Despite that harsh initial assessment of its inhabitants and their reason for being, the town IS cute. It has just about everything one would need for a week-long stay including nice restaurants, microbreweries, souvenir shops and hostels galore. The town's only firetruck is this old-school red-plated cruiser that looks like it came from the 50's. There's wild dogs abound that love chasing motorcycles and defending their turf. And I've yet to see a gas station here... But the best feature? There's mountains and trails in literally every direction and in such close proximity! Just pick a street to walk down and chances are it will lead to a gorgeous view.
But let's get back to the people. As a result of the large backpacking presence, the town really doesn't have much of a culture of its own. It's a town built on transience and quick day-trips. When you're here you get the feeling you're in Argentina but you also get the feeling this town and the land around it could just as easily be excavated and thrown into another distant location. The only glimpse of Argentinian culture shines through the shop owners and local workers.
I've never seen anything like it. Most touristy places usually don't begin that way. There's typically a culture in place prior to the tourism boom which is part of the initial draw. But when a place begins to draw a multitude of outsiders, the infrastructure must adapt to accommodate this influx and the spot often drops the "hidden" portion of its "hidden gem" tag, for better or for worse.
"For better or for worse?" - that's the question right? Having traveled South America for roughly six weeks and having spent time in Central America prior to that, I find there to be a love/hate relationship when it comes to locals and tourism. On the pro side, a surge of outsiders means more money spent locally, more business and an overall boom for the economy. This rise in local consumption means alterations in capital, production, spending, accommodations and, when escalated rapidly enough, can lead to a massive shift in the overall look and feel of a place. When the latter occurs, the culture inevitably changes or becomes frustratingly magnified in such a way that only the standout representations of a place (such as the figure of Jesus in Rio de Janeiro) that were once totems become tchotchkes. The locals slowly lose touch with their roots and their priorities often shift to pleasing and accommodating the needs of tourists, which are often massive and lofty.
But shifting from the theoretical back to El Chalten, the beauty of this place is that the nature is the culture. And it's unchanging. While sure there's cosmetic changes to paths and wear from all the foot traffic, the point is that the culture here is not a product of the people but the people are a product of nature's culture. And as soon as you walk out of the city and hit the trails, this becomes clear. The culture of the thriving trees, the culture of the emerald lakes, the culture of the pristine glaciers and the culture of the razor-sharp mountain ranges - it's steadfast and man couldn't change it even if he wanted to! Looking at the Fitz Roy range at sunrise is like staring into God's open mouth. It's just breathtaking. Or breath-giving, depending on how far you want to take the metaphor.
As I've mentioned in other posts, maintaining this connection to our natural surroundings is vital and how unbelievably fortunate I have been to spend countless hours immersed in this nature over the past month. No matter what state of mind you're in when you're heading out on the hike, by the time you return to town, you've been through nature's euphoric cycle of challenge, contemplation, stillness, growth, reflection and exertion that keeps you coming back again and again. Though it may be difficult, I will try to internalize the lessons I've learned from nature and carry this knowledge with me through the duration of my travels and life beyond.
Tonight Andrew and I jump on a 24-hour bus ride up to the Northern Patagonian town of Bariloche. It's gonna be an adventure, to say the least. We'll do maybe one more hike in Argentina's chocolate capital but I'm beginning to realize the nature immersion portion of the South America trip is coming to a close. While I feel like I could continue to explore and learn from nature forever (and plan to as long as I can) the next leg of the journey will be a transition back to the urban as we make our way slowly up to Buenos Aires and part ways before I make my way to Santiago.
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| Fitz Roy at sunrise. |
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