Comments on Bolivia, Patagonia, Argentina & Chile ~ Nov.29 - Dec.16 '07

*Bolivia:

So Bolivia was one of the highlights of the trip for sure. The expansive views were unknown to me. I knew earth was beautiful, but this reminded me that beauty is not just the known and even taken for granted: forests, jungles, deserts, mountains, oceans, beaches, cities, sky and space we know, but also the celebration of the unknown. Bolivia was this for me. The combination of unlikely minerals and reactions between one mineral and the other made a mysterious and wonderful, toxic and intoxicating scene that filled my eyes and heart. The colour, texture and resultant atmospheres were of seemingly unlikely combinations and were like something out of this world.

Having the constants I already know (and don’t take for granted): beautiful sunset skys, cliffs, volcanoes, dessert all mixed with the unknown and unfamiliar, made me feel so privileged and actually, quite insignificant on this earth. What an amazing feeling.

The touristy annoyances, the bothersome and often smelly transportation to arrive to this destination (including our terrible, ignorant and rude tour guide) was all extremely forgettable once we got to see the magnificence of the salt flats and the surrounding high (4600m) desert. FYI, we had a “guide” a driver and a cook. None of us could stand the guide who was quickly completely ignored by all of us leaving the remaining 4 of us to have a great time despite the excess baggage of one human. :D

*Patagonia ~ Chile and Argentina:

We arrived by Ferry. We took a 3 day ferry ride southward along the Chilean Fjords. Unfortunately, due to a scheduling problem, the ferry was a day late and the sites we were supposed to pass during the day, we passed at night. None the less the views we saw were beautiful including my first ever glacier! It was 5 kms across and about 20 meters high. What a sight! We had to punch a couple of aggressive tourists to get a good view. Joking, but I wanted to! :D Perhaps I was the aggressive tourist! Hawhaw! Gurrrr!

Patagonia is simply breath taking. We hiked a lot through the Torres del Paine National Park. The flora and fauna are spectacular. Everything is undisturbed and works perfectly with everything else. The way nature should be and for great distances. It’s so very pure there that you can truly find your inner peace.

We hiked 43kms in the first 3 days. I injured my ankle on the first day and hiked over 20kms on it none the less. Evgueni probably did about 25kms more with 2 more hiking days than I. But truly, the hiking was a part of the whole experience. Camping played another great part. We had so much fun in tents (it was nice and warm!) And one night our group of 8 stayed in a cabin with a bunk each. The space must have been about 35 square meters (about 350sf)! How you wonder?: one bunk was 2 beds high and 2 bunks were 3 beds high. These were not kiddie-bunks so the 3rd bud was at least 5 meters (18 feet) high. That night, 3 of us were ill plus me with my ankle to pamper. Suffice to say, there weren’t enough lower bunks! Oh what fun! :D

Patagonia is wild! Don’t ever ask what the weather will be like because the locals will roll their eyes and avoid answering. The answer is: everything. Why?: in one day you can have: rain, sun, hail, snow, major summer heat and major winter cold. And then there is the wind. A light wind is about 60kms/hr. We arrived at a moment where the weather was: overcast with sporadic big, cold drops of rain with an accompanying wind of 80kms/hr.