巴塔哥尼亚在南美洲，位于阿根廷和智利南部，是和尼泊尔齐名的世界两大徒步圣地之一，是很多徒步爱好者的梦想地。巴塔哥尼亚以菲茨罗伊峰和百内三塔著名。1968年，几位加州登山青年开车半年前往巴塔哥尼亚，目的是征服这个被称为“世界的末端“的地方。其中两人后来创立了著名户外品牌Patagonia和North Face。他们作为环保主义者，私人购买了巴塔哥尼亚地区的大片土地和牧场，以保护该地区的原始状态，减少木材和畜牧业的过度开发。
一看到巴塔哥尼亚，便有徒步的渴望。然而，前往的路程漫长，需要身体强健。去年，终于决定在气候最佳的年末旅行。为防不测，多预定几天住宿。行程如下：
1. 飞往布宜诺斯艾利斯，停留两晚游览；
2. 飞往埃尔卡拉法特，转车去厄尔查尔坦；
3. 在厄尔查尔坦住四晚，选择好天气去菲茨罗伊峰；
4. 乘车回去埃尔卡拉法特，住两晚。一天参观冰川国家公园；
5. 乘车去巴拉斯港, 租车，开入百内国家公园；
6. 在百内住5晚，选择好天气去百内三塔；
7. 乘车去蓬塔阿雷纳斯，转机飞往圣地亚哥；
8. 在圣地亚哥住两晚，观光。
Patagonia, located in the southern part of Argentina and Chile in South America, is one of the world's two great trekking destinations, alongside Nepal. It is a dream destination for many hikers, famous for its peaks such as Fitzroy and Torres del Paine. In 1968, several young Californian climbers traveled by car for half a year to Patagonia, with the goal of conquering this place known as the "end of the world". Two of them later founded the famous outdoor brands Patagonia and North Face. As environmentalists, they privately purchased large areas of land and ranches in the Patagonia region to protect its primitive state and reduce excessive development of timber and livestock industries.
At the first sight of Patagonia, I feel a strong desire to hike. However, the journey to get there is long and requires a strong physical condition. Last year, the decision was finally made to travel at the end of the year, during the best weather conditions, and to book accommodations for several extra days in case of unforeseen circumstances. The itinerary is as follows:
1. Fly to Buenos Aires and stay for two nights for sightseeing.
2. Fly to El Calafate and take a bus to El Chalten.
3. Stay for four nights in El Chalten and choose a good weather day to hike Fitzroy.
4. Take a bus back to El Calafate and stay for two nights, including a day trip to Glacier National Park.
5. Take a bus to Puerto Natales, rent a car and drive to Torres del Paine National Park.
6. Stay for five nights in Torres del Paine and choose a good weather day to hike Torres del Paine.
7. Take a bus to Punta Arenas and fly to Santiago.
8. Stay for two nights in Santiago for sightseeing.
布宜诺斯艾利斯/Buenos Aires
布宜诺斯艾利斯是阿根廷首都，意为“好空气“，是政治，经济，文化中心，被誉为“南美洲巴黎“，2007年全球最美城市第三名。最近金融危机导致货币比索兑美元汇率下跌，阿根廷从发达国家变为发展中国家，经济不景气时，治安通常也会下降，给我们旅行带来了担忧。
经过14小时飞行，飞机顺利降落，我们在机场叫了出租车，到达旅馆Savoy Hotel，旅馆员工热情接待，主动让我们提前入住4小时。
Buenos Aires is the capital of Argentina, which means "good air". It is a political, economic, and cultural center, known as the "Paris of South America" and was ranked the third most beautiful city in the world in 2007. The recent financial crisis led to a drop in the exchange rate of the peso to the dollar, causing Argentina to transition from a developed country to a developing one. Economic downturns often lead to a decline in public safety, which was a concern for us as travelers.
After a 14-hour flight, our plane landed smoothly. We took a taxi from the airport and arrived at the Savoy Hotel. The hotel staff warmly welcomed us and offered us an early check-in of four hours.
放下行李便去 Western Union 取了现金，在阿根廷大多数地方可以使用美元。民间汇率是 1 美元兑换 300 阿根廷比索，政府/信用卡汇率是 1:180，Western Union 汇率为 1:330。排队了一小时，终于取到了两叠厚厚的钱。
After dropping off our luggage, we headed to Western Union to withdraw some cash. In most places in Argentina, US dollars are widely accepted. The unofficial exchange rate is 1 US dollar for 300 Argentine pesos, while the official/government exchange rate is 1:180, and the Western Union exchange rate is 1:330. We waited in line for an hour and finally got our hands on two thick stacks of money.