The Breathtaking Region And Culture Of Patagonia | Somewhere On Earth

foreign [Music] [Music] Patagonia a vast harsh mineral land on the southernmost tip of South America where man always seems smaller than elsewhere the highway 40 La Ruta cuarenta is a mythical route that follows the courtier of the Andes in the Argentine part of Patagonia is where our first meeting will take place with Lorenzo who will take us to discover the fascinating life of one of the largest birds in the world the Condor then after air there's water hockey will take us to some of the Region's most beautiful Rivers this man has elevated fly fishing to a philosophical discipline he catches trout just for the pleasure of seeing and swim away free Patagonia is also Gaucho country Manuel works for a ranch and all year round he tends the livestock Manuel has chosen to live in these Wide Open Spaces far from everything I love this vast Open Country in town you can't see anything come from here and I know that the pompous is where I belong Patagonia is a kind of challenge thrown out by Nature her way of showing us just what she is capable of conjuring up in order to impress us here we have the breathtaking Alchemy of grandiose landscapes Patagonia the mere name rings out like a call to far-off lands foreign this vast territory was for a long time on the sidelines of the major waves of immigration then when the young nation of America put limits on the influx towards the new world the more intrepid immigrants headed south to try their luck in this land so full of emptiness many families came over from Europe attracted by this virgin land of opportunity this new Far West online [Music] what were those Pioneers searching for a new life Fortune perhaps or maybe a new identity many Outlaws on the run from the United States found refuge in these forgotten lands Patagonia end of the line of the new world this is where Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and their sister in Flight IFA Place lived for several years safe from the bounty hunters foreign [Music] the only thing left is Butch Cassidy's abandoned house in 1901 he bought 1500 acres of land with the loop from one of his robberies and built the house that's still standing [Music] the Gaucho of Argentina is a largely solitary figure he is the ultimate Voyager spends his life in the saddle breaking horses herding cattle gelding the Sheep this is where Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid came and mingled in with these men in black Berets their faithful dogs but when the bounty hunters got wind of their whereabouts the famous gangsters had to take off once again and that's when we lost sight of them for good [Music] now a century later the Patagonian wind has swept away the memories of those Gringos but Patagonia still retains its special attraction [Music] even today those who choose to settle here are seeking a new life New Horizons a much sought after Solitude and a determination to battle it out with the elements [Music] make 52 layers watch on mobile devices or the big screen all for free no subscription required it's November in bariloce spring in the southern hemisphere the cold violent wind the famous pompero never lets up the wind is the background music of Patagonia the original inhabitant of this land for Lorenzo moving here to this harsh but very authentic land breathed new life into his existence here he enjoys true freedom the search for freedom is always relative to your past experience I went to boarding school when I was young I was always endorsed then there was that tragic period in Argentina when we had no freedom because of the military dictatorship that is those were dark times when we were able to come back to the country we looked for a place where we could feel free so yes Patagonia and the Condors that fly here symbolize that freedom Lorenzo saw his friends disappear Without a Trace he endured suffering in the prisons of the military dictatorship and in Exile in Peru now he has made a new life for himself here in this Limitless expanse where man need obey only the laws of nature thank you look hey Lois you can see him over there to check off after him and one's landed I can't tell if the one that just landed is an adult you see that one on the edge uh I think that's the adult yeah it's starting to snow a little bit up there that's why they're not flying he must have landed Lorenzo Simpson 62 is a world reputed ornithologist he has devoted his life to the study of condors in order to get a close look at them Lorenzo and his son Guillermo are taking us to a ringside seat way up there 'll be a lot of wind up there when we get up on the crash it's rather unusual to spend one's life scrambling up and down mountains to observe Birds Lorenzo had done Veterinary studies and then as he would be taking care of livestock his eyes would be drawn to the Condors soaring overhead and gradually he became a condor specialist the fascinating thing about Condors with respect to other birds and even to Eagles is that Condors know no barriers other species have limits imposed by the climate or by their predators but the Condor knows that there's nothing that will stop him from flying neither wind nor snow Nothing Stops him he does what he wants he's free yeah there are certain countries where man comes face to face with the great forces of nature Patagonia is one of them everything is harsh in this land yet men live here as if they were catapulted to the extremity of the seasons to the very tip of this cloud-filled sky that knows no end I can climb up the face and then there's the spot that I can set an anchor to then I can anchor to the two cypresses that are there below for the Descent I think I'll check that out when we get there there's a cave over there where you see that little patch of snow and there's a nest inside from here you can't see if it's occupied or not [Music] he keeps an anxious eye on his son and keeps glancing at the threatening sky above observing Condors can sometimes get them into tricky situations Guillermo may be a good climber but his dad still