Puerto Natales – Day 1: Another Gateway to Patagonia
PUERTO NATALES
Day 1: Another Gateway to Patagonia
March 28, 2023
My bus ride to my first destination in Chile was an enlightening one. Mostly cause it had me wondering why on earth I’m always on the wrong side of the bus, with the best views on the other side. Also, since I’m complaining, why is the first person to ever recline their seat backwards always the one right in front of me? Rant over.
I’m sorry, I had just left my favourite country, so I do get to whine a bit. That said, the views that accompanied me on the way to Chile left nothing to be desired. The arid steppe of El Calafate slowly started to transition into a snow-covered landscape – with balls of ice encasing the small bushes sprinkled across the land. Herds of guanacos ran amok, confirming the locals’ view of them as nothing more than pests. I’m sure they would have loved to see the one that had been blood-eagled on a fence post. As much as I had grown to enjoy guanaco meat over my stay in Argentinian Patagonia, even that was a bit too much to see. And I’d seen severed penguin heads in Antarctica for crying out loud!
Enthralled throughout, I barely even realised I was at yet another border – the last of many. But I couldn’t think about that so I repressed that thought. I got my passport stamped, and once again, I was on the bus, heading to Puerto Natales – the gateway to my next adventure.
Dehumidified and Starving
By the time I reached my hostel, it was snowing like… mice and roaches? Well, cats and dogs are already taken by rain, so I guess that’s all that’s left. Big, lazy flakes drifted down from the sky, instantly turning the streets into a slushy, half-frozen mess and soaking everything I owned in the process. Southern Chile was clearly welcoming me in its own unapologetic way.
My host, on the other hand, was absolutely ecstatic. Turns out it was the first snowfall of the year in the city, and she confidently declared that I was some sort of lucky charm. Luck wasn’t exactly the word I’d use in that context, given that all my belongings were now damp, cold, and smelled faintly of bus luggage compartments. Still, I’ll take what I can get. The real stroke of luck was discovering that my dorm had an AC, which I immediately cranked onto dry mode like a man who’d just discovered fire.
Once my clothes were no longer actively plotting my hypothermia, I could finally turn my attention to my impending starvation. A couple of observations about dining in Puerto Natales? Often, it’s just one waiter frantically sprinting between tables, plates stacked dangerously high, while the entire restaurant waits with impressive patience. Also, when they ask if you want milk with your coffee, it means they’ll literally pour hot milk straight over the coffee powder – that’s it. That said, the food was nothing short of divine, with guanaco meat and pastel de choclo ranking among the best things I’ve ever tasted. Warm, hearty, and filling, it was exactly what I needed after a cold, soggy introduction to Chilean Patagonia.