Patagonia

I really wish I knew what to write about Patagonia. I can’t tell you all how many times I have tried to form the words in my head to describe it. But they all fall short.

Quite simply said, I’ve never seen anything like it. Emerald lakes, soaring mountains, endless pampas, and cold (I can’t even think of a good adjective for them) glaciers. In this post, I’ll try to let the pictures do most of the talking that I can’t do. However, my disclaimer must be stated: these pictures do not come anywhere near the real thing. It is a place I hope everyone has a chance to see in person. You can’t appreciate the viewpoints (miradores) unless you’ve fought to get there. It just makes it all worthwhile. I hope you enjoy:

Day 1: Punta Arenas, Chile

Punta Arenas is famous for being a colorful city at the end of the world. It's also famous for it's impressive cemetery, holding the remains of 100s of travelers who died attempting to cross the Strait of Magellan.

Day 2: Puerto Natales, Chile

Puerto Natales is really just the gateway into Torres del Paine, but it is a cool little town. The Seno de la Última Esperanza (Last Hope Sound) provides just a taste of what you're about to see by entering the park.

Day 3: Parque Nacional Torres del Paine

Today we faced a 34 kilometer hike to Laguna Verde and Mirador Toro. It offered our first glimpse of the famous Torres--the towers of granite that dominate the area.

Day 4: Parque Nacional Torres del Paine

On this day, we managed to hitchhike to our first stop before hiking up Mirador Cóndor. We continued on to Salto Grande and Mirador las Torres. By the end, we could barely walk. Luckily, we were saved by a kind German couple in a rented pick-up truck. Their hospitality has inspired me to find some way to get to northern Germany in the future. They were some of the nicest people I have ever met.

Day 5: Parque Nacional Torres del Paine

We hitchhiked to Lago Grey to see Glacier Grey. Sadly, the boats to the glacier were well out of the budget of two college students. We settled for the view from afar. I'm not complaining at all.

Day 6: Parque Nacional Torres del Paine, Puerto Natales, and Punta Arenas

We were unable to move. Seriously. We had walked about 80 kilometers over 3 days. And it was all worth it.

Day 7: Return to Santiago

This was an incredible trip. If you need any motivation to go to Patagonia, talk to me about it. I’ll convince you. Not kidding. I also freely offer my services as a translator. I will accept payment in the form of food and an airline ticket. I also take great pictures of couples and families. I'd do just about anything to go back there someday. But I think my feet will appreciate a little break.

Chao.

A Crazy Few Weeks and a Final 'Thank You'

So it's done. I'm amazed. I arrived safely home yesterday, coming from a sweltering, humid jungle in Peru to 3 inches of snow and ice in Portland. Shocking? Yeah, you could say that.

I had some pretty incredible final 3 weeks, punctuated by some really difficult "goodbye's" and two absolutely fantastic adventures. I also had some time (7 hours) to think in the Starbucks of the Lima airport as I waited for my flight home, so I wrote a bit about how I was feeling. It's still hard to explain what exactly has changed within me, but I know that I have seen some changes--and I've only been home for a day.

In any case, I look forward to seeing you all at some point. I really appreciate your interest and your support as I undertook this not-so little adventure. Although it has come to a close, I can't tell you all how nice it is to know that I have family and friends interested in my life and supporting me with every large and small step.

One final story: my guide through the Peruvian jungle, who you'll read about later, had an endless amount of stories and anecdotes to tell us about Peru. One of them that has stuck with me was his explanation of retribution between people. This isn't retribution in the violent, eye for an eye sense. Quite the opposite. He says that most Peruvians who farm the steep slopes of the Andes always carry 3 leaves of coca with them. When they come upon another person in the road, they present these 3 leaves to the other person and receive a different 3 leaves in return. It could be to ask for help, to start a conversation, or to just to show some manner of fraternity with their fellow man. The great thing is that they always have something to offer because they always give and receive in return.

Unfortunately, I don't think this cultural action is destined for the US; however, I'll offer my own. You have all shown me your support just by reading my blog, sending me e-mails, or communicating with me in some way during the last few months. I'd like to return the favor in any way that I can. If you would ever like travel advice for South America; if you would ever like to know what a Spanish word means and don't want to look it up; if you would ever just like to talk about life or reignite an old connection, please feel free to contact me. And PLEASE, if you ever travel somewhere new and interesting (even if it's just on a cool, hidden hike outside of Portland or some other city), let me know about it.

Our world begs to be explored. I've done my exploring from afar for awhile. Maybe it's time for me to stay a bit closer to home. At least for now. . .

Chao.