We were still in awe of the magic of Patagonia, from the sweeping pampas to the lakes, mountains and wildlife but it was time to pack up camp and move on. The majority of Day Nine was spent in a van crossing the border into Chile but there was never a moment of boredom. Here’s how we teleported from the grassy plains of Argentina to the foot of the Andes’ glaciers in the Torres Del Paine National Park. Not sure which location is better? Check out the Instagram!
It was very early in the morning on Day Nine of our trip when we loaded ourselves into the van that would take us to our lodge in Chilean Patagonia. We were bleary eyed and ready for a quick power nap but little did we know that our driver did not speak any English. We did not speak any Spanish (my Duolingo is certainly not sufficient to hold a conversation). This established a bit of a dilemma from the get-go and transformed our trip into a game of charades with some experimental Spanglish. We were all patient with each other and found the situation hilarious but it did become a bit frustrating when we reached the borders.
On the way we saw plenty of guanacos on the side of the road, completely ambivalent to the vehicles rushing past them. We managed to persuade our driver to pull over for a quick photo of our first sighting but we saw several dozen over the course of the drive that they became part of the landscape. South America’s flightless bird, the rhea, was also in flocks of about five but were far less common. They’re a similar and texture to an emu but about half the size. They were often grazing in the paddocks of estancias near the guanacos as both of them could jump the fences. We were also lucky to see a few condors soaring through the skies and realised these guys seriously dwarfed just about any eagle or hawk you could imagine. In fact, they rarely flap their wings when they fly as it requires too much energy to lift their bodies any higher.
Our van bumped over the dirt road fairly viciously however no one suffered any fractured bones. Road rules were even more relaxed here than Buenos Aires and we were lucky to stick to our side of the road for more than half the trip. In our driver’s defence however, the road was littered with potholes and one small error would send you careering over the edge of the cliff.
Before we reached the border we pulled over for a quick coffee in Esperanza – certainly not in the same league as Australian coffee. This place was smack bang in the middle of the pampas with no other buildings in sight. It was a tiny town with a petrol station, cafe, small hotel and a few shipping containers. I’m not certain where the containers came from but they added a bit of character to the place. There was a small yellow caravan blasting Jonny Cash and Bill Halley and His Comets from the parking lot across from the petrol station. There was a line of bikies outside it and it appeared to serve empanadas, coffee, mate and other snacks. Some gauchos had left their steeds behind and headed in for a snack – dressed head to toe in traditional chaps, leather and campero hats . It started to rain so we pressed on – unfortunately I didn’t take any photos of this crazy joint.
A few hours later we had arrived at our new lodge, Explora Patagonia. This was by the far the most beautiful place we had stayed. The architecture was fairly simple and allowed the long timber boards to follow the shape of a ship. What really exceeded our expectation was the landscape. We had crystal clear views of the Cordillera Paine and Lake Pehoé. Similar to our experience in the Argentinean half, the lakes were fed by glaciers that gave them a vibrant blue colour. But our eight hour trip had definitely transported us to a new landscape. The pampas did exist here but were typically smaller and included plenty of little hills and shrubby bushes. It was significantly greener here but I was quickly overwhelmed by the quantity of plant life here. I felt like I was walking through the fields in the Sound of Music or the meadows in Bambi. Wildflowers, orchids, grasses, trees, mosses, berries – within a square metre you could always spot a handful of these plants. With the purple, snow-capped mountains and glaciers in the background it was an absolute dream to photograph. In fact you really didn’t need any tactic at all, just point and shoot and you’ve captured something that would qualify as an Apple screensaver.
That afternoon we relaxed in our room, overwhelmed by all of this extraordinary beauty. We valiantly braced ourselves against the wind and followed a few short boardwalks close to the hotel to some lookouts. Explora’s ‘pet’ deer Franchita was grazing close by and little sparrows flittered here and there. It really did feel like life couldn’t be better right now. I had basically transformed myself into Snow White.
At dinner that night we were patiently waiting for dessert when one of the guides sprinted down the hall and raced outside with the telescope. We seemed to be the only table that picked up on this but we weren’t exactly going to be sly about it. We jumped up from our seats and ran out of the restaurant – the waiters thought we were exceptionally odd because the meals were all included! But it was all for a good cause, perhaps the greatest cause of any Patagonian adventurer … a puma! Right outside Explora a puma sat twitching its tale, perturbed we’d spoiled its hiding spot. It had been stalking Franchita the deer but had given up and let us admire it for a while before it slunk off. It was freezing outside but no one was game enough to leave and grab a jacket. I did manage to take some photos through the telescope but none of particularly high quality so I turned my attention to really just watching this animal. We all hoped Franchita would make it through the night and that the puma would at least return to see us the following day. It’s fairly rare to spot one, they blend in particularly well and there are only about fifty in the National Park. We spoke to the manager and she admitted that she’d been here for five months and this was her first puma.
We saw a puma on our first night in Chilean Patagonia – I’m never going to forget that.
Gab Gets Lost 
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