I don’t know how to describe our visits to Torres del Paine national park in Chile and the Perito Moreno Glacier in Argentina. They were both spectacular, both very relaxed, both with wonderful weather and in both places we were lucky to meet some really lovely people along the way. Come to this part of the world and spend some time here. With hindsight we would have spent more time down here and possibly a couple of days in El Chalten and a trip to Mount Fitzroy, certainly with the continued blessings of perfect weather. 
On Friday we took the bus to Torres del Paine National Park and hiked up to the mirador (look-out point) for the Torres. It began with us shivering in the bus, thankful for our hearty dinner the night before, munching away on Nick and Megan’s home-made empanadas and longing for the warmth of the hostel’s Aga stove. After 10 minutes on the trail we started shedding layers, warmed by the sun with a full day of clear skies to cross.
On the trail from Hotel Las Torres we ascended steeply beside a glacier-fed stream, past Refugio Chileano before the path levelled out in a sun-dappled forest. In a final steep climb we picked our way through and over a clutch of boulders before arriving. And the view took our breath away. Normally you look down or across from a lookout point. Here, we looked up, and up. The Torres loom over a chalky blue lake inviting you to stare silently for hours as they pierce the blue skies, and we did.
Alternatively, you can choose this time to stand on a prominent rock and play the recorder, badly. Twice. In guess there are all sorts who visit the park. Managing visitors’ toilet habits is quite a challenge. “Do not burn your toilet paper” is not a sign I would have thought to see once, let alone three times. Who does this, honestly? Evidently someone who started the wildfires earlier this year, devastating the forest and shutting down the park at the height of the tourist season. The English translation for that one was spot on. Whereas I was told of another sign for which the English translation read “If you have to go to the toilet away from the facilities, please bury your waste.” The Spanish original, shorter and pithier: “make like a cat”.
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