|
> The Journey > South
America > To the End of the
World > Overview / Journal
  To the End of the World
From
northern Patagonia we made our way south, alternately through
thoroughly soggy temperate rainforests, across wind swept pampas
and past more snow capped volcanoes than we could count.
Our camera had
succumbed to the brutal conditions here and after a short illness
it took it's last picture, never to click again.
 Somewhat more rugged than the
chocolate box scenery of the Lake District further north, our route
along the legendary Carretera Austral was
truly stunning. As we followed the Rio Baker south
glimpses of small glaciers above icy streams gradually became wall
to wall snow capped mountains and then - the Patagonian Ice
Sheets. The third largest expanse of ice in the World, the
other two being the poles of course. Indeed the Patagonian Ice
Sheets are so imense that they are referred to as the third pole
! More on that later ...
We
followed the Carretera Austral to Villa O'Higgins where the dirt
road runs out. Just 9km from the end of the road our map
showed another track, just across the border in Argentina. The
gap was tantalizingly short and we had read of a few successful
crossings in recent years. We surveyed the river - it was
wide, very wide and, this being summer, it was also deep.
Aside from the stories of successful crossings we'd also heard of a
motorbike that was swept away only to be recovered 50km
downstream. It wasn't looking too hopeful. We pulled up
at the border post and discussed the crossing with the policeman
there. He cheerfully told us of the last attempt made this
time last year; a Land Rover overturned in the river and a jeep was
simply washed away. In light of this, he had orders not to let
anyone pass. Maybe just as well.
We
retraced our steps for two days and crossing at
a more conventional spot we turned south once again into
the Argentine steppe - the only land route south. Not
that we were bothered by that. With our camera broken it
was another chance to commit Patagonia's stunning scenery to
memory. We still had a little compact camera but it was
not a patch on our normal one and it too was on it's last
legs. So, sorry that the photos are a little under parr.
(Maybe Santa will be listening ?)
 Anyway,
in the rain shadow of the Patagonian Andes we
wound our way through dry open steppe, an environment where 10,000
year old rock paintings have been preserved so well that
they look as though they were painted only yesterday and where the
prey of those early hunter gatherers still roam free.
We were now
pushing resolutely towards Tierra del Fuego (the 'Land of
Fire') and the town of Ushuaia - which is about as far south as you
can go on this continent.
We had heard many tales of the ferocious
winds down there; of tents being ripped to shreds, motor bikes blown
off the road, Land Rovers blown on to two wheels - gusts so
strong that wind bourne stones are a real driving hazard.
And, we were told, it rains a bit too. Could it
really be so wild ? Soon after crossing the Magellan Straits
the wind picked up. By three in the morning, the
rain was lashing down on our all but collapsed tent
and for the first time in two years the call came out
to 'abandon tent'. It does get wild down here
!
| 