Patagonia — The End Of The World
Punta Arena and Puerto Natales
When I traveled to Patagonia in November 2017, I knew nothing about the place. None of my friends had been there, and I had not read any books on it.
Normally when I visit a place, I like to read some books on it — not the lonely planet kind of books — but the books that use the country or the region as a setting in a novel or a memoir, so when I get there, I have a bit of understanding of the culture and history of the place to appreciate it more.
In the case of Patagonia, I didn’t have a clue. I read Bruce Chatwin’s In Patagonia and Julius Beerbohm’s Wanderings in Patagonia after witnessing the amazing land.
Looking at the well-developed roads, contemporary towns, and herds of tourists, it is hard to imagine that this place was untouched just one and a half-centuries ago. It is not certain when Patagonia was discovered.
Some say it was Americo Vespucio during his expedition in year 1502. However, the man who first spotted the inhabitants in this land, the Patagones, was Ferdinand Magellanin 1520. Elcano, the only survivor from that expedition returned to Patagonia in…
