Needless to say on 19th February I slept late, and then had a relaxed cooked breakfast, which consisted of the normal Chilean paila de huevos – eggs served in the pan they were cooked in. In Argentina it had seemed that breakfast doesn’t really amount to much, with people eating no more than a couple of pastries (like croissants) and coffee.

Also staying at Elsa’s hospedaje were a South African called Klaus and a Swede called Stefan, who were debating how best to see what there was to see. Later I headed to the information place to ask about transport to Torres del Paine National Park, and also to see if there was a bus that could subsequently get me directly from Puerto Natales to Calafate in Argentina. I found that a guided tour to Torres del Paine was available, and also a cheaper “transport there and back” option.

Later, Elsa offered everyone staying at her hostel a complimentary lunch, which made her even more popular. After a siesta I decided on a plan, and went to buy my ticket for Torres del Paine for the following day, getting the cheap option to give me more freedom to walk where I wanted. I also bought a ticket for Calafate for the day after. Then it was back to Elsa’s hostel, for a relaxing evening of chat, more yummy salmon, wine and beer.

The bus left at 6:30 am for the National Park on 20th February, so an unpleasantly early start was called for. But the trip more than made up for it, and before long the scenery became hilly as the distant mountains came into view.

The bus paused at the park entrance, and we all had to get off. There were some wild animals that look like llamas running around – apparently these are called guanacos and they roam freely around southern Patagonia.

The bus let us off at a large campsite from which there were increasingly beautiful views of the principal mountain peaks to the north. These are called the Cuernos del Paine (cuernos means horns). The sun was shining most of the time on the area where I was, though the Cuernos had cloud on them. The actual “Torres” themselves (towers) were not visible due to the cloud cover, and because they are partly hidden behind the first row of peaks.

I walked along the lake shore and came across a large bird which I later discovered was an Upland Goose.

Carrying on towards the west along the lake I couldn’t stop myself taking photos of the Cuernos with different foregrounds. Then I reached an impressive waterfall called Salto Grande where I sat down to eat my lunch. The more expensive guided tour group was there and I saw Stefan the Swede who I hoped was getting his money’s worth. At this point the weather deteriorated and it started raining a little, so I headed back eastwards, seeing a few more guanacos on the way.

After a few km I was given a ride with a group of Chileans in their car, and was soon back at the main campsite from where the bus would leave for Puerto Natales. This bus was late arriving, and when it turned up it became apparent that though I had a ticket for the bus, it was full and there was no seat for me. A relief vehicle was available in the form of a jeep. While waiting for this to leave I saw a group walking down the road who I recognised as having seen before – it was the 6 “blonde Austrians” who I had last seen in Peru on the way to Amantaní Island! I didn’t manage to talk to them, since they appeared just before the jeep left.

Also travelling in the Jeep was a geophysicist who works for Shell Oil – I was able to have a conversation about professional subjects for the first time in a long while. Back in Puerto Natales I decided against more salmon, and after a trip to the nearby supermarket cooked myself some pasta, washed down with Chilean wine shared with my fellow hostel residents.