Day 6, Puerto Natales
Day 6, 3/17/07
Our bus left El Calafate about 8:30 a.m. for Puerto Natales, Chile. After 4 hours of both paved and gravel back roads, we passed through the unbelievable lax border crossing. There were no questions of the nature of our trip or anything else. Simply wait in line, hand the passport to the agent, receive a stamp, and return to the bus. I could have stayed on the bus if I wanted and no one would have noticed. It seems Chile has yet to see the need for a Department of Homeland Security. But, it was a good chance for me to earn another 90 days in Argentina with a new stamp!
We ate lunch, checked into the hostel, and took care of miscellaneous preparations for Torres del Paine. We stocked up on dried fruits, nuts, pastas, crackers, and other trail foods. I think I ended up with almost as much food as Mike & John combined! I also picked up a pair of trekking poles. I had used John’s a couple times and absolutely loved them. Not only are they great for climbing and descending, but they just felt like a natural extension of my body.
That night I called Vanesa and paid about U$12 for 14 minutes. I wanted to at least let her know I was alive and find out how she was doing. She had emailed me two or three times in 5 days and I hadn’t been able to respond given the lack of Internet access in the woods. She was really glad to hear from me, but I´m not sure she was quite able to comprehend how far from communication lines one is when camping and trekking. During our conversation I made the foolish mistake of telling her about a dream I had. It was really a good thing, but I butchered the explanation in Spanish and got her even more preoccupied that I might meet another girl. Not only was it difficult to explain, but I was trying to rush because of the expense. The gist was that I was stuck with another girl and was not allowed to date Vanesa. This was torture because I kept recalling the strength of Vanesa’s love and longed for it, but couldn’t do anything because I was not allowed to be with her. It really was a good dream for me as it kept reminding me of my love for her but I should have kept my mouth shut. Oh well.
