Nerd alert: for about 5 months last year a few friends and I became obsessed with a board game called The Settlers of Catan. I won't bore you with all the details, but a large part of the early game involves the placement of settlements, from which you try to build a civilization capable of dominating your opponents. There's a great deal of strategy involved in placing settlements - you want access to a wide variety of useful natural resources, a network of ports to facilitate trade, and enough isolation that you won't be encroached upon by the expanding empires of the other players. Well-placed settlements set you up for a swift victory, granting you bragging rights over your vanquished opponents. ((As long as all girls are out of earshot....))
The founder of El Chaltén would have made a strong Catan player. Excellent placement! Right at the fork of two rivers, in the shadow of a beautiful mountain range, multiple sources of fresh drinking water within a short distance of town. Plus, it's only a short connection to Route 40 - Argentina's Longest Road. ((And at 3,107 mi, one of the longest roads in the world.)) Very well-played.
