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Have you ever felt completely insignificant and dwarfed in comparison to nature? I felt precisely that during my recent vacation to the Patagonia region in Argentina and Chile! The jaw dropping landscapes, endless turquoise lakes, blue glaciers and soaring mountain peaks were a truly humbling experience.
My friend and I were specifically excited about one part of this vacation – an overnight stay in one of the most breathtaking parts of Patagonia – Torres Del Paine National Park. We had booked a hostel very close to a POPULAR lake inside the national park called Laguna Amarga. The plan for day 1 was to take a full day bus tour of the national park that ends around 4.30 pm… come back to the hostel and relax the whole evening… with a bottle of wine… gazing at the gorgeous blue lake and the majestic mountains.
The full day tour itself was very exciting and the views were MORE breathtaking than the pictures we had found online. But when we reached Laguna Amarga, we were very disappointed to know that the lake is not INSIDE the national park (last minute planning for national park trips – never!). It was a 2.5 hour walk from the entrance of the national park! If this news wasn’t a bummer enough, the guide warned us that the area around our hostel is a very popular spot for puma lions. In his words, this area was the “McDonalds for Puma Lions”. Apparently, the owners of our hostel feed the puma lions in this region and also have exclusive WALKING tours to spot these lions.
Our dreams of sipping a glass of wine and admiring the landscape went quickly down the drain. We were a little let down, but then again, we were grateful that we still get to wake up the next day and enjoy a full day of hiking in the national park. When the bus dropped us to the hostel, the lake-view that we had imagined was nowhere in sight from the hostel. The place was completely deserted with no signs of civilization within a 5-10 mile distance. We walked around and realized that the hostel was actually closed for the season. We were now in a COMPLETE panic mode! In the middle of nowhere. With no cellphone coverage, no Internet, no public transport or taxis – and a distinct possibility of turning into a happy meal for some hungry puma (#$%@!!)
For our freak luck, we found 2 construction workers inside the hostel. We showed them the printout of our booking and started enquiring about the accommodation. But they didn’t speak a word of English. Luckily, one of the workers spotted the American man who manages the puma lion tours driving towards the national park. We stopped his jeep and asked him to help sort out the situation. The puma guide explained to us that the hostel was closed until next month and was under construction. Also, the water pipes in the hostel were broken, there was no food, and no one else would live with us in the hostel that night. He STILL tried convincing us that it’s safe to stay in the hostel and we could conveniently walk a quarter mile to the cabin they live in to use the restroom when required (My mind screaming .. puma lions! puma lions!).
This clearly didn’t go down well with us. Even though we were in a helpless situation, we argued a lot and demanded them to provide alternate accommodation. We finally agreed on rushing to the national park ranger’s office and contacting the hostel owner, before the park gates close for the day.
Long story short, the park ranger managed to book 2 bunk beds in one of the hostels inside the national park. This new accommodation turned out to be the best hostel I’ve ever stayed in. Heavenly view of the mountain peaks, green grass all around, packed with hikers and also… AMAZING food and wine in the cafeteria!
This whole incident really got me thinking about how different our life experiences can be if we are adamant about for what we want/what feels right – even though this may involve awkward and uncomfortable conversations at times.
After all, if we hadn’t fought for better arrangements that night, we would have stayed up all night, fighting mosquitoes, imagining puma lions… walking 2.5 hours to the national park the next day and probably too tired to complete the 10 mile hike once we got there..
