Torres del Paine

Well I asked for PAINE and it duly delivered! For the first few days at least. Rain, wind, then snow and c-c-cold nights made the start a little harder than I´d anticipated; but then the sun came out and it all got a lot easier. I also found out the day before my hike that the back side of the full circuit officially closed on the 1st April, but that it was still (apparently) ok to do....

I kept a diary for my evenings entertainment. Here´s how the week panned out...

Day 1 - Camp Las Carretas

6 km in 1h50 (with strong headwind)

Weather ok - even some sunny spells - but the mountains ahead were shrouded in cloud. The scenery and weather is just like Scotland - with glaciers! They didn´t lie about the wind. Its windy.
Arrived at camp at 2pm so went for a wander and climbed the nearest small hillock. Lots of small bushes with very spikey leaves. A hare hopped past the cooking shed [all cooking has to be done in the designated cooking área] while I ate my dinner.

Day 2 - Camp Italiano

Las Carretas - Paine Grande, 10km, 2h30
Paine Grande - Italiano, 7.5km, 2h

Last night was COLD. Did not sleep well. My sleeping bag doesnt appear to be too warm. Given this is the lowest campsite, this is a concern. Im definitely underprepared for cold weather. I was cold in the evening, all night and all lunch. Being cold is demoralising. Rained a lot last night and early morning but the walk was ok - didnt leave until 10.20, arrived at Paine Grande at 12.50. Started out with Chelsea but she kept faffing so stopped waiting for her. 

Had lunch inside [at Regugio Paine Grande]; was sheltered but not warm. Being cold for so long and with shit weather to continue for atleast another day I was having doubts about my ability / preparedness for the full circuit. Set off at pace after lunch however and finally warmed up. 

Time to start covering more ground. Easy ambles are for warm weather. 8 days of cold doesnt appeal but 6 days is manageable and if Im always moving I´ll stay warm! Yesterday I never got warm (all day) so hopefully tonight will be better anyway. 

The route from Paine Grande to Italiano was pretty flat but boggy in places. Got some glimpes of Glacier Frances. The colour of the lakes is a beautiful turqouise blue.

Camp Torres tomorrow? hmmm....

Valley de Frances (4h, 10km). Italiano - Torres, 26km. 36km?

Chileno is possible! (only 31km).

Day 3 - Camp Refugio Torres
Last night it rained A LOT. The campsite was awash with new streams in the morning. Was warm enough but still couldnt sleep. Didnt get up till 8ish waitin for the rain to stop. Didnt look too promising but headed up into the valley Frances anyway in the hope of a glimpse of the view. Blizzarding on and off but quite sheltered in the trees. 

Got a view of the glacier at the 1st viewpoint and higher up entered into a beautiful winter wonderland amongst the trees. Think I got up to about 750m but then came out the trees and felt the full force of the howling wind and snow. Couldnt see to go on. Probably just as well as finding the path in the snow back down was tricky in places.

First sight of the glacier went a long way to maintain the thought the full circuit was still a good idea.

Had some pasta for lunch. Decamping in the wet sleet and cold was miserable but got a boost when I asked the ranger what the forecast was - much better!

Torres del Paine rocks

At a fast pace, pressed on to camp at Refugio Torres.
Los Cuernos, 1h10, 5km

Refugio Torres, 3h, 12km

Could have made it to Chileno but was drawn by the lure of the restaurant at Hotel Torres. Had some delicous Patagonian lamb and was entertained by the Royal Danish string and trombone quintet! Walking down to the restaurant, 2 pumas ambled by, hunting rabbits. Got a shock when I saw the first, only about 5m away. I think it had just pounced for a rabbit and we both saw each other at the same time, equally startled! They weren´t too concerned though. 

Puma #1

Day 4 - Camp Torres

SUN! Was definitely cold last night - ice on the ground this morning. Woke around 5 but sun didn´t rise until after 8. You appreciate good weather after the shit! Luxery campsite too: hot water, toilet paper, showers.

Lovely crisp air on the way up the mountain. Arrived at Camp Torres at 1pm (8km, 3 hours). Passed 2 woodpeckers going to town on trees only a few meters from the path. Big birds with bright red plummage - just like woody woodpecker.

Quite a few condors about too. Wasn´t sure what they were until one flew close by yesterday. Screw Galapagos - better wildlife here! 

Lots of snow up here. Camp is at 585m. Going to be cold tonight.... Luckily I went shopping this morning! Found a silk sleeping bag liner and a space blanket. Hopefully make the next few nights bearable.

Camp Torres

Noodles for lunch then headed up to the Mirador las Torres. 1 hr up, pretty slidey in the snow, clear view of the peaks. Beautiful with the snow and lake below.

shorts and tights: winning combo.

