P a t a g o n i a • P u n t a A r e n a s • P u e r t o N a t a l e s • To r r e s d e l P a i n e
January 2008
Black
FREE
Sheep
Volume 3 • Issue 5 • January 2008 • www.patagoniablacksheep.com • cover image by Rustyn Mesdag
Patagonia’s Monthly Travel Magazine
Who’s watching who? Is anyone really in charge of mothering mother earth?
ACCOMMODATION RESTAURANTS GUIDES CULTURE MAPS TRAVEL ADVENTURE
January.08
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Word from the front line - Rustyn Mesdag, publisher
www.patagoniablacksheep.com
Cover Image: by Rustyn Mesdag Port Lockroy, Antarctica
Published by Southern Cross Ltda.
Black Sheep
Patagonia’s Monthly Travel Magazine Puerto Natales, Chile ph +56•61 977090141
Publisher: Rustyn Mesdag editor@patagoniablacksheep.com
Director: Pilar Irribarra sales@patagoniablacksheep.com
Editor: Heather Poyhonen editor@patagoniablacksheep.com
Sales: Sebastian Borgwardt sebastian@patagoniablacksheep.com Punta Arenas
Marnix Doorn ptarenas@patagoniablacksheep.com Punta Arenas
Anthony Riggs anthony@patagoniablacksheep.com Pucón
Contributors: CJ Wilson Mauricio Cortes Bo Hageman Andrea Woodard Jeremiah Schwartz Rebecca Friel
Webmaster: Carla Cuadra webmaster@patagoniablacksheep.com
Sensei: bill penhollow Black Sheep is an independently and locally owned paper, inspired by Puerto Natales, Chile--the beating pulse of Patagonia.The opinions within Black Sheep, written or implied, are not necessarily those of the advertizers.We therefore reserve the right to live true to our name and always remain the Black Sheep.
We produce a annual environmental issue every January, mostly to remind us of how little we actually do for the environment. When it’s time to finally start thinking about this issue, I realize that I’m ‘starting’ to think about the environment again. Why did I stop? Even though I call myself an environmentalist, I don’t do nearly what I could to help. The truth is, if I was as outraged as I claim to be, I would take bigger steps to make changes, without compromise. But I don’t, and chances are neither do you, especially while traveling.We are the visitors, the travelers, we have no say in environmental issues so far from our home. We worry more about our own trip, getting through our days, trying to make it through the world unscathed. We worry about ourselves. As we travel from country to country we see the problems around us, the war seems unwinnable. Trying to recycle a few bottles and tin cans along the way doesn’t seem to change anything compared to the environmental damage done by the airliner we flew in on. Yet, we proudly walk over to the glass recycling bin and drop our bottles. We choose our small battles, we do our little acts of environmentalism, but assume someone bigger and more powerful is watching out for us (environmentally speaking). There must be someone one, or some group that is making huge change right? We hope there is some kind a watch-dog group or a section of the government dedicated to watching the big guys. We assume that someone is looking out for Mother Nature with a ‘no compromise’ attitude, because there is not really much we (the little guys) can do... or is there? How do we make business change while traveling or even just at home? We have no power over businesses and corporations around the world, do we? We can’t make them stock their shelves with earth-friendly, organic, or recycled products... can we? Sure, we can. Big business is ‘big business’ because they have the money. Unfortunately money is power and they get their money from us, the little guys. This means all the power is in our hands. Every dollar you spend, anywhere in the world, is a vote. It is a vote for what you believe in. Do you believe in fast food or organic
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Teléfono
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food? Do you donate money to charities or give money to war funds? What you spend money on, directly or indirectly, you are supporting. Do you like seeing grocery store aisles and aisles of plastic, individually wrapped items, destined to be tomorrow’s trash? No, of course not. So shop smart and buy items with less packaging. Buy in bulk with friends, to reduce the waste that comes with small, individual items. You can help slow the mass production of garbage by casting your ‘votes’ on earth-friendly products, with companies that are making obvious efforts to be part of the solution and not part of the ongoing problem. Basic supply and demand can make huge changes in what we see on our shelves. We don’t just have to take what we are given. Make a conscious decision about every dollar you spend. So how do we decide who are the good guys? What guidelines are there for what makes an company environmentally friendly? The key word is ‘friendly.’ A friend of the environment. A friend isn’t ever perfect, but a good friend has their heart in the right place. It’s a far better usage of your money to support a business that is giving a good effort, opposed to ones that just don’t even care. The first step is to let them know that we actually have a voice in the matter and that we do have a choice. So ask questions about products you buy and the businesses that you buy them from. We (the little guys) collectively, hold the pennies that make the world go around. Let’s spend our pennies properly. Any savvy businessman will supply customers with what they want if thats where the money is coming from. So we have to let them know what we want. Show you care about what businesses are supplying us with. If a company gets asked every day, by 10 people, about their recycling habits and environmental efforts, they’ll soon realize which way the wind is blowing. Let big business figure out how to win back your votes on their own. If the people lead, the leaders will follow.
There are a few other earth friendly travel tips that are also within your grasp. 1) While doing your big Torres del Paine food shop, bring your empty backpack with you to the store with you to carry your goods home, instead of using 10 (or more) plastic sacks from the store. These plastic bags are not recyclable in Patagonia and all end up as garbage. 2) Plastic is the hardest thing to recycle in Patagonia. Buy as little of it as you can. There is NO need to buy bottled water in Patagonia. Patagonia claims the freshest, cleanest water in the world. Use reusable containers for your drinking water. 3) When ever possible, buy local fruits and veggies instead of canned goods that are shipped here from far away places in cans. Support the local economy (wherever you might be). It is no secret that international products are stealing shelf space in the stores from local community businesses. 4) Repair your cloths and equipment or pass them to another traveler when they break. Carry needle and thread and duct tape with you to fix your travel kit, opposed to throwing it all away and buying new. Remember, everything you own will probably be garbage one day.Try to delay that day into the future as much as you can. 5) Be aware of your micro-trash. All the little receipts, cigarette butts and small ripped corners of GU packets and peanut bags are easily lost and blown away in the extreme Patagonian winds. Just because its small, doesn’t mean its not garbage. Keep a careful eye on all your trash and tuck it away in a special zip-lock bag or sealable container.
- Pilar Irribarra, directora ¡Bienvenido año 2008! Esperamos que traiga éxito y prosperidad a todos nuestros lectores que visitan Patagonia. Quiero comenzar este año reflexionando sobre la maravillosa oportunidad que tenemos durante los viajes de que ocurran esos “encuentros” que son un regalo para nuestra vida. Los “encuentros” en Patagonia pueden ser mágicos porque se dan en un escenario único; en la paz del campamento, en la calidez de un refugio y observando un atardecer, por ejemplo. Escenarios que facilitan el compartir, el conversar, estamos relajados y abiertos, nuestra mente esta presente y receptivos. Lejos están las preocupaciones del día a día y en este contexto no hay nada más importante que el disfrutar al máximo de la compañía de otros viajeros. Los viajes son un espacio para vivir plenamente la sincronicidad. La vida está llena de serendipias, (el nombre viene de “serendipity” del mito de los príncipes de Serendip - Sri Lanka - que solucionaban siempre los problemas de una forma aparentemente causal) Los encuentros que nos transforman son serendipias. La gente cuyo paso por nuestra vida tiene un significado profundo (da igual que sea una con-
versación de 5 minutos o una relación de 5 años). Caminando en Torres del Paine o disfrutando unos días en la ciudad puedes estar rodeado de personas de las más variadas culturas y quehaceres. Una amistosa conversación y el interés por comunicarnos traspasa los límites del idioma y crea un lenguaje propio que nos permite descubrir un mundo que nos puede fascinar y despertar el interés por “aprender” de quienes nos rodean. Algunos encuentros serán efímeros y otros nos darán la oportunidad de crear lazos de amistad con aquellos que nos abran su corazón y quieran traspasar las fronteras. Cuando después de un viaje estamos de regreso en nuestra casa y vemos en las fotos el rostro de aquellos compañeros de aventura a quienes por causalidad conocimos, nuestra alma no puede dejar de recordar de una manera u otra a esas personas que nos abrieron los ojos y nos permitieron ver algo desconocido para nosotros. Hoy la tecnología nos permite la conexión, messenger, sky, emails, etc son herramientas para mantener los lazos con quienes compartimos una experiencia en lugares lejanos y especiales. Bienvenidos a Patagonia “Lugar de Encuentros”.
Black Sheep What’s the weather going to be like for the next few days? That’s the forbidden question. But we put this one in just for fun! .... No, really, what’s the weather going to be like? I need to know what to pack! Plan for everything, but mostly cold. The weather changes constantly. How far is it to the park from here? From Natales, by bus, it takes about 2 to 2.5 hours. What time do the buses leave in the morning? Most of the buses pick up and leave between 7 and 8 a.m. What’s up with all the dogs? Half of them are street dogs, half of them are owned but run free anyway. Together they make more street dogs. It’s a circle of life thing... Can the buses to the park pick me up from my hostel? Some do. It depends on if your hostel is friendly with the bus company. How can I book a refugio? In town, go to Pathgone or Comapa. How much does camping cost in the park? Camping costs 3.500 to 4.000 pesos per person, not per tent, at the privately run sites. The CONAF sites are free. From April to May, in the off-season, closed campsites are free. So, I pay an entrance fee AND pay to camp? Yep, and don’t forget your bus ticket, mini shuttle or catamaran, as well. Which campsites are free? Los Guardes, Italiano, Británico, Japones, Camp Las Torres, Paso, Pingo and Las Carretas. What about midday? Between 12 and 3 p.m. everything is pretty locked down, except for the supermarkets. Where can I buy camping food in town? Don Bosco and Super Mix are both on the main streets of Baquedano and Bulnes, respectively. How do I contact the park’s Search and Rescue if something happens? There is no official Search and Rescue in the park, but any of the CONAF ranger stations can help you. What are the winters like around here? Calm, blue, clear, freezing and beautiful. Can I rent a tent, sleeping bag and matress at the refugios? Yes, but you can’t take them with you as you trek. Keep in mind, too, that many refugios stay closed during the winter off-season How much does the catamaran to Pehoe cost in the park? The Catamaran costs 11.000 pesos per person one way. 17.000 round trip. But it also shuts down during winter. Is there food sold in the park? You can buy hot meals in the refugios. As far as buying camp food, you can find some staples at refugios. Why do all the girls here wear those uniform mini skirts to school in such a cold and windy place? Another big mystery, but we are pretty sure it was a man’s idea. How much do the taxis cost? From 6 a.m. to 1 a.m. it’s 800 pesos. From 1 a.m. to 6 a.m. it’s 1.000 pesos. (Within city limits.)
Torres del Paine, Chile • Q&A How long does the trekking season last? Roughly from October to April, but it’s growing more every year. The truth is that it’s beautiful here all the time, and the park is great in winter.
Why is there so much garbage on the beach? That’s a great question... but you could always help and pick some up.
What time is sunrise and sunset? It changes, of course, but you can find out the specifics on the back of the map they give you when you enter the park. During summer, from roughly December to March, you have about 18 hours of daylight.
Do I have to worry about making a reservation for the bus on my way back from Torres del Paine?
What’s up with me not being able to flush my toilet paper down the toilet? Do I really have to throw it in the waste basket?! It depends on where you are. Sometimes it’s fine to flush it, but if it says not to, DON’T! A bit gross and bizarre, but the pipes from yester-year just can’t handle it. Where does all the garbage go that is produced in the National Park? Good question... ask around. If the weather is nice on the first day, should I go see the towers first? Any experienced climber, trekker or hiker will tell you to make a plan and stick to it, but as long as your logistics all work out there is nothing wrong in a little improv. Are the times on the trail maps accurate? The times are pretty accurate on the CONAF map, depending on your physical condition. Some of the books seem to be a little off though. Is it worth renting a car to get around instead of using the buses? Depends on your budget and your destination. Public transportation is always a good idea when possible, but there’s a lot of Patagonia out there that can’t be accessed by public transportation. To see those places, getting a few people to pitch in for a car can make for a unique experience. Do I get a map when I enter the park? Yes.You can also buy a nicer wall map in town. Do I need sunscreen in the park? Absolutely! The hole in the ozone hovers right over us during the spring and summer months. It can and will cause problems after a multi-day trek in the park. The UV rays come through the clouds too, so don’t skimp on the sun protection. Where can I buy white gas? The pharmacies carry clean white gas.You can find them in some of the outdoor and building material stores too. What’s up with all the military guys walking around town? There is a military base located right outside of town.
No. There is almost always room, and they never leave anyone behind. They always work it out for you, and all the buses and all the boats meet up with each other perfectly. Crazy, eh?
www.er r aticr ock.com
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Baquedano 719 Puerto Natales, Chile
A free information seminar is held every day at erratic rock at 3pm in Puerto Natales.
24-Hour Emergency Gear Hotline in Natales Heading to the park and realize you need another sleeping bag... and it’s 2 a.m.? Wondering how the heck you can get gas for your stove before the bus leaves? You’re in luck. La Maddera Outdoors mountain shop offers 24hour emergency service, the only one of its kind in the region. La Maddera sells mountain clothing, camping equipment, rain gear,batteries, gas, and just about anything you need before heading
out on your adventures. They also rent camping equipment, from sleeping bags and backpacks to tents, stoves and cook sets. From November 1 to April 30, their extended hours offer doors-open service from 8 a.m. to midnight (closed an hour for lunch). Located in the center of town, at the corner of Bulnes and Pratt, their after-hours numbers are: (cell) 09 418 4100 and (house) 412 591.
CATAMARAN HIELOS PATAGONICOS TEMPORADA 2007-2008 Regular Schedule Pudeto
Pehoe
09:30am
10:30am
12:00pm
12:30pm
18:00pm
18:30pm
March 16 to 31, 2008
12:00pm
12:30pm
18:00pm
18:30pm
April 2008
12:00pm
12:30pm
Janruary 1 to March 15, 2008
One way ticket $11.000 per person (one backpack is allowed) Round trip ticket $17.000 per person Los Arrieros 1517, Puerto Natales Ph 61-411380, Email: maclean@entelchile.net
Why do I receive a little piece of receipt paper every time I buy something? It’s the law, no joke. Everyone takes it very seriously. Do I need to tie up my food in the park? Not really. But mice or foxes might get into your stuff. It’s best to sleep with your food in the tent, with you.
Fotografia © 2007 Daniel Bruhin W.
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Can you drink the water in the park? You bet! Best water in the world. Just make sure it’s fresh run off, not lake water or anything downstream from a camp or refugio. Why do I seem to understand LESS Spanish in Chile than anywhere else? Chileans down here talk super fast and use a whole lotta slang.
A comfortable & secure voyage across Lake Pehoe...
January.08
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Daily
Ph. 221812
12.45
Terminal Rio Gallegos
13.00
buses
A. Sanhueza 745 Buses Ghisoni
Mon. & Wed.
Buses Ghisoni
Tues. & Thu. thru
Ph. 613420
thru Sat.
Terminal Rio Gallegos
Sun.
L. Navarro 975
11.00
Buses Pacheco
Tue., Fri., Sun.
Buses Pacheco
Tue., Fri., Sun.
Ph. 242174
11.30
Terminal Rio Gallegos
12.00
12.00
Chile / Argentina
Colón 900
Punta Arenas - Ushuaia
Ushuaia - Punta Arenas
Buses Pacheco
Tue., Thu., Sun.
Buses Pacheco
Mon., Wed., Fri.
Ph. 242174
09.00
San Martín 1267
08.00
Buses Barria
Wed. & Sat.
Buses Barria
Thu. & Sun.
Av. España 124
08.00
Comapa, San Martín 245
08.00
Colón 900
Ph. 240646 Tecni Austral
Tue., Thu., Sat.
Tecni Austral
Mon., Wed., Fri.
