Patagonia is just a ...
hop, skip and a jump away ... plus a couple bus rides.
it´s not the easiest place to get to. perhaps comparable to visiting perth although patagonia might win with the number of options available. the nearest airport is 3 hours from the nearest town to Torres Del Paine (where we were heading to hike). and the nearest town is another 2 hours from Torres Del Paine.
we booked a flight from santiago to punta arenas not knowing it stopped in two other cities along the long, long chilean coast. up, down, up, down, up and finally down again.
the upside was that they would serve us a new meal during each 1.5 hour leg.
i can assure you i´m not starving on this trip. and i´m glad i´m not doing the driving!