can't help worrying about him [Music] thank you [Music] Guillermo comes upon an empty nest on a difficult Cliff face the Condor couple left it for another shelter still Guillermo does manage to bring back a few feathers and leftover scraps of food traces that Lorenzo will carefully analyze his passion for these birds seems boundless the Condor the animal that symbolizes the Andes is one of the largest birds in the world with a wingspan of over three meters and weighing up to 14 kilos he is Lord of the air and this stunning landscape is his realm [Music] in these regions the quickly changing weather rules and nature seems to make a plaything of man the clouds mask the Sun or open up to release a heavy flurry of snowflakes this year the southern spring is later than usual but that doesn't stop Lorenzo and Guillermo from pursuing their quest with a majestic bird foreign face alone there are 20 to 30 Condors that come to sleep here at night this is a Gathering Place a place to exchange information about where to find food about what's going on in the group they share all that here it's a meeting place the nests are elsewhere further on 1 to 20 kilometers from here this is a large group made up of couples and Condor couples are faithful for life they reach sexual maturity around the age of eight and they can live up to 60 or 70 years here they're very long-lived animals [Music] these moments we spend with Lorenzo in the mountains are a real lesson in life on many levels by dint of observing the Condors Lorenzo's Vision has become as sharp as that of these famous Birds he knows all about the wildlife here he is a vast store of knowledge chock full of Wonders to be shared they have no vocal cords they can't speak Condors don't sing they make hissing sounds all information is transmitted corporally and vision is the receptor and that's how they learn to fly how to land it's all body language corporal [Music] together [Music] of loving [Music] that is [Music] the Condor is basically a glider he doesn't flap his wings he soars and to be able to cover more than a hundred kilometers in the search of food they need Rising currents whether they are winds sweeping up the face of a mountain or thermal currents today there are no thermals but there's a strong wind the wind striking the Mountainside causing the air to sweep up in altitude and that's what keeps them Aloft that's what we're seeing right now their wing is a very complex mechanism and the feathers on the end are like the flaps of an airplane wing and in particular there's a little feather at the very tip that regulates the airflow and acts as a steering mechanism thank you [Music] so it's looking it's simply fascinating to study Condors because there's so much that we humans could learn from them the Condor is an extremely Social Animal he lives in harmony with his group and in harmony with nature yes I think that we have a lot to learn from them by working for the preservation of the Condor Lorenzo is not only helping to protect a highly emblematic species he's also acting to save all that is specific to Patagonia and the people that live there without the vast distancias without the Gauchos who work them without the cattle that graze on these endless expanses Patagonia would still be a land without life and even the Condors would have a hard time surviving here [Music] [Music] all along the cordiera of the Andes between the mountains and the Pampas the Ruta cuarenta runs over 5000 kilometers from the Bolivian Border in the north down to the Tierra del Fuego in the South covering a land so vast that even The Emptiness feels lost foreign [Music] is an adventure in itself but it's also a sure way of making unexpected encounters here at the foot of the mountains the Condors are not the only ones who enjoy playing with the winds [Music] je Marie clemo has been a glider pilot for 51 years he holds a number of World Records for distance and every year this Frenchman spends several months in Patagonia [Music] the paragonian Wind forms waves just like the swell on the sea and we can surf on it like on waves and we can go from wave to wave and that way we can cover thousands of kilometers in one day you take off at five in the morning and land at nightfall you can do 3 000 kilometers like that just like the Condor the Condor can cover between 100 and 300 kilometers a day just for his own pleasure always surfing on the waves we come here for the wind and the freedom breathtaking Landscapes and total freedom [Music] as the airspace here is not yet regulated we're pretty much on our own so we can still fly at 9 000 meters in a glider along with the commercial planes with the same instruments the radar the transponders all that we're still accepted and given the extraordinary conditions here in Patagonia which are at present the best in the world it's quite simply magnificent [Music] [Applause] [Music] thank you a little further south along the Ruta cuarenta that runs along the base of the mountain range countless Rios irrigate the Lions below these Rivers Untouched by the slightest pollution draw the connoisseurs the fly fishing enthusiasts who know all the hiding places of the wild trout fly fishing is considered the noblest form of fishing this is the Rio river davia which runs through the Los alesos National Park Los Angeles it's one of the best rivers in all of Patagonia the water is crystal clear and the vegetation quite varied diverse it's really a lovely balance this natural beauty is unique really unique is one of Argentina's top fishing guides he has elevated fly fishing to an art form and a way of communing with nature to his way of thinking fishing is above all a philosophy it's about sharing with the fishermen that accompany him like his friend Julio here today both men are attracted to these out of the way Rivers each one is using a different fly to tempt the wild fish the most surprising thing is that they spend hours trying to catch the fish and as soon as they do they let it go foreign too much Carlo the pleasure is in the fishing and catching them the fight hooking them having