Ph. 613422
08.00
Roca 157
05.30
L. Navarro 975
Puerto Natales - Rio Turbio
Rio Turbio - Puerto Natales
Turis Sur
M-F:
Turis Sur
M-F:
Ph. 411202
08.15 & 13.30
Av. de los Mineros, Central
10.30 & 14.30
B. Encalada 555
Sat.: 11.00
Cootra
Daily
Cootra
Daily
Ph. 412785
08.30
Av. de los Mineros 100
12.15
Baquedano 456
18.15
Sat.: 14.30
19.45
Puerto Natales - El Calafate
El Calafate - Puerto Natales
Cootra
Daily
Cootra
Daily
Ph. 412785
08.30
Terminal Of. 06
08.30
Baquedano 456
El Calafate - Chalten
Chalten - El Calafate
Calafate Travel
Daily
Calafate Travel
Daily
Ph. 414456
08.00
Ph. 414456
06.30
Baquedano 459, Natales
18.30
Baquedano 459, Natales
18.00
Torres del Paine Refugio Information Prices are in U.S. dollars
Fantastico Sur +56-61 360361, ext. 380, albergue@lastorres.com Las Torres, Chileno, Los Cuernos
Breakfast
$8.00
Dorm bed
$34.00
Lunch
$13.00
Camping
$8.00
Dinner
$14.00
Sleeping bag
$8.00
Full board
$64.00
2-person tent
$12.00
Mattress
$3.00
Vertice +56-61 412742, ventas@verticepatagonia.cl Paine Grande Mountain Lodge
Breakfast
$9.00
Dorm bed
$35.00
Lunch
$12.00
Camping
$7.00
Dinner
$15.00
Sleeping bag
$9.00
Full board
$65.00
2-person tent
$14.00
Mattress
$3.00
buses
Buses Pinguinos
Paine
Daily
del
Buses Pinguinos
Torres
Rio Gallegos - Punta Arenas
Pta. Arenas / Pto. Natales
Punta Arenas - Rio Gallegos
Travel Times
Torres del Paine Buses & Maps
Approximate travel times from Puerto Natales (allow time for border crossings and tour connections within park) El Calafate
5 hrs
TdP Laguna Amarga
2 hrs 30
Punta Arenas
3 hrs
TdP Pudeto
3 hrs 15
Ushuaia
15 hrs
Torres del Paine Admin.
3 hrs 45
Approximate travel times from Punta Arenas (allow time for border crossings) Puerto Natales
3 hrs
Rio Gallegos
6 hrs
Rio Grande
8 hrs
Ushuaia
13 hrs
Trans Via Paine - Bulnes 518 - office Puma Tours 413672 Puerto Natales – Torres del Paine Trip 1 Puerto Natales Laguna Amarga
Torres del Paine – Puerto Natales Trip 1
Trip 2
7.00
14.30
Trip 2 Administration
13.00
18.00
9.45
16.30
Pudeto
13.30
19.00
Pudeto
10.45
17.30
Laguna Amarga
14.30
19.45
Administration
11.45
18.00
Puerto Natales
17.00
22.00
Gomez - Arturo Prat 234 - Ph 411971 Puerto Natales Laguna Amarga
7.30
14.00
Administration
13.00
18.15
9.45
16.30
Pudeto
13.45
19.00
Pudeto
10.45
17.30
Laguna Amarga
15.00
19.45
Administration
11.45
18.00
Puerto Natales
17.00
22.00
Administration
13.00
18.30
Buses JB - Arturo Prat 258 - Ph 410242 Puerto Natales Laguna Amarga
7.30
14.00
9.45
16.30
Pudeto
13.30
19.00
Pudeto
10.45
17.30
Laguna Amarga
14.30
17.30
Administration
11.45
18.00
Puerto Natales
17.00
19.30
Puerto Natales - Punta Arenas
Punta Arenas - Puerto Natales
Buses Fernandez
07.15
Buses Fernandez
08.00
Ph. 411111
09.00
Ph. 221812
09.00
E. Ramírez 399
13.00
A. Sanhueza 745
13.00
14.30
14.30
17.00
17.00
18.30
18.30
20.00
20.00
Buses Pacheco
07.30
Buses Pacheco
08.30
Ph. 414513
10.00
Ph. 242174
14.00
Baquedano 500
13.30
Colón 900
18.30
18.00
19.30
Bus Sur
07.00
Bus Sur
09.00
Ph. 411859
08.30
Ph. 244464
15.00
Baquedano 668
15.00
José Menéndez 552
17.00
19.00
19.00
For more details about terms and conditions, please contact the bus companies directly.
Black Sheep w w w. p a t a g o n i a b l a c k s h e e p . c o m
Leave No Trace in Patagonia 1. Plan Ahead and Prepare Know the regulations and special concerns for the area you plan to visit. Prepare for extreme weather, hazards, and emergencies. Schedule your trip to avoid times of high use. Visit areas in small groups, or split larger parties into groups of 4-6. Repackage food to minimize waste. Use a map and compass to eliminate use of rock cairns, flagging or marking paint.
2. Travel and Camp on Durable Surfaces Durable surfaces include established trails and campsites, rock, gravel, dry grasses, or snow. Protect riparian areas by camping at least 200 feet away from lakes and streams. Good campsites are found, not made. Altering a site is not necessary. In popular areas: Walk single file in the middle of the trail, even when it’s wet or muddy. Keep campsites small. Focus activity in areas where vegetation is absent. In pristine areas: Disperse use to prevent the creation of campsites and trails.Avoid places where impacts are just beginning.
3. Dispose of Waste Properly Pack it in, pack it out. Inspect your campsite and rest areas for trash or spilled foods. Pack out all trash, leftover food, and litter. Deposit solid human waste in catholes dug 6 to 8 inches deep at least 200 feet from water, camp and trails. Cover and disguise the cathole when finished. Pack out toilet paper and hygiene products. To wash yourself or your dishes, carry water 200 feet away from streams or lakes and use small amounts of biodegradable soap. Scatter strained dishwater.
4. Leave What You Find Preserve the past. Observe, but do not touch, cultural or historic structures and artifacts. Leave rocks, plants and other natural objects as you find them.Avoid introducing or transporting non-native species. Do not build structures or furniture. Don’t dig trenches.
5. Minimize Campfire Impacts Campfires can cause lasting impacts to the back country. Use a lightweight stove for cooking and enjoy a candle lantern for light. Where fires are permitted, use established fire rings, fire pans or mound fires. Keep fires small. Only use sticks from the ground that can be broken by hand. Burn all wood and coals to ash, put out campfires completely, then scatter cool ashes.
6. Respect Wildlife Do not follow or approach wildlife; observe from a distance. Never feed the animals. Feeding wildlife damages their health, alters natural behaviours, and exposes them to predators and other dangers. Protect wildlife and your food by storing rations and trash securely. Control pets at all times, or leave them at home. Avoid wildlife during sensitive times, such as during mating, nesting, raising young, or during winter.
7. Be Considerate of Other Visitors Respect other visitors and protect the quality of their experience. Be courteous, yield to other users on the trail. Step to the downhill side of the trail when encountering pack stock.Take breaks away from trails and other visitors. Let nature’s sounds prevail. Don’t yell or be overly noisy. Leave No Trace is a program developed by the U.S. Forest Service, the National Outdoors Leadership School (NOLS) and The Bureau of Land Management. It is designed to educate people on how to minimize their impact on the environment while camping. This is an abbreviated version of the seven principles. For more information, please visit www.nols.edu.
January.08
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Patagoniax
Café & Books Book exchange Second-hand books Bike Rentals
Puerto Bories Museum
of History and Industry
B. Encalada 226, Puerto Natales Ph. 414725 - info@patagoniax.com
Open 9-1 p.m. and 3-8 p.m. every day. Audio tours available in English, Spanish and German
Km 5.5 Ruta 9 Norte, Ph: 414328 WWW. MUSEOPUERTOBORIES.CL
Old Puerto Natales pier
The Last Hope by Cristina Yañez
Covering a beautiful and varied landscape filled with valleys, rivers, lakes and the high mountain peaks of Torres del Paine, the territory of Ultima Esperanza, or Last Hope Province, extends between approximately 50 and 53 degrees of southern latitude and between 72,15 and 73,30 of occidental longitude. Many events shaped the settlement of Ultima Esperanza. The expedition of Captain Juan Fernandez de Ladrilleros navigated a large part of the maritime area in 1557. More than three centuries later, Captain Hermann Eberhard settled here in 1892 to raise sheep. In the first years of the 20th century, three important events shaped the history of Puerto Natales, the capital of Ultima Esperanza: the “Laudo Arbitral,” which defined the border with Argentina in 1902; the acquisition of land in 1905 by the Operating Society of Tierra del Fuego to build infrastructure, industrialize and export sheep livestock and wool; and finally the foundation of the city of Puerto Natales in 1911. Until the 1920s, it was only possible to enter the town by horse or boat from Punta Arenas. Boats arrived to the eastern coast of the Almirante Montt Gulf through the Señoret Canal or Last Hope Sound. But even this didn’t prevent the beginnings of the sheep industry which extended to the Sierra Baguales in the north, to the mountains in the west and east. In the beginning of 1905, the Operating Society of Tierra del Fuego (SETF), bought the better part of the 500,000 hectares designated for shepherding in the province, taking the place of the
first landowners that had occupied those lands. In one decade, the SETF constructed Cerro Castillo, Cerro Guido, and the Bories Estate as well as a network of roads and a train that transported its workers between Puerto Natales and Puerto Bories. The industrial establishment of Puerto Bories, today partly demolished, was one of the best hierarchies constructed in Chile at the beginning of the 20th century. It boasted a mixed architectural style of brick, wood and corrugated iron and technology comparable to the industrial projects of Europe at that time. The old parts of Cerro Castillo and the Bories Estate (today involved in other activities) still conserve their austere spatial organization, with distance between the warehouses, living and dining areas, offices and storage. Other areas dispersed in rural Last Hope Sound, like Laguna Amarga, Cerro Guido, Tres Pasos and what remains of Puerto Consuelo, are examples of the early architecture of Last Hope. At the end of the 19th century, some corrals, homes and scattered warehouses were constructed in the Señoret Canal, in the vicinity of the Natales River (where the city of Puerto Natales got its name). A hotel with a general store was built by the businessman Rudolfo Stubenrauch and another was constructed by the Spaniard José Iglesias. In 1900, to give order to the settlement order, the government established a 200-hectare reserve and designed a new village with 77 sites. A decree in 1911 by the Supreme Court officially
founded the city. This original nucleus, plus an expansion carried out in 1935 give us the basic infrastructure of the town that we see today, with principal streets which head toward the water. As testimony to the violent protests of 1919 and until the 1950s, the majority of the workers were shepherds from the meat packing plants of Puerto Bories and Puerto Natales, and temporary workers from estates in both Argentina and Chile. The urban landscape was of a city with apple trees surrounding the plaza and buildings bordering it. Architecture was modest, with buildings made of wood and corrugated iron, similar to neighborhoods in Punta Arenas. The parochial church was the only brick building of its time. It was the work of the Salesian priest Juan Bernabé (1930). However, settlers coming from Chiloé succeeded in setting up social meeting places and commercial establishments with distinctive characteristics that are to this day maintained as a valuable inheritance that was extended and renovated in the last few years. Despite investments in services and equipment brought about through the creation of the Department of New Hope (1928), with architecture different from the regional traditions, Puerto Natales began to experience a revival only two decades ago, as a result of the fishing and tourism industries. Because of the natural beauty that Father D’agostini discovered in this area in 1917, the Torres del Paine National Park was formed and made popular in 1961.
vegetarian. juices. shakes. cakes
FREE your taste buds
Bulnes 622 & Bulnes 555 Puerto Natales, Chile phone 56-61 410931 & 415860 miriamparra_s@hotmail.com
el Living La Plaza. Pto Natales
MOUNTAIN GEAR RENTAL EQUIPMENT INFO BY LOCAL GUIDES fono 56-61 410429 EBERHARD 226
Tapas wine bar. sofas. book exchange
PUERTO NATALES
Black Sheep w w w. p a t a g o n i a b l a c k s h e e p . c o m
Inspiring Changes
by Sarah Ritter
If you’re here in Puerto Natales to visit Torres del Paine National Park, you might be here just because it’s on the “must do” list of places to visit in South America. But it is more likely that you’re here to experience the natural beauty of the place-the breathtaking view of Los Cuernos towering above the turquoise waters of Lake Nordenskjöld, the simple majesty of Las Torres viewed from the Mirador Las Torres, the imposing presence of Paine Grande crowned by an impossibly white glacier. And if you have that appreciation for the natural world, then maybe to a greater or lesser extent you share a concern for its well-being. The Torres del Paine National Park, like all National Parks around the world, is an ambassador for our planet, a reminder of the untamable power and the raw beauty of nature; multi-faceted, simple yet at the same time impossibly complex and well beyond the ken of mankind. Parks such as this one also offer sanctuary to the natural world from the steady, unstoppable advance of man. Pause for a minute and compare this place with your own hometown. If you’re a city dweller, your thoughts may well be of paved streets, tall buildings, traffic jams, rush and bustle--a life a world away from the clear, pristine landscapes of this enchanted park, but part of the same planet, a planet in need of the care and protection of every one of us. It is easy to look at the frightening pace of technological progress in the West and the newly awakening, insatiable appetite for development in the East, and throw our hands up in resignation. What can we do? What impact can any one individual have? True, there are overwhelming forces at work which seriously threaten our natural world and over which we have little if any influence. But if the actions of each individual are combined with those of other individuals, they really can make a difference. This doesn’t mean changing your life. Just being conscious of the environmental impact of your day-to-day activities and making small changes to reduce that impact is a good place to start. Here are some conservation ideas to take with you while you´re on the road or travelling... 1. If the water supply is drinkable, refill your water bottle from the tap (or in the Park from any of the fast-flowing mountain streams), rather than buy new plastic bottles of mineral water each time. Plastics are derived from nonrenewable resources, processed using extensive chemical treatments, so as well as being nonbiodegradable, they are very environmentally damaging to produce. Every plastic bottle you throw away is a waste of precious resources. 2. Dispose of used batteries responsibly. Discarded batteries, once they start to break down, leak metals and poisons which can enter watercourses and kill plants and wildlife. Even throwing your batteries in the bin means they end up in a landfill site or worse, disposed of offshore, and will have the same damaging effect there. Look for battery collection
schemes, like the one run by Fundación Patagonia (www.fundacionpatagonia.cl) in Puerto Natales. 3. Avoid buying prepackaged food in the supermarket. Buy loose fruit, vegetables and meat to cut down on the packaging you consume. Packaging uses a lot of natural resources and generally goes straight into the garbage bin once you get home. 4. Take your own bag to the supermarket so you don’t need to use the plastic bags provided. Plastic bags cannot be recycled and take hundreds of years to biodegrade, so every one you use is adding to the millions that exist already and are filling our landfill sites or worse, littering the countryside. Once you get back home, give some of these tips a whirl... 1. Investigate insulating your home as efficiently as possible. This will not only save you money in reduced heating bills but means you will also use less of the planet’s resources. It’s worth checking to see if your government offers grants for home insulation and upgrades to boilers/heating systems to help meet the emissions targets set by the Kyoto agreement and others. 2. Energy-saving light bulbs are a good step too, but admittedly rather ugly. You could always hide them with a funky lampshade. 3. Look into available sources of “green” energy for your home. The vast majority of household electricity-generation still uses scarce fossil fuels and generates harmful greenhouse gases. Other options include solar or wind power, which on a small, domestic scale can be very expensive. Alternatively in some countries “green” electricity providers, which generate some if not all of their power through renewable sources, are now entering the market. 4. Ideally the fewer resources you use the better, but obviously we all use some. So whatever you do use and throw out each week, try to recycle as much as possible, be it paper, glass, plastic, tin or any other material. Look for recycling services in your area, which will give you advice on how to incorporate recycling in your home. 5. Unfortunately, one of the biggest culprits of environmental damage is travel, especially air travel. As most of us here are far from home and will need to take at least one flight to get back to family and friends, we’ll avoid the guilt trip here. One way to make amends is to join a “carbon neutralisation” or “carbon-sink” scheme, in which you can pay for trees to be planted on your behalf to absorb carbon released into the environment as a result of your action. Have a look at www.futureforests.com or www.CO2.org for more information. As you continue on to your next destination, may you take with you vivid memories of all you have experienced in this magical place and may they inspire you to care for our fragile planet, on whose well-being this Park, the natural world and our own future depend.
