Wild Patagonia and Mysterious Atacama

I recently returned from a long journey in Latin America and would like to share my experience and impressions, and suddenly who already sits on the suitcases waiting for a trip to the southern roast countries of the Earth.

I was always dragging to leave somewhere, learn new countries, meet new people. This desire grew inside, at first I thought that short trips 2 times a year would be enough. But it was not there. If your inner voice requires, resistance is useless.

How it all started

It all started with an ordinary or unusual film – to judge you – called Art of Flight, in which I saw the places of mysterious and unearthly beauty, with age-old glaciers, clouds of unrealistic shape and beauty, which are sleeping on the tops of the same unreal mountains. And the name of this place Patagonia. Then I started collecting information about the mysterious land and after 3 years it was ready to go to your long adventure. And since the wild patagonium is located on the edge of the earth in 15000km from the homeland, he decided to buy a ticket only one way to Santiago, Chile. I immediately say, I didn’t have a plan of the trip – but in the soul there was a burning desire, in your pocket a ticket and a little money, and of course enough adventurism.
Since Chile is a country in the southern hemisphere, there is the opposite there, even the seasons – we have winter, and they have summer, our children go to school, and they have the beginning of spring. Therefore, everything was new – it’s how to open a new land and find out that at the end of the world, there is also life, only with other views, rules, culture, ideas. Yes, and for Chileans, a our man is a person with another planet. They still think that in Russia all year round winter, the people drink a drink with a drink and bears on the streets.
I flew to an indefinite period and decided to arrange a working visa, which was not much difficult. And then already found a job in the park Torres del Paine – just in the center of that very Patagonia. Dreams have a property come true.

Wild Patagonia

Nature in Torres del Paine is impressive. The monolithic mountains, at the foot of which the waters of the lake and the river distinguish, and the icy forest is towering, which fascinates with its appearance and cold silence, only the embroidering of ice comes. And the most interesting thing is the same landscape with different weather perceived in different ways. Sometimes the peacefulness of nature is replaced by a squall wind in 100km per hour, the waves cut the mirror surface of the water, the rain drops and small stones fly into the eyes, if you do not resist the wind, then he will take you like a balloon. Not for nothing they say that Patagonia wild. So it is – she changes his mood, and a person must take any of her whim.
In November, the strongest wind. At first it was all new and surprising. Being at the hotel, I did not understand how tourists can go to the trekking for 3 or 6 days in the mountains, where the cars do not reach, and if anything happens – it is either to get out yourself, or wait for the helicopter. Elementary on the level road demolishes you, and what to say about the rise in the mountains with such wind.
There were cases when tourists came to the hotel with scratched persons – either fell from the impetus of the wind, or the stones flew into the face. It was also the case when turned over the tourist bus that runs every day from Puerto Natales to the park. And this with an experienced driver Chilean, who takes tourists every day. And what to talk about naive tourists who come and take urban type cars to hire and go to the park. And if anything happens – no connection in the park, nor the radio in the car – and if you are lucky, then someone once in 2 hours, and maybe less. Therefore, to conquer the expanses of this wild land should be prepared and stuffed with different equipment. Follow the preparation of clothes – trekking boots (not sneakers, not sneakers) – and special shoes that will protect your legs from stones and your knees from injuries, special pants that will protect from wind and rain (not jeans and no pants), jacket from rain and wind, winds from wind and stones, glasses for eye protection, hat from cold and wind, trekking sticks (if necessary), backpack and plenty of water. In comfortable clothes you can enjoy the expanses and animals of the park and do not swear on the wildness of Patagonia.
Vegetable and animal world of Patagonia is diverse. The main animals are Puma, Gowno, Fox, deer, as well as a huge amount of various birds.

Plants in the park – a huge number of small flowers, different shrubs and trees. Flowers are distinguished by bright colors and miniature sizes. I especially loved orquidea.

To see all the beauty of the park Torres del Paine better go to the tracking W (56km) or Trekking Circuito (115km) in the mountains. At the end of December 2015 I was lucky to go to the trekking W. Within 4 days I absorbed the beauty of the park. My route started with Lake Gray and followed Camping Gray, Camping Paine Grande – Pehoe Lake, Camping Italiano – Valle Frances – Ozero Nordenskjold, Camping Torres and Base Torres. As a result, 56 km on the way, 3 overnight cars in different cells with different types: one from the glacier, the other between the two massive mountains and the noisy mountain river and the third near the calm lake in the mountains. I think – hike in the mountain – a real retreat, cleaning of the body and consciousness in nature wild, fascinating, insanely beautiful and alive.