Hi everybody! I know it’s been two weeks since my last post so I’m going to be combining last week’s blog with this week’s, and I have SO much to tell you about. For the first half of today’s post I’m going to tell you all about the adventures (and misadventures) of my mid-semester break, which was exceptional. For the other half, however, I’m going to give you a brief rundown of what’s been going on recently with Chile’s political climate. As some of you may know from the news, Chile entered a state of political unrest last week after President Sebastián Piñera increased public transport costs. This resulted in Chileans protesting all throughout Chile, but mainly in the capital of Santiago. The increase in transport costs, however, was only the last straw from a series of issues and frustrations that Chileans have had with their country’s Neoliberal structure.
My mid-semester break started while I was in El Calafate, Argentina. My program had traveled there to see Glaciar Perito Moreno and to go to the Glaciarium, which is one of the world’s only museums dedicated to glaciers! Six friends and I boarded a bus from Calafate to go to the village of El Chaltén, Argentina for a few days to camp and hike around the famous Monte Fitz Roy. The bus ride was okay until we broke down once…then twice…and then for a third time—only that this third breakdown was for a few hours. We were in the middle of nowhere amongst the dry Patagonian steppe. The bus had left Calafate at 1:30 pm for an expected 3 hour drive (at most), but within that time frame we were then PASSED by the other bus that had left at 4:00 pm and was occupied by nine other students in our program (you should’ve seen their faces). Instead of any negativity however, the overall attitude of our bus was quite positive, and we were able to befriend a few other travelers. We were eventually rescued by another bus that took us to Chaltén, which got us there around 6:30 pm (When traveling, I’ve learned to ALWAYS expect the unexpected and to be as flexible as I can with my plans). It was way too late for us to hike the two hours to our campsite, so we found a place to camp in the village. Nobody was opposed to the idea because Chaltén is such an interesting hidden gem. It is a small town that mainly relies on climbers and backpackers to support its economy, and it only has about 350 inhabitants that live there year-round.
Our first day there we hiked the Laguna Torre trail up to Monte Fitz Roy, which takes about 7 hours roundtrip. What makes the mountain range here so famous is that it was what inspired Yvon Chouinard to found Patagonia, Inc., the clothing & gear company in 1973. Look closely at the logo of your Patagonia items, because it’s the outline of Mount Fitz Roy! Being up there and seeing the mountain in such close proximity was one of the most surreal and spiritual moments of my life, and it will always be a memory that I keep close to my heart.
On our second day in Chaltén, we emerged out of our tents bright an early for another long hike on Sendero Laguna Torre. It was a little cloudy that day, but we still had spectacular views, especially when we saw a storm rolling into Fitz Roy.
For our second part of our mid-semester break, we took a bus from El Chaltén back to Chile to backpack and hike in Torres del Paine National Park. Since my luck with traveling times and buses NEVER go accordingly, my group missed the shuttle that we were supposed to take to get to where we needed in the park and had to wait two and a half hours for the next one :).
Once we were dropped off by our shuttle, we had a 3 km hike up to our campsite. It was pretty late in the day and golden hour had set in, which made everything have a warm and magical glow. After golden hour passed, we had no choice but to finish our hike in the dark with our headlamps, which definitely wasn’t my proudest decision due to that area being prime puma country (if you’ve learned anything from me so far, it’s to never miss your bus). Once we got there, we ate tuna sandwiches for dinner and crawled into our sleeping bags to get a few hours of sleep in before waking up at 4 am for a sunrise hike to Las Torres.
The rest of those days in Torres del Paine were spent doing smaller hikes and taking lazy days which were much needed. Our very last night we had clear skies and had the most spectacular view of the stars and Milky Way. I’m still unable to fully process the number of stars that I saw because it was unlike any view I will ever see for the rest of my life. We set one of the cameras up on a tripod and got such a great shot, so I hope you enjoy. ALSO—we made our bus back to Puerto Natales on time!!
I’ve included a great visual that’s been circulating the internet that does a great job describing what’s going on in Chile right now, as well as what’s happened in the past that has resulted in millions of Chileans to protest and speak out. For the most part, protests have been peaceful, but there have been some that ended in violence and a number of unfortunate deaths. Chileans are frustrated with not only the increased public transport cost, but also low salaries, problems with pension, a declining healthcare system, and many other aspects. Although the President has issued an apology and proposed new reforms, Chile’s people do not believe it’s enough, or even the necessary actions to be taken. 1% of Chile’s population holds 25% of the country’s generated wealth, which has also caused an uproar. Millions all over the country have taken to the streets and certain cities have issued various curfew times. Piñera has also deployed the Chilean military into the streets, which has shaken up many Chileans, especially those that have vivid memories of the past dictatorship. Everything in Puerto Natales has been pretty mild, with most violence occurring closer to Santiago. My program still implemented a few curfew times for our own safety however, since we still had some instances of fires and tear gassing on the streets over the past week. Most of what I have seen here in town is the cacerolazo form of protesting which is extremely popular in Latin America. It involves citizens marching in large groups with signs and banging pots and pans while demanding reform.
Although it’s a very interesting and monumental time to be in Chile, I’ve learned the importance of taking a step back and just being a spectator. No matter how much I agree and empathize with the way the Chilean people are feeling right now, it’s not my place to get involved with protests or any demonstrations. Respecting my limitations and boundaries with what’s going on in the country is what’s best for me and my classmates to do, as well as take whatever action is needed to stay safe. I’ll be sure to provide updates in the upcoming weeks.
Next Friday, my program will be flying to northern Patagonia for a few lectures and projects involving the temperate rain forest, so stay tuned!
Abroad Patagonia. 