Life is a journey. Enjoy the ride... Camping Rio Serrano info@campingchile.com +56 61 412370
www.cormorandelasrocas.com
On the corner of Magallanes and Señoret ph 56-61-413723 cormorandelasrocas@gmail.com
Rest & Re v italiz e in Patagonia Eb er hard 161 - Puer to Natales, Chile mandalaandino@yaho o.com 99302997 / 414143
Relaxation Therapies Outdoor Tubs Massages Natural Bar Outdoor Center Handmade Crafts
January.08
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Local Bike Rental Directory in Alphabetical Order
T h ink Global ly. Bike L o c a l l y. Puerto Natales
Punta Arenas
Patagonia Adventure
Backpackers Paradise
www.senderoaventura.com info@senderoaventura.com Phone 56-61-415636 Tomas Rogers 179
backpackersparadise@hotmail.com
Phone 56-61-226239 Ignacio Carrera Pinto 1022
Turismo Viento Sur www.vientosur.com agencia@vientosur.com Phone 56-61-710840 Fagnano 585
Path@gone
www.pathagone.com pathgone@chileaustral.com Phone 56-61-413291 Eberhard 595
Turismo Ruta Club www.turismorutaclub.cl reservas@turismorutaclub.cl Phone 56-61-223371 Ignacio Carrera Pinto 1142
Yagan House
www.yaganhouse.com Phone 09-94500544 O’Higgins 584
Bike Service
Patagoniax
ventasbike@tie.cl Phone 56-61-242107 Sarmiento 1132
www.patagoniax.com Phone 56-61-414725 Blanco Encalada 226
One less car.
Local Artists drawing attention Last month, Black Sheep ran an artical about Ricardo Varela and Felipe Marambio, Taller del Arbol store owners and artist silversmiths.We recieved many emails with requests for more information. Ricardo and Felipe describe the craft of the jewelry maker, “Any material is valuable if you work it. A stone is just a stone until you work it.” Ricardo and Felipe are more or less from the hippy generation. Their partnership is the result of a series of happy accidents, an example of how one road leads to the next, until there you are, not entirely sure how you got there and not having planned for where you ended up. They first ran into each other in 1985, in Puerto Alegre, Brazil. Felipe was studying law, and Ricardo studied chemical engineering. They ended up going on a trip together with a few other guys.To pay for the trip, they created and sold handicrafts, using local seeds, copper and gourds. Skip ahead to 2001. After having gone their separate ways and crossing paths various times, they meet again, this time with wives and kids in tow.This time they had more of an objective to their work--to support their families--whereas before their work took on an existential tone. Ricardo and Felipe might be working, like most of us, to live, but Ricardo explains to me the importance of passion. “I have to keep changing to keep the passion in my work. Somehow you have to conserve part of the passion you have for your artistry, so that your work gives you back some passion and energy to produce more work. For me to keep the passion for my work alive, I have to keep changing, and this usually happens in 5-6 year cycles.” By 2004, they were working with fossils and visited Puerto Natales to see what the town had
Ricardo Varela (left) and Felipe Marambio (right) in their workshop,Taller del Arbol, Eberhard 318 to offer. In November of the same year, they were renting the store that we now know as Taller del Arbol. It is the first silversmith shop in Natales, and they welcome working on all materials. In talking about the materials he works, Ricardo says, “It’s like life. Nothing is really valuable out of context. But in context, the rock realizes its value. It becomes a work of art.” Don’t leave Natales without meeting these guys and seeing their work.Visiting their workshop is like checking out a small art gallery. They work with just about anything you can imagine, any type of rock, gem, leather, silver, gourds, you name it.You can find them in the store with a red door, Eberhard 318. The one with hippy and artisan jewelry in the window display, among succulents, fossils, and horns. They’re open year round, and during the high season (approximately October-March), they’re open all day long: 9 a.m. to midnight, Monday-Friday, and 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday, phone: +56 61 411461.
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Black Sheep w w w. p a t a g o n i a b l a c k s h e e p . c o m
Cabo Shoestring Trips 2008
Art Gallery & Jewlery phone 56 61 411461
Eberhard 318
Puerto Natales
Doing it the hard way
Nueva Imagen Gymnasium & Spa machine & free weights sauna sun bed Massage room Chocolate Therapy
Cabo Froward? The Strait of Magellan, the channel, scene of countless shipwrecks, the oldest cemetery in Patagonia, historical bays and we have never seen anyone else on the trail. The bottom of Africa and the bottom of Australia are easy to find.They’re just spots on a map that you drive your car to, get out, take a photo next to the sign and drive off. Not the case for the bottom point of South America. This journey is only for those ready to get completely away from the masses and willing to put themselves in a place where the words ‘self reliance’ cannot be taken lightly. Be prepared for an agonizingly rough trail, relentless wind and two neck-high river crossings carrying your pack over your head. There is no going back, mi amigo. The trek begins where the dirt road ends. Old deep forests of Nothofagus: huge coigues that seem never before seen or touched. The views are incredible, not only the Strait itself, but the mountains surrounding it. Mt. Sarmiento is impressive, reaching more than 7,000 feet after rising out of the sea. And then there is the Darwin Range, part of Alberto de Agostini National Park. There is also a good chance of being saturated at least once a day.The hike covers sand, rainforest and rock, plus two large river crossings and multiple small ones.The trail is not always clearly marked. Finding a reliable map is next
to impossible. Trails are only marked by the few that try their luck reaching the bottom of the continent. This is what will be a section of the Sendero de Chile project, which aims to create roads and paths and ferries that span the length of Chile, eliminating the need to cross into Argentina. This project is expected to be completed in 2010. The final goal is to reach the crucifix that overlooks the end of the American continent. The view from the lookout provides a true sense of history. At that moment you realize where in the world you are. This trek is not for everyone. There is no help, or contact with the world for days in any direction. The weather can be equally beautiful and unforgiving. This completely self supported trip can be called nothing less then extreme trekking. The trek is only really possible January - March. Other times of the year you will possibly run into river problems. Deep winter makes for frozen conditions. This route boasts two large, cold, strip down and hold your pack over your head river crossings. If you have successfully trekked and camped the Torres del Paine ‘W’ circuit, then you might be ready for Cabo Froward. This trek is about the location itself, the bottom of the continent and the history.Very few trekkers have ever been to Cabo Froward.
For a forth season, as a special summer promotion, erratic rock® in Puerto Natales is posting special shoestring Cabo Froward programs for backpackers in Patagonia. Cabo Froward trips will be open to the public at a more affordable backpackers price. Program director Bill Penhollow: `We designed this series of Cabo trips for the backpackers who don’t normally use guides. Travelers that want to do something unique and who want to carry their own gear, who want to achieve the tip of the continent on their own, under their own power. The problem is they just need someone to show them the way....’. The program runs weekly during the months of January, February and March and is 6 days in total. Trips include guide, food, one night in Punta Arenas and transportation. This is a self sufficient program and each team member must carry all personal gear and equipment. Cabo Froward programs leave every Sunday from Puerto Natales and return to Punta Arenas on Fridays. For more information go to www.erraticrock.com.
Eusebio Lillo 1417 Puerto Natales, Chile
ph +56-61 412052
Patagonian Spirit
Restaurant Bar Café Happy Hour Bookings for Hosterias, Lodges, Shuttles, Navegation to Torres del Paine and more... pathagone@entelchile.net Eberhard 595 • ph 56 61 413291
Sun. thru Tue. 7pm-12am Wed. thru Sat. 7pm-10pm
O’Higgins 1021 Punta Arenas, Chile Tel 245851 jekus.patagonia@gmail.com
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Upcoming Events Free weekly movies & live music in Natales Movies Every Friday night at 11 p.m. 04.01.08 Touching The Void 11.01.08 Pacto De Justicia 18.01.08 Hellboy 25.01.08 The Departed 01.02.08 Babel
The Longest Trek in the World
2008 Big Rock Festival April 11, 12 & 13, 2008
Mon. & Wed. at 11 p.m. South Chile, a documentary from 1945
Live Music by The Johnny Salsa`s Power Trio Chillout Jazz, every Thursday, 10 p.m. The Session, every Saturday, 10 p.m.
The 3rd annual Big Rock Festival countdown has started.
Big Rock activities include live music around Puerto Natales, athletic competitions, beach clean-up races, and more.Three days of fun and music sponsored by multiple local businesses. Join locals and travelers alike for the end of the season blow out bash!
L a d r i l l e ro s 1 0 5 - w a t e r f ro n t - t e l . 0 6 1 6 1 5 7 3 0
Coupons & Discounts P A T A G O N I A
ORGANICO
LOUNGE
10% off your entire meal Restaurant Chileno Es m e r a l d a 7 2 0 P t o . N a t a l es
56-0990740309
niax o g s ns a Pat o o k de muffi soups B é & Homema uiche, Caf q crep
Gymnasium & Spa Gymnasium & Spa
c
o En
Aqua Nativa Sea Kayak Patagonia
5% off any program (cash only)
15% off massage Eusebio Lillo 1417 Puerto Natales, Chile
2.30
-2 08.00 e n e e p ff s - O
coPto. Natale 1 r o 2 f alada 226,
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Nueva Imagen
es,
zThe “Sendero de Chile” is a huge project which aims to link Chilean people and foreigners with the natural, cultural, ethnic, and scenic variety of the country. By the year 2010 it will be the longest trail in the world, with an extension over 8.500 kilometers.This path will link the plateau and the most barren desert of the world; central valleys and its cities, parks, woods, lakes and volcanoes in southern Chile; austral glaciers and the vast expanse of the Patagonia pampas, and finally, the main island ecosystems, with paths in Isla de Pascua, in Archipielago de Juan Fernández and Isla Grande de Chiloé. Currently, Sendero de Chile has 35 treks that form this amazing route with more than 1,200 kilometers along the country. Each journey is linked to unique geographical conditions, but specially linked to very particular and unique natural and tourist attractions. At the Magallanes region, 3 trails exists: “Isla Navarino in Cabo de Hornos”, “Reserva Nacional de Magallanes” and “Ruta Patrimonial Milodon” (a few kms from Puerto Natales). Ruta Patrimonial Milodón This trail begins 20 kms to the north of the Milodon cave, in the “Nuevo camino al Parque Nacional Torres Del Paine” or “Lago Porteño” road. The trail is 60 cms wide and 42 kms in length. and begins at the foot of the Cerro Tenerife hill. It is an easy walk and while you are walking, you can enjoy the magnificent landscape of the the Paine Grande Massif and three nearby lakes: Porteño, Maravilla and Toro; besides it is also possible to see the Tyndall and Grey Glaciers and part of the Campo de Hielo Patagónico Sur. Finally, the journey ends at the Serrano river, next to the Torres del Paine National Park. Walking the whole path takes about 3 or 4 days, so you can camp at Rio Ventisquero, El Salto and Rio Serrano. The environmental characteristics in this path are a feature of the patagonia climate, with a wide variety of native vegetation like lengas, coigues, ñirres, maitenes, ciruelillos, and calafates.You can also see different kind of birds and other animals like condor, eagles, parrots, foxes, bobcats, etc. The trail “Ruta Patrimonial Milodón” is in an improvement phase at present so its infrastructure is still basic. The trail is accessible from its starting point to the end in rio Serrano, from where you can visit the Torres del Paine National Park or make a descent by zodiac through the Rio Serrano, visit Balmaceda and Serrano glacier and continue by boat to Puerto Natales.
www.aquanativapatagonia.com
World’s End Books 5% off any cash purchase Maps - travel guides Patagonia books in English
Eberhard 161 Pto. Natales, Chile ph. 414143
Blanco Encalada 226, Pto. Natales, Ph. 414725
Southwind Hostel
5% cash
D ow n Tow n H o s t e l
5% off cash discount
café purchase
ph +56-61 412052
www.southwindhostel.cl
Eberhard 568, Puerto Natales, Chile
Eberhard 161 - Puerto Natales, Chile - ph 414143 This coupon is redeemable for a 10% discount on a 1-hour massage. Valid season 2007-08.
10% cash discount massage
discount off any
ph +56-61 412239 Bulnes 299 Pto. Natales
cash discount 10% off Address: Armando Sanhueza 555 Punta Arenas, Chile
bar.toore@gmail.com
Toore
2 for 1 pisco sour!
Eberhard 169 Pto Natales
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El Peligro del Campo Minado:
Un Cuento de 10.500 Kilómetros en Bici by Juan Chaura Millán, Corresponsal de Prensa Radio y Televisión
John Rivas Medina, un Colombiano apasionado por la naturaleza recorrió 10.500 kilómetros en bicicleta para hacer conciencia en la gente sobre el peligro que revisten los campos plantados con minas antipersonales, hecho que se puede detectar en diversos puntos de esta América Latina. Salió de su país el 10 de Diciembre del año 2006, junto con dos compatriotas, finalizando esta travesía el 24 de Junio del 2007. Fue atraído por las bellezas naturales que ofrece la Provincia de Ultima Esperanza, estableciéndose en Puerto Natales, donde espera concretar una serie de proyectos de orientación principalmente dirigido a quienes gustan del deporte aventura. En su largo trayecto pudo tomar contacto con diversas personas que también buscan lograr eliminar las minas antipersonales y antitanques, lo que fue parte de conflictos limítrofes entre los países que ahora gozan de la paz y libertad. Rivas respondió a algunas preguntas... ¿Qué te motivo el realizar este viaje? Alguna Vez quise hacer una travesía por toda Sud América en bicicleta y quería en lo personal elevar mi espíritu aventurero, pero también quería hacer algo por la paz de mi país, es por ello que escogí la campaña denominada, “Campaña Internacional para la prohibición de minas.” La idea fue llegar en mi bicicleta a cada ciudad posible, para transmitir el mensaje de la campaña, información que fue enviada a Colombia y de allí se derivo a Suiza, donde esta la campaña internacional contra de las minas antipersonales, que se manifiesta a través del tratado de Ginebra, quienes envían la ayuda humanitaria que se requiere en Colombia. ¿Qué países son los que presentan mas minas antipersonales a parte de Colombia? Son Perú, Argentina y Chile, es por ellos que quise llegar hasta Ushuaia, debido a que en el canal Beagle existen muchas minas antipersonales por el conflicto que hubo entre Chile y Argentina en el año 1978.
John Rivas Medina viajó durante seis meses en una bicicleta, el financiamiento ha sido propio, durante su trayecto tomó contacto con mucha gente para entregar su mensaje. “Tuve posibilidades de hablar en muchos colegios de Argentina, Chile y Perú. Me reuní con víctimas de campos minados. En Santiago tuve la oportunidad de reunirme para la campaña internacional, que lucha por desminar los campos de Punta Delgada y los existentes en Tierra del Fuego por la parte Chilena”. Esta labor se inició en Colombia en el año 1997, denominada “Campaña Internacional para la Prohibición de Minas.” John Rivas Medina, cuenta con una pagina de fotografías, donde se pueden obtener más información respecto al recorrido que realizó desde Colombia hasta Ushuaia: www.myspace.com/chaquentravellingbike El gobierno chileno se encuentra en la última etapa de la elaboración de un catastro de victimas de minas antipersonales, antitanque y municiones sin estallar (MUSE). Los accidentes se registran desde el año 1970 hasta el año 2006, en su mayoría los sobrevivientes son miembros del ejército chileno, aunque la cifra no es oficial serían cerca de 120 las victimas en Chile. La Armada Chilena se encuentra trabajando actualmente en Bahía Azul, en XII región, donde se encuentran campos minados del tipo MA, que es lo que la convención de Ottawa circunscribe. En la zona de Puerto Natales solo hay campos de minas antitanques, que se encuentran cercados y señalizados según las convenciones internacionales y que están entre las prioridades de la Comisión Nacional y que posterior al trabajo en Bahía Azul debiesen ser levantados, los plazos dependen de los factores climáticos.
MOUNTAIN
BANFF
FILM
FESTIVAL WORLD TOUR
Feb 13 & 14, 2008 A PROGRAM OF THE BANFF CENTRE
HOTEL ALCAZAR
M.Balmaceda 722 • 412889 hotelalcazar@gmail.com
...with all private bathrooms Guided water tours of Glacier Balmeceda • Glacier Serrano • Bernardo O’Higgins National Park
A piece of Patagonian history...
Turismo “21 de Mayo” Puerto Natales Patagonia Chile Eberhard 560 • Phone 56-61 614420 • www.chileaustral.com/21demayo • 21demayo@chileaustral.com
I’d love a Jacuzzi facing the sea and the glaciers
and a nice cosy bed
and a cool place to read and a fresh locally brewed beer and some good simple food and a big breakfast with some real expresso coffee and to sleep in without hearing the vaccum cleaner first thing in the morning
HOTEL SPA
One night $2.000, Two nights $3.000
Puerto Natales, Patagonia
Located at Escuela 1 Across from the ‘other’ Plaza on Baquedano
www.banff.com
Ladrilleros105 I Puerto Natales (061) 413 609 I www.indigopatagonia.com
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Patagoniax Café & Books Delicious, real, organic coffee and espresso. Kick back and enjoy the cozy atmosphere.
