Just before I ventured into my 5-day trekking in Torres del Paines, I spent a day in a lovely little cafe here in Punto Natales. "El Living" is run by a British couple, is fully vegetarian - a unique phenomenon in Chile - and I had a great time lounging around in nice and comfortable couches, sipping mate tea, eating yummy food, and reading. And there were lots of books about Tintin, and I am now happy to report that I am fully indoctrinated in who Tintin and his dog are. Hhmmm... dogs again...

The night before the trek I stumbled upon a flyer of the Banff Mountain Film Festival that was going to take place here. Funny how it works - I have never gone to see it in Vancouver, and had to travel all the way here to see one evening of mountain movies. As I was about to venture into the mountains myself, I figured I am now officially allowed to be in the audience. Half the town was in the audience with me, as Punto Natales is a starting and ending point for all those traveling to Torres del Paines. What I saw was quite amazing, and I thoroughly enjoyed getting an adrenaline rush just by watching other people scaling mountains, free-falling, sailing around Antarctica, and snow-boarding down vertical mountains. Fantastic! Wild! Crazy!

Thus being enthused and inspired, I ventured into the mountains myself, and had a wonderful time. There are two ways to trek in the park. One can do a full circle all around the park, which takes about 8 days and requires all the camping gear. Or do a 5-day trek, in the form of a letter W, staying in little taverns, or refugios, as they are called here. These were lots of fun. Think of a tavern, somewhere in Europe, in the 15 or 16 century. Small place, crammed with people, all coming or going, or sitting and eating and drinking. Some are staying the night, some are in just for a while. Refugios are very similar, with lots of different people of different nationalities, and the staff who takes care of the place. Fun, food, fireplace, and wild nature outside the windows. This is also the only place I have seen triple-level bunk beds so far.

I hiked from one refugio to the next, carrying my gear and some food. Having booked breakfasts and dinners at the refugios, I only carried lunches with me. Hiking up and down the mountains, following and crossing rivers, passing by glaciers, and listening to the constant melody of the birds that seem to be everywhere. And meeting other hikers on the trails. Being lost in my thoughts, in the sights and smells of the nature, and just walking. The second day was very long, whereby by the end of it my legs told me they were very tired... and even showed me a few blisters to prove it. So on day 3 I decided to take it easy, and stayed for the whole day by the lake, which was very near the refugio I was staying. In the refugio I stumbled upon a book I have heard of before, "In Patagonia" by Bruce Chatwin, and decided that there is no better place to read this book that right here, in Patagonia. And so I spent the day reading, doing some yoga, and dipping various parts of my body into the ice-cold water of the lake... one part at a time. Two days later, when I was measuring the distance I hiked on that long day on the map, it turned out I hiked about 20 km... no wonder I was tired.

One night I slept in a tent, as the refugio was fully booked. I woke up in the middle of the night, because of a "nature call." After I answered the call, I was about to crawl back into the tent, and glanced up for a moment. Most of the sky was covered with clouds, except of one patch right above my head. It was clear and literally covered with stars, like I have seen only very few times before. So I left the tent open, and positioned myself so that my head sticks out of the tent, while the rest of me is safely tucked in the sleeping bag. Just lying there, watching the stars was magic. Every few minutes there would be a falling star, followed by my wish. If the first two wishes do become true... life will be even more amazing.

Now I am back to "civilization" and am planning my next move. I gave myself another day, to visit El Living again, and let my blisters heal completely. Tomorrow I will be crossing the border to Argentina, towards a national park around the Fitz Roy mountains and the Poreto Moreno glacier. And who knows what else.

After some weeks of travelling in Chile, I get to meet some familiar faces. People I have met before suddenly show up again, and a certain camaraderie is developing among the fellow travellers. There are lots of us, from various parts of the world. The majority of people are from Europe, predominantly from Germany, Holland, and Switzerland. There are also people from England, Spain, Italy, Poland, Norway, France, and Bratislava (ex-Yugoslavia?). Also some people from the US, Australia, Israel, Mexico, and Japan. And one Canadian... even though I have heard of other people meeting Canadians, I haven`t met any yet. In the meantime, I will keep doing my best to represent the country with pride...

Now I need to go and pick up my laundry, as I have been walking around town in the only set of clothes that were left clean after my wilderness trek - and they are all tight and sexy cycling clothes.