Patagonia Passage

by Emily and CK

When we told our friends we were going to Patagonia, there were usually two types of reactions:
1) Wow, that is cool ... I want to go there too ...
2) Where on earth is patagonia?

At the southern tip of the American continent, there is a land of yellow grass and wild weather. Closer to the south pole than to the equator, few people choose to live in such a harsh and unforgiving world. However, those who visit this exotic land will find spectacular granite towers and vast blue glaciers. The trails of Patagonia are magnets to hard-core hikers (and more than a few mushy-core ones like ourselves), trips that they would love to have in their trekking portfolios.

Patagonia is not a nation; it is shared (and contended) between Argentina and Chile. However, being miles away from Buenos Aires and Santiago, Patagonia has its own sub-culture and identity. Rough in the edges and tough to the bone, Patagonians are proud of their resourcefulness and durability.

And this is the world which two middle-aged out-of-shape white-collared mushy-core hikers have chosen to explore.

It is easy to forget how large South America is.

Argentina is the 8th largest country in the world, and Chile is famous for its outrageous length. This translates into huge distances and long travel time between cities. For comparison:

  • Japan: Tokyo - Kyoto: 2 hours by train.
  • Spain: Madrid - Barcelona: 4 hours by train.
  • Peru: Cusco - Puno: 12 hours by train.
  • Tanzania: Ngorongoro - Serengeti: 12 hours by car.
  • Argentina: Buenos Aires - Ushuaia: 5 days by car.
This calls for careful planning and painful choices when setting up our itinerary.

With only 3 weeks, we did not have time to hit every town we would love to visit. The centerpiece of the trip, the circuit hike around Torres del Paine in Chile, already claimed 9 days. The twin towns of El Chalten and El Calafate, just across the border in Argentina, took another 5 days. With a short trip to the Iguazu Falls before and to 'End of the World" at Ushuaia afterwards, our 3 weeks were fully booked. With great regret, we had to leave the Argentina Lake district and the cruise through Chilean fjords off the itinerary.

Well, at least we got to hike, something which we might no longer be able to do in a few years as we sink deeper in our middle ages. The lakes and the cruise can wait: the glaciers may have completely disappeared in a decade. Life is full of difficult choices ...

Nevertheless, the choice has been made, and it is time to put the plan into action.

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Created on 28th Feb 2010. Last updated on 21st Apr 2010.
ckchow.mbox@gmail.com