S
ome things never change... ...(but some things do). by Rolf “Bugi” Burgermeister
Open all day 8am to 10:30pm
B. Encalada 226 Pto. Natales - Ph. 414725 info@patagoniax.com
A true Chilean estancia... inside the city limits.
Alma Gaucha Hostel Puerto Natales, Chile phone 56-61 415243 almagauchacl@hotmail.com
Got something to say? editor@patagoniablacksheep.com
When I was young, a long time ago, I traveled around Latin America for 10 months. Now I visit Puerto Natales once a year, and sometimes people want to know how it was to be a backpacker in those days. Let me begin by saying what has not changed. The backpackers are still looking for cheap, clean accommodation and decent affordable food. However, when I look at their equipment I turn green with envy. In my time there were no such fancy names as North Face, Mammut or Wolfskin. My boots and backpack, given to me so generously by the Swiss army, had to suffice. And they did. The biggest changes, however, are technological. There are four inventions that make the life of today’s travelers easier. Much easier, if not more adventurous. First: Automatic Cash Dispensers or ATMs. I don’t know how many hours I spent in (legal) banks standing in line to cash traveler’s checks, or bargaining with (illegal) money changers when crossing borders. It was a law of nature that every time I had to buy my ticket to the next country, I was short on pesos, cruzeiros, bolivars, quetzales, soles, what have you. This made it necessary to cash yet another traveler’s check only to exchange the money back into local currency the moment I crossed the border. Second: The digital camera. Since I was never sure where I might find my next supply of Kodacrome film, I had to carry bags full of film- exposed and unexposed--hoping dearly that I would never mix them up. Third: The Internet. When I lived in Brazil, I could only afford one phone call to my parents in Switzerland per month. Early in the morning, I would appear in person at the local phone company to place my call order. If I was lucky, they’d put me through by late afternoon,
and this cost a small fortune. The letters I sent home, and those I was supposed to receive, sometimes arrived and sometimes did not. Keeping abreast with what was going on in good old Europe and beyond was only possible through American news magazines, and they, like today, weren’t particularly known for their unbiased views. The last breakthrough may seem trivial, but it isn’t. The Laundromat. I carried kilos of dirty clothes from one country to the Bus to Puerto Alegre. It is in working condition, but can’t move on its own due other, as I often didn’t stayed to the slippery wet sand. long enough to give my garments a thorough scrubbing. do Diabo” taking you from nowhere to nowhere, Today’s travelers get nervous, if they don’t get their meaning from Guajará Mirim in Bolivia to Porto clean, dry clothes back within a few hours. Velho in Brazil. The construction of this totally You may think that nowadays it’s more useless railway line was said to have cost one life fun to travel around Latin America than it was for every cross-tie. in the good old days. But I am not so sure. To- The South American Handbook of day you see huge comfortable catamarans packed 1964 states, that “rail trips in South America rewith tourists, where 43 years ago you had to coax, quire a certain amount of stamina.” This was, of bribe, blackmail, or threaten the captain of a tiny course, the understatement of that year.Yet, today I freight boat to let you on it. When I used to ask still prefer trains to buses. The latter have become, bus drivers, how many hours the trip to my next I admit, very comfortable and surprisingly reliable, destination might take, they reluctantly mentioned but trains have a special ambiance that no other a figure, invariably adding, “if God willing.” Well, means of transport has. So why don’t you try out sometimes God wasn’t willing, and so the trip was what is left of the fabulous Chilean railway sysextended by hours, if not days. tem, namely the train from Chillán to Santiago or And by the way, in the golden olden the other way round. You never know how long it days, there were trains. Great trains. From São Pau- will be around or how much more things might lo to the Paraná River, from Buenos Aires to Bari- change. loche (45 hours), from Puerto Montt to Santiago, from Valparaiso to Antofagasta, and from there to Potosí (35 hours). Not to mention, the “Ferrovia
Hosteria Tunkelen Cerro Sombrero, Tierra del Fuego The only real rest stop between Punta Arenas and Ushuaia.
Arturo Prat 101, Cerro Sombrero, TdF, Chile - Phone 56+61 296696 or 56+61 212757 - hosteria_tunkelen@hotmail.com
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Fat. Fat and grease. We love it. Even if you don’t think you love it, you actually do. Whether you are a vegetarian or not, we all crave foods that hold some kind of fat; the grease on meat, the oils in avacados, the whole cream in ice cream. We not only like it, we need it. We need it for energy while trekking. A couple of facts: 1) Soaps are a threat to fresh water supplies. It´s best not to use these products at all. 2) Cold stream or lake water turns left over greases on dishes into a thick, lard-like glue (impossible to remove without soap & water)... or is it? Here’s the trick: take your dirty dinner dishes to an area of sand or small rocks, grab a fist-full of dirt, and scrub! The small granuals of dirt and pebbles will absorb all the oils from your meal and will remove almost any difficult foods. Even burnt dinner pots clean up quickly with gravel! Your pots and dishes are left with nothing more than a clean coat of dust that is easily rinsed with only a small amount of water, soap free!
Invisible Fear by V Irribarra
Where the Wild Things Are
It sounds like common sense to those of us who grew up trekking and camping, but if you do the “W” or circuit or even a Photo Safari it’s soon apparent that the common-sense rule isn’t always followed. Feeding local wild animals has hazardous side effects. The food that’s offered to animals is often processed or just plain “junk food”, this is unnatural for wild animals. After a generation or two of handouts, animals lose their hunting edge and end up suffering during the long winter season without human intrusion. These wild animals become accustomed to people they end up becoming a nuisance or even a threat, this often results in relocation at best, at worst --death! So matter what you see people do in the park Please keep your sandwich to yourself and DON’T FEED THE ANIMALS!
Cycling Away... Everyone who has gotten ready to set off on a trip has, before leaving, run through a checklist either mentally or physically. We don’t want to forget anything that will be necessary during those days, weeks or months in which we are away, especially once we have crossed foreign borders. Despite our best efforts to remember everything, there exists an “invisible fear” to which we don’t generally pay much attention. At the moment of departure, we are bound intimately to our luggage. I have a friend who always reminds me that the most danger that we face on a trip is related to our own expectations and what we hope to find, hope to see, hope to make, or hope to experience. These expectations can become our worst companion. We move with big packs on our backs. We have images of National Geographic and prejudices of every kind in our minds. We hear other voices from other visitors ringing in our ears: Do this; don’t do that; this activity is a waste of time; or this place isn’t worth it, but this other place is.
With all of these warnings in our heads, we often don’t allow ourselves to really connect with the reality or essence of a place. This way of disconnecting prevents the experience from touching or transforming us, with respect and humility to those who are around us. This kills the chance to enrich ourselves with the experience of what we might encounter in our steps. A destination is never just a place. It is a new way to see old things and to see the world. If we really want to cross the border, we must be aware of this fear and allow ourselves to be open, free, and flexible. Maybe at the end of our journey, we can answer questions about our journey by saying that we walked in the town, stayed longer than we planned, played with children, spoke with older people, had coffee alone, spent hours sitting on a train thinking about how life goes by, found love, thought about settling down, and dreamed about coming back. In this way, we will have converted the “invisible fear” into visible experiences, real and unforgettable.
Getting out of Natales on a bike In just a half day of biking, you can have a “so close, but so far” view of Puerto Natales and its surroundings. All you need is a bike, a picnic, and your camera! If you follow the road by the sea, going in the exact opposite direction of everyone else (who will all be going to the park), you will pass the main dock. Keep pedalling until the pavement turns into dirt. When you get to where all the fishing boats are, you will have to turn down some streets, but always try to keep closest to the sea (if you get lost, just ask anyone how to get to “el camino a Dumestre”). You will reach a dirt road out of town, and as you get farther away from the town, all of the mountains will start to show you how tremendous they really are, and how endless they seem by the sea.The farther you get, the greater your view of the different mountains will be.You’ll see Tenerife, Prat, Chacabuco, Ballena, Cordillera Moore, and even the Caín Mountains of the beautiful Roca Península.
...yes!
you can drink the water in Patagonia by bill penhollow
We´re so programmed to the idea that tap water is bad for us. Better avoid drinking water from rivers and streams or you´ll fall victim to all sorts of waterborne illnesses, like diarrhea, e coli infection, or cholera. I like to call the myriad sicknesses “beaver fever.” But come on, people. Don’t let yourselves be fooled by the corporate rhetoric brought to us by water bottling companies, you know the ones that tell us that only their plastic bottles full of cool ancient artesian water are the only drops of water safe enough to pass your thirsty lips. Well, let me tell you that at least here in Patagonia, not only is the water safe to drink but also I’d say it tastes better than any water out of a plastic bottle! As some one who is trying to recycle (trying being the key word), I was appalled to learn that plastic water bottles account for 80% of all plastic trash collected in Patagonia! This is completely unnecessary. As citizens of Puerto Natales, we pay dearly for what little recycling service that exists. Torres del Paine National Park also feels burdened under the mountain of trash that is produced in the park on a daily basis. So, please do yourself and pacha mama (Mother Earth) a favor: Save your precious pesos, and leave the two-liter bottles of flashy imported 1st-world water in the store. Fill your cup with the glacier-fed goodness of Patagonia’s still-pristine cool clean water. And when you get back to Puerto Natales, ask for “agua de la llave,” or just help yourself to a glass of sweet H2O from the tap. Even better still, use your saved cash to treat yourself to a couple of local beers--brewed with the same natural freshwater--sans plastic!
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Common invasive plants taking up root in Torres del Paine • • • • • •
Poison Hemlock Red Sorrel Scentless Chamomile Silver Hairgrass Spotted Catsear Dandelion
Non-Native Wild Flowers Invading Patagonia By Christina Cooke No, that dandelion is not supposed to be here. And neither is that clover. And that scentless chamomile? An outsider as well. These plant species, and a number of others, made their way to Patagonia years ago and, quite literally, put down roots. Some biologists estimate around 25 percent of the plant species in some parts of Torres del Paine National Park originated elsewhere. “Invasive species are going to continue arriving as a consequence of tourism,” said botanist Osvaldo Vidal, author of the guide Flora Torres del Paine and a doctoral student in Germany, speaking in Spanish. “This is clear.” Many of the invasive grasses and ground covers found in Patagonia were introduced as forage for livestock, and many of the flowers were brought over for ornamentation purposes. Other plants arrived by accident:Their seeds rode into the region in the fur, feathers or intestines of animals, or the shoes, clothing, tents or cars of humans. Most came from Europe. Some of the most common invasive species in Torres del Paine today are Poison Hemlock, Red Sorrel, Scentless Chamomile, Silver Hairgrass and Spotted Catsear. Invasive plants have earned a bad reputation in the scientific community for their tendency to change ecological patterns and displace their native counterparts. Few, if any, studies have been conducted to determine the effects of the invaders in Patagonia, however. Morty Ortega, a professor at the University of Connecticut who has conducted research in the park since 1977, said he considers
Non-native Scentless Chamomille runs rampant and lovely in the meadow valleys of the park. most of the invasive grasses and ground covers in Patagonia more useful than threatening. “Perhaps the most dangerous ones are those that are brought as ornamentals and escape because of their aggressive nature,” he said, citing a fast-spreading, white-flowered plant named cicuta as a prime example. He described the plant as both poisonous and useless. Human visitors, hikers especially, are the single greatest threat to the native Patagonian ecosystem today,Vidal and Ortega agree. In addition
to unknowingly spreading seeds, they compact the soil, making it ill suited for fragile native species and ideal for hearty invaders. So, as you trek through Torres del Paine National Park this season, do your part to slow the invasion.Stay on established campsites and trails, and wash seeds from your clothes and supplies before you arrive and after you leave. That way, Patagonia can stay Patagonia, and stop evolving into the countryside outside your hometown.
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Waiting Out the Storm: Climbers’ First Summit of Torre Norte by Walker Mackey At midnight, my partner LB Mullin and I wondered if this was the moment we were waiting for. It was silent in Valle Silencio, except for the sound of our breathing. For three days we had been sleeping on and off waiting out a storm in Salmon Camp, located a the base of Escudo, where climbers go to climb the North Tower. In our single-wall Exped tent, I sat up and asked LB what he thought. He sat silent for a minute, hinking about whether it was worth leaving the warm tent. We brewed some coffee and got our bags ready: a couple of Cliff bars from the States, a jet boil, headlamps, several layers of clothing, a space blaket, two ropes (one 8 mm backup and one 10 mm lead line), a rack of cams .5-3, stoppers and a bunch of slings. We hiked up the Kuare in the dark, starting up the mountain following the tail-end of a storm, which means some avalanche danger. LB lead out up the slope. Since there were no gear
placements on Kuare, we didn’t rope up. If we were roped together and one of us had fallen, the other would have gotten ripped off the wall and fallen also. During our accent up Kuare, we moved slowly, checking the fresh powder for signs of a possible avalanche. Skeptical and wary of the snow in the night, we listened to the Suraks cutting loose from the base of Fortalaza and the avalanches tumbling off the top of Escudo. By the time the sun came out, we’d reached the mixed climbing. There was so much snow that we decided not to rope up for most of the mixed climb, and we kicked steps up to the third anchor point. Once we reached the anchor we started climbing. The sun baked the other side of the valley (Murador), putting lots of vapor the air. We couldn’t see down the other side of the wall, but there was no wind and it looked like the weather would hold.
It was time to climb and to climb fast. I roped up on the lead and began to fire pitch after pitch in the perfect weather. When I reached the summit block, I saw that we would need to climb in the shade. Climbing in the shade after a storm is scary because the rock is coated in rime ice and mereglass. We were basically looking at a runout face climb up ice-coated rock. Here’s when LB looks at me and says “Walker, I don’t care if you don’t want to continue. This is a good enough summit for me.” I thought for a few minutes contemplating the danger. It seemed like, after waiting for this moment for days, we were going to get shut down. As a climber, you need to know when the risk is too much. You need to know when you’re crossing the line and when you’d better not cross it. We decided to go for it. LB and I had traveled half way around the world; we’d spent
months preparing for this moment. I worked my way up the runout, clipping the two pitons half way up the slab with no problems. I continued up the rock and made one last move manteling the summit ridge of the North Tower. I clipped the anchor and yelled down to LB that I had made it. I set up the bellay, and at 11:07 on December 13th, LB and I summited Torre Norte in amazing weather. From there, it was a quick descent, three rapels, down-climbed, and then a few more rappels. Once we reached Kuare again, the sun had baked the snow perfectly, so that we could safely enjoy a classic controlled glasade down to Salmon Camp, where we toasted with a sip of pisco and enjoyed a meal of pasta. We had just lived our dream, and the time for reflection was opon us.
contact telephone number Details of your route(s) and intended timescale. Plan a trip to the Administration Centre. At the Administration Centre, you will need to provide the name of your Expedition (so if you don’t have a name already, think up something impressive before you arrive!) and all the documentation mentioned above. The insurance documents are vital. You will not get your permit without them. The permit is required for your own protection in the case of an emergency. If you have an accident CONAF needs to know firstly where you are, and also that you have the insurance cover in place to meet
the costs of any rescue operation needed. While CONAF Park rangers will assist anyone who is injured or otherwise incapacitated on the marked trails without charge, it does not have the resources to rescue those who undertake dangerous sports off the marked trails. You do that at your own risk and expense. You will be given a copy of the CONAF permit, which you need to take to the ranger station of the first sector in which you are planning to climb. CONAF will nominate a Park ranger as the main contact for your expedition with whom you should stay in contact through the duration of your climbing, so that they can monitor your safety and know when you leave.
Torres del Paine Climbing Permit Information For any climbing expeditions in the Park you need to fulfill all the necessary conditions set by CONAF (Chilean National Forestry Corporation) and DIFROL (Dirrección de Fronteras y Limites del Estado). Here’s what you need to do... Get DIFROL approval. You can obtain it before you leave home, and it´s free. Check out their web site (www.difrol.cl). Download an application form. You can apply for DIFROL permission either directly to a regional government office in Chile or via the Chilean Consulate in your own country. If you arrive in Puerto Natales without DIFROL permission, visit the regional government offices in town, on Eberhard and To-
mas Rogers, telephone: 411423. Once in the area in which you want to climb, you need to report to the Carabineros de Chile. In the Park, they’re at Cerro Castillo and at the Administration Centre. They’ll check your authorization and make sure you’re adequately equipped for your expedition. Then you’ll need CONAF permission, which is also free. It is granted by the Park Administrator. Make sure you take these items to the park with you... • Your DIFROL approval • Passports of every member of your group • Insurance policy details, including name and address of the insurer, policy number and a
open 12.30-15.00, 18.30-22.30
The sea & food restaurant L a d r i l l e r o s 1 0 5 - w a t e r f ro n t - Pu e r t o Na t a l e s - t e l . 0 6 1 6 1 5 7 3 0
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Drinks & coffee with a view Ladrilleros 105 - waterfront - tel. 061 615 730 - open 12.30-01.00
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The Recycle Pages FREE views from the window
el Living. La Plaza. Pto Natales.
Aquaterra Café The sweetest thing
Phone +56 61 412239 Bulnes 299 Pto.Natales www.aquaterrapatagonia.com
KAWESKAR Backpackers Hostel Backpackers shall inherate the earth... Blanco Encalada 754 Puerto Natales, Chile phone 414553
Get your recycle on Did You Know...? • There are more than eight kinds of plastics that Or at least try... have to be separated from each other in order Recycling takes place all over the world, in different ways and at very different levels. We all know why it’s important, that recycling creates less waste, lessens the precious space used up in landfills, decreases the pressure on our limited resources. In Puerto Natales, recycling is a relatively new phenomenon. This is not only because of a lack of attention or awareness, but also due to the lack of an infrastructure for recycling. Separating garbage is the first step, but the process all too often stalls at the separation of trash. There really aren’t stable services to collect our separated items nor the infrastructure to bring them to a recycling plant. There have been many initiatives to start permanent recycling services. Fundación Patagonia has been collecting batteries for a couple of years now. Don Ramón Gomez along with the Cámara de Turismo are working to recycle glass throughout Natales. And café/restaurant El Living has been sending tetrapak carton boxes to Santiago for recycling. These initiatives are helping to make recycling a reality in Natales. And more than 25 businesses--mostly restaurants, bars and hostels-sort their glass and send it off to be recycled. Households or businesses who want to join in the effort by recycling their glass can do so by contacting the Asociación de Guías de Turismo de Ultima Esperanza, who accept glass bottles and aluminum cans from the hours of 10.00-14.00. They are located on Philipi 550 in Puerto Natales. You can also contact the Cámara de Turismo de Ultima Esperanza at camaraturismoue@yahoo.es. They are located in the Pueblo Artesenal.
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to be able to recycle them. Puerto Natales, a city of roughly 20,000 people, produces about nine tons of plastic in waste every MONTH! More than half of all waste we produce is organic and could be able to used as compost to produce fertilizer?
Where do our recycles go...? •
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Glass - Glass is sent to Foundation Coaniquem, where they then sell it.The profit supports their foundation, which helps rehabilitate children with burns. Tetrapak Drink Cartons – There are a couple of foundations in Santiago that accept clean, used drink cartons:‘Un Techo Para Chile’ and ‘Tetropak Chile.’ The material is recycled into panels, which are used to build houses for families to improve their living conditions. There are also people in Natales, who could use the cartons in home-improvement projects. Plastic Bottles – Plastic is one of the most difficult products to recycle. To do so, you have to separate the different kinds of plastic, making it a complicated process. Plastic bottles are one of the most easily identifiable plastics. After reducing the plastic to powder it can be molded again into bottles or other type-one plastics (PET). Batteries – Batteries contain heavy metals such as mercury, lead, cadmium or nickel, which heavily contaminate the environment. Make sure you dispose of all your batteries in the Fundacion Patagonia boxes located at the post office and in some travel agencies around town. Otherwise they will go to the landfill site with all the rest of the rubbish.
These Puerto Natales businesses are already helping by recycling their glass... Hotel Altiplanico Hotel Costa Australis Weskar Lodge Kaweskar Hostel Hostal Yagan Casa Cecilia Restaurant Centro Español Restaurant Los Viajeros Hostal Amerindia Pub Chill-e Restaurant Afrigonia Emporio de La Pampa Restaurant Cielo De Palo Hostal Lili Mandala Andino Ok Bar erratic rock Restaurant Ultima Esperanza Hostal Isla Morena Hostal Dos Lagunas Restaurant Mesita Grande Restaurant Pez Glaciar Hotel Indigo Restaurant Casa Magna Aquaterra Lodge / Restaurant
Hostel Natales Patagonia Dulce Hotel Remota
Isla Morena - Hosteria, Resto & Bar
La cocina de la casa del sur con un toque original. Tasty, traditional Patagonian food, with a personal touch... Salmon, hake, pejerrey, seafood, pastas, homemade pizzas. Dinner from 18.30-23.30 To m á s R o g e r s 3 8 P u e r t o N at a l e s, Pat a g o n i a . 6 0 m e t e r s f r o m t h e P l a z a d e A r m a s. P h : 4 1 4 7 7 3 . w w w. i s l a m o r e n a . c l
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Patagonian Garbage: It’s Not Just a Problem With the Wind by Heather Poyhonen Originally, an article about good-hearted recycling attempts occupied this tiny space. But, it seemed a better use of space, to let folks know how damn hard it is to actually recycle around here. This month I was charged with collecting recycling information. How can people who want to recycle, actually recycle? But the truth is, information is slim. And recycle programs are even slimmer, even if it’s not for lack of trying. The most established recycling program so far is for glass, which is great. Don’t get me wrong, there are lots of people in Natales who are going to great lengths just to try to recycle. Hostel erratic rock
sorts organic waste in addition to all the other inorganic trash, and they feed organic waste to pigs. El Living rinses out and stores their used tetrapak cartons (milk and juice cartons with the silver lining) all season long, before they ship them all to Santiago. The glass recycling is a good start, but it’s just that: a start. I’ve heard enough earfuls about recycling programs that start and all too soon fizzle away.We all hope that the glass recycling gets off the ground, in a big way. But what about all the other types of recyclables? Many individuals and businesses in town sort and save their recyclables in hopes that, by the end of the season, there will be some sort of system in place to pass their sorted items onto recycling plants. But most likely before the season is over, these recycling optimists will run out of storage space. And when they
Miscellaneous Recycling Facts More than 20,000,000 Hershey’s Kisses are wrapped each day, using 133 square miles of aluminum foil. All that foil is recyclable, but not many people realize it. Rainforests are being cut down at the rate of 100 acres per minute. A single quart of motor oil, if disposed of improperly, can contaminate up to 2,000,000 gallons of fresh water.
Rumpke,” which is actually a mountain of trash at the Rumpke sanitary landfill. Each year, the U.S. population discards 16,000,000,000 diapers, 1,600,000,000 pens, 2,000,000,000 razor blades, 220,000,000 car tires, and enough aluminum to rebuild the U.S. commercial air fleet four times over.
Motor oil never wears out, it just gets dirty. Oil can be recycled, re-refined and used again.
The energy saved from recycling one glass bottle can run a 100-watt light bulb for four hours. It also causes 20% less air pollution and 50% less water pollution than when a new bottle is made from raw materials.
On average, each one of us produces 4.4 pounds of solid waste each day.This adds up to almost a ton of trash per person, per year.
A modern glass bottle would take 4,000 years or more to decompose--and even longer if gets stuck in a landfill.
26 recycled PET bottles equals a polyester suit. Five recycled PET bottles make enough fiberfill to stuff a ski jacket.
Mining and transporting raw materials for glass produces about 385 pounds of waste for every ton of glass that is made. If recycled glass is substituted for half of the raw materials, the waste is cut by more than 80%.
About 1/3 of an average dump is made up of packaging material. The U.S. is the #1 trash-producing country in the world at 1,609 pounds per person per year. This means that 5% of the world’s people generate 40% of the world’s waste. Approximately one billion trees worth of paper are thrown away every year in the U.S. The highest point in Ohio State, USA is “Mount
spilling trash everywhere, just in time for the wind to swoop in and sweep it where it may. As you can imagine, in Punta Arenas, a city of about 120,000 residents, the situation only worsens. Not to put a damper on your trip, but if you’re wondering what you can do as a traveler, here are a few ideas. Express concern everywhere you go. Ask about recycling programs. Don’t buy bottled water; the tap water here is delicious and safe. Try to buy things that don’t don a lot of packaging waste. Refuse the plastic bags you’ll be given, and bring your own burlier, reusable bag. Take waste back home with you, especially little things, like spent batteries. These small acts may not seem like much, but I’m still hopeful and believe that every little bit helps.
The Milodon Laundry Service
Drop your pants here. Drop off before noon for same-day service. Closed Sundays. Open 10am-12pm & 2:30pm-8:00pm Phone 413466 • Baquedano 642
An aluminum can that is thrown away will still be a can 500 years from now. There is no limit to the amount of times an aluminum can can be recycled. Recycling aluminum takes only 5% of the energy needed to manufacture it from raw material. Once an aluminum can is recycled, it can be part of a new can within six weeks.
Bannning the Bags If you weren’t catching up on your shut eye on the bus when you arrived to Patagonia, then you likely saw the horrific plastic bag graveyards around the major cities and towns. Thin, flapping bags wave from just about every bush that’s big enough to catch some wind. These plastic monsters are distributed with every single article you buy in these parts, their sizes adapting to the size of your purchase. Every succulent piece of fruit, every toothbrush or postcard you buy will come enveloped in plastic, unless you object. An average weekly visit to the supermarket adds about eight new plastic bags to your collection. Looking at the plastic flags littering the landscape, one might think that folks make a sport of getting as many bags as they can just to see how
do, they’ll be forced to start throwing away perfectly recyclable items. And when the season is over? Natales will produce less trash with fewer travelers passing through, but the chances that folks who stay here will be able to recycle anything also become fewer. Disposing of non-recyclable garbage is another stinky subject. Litter rustling around in the wind is a huge blight on the Patagonian landscape. And it accumulates every garbage day. In Natales, approximately 20,000 people put their garbage out to be collected at the same time, twice a week. On garbage day, residents hang their garbage bags, usually once-used, flimsy plastic grocery bags, from trees, or place them in holey raised baskets outside their houses. Then the mobs of hungry street dogs hunt down the town’s leftover grub, tearing open white bag after white bag,
far the wind will kite them. A project to eliminate plastic bags from Puerto Natales stores has been in the works, started by Enviu Foundation and Fundación Patagonia. They started a campaign to give out firm, reusable bags instead of flimsy plastic ones. But there has been some trouble getting this project off the ground. A better idea to help reduce the amount of plastic bags distributed every day is to simply BYOB. Bring your own bag or backpack to carry your purchases around town. If every tourist refused plastic bags, it would significantly reduce the landscape trash. Then, it’s only a matter of cleaning up the graveyards to once again enjoy the flowering calafate and mata bushes surrounding these pretty Patagonian cities.
Hotel Posada Tres Pasos Your country hotel...
Tel:(56) (2) 1969630
reservas@hotel3pasos.cl
Km.38 norte, Comuna Torres del Payne Patagonia Chile
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Trekker’s Spotlight:
Si tu destino es El Calafate, Cauquenes de Nimez Lodge te espera...
El Chalten to Villa O’Higgins by Casey Tane
Cauquenes de Nimes - Manzana 363 Calafate, Arg Tel 492306 www.cauquenesdenimez.com.ar
Jorge Montt 847 Fono 56-61-222774 Punta Arenas, Patagonia Chilena info@hostalbustamante.cl www.hostalbustamante.cl
568 Eberhard, Puerto Natales, Chile 56-61 412766 reservas@southwindhostel.cl • www.southwindhostel.cl Downtown Puerto Natales, located a half block from the main square.
You’ve done the W Paine, maybe you’ve even hiked the Full Circuit, and you’ve seen Torres del Paine. Beautiful of course, but if you’re like me, you wondered why there were buildings with generators, electricity and running water each night. If you’re hooked on seeing the Patagonian wilds and want to experience it in a more raw form, your perfect trip awaits. While it seems to be common knowledge among locals, many people are not aware that a route exists between El Chaltén, on the Argentinian side, and Chile’s Carretera Austral’s southern end,Villa O´Higgins. Start in El Chaltén, where a superior bit of municipal planning has resulted in not one, but TWO excellent and totally gratis campsites. Spend a night in El Chaltén and stock up with a bit of food. (It may even be better to buy some grub before you reach El Chaltén as prices are insanely high and there is no bank or ATM.) Start early in the morning he next day, which should be a Thursday in order to meet the ferry at Candellario Mancilla on Saturday. Head north on the only road leading out of town. There are many touristy types with extra seats in their rental cars, so hitching a ride shouldn’t be a problem. If you desire a more guaranteed form of travel, taxis or shuttles can be purchased from various locations in town. Ask around for the cheapest way to get to Lago del Desierto, which is approximately 40 km from El Chaltén. Upon arriving to Lago del Desierto, the road ends and the fork begins, where the traveler is faced with a choice. Option one: Shell out 40 Argintinean pesos (roughly $13 USD) and take La Lancha across the lake to Refugio Punte Norte, the northern end of the lake. Option two: Hoof it. Finding the trailhead can be slightly confusing, so ask one of gendarmes how to locate it if you’re not able to track it down. Walk the 4-5 hours to Punte Norte. I strongly suggest choosing the latter of the two. Paying 40 pesos for the catamaran would be like going to Disneyland and paying to skip Splash Mountain. The 12 km hike to Punte Norte, is an incredibly wild and beautiful walk, but in order to truly appreciate it, leave the gore tex, camera and ipod in your pack. Open your eyes, breathe in deep, and get soaked by the cool rain, while you soak in the solitude. Shortly after beginning the trek, you’ll enter areas densely forested by trees, which writhe
towards the sky in thick squiggles. It’s easy to feel like an ant strolling through a patch of 1970s shag carpet. When you finally drop down onto the beach, approximately five minutes before reaching Punte Norte, don’t forget to turn around and take a last look back at the lake. If the day is clear, you’ll see incredible views of Fitz Roy and Cerro Torre swathed in clouds. Upon arriving to Punte Norte, pitch your tent for free on the edge of the forest, or pay $10 USD for a bed in the comfy-looking refugio. On day two, head up the valley, past the collection of outbuildings, and locate the trail as it crosses a stream and turns uphill into the woods. From here it is about three hours to the border proper, and you can laugh as you pass signs informing you of your departure from Argentina and entrance into Chile. Both Chile and Argentina seem to have abandoned their forward border posts. However, on the Chilean side, the trail becomes a muddy singlewide road. It remains such for the final 3-4 hours to Candellario Mancilla, site of the Chilean Aduana, boat dock, and Hospedaje Santa Theresa. Justa Mancilla will serve you a warming meal for 3.000 Chilean pesos. She’s the daughter of José Candellario Mancilla, who arrived here in 1937. For another 1.000 pesos, Justa will permit you to camp on a large flat piece of land above her house, with absolutley stunning views of Lago O´Higgins, and its surrounding mountains. For the especially tired and cold, a bed in the Hospedaje is another option. The boat to Villa O´Higgins arrives every Saturday, around 11 a.m., but it doesn’t depart until 5.30 p.m. With this in mind, the trip could be shortened in one of two ways. Leave El Chaltén on a Friday, complete the whole 8-9 hour hike to Candellario Mancilla in one day, and catch the ferry the next afternoon. Or, for those in a hurry, leave El Chaltén very early on Saturday morning (in some sort of hired transport to the end of the road), and hike it all quickly so as to arrive by 5 p.m. and catch the boat. (Though this doesn´t leave much room for error.) No matter what you decide, remember that Candellario Mancilla is a beautiful place to spend a day doing nothing, playing Lewis & Clark and waiting for your ship to come in.
F u e l Eff i c i e n c y While trying to pack lightly, it helps to take your fuel into consideration. Bringing more fuel then you really need just means more weight to carry. On the other hand, not having enough fuel might mean a cold dinner. Here are a few ideas to make the most of your fuel... 1.
2. 3.
4.
Don´t over-boil your water; it can only get so hot. Leaving the water boiling after its first moment is a waste. Lighting the stove before you’re ready to start a boil is only heating the fresh air. Put a lid on your pot. It holds in the heat making for a faster boil. Use a wind screen. Wind carries the heat from under your pot and redirects it from your food. Using a wind shield aims the heat where you want it, up and under your pot. If you don´t have an aluminum wind screen, try making a shield using rocks from your campsite. Many outdoor manufactures (such as MSR) now make heat exchangers that fit around your pot as insulation. Between this and a wind screen, you’ll be able to cook in almost any weather conditions.
