December 07 - Chile Part 7

This will probably be the last post about Chile (finally!). Xmas Day at Remota was much like any other day there. Most of the people we ran into had come there to get away from all the craziness of the holidays. I have to admit it was a nice peaceful day, but still a little strange not to be singing carols or opening presents.

Chile has a significant "cowboy culture" and ranches, sheep, and horses are very common in Patagonia. We got to meet two of the baqueanos and see their ranch when we went on a horseback ride to the top of Dorothea, a nearby mountain. The ride was fairly steep, through pastures with cows and sheep, but the view of the valley below was worth the aches and pains the next day. At the top, our cowboy guides made little fire and treated us to some hot matte, which is like a super caffeinated tea drink.









After the ride, we headed out by zodiac to a fjord for Xmas dinner of lamb that had been roasting all day. Accompianed by some Chilean wine, it was muy beuno.

December 07 - Chile Part 6

Our next adventure at Remota was a full day hike to based of the rock formation known as the Towers. The ride into the Torres del Paine park was amazing with lots of wildlife and beautiful views of Sarmiento Lake. The day started out well, but quickly became hot (around 80 deg F) by the time we got on the trail. I had caught a cold a few days earlier and it was getting continually worse. Part way up the trail I had to bail out. I was starting to get heat exhaustion and dehydration, but made it back to the bottom and spent the afternoon recovering under some shade trees at the Hosteria Las Torres, a small hotel/ranch/restaurant. Although I was very disapointed that I didn't get to see the Towers up close, I did enjoy hanging out in a beautiful place waitching ibis birds and a red fox too.




On the other hand, Eric had no problem with the hike and was dubbed "Mountain Goat" by the other people in our group. He was rewarded with an amazing view of the Towers.





After a tiring day that started before 7AM and didn't finish until after 9PM we made it back to Remota. On the way home our van was stopped by the Carbineros (Police) Turns out they were just looking for a ride back to Peurto Natales.

December 07 - Chile Part 5

After our cruise around the Horn, we returned to Punta Arenas and took a 3 hour van ride to Puerto Natales. PN is the “gateway” town to Torres del Paine National Park, which was the original inspiration for our trip to Patagonia. We stayed at a placed called Remota (www.remota.cl), which is a unique lodge with all types of activities included in your stay. The outside is designed to blend with the natural surround and resemble the fences on the nearby ranches (estancias). The inside decor is very cool Euro-modern.

Exterior Remota:




Torres del Paine is an incredible place teeming with wildlife and scenery like no other. Before this trip, I always felt that Yosemite had the most impressive views, but I think TdP can challenge it easily. The Paine Massif is an enormous formation that rises up dramatically from the surrounding area. The two most famous sights that are part of it are the Cuernos, which are granite formations resembling horns, and the Towers, which are three multi-colored rock formations that shoot up to the sky. Besides these attractions, there are also beautiful lakes, glaciers, and lots of other mountains.

The Iconic Paine Massif:



Remota is about 1 ½ hour drive from the park entrance, but on the way we stopped a few time to check out the wildlife. We saw guanacos, which are in the same family as llamas, nandus, which are like rheas/ostriches (the family from Mexico who hiked with us referred to them jokingly as “pollo grande” - they are about 3 feet tall), a caracara bird, and huge condors soaring effortlessly overheard. We also passed thousands of sheep which easily outnumber people here.

Guanacos in the Wild & Sheep Everwhere!







The first day we chose a “half day” hike which was actually about 12km from the Hosteria Mirador del Paine and Laguna Verde area to the Weber Bridge. The trail went through a windy valley, but we stopped in a protected meadow for lunch along the way. Finally it emerged on the top of peak where the wind gusts were 40-50 MPH. One more new Spanish word: viento! The views of the Cuernos were fantastic and we returned to Remota exhausted.

The Cuernos: