AR-CH-AR: Laguna Azul-Ushuaia

~17th January 2019~

On the way to Laguna Azul for bush camping for the night, we stopped at one of the Ruta 40 road sign for photos. Straight road with the sign was just perfect for memorable and silly photos.

The first thing I realised when we arrived in Laguna Azul was the wind, unrelenting strong wind and it was getting stronger as the day grew late. Somehow, it was decided that it’s a good idea to play a game of rounders since we were there too early to set up and cook. The competitive me got me running into thorny bushes, scarring my legs with scratches and splinter (which I had to wait for few days before removing), and falling all over trying to run for the base. Should have known better to just play light.

Setting up of the tent was an interesting experience, knowing that the wind may go up to 80-90km/hr that night. Lewis went around checking to make sure all the pegs were solidly in place so that none of the tents would fly off. With beautiful sunset and delicious dinner all done for our night in the wild, it was time for bed. Sleep was constantly interrupted by high wind that night.

~18th January 2019~

It’s the day we cross into Chile and back into Argentina after a visit to the only king penguin colony outside of Antartica at Parque Pingüino Rey. The park was designed in a way to make sure that the colony is protected from the any disturbances from visitors. After a brief introduction at the centre, we head towards the walkway that led us to the penguin colony. Each viewpoint is a hut built with space for visitors to observe the penguins with hopefully minimal presence felt by the colony.

The campsite hunting led us to a peculiar place run by a captain ‘kapitan’, a very eccentric generous man, in a serene woodland with rivers and streams just a short distance away from the main road. It came with a chemical toilet and a campfire area, more than I expected for a bush camp night. It was dinner then a gathering around a campfire, I’m still fascinated and like poking/playing with the fire, chatting and getting warm for the night before bed.

~19th January 2019~

Since we’re quite close to Ushuaia, it was a late start for the drive so we had time to explore the area in the morning. I walked all the way up a small hill to have some quiet time to myself and checked out the view from the top.

It was a short drive to our hostel, Los Lupino, located in the heart of Ushuaia town. We settled in and went out to check out the activities that we could do for the next two full days. The town featured a port with plenty of tour operators, outdoor and souvenir shops, restaurants and coffee shops for the mountain of visitors arriving on a daily basis.

A walk to the tourist information gave us plenty of information on all the activities available. I knew what I wanted to do for the first day, to test my legs and knees out for the W walk in Torres de Paine, so a hike through the Tierra del Fuego National Park to the the end of the road sign (end of Ruta 3, the most southernly route in the world).

It was then to the supermarket to get some ingredients for a home cooked meal that I was craving. Eating out and food at camp was more than adequate, yet the craving made me feel like I’m missing some vital stuff that my body needs to stay in equilibrium. The joy of cooking was taken away by the sheer amount of people in the hostel who were cooking and thought they have their mother to clean up after them. Stress!

~20th January 2019~

Early start to catch the 8am bus to Tierra del Fuego National Park. The breakfast at the hostel was the worst we ever had, stale breads with butter and spreads plus coffee or tea that were not appetising at all. A few bites and we were out the door.

The lady at the bus station gave us an early bird discount, which I was very pleased with, simply because we were early. About an hour drive including the stop at the National Park office to pay entrance, we arrived at the spot where the end of the world office is at the start of the trail.

The walk didn’t take us long and with Morgane and Dee shooting off, I was more than happy to stroll along at my own pace checking how my knees were doing and enjoying the feel and the freshness of the forest. On my way to the end of the road sign, I bumped into Sarah, Caroline and a few others who thought they lost the trail and were going in circle. Turned out they didn’t lose the trail, it was another group along the way that kinda hidden the left turn off from them that led them away from the trail.

It was funny when we reach the spot, thought it would be the end of the world big signage but it was the end of the route sign humbly displayed truly at the end of Ruta 3. We still have fun taking photos and enjoyed our lunch at the dock before taking the scheduled bus back to town.

The whole group went out for an all-you-can-eat meat restaurant for dinner, which was heaven for meat eater like me. The buffet spread of salads, pastas, empanadas and many more were just as good as the enormous portion of meat they fished out fresh from the meat counter, where behind the cook we could see the meat on grill and spit. Heaven, I tell you, meat heaven!

While the rest of the group decided to have night caps, I wanted to just go back to the hostel and have a good rest before attempting to walk up to Martial Glacier the next day. Knees felt strong and comfortable, now just need to test if it withstand two consecutive days of long walks. Sam gave me the lowdown of where the trail start and the rest looked pretty straightforward. A good night sleep then another early start.

~21st January 2019~

The walk up to the glacier was simple enough with the trail clearly marked, passing through a bit of forest area and road until the ski resort where the ski lift open during winter. Since it’s summer, no option to take ski lift up (unlike in El Calafate). After we reach the top of the ski lift, the wind picked up and the area became more exposed. The view of the glacier and being so close to it was amazing. The town seemed minuscule from where we were.

Both Dee and I were in shorts (all my long trousers were with the laundrette) and mine were obviously too short for the weather at the top when we reached the glacier. On the way down, I was getting all sorts of look, from amazement to shock and some probably thought I was crazy but I was just wearing whatever I had available to that time.

We decided to take a more scenic route down after having a delicious coffee and cake at the ski resort centre cafe, a beautifully decorated rustic place with wood burner to warm us up especially my legs, which I suspect were partially frozen cos I couldn’t feel a thing for a good long while.

The forest route was much better than the trail close to the road that we took on the way up. The trees were amazing and old, giving out a mysterious feeling about them. The knees were starting to twitch, telling me that they’re not happy. I was glad that it didn’t take us long to get back into town and back to the hostel.

A nice hot shower followed by a simple home cooked pasta soup, comfort food, after the long day hiking was amazing as a remedy for a good night sleep before the start of a series of camping expedition. We have a couple of days rest before the start of the W walk in Torres del Paine, so I should have enough time to recover and get ready for it.

Or so I thought…

~22nd January 2019~

We skipped breakfast at the hostel because it just simply not worth it, instead we stopped at a pastry shop for empanadas on the way to the ferry to cross back to Chile as we head back up north to Torres del Paine.

After the first stop of the day, my right knee started to hurt and my left was far from perfect. They were fine in the morning and it seemed that the sitting in the truck just didn’t agree with them. This is starting to look and feel grim for the W walk. I had to start managing the movement of the knees with the pain, trying to find the best solution to recover as quickly as I could. 48 hours countdown to the first walk and I will have to make smart decision as to the options available to me.

Bush camp for the night was next to a lagoon near Punta Arenas. I was glad to have brought bands and tennis ball with me to work on the knees and muscles to see what will help with the recovery. It was a fun night watching the boys doing crazy stuff like stuffing themselves in huge tyre and rolled it down the hill. It was rather epic and the rest of us were laughing our heads off watching them climbing out of the tyre stumbling from the dizziness of being inside the tyre while it rolled downhill.

Praying and hoping for the knees to get better was the only thing that was occupying my mind for the rest of the evening. A quiet dinner and straight to bed for me, I thought. The rest will help and another long-ish driving day to Pehoe was the last day to mend the knees before the walk on the day after that.

Torres del Paine…please let the knees be ok.