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Carmènere... Chilean Wine Guide by Carmen Gloria Barrios Rojas
Carménère is on its way to become Chile’s emblematic and differentiating vine stock, just like the Malbec in Argentina, the Tannet in Uruguay and the Tempranillo in Spain. This vine stock has its origins in Burdeos, France and is used as part of the blend for the great Bordeles wines. In 1850 a ‘filoxera’ crisis, an insect that eats up the roots of the grapevine, was responsible for the disappearance of the Carménère stock in Europe. Because of good luck though, during the second half of the nineteenth century, a visionary Chilean wine farmer began to substitute the traditional Spanish wine stocks with varieties of French ones like Cabernet Sauvignon, Cot, Merlot, Pinot and Carménère, that was actually mistaken for Merlot and therefore planted together. Almost three centuries went by before its identification in Chile. In 1993 Mr. Jean Michel Boursiquot, specialist in describing and identifying different wine, together with the Chilean wine specialist Philippo Pszcolkowski and wine expert Alvaro Espinoza, discovered that the Merlot in the wines of Carmen de Alto, was in reality Carménère. And that’s were the history starts being rewritten. It was concluded that apparently the grape had escaped the filoxera plague undamaged and arrived in Chile together with its vine stocks in the nineteenth century. Carménère has a rapid turnover and is an accessible and easy drinkable wine, liked by men as well as women and especially suitable for someone that’s a ‘red wine starter’. Thanks to its freshness and abundant taste, it is suggested with mild meat dishes with vegetables and fresh herbs. It combines especially well with lamb, poultry like chicken and duck, all types of cheese, tuna or whatever type of pasta and sauce.
Baron Philippe de Rothschild Reserva Carmenere Casa Silva Maipo Reserva Carmenere 2004 Los Lingues Gran Reserva Carmenere 2004 Concha y Toro Terrunyo Carmenere 2003 Perez Cruz Reserva Carmenere Limited Edition 2004 VOE Adobe (Vino Orgánico) Reserva Carmenere 2004 Tamaya Carmenere Reserva 2004 Tierra del Fuego Reserva Gran Reserva Carmenere Gentileza: Emporio de la Pampa Eberhard 302 Puerto Natales
erratic rock
Run by backpackers. Not businessmen.
erratic rock .5 -the crashpad
Miraflores 816 Puerto Natales
erratic rock -the original baquedano 719 Puerto Natales 56 61 410355
erratic rock 2
-bed & breakfast benjamin zamora 732 Puerto Natales 56 61 414317
erratic rock 3
-by popular demand errazuriz 567 Punta Arenas 56 61 221130
hostels • rental equipment • guides • information www.erraticrock.com
January.08
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el SOSIEGO HOSTEL
S TO R E • L AU N D RY S E RV I C E PA R K I N G Miraflores 798, Puerto Natales Phone 74502944 / 83169151 www.chamorromilosevic@yahoo.es
Parque de las Etnias Magallanicas Cultural attraction site horario: 7.30am-20.00pm fono 225312
Oink If You Have Eco-Love by Andrea Woodard
During a working holiday in Patagonia, my boyfriend, Jeremiah, and I noticed a fantastic recycling center and a bin for organic waste in the hostel we were staying at. We had just come from working on an organic farm in Argentina and were glad to see such awareness. I asked where they take the organic waste and got something to the affect of, “We’re working on it.Wish we had a garden or some place to compost, still trying to figure out a solution to the problem.” I thought to myself that there must be somewhere to put it--composting gardens, chickens, hogs? The next thing I knew, I was in the passenger side of a car with a heavy organic-waste bin at my feet, and Jeremiah at the wheel. The idea was for us to look around for an appropriate place to dump the waste. We ended up on a gravel road just outside of town. Barely 10 minutes into our mission, I spotted a fat mamma pig and a few piglets chasing her lowhanging teets. “Are you ready for some potentially awkward Spanish practice?” Jeremiah asked me. We pulled over next to the slanted house with a postcard
view of the Sound. A classic-looking gaucho came out to meet us with a look on his face that could only mean, “What the hell are these goofy gringos doing here and what could they be bringing me in that bin?” His smile brightened when we explained our idea, and he called his wife over, who thanked us with her warn smile. Many bins full of food scraps later, they still welcome us, ...“those silly gringos who save food scraps...”. One way to turn trash into treasure is by seperating “organic products” from nonedible waste and delivering it to a nearby farm. All it takes is a little effort and a desire to reuse waste. In fact, many pig raisers often turn to organic scraps to supplement their pigs’ diet. Plus, you’re reducing the amount of junk in landfills. Pigs eat pretty much anything: coffee grounds, mate, banana peels, any food leftovers. Just be careful, however, not to put the following in your “organic waste” bin, especially if you’re planning on feeding it to the pigs: bones and other animal parts (including skin and meat), avocado pits and other big seeds or pits.
wat e r
A 2kms de la Cueva del Milodón Tu publicidad puede estar aquí!! Llámanos al cel. 77090141 o escríbenos a sales@patagoniablacksheep.com
While trekking or climbing, the idea is to drink about three to four liters a day. But this really depends on where you are and what you are doing. In a hot desert, you´d probably want to double this, but a rest day at camp in mild weather would obviously require less. A good way to monitor your hydration level is to look at your urine output: Clear and copious is what you’re looking for. Bold yellow urine is a sure sign of dehydration, but remember that some vitamins will turn urine bright yellow; that´s different. If you’re feeling thirsty, then you’re already lacking up to a liter of water, and may have lost up to 20 percent of your endurance. Headaches or cramping are also signs of dehydration. Take time to drink. Don´t feel pressured by the clock or the team´s agenda. A clever group will schedule in regular drink breaks together. It´s better to drink small amounts of water over time than to guzzle down a quart in one sitting. This gives your body time to absorb the water, which is why it´s so important to continually drink all day. Torres del Paine is one of the last great destinations in the world where you CAN drink water fresh from streams and creeks along its trail. So, bottoms up!
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The Roller Coaster: Paine’s ‘Inner Circuit’ Dec. 13 I’m hanging in the Toore Bar, swilling cerveza. It’s only 11:30 p.m., allowing me to find a seat. It’s interesting how the bars fall in and out of favor here in Natales. A few years ago it was the now-defunct Kawaskar, then it was the Chill-e Bar, now Toore is THE place to party. After a while the Gremlins filter in. The Gremlins are a loose fitting group of boys, Natales born and raised, and bonded by a love for climbing. I met them on my first trip here 12 years ago and seen them grow into young men, now all in their 20s. Hugs go around, we down a few brews, and then I make an early exit at 1:30 a.m., as many of them won’t leave until it’s light out.
to solo the huge face of Escudo, probably the greatest adventure since Shackelton and crew survived a year and a half trapped in Antartica. We go to bed early, anticipating the long day ahead. Dec. 16 We awake at midnight, and although it is raining, we caffeinate and head out “just for a look.” It’s my wife’s birthday, and although I can’t wish her well in person, I plan to make her proud of me today. At about 3:30 a.m, we arrive at the head of the Valle del Silencio. The way is blocked, except for a narrow gap between the South and Central Towers. We
Dec. 14 I finally figure out how to get the meteorgram from the National Oceanic Atmospheric Association (NOAA). They forecast good weather for the next five days. Time to go to Paine. I give Marcos a call. He’s free, and so is Rodrigo. In three hours, we’re off to the park, food hastily thrown together, and excitement as we plan our adventure. In past years, I’ve worked in trekking groups with the Gremlins, hired them as porters for my own climbing adventures and gone to the local sport climbing crags and bouldering areas with them, but this is our first dedicated adventure together. Marcos drives us into the park via the new road. The weather is perfect, the vistas spectacular, and I beg them to stop at every large pullout so I can take photos of the Cuernos del Paine. We pull up to Hosteria de las Torres, and at half past 8 we start the 4-hour journey to Japanese Camp. As we don’t have a climbing permit, we’re not allowed to hunt any summits. Nevertheless, our intended excursion will push the boundaries of trekking. We glide steathily through Camp Torres, as we don’t want the rangers to ask us about our ice axes.We arrive to Japanese Camp just past midnight, erect my Himalayan 47 tent, and make dinner. For years I have dreamed of making this journey, to circumnavigate the South Tower of Paine, linking together the four major valleys of the park: Silencio, Ascension, Bader and Frances, via four high passes. This “Inner Cir- Steve with Marcos and Rodrigo, pushing the limits of trekking cuit” has never been attempted, and don our crampons, break out the ice axes and huck two of the high passes have never been completed. a left for the gap. The angle steepens as first light hits, illuminating the 3,000-foot walls on either side Dec. 15 After coffee, I ask Marcos, “Do you feel of the couloir. We move steadily and carefully, arrivit?” This question is a sort of litmus test that i have ing at the col between the Towers at 7 a.m. We have used over the last two years for a personality check. reached our first pass. On the other side, two couloirs drop down “It” could be anything, but if one has to ask what the “It” is, they automatically lose 50 points. Although in a concave angle that gradually steepens and hides it’s his second language, Marco immediatedly answers the entire descent. For the first time we rope up and “Yes, I do,” with such an infectious attitude that I am climb together, with me in the lead, placing terrible stunned. It’s the first 100 I have ever rewarded.When rock gear on the side for phsycological protection. I first met Marco Pardo he was barely a teen, already At the bottom, we cross a crevasse and head right inspired with the will to climb. In the last few years, for a nanutek, a towering island of rock amidst the he has married a gorgeous Belgium lady, fathered a Torres Glacier near the top of Ascension Valley. Here, beautiful child, and started a successful trekking and we take a break to cook, relax, and take in the view. sea kayaking business, BellaPatagonia. Rodrigo Re- The South and Central Tower rear up into the fog, stovich is his friend and right-hand man in the busi- and the drizzle turns into light snow. We head down, ness. The weather is not quite up to par, so we make then up to the base of a couloir that I hope will take a carry up the Valle del Silencio, and visit with Dave us into the next valley. The couloir is blocked by a Turner, my great American friend who is attempting 10-foot bershrund that initially looks impassable. Is
this the end of our attempt? But, then I spy a thin tongue of ice on the left that connects to the slope above. It’s the missing link. Four ropelengths of technical mixed climbing on snow and rock challenge us. Ice lies under the snow, requiring careful movement, and our crampons scrape the rock as I lead through on more dicey gear and bad anchors. We all realize this is no-fall territory, and luckily nobody makes a mistake. I hold my breath as I visit the top of the couloir, expecting a big cliff on the other side, and am SOOOO relieved to find a gradual talus slope that we can walk down. This is Bader valley, and the view takes my breath away. The day has cleared enough to view the hulking masses of the Cuernos del Paine, Mascara, Hoja and Espada. Towering over them in the next Valley is Paine Grande, the highest peak in the park, with a shroud of clouds surfing over and down its summit. Stunning, amazing, spectacular. We reach our second pass 2 p.m.Time to put the petal to the metal. We move down swiftly, too swiftly, as Rodrigo cuts loose a bowling-ball sized rock that gains momentum and hits Marco squarely in the leg. He cringes, and in an instant I envision an epic retreat down the Bader to safety. But luckily the rock hits the back of his boot, reducing the blow, and he is able to continue. We descend, this time more spread out for safety, and arrive at the glacier beneath the south face of the South Tower. The glacier is transluscent blue, like a lake frozen in time, and we take another food break in the middle, admiring the rock towers around us. Descending a bit further, we turn the corner around an unnamed 300meter rock formation, and move fast up more frozen terrain. Rodrigo has been here before on a scout mission, so we know the route will go at least up to the head of the Valley. At the valley’s top, at 7 p.m., we drill our first bolt of the mission and make three near vertical rappels into the Valle del Frances, where another glacier awaits us. Our daylight is quickly diminishing, and we take the last food break of our voyage before entering the crux of the entire route. While we can walk to the head of the pass, overlooking the Valle del Silencio, a 400-foot cliff lies on theother side. I have scoped this descent many times, but it’s still the biggest unknown of our trip. Without discussion, I prepare the first anchor, and lead the way. With a big breath, I turn on my headlamp, pound in a pin and a stopper, and rappel into one of the loosest cliffs I have ever seen. I kick off rocks, clearing the path, aware of the responsibility I have for my two Chilean buddies. Every anchor is problematic, requiring all my attention and skill. The descent lasts all night long, but at least the weather is windless and dry.
by Steve Sneider
Dec. 17 On the second anchor, Marcos and I take turns drilling two bolts, each taking about 45 minutes because the rock is so hard. It’s exhausting work, and we sweat while Rodrigo shivers above. On the next anchor Rodrigo and Marcos share the drilling duties while I nod off. Finally we make the last rappel and touch down on the glacier below, only to find the exclamation point to the inner circuit, a leap of faith over the lip of a bershrund into the soft pow below.Twenty minutes later, on sheltered ground, we shed our lifeline, and come upon our tracks to the first pass at about 5:30 a.m. We have taken 26 hours to complete this circuit. I give our route a name, the Roller Coaster, because of its severe up and down nature. It is really pushing the envelope for trekking. Of course, if I could find some hardy individuals, I would love to guide this path. It’s the most amazing trek I have ever done, and in the few hours that we have to our camp, both Rodrigo and Marco comment on the trek’s incomparable beauty. To see all the four valleys in a day is almost more than we can take in. At one point I turn to Marcos, and look into those shining eyes of his, now swelling shut from exhaustion, and again ask him “Do you feel it?” He answers a bit different this time: “Yes. I feel it.” We return to camp, 32 hours after leaving it, and like all my successful climbs in Patagonia, it is one of the happiest moments of my life.
www.aquanativapatagonia.com
Aqua Nativa Sea Kayak Patagonia
Travel. Discover. Paddle. Live.
Eberhar d 161 Puer to Natales, Chile ph 414143
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C ONV ENT IL L O HOSTAL - ALBERGUE
EL
Punta Arenas, Chile
Pje Korner 1034 Phone +56-61 242311 info@hostalelconventillo.com www.hostalelconventillo.com
Where the heros meet THE INDESTRUCTI B LE NALGENE If you’re not sure what a Nalgene bottle is, just find yourself a Yank; they will probably have one. These Lexan bottles are quickly becoming industry standard for trekkers and climbers. They are bullet-proof, won´t leak and are guaranteed for life. The little bottles are a must while trekking. The large mouth type makes for easier filling at water sources and allows for easy snow harvesting in alpine environments, even though they’re a little difficult to drink out of while walking. Here are some other cool uses for your Nalgene... 1. While making your nightly boil for dinner on the trail, boil an extra liter to keep in your Nalgene; it makes a great hot water bottle for your sleeping bag. This will raise the average temperature of your bag and do wonders for sore trekking feet. Throw your wet socks or gloves down there with the hot water bottle, and it will dry everything like an oven in your sleeping bag. 2. Want eggs on the trail? Before your first morning out, break a few eggs into a Nalgene for omelettes. This is a mess-free way of creating a breakfast upgrade. 3. Using a large mouth Nalgene to carry and protect dry and powdered goods is another great use. Whether it’s oatmeal or powdered soup mix for the long haul, a Nalgene can give you a hard, waterproof case.
by Thomas S Daly
As you pass from street to street, be it in Puerto Natales or Punta Arenas, navigating with your trusty street map, do you ever wonder why most of the street names are surnames and who these people actually are? Well, names of past Chilean Presidents take care of some of the names, but the streets also honor people and places with great significance in the area’s historic development. Here are a few principal street names from Puerto Natales. . .
• BULNES
• EBERHARD
Manuel Bulnes’ military victory over the Bolivian-Peruvian confederation in 1839, secured his personal victory of becoming President of the Republic (1841-1851).
• LADRILLEROS
• ESMERALDA
Juan Ladrilleros was a Spanish sailor who, in 1557, was sent by the Spanish government to find a sea exit from the Magellan Straits, west to the Pacific. Due to lack of food, energy and the loss of many men, he decided that the voyage into the body of water that surrounds Puerto Natales would be their last hope in reaching their goal. (Hence the name Ultima Esperanza, or Last Hope. Incidentally the Spanish government kept this blunder a secret for over 300 years!
• O´HIGGINS
• BAQUEDANO
The Liberator Bernardo O´Higgins, together with José de San Martín, crossed from Argentina with a Chile-Argentine army and finally drove out the Spanish. He restored Chile’s independence and became Chile’s first President in 1818.
