South America - Chile Torres del Paine, we shall meet again.

There are these places, when you see the pictures, you wanted to go; while you are there, you couldn't get enough; as you are leaving, you wanted to come back!

Torres del Paine is one of those places.

For my South America trip, the planning was to go Patagonia first because it seems to be the thirst of all time. I plan in 2 weeks for Patagonia, however, it did seem never enough. As the day I was leaving Torres del Paine, I felt so much that I needed to come back again.

The weather really lives up to its reputation as I woke up with the ground furred with cotton snow.

Refugio Los Torres - Chile, Apr 2010.

There was another occasion when I was at Grand Canyon in Arizona that I had 3 different types of weather in 3 days - cloudy with cold drizzle rain, sunny with cloudless sky, then a snowy day after.

The transport only left in the evening around 4pm.  It meant we (me, a Swiss lady, a father and son from Israel, an Australian woman with a Chileano husband) had a whole day to hang around. There was practically nothing to do in-door in the refugio. Thus, I packed my bag and headed out to the Laguna Amarga junction where I came the first day.  Surprisingly, it seemed Torres del Paine consisted with 2 polar weather.  There was no snow and bright sunny at the other end of the national park. The Guanacos were happily out and enjoying themselves for a nice walk.

Guanacos at Torres del Paine - Chile, Apr 2010.

Using my long zooming lens, I looked backward to the refugio which is near to high ground, I saw Los Cuernos in the distant standing in the snow.

Los Cuernos in Torres del Paine - Chile, Apr 2010.

No doubt in that moment I knew Torres del Paine has became the first to join my South America re-visit list.

As I only spent 3 days here, the 'W' circuit takes 4 to 5 days to hike.  But it will require 2 weeks to do the full circuit in Torres del Paine.

Bringing back good memory, my boss in New York, Rui Lou, had visited Torres del Paine in the summer time of Feb 2008.  With closed to 2 weeks in the park, she had taken some of the photos which inspired the visit.  I can't show all her photos here. Here are some of her photos which relates  the 'Blue' to Torres del Paine in which I had been trying to illustrate.

 Photograph by Rui Lou - Torres del Paine, Chile, Feb 2008.

South America - Chile Torres del Paine, Azul y Gris (Blue and Grey)

I was kind like having a trip that is being a tourist and a backpacker the same time.  After the day tour, I was to stay for two more nights.  My Chileano guide kept asking me - what are you going to do there?

I smile, of course, the plan was to trek up the trail to Mirador Los Torres to see Los Torres - Cleopatra's Needles as described by Lady Florence Dixie. Well, I know I don't exactly look like I am capable of, but I never fail to get to where I wanted to go before ;-).

The guide dropped me off at the junction of Refugio Laguna Amarga after the full day hiking around the national park.  The rest of the 6 visitors were heading back to El Calafate, except me. Due to low season, I had to get my own transportation to Refugio Los Torres in which I ended up paying a local with a whooper USD20.


When I got to the refugio, the day was cloudy and very windy.  It was getting really cold and I didn't really eat for the whole day.  Thus, with other visitors, I decided to have some steak for dinner.  There, on the table, the realization of being a solo travelling Asian Chinese lady had always raised many questions, as my/our capability is always in question!

It was a very very cold night and all the people decided to tuck in early as we all prepared to trek up to see Los Torres the next day. I wanted to start trekking early as 8am so set my alarm at 6.30am.  Little that I forgot Chile is 1 hour earlier than Argentina time and didn't reset my watch, I was up early at 5.30am and didn't feel that bad as I saw a French was up and going at 6am.


After breakfast, I set off for a trek that I had little confidence I would get there as I had heard all the stories about the difficulty in the last hour's scramble up the boulders.  It was a long walk before the ascent starts.  The trail is winding up the valley with medium gradient.  I was alone and it was quiet without any living things around. Then, I saw Los Cuernos around the corner.

Los Cuernos - Torres del Paine
Chile, Apr 2010.

Tehuelche legend has it that the two peaks of Los Cuernos were their two strongest warriors stolen from their tribe by an evil anaconda who caused a huge flood to wipe-out the tribe.  After the flood, the anaconda stole the dead bodies of the two warriors and turned them into the granite spires that made-up Los Cuernos.

Whether it was a legend or not, you can see that it is not important as Los Cuernos are standing straight and high.

Los Cuernos - Torres del Paine
Chile, Apr 2010.

As a national park since 1959 and UNESCO Biosphere Reserve since 1978, Parque Nacional Torres del Paine considerably is still a very young national park.  The government does allow the pre-existing residents who have been there before the declaration stay there since. On my way, the weather lives up to its reputation. It shifted erratically from yesterday cloudy day with drizzling cold rain to cloudless skies in the mid day as I hiked, further to a snowy day the day after, while the only constant being the gusty southerly Patagonia wind.

After 19KM, I was already out-of-breath, out-of-energy and stopping almost every 10mins, out-of-feeling from my toes to my thigh.  But the trail becomes even more difficult that I had to use my hands to scramble up boulders, stopping at every turn to catch my breath. It took me two long hours trek for the last hour of 3KM trail.  At closed to 2pm and 22KM for 6 hours after, I was completely stunned when I started descending to the Mirador Los Torres.

