Sometimes, you go to a place supposedly of outstanding beauty and it's a bit of a disappointment. Waikiki, for example, which Ros and I were decidedly lukewarm about. And, when you've travelled 9,000 miles or so, you really don't want to be let down.
A surprisingly comfortable bus took us on a three hour journey to Puerto Natales, a small town on the shore of Ultima Esperanza Fjord (yes, that's "Last Hope") and the gateway to the Torres del Paine National Park. and, whilst the journey was perfectly pleasant, our arrival into the town did not augur well.
The bus station is on the outskirts of town, next to the local prison, in a fairly grim suburb. Luckily, a convenient taxi whisked us away quickly to our home for the next three days, the Noi Indigo Patagonia, described as a boutique hotel, a phrase which can mean virtually anything.
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| Not a bad backdrop, is it? |
We received an unexpectedly warm welcome from Nicolas, the enthusiastic manager, who introduced us to the Excursions Manager, Javier, and registered us. Everything we had asked for had been arranged, and we were directed to our room. One of the things that had attracted me to the hotel was the view... And, as views go, a fjord leading to snow-capped peaks has a lot to commend itself. They even left a bottle of something sparking, as well as diet-busting slices of chocolate cake.
The town begged a little exploration, so we took a walk down to the port, where someone had clearly decided to invest in a tourism facility. The apparent absence of tourists was something of a blow, and the empty restaurant suggested that any tourists that did show up wouldn't stay for long, but the tourist information office was at least staffed - not that the person on duty appeared terribly hard pressed. We left, and headed into town, before making our way back to the hotel for dinner.
An early night was needed, for we were off to the National Park in the morning...
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