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[FAR OUT]
[THE NORTH FACE NEVER STOP EXPLORING]
PATAGONIA, CHILE
--They've been playing for 33 minutes.
If you spend a year without going out, then you'll spend a year without seeing anyone.
You figure it out. I've been here since 1965.
And we are in 2011!
They want to kick me out of here. But they can't.
They say, "Oh that old guy is there,
we need to kick him out."
But no, I won't allow it.
It has to be your own will.
Maybe because you are sick and then you are forced to go to the hospital.
But I still work.
When they take you to a nursing home,
it's because you are useless.
I am staying here until the very end. That's right.
Faustino Barrientos embodies the timeless lifestyle of the Chilean goucho
the more isolated equivalent of the North American cowboy.
Bringing settlers into Patagonia was a challenge
and in 1937 Chile started handing out land claims
to each colonizer who could clear 120 acres of forest
in an effort to make the land fertile.
Although construction of routes through Patagonian land
made the goucho's more accessible,
we heard that Faustino had moved far beyond the last stretch of the Pan-American highway
to Peninsula La Florida, where he continued living in complete isolation
like the original settlers.
Faustino is rumored to be living alone on his land for the past 46 years
removed from civilization and technology,
as if time had never struck Patagonia.
FAUSTINO'S PATAGONIAN RETREAT
NEW YORK, NY
[ADRI MURGUIA VICE] We set out on our journey to find Faustino Barrientos from New York
on a cold winter night.
We had about a dozen bags with us
and had no idea about what we were getting ourselves into.
What we did know, is that it would take us four days of travel time to reach him.
We caught an 11 hour flight to Santiago.
We had a layover and then got on a shorter flight to Balmaceda.
There we met our crew, gathered our gear, loaded the truck and drove to Cochrane
which took five hours.
We spent the night there
and headed out to Port Yungay in the morning
to catch our ferry to Rio Bravo.
It had taken us two days to get this far
and we weren't even halfway there.
It was impossible to imagine how you would ever get here by horse ride from Santiago
like Faustino had probably done in the past.
Patagonia's a region at the southern end of South America.
The area covers about one third of both Chile and Argentina
and is home to a rich and mostly untouched ecosystem.
It's an important fresh water source
which also makes it one of the least polluted places on earth.
On our third day of travel
we finally arrived at the end of the Pan-American highway
which was built to connect remote communities in the region.
It's final stretch reaches Villa O'Higgins
a town formerly only accessible by plane or horse ride
which is why it's called the last frontier of Chilean Patagonia.
With a population of roughly four hundred people
it's considered a stomping ground for explorers and scientists
heading towards a South Patagonian ice field
which doubles as the deepest lake in the Americas.
While we were in O'Higgins, we visited Faustino's brother
to get a better idea of what to expect from him.
[FLORINDO BARRIENTOS SANCHEZ FAUSTINO'S BROTHER]
My name is Florindo Barrientos Sanchez.
Faustino Barrientos Sanchez is my brother .
We grew up in Lake O'Higgins,
where my father settled.
Look, I had this picture taken at age 18, but I've changed.
I'm even wearing a tie.
I'm also wearing hair gel.
You look great.
We grew up under military discipline.
We were like a regiment at night.
"Everybody up!"
We had to answer history and geography questions.
That was how we were disciplined.
I left when my parents died.
Faustino moved out earlier.
He enjoyed being alone,
working and making his own money.
I never liked being alone.
I like having conversations.
--And he doesn't?
No.
It seemed that Faustino had a bad reputation throughout the town.
There was even a rumor that he had attempted to shoot his nephew.
I heard that Faustino Barrientos shot you once?
He said that I was trespassing his property with my animals.
FAUSTINO'S NEPHEW
MISAEL TISNADO BARRIENTOS
I did have to go through his land.
I was walking by with my animals
and suddenly he shot me from behind some trees.
He shot me three times.
He might have his own way of life and he is used to it.
But, he doesn't have problems with anyone,
only with me.
So that's why I'd be afraid of living alone,
because it might drive me to do things I regret.
After learning that Faustino not only disliked other people's company
but also had tried to kill one of his family members
we were more than concerned about staying with him on a deserted piece of land
without escape routes or forms of communication with the outside world.
But we continued on our way to find him.
Since 2005, this boat started taking tourists on glacial expeditions
and contributed to bringing civilization closer to those who lived out here in isolation.
It was appropriately named Robinson Crusoe.
We made it.
We're in Faustino's land.
We were told to walk straight from the shore towards the mountains
and we'd find his home.
I hope we're walking in the right direction, to be honest.
As the boat took off in the distance
we realized how isolated we really were.
We walked for about a mile
until we finally spotted Faustino's retreat.
Hi Don Faustino.
How are you?
I'm Adriana. Nice to meet you.
Let's go inside the house.
You can sit there.
There are more chairs over there.
The house is not very big.
© 2011 VICE MEDIA, INC.
CONTINUED IN PART 2