Back at 4 so went to explore the valley Ascencio (strictly forbidden). Easy marked trail to begin with but then hit a snowy boulder field. Could just pick out the small cairns in the snow but crossing the boulders was a little dodgy. Kept going until I eventually lost the path and had to give it up. Shoes are saturated.

Cooking area was full of kids. Apparently I don´t know how to use a gas stove. A young guy kindly told me "you can turn the gas down by turning that knob". Thanks! Don´t think I´d like it here in the peak season.

Early start tomorrow to catch the 3 Torres in the early morning glow. 

So many french here. 

Day 5 - Camp Seron

Hoy, escribo en espanol. Querria leventarse a las 6 pero en mi capullo, no escuche mi alarm y me desperte a las 7. Subi la montana en solo 30 minutos. El sol no aumenta hasta 9! Perro la vista fue bonito y estaba claro.

Las Torres in the morning sun

Hay mucha gente caminan hoy (ahora es soleado), entonces muchos "hola!". Mis zapatos estan mojado y ahora tengo ampollas :-(

Algunos condores volaron cerca de la sendero - muy bonito. 

Back to english...

Last night I was warm! Actually had to remove a layer. 

The snow is melting fast. Had lunch at the hotel then headed into the back circuit at 3.30. Immediately felt so different to the W. Quite flat terrain, opening out into a big valley and only saw a handful of people all day - so nice!

Had to take my shoes off to cross a stream so took the opportunity to have a quick dip in the river before the sun dissappeared. Really cold, but lovely! Took me a long time to warm up again. 

Passed 2 eagles perched in a tree near the path. Arrived at camp at 7, 2 other people here. 

Long day planned tomorrow, 29km. 

Base de las Torres (return) 2km 1hr

Camp Torres - Hotel, 8km, 2 hrs

Hotel - Camp Seron, 13km, 3.5hrs

Day 6 - Camp Dickson

Clear night with almost full moon and a hard frost. Last night was really cold! Tent was frozen.

Chilly start

 At checkpoint Coiron the Park Warden told us (me and an American couple) the pass was closed and we couldn´t do it, but he let us carry on to Camp Dickson for the night [apparently a girl died on the pass last year so the Park seem to be making a much more concerted effort to stop people doing it this year]. We were all agreed we´d just carry on to Los Perros (at the base of the pass).

I took a longer lunch than them and coming down to Dickson the Wardens were out so couldn´t sneak past. Damn! The American couple had got past un-noticed. Still, no way I´m not doing the pass having got this far, so breaking camp in the night to be on the way before the wardens are up. A german guy Lasse I camped with last night will join me. Shame not to make Los Perros tonight, made good time this morning (19km in 4.5 hours). Dickson is lovely however, near a big glacial lake with a huge glacier running down into at the far side. Beautiful sunny day today, not a cloud in the sky. Shame about the mosquitos.

Tomorrows plan: leave at 5, breakfast at Los Perros at 9, then tackle the pass.

Looking down at Camp Dickson

Day 7 - Wild camp, near Refugio Grey

Up and away by 5 and under the moonlight climbed up through the forest to Los Perros, arriving at 9. Was delighted to have a proper breakfast then! Few other people about when we arrived. A Slovak who did the pass yesterday and a German couple about to tackle it. The Americans had already left. Set off at 10 after a good hearty breakfast.

John Gardner Pass. Looks alright...

Really boggy to start with and then into the snow. Long climb up but not too steep, about 700m from Los Perros to the pass at 1200m. Snow was mostly firm so going was quite easy. Made it to the top in 2.5 hours. Lovely weather again and not very windy.

Looking back

As you go over the top, Glacier Grey appears in all its magnificence. A spectacular sight! Had a 5 star lunch at the top: soup, cheese, salami and even a coffee, with a view to match.

Coming down was much steeper but with awesome views all the way. The glacier is huge. 2 hours to get down to Passo. Sky hazed over in the afternoon, weather is changing again!

Didn´t want to face the crowds at Refugio Grey so wild camped at an old campsite a few kms away. Nice dinner by a small waterfall. 

Sun halo

Day 8 - The End. 

Up early and breakfasted at the viewpoint with a spectacular view out over the glaciar. Then hightailed the 10km down the valley to make the catamaran out of here at 12.30.

As I came back round the front of the Paine massive I saw it for the first time in all its glory and cloud free. An impressive sight! The contrast in rock types with the dark capping rock in places is stunning. 

Got the cat and was back in Puerto Natales by late afternoon. A good trip!

So that´s what it looks like. 

Bring on the PAINE

Just about to head into Torres del Paine national park for a 9 or 10 day hike.

enough stuff?

