But there was much to see and the views on the drive didn't disappoint.
We stopped at Parque Patagonia Valle Chucabuco. This park has many guanacos which are animals in the family of lamas or alpacas. We got behind a BMW GS motorcycle which was going slow. This was OK since as we headed up a hill we saw a guanaco in the distance. Abi pulled over and several more guanacos came out from behind a hilly area. Young Sis, Nephew and I got out to get some pictures as we walked closer. It was surprising how close we could get. I'm not sure if they are naturally not very wary or just habituated, but at one point I was within 25 yards of a rather large group of them. I thought about trying to ride one of them, but I suspect it would not go very well; they are also known to spit like lamas do.
From a distance, they look pretty regal. Up close they are a bit shaggy looking.
Back in the truck we drove a little farther into the park. We saw another group which was even larger. But we didn't have much else to do in the park so we turned around and headed out. As we were leaving the area, several more guanacos were in the road trying to be road kill. They managed to avoid all the vehicles - at least while we were driving past.
We continued south and into the town of Cochrane. Cochrane is quite a bit larger than PRT - still a small town by North American standards. Through Cochrane by a crazy detour route, we headed to Reserve Tamango to hike for a while. We had to check in at the Federale station before taking the route along the river. This reserve is known to have huemule which are deer-like animals that are endangered. Pictures in the Federale station showed that the males have antlers, but there were very small (by North American Whitetail standard anyway).
As with most of the other hikes, the views didn't disappoint.
It was a little tougher going after two back-to-back days with fairly aggressive hikes. We continued on, passing a waterfall which was pretty, even if the flow wasn't too high.
We decided to have lunch at an overlook which was spectacular. The scenery makes the food taste better.
The water condition of the river is both amazingly clear and almost comically blue. I'm not sure how this is possible; the waters in this area have the most variation of color that I think I've seen anywhere.
After lunch, we headed back by the same route.
"Paths are made by walking." - Franz Kafka
Walking back was even more painful, especially the uphill part. Being forty-something sucks.
Once nearly back to the reserve entrance, I noticed two people coming at me, looking like they had their camera trained on me - it was a bit unnerving. I stopped and they spoke in Spanish before respeaking in English. They had seen a femal huemule on a rock that we had walked right past. We turned around for a closer look - it appeared to be really hot, maybe even panting. Perhaps not the brightest animals since there was quite a bit of shade in the area. And it did look really shaggy.
It was hard to get a picture of the huemule without risking really disrupting it. When I was close to it, it had its back to me. Farther away, it was hard to get a decent picture with the small camera, and it was in the shadows. I was thrilled to have seen one.
Once out of the park we stopped in Cochrane to get some beverages. It was interesting to see a Patagonian grocery store. It was somewhat small (about the size of a US convenience store), but space was well-used so it had lots of stockings. We got some beverages before heading back toward PRT.
We were going to take a different route back by using a "floating bridge." This is a cabled ferry that uses the power of the river for motion. Motors are only used to raise the lower the ramps. Sadly, it was not operating. Perhaps the operator felt the urgent need to begin celebrating New Year's Eve early.
We backtracked and returned by the same route we had gone early in the day. On the way, we stopped at a waterfall where two rivers meet. Either a small waterfall or a huge rapids, the name didn't matter. Standing at the base of it, the power of the river was palpable - it almost seemed like the pulse of the earth.
The water coming off of the waterfall was again unique in color and texture.
Abi told us a story about a British fellow who fell off a waterfall and badly mangled his leg. His friend had to hitchhike back to get help and ambulances are scarce in these parts. It was quite a tragic story but the dude didn't lose his leg. Travel to remote areas does not come without some risk.
Once back at the cabana Jonny and Abi made another great dinner of fish and veggies. Plans were made/remade/remade-again (and again) for the remaining time in Patagonia (or at least the next day).
After dinner, Nephew, Young Sis and I went worm hunting - yes worm hunting. One of the options for the next day is fishing, so no reason not to be prepared. It felt a little odd doing this, but the only real risk is being accused of being a gringo loco. Nephew also grabbed quite the collection of slugs. I've never fished with slugs, but why not?
It is New Year's Eve. We're supposed to be out hooting and hollering. There are other things to do on this trip, so a normal morning sounded better to most of us than any inebriating celebrations.
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