Hello everyone!
I hope that you are well! Yep Yep Yep returns to the fray with more stories, this time from Patagonia!
After working a little in Bariloche, Argentina, I crossed to the Chilean town of Futaleufú, the first step to go visit my friend Roberto in Coyhaique for New Year’s Eve. Just crossing the border, I went from the dryness and the wind to the humidity and the rural world, from the “che boludo” and the “sh” sound of “botella”, to the “po” and the Chilean intonation.
From here to Coyhaique there are 400 kilometers of wild nature, glaciers and lakes that confirmed the idea of an untamed place that I had of Patagonia. It took me 12 hours to get there, in a bus driving slowly through a largely unpaved road, full of potholes and dotted with some small-towns every few hours.
The arrival in Coyhaique cannot be better, a great welcome from Roberto’s family and great food: potato soup, meat, corn, coriander and chili pepper! Great! And in the evening, New Year’s Eve dinner with salmon ceviche and Chupe de Jaivas, a crab dish with bread, onion and white wine all gratin, and washed down with large doses of wine!
Eating well with Roberto’s family
Lunch to start the New Year was also very Patagonian: a roast lamb (“cordero al palo”). They tie it with wire to a double metal cross and roast it over the fire for 3 hours.
Lamb Preparation
Typical Patagonian “cordero al palo”
Hiking in Cerro Castillo
Despite the beauty of the environment, the roads in the area are not marked or enabled for trekking.
With Roberto and Pacha we go through one of the few hikes that is marked: Cerro Castillo. It is a very beautiful three-day route and is located a little south of Coyhaique.
We took the bus and got off at “Las Horquetas” and walked 3 days through valleys with false beech forests (Nothofagus), hanging glaciers with pointed peaks flown over by some condors and unique blue colored lakes. Spectacular! You can see a map of the route here:
Cerro Castillo Map
Crossing rivers with style
Río Turbio
Laguna Cerro Castillo
Admiring the Laguna of Cerro Castillo
Great team: Roberto, Pacha and Uri
The route is 37 km, +1366 and -1826 meters. It’s a pretty easy and scenic route!
More spectacular photos in the Cerro Castillo album!
Cheers!
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