Ciao!

Galápagos cont.

Having met a few people that said Gordon Rocks was the best dive of their life, the day turned out to be a little disappointing. Visibility at only 7-8m was poor so we had no impression of the grandeur of the site and obviously couldn't see as much as you might otherwise. Still, there were lots of turtles and saw one hammerhead shark in the murk (the big tick for most divers coming here).

I headed over to Isabela the day after. The biggest island but with a much smaller population than Santa Cruz and the main conurbation is a small, relaxed beach town. Poor weather, poor planning (not just on my part) and a strong desire to do something not part of a tour meant I didn't really make the best use of my time on Isabella...

I think I can say with confidence it's the rainy season. Back to back days of heavy showers and drab, grey weather wasn't particularly inspiring. My first full day, I'd planned to do a short tour in the morning to go see some penguins and then hire a bike in the afternoon to go exploring on my own. That plan was scuppered when on board the launch, the animated capitán exclaimed there were too many people on board and someone had to get off....

Not this guy...

Numbers are limited on a lot of the tours and it seems that a family had failed to mention that their daughter was in fact 7 years old, not 4, and therefore did actually count as a full person after all. Not up to the challenge of fighting my case in broken Spanish against a 7 year old, and as the last person to book the tour, I just scowled and got off the boat. 

 

So my morning was wasted and although I managed to get on the same tour in the afternoon I wasn't particularly thrilled by it. Yes, we saw Galapagos penguins, lots of iguanas and snorkeled with a couple of grazing sea turtles, but the whole nature of having to go everywhere with a guide, be constantly reminded what you can and can't do, for me really detracts from the experience (been told by the guide to "come here, take a photo" was particularly grating).

lots of Boobies

There's no doubt that with the number of tourists here the level of control is just about warranted. But it's made me appreciate true wilderness more so than ever. Much more exciting to chance upon a wandering stag in a Scottish Glen than to be driven to a viewpoint and told to look at the penguins. Even for snorkeling you're meant to stay with your group.

On the back of my uninspiring tour the previous day I spurned the tour to go see the volcano and undertook to go it alone, cycling up and then hiking the cone myself. My Rough Guide said it was possible, however I'd heard mixed reports from others on whether it was still allowed. Thought it was worth a shot however so hired a bike for the day and set off in the early morning. Got off to a good start, passing a few pink flamingos on the way, but after a 2 hour uphill slog to get to the volcano, the Galapagos reality struck home and I was duly informed by the park warden that I definitely could not hike the cone myself. I'd also missed all the tour groups so wasn't even able to join a tour.

The park warden was a friendly chap however and after explaining that it was  far too dangerous to let people hike the volcano without a guide, told me there was a fun little excursion I could do just down the hill a bit. A bit of up and down and some good views he said. So off I went, followed his directions, and eventually came across a big volcanic hole in the undergrowth with some ropes and muddy step ladder disappearing down into the darkness...

Clambering down into the black hole alone was pretty exciting and went a long way to making up for the disappointment of the volcano!

Still, I hadn't given up entirely on the volcano and after sheltering from heavy rain under a tree for 2 hours went exploring to see if there was another way up. My search proved fruitless but I had a good bike ride and the run back down the hill was excellent.

 

I went on a snorkeling tour to Los Tuneles the day after. A cool place: a flooded lava field with lots of tunnels and arches in the lava and a sheltered haven for marine life. Saw a few turtles, white tipped sharks, rays and even a seahorse.

 

Spent another night on Santa Cruz and was then over to San Cristóbal for my last 2 days. I liked the vibe in San Cristóbal. More of a proper town than Isabela but with the same relaxed atmosphere and with interesting places nearby. There is a large sea lion colony in residence on the town beach which provides a lot of entertainment. Sea lions are everywhere across the waterfront; benches are particularly appealing (across all the islands in fact). At night, when everyone is home, the cacophony of noise is somewhere between a flock of sheep and the walking dead.  

surfing the beach breaks

There are a lot young pups around at the moment and on the beach at night, numerous lost babies scrambling over everyone and everything, in a frantic search for their mothers. Didn't see too many concerned mothers however and it seems they wait until morning when most sealions are out feeding, to find one another. I witnessed a very touching and affectionate reunion between mother and cub one morning.



Rough night

My first day on San Cristobal was beautifully sunny and I had my best (free!) snorkeling in a bay not far from the town. Visibility was excellent and there were loads of fish, sea lions and a few turtles near the beach. Watching a mother and cub sea lion play around me was delightful.

 

Did another dive at Leon Dormido on my last day (lots and lots of sharks... but no hammerheads) then flew back to Guayaguil.

