After departing Torres del Paine National Park, we drove for hours before arriving in Puerto Natales for dinner and sleep. We left early the next morning to visit a local ranch on Isla Riesco for a fresh lamb roast on our way to the boat.
The pictures are not featured since they basically consisted of a roasting lamb spitted over an open flame, the good looking farm hand who sheared a sheep with scissors in under 20 minutes and a shed filled with a curious collection of assorted items that had made it to the island and never left such as tools, old pots and a stuffed armadillo.
After the lamb roast we drove to the boat in Punta Arenas located on the Strait of Magellan. Our embarkment was delayed several hours. The winds were so strong that the boat had not been able to dock for over 12 hours. Once on board, we were ready to continue our adventure exploring the mystical Tierra del Fuego.
Our first stop was Ainsworth Bay. After disembarking for our morning hike, we remained silent for several moments to let our senses experience our surroundings. The feel of the cool summer breeze on our skin, smells of the fresh and slightly salty waters, chirps and tweets of the birds flitting around us.
We entered the forest. It felt similar to other parts of Patagonia yet completely different. Words can’t adequately describe how it felt to walk on this part of the earth, so remote from everything and untouched. It was magical.
After our forest walk, we emerged into a field carpeted with bright, pink flowers and even an occasional piece of seaweed.
A look in the other direction revealed a small stream with a mountainous backdrop. We meandered slowly back to the boat, trying to absorb as much as we could of our short stay on land.
Next stop los pinguinos!
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