• BLANCO ENCALADA The first Commander of the Chilean Navy, Manuel Blanco Encalada was born in Buenos Aires (1790), but later chose the land of his Chilean mother as his home. A great political figure, he was President of the Republic for a mere two months in 1826.
Hostel Excursions Ascents Ranch Tourism Kayaking Horse Riding Welcome to the world of Adventure. Welcome to Patagonic People Adventure. Bulnes 280 Puerto Natales, Chile Phone 412014 www.patagonicpeopleadventure.com
• ARTURO PRATT A valiant naval captain who died at the Battle of Iquique (1879), when he boarded a Peruvian Ironclad ship (The Huascar), accompanied by only one sergeant. The name of Captain Arturo Pratt’s ship in the Battle of Iquique.
• TOMAS ROGERS Juan Tomas Rogers, an English Captain serving in the Chilean Navy, was the first visitor to arrive at Perito Moreno Glacier. On arrival, he named it Francisco Gomaz in honor of the expedition. Many years later the Argentineans renamed it in honor of Perito Francisco Perito Moreno, an Argentine hydrographer. General Manuel Baquedano defeated Peru at the Battle of Los Angeles (March 1880), captured Arica (May 1880), and later captured Lima (Jan 1881).
• CHORRILLOS The site of the first battle in the wave to take Lima, Peru (Jan 1881).
• BALMACEDA José Balmaceda, leader of a liberal anticlerical group, prevented Argentina from entering the war of the Pacific in 1878. As President of the Republic (1886-91), he introduced a wide reform program, which led to civil war. He later fled to Argentina where he committed suicide.
Captain Hermann Eberhard was an explorer and first settler of the Province of Ultima Esperanza. He named the hill that overlooks Puerto Natales after his first daughter, Dorotea. Lago Sofia is named after his second daughter. In 1892, it was actually one of his workers who discovered the famous Milodon Cave, where the remains of various prehistoric animals were found, including sabertoothed tigers, camels, deer and of course the giant sloth milodon.Today, the Eberhard family still lives on their estancia at Puerto Consuelo.
• KRUGER Ricardo Kruger was a government official posted at Puerto Consuelo when the Argentinian warship (The Azopardo) arrived in 1896 to claim the area in the name of Argentina. Kruger declined to lower the Chilean flag and the Argentineans left without fuss. Due to this event the Chilean government populated Puerto Pratt as a warning station for future attempts by the Argentine navy.
• PILOTO PARDO
Captain Luis Pardo was a sailor who risked his life, and those of his men, to rescue the 22 castaways from the Endurance (Shackleton Expedition 191516). His tugboat “The Yelcho,” had no double hull, no heating, no electric light and no radio. Despite the courageous acts of Pardo and his crew, Shackleton only mentioned Pardo’s name once in his 386-page book-- in the preface!
• PEDRO MONTT
Son of the President Manuel Montt Towers. He himself became President of the Republic between 1906-1910.
Blue Green Adventures www.bluegreenadventures.com
Torres del Paine
Trekking programs Departing weekly 990 UDS
Bulnes 1200 Puerto Natales, Chile
phone 56-61 410009
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Reducir el Impacto Ambiental por la Cámara de Turismo de Ultima Esperanza La Cámara de Turismo de Ultima Esperanza desea que usted sea un turista activo en la protección del medio ambiente. Para nosotros es muy importante minimizar el impacto mientras usted viaja por nuestra región. Aquí le brindamos algunos consejos e información que puede recordar y aplicar mientras viaja. Sabemos que algunos de estos consejos pueden ser más difíciles de realizar cuando se está de viaje, sin embargo, con sólo que usted ponga en práctica algunos de estos tips, mientras esté en nuestro país y en su casa, realmente estará contribuyendo a reducir el impacto ambiental en el planeta. Nuestras sugerencias 1. Utilice en los tours, botellas que puedan reciclarse. Las más aconsejables son las botellas de alumnio o plástico especiales para trekking que se pueden adquirir en tiendas de artículos outdoors. Esta puede llenarla de agua potable fácilmente en restaurantes, hoteles, etc Así, evitará comprar más botellas desechables durante su viaje. 2. Evite el uso excesivo de envolturas y bolsas plásticas cuando haga compras, ya que aun por el artículo más pequeño siempre le entregarán una bolsa plástica. Indíquele al vendedor el porqué usted no requiere de una bolsa adicional. 3. Si realiza compras en verdulerías o fruterías lleve su propia bolsa o haga que le coloquen todas sus compras en una sola bolsa grande, en lugar de varias pequeñas. 4. También se puede reducir la cantidad de basura que usted produce como resultado del viaje utilizando una cámara digital en lugar de usar un rollo de película. El proceso de revelado puede producir muchos desechos con las fotos no deseadas o no reciclables, que muchas veces terminan en la basura. 5. Utilice un contenedor reutilizable para el jabón, así puede utilizar su propio jabón y evite utilizar los jaboncitos pequeños de los hoteles por la mitad. Si utiliza el jabón del hotel, llévese el jabón restante con usted, sino de todas formas va ha ser desechado por el hotel. 6. Si su hotel tiene la política de minimizar el uso de toallas y sábanas, trate de apoyarlos. Recuerde apagar las luces y el aire acondicionado cuando salga de su habitación. 7. Trate de utilizar jabones biodegradables, bloqueador solar y repelente orgánico. 8. Evite el uso excesivo de productos cosméticos, ej. laca, mousse, loción para después de afeitarse, perfume, etc. Si usted debe utilizarlos, trate de buscar los que sean amigables con el ambiente, ej. champú biodegradable, desodorantes cristalinos que duran más, etc. La mayoría de los envases de estos productos no son reciclables. 9. Evite usar productos desechables, ej. razuradoras plásticas, lentes de contacto desechables, etc. 10. Trate de utilizar pilar recargables o elimine el uso de pilas por completo, ej. utilice linterna solar. Jamás bote una pila desechable en la naturaleza. Si desea botar una pila no recargable, en Puerto Natales existen contenedores especiales para estas. (ej. Correos de Chile, hotes) 11. Siempre que esté disponible, utilice papel reciclado para las cartas, diarios de viaje, papel
higiénico, etc. 12. Ahorrar electricidad: luces, televisores, radios, computadoras y aire acondicionado. Si no los está utilizando, apáguelos. 13. Evite consumir comidas que provienen de especies en peligro de extinción (investigue al respecto antes de visitar el país). 14. Cuando viaje, considere utilizar productos medicinales naturales como una alternativa para las enfermedades comunes. Evite además desechar los medicamentos en el agua local o la tierra (este es un problema que se ha detectado en países desarrollados, ya que afectan los organismos acuáticoss). 15. Evite comprar fósiles o souvenirs hechos de plantas o animales en peligro de extinción u otros no permitidos por el SAG (Servicio Agrícola y Ganadero) 16. Al comprar souvenirs apoye los artículos que están hechos de recursos renovables. 17. No coleccione insectos, flora y fauna. Déjelos donde todo el mundo pueda disfrutar de ellos. 18. Contrate a un guía local cuando no viaje en grupo, los guías pueden brindarle una interpretación más profunda de las áreas naturales que visite. 19. Evite alimentar, amenazar o tocar los animales salvajes en todo momento. 20. Evite los ruidos molestos y movimientos bruscos cuando esté observando animales y plantas en su estado natural. No olvide: 1. Respetar las diferencias culturales y la vestimenta. Siempre pida permiso para tomar una foto a una persona. 2. Utilizar marcas de comidas y bebidas locales, esto ayuda a las comunidades locales. 3. Comprar artículos y souvenirs hechos a mano confeccionados por los artesanos locales. Temas Ambientales Locales... 1. Investigue cuáles son los temas ambientales más importantes en el país. Las buenas practicas ambientales (ej. reducir, reutilizar, reciclar, etc.) casi siempre son las mismas en diferentes países, pero existen temas específicos que pueden ser diferentes (ej. diferentes opciones de reciclaje, diversas especies y habitats en peligro de extinción, distintas leyes y políticas, etc.) 2. Converse de estos temas con la gente que se encuentre. Se habla mucho del cuidado Ambiental, pero no siempre se practica mucho. 3. Piense en el lugar donde usted come y donde se hospeda y trate de colaborar en los negocios que sean más amigables con el medio ambiente. 4. En Puerto Natales existen programas y oportunidades de voluntariado con organizaciones orientadas al ambiente, tales como AMA Torres del Paine y Fundación Patagonia. Si tiene tiempo e interés, apoye estos esfuerzos por medio del voluntariado o con donaciones. ¡Gracias por apoyar nuestros esfuerzos!
Cámara de Turismo de Última Esperanza les da la bienvenida y les desea un buen viaje Phillipi 600, mod.28. Pueblito Artesanal www.camaraturismoue.com camaraturismoue@yahoo.es - Fono 415721
La Protectora Animal Shelter: In real need of help by Bruce Willett The Punta Arenas humane society, La Protectora de Punta Arenas, is in desperate need of help! Although they provide critical services for stray animals, they are close to shutting down due to lack of resources. Operating on a very limited budget in a town with a huge population of stray dogs, La Protectora (or Corporacion de la Defensa de los Derechos de los Animales, CODDA) runs the southernmost animal shelter in the world. Founded in 1990, by Senora Elia Tagle, to stop the cruel poisoning of stray dogs by the local and federal governments (which used strychnine), the nonprofit also runs essential sterilization and educational programs. They help local pet owners by providing a low-cost spay-neuter program, and they educate the public on responsible pet ownership. La Protectora receives no public funding and stretches their $20,000 a year budget as far as possible, with the help of volunteers, donations of money and out of date food. What can you do to help? Financially, make a donation. Visit
their web site with a PayPal account. Or better yet, stop by in person. La Protectora is located on the outskirts of Punta Arenas on the road to Club Andino at Avenida Circunvalación 1950. You can also help pressure the local and regional governments to support La Protectora. Write a letter to the editor of La Prensa Austral, the Punta Arenas-based regional paper, discussing how this issue affects tourism. The more letters they receive, the more local officials will respond. Draw attention to the issue by speaking with tourist-related businesses, such as travel agencies, tourist offices, and hostels. This helps raise the awareness of locals, who want happy tourists and a good reputation for their town. Volunteers are always needed as well. They need help with animal care, cleaning, building maintenance, marketing, and fundraising.Whatever you can do to help, will be greatly appreciated by the staff of La Protectora, the dogs and cats of Punta Arenas, and locals and travelers alike.
r u c k s ac k s & r a i n Waterproofing your pack Water is heavy. A quart of water weighs about two pounds. A rucksack full of rainwater would be impossible to lift. This is why folks buy backpack covers, but they’re expensive. They weigh up to half a pound and usually leave much of your pack exposed anyway. Plus down here in Patagonia, the wind is prone to grab the flimsy cover up like a kite and set it flying. What’s more, they won´t even protect your pack if it takes a dip in a creek or river. Tip: Try lining your pack with a heavy-duty trash bag. A regular garbage bag is fine too, but the thicker the better. The trash bag offers FULL protection for everything in your pack, without having to carry the extra weight of an pricy backpack cover. Just be careful not to rip a hole in the bag while packing. And remember to have the top storage pouch lined at all times. When you’re ready to turn in for the night, just pull the plastic bag out of your wet backpack and move it--and your dry gear-into your tent with you. The outside of your pack might spend the night a little wet, but it’ll dry easily when the sun pops out. Next time the clouds open up and dump rain without notice, everyone will scramble to protect their packs. But not you. You’ll be calm as a Hindu cow, knowing all your cloths and gear are wrapped and waterproof safely in a plastic bag.
Locally owned & operated. Coffee Shop Souvenirs Horseback Rides ovejeropatagonico@gmail.com +56-61-691932 Cerro Castillo - Torres del Paine
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A Walk Through the Streets of Punta Arenas
by Jonathan Teuchert
There’s not always bad weather in Patagonia, sometimes the sun even shines. On such days, Punta Arenas invites for a walk, or even a jog. Here’s a scenic little journey through the history of Punta Arenas, and a free alternative to visiting the penguins. Starting point...
1. Plaza, Heart of Punta Arenas The central place of Punta Arenas has two important memorials. In the middle of the small square, you’ll notice the highly visible Statue of Magellan, the Portuguese explorer, who discovered the Strait of Magellan under the Spanish flag in 1520. Aside his socket, you will find the figures of two indigenous people, who came into contact with the Magellanic expedition: The Patagones (‘large feet’) or synonymously the Aonikenk with their characteristic bandeau, which lived north of the Magellan Strait in the vast pampas of Patagonia; and the Selknam of Tierra del Fuego, whose camp fires inspired the name of the island south of the Magellan Strait. This monument was initiated on the occasion of the 400th anniversary of Magellan’s great discovery in 1920.
Next to Magellan, overshadowed by the trees of the plaza, you will also find the bust of José Menendez, considered one of the most important entrepreneurs during the economic growth of Punta Arenas in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Born in the Spanish region of Asturia in 1846, he died on Tierra del Fuego in 1918. His bust was erected in 1975. The pavement surrounding the statue of Magellan indicates the four points of the compass, so if you feel a bit lost, this is a good place to regain your orientation.
2. Avenida de Colón between Bories and Lautaro Navarro At the crossing with Bories, you will find a statue honoring Juez Waldo Seguel. From 1894 to 1913, he was head of the Justice in Punta Arenas. His memorial was initiated in 1997. If you now turn south, you will see a huge condor that appears to sit in the trees in the median strip of Avenida Colón. The ‘Condor Chileno,’ is the oldest existing statue in Punta Arenas erected on the 100th anniversary of the independence of Chile, so it has been standing there since 1910. Finally, when going a bit further south to
the crossing of Lautaro Navarro, you will find the bust of Cardinal Antonio Samorè, which was uncloaked in 1998/99. This Italian chaplain became famous in the southern end of America through his commitment during the Argentinian-Chilean border disputes in 1978. As you walk on from the Plaza to the Avenida Colón, you will just have to turn straight north to reach the famous viewpoint on top of the hill, from where you can look down on the rooftops of Punta Arenas and might even get a glimpse of Tierra del Fuego.
3. Avenida Bulnes - Sarmiento At the beginning of the apparently never-ending avenue of monuments in Punta Arenas, Bulnes, you’ll be welcomed by its eponymous; the former Chilean President Manuel Bulnes Prieto, sitting on his horse. It was him who initiated colonization in this far end of Chile by ordering the erection of Fuerte Bulnes in 1843, situated some 62 kilometers southwest of Punta Arenas.
4. Avenida Bulnes – Vicente Reyes Now you’ll pass by the cemetery situated to the right, which is often coined the the second most beautiful cementary in Latin America, after Buenos Aires. After this, you’ll find the ‘Monumento al Ovejero,’ the monument of the shepherd,
Lake District & Patagonia
which was erected in 1944. It symbolizes Punta Arenas’ ‘white gold’ during the years after 1877, when Governor Don Diego Dublé Almeida introduced 300 pure-bred Merino sheep from the Falklands. This arrangement is also a homage to an important poet of the region, José Grimaldi (1911-1992). His famous poem ‘El Ovejero de Mi Tierra’ (The Shepherd of My Country), is illustrated through this monument, and there is a bust of Grimaldi just on the side. Around the shepherd’s monument, you will find several open books. These offer a good possibility to get a first impression of the art of Señor Grimaldi.
5. Avenida Bulnes - Mapuche Now you enter what I informally call the ‘Croatian Sector’, with its heart-piece the ‘Monumento al Immigrante Croata’ that honors the most important group of immigrants in Punta Arenas. It was erected in 1970 and created by Miodrag Siskovic, a Punta Arenas townsfolk with Croatian roots. The same artist also created the monument for the killed workers of the labor movement during the years 1921-1922, which you will find just a couple of meters in front the main monument and which is two years older. But that’s not all of it yet, since 2004 a small bust honors Marco Marulic, the famous Croatian author who lived in Split from 1450 to 1524. Did you know that almost 50 percent of Punta Arenas’ population descends from Croatian immigrants? If you don’t believe it, you should visit the cementery and read some of the names on the graves. As a matter of fact, next to the ones mentioned already, you will also find a homage from the Croatian people to the city of Punta Arenas, erected in 2000 on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of Croatian independence.
