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| Story and Photos : Kittikarn Isara |
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The seven of us, hailing from five countries spanning three continents, had come to South America on vacation, separately. What had brought us together in Argentina for the seven-day journey through Argentine Patagonia was neither luck nor fortune, but rather a common desire to discover Patagonia on a limited budget...
We had all done our homework, read through thousands of tourist pamphlets, familiarizing ourselves with the facts and figures. Patagonia, a region located in the southernmost tip of the South American continent, covers an astounding 600,000 square kilometers. It spans from the Pacific Ocean to the West of the continent to the Atlantic Ocean to the East. The Andes mountain range divides the Patagonia into Chilean Patagonia and Argentine Patagonia. The landscape ranges from arid plains to densely forested mountains. Only 5% of the Argentine population lives in Argentine Patagonia, 80% of which own farms, raising cows and sheep. When in the latter half of the century, the people witnessed an increase in the number of visitors to Argentine Patagonia, it engaged the rest of the inhabitants in the lucrative tourism industry... |
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Yet we were not at all prepared for the real experience through Argentine Patagonia - our seven magnificent days through Puerto Madryn, Reserva Faunistica Peninsula Valdes, Reserva Provincial Punta Tombo, and Rio Gallegos brought to life the intensity of nature and the memories of a vibrant past, now imprinted in our minds forever...
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