In Patagonia

Patagonia, as evidenced by the protests regarding hydroaysen, is one of Chile's dearest national landmarks. Over the years it has become an important turistic attraction, particularly for foreigners looking for adventures and often times solitude (what could be lonelier than the end of the world?). This exotic sense usually also extends to the people living there, as can be seen in Chatwin's book, where the people he encounters seem to be just as important (if not more) as the landscapes. This is why it's easy to forget that for them it is also the year 2015.
It's easy to understand that someone reading In Patagonia would expect to travel there and encounter barren lands with little or no civilization, after all, that's the way it was when Chatwin travelled there. This is not the way it is now; which is not something to be considered good or bad but rather a simple observation. If traveling a couple weeks in Patagonia is hard and expensive, one can only imagine the difficulties of living there permanently, which is why technological advances (especially regarding communication) are always welcome.
While it is expected that wildlife parks should remain more or less intact, it's irrational to expect the people living in their vicinities to remain isolated. They are not part of the natural attraction and have as much of a right to be able to communicate and live like the rest of the civilization as the tourists traveling to the Patagonia. Chile is a developing country with and overpopulated capital, it's obvious that other cities will gradually begin to grow, along with people's needs.
The point is: Chatwin's book may be a a faithful description of what Patagonia was like thirty years ago  and an inspiring read for anyone wishing to travel there today, but to do so expecting to find the exact same abandoned landscapes and isolated inhabitants is foolish and borders bigotry. The world has gone through big changes over the last three decades, and the Patagonia, with all its wilderness and adventures, has been no exception.