After my visit to Tortel I was almost at the very end of La Carretera Austral (the Chilean road that goes through Patagonia), and forced to backtrack some 100 km to cross the Andes mountain range and continue my journey southward on the Argentinian side. I crossed a little south of Chile Chico, Paso Roballo which left me two days to arrive to El Chaltén, and the world famous Fitz Roy.
In a way, I was happy that I had chosen the less frequently travelled route across the Andes, because I found myself alone in the middle of an amazingly beautiful park. In these moments, you notice a smile form on your face, and you suddenly take a deep breath of absolute contentment, wishing it would never end. Anyways, I was compelled to stop and take some pictures for you all (otherwise you would never believe me). - Enjoy!
There was really no doubt in my mind that I would spend the night anywhere else but in the park, thus I kept my eyes open for a well-sheltered spot along the stream that ran along side the road. Although not optimal, I was left with little choice and the exposed spot proved challenging as anything took flight that were not tied down. Still, I was richly awarded with an out-of-a-story-like surrounding and a thrilling night sky.
Moreover, since it had been some days, my military training set in and I mustered up enough courage to walk down to the icy stream to have a bath! - "One of the most important aspects of being in the wild for a long time, is hygiene". haha, easier said than done, but done it was! And how delicious with a warm cup of coffee as the darkness settled around the valley, just before creeping into a thick, warm sleeping bag.
-
Just as I was getting back up on the road, some park rangers stopped to inform me that you are encouraged to stay on the road. "Of course officer!"
-
I crossed the boarder at one of the lonely outpost in the middle of nowhere. On the Argentinian side, I stumbled upon a tricky situation. A French guy had bought two horses off an Argentinian farmer. The simple mean of travelling by horse seems to be overwhelmingly complicated these days, ...where is the world heading?!! :S
 |
| ...and back on the Argentinian, vast fields of Patagonia |
After I had made some progress toward the famous "Ruta 40" (that goes through all of Argentina, North - South). At one point I stopped to have a closer look at the map, just that as soon as I took it out, the wind caught it in a mere second and away it flew! Lucky enough, at the gas station a while later, I met some Canadians heading north, we cut their map in half, and I got the "southern" part! ;)
I had been very surprised about the impressive winds that had me drive close to a 45 degree angle, in a constant battle to maintain equilibrium and stay in my lane. At the gas station, I consulted the Canadians driving their mini-van about the conditions they had encountered so far. I was concerned as I was told: "at some points we were involuntarily pushed over to the opposite lane". hmm... :S
The next two days were challenging beyond my expectations and any other hardship on my trip so far. I had to be patient and learn how to do things in an entirely new set of circumstances, and how to do them correctly. I must admit that the extreme winds had me concerned that my quest to reach the end of the world would turn out to be a fools errand. But as moods go up and down, challenges come and go, and with a little patience and fortune I persisted and arrived to El Chaltén two days later.
 |
| The yellow grass, the clear blue mountains, and the wide open fields will always remind me of the immense Patagonia |
No comments:
Post a Comment