them then the pleasure of releasing them it's true I uh today this is the regulation for almost all the rivers in Argentina and since we've been practicing catch and release fishing has gotten very good in this River and it's getting better all the time the people's mindset is changing [Laughter] it is five years ago it was 60 kilometers Downstream yeah take it Hawkeye's brother joins them life seems quite simple with them sitting around the table on the bank of a river telling the Hat story this is the life right it's great we're here among friends we have a great fishing spot what more could you ask for yes the river changes through the seasons in early spring the Snows begin to melt the river is high and the trout are ravenous they take up the fight with Patricio but he lets them go and they live to fight another day has a direct connection with the inner life of the fishermen during the winter he thinks about it all the time he'll even dream about his flaws he prepares his rods he greases his reels everything has to be ready when the season opens he writes he studies up and reads about fishing got away I lost him Leah it was this big it's this big I see I see in this land the skies are bigger than elsewhere and the clouds sculpted by the wind announce a change in the weather but that doesn't bother anyone because the weather is always changing here like others poke came to Patagonia to fulfill himself in a wild boundless expanse he wasn't running away from anything simply wanted to live out his passion in a breathtaking landscape far far from the city a life in harmony with the seasons [Music] at this southernmost extreme where the land ends the maps would have liked to have left a blank Terror incognita this is exactly what Hawke likes the wind the rain this snow the rhythm of the elements that repeats itself through the seasons that last one day okay loves these spots that he describes as magnifico here he's in a totally unspoiled setting a sort of Secret Garden reserved for the happy few hockey is accompanied by a young guy that he is training and he gives him some final tips to move as little as possible to try to stay in the shade and above all not to disturb anything the trout are there waiting this dream flows from an underground Source we call it a Spring Creek this dream is very cold between three and four degrees Celsius lower than the river it flows into a little farther on this is all right so we're gonna do okay beer is this type of fishing is like hunting the fisherman stocks he sees a fish and he does everything he can to catch that fish he doesn't cast his line at random tengo ah pull down [Laughter] all right a winner the philosophy of fly fishing is to keep this space in the wildest and most natural state possible is part of the ecosystem you mustn't kill it over the 42 years that he's been a fishing guide Hoke has refined his ideas on the deeper meaning of fly fishing and again he confides to us that catching the living fish and letting him go free here in the midst of this Wilderness is a sacred moment Patagonia gives rise to a certain mysticism it possesses this charm life is totally centered on nature you don't need a lot of material Goods to be happy here sometimes I'll be home alone and I think I'm feeling a bit lonely very lonely but I'll just put on some music have a good glass of wine then I'll be looking out the window and I'll Wonder what do people with a lot of possessions do yes just what are they doing now whereas here we're so rich with everything that we have around us and we're satisfied with that is [Music] [Music] as we head even further south on Highway 40 the landscape changes and opens out ever more vast ever more deserted and often more desert-like in Patagonia if you stray just a few dozen kilometers from the courtiera you find yourself in a totally different environment as soon as you get away from the mountains the precipitation drops sharply and the wind dries out the land grass is scarcer and even the sheep have a harder time finding enough to eat [Music] of Argentina are men in the saddle always accompanied by their two or three dogs and always wearing their Eternal Buena the traditional Beret of the South that was worn by Che Guevara [Music] these craggy men as rugged as the land they inhabit are the true soul of these Windswept expanses [Music] and it is what's up [Music] Manuel loves this life in the Pampas originally from Chile this Gaucho works on an Estancia at the foot of the mountains to get to the nearest Village he has to travel 220 kilometers on the Estancia where he works more than 500 head of cattle roam almost freely over more than 25 000 Acres chose always have a particular character they're independent and solitary they Define themselves as free men the only constraints that they accept are their duties to their dogs their horses and the cattle they take care of today Manuel and two other Gauchos are going to round up one of the herds and bring it into the Estancia after riding a good hour they can begin the Roundup each one of the Gauchos heads off in a different direction and the dogs also know what they have to do [Music] perfect [Music] these cattle are wild they're not used to men so if you let them they'll just run off they learn to recognize us little by little and get used to us otherwise they scatter every which way they have to understand that it's Man In Charge not them foreign [Music] [Applause] he recognizes your voice if you talk to him he'll learn you have to yell at him now and then for him to obey the gacho has to have dogs because they help the Gaucho without his dogs a gaucho is useless he is just an ordinary person the dog is worth even more than the Gaucho he'll round up everything and anything a sheep a steer and drive it right back he'll do all that if you've trained him well that's the story with the dogs thank you [Music] the cattle are used to roaming out on the Pampas in a very rarely rounded up today they're being gathered for a simple reason Manuel has to Brand the animals that were born in the spring and even more important he