Torres del Paine National Park: A Beginner's Guide
On February 3rd I ventured to the south of Chile to spend an unforgettable time with my friends Jerell and Jordan at one of Chile's best national parks.
The theme of this trip, my friends, was underestimation. As a complete noob at most everything involved in this trip (I've never been camping and hiking is relatively new for me), I knew I was in for the adventure of a lifetime as I settled in for the 3 1/2 hour flight from Santiago to Punta Arenas. The view as we landed was unreal: there were so many islands, mountains, and teeny tiny bodies of water dotting the ground. When I think about it now, it's still difficult to believe that I was so far south! 600 miles from Antarctica! That's crazy, yo!
After the plane trip we embarked on a 3 hour bus journey to Puerto Natales, our home base of sorts. The ride was great with plenty to see along the way. On the right is a photo of the Strait of Magellan, which we passed on our way. I've only read about this body of water in history books that recount Magellan's grand round-the-world voyage...it was amazing to see it!
Our hostel, Erratic Rock (strange name, I know), was basically an American bubble. Most of the staff was from the United States, and most everyone there spoke English. It was strange at first after having been accustomed to speaking Spanish most of the time in Santiago.
Realization #1: No one tells you how expensive camping really is. Oh, how the money flew out of my pocket when we rented equipment for the trip. Sleeping bags, sleeping mats, tents, cooking set, backpacks...I was relieved that I had already taken care of my food rations. In the words of my host mom, Manina, before I left, "Well, you won't die of hunger!"
Our hostel, Erratic Rock (strange name, I know), was basically an American bubble. Most of the staff was from the United States, and most everyone there spoke English. It was strange at first after having been accustomed to speaking Spanish most of the time in Santiago.
Realization #1: No one tells you how expensive camping really is. Oh, how the money flew out of my pocket when we rented equipment for the trip. Sleeping bags, sleeping mats, tents, cooking set, backpacks...I was relieved that I had already taken care of my food rations. In the words of my host mom, Manina, before I left, "Well, you won't die of hunger!"
Valparaíso: Port City of Hillsides & the Pacific
As part of the program, we took a day trip to Valparaíso (featured in above banner), approximately two hours northwest of Santiago:
The city's name comes from "Valle Paraíso" or Paradise Valley. It didn't look much like it when we got there on that cloudy Saturday morning as shown in the picture to the left. However, I quickly found out how awesome this city is regardless of weather.
Our tour guide, Leo, a proud native of Valpo (shorter term for the city), was very entertaining and genuine about his love for the city. He explained that each hill (of which the city has 45) is its own neighborhood. As we were in a bus for most of the trip, we did not have to walk from hill to hill. There is a cool contraption still in use called an ascensor or funicular that is a cheap way of traveling uphill: painted boxcars move by electric pulley up and down an incline. From atop the cerros (hills) we could see colorful houses stacked one over another in neighboring areas.
Lunch at the port was next. As soon as we got out of the bus, the powerful smell of seafood hit us. We ate at a restaurant on the beach; I had a seafood empanada, congrio, and the best freshly squeezed pineapple juice I've ever tasted! We played on the beach for the few spare minutes we had, squealing like children whenever a chilly wave would make its way near (or maybe that was just me screaming) and savoring the sensation of warm, grainy sand under and beneath our toes. This counted as only my second time at the Pacific!
Leo then took us to a neighborhood known for it's graffiti-filled buildings, most of which are houses people live in. The art was amazing! We then visited the former home of Pablo Neruda, one of Chile's most famous, Nobel-winning writers. What a cool place! We wrapped up our day with a fun boat ride around the port area and saw some of Valparaíso's biggest stars: the sea lions!
Valparaíso is really a phenomenal place for exploring. One day certainly is not enough, and since it's so close, I hope to return very soon!
Our tour guide, Leo, a proud native of Valpo (shorter term for the city), was very entertaining and genuine about his love for the city. He explained that each hill (of which the city has 45) is its own neighborhood. As we were in a bus for most of the trip, we did not have to walk from hill to hill. There is a cool contraption still in use called an ascensor or funicular that is a cheap way of traveling uphill: painted boxcars move by electric pulley up and down an incline. From atop the cerros (hills) we could see colorful houses stacked one over another in neighboring areas.
Lunch at the port was next. As soon as we got out of the bus, the powerful smell of seafood hit us. We ate at a restaurant on the beach; I had a seafood empanada, congrio, and the best freshly squeezed pineapple juice I've ever tasted! We played on the beach for the few spare minutes we had, squealing like children whenever a chilly wave would make its way near (or maybe that was just me screaming) and savoring the sensation of warm, grainy sand under and beneath our toes. This counted as only my second time at the Pacific!
Leo then took us to a neighborhood known for it's graffiti-filled buildings, most of which are houses people live in. The art was amazing! We then visited the former home of Pablo Neruda, one of Chile's most famous, Nobel-winning writers. What a cool place! We wrapped up our day with a fun boat ride around the port area and saw some of Valparaíso's biggest stars: the sea lions!
Valparaíso is really a phenomenal place for exploring. One day certainly is not enough, and since it's so close, I hope to return very soon!