allowing the beautiful Southern night sky that I know and love to shine through perfectly. The next day found us hiking up yet another step and drizzly valley. In Valle Frances we had the privilege of seeing ancient green woods around us, granite massifs towering above us, a steeply crumbling glacier across the valley, and a turquoise lake below. In this setting, I felt a primal urge to run down the valley as fast as possible. Jumping from one wet rock without really being sure where I’d land on the next with the panorama surrounding me was easily the best running experience I can remember. So many superlatives! Torres del Paine is grand. Like Middle Earth.
The weather cleared up fully
after that, as we pushed all the way to the closest campsite to the towers
themselves; meaning we only had to get up at 340am to do the hour hike up to
catch the sunrise. This being our final day in the park made for a very painful
hike but it was completely worthwhile. The sun only shined for the first twenty
minutes of that day, and we were incredibly lucky to see it.
The last leg of our journey
was to return to Punta Arenas and visit its tremendous monuments to the dead.
With a diverse and rich history of colonists from many parts of the world (the
native inhabitants of the area were of course massacred as quickly as possible),
taking a walk through the mausoleums and tombs of Punta Arena’s cemetery was a
wonderful lesson in history (and in my opinion, vanity – the cost of some of
those monuments must have been extraordinary). This was only a day-long visit,
so the rest of the journey is just a tiresome story of flights, busses, taxis,
and travel sweat with home on the horizon. Although I flew business class from
Santiago to Sao Paulo. How’s that.
It has been a truly wonderful year.
It has been a truly wonderful year.