Humbled in Patagonia

Cerro Otto

Patagonia is to your mind what Filet Mignon is to your stomach. A real treat. It is categorically impossible to spend time here without finding yourself staring in absolute awe at your surroundings, flabbergasted at what Mother Earth and Father Time have created.

Where ever you look you are forced to re-evaluate what you know to be true. The colours, for starters, are inverted - trees are bright red, clouds are yellow, mountains are pink, and rippled lakes reflect fast-changing, kaleidoscopic skies. Give the most hardened city-lover ten minutes of Patagonian sunset and chances are he'd immediately schedule a 4-week camping holiday into his beloved Blackberry.


Lago Moreno

The landscapes are so stunning that no postcard could ever come close to portraying the real deal. The bonus that local culture is equally beautiful just amplifies the joy of passing through this remote land.

To the travellers we've met, a different breed of tourists, this is far better than lying on a white sandy beach in Thailand with a cocktail and the latest Stephen King novel. Having had the pleasure of coming here for ourselves, we completely understand.


El Bolson crowd

In San Carlos de Bariloche, a picturesque lake-side town on the Patagonian foothills of the Andes, we've probably met some of the loveliest people on our trip so far. As we've often found along our journey, the surrounding nature in which people live seems to directly reflect on the way they look at life. True to this observation, people in this stunning part of the world are infectiously friendly, laid-back and genuine.


Cirrus

To further take in the magnificence of Patagonia we took to the skies, in the surprisingly comfortable, crotch-snugging tandem harnesses of Federico and Gabriel, two shaggy-haired adrenalin junkies. We strapped on our helmets, we attached the industrial carabiners to our waiting Paragliding pilots, and then, very quietly, we shat our pants.

A sudden thumbs up by the instructors indicated a suitable gust and we reluctantly started running down the steep slope towards the sheer drop. Fortunately, just before we went over the edge, the winds lifted us up and away - across forests, secluded lodges and deep ravines. Wow. For once the word 'awesome' actually seems appropriate. Amazing, even. Better than the best theme park ride in the world.


Awesome

30 minutes later we effortlessly landed in a tree lined horse field 3000 feet further down the mountain, eyes still watering from the chilly winds and wide grins on our faces lasting well into the night. To reflect on the day there was only one place we could go. To the nearest place that sold frozen Margaritas.

The next few days we continued exploring the surroundings. One noteworthy highlight was visiting the best crafts market we've ever seen, at the nearby bohemian outpost of El Bolson, a chilled sanctuary for aged hippies, artisans and waffle makers.

Then we went tobogganing, ice skating, mountain biking and, of course, all the while drinking copious amounts of dirt cheap wine. As we've discovered it's unfortunately easy to justify alcoholism when you exercise all day.


Post paragliding grin

Down here it's late autumn, and as such the nip in the air is always there, even when the strong sun beams down on your face. When the makers of washing powder put mountain chains on their packets, this must be the freshness they are referring to. And for good reason too. Although there are plenty of petrol stations and cars and big tour buses passing through, there seems to be no pollution.

All in all our time down here has been fantastic. Being surrounded by mountains and lakes and bright red forests has been good for our souls. A humbling experience that in no uncertain terms puts things into perspective again. Time passes at a different speed here; ice ages come and go, tectonics slide about and mountains pop up.

As we've experienced, we are just brief visitors, having the opportunity to live for a little while and see a few sights before we end up in a hole in the ground.

For the feeling of absolute insignificance, the lovely people and the succulent Margaritas, we are very grateful. Thank you Patagonia. We will most definitely return one day.

In the next few days we'll make our way to Buenos Aires.

Adios, for now.


Mountain, bike