Not The Motorcycle Diaries

Monday 23 March 2009

"Fin del Mundo"

Yep. Here we are at the 'End of the World', in the town of the Ushuaia, which is the 'uttermost town in the world' and I am sorry to report that there is distinct lack of fire and brimstone and that the four horsemen of the Apocalypse have failed to show up. Quite the opposite, the 'End of the World' is actually a very tranquil place, whose silence is only broken by a few beavers (introduced only a few decades ago, and so, be definition 'exotic'. Exotic beaver, down here. Who wold have thought?) and the odd scarlet woodpecker.
For you faithful followers of our blog, we are also sorry to report that we have reached the official 'End of the Road' (you can't drive further south, anywhere in the world.) But never fear! Unlike everything else down here, this is not 'The End of' our blog, as we are about to turn around and head north again. As such, you will not be deprived of future installments. So, thanks for listening and tune in again next week for the next episode.

Nature walk

Ed waiting for "Beaver"

Wednesday 18 March 2009

NO PAINE, NO GAIN

Nowhere in the world could this be truer than Torres del Paine National Park. If you´ve never heard of the place, it´s all you would expect of World Heritage Site at the bottom of the world: mountains, streams, glaciers, lakes. You get the picture. But what is different from lots of the national parks in other places is that they really don´t make it easy for you. Sure, if you´re absolutely loaded, you can stay in one of the two luxury hotels within the park. But if you realy want to see all there is to see, you need to hike up the valleys and stay in the legendary refugios - hotals that cram 8 to a room in triple decker bunks. No fills. At all. Sheets? For woosses. Hot Water? if you´re lucky. Spiders in your bunk? Tout compris. But the pain is worth it. The Views are the best I have ever experienced - a crazy geography of jagged peaks encircled by condors - made all the more beautiful for having hiked up to 10 hours a day to enjoy them. Here are the stats for ye who need proof: 5 days, 96.5 km, 40 hours. The Paine really was worth it...