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Free Paine Campsites Spotlight: Campamento Italiano
Campamento Italiano got its name long ago from an Italian climbing expedition to climb the Cuernos. After being just a climbers campsite for years, from 1980 onwards Italiano is an official free Conaf campsite. In 2002 the first park rangers where stationed there, mostly to prevent tourists from starting forest fires. They were guarding the area, but without facilities, they lived in tents. In 2004 a guard hut was built in Italiano, all materials arrived carried by humans. The number of people spending the night at Italiano has been growing ever since. In high season there are counted up to 150 tents a night at the campsite. Using this campsite is a great way to visit Valle del Frances with less time constraints. Waking up in the morning in Italiano gives ample time to see the Valley and move on to your next camp before dark. This valley got its name from a Frenchman that used to have cattle in the area.The animals were more in the area around Pehoe and Italiano and were never really found up in the valley. The valley was named after a Frenchman named Bader. The valley between Valle del Frances and Valle Ascencio still bares his name,Valle Bader. Right now the only facilities in Italiano are restrooms. The campsite is situated in a Lenga tree forest that offers trekkers a lot of protection from wind & rain. Valle del Frances tends to attract bad weather.This together with the growing number of people staying there, a new project was put into motion and a hut was built to protect campers while cooking and relaxing, out of the weather.
Where in the World...? Cool web site meets tracking technology EXpeNews, created by Chilean mountaineer and scientist Camilo Rada, is a web site that allows expeditions to easily communicate their location and progress to family and friends. Anyone with a satellite phone can send text messages to EXpeNews. Upon receiving a text message, the site automatically locates the expedition’s coordinates and shows where they are on a tracking map. ExpeNews currently has no external funding, so it is open to donations, which will make it possible to enhance the site and keep it online. www.expenews.org
Will Work for Pisco Sour In Chile, the food is not sophisticated, but it is delicious. There is a wide variety of meats, including lamb, pork, beef, fish, shellfish, and poultry. If you´re lucky enough, you´ll taste guanaco, ñandu, boar, or deer. (A lot of meat... good luck if you are a vegetarian!) But you´ll also find good, strong drinks. The Chileans have a pisco culture. Pisco is like a whiskey made from grapes. They are very keen on making drinks based on pisco and there are many pisco-mixed drinks out there. The first in line is a Pisco Sour. Try different Pisco Sours in different places because they can be made differently. There is also a great Calafate Sour based on the same mix. But you can also make them yourself in your hostel, or even once you get home.
Pisco Sour • • • • •
3 parts pisco 1 part lemon juice Icing sugar 1 egg white Ice cubes
Blend the pisco and lemon juice. While blending, add powdered sugar to taste, the egg white, and the ice cubes. In a minute, it will be ready to drink. In some families, it is almost a tradition to welcome guests with a toast of pisco sour, so go for it and enjoy!
Loving Torres del Paine Agrupacion Medioambiental Torres del Paine (AMA Torres del Paine) was created in 2004 to address environmental issues and to protect the wilderness within Torres del Paine National Park. The group’s work includes: addressing environmental issues of concern to those who live and work in the park; educating the local community and visitors about the benefits of caring for the environment; trail improvement; improving the ability to respond to fires; and supporting environmental research projects in the Park. Volunteer efforts and donations from the public help support the group’s efforts. To learn more, visit their web site: www.amatorresdelpaine.org
Get Your Grub On What Patagonia Bored with dried pasta meals and 5Tastes Like minute rice dinners that seem to come in huge variety, yet all taste the same? Don’t feel like setting up your stove every night, or looking for an alternative lunch? Ready for a healthy, light weight breakfast suggestion? Is there something out there that will help you survive cold Patagonian nights in a tent? Yes, yes, yes! Here are a few recipes to add a little spice to your trip. Bill’s Trekkers Breaky For a ‘W’ breakfast for two you’ll need... • 1 box of instant oatmeal (Quaker, Avena Instantanea) • 1 can of Svelty powdered milk. (Don’t go for the cheaper brand. Your breakfast will taste so much better if you just go for Svelty) • 1 bag of brown sugar, which you can find at the pharmacy. Toss oatmeal in a resealable Ziploc bag and add powdered milk and sugar to taste. In the morning all you have to do is put your cup into the Ziploc bag, add some boiling water, and you’re ready to go for it another day. For some variation, take a bag of jam or some dried fruit to flavor up your oats. Wrap It Up For this alternative lunch or cold dinner for two, you’ll need... • 1 pack of integral tortillas, which you can find at Vergel on Blanco Encalada. • 250 grams of cream cheese • Aji Pebre (some spicy goodness that you can find the small bottles, next to the ketchup. • 1 pack of Serrano ham • Handful of white raisins (pasas blancas) • Handful of fresh cilantro Mix the cream cheese with some Aji Pebre to taste and spread it on the tortillas. Divide the Serrano ham onto each tortilla, sprinkle on some chopped up raisins, finish it all off with cilantro, and wrap these bad boys up. Provecho!
by Sandra Pendelin
Travelling trough Patagonia often includes strong winds, rain and frosty temperatures. But there is something to warm and comfort you. Good cazuela soup. Chileans love this meal, which belongs to their cocina criolla (tradicional cuisine). It’s a perfect combination of rice, potatoes, seasonal vegetables, including pumkin, corn, and carrots as well as big chunks of meat, like chicken or hen, Cazuela has its origin in a typical Spanish meal, the olla podrida. It was first served on Chilean territory in 1826 to the Spanish admiral Blanco Encalada. Other typical Chilean main dishes include pastel de choclo (corn pie with mincemeat, chicken and egg), empanadas (with mincemeat, cheese, or seafood pies), charcicán (a Chilean stew of mincemeat and vegetables), and humitas con ensalada chilena (flavored mashed corn served in its own leaf with a tomato-onion salad). To sate the sweet tooth, there are also very lovely desserts, such as mote con huesillos (sweet, canned peaches with wheat) or semola con salsa de vino tinto (semolina stewed in a redw ine sauce). If you are in Puerto Natales and want to taste some of this delicious food, you might try La Casa de Pepe restaurant on Tomas Rogers 131, in the Plaza de Armas. (www.lacasadepepe.de)
Candola If you’re in your tent with all your layers on and still freezing your toes off, consider walking up to the refugio and buying a box of wine. For this typical Chilean recipe you’ll need... • A box of wine • Sugar • Skin of half an orange • A couple of sticks of cinnamon • And… to get out of that cozy sleeping bag to put up your stove Mix all the ingredients up in a pot, add sugar to taste and heat until you can just drink it, but the alcohol is still in there. Sleep tight!
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Corporación de Defensa de los Derechos de los Animales (CODDA) Wondering what’s up with all the street dogs?
They need your help. Please donate! To make a donation or volunteer, call (56-61) 262 607 or email perros@chileaustral.com
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The Legendary Penguins of Patagonia Every year in mid September the first black and white heads timidly pop out of the cold water from the Staight of Magellan. Spring has begun and soon the first brave Magellanic penguin steps onto one of Patagonia’s lone pebble beaches, just like their anscesters have done for thousands of years. Only males arrive at the beginning, but it doesn’t take long for the females to join the males and start finding their soul mates for the sole but definite purpose of reproduction. They then stay all summer until their chicks are big enough to join their parents at the end of March on their long journey north. There are five colonies that you can visit around Punta Arenas: Seno Otway, Isla Magdalena, Cabo Virgenes, Tucker Islet and Ruppert Islet. All of contain the same species: Magellanic Penguins (Spheniscus magellanicus). So what are your options? Pretty much all tour operators and travel agencies in Punta Arenas offer daily departures to Seno Otway in the afternoon, from 4:00 to 5:00 p.m., picking folks up at their accommodations. It’s an hour drive through the Patagonian pampas to reach private property, where about 11,000 penguins nest. The landlord officially opened his terrain for visitors on October 15, 2007, and will close it up at the end of March, when the penguins start to head north.This year, the entrance fee at Seno Otway is 4.500 pesos. Starting this year, there’s also a fee of 1.000 pesos to use the private road, which is the only way to access the colony. The ferry boat that connects Punta Arenas
and Porvenir takes you to Isla Magdalena on Tuesdays,Thursdays and Saturdays, but it doesn’t start operating until the end of November or beginning of
December. There’s about 120,000 penguins on Isla Magdalena. This excursion begins at “Tres Puentes” port, which you can reach from down town Punta Arenas by hopping on one of the colectivos, either nº 15 or 20. The price for this tour will be 20.000
pesos, including entrance fee. Every day at 7:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. (weather permitting), you can catch a fast zodiac boat across the Straight of Magellan to Isla Magdalena and Isla Marta. The latter island is home to about 1,000 sea lions, who consider Isla Magdalena their special penguin restaurant. This is an adventurous yet safe alternative to the ferry. Price: 32.000 pesos, including the shuttle transfer from/to Punta Arenas and to/from the dock and the entrance fee. The Eastern entrance of the Straight of Magellan is called Cabo Virgenes. Nearby, on Argentine soil, is a penguin colony that is said to be the second largest in South America (after Punta Tombo), with about 200,000 birds. It is best reached by joining a tour from Rio Gallegos or by renting a car and driving the dirt road southeast of Rio Gallegos yourself. It’s a pretty big distance, but the chances that you and the penguins will be the only ones there are pretty good! Price from Rio Gallegos: 120 Argentinian pesos plus 15ARP entrance fee. A visit to Tucker Islet is only possible byjoining one of the weekly expedition cruises from Punta Arenas to Ushuaia onboard the Mare Australis or Via Australis. Prices for the 5 day/4 night cruise start at USD 1,150 per person. To get there, you can join a Humpback Whale Watching tour that runs from December to April from/to Punta Arena. The penguin colony has an estimated 20,000 members. This season’s prices for the 3 day/2 night all-inclusive tour is USD 900 per person.
Punta Arenas Museums Museo Salesiano Av. Bulnes 374 South Patagonian culture, history and nature. $2.000 Tue.-Sun. a.m.: 10:00-12:30 Tue.-Sun. p.m.:15.00-18.00 Museo Regional Magallanes 949, next to the plaza ph (61) 244216 The former mansion of Mauricio Braun, containing regional history. Tue.-Sat.: $1.000, Sun.: free Tue.-Sat.: 10:30-17:00 Sun.: 10:30-14:00 Museo Naval y Marítimo Pedro Montt at O´Higgins ph (61) 205479 Shipwrecks, cartography, meteorology, local and national maritime history. Tue.-Sat. a.m.: 9:30 - 12:30 Tue.-Sat. p.m.: 14:00 - 17:00
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What are the highlights of PA center? To start with, the plaza. It’s a nice square surrounded by old trees and with an outstanding central monument honoring Magellan, the Portuguese discoverer. Walk four blocks up from the plaza to the mirador de la Cruz where you have a beautiful view of Tierra del Fuego Island and the Strait of Magellan. You can also depart from the plaza along Magallanes Street to visit the cemetery which is considered one of the most beautiful in South America, reflecting the many explorers and pioneers who created the cosmopolitan Punta Arenas society. On your way back visit the Salesian museum which will give you a full overview of the regional flora, fauna and indigenous cultures. And next door you can visit the enormous Don Bosco church.
How to get to Torres del Paine from Punta Arenas? Most people make a stop over in the town of Puerto Natales. However, there are straight buses to Torres del Paine. For more info ask at Buses Barria.
Mario Toledo
Julia Garay
Caupolican
Quillota
Jorge Montt
O‘Higgins
Magallanes
Lautaro Navarro
I. Carrera Pinto
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Jose Menedez Pedro Montt
Waldo Seguel Av. España
How far is Torres del Paine from here? 4.5 hrs. to the new park entrance at Rio Serrano. 5hrs to Laguna Amarga entrance.
Sarmiento
Mejicana
Av. Colon
Can I drink the tap water? Yes, tap water is absolutely safe. Does Punta Arenas have a camping? Not at walking distance from the centre.
Downtown Punta Arenas, Chile
Croacia Pl. Sampaio
Maipu
Roca
Fagnano Errazuriz Balmaceda
Av. Independencia Boliviana
21 de Mayo
Where can I change money? There are a couple of agencies, mainly concentrated on Lautaro Navarro between Pedro Montt and Fagnano.
What are my penguin options? 1) Tours leave every afternoon to Seno Otway. 2) Ferry to Isla Magdalena afternoon on Tue, Thu, and Sat. 3) Zodiac boat trips in the morning and afternoon to Isla Magdalena – every day.
Arauco
How do I know where the colectivos go? There are no plans or maps. People just know... or they don’t. It always says on the sign, but then they blast by you, it’s difficult to read. Have fun! How much do taxis cost? All taxis have a taximeter, in and around the centre you should pay between 1500 and 2500 pesos.
How many people live here? About 120.000. That’s about 0.8% of Chile’s total population.
How far is the airport out of town? About 20km or 30 minutes.
Angamos
When are store open? Except for the supermarkets and farmacies, everything opens around 9:30am and is closed around lunch time between 13:00 and 15:00pm. Also on Sundays most shops are closed, except for the supermarkets.
What’s with all the street dogs? Do they bite? Yes, gringos only.
Av. Bulnes
Is there any public transportation? Yes! “Micro” is the name for our public buses. A great option to get to know Punta Arenas. Just hop onto one take it as far as it goes – which is until you are the last one on the bus an the driver nevously starts to look at you all the time and then just ask him to take you back to the “centro.” “Colectivos” are car-type public transportation. Like a bus, they have a defined route, but they “collect” people along the road, so you may hop on and off. Both options a pretty inexpensive.
How much is an airport transfer? A taxi to the airport usually costs 5.000 CLP. From the airport to town you’d usually pay about 8.000 CLP. The difference is due to the concession that the taxi companies have to wait for you at the airport. The ones that don’t have this concession may only take you to the airport, but may not wait there. There are also minibus shuttles.
Bories
Are there tours to the park from Punta Arenas? Most of the travel agencies in Punta Arenas can organise trips to the park. Be aware that a “full day Torres del Paine” will be a very long bus ride. However, if you’re short of time…
When does ski season start? Depending on snow conditions of course about June – August. You can see the Strait of Magellan from the slopes.
Jose Nogueira
Where is the bus station? Unfortunately Punta Arenas doesn’t have a central bus station. Every company has its own terminal somewhere in the centre. There are numerous buses to Natales until 8pm. Buses to Argentina and to Torres del Paine National Park are a little less frequent.
Can I reach the end of the continent? From Punta Arenas the road continuous about 60 km south. From there it is about a three days hike to Cabo Froward which is the southernmost tip of South America´s continent.
What type of day tours are there? Options include: Penguin Colonies. Historic Fuerte Bulnes (some operatores include side trips to Laguna Parriar National Forest) Also recommended.
Chiloe
Why are there ropes on the main square corners? Punta Arenas is a windy city especially in spring time and summer with winds up to 120 km/h. The ropes are put up to prevent people from being blown into the street.
Is P.A. safe at night? Yup, no worries.
Is there a boat to Ushuaia? Yes, a fancy ship called the “Expedition Cruise.”
Armando Sanhueza
What does Punta Arenas mean? Punta Arenas means “sandy point” after its sandy soil and rocky beaches. A swim however isn’t recommended with an average water temperature of 5 degrees C.
How far to Puerto Natales, Provenir & Ushuia? 250 km to Puerto Natales. 40 km as the crow flies to Porvenir, about 2.5 hrs by ferry, 600 km to Ushuaia via Primera Angostura.
Señoret
What is ‘downtown’ Punta Arenas? Mainly the blocks around the plaza which are shown on the map.
Punta Arenas, Chile • Q&A
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Punta Arenas, Chile
Growing up wild in Patagonia...
Streaked Maiden Camanilla Olsynium biflorum
Arvejilla Lathyrus magellanicus
Anémona/Centella Anemone multifida
Zapatito de la Virgen Calceolaria uniflora
Dog Orchid Palomita Codonorchis lessonii
Mata Negra Junellia tridens
Chloraea magellanica Orquídea Porcelana
Orquídea Araucana Gavilea araucana
Firebush Ciruelillo/Notro Embothrium coccineum
Buttercup Hierba de la Vaca Ranunculus peduncularis
Field Chickweed Cuernecita/Cerasito Cerastium arvense
Lady’s Slipper Capachito/Topa-Topa Calceolaria biflora
Cadillo/Amor Seco Acaena ovalifolia
These are just a few of the wildflowers you can find in Torres del Paine National Park and around Patagonia this time of year. Reunite with your inner florist and get out there among the orchids and lady slippers. To further sate your fancy for flora identification, try to get your hands on Flora Torres del Paine: Guia del Campo/Field Guide, published by Editorial Fantastico Sur. Photo credits: Christina Cooke,Veronica Irribarra, and Heather Poyhonen.