40 Years of Complete Isolation (Part 4/4)

ADRI MURGUIA: The following morning, Faustino began making
the last preparations before a trip to the Green Lake, which
is a day's horse ride away.
We would spend the night there.
And so we needed to take enough supplies to get us
through our stay.

The Green Lake was the first piece of land
he owned out here.
And it was also central to his cattle business.
He hadn't returned for over four years, but
we didn't know why.
FAUSTINO BARRIENTOS: [SPEAKING SPANISH]
ADRI MURGUIA: [SPEAKING SPANISH]
FAUSTINO BARRIENTOS: [SPEAKING SPANISH]
ADRI MURGUIA: It's a tent.

FAUSTINO BARRIENTOS: [SPEAKING SPANISH]
ADRI MURGUIA: Every inch of land that we crossed over to
get to the Green Lake belongs to Faustino.
It was a six hour journey.
We were only halfway there.
And the crew felt exhausted by the attacks of the
blood-sucking horseflies.
But Faustino and Marcos were unfazed, even by the
blistering sun that barely sets during the summer.

FAUSTINO BARRIENTOS: [SPEAKING SPANISH]
ADRI MURGUIA: When we finally arrived, after six hours of
riding our horses, and encountered Faustino's
settlement that he had left behind, we started
setting up our camp.
And Marcos began cooking the lamb we had
killed the day before.

MARCOS LANCASTER: [SPEAKING SPANISH]
FAUSTINO BARRIENTOS: [SPEAKING SPANISH]
MARCOS LANCASTER: [SPEAKING SPANISH]
FAUSTINO BARRIENTOS: [SPEAKING SPANISH]
MARCOS LANCASTER: [SPEAKING SPANISH]
FAUSTINO BARRIENTOS: [SPEAKING SPANISH]
MARCOS LANCASTER: [SPEAKING SPANISH]
FAUSTINO BARRIENTOS: [SPEAKING SPANISH]
MARCOS LANCASTER: [SPEAKING SPANISH]
FAUSTINO BARRIENTOS: [SPEAKING SPANISH]
ADRI MURGUIA: Faustino would spend every summer here and
oversee his cattle.
FAUSTINO BARRIENTOS: [SPEAKING SPANISH]
ADRI MURGUIA: [SPEAKING SPANISH]
FAUSTINO BARRIENTOS: [SPEAKING SPANISH]
MARCOS LANCASTER: [SPEAKING SPANISH]
FAUSTINO BARRIENTOS: [SPEAKING SPANISH]
MARCOS LANCASTER: [SPEAKING SPANISH]
FAUSTINO BARRIENTOS: [SPEAKING SPANISH]
MARCOS LANCASTER: [SPEAKING SPANISH]
ADRI MURGUIA: [SPEAKING SPANISH]
MALE SPEAKER: [SPEAKING SPANISH]
MARCOS LANCASTER: [SPEAKING SPANISH]
FAUSTINO BARRIENTOS: [SPEAKING SPANISH]
ADRI MURGUIA: [SPEAKING SPANISH]
FAUSTINO BARRIENTOS: [SPEAKING SPANISH]
ADRI MURGUIA: [SPEAKING SPANISH]
FAUSTINO BARRIENTOS: Yeah, yeah.
ADRI MURGUIA: We were finally starting to wind down and
couldn't wait to have our only meal of the day.
[SPANISH]
FAUSTINO BARRIENTOS: [SPEAKING SPANISH]
ADRI MURGUIA: Prime Patagonia sheep.
FAUSTINO BARRIENTOS: [AFFIRMATIVE GRUNT]
ADRI MURGUIA: Fresh.

I think Marcos is going to take over the land when
Faustino finishes his time here.
He's inheriting this whole thing.
He lives in O'Higgins and he has a family.
But he's planning on bringing them here.
I don't know, I don't think he's trying to take advantage
of him or anything.
Seems like a nice guy.

[SPEAKING SPANISH]
FAUSTINO BARRIENTOS: [SPEAKING SPANISH]
MARCOS LANCASTER: [SPEAKING SPANISH]
FAUSTINO BARRIENTOS: [SPEAKING SPANISH]
ADRI MURGUIA: After spending the night, we gathered that
Faustino hadn't returned to the Green Lake since 2007,
when his nephew started stealing his cattle and
selling the meat in nearby towns.
Due to his age and the vast amount of land on this
property, it was impossible for him to keep it under
constant surveillance.
Feeling powerless over what was happening to him, he let
his cattle run free and brought in Marcos Lancaster to
take care of it, but more importantly, to protect him.

FAUSTINO BARRIENTOS: [SPEAKING SPANISH]
ADRI MURGUIA: It's impossible to understand who Faustino
really is, when like his nephew or brother, we have a
very limited view of the life of a man that has spent most
of his time on Earth alone.
He shared some stories with us, but who knows what he's
chosen to keep to himself.
And it's difficult to say whether or not we would have
liked to meet him 30 years ago, when he was very
different, given the few things we know about him now.

Here's an 81-year-old man that is kind and welcoming.
And it might seem natural to see him living alone.
But he makes it look so simple, when the few days
we've been here have proven that we couldn't have survived
without him.

As we made our way back to Faustino's home, we have to
get ready to return to New York.
[SPEAKING SPANISH]
FAUSTINO BARRIENTOS: [SPEAKING SPANISH]
ADRI MURGUIA: [SPEAKING SPANISH]
FAUSTINO BARRIENTOS: [SPEAKING SPANISH]
ADRI MURGUIA: [SPEAKING SPANISH]
After spending four days with him, it's impossible to
imagine spending a lifetime in Chilean Patagonia, imitating
the way of life of the original gauchos, something
Faustino Barrientos is trying to preserve.
[MUSIC PLAYING]