Patagonia World

Clearly Patagonia is popular for a reason. Nature has settled the score decisively in Patagonia: Natural beauty 4 Man-made world 0.

But now, after millions of years of being left alone to be beautiful and gorgeous and wild and lonely and magnificent, Patagonia is crowded with human beings, chomping and chatting and tramping over precious lands. It's like a theme park, Patagonia World - thrilling rides and fancy food stands and trinky souvenirs. These days in the high season of summer you need to book everything - hotels, tours, transport - months in advance and only the bleakness of the winter stops the relentless march of visitors.

I'm glad I went. I wish I'd gone 25 years ago like the Aussie couple who'd returned and left a note in the hostel book: "When we first came there was no road and we had to hitch a ride in the postman's van. We walked all day and never saw a soul". It's not like that anymore and very very soon it'll be simply unbearable unless your idea of a walk is trudging single file through the woods, wedged between thousands of others. Asi es la vida, as veces.