 

Oh diving... Ive always had an uneasy relationship with diving; I don't like breathing underwater. I'd previously thought that my diving experiences just weren't interesting enough to distract me from thinking about breathing. After my 3rd uncomfortable dive in the Galapagos however - surely one of the best places to dive in the world - I've come to the conclusion that diving isn't for me. Sure, you see some cool things down there and it is a gateway into another world, but breathing through a regulator.... Time to get airborne again!

exactly.

 



Quito to Galapogos

Left Colombia behind last week and flew from Bogota to Quito and spent a few days there. Was hoping to get some paragliding in but the weather didn´t play ball so had to make do with enjoying the city itself. Its very pretty, extremely pretty in fact. Surrounded by volcanoes and with beautiful colonial architechture it´s got a lot going for it. Except for the nightlife, which as it turns out is pretty damn poor. So poor in fact on a Thursday night we strived for what felt like hours (and was definitely at least an hour) just to get a drink and found out later that licencing laws dictate no alchohol to be served after 12am. Everythings possible however and we managed to acquire a few bottles of rum, purchased through a tiny hole cut into a garage door.

Quito (with requisite guardian angel overlooking the city)

Friday night wasn´t much better, so made up for excitement with alcohol and almost missed my flight to the Galapogos islands the next morning. But I did make it! Although the flight was delayed anyway so I could have enjoyed that sleep and maybe not have left so many things behind...

So here I am in the Galapogos islands. Just in the main town Puerto Ayora, there are big rock iguanas sunning themselves, sea lions snoozing on deck chairs, pelicans queing up for fish at the market. The animals are very relaxed here. Went diving on my first full day off an island in the south called Floreana. My first dive was quite an uncomfortable experience as I got used to the whole breathing underwater thing again (it was about 5 years ago I last dived) and I don´t think my 3 boozy nights in Quito really helped. Still, saw lots of fish, a few galapagos sharks, turtles and the real highlight was a big pod of eagle rays (or some type of ray) elegantly cruising through the water with a gentle flapping of their wings. There were also some big shoals of balled up fish which practicually pulsate around you creating caves and tunnels within the shoal. 

My second dive was much more enjoyable however. Felt a lot more comfortable and the area was a bit more interesting, on the edge of a shelf. Saw galapagos and whitetip reef sharks, a big turtle up close, moray eels and lots of very curious, playful sea lions. Not the most exciting of animals (in the Galapagos line-up) but one of the most fun as they play and frolic around you! 

Today was a somewhat frustrating affair as I spent a good chunk of the day sat in the airlines office admiring South American efficiency as I tried to change my flight out of here (There are 2 airports here and once I´d worked out where they are and where my flight was from, naturally I wanted to change it). It rained a lot while I was waiting which made it slightly more bearable. The afternoon cleared up and I walked along the coast a few kms to Tortuga Bay to do some snorkelling. Tortuga Bay is a long, very white beach with super smooth sand, and round the corner from it is a sea lagoon that is apparently good for snorkelling (much like most of Galapagos it seems). Its shallow and maybe because of the rain, visibility was limited to a few meters. Hardly the stuff the Galapagos reputation is built on. I swam around for about an hour, seeing lots of the same fish, and was feeling a bit dissapointed with the day in general when I almost swam into a ray of some sort and then shortly after, chanced upon 2 whitetip sharks as I dived down into the murk. Exciting, if a little unnerving!

Queing for fish (what you can´t see is the sea lion patiently waiting next to the woman to be hand fed any offcuts)

Diving again tomorrow, then off to Isla Isabela for a few days, followed by San Cristobal.

San Agustin

Took a night bus to Bogota and then a flight to Cali. Wanted to party in Cali but my hostel was very quiet with only a few folk around. Still, got out for a sample of what Cali has to offer: lots and lots of salsa! I liked the vibe in Cali so would have been good to be there when there´s a bit more going on. As there wasnt however, I only stayed the one night then headed down to San Agustin, with a stop over in Popayán.

 

San Agustín is famous for 2 things: "special" tours and crazy rock carvings. Very different but equally unique!  

It's a cool place. A small laid back town up in the mountains surrounded by beautiful lush green hills. Lush because it rains a lot. The archaeological remains are impressive. Surreal and very trippy animal and human figures carved into big slabs of rock. Very mysterious and other than a taste for hallucinogens, not much is known about the civilisation.

 

Getting down there was interesting too. A long very bumby bus ride with a few well fortified military checkpoints to go through. Wasnt long ago that this was FARC territory.

Spot the dude

 

I had a fun few days; some partying, some exploring and even a horse ride with a good crowd of people in the very relaxed guest house type hostel La Casa del Japones (with a great view looking down over the town).