Day 11 - Torres del Paine
Our Good Luck with Weather Runs Out…
Pictures are now posted, sorry for the delay.
When I first awoke at 5:30 this morning, the moon was just setting, and the sky was clear and just beginning to shed its mantle of darkness. After dozing for another hour, however, wind began to whip around the hunting lodge-style hotel that housed us. Within another hour rain began to sporadically and at times relentlessly pelt the windows and the tin roof, its sound a constant reminder of the foreboding weather that awaited us beyond the confines of our accommodations.
After a delay of several hours, which gave us the opportunity to relax and have an extra cup of coffee or two, we took off in three vehicles to explore the Torres del Paine National Park, though our expectations were quite low, as the overcast skies foretold more bad weather for the 150 mile drive around this natural wonder. As you can see from the photos, we saw abundant wildlife, including many herds of guanacos, as well as horses, ñandus (a member of the ostrich family), and even a well-trained pair of grey foxes that appeared almost on cue when we stopped at a panoramic overlook, ready to charm us out of the remaining bits of our lunch sandwiches.
We saw many spectacular sights, though we were disappointed that the principal features of the park, the towering, wind-eroded jagged peaks known as “Torres del Paine” (Paine’s Towers, named for the surveyor Thomas Paine), were all but invisible behind the shroud of mist and clouds that had descended on the area earlier this morning.
Unfortunately, the weather began to clear as we were almost halfway back to our hotel. Although I know it is good to plan to come back to a site to explore further after a first experience, I have to say I was quite disappointed that Mother Nature had deprived me of seeing this Park, which clearly was to be one of the highlights of this trip. Next time I will be sure to fly directly here, and also will plan to spend 4 days here, to be sure that at least one of them turns out to be clear.
So from the sublime, to the ridiculous, I just have to share this next photo with those of you who are reading about my trip. This is a guanaco that we saw along the road, making what the English-speaking tour guides here call a “pee-pee stop.” I just couldn’t resist taking this photo.
In the evening we had another asado, which is roughly the equivalent of a barbeque. No hot dogs and burgers here, though. We had a roasted lamb, again freshly brought in from grazing the pastures. The picture shows the chef, Francisco, maintaining a firm hold on the spit while another man from the hotel helps out by bating the meat. The meal was delicious, and the staff of the hotel was very attentive. During dinner someone made the observation that this had to be the best hotel and meal yet, but in the end we agreed that each place had it’s own special charm, each meal its particular seasoning, and that there was simply no adequate measure by which to compare them with each other.
Tomorrow we hit the road again, and we are heading south yet again, as we make our way to Land’s End.
Happy St. Patricks Day to all. Ciao,
- Bob
Pictures are now posted, sorry for the delay.
When I first awoke at 5:30 this morning, the moon was just setting, and the sky was clear and just beginning to shed its mantle of darkness. After dozing for another hour, however, wind began to whip around the hunting lodge-style hotel that housed us. Within another hour rain began to sporadically and at times relentlessly pelt the windows and the tin roof, its sound a constant reminder of the foreboding weather that awaited us beyond the confines of our accommodations.
After a delay of several hours, which gave us the opportunity to relax and have an extra cup of coffee or two, we took off in three vehicles to explore the Torres del Paine National Park, though our expectations were quite low, as the overcast skies foretold more bad weather for the 150 mile drive around this natural wonder. As you can see from the photos, we saw abundant wildlife, including many herds of guanacos, as well as horses, ñandus (a member of the ostrich family), and even a well-trained pair of grey foxes that appeared almost on cue when we stopped at a panoramic overlook, ready to charm us out of the remaining bits of our lunch sandwiches.
We saw many spectacular sights, though we were disappointed that the principal features of the park, the towering, wind-eroded jagged peaks known as “Torres del Paine” (Paine’s Towers, named for the surveyor Thomas Paine), were all but invisible behind the shroud of mist and clouds that had descended on the area earlier this morning.Unfortunately, the weather began to clear as we were almost halfway back to our hotel. Although I know it is good to plan to come back to a site to explore further after a first experience, I have to say I was quite disappointed that Mother Nature had deprived me of seeing this Park, which clearly was to be one of the highlights of this trip. Next time I will be sure to fly directly here, and also will plan to spend 4 days here, to be sure that at least one of them turns out to be clear.
So from the sublime, to the ridiculous, I just have to share this next photo with those of you who are reading about my trip. This is a guanaco that we saw along the road, making what the English-speaking tour guides here call a “pee-pee stop.” I just couldn’t resist taking this photo.
In the evening we had another asado, which is roughly the equivalent of a barbeque. No hot dogs and burgers here, though. We had a roasted lamb, again freshly brought in from grazing the pastures. The picture shows the chef, Francisco, maintaining a firm hold on the spit while another man from the hotel helps out by bating the meat. The meal was delicious, and the staff of the hotel was very attentive. During dinner someone made the observation that this had to be the best hotel and meal yet, but in the end we agreed that each place had it’s own special charm, each meal its particular seasoning, and that there was simply no adequate measure by which to compare them with each other.Tomorrow we hit the road again, and we are heading south yet again, as we make our way to Land’s End.
Happy St. Patricks Day to all. Ciao,
- Bob
posted by Robert Sette at 10:43 PM
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