has to geld the calves [Music] December we brand the cattle and in March we round up the animals to be sold so we do two roundups a year today we're branding in a few months coming [Music] Manuel and the other Gauchos get right to work on the herd the cows are totally unfamiliar with stables and fences and they're not used to being closed in the men have to move fast to set them free as soon as possible this is thank you [Music] broken thumbs up your mind and they repeat the operation as many times as necessary they have to do the gelding when the calves are between six months and one year old the fate of these young males is decided in a matter of minutes they'll become steers and not balls we operate we cut once they're gelded they head back out to the Palm bus it makes them docile and they feel lighter they can't all become Bulls we can only keep six seven or eight so we have to gel the other males whether it's to eat them are meant to be sold we can't keep a hundred intact male calves we don't need more than seven or eight bowls for 400 head of cattle [Music] thank you [Music] [Music] some of the Cavs have better luck they just get two small Nicks on each ear it's the mark of the Estancia [Music] [Applause] thank you [Music] here among all the Gauchos the ritual of mate is very important this sort of bitter tasting tea is a stimulant and all through the day the Gauchos take frequent mate breaks from their work in the open air [Music] hello [Music] [Music] the more that I'm on my own the happier I am I need to be alone to be happy okay sometimes I get together and talk with other people but then I go back to the Solitude I like so much [Music] okay the Estancia where manual works is on the edge of a national park 285 000 Acres of protected land a breathtaking spot but rarely visited here the guanacos Outnumber the tourists [Music] I'm in radio contact with Hondas my neighbor almost every day then if I feel like it I'll call someone else we see each other regularly that's how we get through the three months of winter those three long months here all the seasons seem to be in a hurry except winter which takes its sweet time during this season Manuel like the few other Gauchos of the region stays at the Estancia on his own I'm at peace with myself because I was destined to live in the Campo when I want to talk to someone the few people that live nearby are enough for me and I have my friends the dogs I talk with them as well a land of ice a land of wind where the pompero blows fiercely when winter lays hold of the southern hemisphere Patagonia runs through the southern tip of the world there where the Earth drops off at the foot of Cape Horn Pablo Neruda said hear the land ends the Earth Narrows down like the small end of an egg which is why the moon seems so large and the Stars so close [Music] just a few years ago this flock of sheep numbered several thousand head but little by little they had to cut down this type of husbandry isn't compatible with the proximity of the national park where wild cats and pumas are protected as a result there were too many attacks on the flock and even though there is enough grass here the market for wool is at its lowest so Manuel keeps only a few hundred sheep from meat and the local market wool goes for nothing now barely at 30 cents it's nothing really very little all right it's the price of wool that's why we stock the wall here people are using it less and less it used to sell fairly well but not now so we stock it hoping to get a better price for it someday foreign it's here on these planes surrounded by the mountains that Manuel and these Gauchos work it's a large Estancia and the men have to repair the fences take care of the cattle and sometimes butcher the animals that died of cold to feed the dogs Francisco colawan a seasoned veteran of these Southern lands has always loved the Untamed character of these Wide Open Spaces he noted in one of his novels that even the Birds turn fierce in these cursed lands in the spring it's the Eagles that Devour the Lambs even as they are half born the seagulls crossed the cordiera to tear the guts out of the wild geese and in Winter you have the cursed karanchos that Peck out the Sheep's eyes with their beak [Music] dog [Music] dog [Music] the Landscapes of Patagonia are bewitching those who live here try to lead a free life men like Lorenzo with his condors with his trout in their wild streams Manuel the man of the pompous who has chosen to live far from everything at the heart of what's essential [Music] the Pampers appear to have remained unchanged over the past 20 or 40 years but in appearance only Manuel realizes that the world is changing there have been a lot of changes over the past 22 years people are leaving the region there are fewer and fewer people in the Campo maybe in a few years I'll leave too there are so few people here it really makes me sad but we have to keep struggling to stay here I love this vast Open Country in town you can't see anything I'm a man of the pompous and I know that this is where I belong so now I can't complain sitting in the shade next to a rock sheltered from The Wind by a bush it's just my way of life I'm from here and my path is in the pompous [Music] Manuel is quite an exceptional character always in a good mood always ready to laugh at the slightest pretext is made up for the harshness of the climate with genuine human warmth the buffeting wind has sculpted his face the immensity of these Landscapes has given him the taste of freedom and the ruggedness of his way of life suits him perfectly oh everyone [Music] [Music]

Channel: TRACKS - Travel Documentaries

Views: 156,201

Keywords: breathtaking landscapes, desert adventure, discover new places, environmental conservation, exotic adventures, hidden gems, local traditions, mountainous terrain, natural habitats., rural lifestyle, scenic beauty, stunning scenery, sustainable travel, travel inspiration, travel vloggers, travelogue films, wildlife encounters, wildlife sanctuary

Id: 4EOkFswz26c

Length: 51min 57sec (3117 seconds)

Published: Sat May 13 2023