Our trip out of Torres del Paine national park certainly wasn’t going to be mundane. We were heading out by zodiac on the Serrano river and then switching to a catamaran for the remainder of the way through the Fjord to Puerto Natales.
We had an absolutely stunning day, Torres del Paine was certainly putting on a show. We had to go to the southern end of the national park to join, Punta Alta, the company that ran the zodiac trips. Big red waterproof suits were given to us to wear and we felt like we should have been off on some major expedition, but they certainly helped to keep us warm as the wind whipped passed the speeding boat.
We saw even more amazing mountains and glaciers that were all stunning in different ways from each other. There were many waterfalls and we even saw a seal at the top of the river, far from where it would be expected.
When we reached Serrano glacier, we ditched our big red suits and walked up to the glacier where the group from the catamaran would be. On our way we watched some guys fishing small icebergs out of the lake and placing them in chilli bins. The group we joined was massive compared to what we had been used to and it was odd to be around so many tourists again. As good tourists, we got our photos, when there was space, and obediently walked back to the catamaran when directed.
It was odd because no one was sitting on the top deck but we were required back downstairs as we were leaving the dock so we thought that explained it. Once we were allowed back upstairs there was still barely anyone else up there, maybe it was too cold, but I couldn’t think of anything worse than being cooped up downstairs with everyone else. We were sent back downstairs again at one point for our Pisco sours with glacial ice, explaining the ice fishing we had seen.
On our way into Puerto Natales the captain decided to do a rescue exercise, not surprising since the weather was so lovely, but it was rather hilarious as they threw the dummy overboard. They were very pleased with their response time, but given how cold the water would have been, I can imagine any response time would be too long if I was the one in the water.
Once we docked we were ferried into a couple of buses and headed off to Estancia Consuelo for a lamb barbecue Patagonian style. There was so much meat, they just kept coming around offering us more, but finally we had to surrender and have a bit of a walk to try and digest it all.
When we finally made it back into Puerto Natales and our hotel it was time for a wander into town. It was a cute town with what looked like some good cafes, restaurants, shops and art. With only one night there we didn’t really experience much, but on our walk back to our hotel, I had my first experience, since a kid, of being intimidated by dogs. There is a problem with abandoned dogs in Chile and it seems in Puerto Natales in particular, as people have them as pets while they live there and then leave and don’t bother taking their dog with them. Some of the dogs appeared to just want to be loved, while this pack of dogs just wanted to dominate. It was so sad to see, particularly because there was a female dog, with a collar, who just wanted away from the pack and wanted someone to love her, I really wished I could help her.
The following day we had a bus trip down to Punta Arenas, further south, so still bloody cold. We were amazed when we were walking around the waterfront in our puffer jackets that there were people actually swimming at the beach, to me it would have been like doing the polar plunge in Dunedin in the middle of winter and I still haven’t done that.
There was the municipal market that was mainly fish, souvenirs and crafts. They had amazing yarns and souvenirs made with it. We found a great cafe, Cafe Tapiz, for our late lunch and then ate Guanaco at a lovely restaurant, La Cuisine, for dinner. It was funny eating Guanaco after having taken so many photos of them, but they tasted pretty good, a bit like venison.
We had a later flight out so had planned on lunch at one of the places we had scoped out the previous day, but the problem with Sunday is that nothing is open, so we missed our decent coffee and resorted to crisps at the airport for lunch. The Punta Arenas airport was the first time I’ve seen Antarctica on the arrivals and departures board. Next time I come to Patagonia I think Antarctica will have to be on the cards too.
I have to make a special mention of our worry dolls because they out did themselves ensuring we had fabulous weather in Patagonia, so hopefully they can continue their work for the rest of our trip.
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