Los Torres - Torres del Paine
Chile, Apr 2010.

I was not prepared to see what I saw - the iconic Los Torres.  For it is the best-known and spectacular summits in this cordillera, the three Towers of Blue - Los Torres del Paine are granite monoliths shaped by the forces of ice glacier.  It is gigantic and makes me look so tiny! They are identified as the South (left), Central (middle) and North (right) Tower of Paine.
Again, I did my usual - sit down and had my lunch.  This time was more than apple+biscuit, the refugio had prepared me a packed lunch with apple, juice and sandwich. It was one hell of a good lunch after the distance and the height that I hiked. I needed that for the energy to get back to the refugio, same distance and same difficulty! But the view there for 30mins was priceless!
Up on the mirador, I saw a skinny guy from Hong Kong, practically running up the whole way.  He asked me to help him to take a picture and less than 2mins he wanted to leave.  I asked why such a rush, he told me he was running the 5 days trail in 2 days to beat the time as his transport was waiting for him at the other end. I was speechless!

I headed back after my lunch.  On the way back, I crossed many hikers coming up late.  It was so cold and all the refugios on this side of the trail were closed and they had to camp.  Some hikers were in really bad shape.  I was so glad I did a day hike.  But the journey back was not any easier, the same distance and the same height winding up and down.  It took me the same amount of time to get back.  By the time I saw my refugio in distant,

Torres del Paine - Chile, Apr 2010.

I had never felt so alone like before as I practically couldn't walk anymore.  I reached where I started around 8pm.  One secret I had is I always bring my favourite Chinese TeDaJaiu (Wood Lock Oil) everywhere I go.  I used quite a lot that night as I couldn't feel my legs completely.

For once I wonder - should I explain why the post title is Azul y Gris.  The park consists of hectares of subpolar forest, however, you will see two colours - Azul y Gris whenever you raise your eyes or  your camera! The lakes are all with different kinds of Blue; the peaks are all with different kinds of Grey!  However, the most amazing sight is one of those summer nights - when the peaks are shined upon by the moonlight, making it Los Torres del Paine (The Towers of Blue)!

South America - Chile Torres del Paine, Cleopatra's 'Blue' Needles

I was very tired after so many days of traveling and trekking since the long journey crossing the Strait of Magellan.  Yet, a 6pm bus back from El Chalten and arrived El Calafate at 11pm, another 5am bus the next morning.  I felf a bit "zombie-nized" as I headed to bed.

The first thing to learn about anyone who works for the Chileano, they will always be earlier than stated. The bus came to pick me up first, 30 mins early, and then another 6 Argentinean. There we headed off to Nacional Parque Torres del Paine (Towers of Blue).

I most likely the first person among all my friends in Malaysia who came to know about Torres del Paine.  Everyone I talked to reacted - uh...where?

In 2004, my sister Evelyn bought me a book as a Christmas present, titled "The 50 Places You Must Go in Your Lifetime".  Torres del Paine is 26 on the list.  The day I read about the Tehuelche, the way they couldn't use a more appropriate word "Paine" to describe this place, I felt the journey. Well, not surprisingly "Paine" means "Blue". Due to the number of glaciers on the Patagonia Ice Field, the lakes and the rivers contain a rich amount of minerals.  On top, a type of algea grows in the lake making the water presents a different kind of Blue.  It can, especially, see in Lago Pehoe.

The trip to Torres del Paine was my second crossing to Chile, but first to visit. It was also my time to learn how expensive thing is in this country, everything.

As we crossed the border, it was drizzling with cold rain and a cloudy sky.  It was not a good day for photography.  But nothing can conceal the beauty of this Biosphere Reserve. As we entered the national park, the bus stop in front of the Laguna Amarga.  We were so joyous that I couldn't help but to join for my one and only one group photo.

with 6 sweet Argentinean "youth" and Los Cuernos (background)
Laguna Amarga, Torres del Paine
Chile, Apr 2010.

Our guide is a serious Chileano.  From here, he leaded us to a non-stop hours of trekking.  Even though he is a huge fellow with a beer belly, he walked really fast and all of us were having problem catching up and breathless.  After an hour of trekking, we arrived at the Mirador Cuernos and Nordenskjold. Los Cuernos and Paine Grande revealed themselves to show why these 3000M granite spires are globetrotter's Kubla Khan.

Los Cuernos - Torres del Paine, Chile Apr 2010.

Paine Grande - Torres del Paine, Chile Apr 2010.

Paine Medio - Torres del Paine, Chile Apr 2010.

Now, you probably have not imagined yet how big is this biosphere reserve under UNESCO, imagine now 181000 Hectares of forest and nature.  Many comes with admiration, but there were 3 incidents that trekkers burned down 150KM, 155KM and 128KM square of park respectively over the year in 1985, 2005 and recently in 2011.

So, if you love nature, please do not start another fire so that whoever due to come to trek the 250KM of tracks gets to enjoy the serenity here!